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Robert Ragan Interview 2
GEORGE STONEY: You ready?
JAMIE STONEY: Yep.
GEORGE STONEY: OK, start --
ROBERT RAGAN: Well, they stayed for dinner and Mr. Stowe was telling his wife, said, ladies and gentlemen, we are building a cotton mill in Gastonia and they think that the prospects are good for making money and paying a dividend and would like for me to invest a little money in the thing. And Miss Stowe came out and she just sort of put a damper on the whole deal. She said, “I’ll tell you one thing,” she said, “I wouldn’t have any stock in a cotton mill.” And so that cooled things off for awhile. I think her family had had some money in a cotton mill before the Civil War, which had not done well after the Civil War and this -- she still remembered this. And anyway, that cooled things off and they had to go spend a couple more hours with Mr. Stowe, but 1:00finally he did take $3,000 of stock in the Trenton Cotton Mills and that was the story of how difficult it was to raise a few thousand dollars. It did not make sense to spend approximately 30 to 40 percent of your total capital to build a mill village unless it was an absolute necessity. And even later I’ve heard my father say that the Ragan Spinning Company, and this was built in the 1920s and I showed you and article from the Charlotte Observer one time that quoted him as making this statement, but when they were building the Ragan Spinning Company in the 1920s a village was still a necessity because the people who came to work wanted or had to have a place to stay, and they also had to have a place to bring their mother and their father and their uncle and their grandfather and 2:00so, even at that time it was still a necessity. And so that’s all I have to say on that subject.
GEORGE STONEY: Now tell us where those people came from and if they had to recruit them or --
RAGAN: Well, in the early days when the industry in Gaston County started, the people came from the county, maybe even the adjoining county later. There were plenty of people that needed and wanted cotton mill work that paid wages. Now, as more mills were built and rather than looking for hundreds of employees (inaudible) the early part of the twentieth century, they were looking for thousands of employees and then several big mill building years, like before and during and right after World War I, and then in the 1920s at that time they had to go further out to adjoining counties and then to the next county and ran out of people there. Then they went up into areas of Virginia and particularly 3:00Tennessee and the mountains of North Carolina. I’d probably say Tennessee and the mountains of North Carolina were big areas. They brought down the Scotch Irish people that settled and both originally settled and later settled there like Gaston County and Cleveland County and Mecklenburg and York Counties and someone had asked me well, just how did this happen, and I think during the heyday of the mill building activities that agents were actually sent into these areas to recruit people to come. And when they came they brought entire families with them and then they did need places to stay. As you know, I think they liked them because the mill rented the houses to them reasonably inexpensive. Most mills kept them in good condition, painted them, fixed them 4:00up. They sold them coal or wood at cost so it was sort of a fringe -- the other side of the matter is that is was a fringe benefit to the employees to have these mill houses. Later, primarily in the 1960s, most mills sold off the villages to the employees and I know this for a fact also, many of the employees were quite upset at having to buy the house when it had bene furnished inexpensively to them over the years, that they preferred for the old ways to continue, but I think after the fact, I’m sure they were very proud to own their own homes and if you drive around Gaston County today, some of these mill village homes are very attractive and others were not, just like any area of 5:00town, but many of them are very attractive and the people took a lot of pride in them.
GEORGE STONEY: Now, I want to jump to a whole different area in the -- you want to stop just a minute, Jamie?
RAGAN: Let’s go a little further first. I’ve got one other mill I want to mention that will tie in to some of the reasons, I think, that the Southern industry may have caught on If I can go one step further. If we can go a little further by the -- now here again talk of a specific family instance, because it’s one that I know the most about, but it was also happening with other textile (inaudible) of the time. The Trenton Cotton Mill was very successful for its day. It was started during the panic of 1893. It made very good money 6:00during the Depression of 1897. I have articles that attest to this particular mill and the mills in Gastonia were paying cash dividends of 20 and 30 percent, and I had one in 1897 where upon the announcement of the Trenton paying a 30 percent cash dividend and a 30 percent stock dividend, it was -- the article said that it had been declared almost impossible by Northern textile experts at the time. But for whatever reason, things were good for the better managed mills and they were making money. By the end of the century, in 1899, my grandfather had decided for a number of reasons that we won’t go into now that he wanted to build another mill that was more modern that he even had more 7:00control over. So he built the first mill that he can pretty well completely control, the Arlington Cotton Mills, and it was chartered in January of 1900 and the first mill of the 20th century chartered in this part of the state and was completed the following year. And the Arlington was a well-known mill. It was being built at the same time as the giant Loray Mill was built. The Loray actually was a tremendous mill, but it was not a financial success. The Arlington was a financial success and this building -- the building, everything was more modern and my grandfather was progressive. He wanted to have a more modern building, he wanted to make a different, and here again, it’s a whole new story. He wanted to make a product that was of a finer quality. Quality was more important to him than size, and he wanted a product that would be 8:00competitive with the New England markets where the larger and more progressive mills were still at that time and so at the Arlington he installed combing machinery, which produced a finer count of yarn and this was -- has the distinction of being the first mill in the entire South that produced combed yarns and it somewhat set a trend there. Shortly thereafter Mr. George Gray started producing combed yarn, Mr. (inaudible) got into combed yarn, the Groves and the Stowes and all those got into combed yarns and this started a trend in the South of producing a quality product that not only competed with New England, it surpassed New England and these are some of the photographs of the 9:00Arlington Mill when it was started. The Arlington was successful and it built additional capacity, and at this time many mill owners would take the money out and build another small mill and another small mill. My grandfather and others chose to just increase the size of their present operation and to have their expansion in that way. During -- eventually, the Northern mills had a situation where it was more difficult for them to make money, or so they thought, than the Southern mills. The Southern mills may have been making more money. The time had come where it was not something that happened automatically that a Southern mill did not automatically make money. The time came where it wasn’t just 10:00because they were in the South or just because they had a lesser wage scale or for whatever reason it was, Southerners had to learn how to manage a mill and those who did not manage a mill well, those mills went under. It was not at all unusual to see a Southern cotton mill go into bankruptcy. The better managed mills became better managers and they succeeded and they expanded.
GEORGE STONEY: Could you talk about if it’s right, talk about the role of places like Clemson and Georgia Tech and NC State?
RAGAN: The little bit I know they did come in. Particularly --
GEORGE STONEY: I have to mention those because I’ve got to cut out my voice.
RAGAN: Particularly areas -- the education area was supported by colleges like North Carolina State, Clemson College in Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia 11:00Tech to mention one of several, and there were some good northern schools that I may go into later that my father went to. He went to both Georgia Tech and then to New Bedford school. But these were very good in providing educated technicians and managers and future owners for the textile industry and this came originally, it was just people like Mr. Gray and his brother-in-law, John R. [Withers?], that just -- they were just naturally smart people and had picked up the mechanical process and they’d gone into it and they trained other people and those people trained other people. You know, they would go to different mills. But then we came to a time in the late 19-teens and the 1920s and the 1930s where the (break in video) educating being produced.
JAMIE STONEY: (inaudible)
JAMIE STONEY: (inaudible) a close up.
RAGAN: We finally came to a time where more formally educated textile management supervisory people had to be produced and places like Clemson and North Carolina State and Georgia Tech were producing these.
GEORGE STONEY: Now, talk about that in terms of the efficiency and the Bee-do system and all of that.
RAGAN: The Bee-do system -- more specifically talk about that -- maybe you can sort of get me started a little bit.
GEORGE STONEY: The Bee-do system was only one of a number of efficiency systems (inaudible) so just ignore that if you want to and talk about the efficiency.
RAGAN: A little bit before we get that, to go back to the competitive position between the Southern and New England mills. The New England mills of course had been in business longer. They were giant mills compared to the Southern mills. I think I’m correct in saying -- of course the Southern mills were newer mills. A smaller mill with newer machinery could perhaps produce as much as some of the larger mills. They didn’t quite look as impressive, but they were -- they had modern equipment and modern machinery and if it wasn’t modern the good managers would throw it -- or give it away or sell it and get modern machinery. The textile mills in the North were for whatever reason holding more to the status quo. They were, how shall we say it, they were trying to still pay the same dividends with the -- it was harder to pay the dividens and they 14:00had to work these mills harder to get that done. I’m getting a little tongue-tied in saying this, but I hope this comes over correctly. They were having to work harder maybe or to do things that they had not done before and one of the ways that they still paid these dividends was to perhaps not put money into new plant and equipment, and as the years passed, I think the Southern mills came into a better position along these lines and could produce the yarn and the cloth and the woven products more cheaply than the Northern mills could. And there’s more than one reason. The labor situation in the North was different. They had maybe five nationalities of employees. Languages 15:00had to be put in -- five different instructions had to be given in five different languages. It was more expensive to live in the North, but for whatever reason, they were still trying to pay those dividends. And conglomeration companies were getting bigger. I don’t remember the name, something like the Boston connection owned tremendous textile mills in Lowell and Laurence Massachusetts. But anyway, the Southern mills were making more money. One of the things, as I understand it, by the 1920s that happened were -- that was that the New England mills made what could be considered a strategic mistake. They had up until that time -- they had the superiority and the finer 16:00grades of textile products. They made a decision to go into the less fine production, whereas at the same time Southern mills like the Arlington that my grandfather started, had made the exact opposite decision to go into more quality and more refined textile products, and I think this was one of the reasons that the Southern mill economy expanded and the Northern mill economy went down. And then my father after graduating from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, he went to the New Bedford textile school and at this time, it was 1919 - 1920, at this time New England was still the -- by far the most superior area and the most prosperous area in textiles and it always impressed my father when he was in New Bedford to see these tremendous mills and to see the treasurers 17:00and the superintendents of the mills driving in these large cars and limousines, going to fine clubs and everything. And for a young man it was very impressive to him, but my father has told me many times, he said that he did see the need at that time to produce a quality product to really compete with the best and that he could see some of the things that were weak in New England and he with many other people tried to -- not to do the same thing in the South and to do things that would be more progressive.
GEORGE STONEY: Now, talk about the introduction of the more efficient systems like the Bee-do system.
RAGAN: OK, I think -- yes, this exactly goes back to the Northern mill companies and they had gotten larger, the companies that had absorbed many large mills and 18:00still trying to pay these dividends and make more money for the company, they had to be more efficient and in being more efficient they had to work their employees harder, and I think part of the situation was that the Northern mills that owned mills in the South, those Southern mills were capable of making more money than the Northern mills, so therefore maybe those Southern mills had to work harder to support the New Bedford and the Lowell and the Lawrence mills and the stockholders. So the -- I think the Loray mill was in Gastonia was a perfect example. It had been purchased by the Manville Jenks Company of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and it was only one of the plants of the Manville Jenks operation. And in the Loray they instituted what became -- what was officially 19:00known as the Boede system, I guess originated in France, but to everyone in Gaston County it was just called the stretch out system, and all it was, was making -- having one worker to supposedly do a more efficient job to do more work for his pay. And so this is what they instituted in the mills to try to make them more progressive. This, I think, historians would say is one of the things that led up to the famous 1929 strike at the Loray Mill in Gastonia. It was overdone and the -- I know from my father’s viewpoint and most of the locally owned mills, the mill men that owned and ran the mills, that it was overdone. And they did not feel that they did the same thing in their mills, but the Manville Jenks Company sent down a superintendent from Pawtucket. He 20:00instituted the stretch out system there. He did make it more productive. I suppose it could be said he was not the most likeable -- or his personality did not endear himself to the employees and I think they had some very bad feelings. This was evident to the management of the Manville Jenks Company and this particular man was replaced, and someone else came in who supposedly could do the same thing a little bit more gently, but by that time I think the feelings had become too strong and you know better than I do the National Textile Workers Union had become -- come into the town and was talking with the employees of the Loray. They obviously had figured that the textile industry of the United 21:00States was in the South, so that was a place to go and the center of the Southern industry was in Gaston County, so that was a place to go, and the largest mill in Gaston County was the Loray, so that was the place to go, and that’s where they began their work. This was a whole new story that we can get in and talk about if you want to with the Communist Party and the National Textile Workers Union and Fred Beal and the people that are involved, but I’ll wait for your instructions.
GEORGE STONEY: OK, now I think the next thing we want to talk about -- just a moment.
RAGAN: I had it somewhere.
GEORGE STONEY: OK, now just describe -- talk about the ’34 strike then.
RAGAN: Of course we’ve talked many times that the strike that has amazed historians and that we’ve all read about during this time was -- the one that interests most people was the 1929 strike at the Loray Mill -- the 22:00communist-inspired strike. This one occurred and was over in that year and was really not the largest strike. The main strike was the one in 1934 that was referred to as “The General Strike”. The flying squadrons -- this was not at one company, this was in all over the South and very heavily in Gaston County because Gaston County was one of the leading textile centers. What I know about it, I was -- of course my family itself is from talking with people and studying it and my father, [Caldwell?] Ragan, was directly involved in not only the industry, but in the strike. He was the president -- and maybe my grandfather was president until his death in 1936 -- but my father was the manager from the 23:00very beginning of the Ragan Spinning Company and it’s located a little bit west of Gastonia, close to Bessemer City. This is a photograph of it. It’s along the Southern Railway and it’s about seven miles outside of Gastonia. I don’t know all of the facts leading up to the strike, but I’m sure that it was, you know, we were in a depression. We were in a very bad depression. The mills of Gastonia, the economy of Gaston County had been severely affected. The economy and the textile industry really had begun declining in 1927, two years before the 1929 stock market crash. So by the time of the stock market crash conditions were very strained for many of the Gaston County mills, the large groups of mills -- the [Gray-Separk?] group which operated seven or eight mills, 24:00the Armstrong group of mills which had 10 or 12 or 15 mills, there were the [Stoweline Berger?] mills in Belmont, they’re a successful group of mills. The Hutchinson group of mills, and large independent mills like the Cramerton Mills and the McAden Mills and the Ragan Spinning Company and the Groves Mills and the Smyre Mills, they were all operating, but by 1934 the Gray-Separk and the Armstrong mills primarily had gotten into severe financial difficulty, had basically failed and had been taken into receivership -- a receivership that developed into the very successful company called Textiles Incorporated, which had been chartered in 1933 and it did not come out of receivership until the beginning of World War II. But anyway, the environment was that most of the 25:00mills of Gastonia, and many of Gaston County, were either not running or were working on very much curtailed production, in other words, two or three days a week. The only exceptions to those, the Ragan Spinning Company, the Groves Mill -- in Gastonia [there were?] exceptions -- maybe the Smyre Mills, the Trenton and the Dixon Mills were about the only ones that were able to run full-time during that thing with -- my father always felt very fortunate that they were. It wasn’t easy and he was on the road most of the time selling. He had some very good connections that we talked about, [Bogram?], Crawford, and John [Bromley?] and Sons, and places like this that provided them the ability to run right through the Depression. They were always fully employed, and the reason 26:00that I mention this that this was why -- this was part of the general strike. Those employees that were with mills, they were either not operating or not able to operate or were greatly curtailing their production, wages, and everything else, they were primarily the ones that were on strike and they wanted to close down those mills, like the Ragan Spinning Company, that were operating. So, our limited experience to the 1934 strike is at the Ragan Spinning Company, but this was happening all across Gaston County, Cleveland County, York County, South Carolina, Georgia, I presume, and to Tennessee, wherever there was a textile industry. It was in 1934, and I think it was on the day -- and you caught me off guard -- the day before Labor Day or something, 1934 that the flying 27:00squadron hit the Ragan Spinning Company and there was just a group -- a large group as I understand it, of unemployed textile workers whose purpose was to close down the Ragan Spinning Company. They arrived there. My father was informed that they were coming. He was a younger man then and maybe did things -- he was very mad and I was told by a friend 50 years later that -- from Charlotte -- that he was -- he was selling textile supplies -- he was there at the Ragan Spinning Company, he could verify everything that took place from a distance, from a safe distance. He witnessed what went on. Anyway, my father and the superintendent and a few other people were the only ones that would go outside of the mill office to meet these people and my father was extremely mad and probably said things back then that you couldn’t get by saying now, but in 28:00effect he stopped them and told them that everything he had was tied up in this company that if they came through and tried to destroy the property that they would have to go right through him, that he was going to stand there and try to stop them and I think things maybe calmed down a little bit. My dad was told later by one of the section hands at the Ragan Spinning Company by the name of Sid Black, and they called him Bear Black because he was so big and strong, but anyway, Bear told my father later, he said, “Mr. Ragan,” he said, “You didn’t notice it but I was standing right behind you with a four foot metal pipe and if they had tried to come through you,” he said, “I would have stood right with you and we would have taken on as many of them as we could.” 29:00So that was the kind of atmosphere. It was a rough atmosphere and Dad was quoted in newspapers and particularly the Daily News Record in New York, which is a trade publication, saying it was a damnable outrage that things like this could happen on a civilized society. They were providing employment to people, they were paying wages and for others to come in and try to close them down they didn’t think was right. But anyway, what finally happened is some -- maybe through an agreement with Caldwell Ragan standing here and the leader of the strikers, they had agreed to let them go on through the mill. He told the superintendent, it was Mr. Robert Miller at the time, he said, “Close the mill down. Send the employees home,” and at that time the flying squadron did go 30:00through the mill. They did not do major damage as they had done in some of the other mills, but they call it the ends, they tore them down -- all of the ends off of all of the machines which means that all the machines, whenever you started again, had to be set back up. So they did minor damage, then they went on to other mills. But it was a very terrifying thing probably at the time. As a matter of fact, some of the mill office people were not sticking their head out the door and there my dad was standing out in the middle of the whole thing, but it turned out all right and there’s an article that I think you --
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With dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur just like his beloved Richard Branson, Lemon bids farewell to his hometown of Leeds and heads for the capital. When he becomes an overnight billionaire, it seems everything is going his way, but it's not long before he discovers that life can be just as cruel as it is kind.
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Direct out of jail, Jake Blues and his Brother Elwood are off on a mission from God to raise funds for the orphanage in which they grew up. The only thing they can do is do what they do best: play music. So they get their old band together and they're on their way yet not without getting in a bit of trouble here and there.
B/W (2015)
Nurick and Yaroslav are trying to robe a criminal boss. Unfortunately Nurick dies but returns to the world with a mission: to be the guardian angel of Yaroslav.
My Friends Act II (1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. All My Friends Part 2 (Italian: Amici miei Atto II) is a 1982 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is the sequel to Amici miei of 1975. The movie features Paolo Stoppa in one of his last roles. Description above from the Wikipedia article All My Friends Part 2, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Seventh Heaven (1993)
Seventh Heaven or De zevende zemel is a 1993 Dutch romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Paul Lilienfeld.
Tobi (1981)
A little boy seems to be an angel.
Delivered (2011)
Driven by a promise, fueled by revenge. True Romance and Vanishing point, the Mojave desert is the backdrop for this heartfelt story of betrayal and redemption. An eclectic collection of unique characters that include Japanese gangsters, an Italian proctologist, an Armenian art dealer and a hero with a very cool car set the stage for this modern crime thriller.
Dead Man Talking (2012)
8pm in a rundown prison. A prisoner on death row will be executed. He has the right to make a final declaration. But the law doesn't stipulate how long he can talk. So, as long as he talks the execution is postponed
Expired (2007)
The film revolves around Claire, a kind soul who resents having to enforce the law at all times, and Jay, an angry Traffic Officer who loves his job, being the perfect outlet for his anger and frustrations. Coming both from a place of despair and loneliness, Jay and Claire meet and engage in a tumultuous relationship which will eventually teach them that love can spread redemption.
Mr. Leguignon Lampiste (1952)
Diogène Leguignon is a modest railway worker for whom things seldom tend to go right. Having been expelled from his home, he and his wife are forced into a rundown house in a less desirable part of town. Unknown to Leguignon, a band of local children have discovered a stash of treasure and keep it concealed under the floorboards in his house. When Leguignon attempts to claim ownership of the treasure, he ends up in court and is branded a thief. When he is released from jail, he persuades his neighbours to use the money gained from the sale of the treasure to build a new housing estate. But to raise the extra capital to complete the project, Leguignon has to turn to some very unscrupulous bankers...
Joe Somebody (2001)
When underappreciated video specialist Joe Scheffer is brutally humiliated by the office bully Mark McKinney in front of his daughter, Joe begins a quest for personal redemption. He proceeds by enduring a personal make-over and takes martial arts lessons from a B-action star. As news spreads of his rematch with Mark, Joe suddenly finds himself the center of attention, ascending the corporate ladder and growing in popularity. He's determined to show everyone in his life that he is not a nobody, but a force to be reckoned with.
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
The travelling sideshow 'Lady Divine's Cavalcade of Perversions' is actually a front for a group of psychotic kidnappers, with Lady Divine herself the most vicious and depraved of all - but her life changes after she gets raped by a fifteen-foot lobster...
Ciao, Professore! (1992)
A bureaucratic snafu sends Marco Tullio Sperelli, a portly, middle-aged northern Italian, to teach third grade in a poor town outside Naples
Trench Road (2004)
Simply put, this is a movie about the identity crisis of a modern man.
Manna from Heaven (2002)
Manna From Heaven is a comedic fable about what happens when you get a gift from God (a financial windfall), but many years later you find out it was a just a loan and it's due immediately. Once upon a time, many years ago, a neighborhood in Buffalo, NY is mysteriously showered with 20 dollar bills. Theresa, a young girl who everyone thinks is a saint, doesn't have much trouble convincing her loose-knit "family" that the money is a gift from Heaven. Years later, Theresa, who has become a nun, has an epiphany that it is time to pay the money back, so she calls the eccentric group together to repay the "loan." The problem is, nobody wants to give back the money, nobody has the money, they don't know to whom it belongs, and most of them can't stand each other. Along the way, the characters learn about family, romance, reconciliation and redemption, and by working together they begin to realize their full potential.
All The Days Before Tomorrow (2007)
Wes is awakened in the middle of the night by an unexpected phone call. Its Alison, the girl who could have been, who is flying home to Tokyo in the morning and wants to come by for a night of reminiscing before she goes.
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2006)
Writer-director Randall Miller's heart-achingly sweet drama centers on the unsatisfying personal life of protagonist Frank Keane (Robert Carlyle), a sensitive baker who remains deeply despondent over his late wife's untimely death. When Frank helps a stranger (John Goodman) who's sidelined by a fatal accident on his way to a fateful reunion, he decides to show up for the rendezvous in the man's place. In the process, he finds hope and redemption.
Delivery Man (2013)
An affable underachiever finds out he's fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Now he must decide whether or not to come forward when 142 of them file a lawsuit to reveal his identity.
Fonzy (2013)
Set in Paris, A Man working in fish delivery becomes involved in a legal battle with his sperm donations.
Meryl Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family.
Plucking the Daisy (1956)
When ultra-respectable General Dumont discovers that his nubile daughter Agnes is "A.D.", author of a scandalous under-the-counter novel, he wants her shipped to a convent; but she escapes to Paris, planning to live with her brother, ostensibly a rich artist but really a poor guide in the Balzac Museum. This misunderstanding gets both in serious trouble, and puts Agnes in immediate need of money...just the amount offered as grand prize in an amateur striptease contest, which her new boyfriend, reporter Daniel, is covering for his magazine...
Km. 0 (2000)
Located in Madrid's Plaza del Sol, Km. 0 is the point from which all distances in Spain are measured from the capital. In Km. 0, it is also the meeting point for a gallery of characters. Bored, affluent housewife Marga (Concha Velasco) meets up with gigolo Miguel (Jesus Cabrero), who co-habitates with gay Benjamin (Miquel Garcia). Sergio, a soon-to-be-married office clerk who can't wait to lose his virginity, makes the acquaintance of prostitute Tatiana (Elisa Matilla), while gay dancer Bruno (Victor Ullate Jr.) meets Maximo (Armando delRio). Meanwhile, wannabe director Pedro (Carlos Fuentes) arranges to meet up with Silvia (Merce Pons), an actress who wants to work in musicals directed by Gerardo (George Corraface), and bartender Mario (Tristan Ulloa) is caught between Amor (Silke), who wants to marry him, and her little sister Roma (Cora Tiedra), who is truly in love with him.
Starbuck (2011)
Starbuck is a 2011 Canadian comedy film directed by Ken Scott and written by Martin Petit and Ken Scott. The main character David Wozniak is a perpetual adolescent who discovers that, as a sperm donor, he has fathered 533 children. David, a deliveryman for a butcher shop, is being pursued by thugs because he owes them money. Next, he is advised that more than 100 of his offspring are trying to force the fertility clinic to reveal the true identity of "Starbuck", the pseudonym he used when donating sperm. In addition, his girlfriend Valérie is pregnant with his child but doesn't feel that he is mature enough to be a father. Starbuck was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14 and 15, 2011. The film's title refers to a Canadian Holstein bull who produced hundreds of thousands of progeny by artificial insemination in the 1980s and 1990s.
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Learn about our Africology Experts, their educational backgrounds, and areas of specialization.
Paul Easterling, PhD received his degree in Religious Studies from Rice University in Houston, TX. His research interests include African American religous culture, the history of African American religion, 20th century African American Islam, and African American religion and popular culture.
Justin Gammage, PhD is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He earned his doctorate in African American Studies at Temple University. His research interests are in the area of Black Political Economy with a specific focus in the history of social movements, past and present, that address factors challenging the social, political and economic security of people of African descent.
Marquita Gammage, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Africana Studies Department at California State University, Northridge. Dr. Gammage earned her PhD in African American Studies from Temple University. Her research interests focus on over and covert representations of racism and sexism, particularly as it pertains to media generated images of Black womanhood, and societal effects of media imagery on Africana females.
Sureshi Jayawardene, PhD is a co-founder of Afrometrics and Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at San Diego State University. Dr. Jayawardene received her PhD in African American Studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She has a Master's degree in African American Studies also from Northwestern University and a Master's in Ethnic Studies with emphasis in Africana Studies from San Francisco State University. Her research focuses on Africana lifeways, culture, and identity among African-descended communities in South Asian societies. Dr. Jayawardene is also interested in the Indian Ocean slave trade, African diaspora theories, Black Geographies, Black Digital Humanities, Africana epistemologies, and Black Power politics in South Asia.
Serie McDougal III, PhD is a co-founder of Afrometrics and Professor of Africana Studies in the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. He teaches courses on Black Psychology, Research Methods, Introduction to Africana Studies, and Africana Cultures and Personalities. He also teaches the Graduate Seminar in Africana Studies in the Ethnic Studies Master of Arts program. Dr. McDougal received his PhD in African American Studies from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
Christopher Roberts, PhD is the Artemis A.W. and Martha Joukowsky Postdoctoral Fellow at the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women at Brown University. He earned his PhD in Africology and African American Studies from Temple University and holds a Master's degree in Ethnic Studies with emphasis in Africana Studies from San Francisco State University. In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Dr. Roberts is a poet and activist whose research interests include Africana aesthetics, Pan African literary criticism, Hiphop, Black Digital Humanities, and radical healing in addressing manifestations of intergenerational trauma and violence among Africana youth.
Mikana Scott, MA is a PhD candidate in African American Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Mikana also completed her Master’s degree in African American Studies at Temple University. Her Master’s thesis was concentrated on an Afrocentric Analysis of Scholarly Literature on the Cayman Islands. Mikana's research interests include the African Diaspora, Caribbean Culture, Colonialism in the Caribbean, and African Spirituality and Resistance.
Karanja Keita Carroll, PhD is an independent scholar who resides in Montclair, NJ and is also the Associate Editor of the Journal of Pan African Studies. His teaching and research interests revolve around African-centered theory & methodology, with an emphasis on social, psychological and political theory.
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For Schools, Bullying Can Raise a Complex Constitutional Problem
Categories: Online
Comments Off on For Schools, Bullying Can Raise a Complex Constitutional Problem
By Francisco M. Negrón, Jr.
Ask anyone to talk about bullying and schools and he or she will inevitably mention the Internet as a root cause. The conversation is sure to include talk of perpetrators, victims, and what schools need to do to keep children safe. This conversation is legitimate and understandable. Indeed, ensuring safe environments for all students has long been a part of the public school mission. But, the conversation frequently lacks an appreciation for the challenges associated with the competing constitutional tensions sometimes at play in cases of bullying.
It has been over four decades since the Supreme Court ruled in Tinker v. Des Moines that students do not leave their constitutional free speech rights at the school house gate simply because their views are unpopular and anti-majoritarian.{{1}} (And, school districts may discipline students within the limitations of the First Amendment for on-campus, non-school sponsored speech if it collides with “the rights of other students to be secure and to be let alone;”{{2}} if the speech is “sexually explicit, indecent, or lewd;”{{3}} or if it “can reasonably be regarded as encouraging illegal drug use.”{{4}}) In more recent years, other jurists have weighed in even more pointedly to define exactly what we might understand to be unpopular or anti-majoritarian views. While on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, for instance, then Judge Alito wrote that even harassing speech in a school setting (or elsewhere) is not categorically denied First Amendment protection.{{5}}
The stage is thus set. The challenge for schools is regulating speech that may contribute to a hostile environment, such as the kind of harassing speech referenced by Justice Alito, without overstepping constitutional bounds. Public schools have long understood that students need safe environments in which to learn. And, in recent years the federal government has attempted to mandate the elimination of hostile environments through its enforcement powers. In October 2010, for instance, the U.S. Department of Education issued a much publicized missive to schools in which it noted that many cases of bullying may involve harassment prohibited by federal civil rights laws. It decreed schools should eliminate harassment—and the hostile environment it creates—and to prevent it from reoccurring.{{6}}
But, one person’s harassment may be another’s sincerely held belief. And, when a sincerely held belief is at play, the First Amendment scales tip against regulation, absent some other indicators that the speech will be disruptive or infringes on the rights of others. Phrases on t-shirts, such as “Homosexuality is a Sin” followed by a Bible verse or “I Believe in Traditional Marriage,” may be just such expressions. And, even if some phrases lack religious or political import on their face, courts suggest they may not be banned without more.{{7}} School officials regulating this type of speech without any indicators of disruption or an infringement on the rights of others may subject themselves and their school districts to legal challenges. On the other hand, if they allow the speech, particularly in a setting where, for instance, anti-gay discrimination has been an issue, federal guidance suggests the district may be allowing a hostile environment to continue. And, because federal enforcement guidance demands schools eliminate harassment whether school officials had actual knowledge it was occurring, inadvertence is not likely to make much of a defense.
For public schools the quandary is a big one: Regulate potentially harassing messages expressing sincerely held religious or political beliefs and risk a private suit and its attendant cost and attorneys’ fees for violating a student’s constitutional rights, or risk federal enforcement action that threatens their federal funding for contributing to a hostile environment?
The matter is further complicated by the ubiquitous electronic forum to which students have broad access. Bullying and harassment at times takes place over the Internet or through other electronic communication and occurs entirely off-campus.{{8}} Disciplining students for speech is even more difficult when the speech occurs off-campus. Significantly, none of the Supreme Court cases discussing disciplining students for speech contemplate whether school districts can discipline students for off-campus speech. And, in the brave new world of social networking, linking speech that occurs in cyber space to disruption in school poses factual problems not contemplated by the Tinker court of yesteryear. Unfortunately, to date the federal courts have provided little consistent guidance that helps schools determine the line dividing harassing speech and student free speech, particularly in cyberspace. Only one federal circuit to date has definitely ruled whether and when a school district may discipline students for off-campus, Internet speech.{{9}} And, the High Court’s recent denial of certiorari in some student cyber-speech cases suggests the Supreme Court is not yet ready to resolve existing circuit conflicts.{{10}} Until then, schools will have little choice but to navigate carefully the dangerous waters between Scylla and Charybdis.
* General Counsel, National School Boards Association. Portions of this Essay have been adapted from a position statement for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Briefing on Inter-Student Violence, available athttp://www.eusccr.com/24.%20Francisco%20Negron,%20National%20School%20Boards%20Association.pdf. *[[1]] 393 U.S. 503, 514 (1969).[[1]] [[2]] Id. at 508.[[2]] [[3]] Bethel Sch. Dist. No. 403 v. Fraser, 478 U.S. 675, 684 (1986).[[3]] [[4]] Morse v. Frederick, 551 U.S. 393, 397 (2007).[[4]] [[5]] Saxe v. State College Area Sch. Dist., 240 F.3d 200, 210 (3d Cir. 2001) (holding that a school district’s anti-harassment policy was unconstitutionally overbroad).[[5]] [[6]] “A school’s responsibility is to eliminate the hostile environment created by the harassment, address its effects, and take steps to ensure that harassment does not recur.” Letter from Russlynn Ali, U.S. Dep’t. of Educ. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, to Colleagues: Harassment and Bullying, at 3–4 (Oct. 26, 2010), available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr
/letters/colleague-201010.pdf. “If an investigation reveals that discriminatory harassment has occurred, a school must take prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to end the harassment, eliminate any hostile environment and its effects, and prevent the harassment from recurring.” Id. at 2–3.[[6]] [[7]] See Saxe, supra note 5; see also Zamecnik v. Indian Prairie Sch. Dist. #204, 636 F.3d 874, 878–79 (7th Cir. 2011) (reaffirming a panel decision granting summary judgment for a permanent injunction prohibiting school district from banning students from wearing “Be Happy, Not Gay” t-shirt).[[7]] [[8]] Research by Amanda Lenhart at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project indicates that most teens think bullying and harassment happens more offline than online. See Amanda Lenhart, Cyberbullying 2010: What the Research Tells Us, Pew Internet (May 6, 2010), http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2010/May/Cyberbullying-2010.aspx (select slide 14/29).[[8]] [[9]] See Wisniewski v. Bd. of Ed. of the Weedsport Cent. Sch. Dist., 494 F.3d 34 (2d Cir. 2007) (applying Tinker’s substantial disruption test to off-campus speech that was “reasonably foreseeable” to come on-campus). See also Kowalski v. Berkeley County Sch., 652 F.3d 565, 573 (4th Cir. 2011) (relying on the “nexus” of the student’s speech to the school), cert. denied, 132 S.Ct. 1095 (Jan. 17, 2012); J.S. ex rel Snyder v. Blue Mountain Sch. Dist., 650 F.3d 915, 931 (3d Cir. 2011) (applying Tinker to find that the school district failed to demonstrate reasonable forecast of substantial disruption), cert. denied, 132 S.Ct. 1097 (Jan. 17, 2012); Layshock v. Hermitage Sch. Dist., 650 F.3d 205, 214–215 (3d Cir. 2011) (finding that school had not shown sufficient nexus between online speech and the school), cert. denied, 132 S.Ct. 1097 (Jan. 17, 2012).[[9]] [[10]] See cases cited supra note 9.[[10]]
Tags: First Amendment Free Speech
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Regulating Companies as if the World Matters: Reflections From the Ongoing Sustainable Companies Project »
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"I Was There!" First-Person Accounts of the World
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Tag: 1960s
Billy Mills
“Wings of an Eagle”
By Pamela Huber • August 19, 2015 Uncategorized
Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills recalls winning the 10,000 meter run at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics in one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Mills, an Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, was the second American Indian to win an Olympic gold medal and … Continue reading
Tagged 1960s, Athlete, Billy Mills, indigenous peoples, People, Running, Sports, Summer Olympic Games
Rare Footage of Alcatraz Prison’s Closing Day
By Witnify • March 18, 2015 Uncategorized
Watch rare footage of the last 27 prisoners leaving Alcatraz on March 21, 1963, the day the notorious federal penitentiary is closed for good. Continue reading
Tagged 1930s, 1960s, Alcatraz Island, Crime, Politics and History, Prison
Selma to Montgomery Marches
Betty Miles Remembers Bloody Sunday In Selma
By Ilana Faber • March 6, 2015 Uncategorized
On March 7, 1965, a group of around 600 marchers left Selma, Alabama, on a march to Alabama’s capital, Montgomery, as part of the Selma Voting Rights Movement. Shortly after leaving Selma, the unarmed marchers were attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge by state troopers with tear gas and billy … Continue reading
Tagged 1960s, Civil Rights, Politics and History, Selma to Montgomery Marches
John Glenn Becomes First American To Orbit Earth
By Ilana Faber • February 19, 2015 Uncategorized
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth, completing three orbits in just under five hours. Glenn orbited the earth as part of the Mercury Seven, who were a group of military test pilots selected by NASA in 1959 to become the first astronauts. … Continue reading
Tagged 1960s, historical footage, People, Science and Technology, Space
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan On The Masculine Mystique
Betty Friedan was an American writer and activist, best known for initiating the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century with the release of her book The Feminine Mystique in 1963. In 1966, Friedan founded and was elected to be the first president of the National Organization for … Continue reading
Tagged 1960s, Betty Friedan, People, Politics and History, Women
Stasi Victims and Agents On Their Experiences
By Ilana Faber • February 8, 2015 Uncategorized
The Stasi were the official state security service of East Germany established in 1950. It is considered to be one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies of all time. The Stasi were headquartered in East Berlin, and they were responsible for spying on the population. … Continue reading
Tagged 1950s, 1960s, Cold War, Politics and History
American Civil Rights Movement
Survivors Recall The Orangeburg Massacre
The Orangeburg massacre took place on February 8, 1968, when a group of about 150 protestors from South Carolina State University had gathered to protest racial segregation at the local bowling alley. South Carolina Highway Patrol Officers responded to the scene and opened fire on protestors, killing three and wounding … Continue reading
Tagged 1960s, American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Civil Rights, Gun Violence, police, Politics and History
The Beatles Give Their Final Live Performance
On January 30, 1969, The Beatles gave their final live performance from the rooftop of Apple Records in London, England. The concert was a surprise and lasted 42 minutes. The concert was recorded for the 1970 documentary film Let It Be, and the Beatles played nine takes of five songs. … Continue reading
Tagged 1960s, Arts and Culture, rock music, The Beatles
Andrew Loog Oldham On The Rolling Stones
By Ilana Faber • January 28, 2015 Uncategorized
Andrew Loog Oldham became the manager of The Rolling Stones in 1963 when he was only nineteen years old. He produced all of The Stones’s albums from 1963 to 1967 and is credited with promoting an image for The Rolling Stones to contrast that of The Beatles. Oldham’s relationship with … Continue reading
Tagged 1960s, Arts and Culture, rock music, The Rolling Stones
Vietnam Vet: “You Learn To Appreciate One Word – Now”
Lieutenant Colonel D R Butler was a helicopter pilot with the 229th Aviation Battalion in Vietnam. In this video, Butler discusses why he wanted to become a pilot and the lessons he learned in Vietnam that helped shape his life once he returned home.
Tagged 1960s, People, Pilots, Politics and History, Vietnam War
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ATF Offers Reward of Up to $2,000 for Information on the Automobile Explosion in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Bowling Green, Ky. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has announced a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the explosion that occurred in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on April 3, 2019. ATF is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
In the morning hours of April 3, 2019, at approximately 1:00 a.m., near Nelson Drive, in Hopkinsville, Ky., unknown suspect(s) used a device that caused the explosion of a white 2019 Ford F-150 Extended Cab 4-Door truck.
Anyone with information about this crime should contact ATF at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (800-283-4867), email ATFTips@atf.gov or contact ATF through it’s website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF by using the ReportIt app, or by visiting www.reportit.com (link is external). You may also provide information by contacting the Hopkinsville CRIME STOPPERS at (270) 887-TIPS (8477). All calls and tips will be kept confidential.
ATF, along with its law enforcement partners, are committed to ensuring that our communities are safe, and that those that commit violent crimes such as this will be held accountable.
For more information about ATF, go to www.atf.gov.
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10 Methods that will Impact the Next 10 Year
"Viewpoint" is a column authored by Terry Wohlers for Time-Compression Technologies.
This column was published in the September/October 2008 issue.
Methods of additive fabrication will have a profound impact on the future of rapid product development and manufacturing.
Terry Wohlers
Many of us know that additive fabrication (AF) will have an effect on the future of product development. The difficulty can be in identifying the methods that will have the greatest impact. The following are my top picks. They are listed at random.
Often, people ask which AF products and companies will survive and thrive in the future. I usually respond by naming categories of technologies, such as inkjet printing, that I believe will do well. I feel strongly that inkjet technology will drive much of the business for AF systems and materials in the future, especially at the low end and mid-range of the pricing spectrum.
I’m referring to both the jetting of binder onto a powder, as well as the deposition of photopolymer. The leading companies in this space are Z Corp. for binder-based color printing and Objet Geometrics for the printing of photopolymers. Other methods of 3D inkjet printing are likely to develop in the future.
FDM is not the fastest AF technology and it does not produce the most beautiful parts. However, the technology is fundamentally simple and it builds parts using strong thermoplastics. The FDM products from Stratasys offer a good price/performance ratio and the company’s sales figures prove it.
The large installation base and momentum of FDM, coupled with the strengths of the technology, will carry it over the next 10 years. The speed of FDM will need to improve to keep pace with new generation methods of AF.
LS for thermoplastics is a mature technology that is preferred by many companies. When surveying organizations that are applying AF to the direct manufacture of products, you will find that the majority are using LS. The process is relatively fast and you can nest many parts in the powder of a single build. Part strength and surface finish are sufficient for rigorous prototyping and manufacturing applications.
The demand for LS will likely grow over the next several years as the use of AF for manufacturing grows. Whole layer sintering processes, as they develop and mature, will have an adverse impact on laser sintering. However, this is not likely to occur for some time.
Whole Layer Sintering
LS is fast, but sintering an entire layer at once is much faster. Also, the machine price and maintenance costs of whole layer sintering promise to be lower. Sintermask Technologies of Sweden (formerly Speed Part) was first to introduce a machine of this type. It uses a photocopying process to produce individual masks that represent the inverse of the layers being produced. Infrared radiation is projected through the masks to sinter a layer in about 10 seconds. The material is polyamide powder, which is similar to what is used in LS systems.
Loughborough University has developed a whole layer sintering approach called High Speed Sintering, although it is not commercially available. Using inkjet printing, the system deposits black ink onto the surface of polyamide powder. Infrared radiation sinters the areas that are dark, leaving the light powder unsintered.
In the second half of the next 10 years, these approaches could have a strong commercial impact. Why not over the next five years? History shows that it takes several years for new technology platforms and start-up companies to hit their stride. The more money and resources that are available, the faster it can happen, but it’s still measured in years.
DLP Imaging of Photopolymer
This is also a whole layer approach, but photopolymers are used instead of powders. Consequently, the layer solidification is initiated by light, coupled with a method of controlling the light. Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology from Texas Instruments is the preferred method. DLP uses tiny mirrors arranged in a matrix on a semiconductor chip. Each mirror represents one or more pixels from the image that is being projected. Data projectors and some large televisions use DLP.
Envisiontec, with its Perfactory systems, has commercialized AF systems based on the DLP chip. The systems are less expensive to purchase and maintain than stereolithography (SL) and are faster because of the whole layer DLP approach. Fewer materials are available, but the list is expanding. The V-Flash system from 3D Systems also solidifies an entire layer at once using DLP.
Selective Melting of Metal
First generation laser melting systems made parts, but they were not impressive. Today’s systems are capable of producing usable components that would be expensive, difficult or impossible to machine cast and/or weld. The parts are being used for prototyping, custom and short-run production, and series manufacturing. The machines from EOS are arguably producing the highest quality parts, as measured by surface finish, edge definition and feature detail.
Systems from MTT (formerly MCP Tooling Technologies) and Concept Laser are not far behind. Also, Electron Beam Melting from Arcam has improved considerably over the years and is said to operate more efficiently than a laser-based system, although the surface finish is not nearly as good. Materials of choice for these systems are titanium alloys for aerospace and medical applications and cobalt-chrome for dental crowns and bridges.
New Generation Photopolymers
Improved materials for stereolithography will help to extend the life of the machine technology. SL is mature and used by many service providers, but it is relatively expensive. The cost is often justified when specific materials are needed.
A relatively new resin is the DMX-SL 100 from DSM Somos. The material offers up to 4x the impact resistance of other SL resins and up to twice the impact strength of FDM (ABS and polycarbonate) and some laser-sintered polyamides, according to DSM. Overall performance of the material is similar to laser-sintered polyamides.
Compared to thermoplastics, such as ABS and polyamides, the properties of photopolymers are unstable over time. This means that strength and other properties usually decline as the part ages. It is too early to know whether the DMX-SL chemistry will suffer this same problem. It is not a problem for most prototyping applications because the life of a prototype is relatively short. For part manufacturing, the rules are dramatically different and stability is critical.
New chemistries will help to propel other photopolymer-based systems into the future. Customers of Objet Geometries and Envisiontec will benefit from the new formulations.
Most AF systems perform well for making models, prototypes and patterns. They also perform sufficiently for the manufacture of parts in some industries such as custom furniture, home and personal accessories, and collectables such as action figures. For aerospace, automotive and medical applications, they often fall short. Much of the problem is with controlling the build process. Most AF machines lack feedback systems that provide a permanent record of the build process as it occurs. This information can be used to identify problems should a part fail to meet quality standards. Data derived from closed-loop systems can be used to monitor and adjust build parameters (such as laser power) as the machine is producing each voxel of a part. Without process controls, AF will be met with resistance in industries where failed products can cause personal injury or worse.
“Front End” Software
Software is being developed to dramatically speed the process of preparing data for manufacturing by additive fabrication. Examples are hearing aids and dental crowns and bridges. Without this software, it is impractical to manufacture in this way. 3Shape, Geomagic, and Materialise have created special software for hearing aid and dental applications.
Software is being developed for other rapid manufacturing applications. For example, FigurePrints is spending considerable resources on software that can handle World of Warcraft characters that the company accepts from game players for manufacturing. The problem is significant because it must handle the submission of thousands of models that lead to consumer products that are sold at a low cost. The software improves the resolution and identifies thin areas and makes them thicker so that the features of the character are of sufficient strength. What’s more, it allows the customer to change the pose of the character.
To make AF work for manufacturing, a great deal of effort, trial ‘n error, fine tuning and rewrites will occur to develop the front end of the process. The way in which it is handled could make the difference between success and failure.
Similar to the front end of the process, the back end requires considerable effort. Cleaning and finishing prototypes can be a challenge, but it’s nothing like the problem that companies face as they attempt to manufacture hundreds or thousands of parts with AF. With prototypes, a considerable margin is included in the price for post processing. A similar margin for part manufacturing with AF would make it cost prohibitive.
To make AF work for manufacturing, organizations must develop streamlined methods of removing excess material and finishing the parts. Removing support material from holes, slots and trapped areas normally require expensive labor, so these material removal problems must be resolved. Hand sanding is also time-consuming and expensive and could become a “show stopper” if the task cannot be automated. In some cases, the parts may require strengthening using one method or another, such as infiltration. Parts may also require paint or one or more clear coats. If the post-processing requires little human intervention, the use of AF for manufacturing has a reasonable chance of success.
Several methods of additive fabrication will have an effect on design and manufacturing. Determining the top ones can help organizations anticipate and plan for the future. The machines and materials are important to consider, as well as the three basic steps of additive fabrication— preprocessing, the build process and post-processing—to ensure efficiency and quality, especially for manufacturing applications. TCT
Industry consultant and analyst Terry Wohlers is principal consultant and president of Wohlers Associates, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO). Wohlers has provided consulting assistance to more than 150 organizations in 20 countries For more information, visit http://wohlersassociates.com.
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The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is currently comprised with the following regiments:
Regular Army
1st Armoured Regiment – Armoured
2nd Cavalry Regiment – Reconnaissance
B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment – Armoured Personnel Carrier
2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) – Reconnaissance
1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers – Reconnaissance
A Squadron, 3rd/9th South Australia Mounted Rifles – Light cavalry
4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse – Reconnaissance
A Squadron, 10th Light Horse Regiment – Light cavalry
12th/16th Hunter River Lancers – Light Armoured
The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is the grouping of Regular Army and Army Reserve regiments equipped with armoured vehicles in the Australian Army. The corps was formed in 1941 as the Australian Armoured Corps, before being given the Royal prefix in 1948. The Royal Australian Armoured Corps traces its lineage back to the Australian Light Horse regiments and in many cases to state militia prior to Federation. Today, many of the current regiments follow the traditions of their Light Horse predecessors.
The RAAC has an approximate current strength of about 250 officers and 1000 other ranks and has units around Australia.
The main characteristics of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) are firepower, mobility, protection, communications, endurance and flexibility.
For more kinds of tanks and australia military. Click here!
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PM’s Office Calls Urgent Meeting On Crisis-Hit Jet Airways: Sources
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Civil Aviation Secretary called for an urgent meeting on Jet Airways with Nripendra Mishra, principal secretary to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, according to sources. Government officials had expressed concern about the loss of jobs at the airline and on the prospect of higher airfares if Jet Airways collapses.
The move comes after Union Minister Suresh Prabhu on Friday directed Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola to review issues concerning Jet Airways, which has been operating with less than 10 planes. “Directed Secretary MoCA to review issues related to Jet Airways. Asked him to take necessary steps to minimise passenger inconvenience and ensure their safety,” Mr Prabhu tweeted this morning.
The airline on Friday also announced the suspension of its international flights till Monday. The government rules call for an airline to have at least 20 planes for operating international operations.
The deadline for submission of Expression of Interest (EoI) for Jet Airways also closed on Friday. The group of Jet Airways’ lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), have been seeking a new investor to take a stake of up to 75 per cent in the airline. Initial bids were to be submitted by the end of Wednesday, but SBI had extended the deadline to Friday.
The crisis-hit carrier has been forced to ground more than 80 per cent of its fleet over unpaid dues to leasing companies, pushing it to the brink of shutdown and jeopardising hopes of a new investor rescuing the carrier.
On Wednesday, Indian Oil, for the second time, had halted supply of fuel to Jet Airways for a few hours over non-payment of dues. The National Aviator’s Guild had also served a legal notice to the management of the airline over delays in the payment of salary.
Source: https://www.ndtv.com/business/pms-office-calls-urgent-meeting-on-crisis-hit-jet-airways-sources-2022253
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Emergency was India s darkest period, says Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Emergency rule in India was "one of India s darkest periods". On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Emergency, Modi took to Twitter and urged people to do "everything possible to further strengthen our democratic ideals and ethos". Modi described the Emergency - from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977 - as India s darkest period, when the then political leadership "trampled over the democracy". "We mark 40 years of one of India s darkest periods - the Emergency when the then political leadership trampled over our democracy," Modi tweeted.
"A vibrant liberal democracy is the key to progress. Let us do everything possible to further strengthen our democratic ideals and ethos," another of his tweets said. The then prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in India citing grave threat to her government and sovereignty of the country from both internal and external forces.
Modi said that inspired by the call of social reformer and political leader Jayaprakash Narayan, several men and women across India selflessly immersed themselves in the movement to safeguard the democracy. "We are very proud of the lakhs of people, who resisted the Emergency and whose efforts ensured that our democratic fabric is preserved," Modi said. "Personally, the Emergency brings back many memories.
As youngsters, we learnt a lot during the anti-Emergency movement." In a series of tweets, Modi said: "Emergency was a great opportunity to work with a wide spectrum of leaders and organisations fighting for the same goal - the return of democracy."
UP government to plant 22 cr saplings this season
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Biography – HARTT, CHARLES FREDERICK – Volume X (1871-1880) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Source: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
HARTT, CHARLES FREDERICK, geologist and paleontologist; b. 23 Aug. 1840 at Fredericton, N.B., eldest son of Jarvis William Hartt and Prudence Brown; m. in 1869 Lucy Lynde of Buffalo, N.Y., by whom he had two children; d. in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 18 March 1878.
Charles Frederick Hartt’s father was principal of the Baptist seminary in Fredericton, New Brunswick, when his son was born; he soon joined the staff of Horton Academy, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Charles Frederick was educated at the academy and at Acadia College, receiving his ba in 1860. In that year his father moved to Saint John, N.B., and established a young ladies’ high school, where his son taught for a year.
From an early age C. Fred Hartt (as he was usually known) manifested a great interest in the natural sciences, especially geology and paleontology, and he made extensive collections in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Several species new to science which he had collected were described by Sir William Dawson* in Acadian geology (Edinburgh, 1855). From 1861 to 1864 Hartt studied under Professor Louis Agassiz at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Mass. Hartt was a founding member, along with Moses H. Perley*, George Frederic Matthew*, and others, of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick in 1862; the society bought his fossil collections to assist in financing his studies under Professor Agassiz. In 1864 he and G. F. Matthew assisted Professor Loring Woart Bailey* of the University of New Brunswick in a government-instituted survey of southern New Brunswick.
In 1865 when Professor Agassiz was organizing the Thayer Expedition to Brazil, Hartt was appointed one of the two geologists. The expedition returned to the United States in 1866 but Hartt went back in 1867 for further study of the geology of the Bahia region and the coral reefs. In 1868 he became professor of natural history at Vassar College but soon resigned to become head of the department of geology at Cornell University.
Brazil was, however, his great interest. In 1870 he organized the largest of his expeditions, taking with him another professor and 11 Cornell students. On this and a subsequent expedition he worked in the Amazonas. In 1874 he submitted a proposition to the Brazilian government for a geological survey of Brazil, and in 1875 the Geological Commission of the Empire of Brazil was organized with Professor Hartt as its chief. For the next three years he directed expeditions working in many parts of the country and set up a museum to house all the scientific specimens collected. Then in the spring of 1878, when he returned to Rio de Janeiro after an exhausting inland expedition, he died of yellow fever at the age of 38, cutting short a brilliant career.
Hartt’s contribution to scientific research in Brazil did not end with his own outstanding geological work. Inspired by his example the students whom he had taken to Brazil continued the research long after his death. Dr John Casper Branner, who had been personally associated with Hartt, wrote: “It is not difficult to sum up Hartt’s influence upon geological work in Brazil, for with very few exceptions all the work of this character which has been done in that country since 1874 is traceable, either directly or indirectly, to the impetus given it by Hartt . . . as he was not a narrow specialist but a broad-minded naturalist, his students have also done other than purely geological work.”
W. Austin Squires
J. C. Branner, “Prof. Hartt in Brazil,” Cornell Magazine (Ithaca, N.Y.), February 1890. G. U. Hay, “Memorial sketch of the life and work of Prof. Ch. Fred. Hartt,” New Brunswick Natural History Society, Report, 1881 (Saint John, N.B.), 3–14; “The scientific work of Prof. Chas. Fred. Hartt,” RSCT, 2nd ser., V (1899), sect.iv, 155–65. G. F. Matthew, “Charles Frederick Hartt,” Natural History Society of New Brunswick, Bull. (Saint John, N.B.), IX (1890), 1–24.
BAILEY, LORING WOART (Vol. 15)MATTHEW, GEORGE FREDERIC (Vol. 15)DAWSON, Sir JOHN WILLIAM (Vol. 12)PERLEY, MOSES HENRY (Vol. 9)CRAMP, JOHN MOCKETT (Vol. 11)HAY, GEORGE UPHAM (Vol. 14)HIGGINS, THOMAS ALFRED (Vol. 13)
DAWSON, Sir JOHN WILLIAM
PERLEY, MOSES HENRY
BAILEY, LORING WOART
CRAMP, JOHN MOCKETT
W. Austin Squires, “HARTT, CHARLES FREDERICK,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 10, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed July 18, 2019, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hartt_charles_frederick_10E.html.
Permalink: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hartt_charles_frederick_10E.html
Author of Article: W. Austin Squires
Title of Article: HARTT, CHARLES FREDERICK
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Eddie (2011)
After an accident a decade ago, renowned Danish painter Lars Olafssen (Thure Lindhardt) lost his muse, and hasn't produced anything noteworthy since. In an effort to abandon the professional art world altogether, he seeks refuge in Koda Lake, a remote Canadian town, where he accepts a teaching position at a struggling art school.
Despite Olafssen's best efforts, everyone from the overzealous school administrator (Alain Goulem) to his seedy agent (Stephen McHattie) are hoping he will once again pick up a brush, yet all he can do is stare at a blank canvas. But that changes after he takes in one of his adult students, Eddie (Dylan Scott Smith), whose curious nocturnal habit turns out to be just the inspiration he needs to paint once again. But how far is Olafssen willing to go for the sake of his art?
Dylan Scott Smith as Eddie
Shot outside of Ottawa, Eddie was directed by Boris Rodriguez, who also wrote the screenplay; this was based on a story by Jon Rannells, which was originally about a novelist who finds his muse in a werewolf's killing spree. Released on Blu-ray as Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal, the title and marketing material alone should give you a good idea of what to expect from this Canada-Denmark co-production--and you won't be disappointed. It's a horror-black comedy where Fargo meets Shaun of the Dead, except that the traditional zombie is replaced by a living human named Eddie. He's an adult mute who witnessed a horrible tragedy in his childhood, to the point that whenever he faces an upsetting situation, he tends to sleepwalk--and ends up killing and eating any living thing that crosses his path.
Thure Lindhardt as Lars Olafssen
Eddie's peculiar nocturnal activity is well known to those responsible for bringing Olafssen to Koda Lake, including a fellow instructor (Georgina Reilly) who has no problem with the two sharing a living space. It seems they're all willing to turn a blind eye to the increasing body count once they realize that a reinvigorated Olafssen will provide a major boon to the art school, as well as the community--and even the artist himself succumbs to the thrall of his new muse. Koda Lake's sole police officer (Paul Braunstein) seems to be the only one concerned about the increasing number of disappearances around town.
In fact, it's this ambiguity towards Eddie's activities that makes the slow reveal of each character's motivation all the more interesting. You'd think that someone who kills and eats other humans would be the antagonist of the story, but Eddie is just a pawn in a larger scheme to sell paintings. The film poses questions about the correlation between violence and creativity, the sleaziness of the corporate art world, and the importance of sacrificing everything for your art. But these serious topics are given a light touch, with a few appropriate jabs here and there; this is, after all, a satire.
Although this fun story may move slowly at times, it's recommended viewing for fans of horror-comedies, especially for those who like humour at its very dry best. Here's the official trailer:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNAc5wOmyQo]
Sunday, August 10, 2014 No comments
The Night Wanderer
Terrors from the Lobby!
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Daniel R. Masys, MD
Dr. Daniel R. Masys M.D., is an Affiliate (volunteer) Professor of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle.
He joined UW in 2011 after retiring as Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. An honors graduate of Princeton University and the Ohio State University College of Medicine, he completed postgraduate training in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology at the University of California, San Diego, and the Naval Regional Medical Center, San Diego. He served as Chief of the International Cancer Research Data Bank of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, and was also Director of the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, which is a computer research and development division of the National Library of Medicine.
He also served as Director of Biomedical Informatics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Director of the UCSD Human Research Protections Program, and Professor of Medicine.
Dr. Masys is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine in Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and Fellow and Past President of the American College of Medical Informatics. He chairs the Informatics Working Group of the National Cancer Advisory Board, which advises the National Cancer Institute on issues related to scientific computing.
Dr. Masys' research interests include development of informatics infrastructure for conducting clinical and translational research, genome-phenome correlation using phenotype data derived from electronic medical records data, and approaches to incorporating genomic data effectively into clinical systems.
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2018/01/03- BIPARTISAN MAYORS ISSUE LETTER URGING THE ADMINISTRATION TO EXTEND TPS FOR EL SALVADOR
Posted by Cities for Action on January 03, 2018 Share
For Immediate Release: January 3, 2018
Contact: press@citiesforaction.us
BIPARTISAN MAYORS ISSUE LETTER URGING THE ADMINISTRATION TO EXTEND TPS FOR EL SALVADOR
Cities for Action leaders call on the Trump Administration to extend TPS for Salvadorans ahead of January 8 deadline
WASHINGTON –With the January 8 deadline looming, 19 mayors and municipal leaders issued a letter today to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson imploring them to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by 18 months for Salvadorans who cannot safely return to El Salvador.
Cities for Action mayors and county leaders represent most of the estimated 195,000 Salvadoran TPS holders nationwide. In the letter the local leaders emphasize the social, economic, and cultural contributions of Salvadoran TPS recipients to their localities, as well as the dire conditions that persist in El Salvador. TPS recipients from El Salvador have lived in the United States for an average of 21 years and they contribute over $3 billion to the US GDP. Ending TPS, the elected officials write, would callously send many of our long-time community members back to a country that struggles to address basic infrastructural needs and cannot safely absorb its nationals. Any decision to terminate or wind down TPS for El Salvador would needlessly divide families and put long-time residents in danger.
About Cities for Action
The mayors and county executives who have signed today’s letter to Secretaries Nielsen and Tillerson are part of Cities for Action, a coalition of over 175 cities and counties that are committed to driving the national debate on immigration policies and integrating immigrants through best practices at the municipal level.
See below for quotes from signatories:
“The people of El Salvador have suffered tremendously in their homeland in recent years. The City of Houston has welcomed them with open arms. We continue to do so, and El Salvadoreans have contributed profoundly to our culture and our economy. We ask that Temporary Protected Status be extended so El Salvadoreans can safely remain in Houston.” - Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner
“Americans do not want to turn their backs on people who have fled horrific circumstances and begun building lives in the United States. The Administration should extend TPS for El Salvador, so that thousands of our neighbors don’t face the anguish of worrying that they — or their children — are at risk for violence.” - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
“I stand shoulder to shoulder with Mayors across the country and the 4,000 Salvadoran New Yorkers with TPS to call for an 18-month extension. When their country was hit by a natural disaster, these individuals took refuge in our city and have since become deeply embedded in our economy, houses of worship, schools and neighborhoods. Not only that, but over 3,500 U.S.-born children live in families with a Salvadoran TPS recipient. It would be callous and cruel to rip these productive residents from their homes to force them back to a country that is experiencing tremendous violence and instability.” – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
“TPS recipients are our friends, neighbors, classmates, and colleagues. In Washington, DC and in cities across the country, Salvadorans own businesses, lead our communities, and make tremendous contributions to our economy. Many Salvadorans have legally lived and worked in the U.S. for nearly two decades; they have built lives and careers in the U.S., and, for many, their children know no other home. Since 2001, the U.S. has continued to renew El Salvador’s TPS designation, recognizing that the country is still not ready to successfully and safely receive tens of thousands of people. Today, I am proud to join mayors and county officials from across the country in urging the Trump Administration to help build a safer, stronger country by extending El Salvador's Temporary Protected Status." - Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser
Below is the full text of the letter from Cities for Action:
The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW
The Honorable Rex Tillerson
2201 C Street NW
Dear Secretary Nielsen and Secretary Tillerson:
We, the undersigned mayors and county executives, urge you to renew El Salvador’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation before it comes due for extension on January 8, 2018. We write on behalf of our communities as well as Cities for Action, a national coalition of more than 175 cities and counties that advocate for policies that protect and support our immigrant residents. Most of the estimated 195,000 Salvadoran TPS holders live in metropolitan areas that are represented in our coalition. As local officials, it is our obligation to ensure all of our residents’ safety and well-being, including those of immigrants and their families. We are gravely concerned that failure to renew El Salvador’s TPS designation will harm hundreds of thousands of people in our communities.
Congress created TPS for circumstances in which a country’s conditions are too dangerous to permit the safe return of a group of nationals, and El Salvador is a textbook example of such conditions. El Salvador was first designated for TPS status by the Bush Administration in 2001, after two devastating earthquakes. Its designation has been renewed at every juncture since because subsequent natural disasters have impeded the country’s recovery and have given rise to unstable living conditions, including drought, housing shortages, poverty, and water shortages. In the security vacuum left by a government that struggles to address even its most basic infrastructural needs, violence and crime ravage the country. Activity by brutal gangs such as 18th Street and MS-13 is widespread, armed robbery is common, and the country has one of the world’s highest murder rates. As the State Department human rights report from 2017 noted, one in five families in El Salvador claims to have been victims of violent crimes. Women and children have been particularly vulnerable to endemic sexual abuse and gender-based violence.
The Salvadoran TPS recipients we represent have deep roots in our communities. Allowing their TPS status to expire will divide families and harm our cities. Salvadoran TPS recipients have lived in the United States for an average of 21 years and have 192,700 U.S.-born children. Salvadoran TPS recipients have an extremely high rate of participation in the labor force—88%. They contribute over $3 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Of households with a Salvadoran TPS recipient, 34% have a mortgage. Our long-time Salvadoran residents are integral members of our neighborhoods and our cities depend on their critical contributions.
Ending TPS would send many of our long-time Salvadoran residents back to a country that cannot adequately handle the return of its nationals. Their removal would also harm hundreds of thousands of Americans, particularly their U.S. citizen children, as well as their neighbors, coworkers, and employers. We call upon the federal government to renew El Salvador’s TPS designation for 18 months and protect our hardworking community members.
We urge you to continue protecting these longstanding members of our societies, who contribute so much to our communities and economies.
Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown, PA
Steve Hogan, Mayor of Aurora, CO
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston, MA
Lydia Lavelle, Mayor of Carrboro, NC
Thomas G. Ambrosino, City Manager of Chelsea, MA
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago, IL
Michael S. Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas, TX
Riley H. Rogers, Mayor of Dolton, IL
Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, TX
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA
Paul R. Soglin, Mayor of Madison, WI
Megan Barry, Mayor of Nashville, TN
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, NY
Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland, CA
Christopher B. Coleman, Mayor of Saint Paul, MN
Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San José, CA
Ted Winterer, Mayor of Santa Monica, CA
Joseph A. Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville, MA
Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, D.C.
immigration immigrant mayors cities for action tps
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March 2010 - Blabbermouth Archive
KILLING MACHINE Confirmed For U.K.'s BLOODSTOCK Festival
U.S. metallers KILLING MACHINE have been confirmed for the 10th-anniversary edition of the Bloodstock festival, set to take place August 13-15, 2010 at Catton Hall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): AMORPHIS ANDROMEDA BEHEMOTH BLACK SPIDERS BLOODBATH CANNIBAL CORPSE CHILDREN OF BODOM DEVIN TOWNSEND DORO EDGUY ENSIFERUM ...
JANE'S ADDICTION In The Studio With DUFF MCKAGAN; First Photos Posted Online
Several photos of JANE'S ADDICTION working in the studio with VELVET REVOLVER and ex-GUNS N' ROSES bass player Duff McKagan can be viewed at JanesAddiction.org. After JANE'S reunited for a third time in late 2008 — with bassist Eric Avery on board for the first time since the band originally broke up in ...
MELIAH RAGE: 14 Songs Ready For New Album
Veteran Massachusetts metallers MELIAH RAGE have 14 new songs "ready to go" for a possible late 2010 release. In addition, the band will likely embark on a European tour in 2011. The group states, "It's been a long time since we've been overseas and we're very excited about this." "Masquerade", the new album from MELIAH ...
MINDWARP CHAMBER Signs With DARK STAR RECORDS
Chicago progressive metal band MINDWARP CHAMBER, has inked a deal with Dark Star Records. According to a press release, Scott Huffman (TWELFTH GATE, SYRIS, LORDS OF MEAT), Ed "Shreddy" Bethishou (SCEPTER, DAVID SHANKLE GROUP), Paul Kilkenny (GENERAL PATTON, DARKER), Mike Cerna (AURAL ECSTACY, BEYOND SOVEREIGNTY) and Marc Malitz (IMPERIAL RAGE, THE HEART ATTACK) "have all ...
TIGERTAILZ To Perform Entire 'Bezerk' Album In Newcastle
Long-running U.K. glam rockers TIGERTAILZ will perform their classic 1990 album "Bezerk" in its entirety on Friday, July 2 at Legends in Newcastle, England. Support at the gig will come from NEW GENERATION SUPERSTARS and BONE IDLE. TIGERTAILZ will make its live debut with new bassist Sarah Firebrand on Saturday, April 17 at the rock ...
WITHIN TEMPTATION Drummer Quits
Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION have issued the following update: "We are sorry to announce that [drummer] Stephen [van Haestregt] and WITHIN TEMPTATION will go their separate ways after the upcoming theatre tour. "It isn't easy to say goodbye after all we've been through together. In this period of time many dreams have become ...
CRASHDIET: 'Generation Wild' Video Premiere Scheduled For Thursday
"Generation Wild", the new video from the Swedish glam-rock band CRASHDIET, will make its online debut this Thursday, April 1. The clip was filmed in Stockholm with director Marcus CF Tinnerholm (MUSTASCH, BABYLON BOMBS, THIS ENDING). "Generation Wild" is the title track of CRASHDIET's new album, which will be made available in Sweden on April ...
ANTHRAX, THE CULT, HEAVEN & HELL Drummers To Take Part In Hollywood Meet-And-Greet
Drummers Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), John Tempesta (THE CULT, ROB ZOMBIE, EXODUS, TESTAMENT) and Vinny Appice (HEAVEN & HELL, DIO, BLACK SABBATH) will take part in a joint meet-and-greet/signing session at the Hollywood Drum Shop on Sunday, April 11, presented by Sam Ash music stores and Zoom. Charlie Benante and John Tempesta will appear at 3 ...
SONATA ARCTICA: Video Message From Tour Rehearsals Available
A video message from keyboardist Henrik "Lance" Klingenberg of Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA filmed during the rehearsal sessions for the band's upcoming tour can be viewed below. SONATA ARCTICA will embark on a North American headlining tour in early April. Support will come from MUTINY WITHIN and POWERGLOVE. Tickets are on sale through
CARNIFEX: 'Hell Chose Me' Video Released
"Hell Chose Me", the new video from the California-based deathcore band CARNIFEX, can be viewed below. The track is the title cut of the band's new album, which sold around 3,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 4 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) ...
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BLACK STAR RIDERS' SCOTT GORHAM Talks Upcoming Sophomore Album, Bassist Change (Video)
MetalTalk's Mark Taylor recently conducted an interview with BLACK STAR RIDERS and THIN LIZZY guitarist Scott Gorham. You can now watch the chat below.
2014 has proved itself a landmark year for BLACK STAR RIDERS. The men in black took their acclaimed live show on the road in Europe and then stormed stages in the United States and Japan for the first time; the reactions have been nothing short of amazing!
2014 is also the year BLACK STAR RIDERS returns to the studio to record its as-yet-untitled sophomore album and follow-up to 2013's highly lauded debut release "All Hell Breaks Loose". It was originally announced that DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott would oversee production duties on the new material joined by longtime DEF LEPPARD sound guru Ronan McHugh. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances and schedule conflicts, Joe and Ronan have had to back out of the process.
Elliott explained: "It is with great reluctance that I have had to pull out of the production job for the BSR second album. When I agreed to do it after a great meeting with the boys, it was at was at a time when DEF LEPPARD weren't exceptionally busy. Things changed and I found myself in a situation where the amount of time I could allocate to the album would not have done justice to the record or the band. They deserve someone who can do the job without rushing it or having to bail out half way through due to other commitments. I KNOW they're are going to make a great second album and maybe sometime down the road, we can revisit the idea of working together again. Myself, Ricky [Warwick], and Scott [Gorham] have a very long-standing and firm friendship which goes back decades!! I wish them nothing but the best and much success with the new album."
"Joe is like a member of the family," shared BLACK STAR RIDERS vocalist Ricky Warwick. "I was very excited by the prospects of Joe working with us on the new record, but sometimes things happen that we cannot control. I know we will work with Joe in the future."
The great news is that this change in Joe's schedule has allowed BLACK STAR RIDERS to find someone they are all very excited to work with. Taking over the production duties will be heralded producer Nick Raskulinecz. Nick has been at the desk for a number of incredible releases from such artists as the FOO FIGHTERS, ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH and MASTODON. "I have been a fan of Nick's work for some time,” Warwick stated eagerly. “So when it became apparent that Nick wanted to work with us, we were all very excited! He has done some amazing work with other artists in the past and I can't wait to hear what we manage to create together in the studio."
BLACK STAR RIDERS guitarist Damon Johnson added: "Nick is an amazing talent and I know he is going to help take BLACK STAR RIDERS to the next level. His résumé is staggering, his reputation is stellar, and his enthusiasm for our band and our songs is incredibly exciting."
"I was a fan of the first album, and I'm really excited about the songs they've written for their new record," said Raskulinecz. "I'm really looking forward to getting into the studio with them to help bring those songs to life."
BLACK STAR RIDERS is set to enter the studio in September to begin its recording sessions. A spring 2015 release is expected.
BLACK STAR RIDERS were one of the first signings to Nuclear Blast Entertainment by Monte Conner — the A&R guru who signed acts such as SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, SEPULTURA, and RUSH to Roadrunner. Nuclear Blast Entertainment is a new U.S. partnership co-founded by Conner with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.
Tags: black star riders, scott gorham
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Life In The West Ward: Flood The Area With Patrols
Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo, Jr. and several other officers attended a community meeting at the Lot Spot on Northampton Street last Tuesday. Here is what he had to say about what the West Ward can expect as far as police presence:
“Well, like I mentioned to 69 News earlier today, as far as getting into the exact deployment strategies, I can’t say exactly what we’re going to be doing, but, you know, law enforcement is so fluid, so what we always try to do is, obviously, we try to start to identify problems, and we have in the West Ward in the last couple of months. But one of the things we’re going to do is to tackle it with manpower; attack it with different types of patrols, different types of strategies and really just try to flood the area and make it as unwelcome an area as we can. What we’re seeing right now isn’t necessarily houses, isn’t necessarily seeing troubled areas as far as people hanging on porches and problems like that. It’s more transient right now, where cars are coming in and violent crimes are occurring and the cars are driving out, so it’s very different and difficult as far as how you’re going to attack.”
“What would you say as far as what the citizens can do? How do you get them involved if they’re afraid?”
“Everybody wants safe communities to live in, so the big thing we always tell people is ‘Just keep an eye on your neighborhood as far as what you see.’ You don’t have to run out and get involved and try to stop things from happening, but be a very good witness for us and just communicate with us because * that’s * ultimately where we get a lot of our information to solve these things. And usually it’s the solving that gets these individuals off the streets. Once they commit these things once, you find these individuals are doing these things over and over, so the quicker we can get ‘em, the quicker we can identify the problem. The sooner we can get it to stop not only in that neighborhood but in all neighborhoods, and that’s what our goal is. But as far as what we’re dealing with right now, in the West Ward, it’s gonna be basically flood it. And we’re going to be encountering individuals, walking up and talking to them and trying to find out what people are doing, a lot of different types of patrols trying to flood the area so we don’t have any more of this. It’s just one of those things: it’s like trying to catch lightning sometimes—trying to figure out where it’s gonna hit next, but we’re gonna do everything we can.”
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RBS noted for top finance program in NYC area
03/10/15 4:11am David Tadros
Photo by Edwin Gano |
Photo Illustration | The Rutgers Business School was recognized by The Financial Engineer as one of the best Master of Financial Analysis programs in the New York metropolitan area in 2015.
Not even a year after the first class was admitted to the Rutgers Business School’s Master of Financial Analysis program, the program was recognized by The Financial Engineer as one of the top finance programs in the New York metropolitan area.
The nation's top universities recognize The Financial Engineer as the most comprehensive ranking system of United States Financial Masters programs, taking various factors into consideration such as GMAT scores, undergraduate GPAs, acceptance rates and starting salaries, according to The Financial Engineer’s website.
Coming in at No. 32 in the nation from a total of 94 profiled universities, Rutgers ranks as the No. 1 public program in the New York metropolitan area and the second overall program in the area under Princeton, according to The Financial Engineer.
The year-long program that was designed specifically to help prepare business students for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam, has 28 current students and the amount of applicants has more than doubled since last year, said program lead Dan Weaver.
“There is a lot of demand for this program from international students,” Weaver said. “If you look at the percentage of students that took the CFA last year, 45 percent were from east and south Asia. So there is a tremendous demand for the CFA.”
Weaver, a Rutgers Ph.D graduate and professor for more than a decade, said he does not agree with The Financial Engineer’s decision to include the program in its rankings.
“We’re a brand new program, we shouldn’t be ranked already,” Weaver said.
The seasoned professor and writer of more than 25 published articles in the field said he agrees with the criteria The Financial Engineer takes into consideration for their rankings, but does not feel the University’s program has enough experience to be considered.
Reshma Shetty, a student and career liaison for the Master of Financial Analysis program, said she feels proud to be part of a program that is ranked so highly and feels the recognition will not only boost the amount of applicants but also help students who pass the CFA when returning to their home countries.
“If students go back to their home countries, this will carry a lot of weight, especially if they try to go into the field of corporate finance or if they want to be financial analysts,” Shetty said. “It improves their employment prospects.”
Although she is happy to see the University recognized, Shetty said she agrees with Weaver that the program’s inclusion in The Financial Engineer’s rankings may be a bit preemptive.
“It takes time for people to go out and achieve something,” Shetty said. “I think the program was considered because of the reputation the Rutgers Business School has and because of the strong curriculum. It covers a lot.”
Shetty said she plans to work in the cooperate sector following graduation and feels that the program covers many areas in finance, so many that it opens doors for students looking to break into HR, finance and accounting.
“I feel like this degree will let me go out into many fields,” Shetty said. “I would say mostly in financial and accounting. Most of them will ask you for a degree in finance.”
Undergraduate business students looking to further their education were also excited to see Rutgers ranked so highly, as the ranking adds to their possibility of applying to the Rutgers master's program.
Justin Melendez, a Rutgers Business School senior, said he feels it is always great to see Rutgers recognized to detract from the common misconceptions about the University.
“Growing up in New Jersey, I have heard from many residents that Rutgers is a 'party school' or that everyone gets in, but when you look at the rankings and what people who don’t live in New Jersey say about it, you realize that (Rutgers) is a great school,” Melendez said.
Melendez said the chances he will apply to the Rutgers master's program has increased since the ranking announcement and questions why others wouldn’t consider applying.
“I've heard from several people that Rutgers could have gone Ivy League before, but every time I see something like this it makes me wonder why I would apply to any other college for a degree,” Melendez said.
Other undergraduates shared Melendez’ sentiments. Zakaullah Hijazi, a Rutgers Business School junior, said he is excited to be a student in such a highly-ranked school and is glad to see an in-state school being recognized.
“It’s always asked upon those seeking a master's degree to reach out to a top-tier school, and most times that top-tier school is expensive and distant,” Hijazi said. “The Rutgers Master of Financial Analysis program offers students a top tier education close to home at a reasonable cost. I’m proud to hear that the Rutgers Master in Financial Analysis is ranked No. 32 in the nation.”
David Tadros
Daily Targum fails to pass referendum for 1st time since 1981
Brendan Brightman
5/21/2019 12:07am
Rutgers' 253rd commencement exercises honors largest-ever graduating class
Cap and Gown: Eagleton graduates look to future
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Other Must-Read Sites
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DR CULLEN CHALLENGED TO JUSTIFY ‘CONSENSUS"
April 1, 2008, 1:03 am News
Deputy Prime MInister of NZ, Dr Michael Cullen has been challenged by Coalition chair, Rear Admiral Jack Welch to justify claim On TVNZ news that there is a "vast overwhelming consensus of international scientists" on climate change. (See also item below headed "What Consensus?").
The New Zealand
Climate Science Coalition
Hon Secretary, Terry Dunleavy MBE, 14A Bayview Road, Hauraki, North Shore City 0622
Phone (09) 486 3859 - Mobile 0274 836688 - Email - terry.dunleavy@nzclimatescience.org.nz
7 p.m. 1 April 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Challenge to Dr Cullen for evidence of consensus on climate change
A challenge has been issued to Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Michael Cullen to produce the evidence for his statement on TV One’s evening news tonight that there is “a vast overwhelming consensus of international scientists” behind claims of human-induced global warming. The challenge comes from RearAdmiral Jack Welch, chairman the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition.
“Dr Cullen’s claim is typical of the misrepresentation of climate science that it being fostered by those who want to control our lives in pursuit of their green agenda. This consensus claim springs from reports of the United National Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which are alleged to represent the views of the majority of climate scientists in the world.
“But for the first time, the 2007 assessment review by IPCC has been required to reveal the numbers of signatories, which turn out to have been less than a few dozen, all in the employ of governments, as many of them non-scientific bureaucrats as scientists. Even then, their findings have been grossly misrepresented.
“Dr Cullen should stop playing politics with this issue and urge his government colleagues to agree to calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the very wide range of views on whether or not climate change is no more than the product of natural cyclical factors. He should remember that, at the outset of his government there was similar hysteria about the effects of genetic modification, an issue that was put into realistic perspective by the Royal Commission established by his government.
“Such a Royal Commission will be able to take into account the views of thousands of independent scientists throughout the world who say that the findings set out in the IPCC’s Summary for Policymakers are not supported by sound science based on hard evidence and the latest climatic data.
“There has been no increase in temperatures in the world since the El Nino spike of 1998, and people are entitled to ask how many years of such temperature stability will have to elapse before the carbon bubble bursts in the face of accumulating evidence.
“As a first step, I issue a cordial invitation to Dr Cullen and any of his Ministerial colleagues to be my guests in Auckland on Friday evening, 18 April to hear an eminent international climate scientist, Professor Bob Carter, explain how and why the IPCC have over-exaggerated problems for our planet, and, in particular, why carbon dioxide does not justify being termed a pollutant or the basis for charges on the community for its emission,” RearAdmiral Welch concluded.
Jack Welch tel 09 4891237
Email: welchfam@woosh.co.nz
Offical web site of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition
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Committees & Contacts
Presentation Info
About Rotterdam
The story of the city, the bombardment and reconstruction after the second World War, and the drive to innovate that locals still use today to shape their city all make Rotterdam a fascinating place to visit. The conference venue and nearby hotels offer easy access to the city’s main attractions, including interesting, modern architecture and the biggest harbour in Europe.
For more information: https://en.rotterdam.info/
Centraal Station Rotterdam
Rotterdam Central Station is also known as the international gateway to Rotterdam. Nearly 110,000 travellers pass through Central Station every day to catch a bus, tram, metro or train. Intercity trains from all across the country (including the Intercity Direct), the Thalys to Paris, and other international high-speed trains stop here several times a day, some even several times an hour.
De Markthal
You’ll find an indoor market hall in various world-class cities, but the combination with luxury housing makes Rotterdam’s Markthal the first of its kind. The apartments are draped over the food market in a horseshoe configuration. The Markthal has about 100 fresh food stands, nearly 15 food shops and various restaurants, with a supermarket and a four-level underground car park below. As you wander amongst the market stands, look up to enjoy the massive artwork sprawling across the ceiling: the ‘Horn of Plenty’ by Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam.
Kinderdijk with the Waterbus
Kinderdijk, a World Heritage site with 19 windmills dating from the 18th century, is close to Rotterdam. Going to Kinderdijk by Water Bus is quickest and takes just 30 minutes. Take line 202 to Kinderdijk Molenkade. The stop is right in front of the entrance to Kinderdijk.
Rotterdam Zoo is situated in the district of Blijdorp in Rotterdam Noord. Stroll across the African Savannah and stand face-to-face with the giraffes. Visit Bokito the gorilla and his family. Walk on the seabed in the indoor Oceanarium and meet stingrays and sharks. Stroll through the largest butterfly paradise of Europe: Amazonica, filled with fragrant flowers, thousands of South American butterflies, anacondas and piranhas that love to bite.
Erasmusbrug
The 800-metre long Erasmus Bridge spans the Maas River and links the northern and southern parts of Rotterdam. The suspension bridge has a 139-metre high steel pylon, which is secured with 40 cables. The shape of the pylon gave the bridge its nickname, The Swan . The Erasmus Bridge is the icon of Rotterdam. Designed by Ben van Berkel (1996).
The Euromast – the tallest building in Rotterdam – offers a fantastic 360-degree view of the city and her architecture. The observation platform and the restaurant are found 100 metres above the ground. The Euroscope offers the opportunity to go even higher, to a height of no less than 185 metres.
Historic Delfshaven
This picturesque yacht marina is one of the few parts of the old city that survived the 1940 bombardment of Rotterdam. It has had a remarkable history, both as the departure point from which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed for America and the birthplace of prominent Dutch maritime hero Piet Hein. Also reachable by Watertaxi.
Kijk-Kubus
The Cube Houses (or Pole Houses or Tree Houses) designed by architect Piet Blom are part of the Blaakse Bos development which borders on the Laurenskwartier district and the Waterfront area.
The SS Rotterdam is a hotel and has restaurants, bars and a terrace. It is also a special event location, attraction and can even be used as a wedding venue!
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Pahalgam turning into 'concrete jungle', courtesy PDA officials
Jammu, Nov 13: Pahalgam Development Authority, which has been entrusted with the job to develop Pahalgam and save it from the encroachments, has been marred in the controversies.
Sources told Early Times that despite clear cut orders from the High Court not to allow any constructions in the area, rules are being violated and the influential are calling the shots. "The class four employees of the Authority are virtually acting as Khilafwarzi officers," sources alleged.
They said, "The Governor's administration should order a probe to find out what's happening. The probe can lead to many wrong doings coming to fore."
An insider claimed that the PDA officials rarely visit the office and only a few low rung employees are "literally managing the show." "During the past few years many illegal structures have come up in and around the Pahalgam. Surprisingly, the PDA has not taken any action against the violators," he added.
The insider said that the people running the PDA are "reaping the fruits of power" and are behaving like "monarchs." "People who can grease the palms of the concerned officials are allowed to carry out the construction and the renovation works. The ones who are not influential are made to run from pillar to the post to even get a bathroom repaired in their premises," he added.
Pahalgam health resort serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage. "Pakistan stooges and the separatists beat their chests when this pilgrimage commences. They raise hue and cry over influx of pilgrims. The do it just to gain attention and appease their bosses sitting across the Line of Control. Once the Yatra gets over they forget that Pahalgam also falls in Kashmir," said an analyst.
He said that it's during the Yatra period that Pahalgam remains clean and all the precautions are taken to ensure that eco-system of the health resort remains intact. "The Kashmiri officers, who have been entrusted with the job of preserving this resort are busy minting money at the cost of this eco-fragile area which is nestled in southern Himalayas," he added.
A Kashmir watcher said that whosoever has headed the PDA in the past has remained in the news for wrong reasons. The incumbent head of the PDA has maintained a low profile and is believed to be in the good books of his political masters. "The Governor's Administration needs to shift its focus towards the PDA and look into the allegations of corruption and nepotism prevalent there. Ordering a simple probe can just be a beginning," he added
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New Zealand's most active volcano.
I have been lucky enough to cruise around or land on White Island most years since 2005, on board 4 different ships. However, landing can be tricky here, and can only occur with permission.
General background:
White Island is a volcanic island located in the Bay of Plenty, about 50 kilometres off Whakatane on the North Island of New Zealand. It is currently some 2.7 kilometres long and 1.5 kilometres wide. However, extensive and regular volcanic activity has changed the size and shape of the island. The highest peak is Mt. Gisborne and stands at some 320 metres high. However, the actual island is only the tip: if you count the total mass underwater, it is a volcano about a kilometre and a half tall.
White Island is New Zealand’s only active volcano island, and is also its most consistently active volcano. Since 1826 there has been over 30 significant eruptions. Two (perhaps three) craters comprise the island; the older of the two is in the north-west, while the younger and still active volcano is on the south side. This latter crater is the obvious one; much of the wall has collapsed and continues to be eroded by swell. It is through this collapsed wall that passing ships can peer into the active area, and a tour company can land and access the island. White island is an obvious active island. From some distance one can still smell sulphur and on most days there is steam coming from continuously made vents. At various times there is a large hot water lake in the crater, with streams winding down from the body of water to the ocean. The beaches are made up of black volcanic sand.
the steaming lake on White Island, 2010 (Damon Ramsey)
Humans have had an important association with the island in pre-history times. Maori visited there to collect sea birds and their eggs. English Explorer James Cook in the Endeavour sailed past the island in 1769. He named it White Island due to the dense white clouds of ‘mist’ around it, although he apparently did not recognize that this was steam and the island was in fact a volcano. The first European recorded to actually set foot on the island was Reverend Henry Williams in 1826. The island has had a long history of private ownership, starting in the 1830’s.
Just as the island’s animals and plants have been wiped clean from the islands violent activity, so too have humans been regularly forced off the island. For much of its history early last century, sulphur was extracted, but the volcanic activity on the island has been determined much of this human activity on the island. Miners first started in 1885, but were interrupted that year by a small eruption. They resumed in 1898 but were forced off in 1900 by another eruption. Another company started up after this and was forced of by another eruption and mud flows in 1911. Miners were then forced off again in 1914. In 1924 another company started, only to be wound down because of the depression in the 1930’s.
Today once can see the remains of a jetty and building that were destroyed. The rock and dirt has filled up the building so much that when one stands on the ground inside, you are actually on the second floor. In 1953 the island was declared a Private Scenic Reserve. During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the island recorded some of it’s most extensive volcanic activity. During this time 100,000 cubic metres of rock were thrown out, two new craters were created and much of the forest cover was destroyed once again. The most recent eruption was in the year 2000. Fortunately, the tour company that visits the island could not land for several days prior due to rough weather, so no one was harmed.
Today, there are many different detection devices in place. Machines measure earth movements and heat. There is a camera monitoring the island, which can be accessed on the world wide web.
When I was there in early 2013 it was the most spectacular I had seen it. Where the lake once was, it was covered in mud, and regularly throwing this up in the air with violent burps...
White Island going off in New Zealand (Damon Ramsey)
It might surprise many people that the island is privately owned, but it is subject to the laws of the Reserves act 1977, so people can not land on the island without permission, and you are not allowed to remove anything from the island.
Today the island is a tourist destination. However, it is carefully regulated and only set numbers are allowed on. The privately owned island has an arrangement with one single tour company. They depart from the mainland and land on the island with tour guides that have been specifically trained. There is a very old jetty, and landing also occurs on the black sand beach. There is often quite a swell coming in, so many landings are called off. There are also helicopter flights out to the island. Safety helmets and enclosed footwear must be worn. Gasmasks are also given out and used when the sulphur smoke becomes too harsh on the throat.
Nature and wildlife...
White Island is currently is home to thousands of Australasian Gannets, one of the largest breeding colonies of this species in New Zealand.
Australasian Gannet (Damon Ramsey)
There are also Grey-faced Petrels breeding here. I have photographed them when they have landed on ships cruising past.
Grey-faced Petrel (Damon Ramsey)
Because of the constant irregular interruptions, new craters and lakes are formed and destroyed, and the forest is wiped clean, then grows back, only to be wiped clean again. Due to this regular volcanic activity, White Island provides an interesting biological study in island colonization. In many ways, it is the New Zealand equivalent to Indonesia’s Krakatoa. After a major explosion, much of the flora and fauna is killed or dispersed. After such disturbance, plants and animals slowly start to re-colonize the damaged areas. One of the most common plants to do this is known as the ‘Ice Plant’, better known as ‘Pigface’ around other parts of the Pacific. It is a small herb with succulent like leaves and pink flowers. The well known New Zealand Christmas Tree or Pohutukawa has also colonized the island and makes up much of the native forest. Besides sea birds, passerines have settled on the island, and when there has been no disturbance for a time, European sparrows and Chaffinch populate the island. The Polynesian Rat or Kiore is also found here.
for more great accessible volcanoes, check out Yassur on Tanna Island, Rabaul, Gunung Bromo and Krakatau.
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Diplomatic dancing
Turkey is walking a diplomatic tightrope with the GCC these days, trying to co-operate over the Syrian crisis while clashing over Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood. Published in The Gulf, November 2014
When Mevlüt Çavusoglu, Turkey’s newly-appointed foreign minister, ventured abroad for the first time in early September, he made an interesting selection of countries to visit. His first stop was Jordan, followed by Bahrain and Qatar. Given how the conflict in Syria is placing Turkey under ever greater pressure it was not surprising that he chose to visit some countries which are fairly heavily involved in the civil war. But the itinerary was just as notable for the regional capitals he did not visit, such as Tehran, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
These days, Turkey is walking something of a tightrope when it comes to Middle East diplomacy, not least in relation to the Gulf countries, and Çavusoglu’s itinerary clearly reflected that. The problems stem from a number of factors, perhaps the most important of which is disagreement over events in Egypt.
The repeated public criticism that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has meted out to the regime of president Abdel Fattah el Sisi in Egypt has drawn the ire of several Gulf countries. During an address to the UN General Assembly on 24 September, Erdogan wondered aloud about why the UN should exist if it is involved in “defending those who took office through coups” in what was a clear reference to Sisi.
In response the UAE’s foreign affairs ministry issued a statement the following day in which it described Erdogan’s UN speech as “irresponsible” and “a flagrant intervention in the internal affairs of fraternal Egypt and a provocation of the Arab sentiments”.
A further, related problem has been Turkey’s continued support for the Muslim Brotherhood. When a number of senior figures from the organisation were encouraged to leave Qatar in September it was Turkey that offered them a home.
At the same time, Turkey’s even more forceful criticism of president Bashar al Assad of Syria has alienated Iran. Relations with Iraq have also been troublesome, given Turkey’s imports of oil from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq against the express wishes of the federal authorities in Baghdad. The recent removal of Iraqi prime minister Nouri al Maliki opens the way for a possible easing of those tensions, although the most pressing problem facing his successor, Haider al Abadi, is clearly defeating the Islamic State forces in his country.
All of this means that Çavusoglu had to think carefully before booking any plane tickets to the region, according to observers in Ankara.
“It was a symbolic diplomatic move that is meant to signify that Turkey’s first priority in its foreign policy is still the Middle East,” says Eyüp Ersoy, senior researcher at the International Strategic Research Organization in Ankara. “These countries [he visited] were chosen as they are not explicitly tied to any noticeable strategic partnerships, competitions or rivalries. Çavusoglu’s visit to any significant actor in the Middle East would have been interpreted in the context of regional geopolitics as Turkey’s move to establish stronger relations with that actor, which would have caused some reactions of third parties.”
Such diplomatic dances are something that all foreign ministers have to come to terms with and the years ahead are likely to throw up many more challenging problems for Çavusoglu and his colleagues.
From the current standpoint it is clear that solving the differences between Ankara and the Gulf capitals will not be easy, but there are potential benefits for everyone if they can make some improvements. That is particularly true when it comes to dealing with the Syrian crisis, where Turkey and the six Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states find themselves broadly in agreement.
“There is a problem between Turkey and the major Gulf countries, and that is the Muslim Brotherhood issue and the Egypt coup issue. It still stands as a big item in the room,” says Sabiha Gündogar, director of the foreign policy programme at the Turkish Economic & Social Studies Foundation (TESEV). “They are part of this coalition to fight the Islamic State and they are more or less thinking the same on Syria, but this Egyptian coup issue divides them.”
The need to develop a decent working relationship has taken on added urgency in the wake of Turkey’s decision to join the US-led coalition against the Islamic State. A number of Gulf states - notably the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain - have already been playing an active role in taking the fight to Islamic State, by taking part in bombing raids. At the time of writing, Turkey had yet to get involved to the same extent, but it has tanks massed on its border with Syria and seems close to allowing US warplanes to use its air bases for missions into Syria.
The closest relationship that Ankara has in the Gulf is with Qatar, which also backed the Muslim Brotherhood regime of Mohammed Mursi in Egypt. Doha has had to scale back its support for the Brotherhood to maintain cordial relations with its GCC neighbours, but it is still the most obvious ally for Turkey. In mid-September Erdogan visited Doha where, among other things, he laid the foundation stone to a new Turkish Bazaar with the Amir Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. He also gave a speech pointing to the strength of Turkish-Qatari economic relations.
Indeed, trade ties with all the Gulf countries have risen in importance over the past decade, as a result of a decision by Ankara to try and reduce its dependence on Europe as its main trading partner, not least because its long-standing aim of joining the EU has been going nowhere. In place of the EU, Turkey has sought to develop its political and economic ties with countries to the south and east, including the Middle East.
As a result, according to statistics from the Turkish economy ministry, trade between Turkey and the Middle East grew sevenfold between 2003 and 2012, from $9.5 billion to $65 billion. And the most important markets within the Middle East region are those in the Gulf. Between 2003 and 2012, the GCC’s share of total Turkish exports rose from 3.5 per cent to 8.4 per cent, according to data from the World Bank. Imports did not grow quite as quickly, but they still almost doubled, with the GCC’s share rising from 1.6 per cent of all Turkish imports in 2003 to 2.8 per cent by 2012.
Trade between Turkey and the two other large Gulf economies of Iran and Iraq has also easily outpaced its overall trade growth in these years. As a result of such moves, the league table of Ankara’s biggest trading partners has changed substantially. In 2003 no Gulf country ranked in the top 10 in terms of Turkey’s biggest export markets, but by 2012 there were three Gulf countries in the top five, namely Iraq, Iran and the UAE.
As yet the differences over Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood do not appear to be threatening these economic ties. But it is possible that they will come under strain in the future. In Egypt there have recently been calls by media commentators for a boycott of Turkish goods, because of Turkey’s opposition to the current regime there. If those calls are echoed in the Gulf then there could be problems for Turkish exporters or for Turkish companies active in the region.
Perceptions of Turkey have already been on the decline in many of the Gulf countries in recent years, perhaps as a result of the negative media coverage of its role in Egyptian politics. According to opinion polls carried out by Istanbul-based KA Research and TESEV, the proportion of people in Saudi Arabia who said they had a very or somewhat favourable opinion of Turkey fell slightly from 77 per cent in 2012 to 76 per cent in 2013. It dropped more significantly in the other five GCC states, where the number of respondents who said they had a very or somewhat favourable opinion of Turkey fell from 77 per cent to 65 per cent in the same period.
In other countries in the region the swing has been going in the other direction. In Iraq, for example, favourable opinions of Turkey rose from 55 per cent in 2012 to 67 per cent the year after, and in Iran they rose from 59 to 69 per cent.
Clearly there is much at stake in Turkey’s dealings with the Gulf countries, both economically and diplomatically. The current war of words over Egypt places a question mark over how closely the two sides will be able to co-ordinate their approach to the Syrian crisis, which holds far greater long-term threats than anything that is happening in Cairo.
The key for a prosperous relationship at the moment seems to be for all sides to take things on a case-by-case basis; to work together where they can and to put aside their other disagreements while they do so. That is also true of Turkey’s relations with Tehran, given their differences over Syria. But whether this ‘compartmentalisation’ can or should be maintained over the long-run is open to question.
“Countries are engaging with each other on a case-by-case basis and I don’t see that as very helpful and very sustainable,” says Gündogar. “There needs to be more comprehensive agreements and more comprehensive joint actions and coalitions. These case-by-case engagements feel insecure and I don’t think it is very good for the future of the region.”
Newer PostPushing back against Isis
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Getting Around Richmond
Richmond, the capital city of Virginia, is serviced by major interstate highways such as I-95 (running north-south) and I-64 (running east-west). The Downtown Expressway and the Powhite Parkway are toll roads, and there are also a number of state highways.
The Greater Richmond Transit System provides public transportation in the city of Richmond. The company owns and operates 186 buses that travel 40 different routes in the city and in Henrico County. They also serve Mechanicsville, Petersburg, and parts of Chesterfield County. Passengers who ride frequently will probably wish to purchase a Go Card. Be aware that Henrico County buses do not currently run on weekends, and that some well-known areas, such as Hanover County, have no bus service.
Taxicabs
Though public transportation is limited, over 40 taxicab companies operate in the city. There is also a contracted limousine service at the airport. Taxi or rental car is the best way to access the airport, as public transportation to and from there is very limited.
Flying into and out of Richmond, you'll find yourself in the Richmond International Airport (RIC) whose catchy tag line is "Now you're going places." Their recent $300 million dollar terminal renovation has made this small airport more efficient. They currently manage about 105,000 take-offs and landings every year. They've also expanded their parking garage so they can handle 10,000 cars.
Once you've flown into the city, you may be looking for ground transportation. Nine car rental agencies service Richmond International Airport, including the major chains Hertz, Enterprise, and Thrifty.
Amtrak has two stations in Richmond. The Main Street Station downtown has limited service, but the station on Staples Mill Road (in the suburban West End) is on a major north-south line and carries a number of passengers to and from major cities in those directions.
Richmond is an old and historic city, and there are many worthwhile places you can see on foot. The Richmond History Center has created a number of group walking tours downtown. Guides regularly lead groups to locations such as Carytown, historic Monument Avenue, Hollywood Cemetery, Church Hill, and Shockoe Bottom. Each tour lasts approximately two hours. The History Center also provides bus tours with locations centered on certain themes such as Historic Cemeteries, The Civil War, and Jewish History in Richmond.
Copyright © 2019, Downtown Richmond Hotels, All Rights Reserved
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Listen To Patsy Ramsey's 911 Call. Hear the Truth. Lin Wood Lied.
Thread: Listen To Patsy Ramsey's 911 Call. Hear the Truth. Lin Wood Lied.
October 16, 2003, 1:42 am, Thu Oct 16 1:42:27 UTC 2003 #1
The "Beehive State" It's true. Look it up
Rather than have members and guest search the forum for the 911 link I decided to put it up on a featured thread.
Click on the link below. This is the CD that I have loaded onto my computer of the 911 call. Crank it up loudly. Listen to Patsy’s hyperventilation. Then after the operator says “Patsy” for the fourth time listen carefully. You will hear the hyperventilating Patsy say, “Help me Jesus, help me Jesus, help me Jesus.”
Listen to the call at http://www.acandyrose.com/patsy911-FFJ.mp3
The walls of deceit are slowly crumbling. More to come.
Last edited by Tricia; October 10, 2006, 7:37 pm at Tue Oct 10 19:37:50 UTC 2006.
tgrif@xmission.com
FFJ C/O Tricia Griffith
6300 N Sage Wood Drive
Suite H #214
I am unaware of anyone who's profited from exploiting the Ramsey murder over a longer period of time, with a greater disregard for the principles of accuracy and fairness, than the production team of Mills and Tracey.They truly do inhabit a different moral universe from real journalists. It's the difference between journalism and propaganda.
Alan Prendergast,reporter for Westword
October 17, 2003, 8:12 am, Fri Oct 17 8:12:48 UTC 2003 #2
I want to stress that the tape you just listened to has not been enhanced or altered in any way. This is how I received it from Mary Keenan's office.
The fact that you can plainly hear Patsy say, "Help me Jesus" when she thought she had hung up the phone speaks volumes to Wood's credibility.
From the Dan Abrams show on July 17th Wood states,
"And when Michael Kane admits that there’s-quote-unquote - “something there”, that’s a word game. There’s something there after the phone hangs up. There’s about five or six seconds of noise. There’s no conversation there. It’s not Burke. It’s not John. It’s not Patsy. And that’s the lie that the Boulder Police Department told about this tape. "
"It's not Burke. It's not John. It's not Patsy."
Lin Wood has to explain just who the hell it is saying "Help me Jesus" if it's not Patsy, John, or Burke. Of course he won't. Wood is not known for doing the right thing.
Lin Wood had better stock up on his Depends because he is going to need them when he sees what's coming next.
Also there seems to be some question concerning how many times the 911 operator says, "Patsy." According to the transcript in Steve Thomas' book the 911 operator says "Patsy" 5 times. Yet on the tape I received she only says "Patsy" for times.
What bothers me is NBC claimed there was NOTHING at the end of the tape yet you can clearly hear Patsy.
The only logical conclusion is the audio experts who tried to enhance the tape for NBC are the most incompetent people on earth or the tape they received from Lin Wood did not have Patsy saying, "Help me Jesus."
Remember between the time Patsy starts saying "help me Jesus" and the phone is actually hung up is when John and Burke have their quick exchange. We can't hear that part of the conversation because we don't have the equipment to enhance it. But others do apparently. YES!!
http://www.forumsforjustice.org/foru...&threadid=3732
November 2, 2003, 3:06 pm, Sun Nov 2 15:06:48 UTC 2003 #3
Please listen to the tape Katie Couric played on the Today Show and Dateline. The end with Patsy saying, "Help me Jesus.." is totally cut off.
WHY? Who allowed this?
The show 48 Hours on CBS was given the chance to run the Ramsey/911 story. The producers refused. Why? Because the producers "heard" something at the end of the tape and refused to go along with Lin Wood's story that there was nothing there.
I have a new found respect for 48 Hours.
Yet when the 911 tape is given to the Today Show and Dateline the end of the tape, the section in question, the section 48 Hours said had something on it, was missing. WHY?
From the Boulder Daily Camera July 13th 2003.
Keenan releases Ramsey 911 tape
Recording had already aired on NBC's Today Show
By Amy Hebert, Camera Staff Writer
Boulder County District Attorney Mary Keenan released copies of the Ramsey 911 tape Friday, responding to an open-records request three days after the tape aired on national television.
"Where it had already been released and played publicly, we didn't feel we could argue that there would be any damage in releasing it," Keenan said. She previously had declined to release the tape.
The tape aired for the first time this week after John and Patsy Ramsey's attorney, Lin Wood, gave a recording to the NBC network.
In between trips to New York and Washington for a two-part interview that aired Tuesday and Wednesday on the Today Show and a one-hour special Friday night on Larry King Live, Wood told the Daily Camera he released the tape to the shows that would give it the best play.
"Candidly, I wanted to make sure as best I could that it would receive maximum exposure," he said.
NBC had experts analyze the tape to test the theory, espoused by former police detective Steve Thomas, that the Ramseys' son could be heard in the background after Patsy Ramsey thought she had hung up the phone.
The Ramseys told police the 9-year-old boy was asleep when Ramsey called police on Dec. 26, 1996, to say her daughter, JonBenet, had been kidnapped. The 6-year-old's strangled body was found in the basement of the Ramseys' 15th Street home several hours later.
NBC's experts said no other voices could be heard on an enhanced version of the tape.
But journalists with CBS' 48 Hours said that program declined to air the tape because there was also a compact disc copy of the 911 call with more noises at the end that could not conclusively be analyzed.
"Our own analysis showed that there was something there. It's almost impossible to detect what it was," said Al Briganti, executive editor of 48 Hours. "It was in conflict with what Lin (Wood) felt was on the tape, so we felt we didn't really have a story."
Wood could not be reached Friday evening to respond to the CBS explanation.
But Keenan said there should be no difference between any tape or CD copies. Her office released one of each, but she said the CD simply had been copied off the tape.
There is some clicking noise on the end of the CD that can't be heard on the tape, but it's unclear whether it's the sound of someone shutting off the tape recorder.
"I have no idea why there's any difference between the two," Keenan said. "My understanding is that the tape should be the same as the original. I can't say the same about the CD."
October 10, 2006, 10:24 pm, Tue Oct 10 22:24:27 UTC 2006 #5
BluesStrat
BANNED !!!!!
Born under a bad sign.
There were 2 versions released by Keenan/Lacy, one on audio tape, the other on audio CD. The tape version ends just as Patsy begins to say the first "help me" (you hear the beginnings of the word "help").
On the CD version, you can easily make out Patsy saying "help me...help me Jesus...help me" - immediately followed by the infamous 4-second gap of silence where John and Burke's voices were redacted by Lacy.
So when you listen to a downloadable MP3 version on the internet, what you will hear greatly depends on which version (tape or CD) the MP3 was made from.
Last edited by Cherokee; June 2, 2012, 9:42 pm at Sat Jun 2 21:42:30 UTC 2012.
September 29, 2010, 3:54 pm, Wed Sep 29 15:54:18 UTC 2010 #6
Elle_1
FFJ Senior Member
While I was reading up on the 911 call., I came across this:
http://www.forumsforjustice.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3732&page=8 Post #39
October 30, 2003, 1:13 am, Thu Oct 30 1:13:38 CST 2003
B***** on 911
This section of the "legal secretary's notes" have already been posted by jams. Jams received them from ex- who had received a copy from me. I am not going to redact any names but please don't waste your time or the time of the Aerospace engineers with mamesque phone calls.
While re-listening to the recording of the 911 call made by Patsy in the early morning of December 26, detectives thought they could hear a conversation in the background while Patsy was attempting to hang up the phone. On April 21, Det. Melissa Hickman flew to Los Angeles to meet with Mike Epstein and Jim Roeder, engineers at Aerospace Corporation, for purposes of enhancing the recording of the 911 call received at the Boulder Regional Dispatch Center.
At her first meeting with the three engineers, Hickman was told that it appeared that the cassette had been recorded in a Dictaphone format which would require a special recorder to recopy. Hickman drove to the nearest Dictaphone company which was located in the San Fernando Valley. A Dictaphone technician examined the tape and told Hickman that the information was not recorded in Dictaphone format. Hickman, feeling the frustration of the proverbial goose chase, returned to her hotel.
That evening, Roeder called her at the hotel and asked her to return to Aerospace. Roeder had decided that the tape probably had been recorded on a regular format which could be copied digitally by their computer. A hard drive disk was made of the tape, and this disk was copied to a JAZ drive, a large disk with more memory than a standard floppy disk.
On the morning of April 22, Hickman met again with Roeder in his office at Aerospace. The detective and the engineer went to a small lab to work with the disk to try to filter out extraneous noise and enhance the voices in the background. Roeder made several variations using different noise reduction settings, and those recordings were then copied onto the JAZ drive. They returned to Roeder's office where they were able to further enhance the disk. With this latest enhancement, they were able to hear two voices on the tape one of which sounded like a juvenile male, and the second one appeared to be Patsy. The first words seemed to belong to the juvenile, and then Patsy is heard to say, "Help me Jesus, help me Jesus." The voice again appeared to be the "juvenile male saying, "Please, what do I do?'' Hickman and Roeder agreed to meet again in the morning to continue enhancing the tape.
When Hickman returned to Aerospace the next morning to meet with Roeder, he said that he had continued listening to the disk after Hickman had left for the evening. He and another engineer had played the original version of the 911 call that had been transferred to the JAZ drive and found that to be the clearest recording. Both engineers had heard three distinct voices on the tape and written down that they thought was being said. The tape
was then played for Hickman. After listening to the tape three or four times, Hickman heard John Ramsey say “We’re not speaking to you”. In what sounded like a very angry voice. Patsy then says, “Help me Jesus, help me Jesus,” and finally Burke is clearly heard to say, “ Well, what did you find?”, with an emphasis on the word “did.” After Hickman told the engineers her impression of the conversation, Roeder handed her a piece of notepaper containing the conversation heard by himself and his fellow engineer – the conversation as written down was exactly as Hickman herself had just heard.
Last edited by Cherokee; June 2, 2012, 9:58 pm at Sat Jun 2 21:58:21 UTC 2012. Reason: adjust coding
elle: The RST can't handle the truth!
September 30, 2010, 3:37 pm, Thu Sep 30 15:37:06 UTC 2010 #7
koldkase
On this audio file here, I can barely hear "something" in the section where Aerospace used their then state-of-the-art technology to enhance the sound so that you can hear voices on the actual Aerospace tape. What I could hear of the two background voices when it was played on TV was simply tone, pitch, rhythm, intensity, and speech patterns (emphasis on syllables which we all give to words.) I could not say what the actual words were, but then, I was listening on a TV, not an especially expensive one, either, but it was a Sony. Consider that it was being transmitted through whatever equipment the TV studio used, and how many times it had been copied before it got to that studio (that's what Schiller meant when he talked about the "generation" of the tape Lin Wood got from Lacy), so it's amazing that I heard the voices as clearly as I did.
Look, no less that Steve Thomas, Michael Kane, and Lawrence Schiller have stated flat out that they heard the tapes and there are voices on it. The RST can argue all they want, but it's not going to make the facts of evidence go away: even a judge gave a copy of the original 911 tape to Burke's lawyer before he testified before the grand jury because it was commonly accepted by all LEGAL parties that Burke was on the tape. Otherwise, there would be no reason at all for Burke (through his lawyer) to get that tape. Period.
Will it ever get leaked again? I don't know. It was leaked once, and the enhanced tape is a different tape altogether than just a copy of the original, remember that. On the enhanced tape you don't hear the entire call with Patsy and the dispatcher. You hear the section with the voices in the background; Patsy's and the dispatcher's voices are dropped out, I am guessing, in the process used to amplify the other voices.
So that's all I know. I know what I heard. But don't believe me: consider what completely credible case investigators have written and stated on TV in interviews.
Also I know that I never heard Lou Smit say there were no voices on that tape.
"University of Colorado Law Professor Paul Campos declared the letter a 'reckless exoneration.' He went on to state, 'Everyone knows that relative immunity from criminal conviction is something money can buy.
Apparently another thing it can buy is an apology for even being suspected of a crime you probably already would have been convicted of committing if you happened to be poor.'"
FF: WRKJB?
Bloomies underwear model:
My opinions, nothing more.
There's so much information relating to this call on the net:
Came across this:
http://jonbenetramsey.pbworks.com/The-911-Call#Contentsof911Call
Audio Analyses of 911 Tape
There have been 9 audio analyses of the 911 tape used to determine whether there are additional voices that can be recovered from garbled portions of the tape.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (Washington, DC; requested by BPD (1997).
United States Secret Service (Washington, DC); requested by BPD (1997).
Aerospace Corporation (El Segundo, California); requested by BPD (1997).
Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM); requested informally by Pete Hofstrom.
Legal Audio (New York, NY); requested by MSNBC (2003).
Team Audio (Toledo, OH); requested by MSNBC (2003).
An unnamed company used by CBS.
Professional Audio Laboratories (then in Spring Valley, New York; now headquartered in Park Lawn, NJ); commissioned by Tricia Griffith, forum owner of Websleuths and Forums For Justice.
Internet poster Dave who does not perform such analyses for a living but who professes to have the requisite expertise and equipment to conduct suc
Had trouble trying to copy this! It goes on forever, but you can always read the rest yourselves.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3079093
Patsy: “Police.”
911: “What’s going on ma’am?”
Patsy: “755 15th street.”
911: “What’s going on there ma’am”
Patsy: “We have a kidnapping. Hurry, please!”
911: “Explain to me what’s going on. Ok?”
Patsy: “There. We have a, there’s a note left and our daughter’s gone.”
911: “A note was left and your daughter’s gone?”
Patsy: “Yes!”
911: “How old is your daughter?”
Patsy: “She’s 6 years old. She’s blonde, 6 years old.”
911: “How long ago was this?”
Patsy: “I don’t know I just got the note, and my daughter’s gone.”
911: “Does it say who took her?”
Patsy: “What?”
Patsy: “No! I don’t know. There’s a, there’s a ransom note here.”
911: “It’s a ransom note?”
Patsy: “It say’s SBTC. Victory! Please!”
911: “Okay, what’s your name? Are you Kath...?”
Patsy: “Patsy Ramsey, I’m the mother. Oh my God! Please!”
911: “Okay, I’m sending an officer over OK?
Patsy: “Please!”
911: “Do you know how long she’s been gone?”
Patsy: “No I don’t! Please we just got up and she’s not here. Oh my god! Please!”
911: “Okay, Cal....”
Patsy: “Please send somebody.”
911: “I am honey.”
Patsy: “Please.”
911: “Take a deep breath and...”
Patsy: “Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
911: “Patsy? Patsy? Patsy? Patsy?”
Just what happened after Patsy hung up the phone has been debated in law enforcement circles. One former Boulder police detective, Steve Thomas, believes after Patsy hung up, the phone didn’t really disconnect.
In his book, “JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation,” Thomas claimed that by enhancing the tape you can hear John and Patsy talking to their son Burke. He claims that’s important because the Ramseys reportedly told police their son was asleep at the time of the call. If true, Thomas claims it suggests the family was altering their story right from the start
Continued ... ... ...
Truth from Lin Wood, Mary Lacy, Alex Hunter and the Ramseys
By cynic in forum Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum
Last Post: September 26, 2015, 9:45 pm, Sat Sep 26 21:45:50 UTC 2015
By Tricia in forum Evidence Files: Ramsey murder case
Last Post: September 30, 2010, 4:15 pm, Thu Sep 30 16:15:00 UTC 2010
Patsy & the Ransom Note..A Hidden Truth?
By Little in forum Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum
Last Post: March 30, 2005, 11:00 am, Wed Mar 30 11:00:02 UTC 2005
I lied about the 911 tape. Now the truth
Last Post: November 19, 2003, 3:15 pm, Wed Nov 19 15:15:46 UTC 2003
Lin Wood LIED, Fleet White was set up, and the Ramseys have proven money buys justice
Last Post: October 27, 2003, 4:47 pm, Mon Oct 27 16:47:17 UTC 2003
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Tarrant County father charged for murdering 2-month-old son
SANSOM PARK, Texas - A North Texas father was arrested and charged for murdering his 2-month-old son.
The incident happened in Sansom Park. The Tarrant County sheriff, who is an outspoken advocate for positive fatherly role models in the home, announced the arrest and charges.
The 26-year-old-father has five children, but four of them lived with him and his wife. Investigators say they arrested the father on Thursday after they determined he was the only one alone with the infant around the time that he was injured and later died.
A children’s play area at the family’s front door is silent. A 2-month-old baby boy is dead. His three brothers are with Child Protective Services.
Joseph Matthew Welborn was arrested for capital murder involving a child under the age of 6.
“Any time a full grown adult hurts our babies, I think we all ought to be appalled. We all ought to be disgusted on that,” said Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn.
The Tarrant County medical examiner ruled 2-month-old Christian Welborn died from a fractured skull.
The affidavit says the medical examiner found the “victim had two complex skull fractures...there were at least two impacts and most likely three,” and that the fractures were caused by “striking his head with or against a hard object.”
The affidavit says the father tried to blame his 4-year-old son for dropping the infant.
“Incredibly concerning on somebody for the lack of value there,” Waybourn said.
In the affidavit, the medical examiner says a child could not have caused those kinds of serious injuries.
Investigators say CPS had been to the home hours before the child’s death last Friday and didn’t see anything wrong with the infant. The “CPS investigator...stated that she was conducting a follow up to a neglectful supervision complaint.”
“The children were not clothed properly or unsupervised while running out in the neighborhood or something of that effect,” Waybourn said.
It is not clear who contacted CPS to report the alleged neglect.
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Producer Paul Young & Director Aisling Walsh Become AMPAS Academy Members
28 Jun 2018 : Nathan Griffin
Director Aisling Walsh & Producer Paul Young have both been accepted into the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. This news comes as the AMPAS announced 928 new members from 59 countries to the Academy.
Cartoon Saloon’s Paul Young has produced each of the three Oscar nominated titles by the Kilkenny-based studio ‘The Secret of Kells’ (2009), ‘Song of the Sea’ (2014), and ‘The Breadwinner’ (2017). Aisling Walsh is an IFTA & BAFTA winning director with her most recent film ‘Maudie’ starring Academy Award nominees Ethan Hawke & Sally Hawkins.
Speaking about her acceptance, Aisling Walsh told IFTN:
“It is a real honour to be invited to join the American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. I am absolutely delighted.”
Speaking about his acceptance, Producer Paul Young told IFTN:
“I'm really delighted to have been accepted into the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. I think all Filmmakers have a long history with the Oscars, either as a spectator watching through the years on TV or being lucky enough to have joined the celebrations. I've found the animation community in the US to be very welcoming and generous with Irish Animators and Filmmakers, so I'm looking forward to being able to contribute to the organisation through their many programmes as an individual and with Cartoon Saloon. “
Diversity has been a major point of concern for the Academy since the fallout over the lack of ethnic diversity among the Oscar nominations in 2016. This in turn resulted in strong efforts being made to improve diversity within the Academy. These efforts have also been highlighted in the official membership report, which gives a breakdown of the steps being taken to improve the ethnic and gender disparities that exist in the Academy currently.
Of the 928 new members, 49% are female. This in turn has brought the overall female membership to 31%, a marked rise of 3% since last year (2017: 28%) and a 6% rise since 2015 (25%) when the female membership accounted for only a quarter of the total membership of the academy.
With regards to ethnic diversity, 38% of the 2018 membership are ‘People of Colour’(POC), bringing the overall ‘POC’ membership up to 16%. As a result, the overall representation for ‘POC’ has doubled since 2015, when only 8% of the Academy consisted of ethnic minorities.
The new 2018 members include 17 Oscar winners, 92 Oscar nominees, and 103 Oscar nominations.
#IFTNJobs: Festival Programmer Vacancy at Kerry International Film Festival
Daytime Emmy Nominated Sound Editors Steve Maher & Peter Blayney Talk with IFTN
Oscar-Nominated Director Louise Bagnall Talks 'Late Afternoon' with IFTN
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UPDATED: Breaking News: Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Doug Eccarius Resigns; All Administrator Contracts Renewed
Tonight, following a very brief Board of Education meeting, Dr. Schuster emailed all parents that the BOE approved a revised calendar. She also informed parents that Doug Eccarius has resigned. Her email is copied below. The community is still left in the dark about what exactly was on the Personnel Consent agenda that the BOE approved unanimously. Did the board renew all of the other administrators' contracts for the 2014-2015 school year? We will have to wait until the administration posts the Personnel Consent Agenda on Board Docs.
UPDATED AT 11:30 P.M.: The Personnel Consent Agenda that was unanimously approved by the BOE has been posted on Board Docs. Click to open Consent Agenda. All Administrator Contracts were renewed for one year terms. Salaries for the 2014-2015 school year will be determined at a future date.
Letter from Dr. Schuster:
"Dear District 181 Families,
This evening, the Board of Education approved the following 2013-14 calendar changes, outlined in the attached amended at-a-glance calendar (if no additional emergency days are used):
Friday, April 18: This will be an attendance day for HMS only.
Friday, May 16: This will be an attendance day for all students.
Monday, June 2: This will be an attendance day for all students.
Thursday, June 5: This will be a half-day for all students, with a teacher in-service in the afternoon for staff only.
Friday, June 6: This will be a half-day for all students (last day of school), with a school improvement day in the afternoon for staff only.
Monday, June 9 and Tuesday, June 10: These will be Institute Days for staff only.
Also, in administrative news, District 181 Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Doug Eccarius has accepted a position as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources with Indian Prairie School District 204, effective July 1, 2014. Mr. Eccarius has shared a letter (below my signature) with all families. Please join us in wishing Mr. Eccarius well in this new position.
Lastly, as a reminder, the superintendent search survey closes at the end of the day on Tuesday. Thank you for your participation.
Dr. Renée Schuster
Letter from Mr. Eccarius
Dear District 181 Families,
It is with bittersweet emotions that I am writing to inform you that, this evening, I was approved to serve as the new Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources for Indian Prairie School District 204 in Naperville. My new position begins July 1, 2014.
For the past 11 years, I have been fortunate to serve District 181 as the Assistant Principal at Clarendon Hills Middle School, Principal at The Lane School, Director of Summer School, and currently the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. I have been fortunate to build relationships with eager students, talented staff members, and involved parents. It has been an honor to serve as an administrator in two buildings that are nationally recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. This is a great community, and I have felt an enormous amount of support from parents and staff.
I am very excited to have the opportunity to serve as a leader in District 204, the district that gave me my first teaching position. I have fond memories of my time there and look forward to the opportunities and challenges that a unit district provides. Indian Prairie School District is a short commute from my residence and serves approximately 29,000 students across Pre-K through twelfth grade. There are 33 schools with close to 3,000 employees.
During the remainder of the school year, I will continue to keep students, staff, and labor relations as top priorities, as well as preparation for a smooth transition to new leadership for District 181. One of my first priorities will be to assist the District in filling the vacant central office positions with leaders who will continue to help Community Consolidated School District 181 work towards its vision, “to be a school district where all students experience success and grow in excellence.”
Once again, I want to thank you for your constant support over the last eleven years. I am extremely grateful to have been provided the opportunity to serve the District 181 community.
Doug Eccarius
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources"
Posted by The Parents at 9:32 PM
3 down, 2 to go.
It's posted. All the contracts were renewed.
I like eccarious
Jill Quinones said...
Unfortunately, they have all been renewed with salary "TBD" if you check on Board Docs now. Not that anyone in the audience really knew that was what the BOE was voting on (other than those that knew there needed to be a vote by 4/1) There were about 20 parents in the audience as well as anyone listening at home. Wonder why the BOE couldn't just say that they were voting on a consent agenda that was approving 25 administrator contracts?
Interesting, also, that no one voted NO on any of them. Did they think it needed to be unanimous so as not to scare off future Superintendent candidates? So sad.
Taking out the 12 Building Principals/Asst Principals/HMS Dean, 13 contracts were renewed tonight. These people are currently being paid approximately $1.3 million. This does not include Dr. Russell. Dr. Schuster. I'm assuming they will all be getting raises. I would have liked to hear some discussion in exchange for all of those tax dollars.
Doug Eccarius is a huge loss to the District 181 administrative team. No matter what position he has held in our district, he has always done an excellent job. He is a passionate educator, an extremely hard-worker, and has become an increasingly effective leader. He has impressed both parents and staff during his tenure in D181. I wish him the very best, but I am extremely sad to see him go. Maybe we should be asking ourselves as a district what we can do to retain great employees like Mr. Eccarius in the future, rather than watching our best move on to other opportunities in neighboring districts.
Did all 7 board members really believe that all of the administrator contracts should be renewed? Or were one, two or three of them bullied by the rest of the board to vote unanimously to approve the renewals? Either way, the board has done the D181 students and teachers a great disservice by renewing the contracts of three central office administrators who have brought no added value to the district, have turned the curriculum upside down and caused harm to students. Shame on the Board.
I can't believe you're actually proud of this, poster at 9:41. Mr. Eccarius has been in this district for 11 years. Need I remind you that is much longer than many of the parents in this district. He is HIGHLY respected among at the staff in 181. When we start losing administrators with that much time devoted to our district, we need to put on the breaks and take a step back. This is going to anger/upset a lot of people. I caution you to tread lightly and be careful what you wish for. Our administration is being wiped out and I can tell you our teachers are feeling uneasy. Many have stopped making small talk with parents, I have been told that teachers are losing trust in us. Take a look around you building. I KNOW it's happening at at least three elementary schools. I am growing concerned that many of our beloved veteran teachers will follow the lead of these administrators. Our district is hanging by a thread right now and we need to come together to strengthen it, not destroy whatever remains. I hope the bloggers are able to see their hand in all this (as they refer to themselves as "the parents") this isn't a game, these are people's lives and careers. The climate surrounding 181 is uncomfortable to put it mildly.
To the previous poster at 6:13am, please understand that this is about our children receiving educations with proper math and language arts foundations so that they can have prosperous lives and careers. These administrators are adults who received educations (some of them continue to do so at our expense) playing with the futures of our children for the sake of their personal agendas.
Anonymous Poster at 6:13: It is so easy to blame "the parents" for providing a much needed forum for parents to exercise their freedom of speech rights and speak loud and clear about the problems that exist in D181 that have been directly hurting their children. But have you considered why that has been necessary? The administration under Dr. Schuster's leadership has slammed doors in their faces. The Board under Mr. Turek's leadership has done the same and publicly attacked those who wanted to engage in public discussion about all of the issues. Parents have written letters to the board, spoken at board meetings, met with administrators, met with board members. And all their efforts have been rebuffed by the administration and board majority. So you ask why have parents set up a blog? Because they are concerned about what is happening in the classroom with the curriculum. Not as a result of the teachers, not as a result of Mr. Eccarius, but as a result of the revolutionary social justice agenda that certain administrators brought to the district less than 2 years ago, and that Dr. Schuster embraced as a solution for all of the problems she'd heard about from parents. As the L4A roll out took place, the administration and board turned a blind eye to data and parent observations and concerns about the negative impact it was having on students on both ends of the spectrum. Rather than address these problems publicly and work TOGETHER (with parents, teachers and administrators) to fix them, parents were shunned, threatened and told to shut up. The administration under Dr. Schuster's leadership created the curriculum issues The parents finally decided to seek another avenue to get the word out, since the traditional ones were not working -- at all. The parent blog did not exist 18 months ago. It is a direct result of Dr. Schuster's leadership and the board's refusal to openly address the problems caused by the L4A program. Too bad if you don't like that. Maybe your child hasn't been affected, but mine have and will continue to be unless a new Superintendent is hired who will right this ship, to hold his/her administrators accountable. Yes, it is unfortunate that Mr. Eccarius is leaving. He was beloved and will be missed. Yes, he was here for 11 years and has chosen to move on to a bigger district, close to his home where I would bet he is getting a big pay hike or has the potential to down the road. No one knows the reasons for his leaving. Perhaps he was fed up with what he has seen going on in the Central Office -- not with the departures of others, but with the conduct of his colleagues. Guess we'll never really know unless perhaps the board conducts an exit interview and he is candid with them. But that information will never be made public and the community will never really know.
Does anyone know if Mr. Eccarius has a tuition reimbursement contract with D181?
I thought he was going to school while working in D181 but don't know the details. The tuition reinbursement policy isn't working. There is no loyality anymore.
Yes, he does have a tutition reimbursement contract. I just searched board docs and his most recent tuition reimbursement payment was in August 2013. If he has the same payback provision in his contract, he will owe D181 100% of the tuition that he's been reimbursed. Now the only question is, will the board enforce the provision in his contract and in Kevin Russell's contract? Last poster is right, the tuition benefit is not working. Wonder if the board kept it in the contracts they approved last night?
Did anyone attend the Superintendent Search focus group last night?
Yes. There was about 20 parents, 2 teachers and a principal. It was a wonderful open discussion with caring people running it. In stark contrast to the boe meeting that followed.
Jill-
Very disappointed there was no discussion over the consent agenda. I just can't believe all the members wanted all the contracts renewed. It is sad. The BOE is looking out for the adminstation's back much more than the children and tax payers of D181. It will be beyond outrageous if they don't make Mr. Eccarious and Dr. Russell pay back their tuition costs-even though they were well liked. That's our money.
Yvonne Mayer said...
I did. There were about 20 parents there by the time it ended -- lasted about 90 minutes. Two of the search firm reps were there. They asked the group to address 3 questions:
1. What are strengths of D181?
2. What challenges/issues will the new superintendent face?
3. What qualities/skills should the new superintendent possess?
The group made the following main points:
1. Strengths: Teachers, students, parents, principals who are all committed to the district.
2. Challenges/issues: Curriculum, specifically the "mess" created by the Learning for All Plan. Need to make changes to the plan so that it addresses needs of children at the top end and bottom end, and the inclusive model currently in place is not doing this. Lack of trust in certain administrators. Lack of forum to openly discuss issues with the board and administration -- don't want orchestrated community engagement opportunities. Lack of accountability. Facilities issues - specifically HMS. No strong leadership in place right now since many administrators currently don't have the skills or background for their position (for example, need an assessment person with a background in statistics and assessment).
3. Skills/qualities needed in new superintendent:
Strong curriculum background, proven past successful superintendent in a district similar to D181's, strong leader who will show sensitivity, person willing to publicly engage the community in town hall type settings and not in rigid comm. engagement forums, a person who will take time to understand the "values" in our community and not try and impose models that are better suited for other communities, a person who will hold staff accountable and will hire administrators who have the skills needed for the specific job, someone who will come in and evaluate the Learning for All Plan and make needed changes quickly and not over a long period of time since students only have a limited time in our district and only one year per grade, someone who will be able to "heal" the rifts created by the current administration, someone who the community can trust, someone who understands the financial challenges facing the district with a current board that has not been levying to the max but limiting the tax burden on taxpayers by limiting the levy.
The BWP representatives explained that in addition to the parent focus group, they have held focus groups with the PTO presidents, teachers and administrators. They indicated that they were hearing many of the same themes from the different groups.
They also disclosed that they have already received 30 (please someone correct me if I am wrong on this number) applications and that they are actively recruiting sitting superintendents. They say they hope to begin interviewing applicants in the next week to narrow the group they present to the board for further interviews. They were upbeat about this. One parent did ask if the acrimony shown at board meetings or evident on a "blog" is going to hurt the applicant pool. They were candid in their answer that they know of at least one candidate that has declined to consider D181 because of the acrimony, but they did not specify what specific reasons were given.
I have to say that I was disappointed that more parents did not attend the focus group. In a district of 4000 students, more parents need to get involved in such an important task as selecting the educational leader.
One more thing. The BWP reps said they've advised the board to wait until after the new superintendent is hired to fill the vacancy created by Dr. Russell's departure. They said it was important to allow the new superintendent to select the person to fill this important curriculum position.
Time for an Audit of the Curriculum Changes in D181 said...
Here is info from a similar parent blog in neighboring District 109 in Pleasantdale.
http://pleasantdaleschool.blogspot.com/2014/03/district-107-common-core-time-lie.html
Take the time to read this series/timeline of events. Looks like it took an external audit to uncover misrepresentations made by their superintendent. Now, both the board and superintendent have had to own this action. Perhaps it is time D181 conducted some audits of its own....
Sound familiar to our district? Only difference is that D181 refuses to conduct a meaningful satisfaction survey. (Scroll all the way through for comments about the leadership in 107).
http://pleasantdaleschool.blogspot.com/2014/03/overall-satisfaction-new-leadership.html
Keep reading "older posts" on the D107 blog. The posts show the rest of the satisfaction survey results. WHY hasn't D181 done this? In fact, during the focus group last night, the BWP reps asked if there had been a satisfaction survey done and at least one of them said he had done so regularly in his past district where he'd been the superintendent.
You'll also notice on the 107 blog that they compare their issues to ours. So it seems other parents in other districts have felt the need to speak out on a blog.
Wow. Everyone should read the Pleasantdale 107 blog. They've just run a 12 day series. I've quickly skimmed it and will set aside a couple hours later today to read through it, but the last person who commented on the Parent Blog is right, the 2 districts sound very similar. I agree that the type of satisfaction survey 107 conducted is sorely needed in D181 -- for parents and teachers.
It has been uncomfortable for parents for 4 years! And really, who cares about "small talk" when the important communication doesn't even get heard! Children's experiences in school are directly, and negatively being affected by administrators (not Doug) who have been making terrible and self serving decisions. He had seen the writing in the wall back when Janet Stutz was still here. He probably was hopeful that things would change for the better then, but it never transpired.
This is our children's childhood and their community. You are not a parent of elementary school children affected by the L4A plan and their poor leadership, so you cannot see how these children have been feeling uncomfortable in their own classrooms. Nor are you working at a school to see an entire classroom filled with kids being forced to lose after school playtime because their administrators set them up for failure. You are comfortably in the administration's offices, or on the tennis courts, far from the battle zone. Doug, a former math teacher himself, could clearly see that poor decisions were being made and that common sense and research was being ignored.
Just like the good families who are starting to move out of this town, or who realize they need to send their children to private schools in order to avoid the disaster called D181, ethical staff are starting to leave too. The failure of all administrators to address serious parent and teacher concerns is what is making teachers uncomfortable because staff is fearful that if they stand up to Renee Schuster, they will be fired. So, like the parents who move, many staff will leave, too. That is what happens when no one stands up to the school bully. You can live in discomfort, you can move, or you can stand up to her. We have tried negotiations for years, but they have failed. Now, parents have 2 options: stand on their feet and fight, or live on their knees and submit to ineptitude.
If you are finally starting to feel the heat from parents who are tired of being dismissed, and IF you can find a better job, you might want to seriously consider Doug's lead. We know ANY new administrator will be better than Renee Schuster, and we need the whole team of current administrators to drop their self serving agendas and to start putting our children first. Last night, our BOE failed in their duty to our children, and approved the contracts of inexperienced, poorly qualified administrators. Until those administrators and Board Members resign, publicly apologize for their dismissive attitude towards parents and teachers, and, finally, announce that they will end the L4A plan, get ready for the temperatures to soar. If you personally can't stand the heat, do us all a favor and get out of the kitchen.
This letter will resonate with many, the concerns eerily "aligned" with ours as a district.
http://youngcons.com/teacher-retires-because-of-common-core-and-writes-scathing-open-letter-to-school-board/
Our concerns are also echoed in the superintendent search criteria posted by the Frankfort district and by the parents on the Pleasantdale blog.
As one previous poster noted, the issues and challenges our district faces, e.g. lack of proper curriculum, lack of professional development, one size fits all instruction, the list goes on and on.... are not unique to our district and can't all be addressed at the district level. We have the learning for all plan disaster but common core is also in play and is intertwined with L4A directives. Not to say that our admin hasn't fallen far, far short of the challenges and has made grievous mistakes, but action is also needed at the state level. Please consider writing our state representatives, rallying support throughout all public school districts to slow down/re-consider common core implementation until our teachers and schools are adequately prepared. We are not alone.
As long as Kurt Schneider is in D181 L4A will continue. He is the chief salesperson for this mess.
With 3 administrators leaving and the rest having had their contracts renewed for another year, maybe we should find a way to work with these people and do what we can to make this work. Continuing anomosity and the extreme dislike for some administrators, will not make things better, in fact, it may be detrimental to our cause with 3 new administrators joining our district. There's nothing that can be done to salvage this year but much can be done to start out on a better footing next school year. We CAN make a difference but it has to be a positive difference. We CAN help improve the moral in this district if we all work together!
Working together implies give and take by both sides. Recent history suggests that many D181 administrators approach parents with annoyance at best and disdain at worst. I think most parents started out positive and wanted to work with the administrators, only to be shunned and ridiculed. It is hard to remain positive in that kind of environment, particularly when one is worried about one's child and his education.
Hopefully the new Superintendent will be able to build consensus among all stakeholders, understand that educating our children is a team effort, and that an "I know everything and I'm going to do what I think is best no matter what you say" approach is not the way to go.
It will be welcome relief to frustrated parents if the new Superintendent is someone who is willing to actually listen and provide real evidence/support for his/her chosen approach. That would be the best start to next school year! And maybe temperatures above freezing......
Leslie Gray said...
I agree with the 9:07pm post. The search team last night suggested that it is a good idea to conduct a comprehensive survey before a new superintendent comes in so that all stakeholders are heard and the new superintendent gets a complete picture of the situation at hand. They also said that these types of surveys are best done when handled by a third party, and that they have done them in the past. I encourage our BOE to follow up on this. Also, we should have a town hall meeting where there can be free two way discourse without the rule restrictions of a BOE meeting. I also think an independent audit of the curriculum would be a good idea. When all stakeholders are heard and addressed, then the healing can begin - and the sooner the better. Our children have no more time to waste. This district is at a crossroads, and I think all interested parties would welcome a fresh start. We have wonderful students, staff, teachers, and parents. We also have an abundance of resources. There is no reason that our schools cannot all be in the top 20 again. But to do this we need mutual respect and a thorough analysis of the current state of affairs.
HMS Parent said...
Bloggers: There has been a lot of news coverage lately on states opting out of common core. Indiana did so just a few days ago. Can you write a post that addresses this and maybe provide links to related articles? Thanks!
The Parents said...
HMS Parent: We will develop a post on Common Core. Thanks for the suggestion.
This is a 2 part post. Here is an article published in USA Today dated ~2 years ago. The BOE should be examining districts who implemented similar LFA programs years ago and who have seen the product of such programs.
Submitted by Amy Alex
Here is the copied/pasted article and the link:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-07-09/math-education-remedial-algebra/56118128/1
Column: Why our kids hate math
By Patrick Welsh Updated 7/9/2012 6:50 PM
When summer school opened Monday at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., where I teach, remedial courses in math had more students than any other subject.
That is because of the high failure rate not only in math courses, but also on the state's standard of learning exams in math. The summer school pattern is similar in most high schools around the country where kids will be trying to learn the math they never figured out during the year.
I worry that we're pushing many kids to grasp math at higher levels before they are ready. When they struggle, they begin to dread math, and eventually we lose thousands of students who could be the scientists and engineers of tomorrow. If we held back and took more time to ground them in the basics, we could turn them on to math.
The experience of T.C. Williams teacher Gary Thomas, a West Point graduate who retired from the Army Corps of Engineers as a colonel, is emblematic of the problem. This year, Thomas had many students placed in his Algebra II class who slid by with D's in Algebra I, failed the state's Algebra I exam and were clueless when it came to the most basic pre-requisites for his course. "They get overwhelmed. Eventually they give up," Thomas says.
English and social studies teachers face the same problem when school officials, more interested in boasting about the numbers of kids in higher-level courses than in what they really learn, place students without the requisite skills in advanced placement classes.
Push to younger students
Pushing students to the next level of math before they are ready is endemic in schools across the country, and is most pronounced in the move to have younger and younger children take algebra.
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that from 1990 to 2007, the percentage of eighth-graders taking algebra went from 16% to 31%. California has been in the forefront of pushing kids into algebra: By 2009, 54% of its eighth-graders were taking algebra, the result of an initiative by California's State Board of Education. Why the early push? It's driven by the fact that some younger students wanted, and were capable of, more challenging math. But that's not true for all students.
My colleague Sally Miller has taught almost every high school math offering. She lives and breathes her subject, but she is the first to warn that too much math too soon is counterproductive. When Miller asked one of her geometry classes what 8 x 4 was, no one could come up with the answer without going to a calculator. "In the lower grades, more time has to be devoted to practicing basic computational skills so that they are internalized and eventually come naturally."
Miller, like every math teacher I talked to, says schools are pushing too many middle-school kids into algebra. "Many of the concepts in algebra are abstract," Miller says, "and if children are not developmentally ready to deal with abstraction, you can turn them off to math forever. Even the best students who can pull off A's in eighth-grade algebra by just memorizing eventually end up realizing they did not really learn it."
Confidence undermined
A Duke University study of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district's attempt to have algebra taught in eighth grade echoes what Miller says. Duke professor Charles Clotfelter, who led the study, concluded that the district's policy "had a negative effect on most students, especially those students who weren't stellar in math background. … For whatever reason, their preparation or their confidence wasn't sufficient to let them do well … and it knocked them back on their heels."
It's not just policymakers and school administrators who are responsible for pushing too much math too soon. Once parents who are anxious about their child's academic success see an advanced course offered, they want their child to be part of it lest he or she be held back, the victim of "low expectations."
And when those same students aren't able to keep up in their classes, parents increasingly are turning to private math tutors — who get hourly fees that rival those of doctors — to get students to understand what they couldn't grasp in class.
What is needed when it comes to math, indeed to all schooling, is a little more common sense and honesty. I wonder how many of those members of the California State Board of Education who pushed for all of the state's eighth-graders to take algebra could come close to passing an end-of-the- year Algebra I test?
I suspect very few, unless they were mathematicians, and yet they subscribe to the misplaced belief that algebra is essential to the future success of 13- or 14-year-olds, a canard closely linked to the other great myth: that every high school student must go on to college to be successful. In fact, for the majority of jobs, math is not included in the top five qualities that employers seek in their workers.
It is time to ensure that all kids absorb the fundamentals of math — computation, fractions, percentages and decimals — first before moving on to the next level. Otherwise, as with remedial summer courses, we're teaching them twice what they should have learned the first time around.
Patrick Welsh is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors.
Here is the latest blog post from our neighbor District 107. You could change the names and it would sound like a description of much that is happening in D181. We definitely need to have an audit of our curriculum from an outsider to see if D181 is truly "aligning" itself with Common Core Standards.
http://pleasantdaleschool.blogspot.com/2014/03/pleasantdale-board-members-overrule.html
Pleasantdale Board Members Overrule Superintendent, Question Curriculum!
The Doings Weekly
By: Chuck Fieldman | cfieldman@pioneerlocal.com | @chuckwriting
At least two members of the Pleasantdale Elementary School District 107 Board believe the district is playing catch up with its math curriculum because of inaccurate information provided by Superintendent Mark Fredisdorf...
http://burrridge.suntimes.com/news/schools/math107-WYD-03122014:article
Despite spending over $100K in the 2013-2014 school year so far on a curriculum coordinator, a math curriculum audit, professional development, staff surveys, etc. one thing is certainly true:
Superintendent Mark Fredisdorf does not know much about curriculum and instruction!
We could have told the school board that a long time ago and saved the district a lot of money.
Earlier this year, when asked to provide board members with the middle school language arts curriculum, he handed over a pile of papers. There was no mention of curriculum maps, pacing guides, textbooks, etc. Just a pile of about 1,000 worksheets and assessments!
The man has been a fraud for years and sadly it has taken board members this long to finally figure it out. He hides behind a hand picked ineffective working group he calls the curriculum council and uses them to push through his misguided agendas and ill thought out plans. Then when things go wrong, he has someone to blame it on. Recent survey results indicated only 11 members of his entire staff of over 100 feel that this group is effective. If that isn't a wakeup call, we don't know what is!
Hopefully this community will wake up and demand a change rather than continuing to spend $250K a year on nonsense.
Sounds exactly like our school district!! Except, of course, their Board of Education and Superintendent apologized to their community. In D181, all they do is cross their arms, plug their ears, and blame parents.
Any new superintensdent will look like a rock star in compassion to what we have had these last few years! Parents are ready and looking forward to a change in leadership.
The big question is can our BOE be trusted to approve a qualified candidate? These are the same people who welcomed Schneider and Benitis with open arms and have been blindly following every initiative since they were hired without even pausing to consider other options.
I certainly don't think the BOE should know every detail of what's happening in the district-but I know they received letters pertaining to PARCC . I thought it was interesting that Ms. Garg would ask questions regarding this (because parents were asking BOE to ask!) and the rest of the BOE wouldn't engage because they really weren't prepared. Why not admit you know some, but not everything..that's understandable, but it comes off as if you have no clue what's happening in our district and really don't care.
Dawn Benaitis, director of learning for D181, is quoted in today's Hinsdalean as saying "the teacher's role is moving from being sage on the stage to serving as guide on the side."
This comment troubles me for several reasons. First, common core is a set of standards, but it does not dictate how those standards need to be taught. Therefore, this shift in teaching style at D181 is not required by common core. Next, I have huge problems with the workshop model this district has adopted. I don't want 9 year old children teaching my child - I want my child taught by a teacher. I also think teachers should have the autonomy to teach in the style that best works for him or her.
I googled Dawn's quote and the below article popped up. I'm interested in other reader's thoughts and reactions.
http://designerlibrarian.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/reality-check-sage-on-the-stage-vs-guide-on-the-side/
REALITY CHECK: SAGE ON THE STAGE VS. GUIDE ON THE SIDE
Twenty years ago, a small article by Alison King appeared in the journal College Teaching. It was titled ”From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side.” That article would come to represent the big debate on education reform.
Today, that debate rages on as educators argue over the merits of traditional teaching versus constructivist teaching approaches. A lot of folks have anchored themselves firmly in the camp of Guide on the Side. More often than not, those who hold an either-or view on education are administrators and policymakers who haven’t taught a day in their life.
In reality, Sage on the Stage vs. Guide on the Side are political talking points. In reality, BOTH approaches to teaching are necessary. In reality, good teachers select the approach that works best for them and for the content that they are teaching.
There is plentiful research that supports direct instruction (aka the sage approach) as an effective and efficient way to teach students in situations where they hold little or no prior knowledge, and in situations where skills need to be taught to the point of automaticity. An obvious example is the foundational skills needed for math and reading. In higher education, lectures are the most common form of direct instruction. Lectures are efficient and have a place in virtually all content areas. Sometimes they are the most appropriate method of teaching. For example, I had a music history professor as an undergrad who only lectured. I learned a lot in that class just by listening and taking notes (granted, he was a phenomenal storyteller).
There is less research that supports the effectiveness of constructivist approaches. However, we do know that constructivist teaching is a better fit for content that requires problem solving and critical thinking skills. That being said, virtually all content teaching needs to start out with a direct instructional approach and move towards a constructivist approach. In other words, teachers generally need to provide a more direct instructional approach in the beginning, and then slowly pass the responsibility of learning over to the students.
How would this work for information literacy instruction?
First, you need to consider the automatic skills that students should have before they can advance to higher order thinking skills. For information literacy, these skills include understanding and using search syntax correctly, knowing how to navigate databases, and knowing the criteria for evaluating information (e.g. CRAAP test). These are the skills that require direct instruction. Fortunately, these are also the skills that can be most easily taught through tutorials, which are a form of direct instruction.
Once students have the foundational skills in place, they are ready to move on to higher order thinking skills. Because information literacy is a critical thinking skill, constructivist approaches should be applied (e.g. inquiry-based or problem-based learning). To ultimately be information literate, a student needs to have established schemata about the research and writing process. Schemata allow students to identify solutions for new problems based on past experiences. Inquiry-based learning can promote the building of new schemata, which is why constructivist approaches work better for this level of information literacy instruction.
The need for constructivist approaches in information literacy instruction is why it can be difficult to teach. Developing constructivist approaches requires a lot of preparation. Students should have just enough information to be able to move to the next level, and you typically answer questions with more questions to foster deeper thinking. Constructivist approaches also take longer, which is why one-shot sessions just don’t work well.
I think information literacy is in a particularly tough spot regarding successful approaches to teaching it. Like virtually all content, it relies on both direct instruction and constructivist approaches. However, it simply can’t be learned without adequate opportunity for those constructivist approaches. One possible solution might be flipped instruction. Another possible solution is the fully integrated approach I wrote about in a previous post on Google Docs (in fact, fully integrated is more in line with situated learning – a truly constructivist approach).
The continuing debate over Guide on the Side vs. Sage on the Stage is in my opinion, ridiculous. Both approaches are needed for successful learning to take place. So, next time someone asks “Are you a Sage on the Stage or a Guide on the Side?,” simply smile and say “Both!”
Hinsdale is a conservative town that is mostly Republican with traditional values. We do not want "cutting edge" teaching or to be "pioneers." We value the traditional way. I wish the administration would stop trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. We are who we are.
jay_wick said...
Probably not the best idea to copy such a long post in its entirety. Even if the stuff is not protected by copyrights it is confusing as to who the "author" is -- Fair Use doctrine Not even nitpicking, just wondering if the anonymous author above really endorses all the ideas of the Designer Librarian ?
I do agree "catch phrases" like "sage on the stage" that denigrate traditional practices smack of intellectual laziness or at least triteness. It is rather foolish to try to claim that traditional instructional methods are suddenly "insufficient". Darned near EVERYONE that works or lives in our district has almost certainly been blessed to receive lots of wisdom in such traditional settings and succeed because of it NOT despite it...
There are LOTS of good ways to engage audiences ranging from preschoolers through elementary aged learners into middle school and beyond with a well crafted oral presentation by a "sage". I would argue that a true "sage" is however quite rare. Further some of the most revered "sages" of history are figures like Socrates who clearly did not just open a fire hose of information but engaged in a very specific method of inquisitive discussion that many of our finest institutions still rely on as far superior to mere lecture -- Socratic Method at University of Chicago Law School
Further it is true that while the overall "goal" of Common Core does not overtly advocate a particular approach to instruction many of the harshest criticisms especially in regard to standards for mathematics show that by being overly specific in spelling out certain grade specific curricular targets there is a strong bias against traditional instruction and assessment -- the widely circulated question of "show what the student did wrong with trying to use a number line" is clearly in that category. Common Core assignment ?
Funny thing too is that one of the things that I would object to about BOTH that kind of non-traditional assessment AND those who would criticize it is that we lack the CONTEXT of that sheet. Was it part of larger assessment that maybe did have lots of traditional calculations? Did it follow a nice unit of instruction that gave kids an opportunity to learn how to spot mistakes? Was it given as a "last minute" take home assessment without adequate supporting information for kids or parents to refer to away from the classroom? I am not ready to condemn every aim of Common Core...
What we need is a BOE that demands not just "compliance" or "alignment" with minimum standards but true excellence. We are uniquely positioned to do that with new leadership and an expiring teacher's collective bargaining agreement!
Can the BOE take the lead in putting things on a path that will get us to that end? That does not happen with a casual approach to their role. It demands that the BOE hold themselves and staff to standards that are not a "mile wide and an inch deep". We need administrators of real intellectual depth that will not parrot catch phrases from the latest fads but instead look for the kinds of truly excellent practices that will help all our students live up to their fullest potential. We should not have to wait "five to seven years" to see that that, it should be delivered in our classrooms and administrative offices daily.
Jay Wick-Great comments as always. Your right-our BOE can't take a casual approach, but it seems this is happening with the majority. Why do some of these administators have so much power? They aren't backing up their philosophies with proven data, and it's going against what has made this district great in the past. The burden of proof should be on THEM. Do we need to continually demand it? Is everyone willing to just give that up? Maybe we need a public service campaign to attend meetings, write letters etc..
July 1 will be a fresh start for this district. We will have a new crop of administrators. It is a chance to start over. I propose that the posting guidelines change on July 1 as well. As a pledge to our new administrators (as well as any applicants who may be reading this blog) can we agree that only posts with names attached will be posted after July 1? Sometimes I think people say things anonymously that they would never say with a name attached. We shouldn't post anything that we are not comfortable attaching our name to.
Just my opinion. It may help us get a better pool of applicants if we make this pledge now.
I forgot to add that the rationale for why people feel the need to post anonymously will be gone on July 1.
Re: Spreading the word...
The fact is that as currently constituted the BOE is greater than 85% Caucus backed. I generally believe in the way that the Caucus has sought representation from all parts of the district, uses a unbiased method of choosing representatives to serve on the nomination committees and then interviews all potential candidates.
That said it is arguable whether the "cicada-like" emergence and disappearance of the Caucus really is best suited to the sort of world that we live in with increasingly polarized views fostered by one selecting only sources of information that reinforce their preexisting views... There is almost certainly a need for something more permanent that is neither a "tax watch dog" nor a "cheerleader" for the district but a honest forum for those that do want to see the district improve / recover well before the next round of elections.
I know it can be tough to be too forward with ones' neighbors about the short comings of the BOE, lest one be dismissed as a "chicken little" type, but as virtually no parent or community member has offered anything really positive about the general direction of the district in many interactions it is hard to understand why some BOE members believe there is anything other than broad dissatisfaction.
The challenge is that without more folks willing to really put themselves on record as opposed to the poor decisions and horrible execution of current district initiatives there is little chance of things really improving.
Apathy is the enemy...
"We may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings."
-Helen Keller
“We shall have to repent in this generation not so much for the evil deeds of the wicked people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
― Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
YES WRITE LETTERS, ATTEND MEETING, BUTTONHOLE YOUR NEIGHBORS, BE A PEST -- ADVOCATE FOR WHAT IS RIGHT!
The alternative is to stand idly by and allow things that were good to become less so, to preside over the dumbing down of your own children for the sake of who knows what, to shrug ones shoulders in the face of "experts" that clearly are nothing of the sort...
The US in not alone in having wise people raise valid objections to "standarization" that is really a bad mish mash of the worst ideas from well meaning but misguided people. The same concerns about weak "national curriculum" have surfaced in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Fortunately the US still has relatively "toothless" Federal education agencies and Illinois' inept layers of ISBE and Regional Superintendent are more about fattening up the rolls of patronage armies than really "imposing" anything objectionable upon local schools, but our BOE must demand that our administrators do not merely chew on the pap they pick-up at feel-good conferences and then spray that into silly "slide sets".
Our BOE needs to have a clear understanding that the natural direction of any system that is not encouraged to move upward will succumb to decline and only by demanding high levels of performance can such a tendency be staved off.
Only entropy comes easy.
-Anton Chekhov
Jay_Wick, I love your reference to Socrates, because really whether you call it constructivist, guide on the side, discovery learning, whatever, when that type of instruction is appropriate, the teacher still has a job to do as a guide on the side - and I actually think it is a more difficult one. The teacher needs to be asking carefully thought-out questions, monitoring what the students are doing, guiding them back if they become off task, facilitating, providing context, resources, stimulating student thinking. It takes A LOT of training and practice to become effective at this.
Giving students worksheets to fill out after they have read a story together or done a Google search is not "guide on the side" teaching.
Ms. Benaitis should probably do a little more research into this before making statements like the one she was quoted making. Something that has been around as long as Socrates should not be referenced as "where a teacher's role is headed!" Good teachers have known for a loooong time when to use what methodology. Good teachers have known for a looong time that more than one methodology is usually needed to educate children.
These "sound bits" being put out there by some of our Administrators do nothing to improve public confidence in what is happening in this District.
Jill--
Anybody that has ever tried to get kids (or adults) to really be guided out of the "cave" of their own lack of understanding toward a more accurate view of reality knows how difficult a task this can be.
Allegory of the Cave
Maybe we can print up some handy reference guides to help folks step through the evolution of Western thought Making Everything Easier For All
It is one thing to have an occasional moment or two of class time spent on things that look more like 'homework' but if this "guide on the side" becomes shorthand for "doing busy work under watchful gaze" I cannot emphasize how much will have been lost...
Wick - we need to keep discussing it on the blog, during public comments and in letters to the BOE. This and ELA are just as big a problem as the math issues.
To the Anonymous poster who commented on 2 named administrators. We will publish your comment if you modify it to state that you are expressing your "opinion." Thank you.
Thank you, Parents.
In my opinion, Dawn Benaitis is incompetent. I'm not surprised that she is making ridiculous statements to the press. I listened to her making stupid assertions during meetings at Monroe.
I am appalled that the BOE renewed her employment contract especially after the Board received numerous letters in opposition to her continued employment. I believe that the BOE is being irresponsible with taxpayer dollars.
In my opinion, Dr. Kurt Schneider should also have been let go. I believe he has done nothing positive for this district and personally milking this district for his six-figure salary.
Wick- I love your new blogger picture!!! Good slogan we should all adopt.
I don't doubt that no one likes to hear accusations that some members of the district staff are ineffective -- not only do we want to believe hiring processes ought to prevent this but even the most hardened cynic wants to believe that when it comes to folks who primarily work with children there is something of a "higher calling" in what they do.
Unfortunately there is little evidence that the areas in which the benefits of L4A should be most apparent remain other than most troubling. While it is certainly true that students with extraordinary needs are not overtly discriminated against in the district neither is there evidence that students with such needs are truly making academic progress.
I know that Federal Law has requirements for this:
Congress requires that IEPs include a statement describing
how the child’s disability affects her involvement and progress in the general curriculum and a statement of annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives that are related to enabling the student to be involved and progress in the
general curriculum. [20 U.S.C. Sec.1414(d)(1)(A)(i); 34 C.F.R. Secs. 300.320(a)(1) & (2).]
That quote is from a readable guide to disability related legislation; sites like WrightsLaw link to the full Federal Statues Disability Rights California.org
34 C.F.R. Part 300|Wrightslaw.com
Troubling incidents ought to raise concerns about the degree to which the L4A program forces students into situations that actually result in less opportunities to be educated with their peers.
If our class sizes are too large and the demands on regular classroom teachers are too great and the skill level of aides is not appropriate to foster the learning and development of children with special needs the district is doing a disservice to these most vulnerable students.
Is L4A just a slogan that one can use to further their career? Is there evidence that such a model is the best way to help the greatest number of students reach their fullest potential? Is it the wisest use of district resources?
These are troubling questions made all the more pressing by the ever louder ticking of the clocks marking the end of yet another school year. Can the BOE step up and answer these questions? Will they respond to the challenges that they have so far been so hands-off in ignoring?
To Anonymous who asked us not to publish his/her comment earlier today: We had no other avenue to contact you but to post a response without identifying in any way the content of your comment. We too are very concerned about what you have raised, or the possibility that false rumors are being spread. We urge you to report your concerns to the only entity that can investigate and address them -- the seven members of the board of education.
Dr. Shnieder and Ms. Benitis need to be reassigned to duties more in line with their background and experience for the remainder of their contracts. According to the district website, Dr. Shnieder has no substantial experience with regular, or even gifted classrooms in elementary schools. So why was he allowed to revamp the regular and gifted programs without even following the instructions of Dr. Moon, the gifted specialist? He also has no prior experience in working in curriculum matters in a district with a population such as ours. He was a former professor who likes speaking and coming up with theories and experiments. Benitis, the assistant superintendent of curriculum has no specialized credential in elementary school reading or math. Only one in middle school reading. Yet somehow, she has been allowed to, in my opinion, wreck havoc in our district without taking any responsibility for it. (Cred. information is visible to all on the ISBE credential website.) The poor decision of the BOE to renew these people's contracts, and to continue to squander taxpayer money has only created MORE frustration and discontent among the community. Furthermore, Dr. Schuster should be forced to leave our district immediately so that she can stop exacting revenge upon the remaining staff and parents. We need a new superintendent with a basic sense of accountability, ethical responsibility, and a solid knowledge of successful teaching methods and curriculums. Not a degree in speech pathology. The new superintendent needs to come in, clean house, and direct the board to focus on the most important things in D181 - our children and their educations.
The BOE, encouraged by the (in my opinion) vindictive and morally challenged, Dr. Schuster, have put our children on a fast train to failure. It appears like our current superintendent, (who controls our BOE president like a marionette) directed Turek and his cronies to renew the contracts of the remaining administrators. She, along with the BOE, now, bear the growing burden of parental frustration. THEY all failed in their duties to us. Dr. Schuster played these yes men and women for fools, and they were all too happy to follow along. Someone, please relieve her of her duties before she completely destroys this district.
Furthermore, for Rusell and Ecarius to NOT repay their $40,000 Phd's, a contractual obligation, is not a CHOICE for the BOE! If the BOE or some private donors want to pitch in themselves with their own savings to help pay for those degrees, by all means, do so! However, if the BOE does not cover the cost with personally donated funds, and the administrators are NOT held to their written agreements, it is robbery and THEFT from a governmental institution, taxpayers, and children! I personally will see to it that the FBI and district attorney become involved. From what I understand, generally, school districts do not like to employ felons, so I cannot believe that these administrators would be willing to take that risk.
If our current superintendent cannot even admit that she has no idea what each school is doing, or truthfully explain that the L4A plan was a massive mistake (NOT a side effect of the new CC), she is continuing to fail in her duties and needs to leave immediately, not June 30th. I like the spirit in which a previous poster suggested we all write our names on our posts, however, please understand that we never wanted a blog. We just wanted D181 to listen to us 2 years ago and to take our concerns seriously. When that never happened, parents decided to take more drastic actions to protect our children's educations and our community's public schools. It was my hope that last Monday, the BOE and administration would have quickly put an end to the need for a parental blog. Unfortunately, the BOE failed. Let's hope that these administrators voluntarily resign soon, so that this blog will no long need to exist.
Ok... The FBI? Now I'm laughing. Have you ever even considered that their new districts may have bought out their Phd's?? These kinds of buyouts happen regularly in business! I'm sure the FBI has plenty of other things to worry about in our nation, But thanks for the laugh anyway!
I understand where the previous poster is coming from on the whole name thing.
On a different topic, I'm wondering if anyone had a child who took the PARCC field test, and if so, what was his/her reaction to the test?
If it is true that the new district is paying back the tuition, then the public reserves to be told that - because it is the public's money not the BOE's. The BOE seems to feel that they are all powerful and do not need to answer to anyone. That is not true. The taxpayers are the owners of the community and they answer to us. Also, the administration was not truthful with Ms. Mayer's FOIA - they claimed Dr. Russell only had to pay back 50% of the tuition not the 100% his most recent contract demanded. So, if the new district is reimbursing, how much - 50% or 100%? This administration and BOE needs to start telling the truth and stop acting like they are god like figures with unlimited power. They also need to show the community more respect.
The following was copied directly from the www.fbi.gov website. Still laughing??:
(part 1)
Former Broward County School Board Member Indicted on Public Corruption Charges
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, announced the filing of an Indictment charging Beverly Gallagher, 51, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, with committing extortion under color of official right, bribery in programs receiving federal funds, and wire fraud by depriving the citizens of honest services, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1951, 666, 1341, and 1346, respectively. Gallagher was arrested on September 23, 2009 on a criminal complaint in connection with these charges. She was released on a $100,000 personal surety bond.
As set forth in the Indictment, the charges are a result of an FBI undercover investigation. The undercover FBI agents posed as asset managers who claimed to represent contractors seeking to obtain contracts with local government entities, including the Broward County School District. Specifically, the undercover agents claimed to be acting on behalf of a client who owned a glass company and a project manager for a large construction company. Both companies were purportedly seeking to obtain contracts from the Broward County School District.
According to the allegations in the Indictment, from approximately November 2007 through June 2009, Beverly Gallagher used her official position, in exchange for the unlawful receipt of property, including money and other things of value. Specifically, Gallagher allegedly agreed to act as an undisclosed “consultant” and to use her influence working “behind the scenes” to obtain contracts or other favorable actions from the Broward Country School District for contractors associated with the undercover FBI agents. Gallagher allegedly insisted that she be paid in cash and for her personal benefit, instead of to her political campaign. In total, Gallagher allegedly accepted $12,500 in cash and other property, including boat trips and the payment of restaurant bills. In exchange for the cash and other remuneration, Gallagher is alleged to have used her official position to benefit contractors who were attempting to become pre-qualified before the Broward County School Board and obtain various projects and subcontract work on projects from the Broward County School Board.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman said, “Elected officials are held to a high standard of conduct because of the special position of trust given them by the public. We, as citizens, have a right to hold them to this standard, and to demand that they be held accountable. In this case, Gallagher’s actions fell far short of this standard. She used her office for purely personal gain, and must now face the consequences of her actions. Good governance requires no less.”
(continued onto next post)
FBI Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies stated, “Beverly Gallagher betrayed the trust placed in her by the citizens of Broward County by using her position as a school board member for her own personal benefit. As the top criminal priority of the FBI, we will continue to work with our partners and devote all necessary resources to address public corruption where we find it.”
Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, in connection with the investigation of this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey N. Kaplan and Neil Karadbil.
An Indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida atwww.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Here is some more info from that same national website with specific information from different parts of the country:
U.S. Attorney Continues Focus on Education Funds Fraud
Western District of Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH—Following the beginning of a new school year, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton today focused public attention on the office’s School Corruption Hotline, 412-894-7515. The hotline number rings directly in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where callers may leave their name, contact information, and details regarding suspected misuse of tax dollars supporting education.
“The advent of a new school year provides the opportunity to remind citizens that they are a vital resource in helping us identify fraud and illegal activity within the school system,” said U.S. Attorney Hickton. “We need the public to continue to provide information regarding suspected abuses, including misuse of district education funds, theft, spending irregularities, corruption in the contract and bidding process, and bribery, kickbacks, or other forms of collusion with outside vendors.”
U.S. Attorney Hickton encouraged callers to be as specific as possible when leaving information so that the appropriate investigating agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Department of Education-Office or Inspector General, or others, is able to pursue leads.
U.S. Attorney Hickton activated the first-of-its-kind hotline in November 2011. Dozens of callers have provided information resulting in several open and ongoing investigations.
The Western District of Pennsylvania encompasses 25 counties in the westernmost part of the Commonwealth: Allegheny. Armstrong, Beaver, Butle, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington, and Westmoreland in the Greater Pittsburgh area; Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, McKean, Venango, and Warren in the Erie area; and Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, and Somerset in the Johnstown area.
Miami Community Outreach
Miami, like each of the FBI’s local field offices, has a community outreach program that complements and strengthens our many efforts to protect you, your businesses, and your families in concrete ways through a range of activities and initiatives.
Our recent activities include:
We presented our 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award to the Asian American Advisory Board
Among our other ongoing efforts:
Meeting with minority groups and civic organizations to talk about what the FBI can do with them and for them and hosting town hall meetings as needed to dialogue on key issues;
Sending our special agents and others from the FBI into schools, businesses, and civic meetings to expalain emerging crime and security threats and to provide specific advice on how to prevent being victimized by these threats;
Supporting the graduates of our Citizens’ Academies, who often band together in local alumni chapters to create crime prevention programs and other initiatives that benefit communities.
Serving on committees and boards for businesses, schools, community groups, and social and health services and launching drives to bring food, gifts, and toys to the less fortunate during the holidays and other times of the year; and
Encouraging citizens to step forward to report crime and serve as witnesses in court.
The Miami Community Outreach Program is interested in impacting our local communities. We feel that this can be accomplished through such initiatives as the Junior Special Agent Program, career days, office tours, and assisting local community coalitions in their duties. Give us the opportunity to work with you, and together we can make a difference.
Contact the Miami Division’s Community Outreach Specialist, Jeff Green, at (305) 944-9101, Ext. 7344.
Here is a page from Chicago's Local FBI website:
4. Combat public corruption at all levels
Corruption in government threatens our country’s democracy and national security, impacting everything from how well our borders are secured and our neighborhoods protected…to verdicts handed down in courts…to the quality of our roads and schools. And it takes a significant toll on our pocketbooks, too, wasting billions of tax dollars every year.
Our investigations in Chicago focus on violations of federal law by public officials in local, state, and federal government, such as bribery, contract and procurement fraud, antitrust, environmental crimes, election fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
For more information on the FBI’s national efforts, see our Public Corruption webpage.
What is really funny is that you think a public school should be run the same way as a private business. D181 is not a private business! And if their new districts were dumb enough to buy out their PhDs, why has it not been announced that those districts are comping us yet?
Contrary to your belief, the FBI takes government corruption very seriously.
I'd like to weigh in on the tuition reimbursement issue again. I FOIA'd the contracts that show that 100% is owed back. I emailed the board after reviewing the contracts (and copied local reporters) urging the board to collect the 100%. One of the reporters contacted me and told me that he had made inquiries and been told by the administration that only 50% is due. Despite clear language in the most recent contract that requires 100% repayment, the administration is claiming that that language does not apply and that only an original tuition reimbursement contract that required only 50% payback is in force. Any lawyer reviewing both contracts will tell you that this is not true. The current contract is legally binding, it was signed by the affected administrators and board president and should be enforced as written by the full board. If they choose to amend the contract so that 100% is not owed, they have the right to do that, but must take such formal action in a public meeting where the D181 taxpayers can demand an explanation on why our tax $ are not being returned to the D181 coffers!
And, by the way, any suggestion that the new districts paid the administrators $ to refund to D181 for the tuition payments can be easily checked by filing a FOIA request with the new districts. If the new districts did agree to assume the administrators' debt to D181, why wouldn't the D181 board simply make an announcement to the taxpayers that the money has been paid back by the new districts? I would bet it's because it hasn't been.
Just to clarify -- D181 admin is claiming that a provision in the current contracts requires only collection of 50% (as previously required in the original tuition reimbursement contracts) DESPITE the new contract requiring 100% payback. In my legal opinion, and that of several other attorney who have looked at the language of the original and current contracts, the administration is wrong, is ignoring an integration clause and misreading the language in the new contract. The D181 Board should consult with an employment lawyer to interpret the clear and unequivocal language in the contracts. To fail or refuse to do this is -- in my opinion -- a complete abrogation of their responsibilities to the taxpayers that fund the schools and elected them to oversee the finances of the district.
Doesn't the district have to post the contracts of the administrators, teachers and support staff on its website or something? This is a PUBLIC school district and such information should be PUBLIC. Why would anyone have to make FOIA requests for this information?
We shouldn't have to FIOA most of the things that are FOIA'd
Of course we have no idea if the other districts are covering the costs of the education. It just occurred to me as a possibility since we haven't heard otherwise. I suppose time will tell. Any thoughts as to best use of the money once it's reimbursed?
Isn't Board Member Vorobiev an employment lawyer - she should be able to interpret basic contract language and integration clauses.
What should we do with the money? $50,000-$70,000 can buy a lot of quality teacher training in curriculum issues for one thing. It may seem like a drop in the bucket budget wise, but in a budget supported by tax dollars, every dollar counts.
I, for one, would gladly give a $50,000-$70,000 bonus of sorts for some quality short term results from a new Super and/or Curriculum person to who can come in and clean up our current curriculum mess, but have no confidence that the current BOE would be able to structure such a bonus appropriately.
I know - how about a quality satisfaction survey of all stakeholders from a 3rd party as suggested by the Superintendent search firm.
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BASEBALL TAKES ADVANTAGE OF SANTA CLARA MISTAKES, WINS 4-1 IN SUNDAY SERIES FINALE
Santa Clara (11-4) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 3
Sacramento State (6-10) 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 X 4 5 2
2B: Evan Haberle
2B: James Outman
3B: PJ Floyd
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Austin Root threw five strong innings and the Sacramento State (6-10) offense took advantage of Santa Clara (11-4) mistakes to go home Sunday afternoon with a 4-1 win over the visiting Broncos.
Coming off a dominant, eight-inning outing in his last start, Austin Root continued to throw well for the Hornets. Although he went just five innings, Root allowed just one Santa Clara run on two hits and a walk while striking out five.
"Root gave us a great start today," said head coach Reggie Christiansen after the game. "Root and all of our starters, they go out there, throw strikes, and give us a chance to win every game."
Root picked up his second win of the season in the game while lowering his ERA to 2.42. Over his last 16.0 innings, the senior has allowing just two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out 16.
Behind Root, Ty Fox and Tanner Dalton were excellent out of the pen, combining to throw four shutout innings while allowing just one hit and two walks to go with four strikeouts. Dalton earned the save with a scoreless eighth and ninth innings, his first of the season.
Offensively, the Hornets took advantage of Santa Clara errors to score three times in the third inning. The Hornets had just two hits in the inning, but two Broncos errors, a fielder's choice, and a sacrifice fly turned into three runs for Sacramento State, giving them more than they would need.
They scored their fourth run of the game in the seventh inning on an Ian Dawkins sacrifice fly, adding an insurance run that turned out to not be needed.
Overall, Dawkins was 0-for-3 in Sunday's game, but did add a run to go with his RBI. James Outman led the team with two hits, including a double, while also scoring a run and driving one in. He now leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.306), home runs (three) and RBIs (13). He is tied with Vinny Esposito for the team lead with five doubles.
With the win, the Hornets manage to avoid the sweep against Santa Clara after dropping the first three games of the series. Despite the 1-3 series outcome, the Hornets found some positives in their performance against the Broncos. Over the course of four games, Sacramento State scored 20 runs.
"Even though the outcome wasn't exactly what we wanted the first couple of games, the offense has started to look better," said Outman after the game. "I was happy with the way we swung the bats this weekend compared to last weekend. The results aren't there yet, but we've been looking for better pitches and having better at bats. You have to trust the process."
"The offense has been much better. I was really happy with how we swung it this weekend compared to last weekend. We've been looking for better pitches and having better at bats."
"I still think we're trying to find our identity offensively," added Christiansen. "We have some veterans who are off to a slow start and we're also asking a lot of our new guys.
In the end, Christiansen noted that it just felt good to get the win and avoid the sweep.
"It always feels good to win on a Sunday, especially after not being too pleased with the first three games of the series. To salvage the series, to not get swept, that was important for us moving forward."
Moving forward, the Hornets welcome the Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team to Sacramento State on Tuesday, March 13. Starters have not yet been announced for either team. First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT.
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Home » Editorial » OP-ED: Lee Kuan-Yew’s Caribbean rescue in the Commonwealth
OP-ED: Lee Kuan-Yew’s Caribbean rescue in the Commonwealth
Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 09:32 By Sir Ronald Sanders
Sir Ronald Sanders
Lee Kuan-Yew, who led Singapore for three decades, died on March 23, 2015. He was a remarkable man who is best remembered for courageous leadership that converted a tiny island with virtually no natural resources into one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
This commentary recalls a particular role that he played on the Caribbean’s behalf in the Commonwealth, saving the leaders of the Eastern Caribbean, Barbados and Jamaica from disdain over their invitation to the United States of America to intervene in Grenada in 1983.
But, first it has to be recalled that Lee Kuan-Yew commanded international respect, even envy for making tiny Singapore an economic powerhouse in global terms. He tended to tolerate nothing that would likely disrupt the march toward progress of his tiny country. Small states in the Caribbean and elsewhere are often directed to the “Singapore Model” as a design they should seek to emulate. That, however, is easier said than done.
Nonetheless, it is worth recalling the ingredients Lee utilized to develop his country. A principal and overriding factor was a dominant role for the state – something which International Financial Institutors and Western developed nations discourage in Caribbean countries – indeed, across the Third World. Even while maintaining a dominant role for the state, Lee actively encouraged foreign investment, recognising, in the beginning, that Singapore lacked the capital and knowhow to create industries. That is not the situation today, but it was his attitude to social democracy that improved, health, public housing and, vitally, education. The wages and salaries of public servants today match equally payments in the private sector, resulting in public servants whose capacity is every bit as good as the best in the private sector.
Having registered the accomplishments of Lee Kuan-Yew in the development and prosperity of his own country and the respect it earned him in the global community, this commentary records a crucial role he played at the 1983 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting following the US-led intervention in Grenada.
I was privileged to be an Antigua and Barbuda delegate to that Conference under the leadership of then Foreign Minister Lester Bird. The temper of the Meeting, particularly from the leaders of African States, was annoyance with the countries of the Eastern Caribbean, Barbados and Jamaica that had participated with the US in intervening in Grenada after the military coup that had overthrown the government, murdering its Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, and other leaders.
Condemnatory statements were made by Presidents Robert Mugabe, Julius Nyrere and Kenneth Kaunda of Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zambia respectively. Their governments – and the majority of governments of Commonwealth developing countries – had voted just weeks before at the United Nations General Assembly to condemn the US-led intervention. The Africans vented their distress at Caribbean participation with the US. Julius Nyrere called on the Commonwealth to express its anger. And so it might have done were it not for Lee Kuan Yew.
He explained that Singapore had voted at the UN against the US because its intervention in Grenada had broken a rule and breaking that rule could have “horrendous consequences”. But, he said he had listened to four Caribbean leaders who had spoken before him asking for understanding of their position. Those leaders were Lester Bird of Antigua and Barbuda, Kennedy Simmonds of St Kitts-Nevis, Eugenia Charles of Dominica and JMG ‘Tom’ Adams of Barbados. Bird had said “when a regime murdered a Prime Minister and was terrorizing its own people, the governments of neighbouring countries with which there was an enduring relationship had a responsibility to act”.
Lee Kuan-Yew told the Conference that despite his condemnation of the US at the UN, which he would do again, “Commonwealth leaders were presented with a paradox”. He described the paradox for his government in the following way: “Singapore voted against the American invasion because of the resulting dangers; it was nonetheless grateful that it took place because there were 110,000 happy Grenadians”. Each leader knew in his heart, he said, “that the Eastern Caribbean States’ response was right”. He went on to observe that “it would have been much more convenient” if the Caribbean countries had the resources to intervene on their own. The matter, he said, would not have been raised at the Commonwealth Summit “nor would their action have caused great objections in the United Nations” which “would have seen it as an example of the Third World resolving its own problems”.
And he concluded that Commonwealth leaders had not gathered “to put their partners from the Eastern Caribbean in the dock”. “It was necessary to condemn the action in the United Nations because of the dangerous precedents it could create”, but he wanted the Meeting to turn away from recrimination and to come out positively with a proposal to achieve security for island states, and so make a contribution “to international stability and security”.
Not all of the Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Summit would have welcomed Lee Kuan-Yew’s practical and pragmatic intervention, but they recognised the wisdom in it.
Lee Kuan-Yew received a respectful and careful hearing to what was a thoughtful and defining intervention – one which Secretary-General, Shridath Ramphal, developed into a forward-looking statement from the Summit that focussed “on the early return by Commonwealth Caribbean countries to the spirit of fraternity” and to the undertaking of “a study of the special needs of small states consonant with the right to sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Several positive consequences flowed from Lee Kuan-Yew’s statement at the Summit, first it helped to bridge the divide that had occurred between Commonwealth Caribbean countries that had participated with the US in the Grenada intervention and those who had opposed; it led to the first definitive study on the challenges confronting Small States; and it confirmed the value of Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings attended by Heads themselves.
Lee Kuan-Yew should be remembered in the Caribbean for the positive and constructive role he played at the 1983 Commonwealth Summit.
(Note: this commentary is based on personal notes and material released after 30 years)
Sanders is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London)Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com
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“There are some things in life that you have to fight about.” – Will & Grace Recap – Bad Blood
March 19, 2019 by HeadOverFeels Leave a Comment
source: giphy
Will & Grace Season 2, Episode 15
Posted by Sarah
If we have learned anything from this season of Will & Grace, it’s that the show has mastered the art of balance. To be able to touch on these important issues as a sitcom is no easy feat. To be able to put those issues alongside a B-story filled with jokes about a unicorn shooting marshmallow fluff out of its horn that I can not believe got past the censors, and not cheapen the impact of it all, is incredible. Hell, to be able to throw a couple jokes in the middle of such a heavy moment between Will and Martin so seamlessly is brilliant, and I am so proud of my show for being able to do this so well. Between this and Jack and Karen’s fight for the perfect wedding, there’s a lot of story to unpack. So let’s unpack it.
Will and Grace are having their parents over for dinner for the first time since Marilyn and Martin got married, and it’s going exactly as well as you’d expect it to, from Marilyn ignoring Grace every time she calls her “Mom” to Martin insisting that the secret to their happy marriage is that they never fight, they simply accept everything that happens and move on. But in the middle of this lovely awkward dinner, Martin starts to get stomach pains from a bleeding ulcer and is instantly taken to the hospital, in need of a blood transfusion. Luckily for Martin, Will has the same blood type and is more than willing to donate. But when Grace goes into Martin’s room to tell him the good news, he tells her that he doesn’t want it. And he makes it extremely clear that he doesn’t want it because Will is gay, despite the fact that Will gets tested regularly and they screen the blood.
We’ve been down this road with Martin before, just with a different issue. In “Grace’s Secret” at the beginning of the season, we saw him be disgustingly flirty with a waitress and go to bat for his late best friend before realizing that friend sexually assaulted Grace when she was a teenager and changing his tune. And while seeing that growth in him was incredible, it’s clear that he still has an antiquated way of seeing things, a way that is infuriating beyond belief; his blunt declaration of “I’ll wait for the straight blood” made me see such a vivid shade of red as my blood boiled, and the fact that he acknowledges that they “did the #MeToo thing” as he says that it’s not the time to get into it just makes it worse. He tells Grace to let Will believe that he took the blood, but Grace can’t lie to her best friend like that. So when she goes back home, she tells Will the truth. And when she’s surprised by how blasé he’s being about it, Will gets incredibly real about why he’s reacting the way he is:
https://grainadloafs.tumblr.com/post/183474781575/booasaur-will-grace-10×15-after-graces-dad
God, I feel this so hard. I haven’t been able to stop feeling this since it aired; I cried over it on Thursday night, I cried over it on rewatch, and I honestly haven’t been able to think about it without getting choked up a little bit. And I’m willing to bet that the majority of this show’s audience felt it pretty hard, too. As much as we want to say things have changed and gotten better in this society–as much as things actually have changed and gotten better in this society–there is always going to be a fight, day after day after day. It’s so exhausting, and sometimes you don’t even realize how exhausting it is until you take a step back from the fight you’ve gotten so used to and see it for what it is. And even though this is very much dealing with an LGBTQ+ fight, Will’s monologue could honestly be adapted to fit essentially anyone who’s not a straight, cis white guy. Which means that even though Grace can’t relate directly to Will’s fight, she’s got a fight of her own as a woman that is likely giving her a little perspective. And she refuses to let her father off the hook for this one.
During another dinner at 9C, Marilyn decides to toast her son, grateful that he gave Martin his blood. Martin’s pretending like he took it, and Will’s too tired to say that he knows the truth, but Grace? Grace isn’t going to let this go. When Martin excuses himself to take his medication, she tells Marilyn that he refused Will’s blood. And when Marilyn asks why Will didn’t say anything, Will tells her that he’s taking a page from her book: it’s easier when everything’s not a fight. But easy isn’t really worth it, and Marilyn knows it. Which is why she rails on Martin the second he comes back into the living room. It’s not often that Marilyn loses her cool, which is what makes it all the more satisfying that she loses it in defense of her son, saying that “There are some things in life that you have to fight about” (and god, isn’t that the truth?). But she can’t get through to Martin; he escapes to the terrace to avoid confrontation, leaving Will to follow him and finally get everything out in the open.
source: NBC
Growing up in a conservative hometown, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say something along the lines of “So-and-so’s a great person, but I just don’t believe in their lifestyle,” as if acknowledging how good that person is somehow excuses their own blatant homophobia. And I got that vibe the second Martin tells Will that the refusal of his blood wasn’t personal. Will gets that vibe, too, telling Martin, “It’s the most personal thing in the world,” and finally sets the guy straight. Will tells him about the hoops he had to jump through to actually donate the blood, that because of the insane laws put in place, he had to lie on the forms and say he’s been celibate for a year, even though he’s HIV negative and in a committed, monogamous relationship with McCoy; he tells him that “Even when we have nine kinds of proof, we’re still told we’re tainted.” You can tell that he’s starting to get through to Martin, who acknowledges that the fight must be draining, acknowledges his own ignorance and seems to hear Will when he tells him that Martin needs to keep growing as Will needs to keep fighting. And when Martin apologizes, it seems like he’s taken what Will has said to heart.
I’ve got to hand it to this show for knowing how to handle such important issues, and I know I’ve said this a few times before this season. But we never really got episodes like this during the original run (which is probably a product of the time it aired), and to see that they’re not afraid to go there, and that they’re able to go there so beautifully, makes me so proud to be a fan of this show. And it makes me so grateful that Will & Grace continues to be the lifeline that it has been for the last twenty years. The fight may be alive and well, but it’s things like “Bad Blood” that serve as a reminder that it’s not a solitary one.
Meanwhile, Jack’s wedding and play are stressing him the hell out, and something’s got to give. Of course, everyone wants their wedding to be perfect, and for Jack, that means getting the unicorn dessert station he’s dreamed of his whole life. The problem is, said unicorn dessert station doesn’t fit into Karen’s vision for her best friend’s wedding. And since Karen is paying for the whole shebang, Jack feels like he doesn’t have a say. But since the dessert station means so much to him, Grace tells him to put his foot down, and he goes behind Karen’s back to try to secure his unicorn. One call from Wedding Planner to let her know what’s up, though, and Karen immediately vetoes Jack’s wishes, since it doesn’t jive with how she pictured the wedding. You know there’s got to be a reason why she won’t hear Jack out on anything wedding-related (and it’s not just because she’s paying for everything), but before they can get to the root of it, Jack gets a text from Rory’s sister telling him she will no longer be the Mary Todd to his Abe. No worries though; Karen is more than happy to step in..as long as Mary Todd gets a couple of lines in this one-man show. When Jack refuses, Karen backs down quickly. But come on…my girl doesn’t give up that easily. And honestly, Jack should know that by now.
During the show, Karen decides to ad lib her way through the scene she has with Jack, and it’s very reminiscent of season four’s “Hocus Focus,” where she decides to break out of her assistant role in Jack’s magic show to do a couple of her own tricks. She got a great reaction from the audience then, she’s getting a pretty good reaction from the audience now, and it’s irritating Jack to no end, to the point where he can’t help but air everything out on stage. And while they try to stay in character the whole time (I lost it at “P-Town sausage party” and I really hope you did, too), Jack finally breaks and tells Karen that he doesn’t want her money for the wedding or the play, if her money means he doesn’t get a say in either. It’s rare that Jack and Karen fight like this, and when they do, it’s not like they’re mad at each other for very long. You know that things are going to work out soon, but you also know that it’s serious when Jack decides to do something like refuse Karen’s money (because come on…when has he ever refused Karen’s money?). Karen knows it too, and for a woman who rarely apologizes to anyone ever, she’s quick to offer up a heartfelt “I’m sorry” once the audience leaves.
After the show, Karen explains her logic behind her actions; she just wants the play and the wedding to be perfect for Jack because she loves him, and she’s sad that she did something to cause him to not want her at the wedding (did…did they cut the part where Jack said he didn’t want her there? Because I have yet to find the part where he actually said that). Jack tells her that the wedding will only be perfect if it’s his version of perfect, and Karen completely hears him. She gets re-invited to the wedding and still gets to pay for everything, unicorn dessert station and all. This storyline was another classic example of how this show is able to balance the weight of a storyline like Will and Grace’s with the levity of Jack and Karen’s fight. The ability to recognize when to throw in the comic relief is amazing. I will always live for more Gaybraham Twinkin’. I will always live for songs like “Me for Your Thoughts.”
And I will spend the rest of my days trying to figure out how they got away with those unicorn jokes. Because damn.
Honey…What’s This? What’s Happening? What’s Going On?
Goodbye, 30-minute scene of Abe Lincoln manscaping. We hardly knew ye.
“Okay, first of all, that is gross.” “And you’ll be first in line.” “HELL YES.” Look, Grace’s enthusiasm for the unicorn dessert station is endearing as hell, and if your heart didn’t grow three sizes after that, I don’t know what to do with you.
Related: the only thing that makes the whole unicorn deal better is the blooper that came out of it:
My favorites! Blythe Danner & Robert Klein are back! Outtakes from tonight's episode only found here. 🎬 #WillandGrace
A post shared by Max Mutchnick (@maxmutchnick) on Mar 14, 2019 at 3:07pm PDT
I would not be me if I didn’t point this out: the year on the penny Jack wears is the year that Will & Grace first premiered (1998), and I know it’s such a small detail, but it’s a brilliant detail. Well done, show.
Do I want to know what was in the shadow puppet sequence of Gaybraham Twinkin’ that made the police tell Jack to cut it?
“Due to circumstances beyond my control, I don’t want to do the show anymore.” Um, I would like to use this for my general everyday life, please.
I absolutely love this show for using Nurse Sheila for literally any medically-based plot ever, like she’s the only nurse in existence in this universe. It makes me so happy.
Sure, Gaybraham Twinkin’ is fine and all, but where is THIS one-woman show?
Mary Todd is ready for her close-up! 😘 #WillAndGrace
A post shared by Will & Grace (@nbcwillandgrace) on Mar 14, 2019 at 6:47pm PDT
Will I ever be over Shu Shu? No. No I will not:
http://andyourhostkristenwiig.tumblr.com/post/183475460557
“On a first date, we swap medical histories the way straight people swap pictures of themselves at the same Ed Sheeran concert.” Between this and “You’re every woman that gets bangs,” the way this show manages to sneak something that makes me laugh into such a heavy moment is incredible and exactly why I love everything and everyone involved so much.
Finally, a programming note: next week begins Samira Wiley’s episode arc, which means that this is probably going to be the last coherent recap you’ll get from me for the foreseeable future. The ability to form sentences was fun while it lasted. Please enjoy the meltdown I’m sure to have over the next three episodes.
What did you think of “Bad Blood?” Let’s talk in the comments.
Filed Under: Recap, Sarah's Post, Will & Grace Tagged With: Will and Grace
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February 5, 2003: Rice Says She Is Sure that Iraq Is Linked to Al-Qaeda
When asked on CNN if there is a clear connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, National Security Adviser Rice replies: “There is no question in my mind about the al-Qaeda connection. It is a connection that has unfolded, that we’re learning more about as we are able to take the testimony of detainees, people who were high up in the al-Qaeda organization. And what emerges is a picture of a Saddam Hussein who became impressed with what al-Qaeda did after it bombed our embassies in 1998 in Kenya and Tanzania, began to give them assistance in chemical and biological weapons, something that they were having trouble achieving on their own, that harbored a terrorist network under this man [Abu Musab] al-Zarqawi, despite the fact that Saddam Hussein was told that al-Zarqawi was there.” [CNN, 2/5/2003; US House Committee on Government Reform, 3/16/2004]
Entity Tags: Saddam Hussein, Al-Qaeda, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Condoleezza Rice
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion
Category Tags: Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links
February 6, 2003: US Politicians Question Why Bush Administration Highlights Training Camp as Justifying War Against Iraq without Actually Attacking the Camp
One day after Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation to the United Nations in which he detailed an alleged al-Qaeda-linked training camp in northern Iraq said to be producing chemical weapons (see February 5, 2003), a number of US politicians question why the US has not taken any action against the camp. The camp, located near the town of Khurmal in territory controlled by the Kurdish rebel group Ansar al-Islam, is said to be closely linked to Islamist militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The Los Angeles Times reports that, “Lawmakers who have attended classified briefings on the camp say that they have been stymied for months in their efforts to get an explanation for why the United States has not launched a military strike on the compound…” Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) asks Colin Powell in a public hearing: “Why have we not taken it out? Why have we let it sit there if it’s such a dangerous plant producing these toxins?” Powell declines to answer, saying he cannot discuss the matter publicly. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) complains that she has been asking about striking the camp well before Powell’s speech based on intelligence given in private briefings, but, “We’ve been asking this question and have not been given an answer.” Officials have replied that “they’ll have to get back to us.” Representative Jane Harman (D-CA) notes that Powell’s speech could have cost the US an opportunity to prevent the spread of chemical weapons produced at the camp, saying, “By revealing the existence of the camp, it’s predictable whatever activity is there will probably go underground.” One anonymous US intelligence official suggests, “This is it, this is their compelling evidence for use of force. If you take it out, you can’t use it as justification for war.” [Los Angeles Times, 2/7/2003]
Entity Tags: Dianne Feinstein, Joseph Biden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Colin Powell, Jane Harman
Category Tags: Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
February 7-13, 2003: Orange Alert Causes Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting Buying Panic
The government raises the threat level to orange. The announcement is made by Attorney General John Ashcroft, Homeland Security Secretary Ridge, and FBI Director Mueller. CIA Director George Tenet calls the threat “the most specific we have seen” since 9/11 and says al-Qaeda may use a “radiological dispersal device, as well as poisons and chemicals.” Ashcroft states that “this decision for an increased threat condition designation is based on specific intelligence received and analyzed by the full intelligence community. This information has been corroborated by multiple intelligence sources.” [CNN, 2/7/2003] Ashcroft further claims that they have “evidence that terrorists would attack American hotels and apartment buildings.” [ABC News, 2/13/2007] A detailed plan is described to authorities by a captured terror suspect. This source cited a plot involving a Virginia- or Detroit-based al-Qaeda cell that had developed a method of carrying dirty bombs encased in shoes, suitcases, or laptops through airport scanners. The informant specifies government buildings and Christian or clerical centers as possible targets. [ABC News, 2/13/2007] Three days later, Fire Administrator David Paulison advises Americans to stock up on plastic sheeting and duct tape to protect themselves against radiological or biological attack. This causes a brief buying panic. [MSNBC, 6/4/2007] Batteries of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles are set up around Washington and the capital’s skies are patrolled by F-16 fighter jets and helicopters. [BBC, 2/14/2003] The threat is debunked on February 13, when the main source is finally given an FBI polygraph and fails it. Two senior law enforcement officials in Washington and New York state that a key piece of information leading to the terror alerts was fabricated. The claim made by a captured al-Qaeda member regarding a “dirty bomb” threat to Washington, New York, or Florida had proven to be a product of his imagination. Vincent Cannistraro, former head of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center, says the intelligence turned out “to be fabricated and therefore the reason for a lot of the alarm, particularly in Washington this week, has been dissipated after they found out that this information was not true.” But threat levels remain stuck on orange for two more weeks. [ABC News, 2/13/2007] Bush administration officials do admit that the captured terror suspect lied, but add that this suspect was not the only source taken into consideration. Ridge says that there is “no need to start sealing the doors and windows.” Bush says that the warning, although based on evidence fabricated by an alleged terrorist, is a “stark reminder of the era that we’re in, that we’re at war and the war goes on.” [BBC, 2/14/2003] The alert followed less than forty-eight hours after Colin Powell’s famous speech to the United Nations in which he falsely accused Saddam Hussein of harboring al-Qaeda and training terrorists in the use of chemical weapons (see February 5, 2003). [Rolling Stone, 9/21/2006 ] Anti-war demonstrations also continue to take place world-wide. [MSNBC, 6/4/2007]
Entity Tags: Vincent Cannistraro, Tom Ridge, John Ashcroft, Robert S. Mueller III, Colin Powell, David Paulison, George J. Tenet, Saddam Hussein
Category Tags: Terror Alerts, Internal US Security After 9/11
February 8, 2003: Bush Assures US that WMD and Al-Qaeda Training Camps Exist in Iraq
In a radio address to the US nation, President Bush reiterates the two main reasons for military action against Iraq, named the certain existence of WMD and al-Qaeda training camps in Iraq. He says, “We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons—the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have.… We also know that Iraq is harboring a terrorist network headed by a senior al-Qaeda terrorist planner. This network runs a poison and explosive training camp in northeast Iraq, and many of its leaders are known to be in Baghdad.” [President Bush, 8/2/2003]
February 9, 2003: Prisoner Interviews Debunk Allegations of Al-Qaeda-Iraqi Government Ties
Journalist Jason Burke writes in the Observer about recent interviews he has conducted with prisoners held by Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. One prisoner, Mohammed Mansour Shahab, claims to have been an Iraqi government agent who repeatedly met with Osama bin Laden over a several year period. The New Yorker published an article in March 2002 largely based on Shahab’s allegations and concluded, “the Kurds may have evidence of [Saddam Hussein’s] ties to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.” But Burke is able to find a number of inconsistencies and falsehoods in Shahab’s account, and after he points them out, Shahab does not deny that he was lying. Burke suggests that Shahab, like other prisoners being held by the Kurds, was lying in hopes of getting his prison sentence reduced since his Kurdish captors are looking to promote propaganda against their enemy, the Hussein government. Burke also interviews a number of prisoners belonging to the Ansar al-Islam militant group that is allegedly linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He does not see evidence of any link between that group and Hussein’s government and concludes, “Saddam may well have infiltrated the Ansar al-Islam with a view to monitoring the developments of the group (indeed it would be odd if he had not) but that appears to be about as far as his involvement with the group, and incidentally with al-Qaeda, goes.” [Observer, 2/9/2003]
Entity Tags: Jason Burke, Al-Qaeda, Saddam Hussein, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Ansar al-Islam, Mohammed Mansour Shahab
February 11, 2003: CIA Director Tenet Sees Poverty and Misery as Root Causes of Terrorism, but President Bush Believes Terrorists Hate US for Its Freedom
CIA Director George Tenet publicly states that “the numbers of societies and peoples excluded from the benefits of an expanding global economy, where the daily lot is hunger, disease, and displacement… produce large populations of disaffected youth who are prime recruits for our extremist foes.” However, in October 2004, the Washington Post will report that President Bush and most of his influential advisers do not see these factors, or US foreign policy, as the primary cause of terrorism. “Bush’s explanation, in private and public, is that terrorists hate America for its freedom.” Former CIA officer Marc Sageman will comment that the Bush administration’s analysis is “nonsense, complete nonsense. They obviously haven’t looked at any surveys.” He says that international polls show that large majorities in much of the world “view us as a hypocritical huge beast throwing our weight around in the Middle East.” Bush also believes that eliminating the top thirty or so al-Qaeda leaders can effectively destroy the group, while most analysts believe al-Qaeda is more of an ideology that will survive without its top leaders, and that root causes need to be addressed to make the ideology less appealing for potential new recruits. Wayne Downing, Bush’s counterterrorism “tsar” in late 2001 and 2002, will say: “This is not a war. What we’re faced with is an Islamic insurgency that is spreading throughout the world, not just the Islamic world.” Because it is “a political struggle, the military is not the key factor. The military has to be coordinated with the other elements of national power.” [Washington Post, 10/22/2004]
Entity Tags: George J. Tenet, Marc Sageman, Wayne Downing, George W. Bush
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Policy/Politics
February 11 or 12, 2003: Powell Obtains Advance Copy of New Speech Allegedly by Bin Laden, Misrepresents Contents to Senate
Secretary of State Colin Powell obtains an advance transcript of a new audio tape thought to be from Osama bin Laden before it is broadcast on Al Jazeera, but misrepresents the contents to a US Senate panel, implying it shows a partnership between al-Qaeda and Iraq. [CNN, 2/12/2003] Following Powell’s initial claim the tape exists, Al Jazeera says that it has no such tape and dismisses Powell’s statement as a rumor. [Associated Press, 2/12/2003] However, later in the day Al Jazeera says that it does have the tape. [Reuters, 2/12/2003] It is unclear how Powell obtains the advance copy, and Counterpunch even jokes, “Maybe the CIA gave Powell the tape before they delivered it to Al Jazeera?” [CounterPunch, 2/13/2003] In his testimony to the Senate Budget Committee Powell says, “[Bin Laden] speaks to the people of Iraq and talks about their struggle and how he is in partnership with Iraq.” [CNN, 2/12/2003] Powell’s spokesperson, Richard Boucher, says that the recording proves “that bin Laden and Saddam Hussein seem to find common ground.” [Reuters, 2/11/2003; New York Times, 2/12/2003; Washington Post, 11/12/2003] However, although bin Laden tells his supporters in Iraq they may fight alongside the Saddam Hussein, if the country is invaded by the US (see November 12, 2002), he does not express any direct support for the current regime in Iraq, which he describes as “pagan.” [CNN, 2/12/2003] A senior editor for Al Jazeera says the tape offers no evidence of ties between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. “When you hear it, it doesn’t prove any relation between bin Laden or al-Qaeda group and the Iraqi regime,” he argues. [ABC News, 2/12/2003] Several news reports also challenge Powell and Boucher’s interpretation. For example, CNN reveals that the voice had criticized Saddam’s regime, declaring that “the socialists and the rulers [had] lost their legitimacy a long time ago, and the socialists are infidels regardless of where they are, whether in Baghdad or in Aden.” [CNN, 2/11/2003; New York Times, 11/12/2003] Similarly, a report published by Reuters notes that the voice “did not express support for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein—it said Muslims should support the Iraqi people rather than the country’s government.” [Reuters, 2/11/2003]
Entity Tags: Colin Powell, Richard A. Boucher, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, Al Jazeera
Category Tags: Osama Bin Laden, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements
February 12, 2003: New Alleged Bin Laden Speech Is Aired Discussing Iraq, Speaker Says Saddam Is Finished
A new speech thought to be from Osama bin Laden is aired on Al Jazeera. On the 16-minute audiotape the speaker predicts the US will invade Iraq to “loot Muslim riches” and “install a stooge government to follow its masters in Washington and Tel Aviv… to pave the way for the establishment of a greater Israel.” He also advises Iraqis on defensive tactics al-Qaeda has tested in Afghanistan, recommending trenches against aerial bombardment and saying “what the enemy fears most is urban and street warfare, in which heavy and costly human losses can be expected.” He also stresses the capacity of “martyrdom operations” to inflict “unprecedented harm” on the enemy. He predicts the US will use an “enormous propaganda machine” and “intense air strikes” to “hide its most conspicuous weak points: fear, cowardice, and lack of fighting spirit among its troops,” who are fighting for “the criminal gang in the White House.” Bin Laden also attacks Arab leaders allied with the US, calling them hypocrites and apostates, but highlights only six Arab countries as being in need of liberation: Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Yemen. It is unclear why he omits Egypt and the Gulf sheikdoms, for example. He tells his supporters in Iraq that they may fight with Saddam Hussein’s “pagan” Ba’ath forces, as they are finished anyway. [Laden, 2005, pp. 179-185]
Category Tags: Osama Bin Laden, Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links, Iraq War Impact on Counterterrorism, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements
February 12, 2003: Witness Says Future Madrid Bombers Are Planning Specific Suicide Bombing in Madrid
The wife of Mouhannad Almallah gave Spanish police stunning details about a group of Islamist militants planning attacks in January 2003 (see January 4, 2003), and she returns to the police to give them a new lead. She previously said that her husband, his brother Moutaz Almallah, Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, and Mustapha Maymouni have been holding meetings planning attacks. Now she says that her husband told her that “one day” he would like to attack the Torres Kio towers of the Plaza de Castilla, an important Madrid landmark, with a car bomb. That attack does not occur, but all the men she mentions will be killed or arrested for roles in the 2004 Madrid bombings, except for Maymouni, who will be arrested for a role in bombings in Casablanca several months later (see May 16, 2003). Police apparently take her warnings seriously because they begin monitoring her apartment one month later (see January 17, 2003-Late March 2004). The wife’s brother, who is also Mouhannad’s business partner, will testify in 2007 that Mouhannad also told him about a desire to destroy the Torres Kio towers. [El Mundo (Madrid), 7/28/2005; El Mundo (Madrid), 3/13/2007]
Entity Tags: Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, Moutaz Almallah, Mouhannad Almallah’s wife, Mustapha Maymouni, Mouhannad Almallah
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda in Spain, 2004 Madrid Train Bombings
February 12, 2003: Swiss Analysts Decline to Analyze New Bin Laden Tape
Swiss voice analysts at the Dalle Molle Institute for Perceptual Artificial Intelligence decline to examine a new recording issued by a man thought to be Osama bin Laden (see February 11 or 12, 2003 and February 12, 2003). The institute previously analyzed a speech made by a man thought to be bin Laden and concluded that the speaker was not actually him (see November 29, 2002). The institute says that the previous analysis was done at the request of a French TV channel and was “mainly motivated by pure scientific curiosity.” It also says that the poor quality of that recording coupled with the limited number of voice examples meant that it was unlikely the recording could ever be properly authenticated. [Swissinfo (.org), 2/12/2003] However, US officials tell CNN that “this tape was of much better quality than the previous one presumed to be from bin Laden, which Al Jazeera broadcast in November.” [CNN, 2/12/2003] The institute does not analyze any later tapes thought to be released by bin Laden.
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Dalle Molle Institute
Category Tags: Osama Bin Laden, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements, Hunt for Bin Laden in Pakistan
February 13, 2003: Blind Sheikh’s Son Captured in Pakistan
The Blind Sheikh’s sons Mohammad Omar Abdul-Rahman and Ahmad Abdul-Rahman in 1998. It is not clear which is which. [Source: CNN]Pakistani authorities raid an apartment in Quetta, Pakistan, and apparently arrest Mohammad Omar Abdul-Rahman, a son of the Blind Sheikh,’ Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. Supposedly, communications found at the apartment lead to the later arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (see February 29 or March 1, 2003). [New York Times, 3/4/2003] Government officials say he is a senior al-Qaeda operative who ran a training camp in Afghanistan before 9/11 attacks and also had a role in operational planning. Another son of the blind sheik, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, was captured in Afghanistan in late 2001, but Ahmad was not considered to be high ranking. [Associated Press, 3/4/2003] But even though Mohammad Omar’s arrest is reported in the New York Times and elsewhere, there is no official announcement. In December 2005, his name will be on a list published by ABC News of high-detainees being held in a secret CIA prison (see November 2005). [ABC News, 12/5/2005] In 2006, the US will announce that it is emptying the CIA prisons and transferring all high-level prisoners to Guantanamo, but he will not be one of those transferred and it is unclear what happened to him (see September 2-3, 2006).
Entity Tags: Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, Mohammed Omar Abdul-Rahman, Omar Abdul-Rahman
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Key Captures and Deaths, Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman, High Value Detainees
February 14, 2003: CIA Produces Report Mentioning Suspicious Indicators of Terrorist Affiliation in 9/11 Hijackers’ Passports, Does Not Disseminate It
The CIA produces a report entitled “A Reference Guide to Terrorist Passports.” The report discusses a suspicious indicator of terrorist affiliation that was contained in the passports of at least three of the 9/11 hijackers, possibly more. The indicator was placed there deliberately by the Saudi government, which used such indicators to track suspected radicals (see November 2, 2007). However, this report is classified and is not disseminated, meaning that if a radical were to arrive at a US port with a passport indicating he was a terrorist, an immigration official would be unable to recognize the indicator and would admit him. Over a year after this report is completed, the 9/11 Commission will show a passport bearing this indicator to one of the immigration officials who admitted 9/11 hijacker Khalid Almihdhar to the US, but she will still be unable to recognize the indicator. [9/11 Commission, 8/21/2004, pp. 25, 27, 41 ]
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, 9/11 Commission
Category Tags: Saudi Arabia, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics, Hijacker Visas and Immigration
February 14, 2003-June 4, 2004: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Frequently Recounts Sultan Calling 9/11 a ‘Blessing in Disguise’
Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. [Source: Government of Oman]In numerous public appearances, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recounts a conversation with the Sultan of Oman (Qaboos Bin Said) a month or two after 9/11. The sultan said to him words to the effect of that September 11 was a “blessing in disguise,” because it would “wake up the world, before terrorists get their hands on massive destruction, before they get biological weapons and kill not 3,000 but 30 or 300,000.” [US Department of Defense, 2/14/2003; US Department of Defense, 2/25/2003; US Department of Defense, 9/10/2003; US Department of Defense, 11/18/2003; US Department of Defense, 6/4/2004] When he is asked in an interview, “Do you feel that [9/11] was a wake- up call?” Rumsfeld responds, “I think so absolutely, yeah.” [PBS, 9/10/2003] Rumsfeld makes a similar claim in his prepared testimony for the 9/11 Commission in March 2004: “Think about what has been done since the September 11th attacks: two state sponsors of terrorism have been removed from power, a 90-nation coalition has been formed which is cooperating on a number of levels… All of these actions are putting pressure on terrorist networks. Taken together, they represent a collective effort that is unprecedented—which has undoubtedly saved lives, and made us safer than before September 11th.” [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004]
Entity Tags: Qaboos Bin Said, Donald Rumsfeld
Timeline Tags: 9/11 Timeline
Category Tags: Other Post-9/11 Events
Mid-February 2003: Head 7/7 London Bomber Possibly Monitored by NSA, Stopped from Entering US
In his 2006 book The One Percent Doctrine, journalist Ron Suskind will claim that Mohammad Sidique Khan, the head suicide bomber in the 7/7 London bombings, was monitored as he attempted to fly to the US. According to Suskind, NSA surveillance discovers that Khan is coming to the US soon and has been in contact with suspect US citizens, including Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, an Islamist radical living in Virginia. E-mails between Khan, Ali, and others discuss plans for various violent activities, including a desire to “blow up synagogues on the East Coast.” FBI agent Dan Coleman, an expert on al-Qaeda, reads the intercepts and advocates either a very intensive surveillance of Khan when he is in the US, or not letting him in at all. Officials, including Joe Billy, head of the FBI’s New York office, worry about being held responsible if Khan is allowed into the country and then manages to commit some violent act. With Khan scheduled to come to the US in one day, “top bosses in Washington” quickly decide to put him on a no-fly list. Khan does fly to the US, and is stopped and sent back to Britain. As a result, he realizes the US is onto him and presumably takes greater precautions. [Suskind, 2006, pp. 200-203]
Confusion - However, when Suskind’s book is published in June 2006, a number of articles will dispute Suskind’s claim. For instance, Newsweek will report that “several US and [British] law-enforcement and counterterrorism officials” anonymously claim that Suskind is mistaken, and is confusing Sidique Khan with another British suspect named Mohammed Ajmal Khan. [Newsweek, 6/21/2006] The Telegraph reaches the same conclusion, and points out that Ajmal Khan pleaded guilty in a British trial in March on charges of providing weapons and funds to the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba. During that trial, it was revealed that he made several trips to the US and met with a group of suspected militants in Virginia, including one named Ahmed Omar Abu Ali.
Stands by Story - However, Suskind will resolutely stand by his story, saying, “In my investigation and in my book and in my conversations with people in the US government, there was no mistake or doubt that we are talking about Mohammad Sidique Khan, not Mohammed Ajmal Khan.” He says he was aware of the difference between the two and suggests British officials may have been trying to push Ajmal Khan instead to cover up their failures to stop the 7/7 bombings. The two officials mentioned by name in Suskind’s account, Coleman and Billy, apparently say nothing to the press to confirm or deny the story. [Daily Telegraph, 6/22/2006]
Visit to Israel - Curiously, it will be reported shortly after the 7/7 bombings that Khan visits Israel around this time, February 19-20, 2003, and the Israeli daily newspaper Maariv will claim he is suspected of helping two Pakistani-Britons plot a suicide bombing that kills three Israelis several months later (see February 19-20, 2003). [Guardian, 7/19/2005]
Entity Tags: Ron Suskind, National Security Agency, Joe Billy, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, Dan Coleman, Mohammed Ajmal Khan
Category Tags: 2005 7/7 London Bombings, Remote Surveillance, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
February 16, 2003: Condoleezza Rice Alleges Iraqi Government Is Allowing Al-Qaeda to Operate in Iraq
Asked for concrete evidence that Hussein has links to al-Qaeda, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice points to the presence of operatives allegedly being hosted in Iraq. “Well, we are, of course, continually learning more about these links between Iraq and al-Qaeda, and there is evidence that Secretary [of State Colin] Powell did not have the time to talk about. But the core of the story is there in what Secretary Powell talked about. This poisons network with at least two dozen of its operatives operating in Baghdad, a man [Abu Musab al-Zarqawi] who is spreading poisons now throughout Europe and into Russia, a man who got medical care in Baghdad despite the fact that the Iraqis were asked to turn him over, training in biological and chemical weapons.” [Fox News Sunday, 2/16/2003; US House Committee on Government Reform, 3/16/2004]
Entity Tags: Condoleezza Rice, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Before February 17, 2003: Italian Military Intelligence Approves Kidnap of Milan Imam
The Italian military intelligence agency SISMI is briefed by the CIA on a plan to kidnap radical imam Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr (a.k.a. Abu Omar) in Milan (see Noon February 17, 2003). SISMI agrees to the plan, but it appears other Italian agencies are not informed of it. The CIA will later claim the plan is even approved by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, although documentation to support this will not be produced. When Italian anti-terrorist authorities, who are monitoring Nasr and planning to arrest him, find he has been kidnapped, they will charge several CIA officers with breaking Italian law (see June 23, 2005 and After). [Washington Post, 12/6/2005]
Entity Tags: Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, SISMI, Central Intelligence Agency, Silvio Berlusconi
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Al-Qaeda in Italy
February 17, 2003: CIA Report Predicts More Than 90 Percent Chance Hussein and Terrorists Will Attack US with WMDs
Newsweek reports: “In recent weeks a small group of CIA analysts have been meeting as part of a ‘predictive analysis project’ to divine if and when Saddam might strike the United States with a weapon of mass destruction. The theory is that Saddam might slip one of his chem-bio or radiological weapons to al-Qaeda or some other terrorist group to create a massive diversion, a crisis in the American homeland that could stall an attack on Iraq.” The CIA has no hard evidence supporting this idea, but the CIA has calculated the odds, and in a report obtained by Newsweek, these analysts predict “that under the stipulated scenario there is a 59 percent probability that an attack on the US homeland involving WMD would occur before March 31, 2003, a 35 percent probability an attack would occur at a later date, and a 6 percent probability an attack would never occur.” But Newsweek will comment that “it is important to remember that the odds are determined by averaging a bunch of guesses, informed perhaps, but from experts whose careers can only be ruined by underestimating the threat.” [Newsweek, 2/17/2003] No such attack occurs.
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, Saddam Hussein, Central Intelligence Agency
Noon February 17, 2003: CIA Kidnaps Own Informer in Broad Daylight in Italy, Damaging Italian Al-Qaeda Investigation
A surveillance photograph of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr. [Source: Central Intelligence Agency]The CIA kidnaps an Islamic extremist who previously informed for it in Milan, Italy. The man, Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr (a.k.a. Abu Omar), who was a member of the Egyptian terror group Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya and was close to al-Qaeda, provided information to the CIA in Albania (see August 27, 1995 and Shortly After) and operated in Italy (see Summer 2000). [Chicago Tribune, 7/2/2005] While the kidnap is happening, one of the CIA officers involved in the operation, Robert Seldon Lady, is having a meeting on the other side of Milan with Bruno Megale, head of Milan’s antiterrorism police service, DIGOS. The meeting’s purpose is to allow Lady to keep an eye on Megale in case something goes wrong. [GQ, 3/2007 ] The US will say that Nasr is a dangerous terrorist and that he once plotted to assassinate the Egyptian foreign minister. However, Italian officials, who were monitoring him, will deny this and say his abduction damages an intelligence operation against al-Qaeda. A senior prosecutor will say, “When Nasr disappeared in February [2003], our investigation came to a standstill.” Italian authorities are mystified by the kidnap, as they are sharing the results of their surveillance with the CIA. Nor can they understand why Egypt wants Nasr back. When Nasr reaches Cairo, he is taken to the Egyptian interior minister and told that if he agrees to inform again, he will be set free. However, he refuses and spends most of the next 14 months in prison, facing “terrible tortures.” The Chicago Tribune will ask, “Why would the US government go to elaborate lengths to seize a 39-year-old Egyptian who, according to former Albanian intelligence officials, was once the CIA’s most productive source of information within the tightly knit group of Islamic fundamentalists living in exile in Albania?” One possible answer is that he is kidnapped in an attempt to turn him back into the informer he once was. The kidnapping generates a substantial amount of publicity, leading to an investigation of the CIA’s practice of extraordinary rendition, and an Italian official will comment, “Instead of having an investigation against terrorists, we are investigating this CIA kidnapping.” [Chicago Tribune, 7/2/2005] Arrest warrants will later be issued for some US intelligence officers involved in the kidnapping (see June 23, 2005 and After).
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Robert Seldon Lady, Bruno Megale, Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
Category Tags: Other Possible Moles or Informants, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Al-Qaeda in Italy
February 18, 2003: Alleged Al-Qaeda Member El Motassadeq Convicted in Germany for 9/11 Role
Mounir El Motassadeq, an alleged member of Mohamed Atta’s Hamburg al-Qaeda cell, is convicted in Germany of accessory to murder in the 9/11 attacks. His is given the maximum sentence of 15 years. [Associated Press, 2/19/2003] El Motassadeq admitted varying degrees of contact with Atta, Marwan Alshehhi, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Said Bahaji, Ziad Jarrah, and Zakariya Essabar; admitted he had been given power of attorney over Alshehhi’s bank account; and admitted attending an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan from May to August 2000 (see May 22 to August 2000); but he claimed he had nothing to do with the 9/11 plot. [New York Times, 10/24/2002] The conviction is the first one related to 9/11, but as the Independent puts it, “there are doubts whether there will ever be a second.” This is because intelligence agencies have been reluctant to turn over evidence, or give access to requested witnesses. In El Motassadeq’s case, his lawyers tried several times unsuccessfully to obtain testimony by two of his friends, bin al-Shibh and Mohammed Haydar Zammar—a lack of evidence that will later become grounds for overturning his conviction. [Independent, 2/20/2003]
Entity Tags: Zakariya Essabar, Said Bahaji, Ziad Jarrah, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Mounir El Motassadeq, Mohammed Haydar Zammar, Germany, Marwan Alshehhi, Mohamed Atta, Al-Qaeda
Category Tags: Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh, Al-Qaeda in Germany
February 19, 2003: Expert with Access to Classified Evidence Claims There Is No Al-Qaeda-Iraqi Government Link
Shortly after 9/11, counterterrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna, a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, begins researching for his book, Inside al-Qaeda: Global Network of Terror. He examines several tens of thousands of documents acquired from al-Qaeda and Taliban sources. During the course of his investigation, he finds no evidence of an Iraqi-al-Qaeda link. In an op-ed piece printed in the International Herald Tribune on February 19, 2003, he writes: “In addition to listening to 240 tapes taken from al-Qaeda’s central registry, I debriefed several al-Qaeda and Taliban detainees. I could find no evidence of links between Iraq and al-Qaeda. The documentation and interviews indicated that al-Qaeda regarded Saddam, a secular leader, as an infidel.” [International Herald Tribune, 2/19/2003 Sources: Rohan Gunaratna]
Entity Tags: Rohan Gunaratna
February 19-20, 2003: Lead 7/7 London Bomber Visits Israel, Allegedly Assists Suicide Bombing There
Mohammad Sidique Khan, the lead suicide bomber in the 7/7 London bombings (see July 7, 2005), travels to Israel, staying there for only 24 hours. Israeli officials will confirm the visit in 2006. This is seven weeks before two British citizens, Omar Sharif and Asif Hanif, attack a cafe in Tel Aviv, Israel, with suicide bombs, killing three (see April 30, 2003). It is strongly suspected that Khan comes to Israel to help facilitate the bombing in some way, especially since Khan was seen in the company of Sharif and Hanif as far back as 2001 and was Sharif’s friend (see Summer 2001). However, Khan’s precise role, if any, in the cafe bombing is unknown, and apparently his connection to the two bombers will not be discovered by authorities until after the 7/7 bombings. [BBC, 7/9/2006]
Entity Tags: Asif Hanif, Omar Sharif, Mohammad Sidique Khan
Category Tags: 2005 7/7 London Bombings, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
February 22-March 15, 2003: CIA Milan Chief Flies to Cairo, Following Abducted Imam Who Is Allegedly Tortured
Robert Seldon Lady, chief of the CIA’s substation in Milan, Italy, travels to Egypt for three weeks. A radical imam named Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr (a.k.a. Abu Omar) was kidnapped by the CIA in Milan five days before and taken to Egypt, and Lady will later be accused of being a party to the abduction (see Noon February 17, 2003 and June 23, 2005 and After). According to the Washington Post, “many counterterrorism analysts take [Lady’s trip to Egypt] to mean he took part in the initial interrogation.” A search of Lady’s villa will later turn up computer disks showing a flight reservation from Zurich to Cairo and cell phone records will show that a phone associated with Lady was used to place calls from Cairo during the period Lady is thought to be there. Nasr will later say he is tortured when in Egypt (see April-May 2004). [Washington Post, 12/6/2005]
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Robert Seldon Lady, Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
February 24, 2003: Voice Analyst of Alleged Bin Laden Tapes Discusses Methodology in Interview
Popular Science magazine carries a rare interview with Tom Owen, a voice analyst who has worked on identifying Osama bin Laden in recordings allegedly released by the al-Qaeda leader. Owen worked for US media on the identification of bin Laden’s voice in a November 2002 recording (see November 12, 2002), assisted by a captain of the Saudi Interior Ministry’s forensics department he had apparently been teaching at the time. Owen, one of only eight forensic voice analysts certified by the American Board of Recorded Evidence, and other US experts identified the voice as bin Laden’s, although a Swiss facility disagreed (see November 29, 2002). The interview describes Owen’s lab and how he works, pivoting off the November recording. Owen criticizes the Swiss analysis, saying that the advanced biometrics software the Swiss used cannot work with the noise on the tape, as it is “designed to work with perfect samples.” Cleaning up the tape would not help, as this would remove the high and low frequencies a biometric system needs to make its identification.
Voice Identification Methodology - To identify voices, Owen uses a spectrograph, which produces spectrograms—“a kind of graphic speech rendering that has changed little since the 1940s”—that are then compared. His favorite tool for analyses is a “piece of vintage equipment—a reel-to-reel Voice Identification 700 spectrograph built in 1973,” which “differs little from the analog machines US Army intelligence officers built to identify and track German radio operators during World War II.” When analyzing a new recording thought to be from bin Laden, Owen compares the spectrograms it produces with spectrograms from a known bin Laden interview, such as one he granted to ABC in 1998 (see May 28, 1998). According to the magazine, there are “only a half-dozen words in common between the November tape and the ABC interview,” although the standards of the American Board of Recorded Evidence demand 20 identical words, preferably spoken in the same order.
Listening for 'Quirky Mannerisms' - However, Owen also listens for “the multitude of quirky mannerisms and pronunciation foibles peculiar to each voice,” because a trained ear can detect “the subtle whistle caused by a missing tooth, a person’s tendency to swallow in the middle of a sentence, even the way someone sets his or her jaw when speaking.” Owen plays the reporter what he calls a short-term memory tape, apparently a crucial tool in aural voice identifications. The spliced tape toggles between 2.5-second segments of bin Laden’s ABC interview and the November tape; Owen uses the tape to listen for peculiarities in a voice, especially when vowels are spoken. According to Owen, who says bin Laden’s voice is what the magazine calls “plenty peculiar,” the tape proves it is the “same guy” on the November tape and in the 1998 interview. However, the reporter comments: “To my untrained ear, it could be Darth Vader behind the static.… This is the sort of gray area that tends to make legal observers worry about the state of forensic science.”
Comments on NSA - According to the magazine, Owen’s technology is similar to that which the NSA probably uses to analyze voices, although Owen thinks the NSA has samples of bin Laden’s voice he does not. However, he does not think it has made biometric breakthroughs in analysis despite its advanced technology, which is “mostly devoted to listening.” [Popular Science, 2/24/2003]
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, Tom Owen, National Security Agency, Osama bin Laden
Category Tags: Osama Bin Laden, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements
February 25, 2003: More 9/11 Terrorist Plotters Believed to Be in Germany
The Chicago Tribune reveals that there appear to be many more members of Mohamed Atta’s Hamburg cell than previously reported. While many members of the cell died in the attacks or fled Germany just prior to 9/11, up to a dozen suspected of belonging to the Hamburg cell stayed behind, apparently hoping to avoid government scrutiny. Many of their names have not yet been revealed. In some cases, investigators still do not know the names. For instance, phone records show that someone using the alias Karl Herweg was in close communication with the Hamburg cell and Zacarias Moussaoui, but Herweg’s real identity is not known. [Chicago Tribune, 2/25/2003]
Entity Tags: Karl Herweg, Zacarias Moussaoui
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda in Germany
February 26, 2003: Whistleblower Believes FBI Not Prepared for New Terrorist Threats
Coleen Rowley, the FBI whistleblower who was proclaimed Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2002, sends another public letter to FBI Director Mueller. She believes the FBI is not prepared for new terrorist attacks likely to result from the upcoming Iraq war. She also says counterterrorism cases are being mishandled. She claims the FBI and the Justice Department have not questioned captured al-Qaeda suspects Zacarias Moussaoui and Richard Reid about their al-Qaeda contacts, choosing instead to focus entirely on prosecution. She writes, “Lack of follow-through with regard to Moussaoui and Reid gives a hollow ring to our ‘top priority’ —i.e., preventing another terrorist attack. Moussaoui almost certainly would know of other al-Qaeda contacts, possibly in the US, and would also be able to alert us to the motive behind his and Mohamed Atta’s interest in crop-dusting.” Moussaoui’s lawyer also says the government has not attempted to talk to Moussaoui since 9/11. [New York Times, 3/5/2003; New York Times, 3/6/2003]
Entity Tags: Richard C. Reid, Zacarias Moussaoui, US Department of Justice, Robert S. Mueller III, Coleen Rowley
Category Tags: Zacarias Moussaoui, Internal US Security After 9/11, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics
Late February 2003: DNA Identifies Passenger Remains, but Hijacker DNA Is Not Tested
Medical examiners match human remains to the DNA of two of the hijackers that flew on Flights 11 and/or 175 into the WTC. The names of the two hijackers are not released. The FBI gave the examiners DNA profiles of all ten hijackers on those flights a few weeks earlier. Genetic profiles of five hijackers from Flight 77 and the four from Flight 93 that did not match any of the passengers’ profiles have been given to the FBI, but the FBI has not given any DNA profiles with which to match them. [CNN, 2/27/2003]
Entity Tags: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Category Tags: FBI 9/11 Investigation, 9/11 Investigations
February 28, 2003: CIA Refuses to Say Whether Bush Has Approved Enhanced Interrogation Techniques
CIA general counsel Scott Muller writes to Jane Harman (D-CA), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, but fails to respond fully to questions about the CIA’s use of enhanced interrogation techniques. [Central Intelligence Agency, 2/28/2003 ] Following a briefing earlier in the month about the legality of the techniques (see February 2003), Harman had written to Muller and CIA Director George Tenet asking whether using the techniques was good policy for the US: “I would like to know whether the most senior levels of the White House have determined that these practices are consistent with the principles and policies of the United States. Have the enhanced techniques been authorized and approved by the President?” She also urges the CIA not to destroy videotapes of detainee interrogations because they are “the best proof that the written record is accurate,” and their destruction “would reflect badly on the Agency.” [US Congress, 2/10/2003 ] In his reply, Muller completely fails to mention the tapes or say whether Bush has been consulted. He also says it would be inappropriate for him to comment on policy issues, merely that “it would be fair to assume that policy as well as legal matters have been addressed within the Executive Branch.” [Central Intelligence Agency, 2/28/2003 ]
Entity Tags: House Intelligence Committee, Central Intelligence Agency, George W. Bush, Scott Muller, Jane Harman, George J. Tenet
Category Tags: Destruction of CIA Tapes, High Value Detainees, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics
Shortly Before February 29 or March 1, 2003: Informant Helps Authorities Capture KSM
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed shortly after arrest. (Note: this picture is from a video presentation on prisoners the Pakistani government gave to BBC filmmakers. It has been adjusted to remove some blue tinge.) [Source: BBC's "The New Al-Qaeda."]9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is apparently captured by US and Pakistani forces with the help of an informant. One week after KSM’s capture, said to take place on February 29 or March 1, 2003 (see February 29 or March 1, 2003), the Los Angeles Times will report, “Pakistani officials have… hinted that [KSM] was betrayed by someone inside the organization who wanted to collect a $25-million reward for his capture.” One Pakistani official says, “I am not going to tell you how we captured him, but Khalid knows who did him in.” [Los Angeles Times, 3/8/2003] In 2008, the New York Times will provide additional details. According to an intelligence officer, the informant slips into a bathroom in the house where KSM is staying, and writes a text message to his government contacts: “I am with KSM.” The capture team then waits a few hours before raiding the house, to blur the connection to the informant. Little more is known about the informant or what other information he provides. He apparently is later personally thanked by CIA Director George Tenet and then resettled with the $25 million reward money in the US. [New York Times, 6/22/2008]
Entity Tags: George J. Tenet, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Category Tags: Other Possible Moles or Informants, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Spring 2003: Spanish Authorities Turn Down Chance to Videotape Secret Meetings of Madrid Bombers
The Spanish inteligence agency Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI) has a highly trusted informant named Abdelkader Farssaoui, a.k.a. Cartagena, placed within a group of suspected Islamist militants in Madrid (see September 2002-October 2003). Police have been monitoring this group for months and learning all about the group in part thanks to Farssaoui’s leads. Farssaoui is so trusted in the group that he is considered one of the group’s leaders, behind only Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet and Mustapha Maymouni. Farssaoui attends all the group’s secret meetings, and since he is an imam he usually leads them in prayer. As a result, some of the others suggest holding some of the group’s long weekly meetings at Farssaoui’s residence. Farssaoui reports this to his handlers and suggests it is an opportunity to easily record the meetings with audio and video. However, Farssaoui’s handlers reject the idea, saying it is not necessary. [El Mundo (Madrid), 2/13/2006]
Entity Tags: Mustapha Maymouni, Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, Abdelkader Farssaoui, Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet
Spring 2003: Aid to Afghanistan Falls Short of Promises
At the beginning of 2002, the US, Britain, and other countries around the world made large pledges of aid to Afghanistan (see November 2001-January 2002). But with a new war in Iraq taking considerable focus in the West, those pledges appear to be largely unfulfilled. In February 2003, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) says, “I think [the Bush administration has] already given up the ghost in Afghanistan. They’ve basically turned it over to the warlords.” In December 2002, President Bush signed a law authorizing close to $1 billion a year in aid to Afghanistan for the next four years. But one month later, when Bush submitted his actual budget to Congress, it authorized no money for Afghanistan aid whatsoever. Congress soon authorizes $300 million, but Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) notes that this amount “does not come near” the promise made a short time before. Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai, complains to the press, “What was promised to Afghans with the collapse of the Taliban was a new life of hope and change. But what was delivered? Nothing…There have been no significant changes for people.… [I don’t] know what to say to people anymore.” [Salon, 4/10/2003] As of early 2003, there are only about 3,000 Afghan soldiers who have been trained for the country’s new army, and many of those have quit because they had not been paid in more than six months. By contrast, there are roughly 200,000 fighters controlled by warlords. [Salon, 4/10/2003; Observer, 5/25/2003] A study of post-conflict zones done by Care International estimates that Bosnia is receiving international aid of $326 per person, and Kosovo $288 per person, but Afghanistan is receiving only $42 per person. There is one peacekeeper per 113 people in Bosnia, one per 48 people in Kosovo, but one per 5,380 in Afghanistan (and those are not allowed outside the capital of Kabul). [Observer, 5/25/2003] Only 3 percent of all international aid spent in Afghanistan has been for reconstruction, 13 percent is for emergency aid, and the rest is spent on security. One Afghan minister complains, “We don’t even have enough money to pay [government] wages, let alone plan reconstruction.” [Guardian, 9/20/2003] The Independent reports, “Afghans have also listened with astonishment as Americans portray their country’s experience since the overthrow of the Taliban as a ‘success’. Another Western observer summed up his views more acidly. ‘If the Americans think this is success, then outright failure must be pretty horrible to behold’.” [Independent, 2/24/2003]
Entity Tags: Joseph Biden, George W. Bush, Bush administration (43), Ahmed Wali Karzai, Chuck Hagel, Taliban
Timeline Tags: War in Afghanistan
Category Tags: Iraq War Impact on Counterterrorism, Afghanistan
Spring 2003: Bin Laden Allegedly Meets Group of Militants in Pakistan’s Tribal Region
Osama bin Laden allegedly attends a gathering of Islamist militants in Pakistan’s tribal region. In 2011, after bin Laden’s death, the New York Times will claim that an unnamed Pakistani militant leader alleges that he sees bin Laden in the spring of 2003. Accompanied by Arab and Chechen bodyguards, bin Laden arrives unexpectedly at a meeting of nearly 100 militants at a mountain village in North Waziristan. Apparently, bin Laden doesn’t make his presence known to the entire gathering. However, the militant leader meets him briefly inside a house, and he is sure it is bin Laden because he met him once, prior to the 9/11 attacks. This leader is an informant for the Pakistani military at this time, but he will not tell the Times if he passes this information on to his Pakistani handlers. He will also claim that from about 2002 to 2004, bin Laden moves from place to place in the tribal region. He speculates that after the US begins drone strikes in the tribal region in 2004, bin Laden moves to one of Pakistan’s towns outside of the tribal region where drone strikes don’t reach. [New York Times, 6/23/2011]
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, New York Times
Category Tags: Osama Bin Laden, Hunt for Bin Laden in Pakistan
Spring 2003: US Green Berets Repeatedly Denied Permission to Go After Mullah Omar
There are several credible sightings by CIA and military informants of top Taliban leader Mullah Omar entering a mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan. A Green Beret team located at a base just minutes away are ready to deploy to go after Omar, but each time US military commanders follow strict protocol and call in the Delta Force commando team instead. But this team is based hundreds of miles away near Kabul and it takes them several hours to arrive in Kandahar. By that time, Omar has disappeared. Apparently this is part of a pattern only allowing certain Special Forces units to go after important targets. The Washington Post will report in 2004 that any mission that takes Special Forces farther than two miles from a “firebase” requires as long as 72 hours to be approved. And on the rare occasions that such forces are authorized to act, they are required to travel in armed convoys, a practice that alerts the enemy. [Washington Post, 1/5/2004]
Entity Tags: Mullah Omar, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment--Delta, Green Berets
Category Tags: Afghanistan
Spring 2003 and After: Spanish Police Increase Surveillance of Madrid Bombers
Spanish police have been monitoring an apartment on Virgen de Coro street in Madrid owned by the brothers Moutaz and Mouhannad Almallah since January 17, 2003 (see January 17, 2003-Late March 2004). Police are now aware that the Almallah brothers are part of a group of Islamist militants regularly meeting there. On March 3, police extend the surveillance to the apartment of Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, since he appears to be a leader of the group and the group holds meetings at his apartment as well (see March 3, 2003-March 2004). On March 14, police also start monitoring Mouhannad Almallah’s apartment (his brother Moutaz is mostly living in London) (see March 14, 2003). Over the next months, the surveillance of this group is intensified:
Police also keep a very close eye on the cars used by the militants. Police witness many of them taking evasive maneuvers while driving around town.
They notice the militants are taking evasive action such as frequently using pay phones and speaking in code, which are signs they are taking part in illegal activities.
They discover that Amer el-Azizi, a Spanish al-Qaeda operative wanted for a role in the 9/11 attacks, had probably escaped to Afghanistan in late 2001 using Mouhannad Almallah’s passport (see Shortly After November 21, 2001).
They find that Fakhet sometimes uses a car owned by relatives of Jamal Ahmidan (Ahmidan is the member of the group who will later lead the effort to buy the explosives for the Madrid bombings, see September 2003-February 2004).
One police report before the bombings says that all three apartments are “regarded as essential points of the logistical network to support the recruitment of ‘mujaheddin’” in Spain and that Moutaz Almallah makes the group an international threat, with links in Britain and the Netherlands. [El Mundo (Madrid), 8/10/2005]
Entity Tags: Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, Jamal Ahmidan, Mouhannad Almallah, Moutaz Almallah, Amer el-Azizi
March 2003: Informant Gives Spanish Police Big Tip That Could Stop Madrid Train Bombings
Antonio Toro. [Source: EFE]Rafa Zouhier, an informant for Spain’s Civil Guard, tells his handler that two of his associates, Emilio Suarez Trashorras and Trashorras’s brother-in-law Antonio Toro, are illegally selling explosives from a mine in the Asturias region of Spain. Toro had recently been released from prison. Zouhier’s handler, known only by the alias “Victor,” includes the information in a report in March 2003 and sends it to higher-ups. He mentions that the people Zouhier referred to have 150 kilograms of explosives ready to sell. [El Mundo (Madrid), 4/9/2007] He reveals the two even asked him how to make bombs which could be set off by cell phone, and says they have been illegally selling explosives since 2001. In June 2003, police conduct a surprise inspection of the mine where Trashorras works, and they begin surveilling both of them, even though Trashorras, Toro, and Toro’s wife are all also government informants (see June 18, 2004 and September 2003-February 2004). [Expatica, 9/1/2004; Expatica, 11/22/2004] Later in the year, Trashorras, Toro, and others will sell large quantities of explosives to Jamal Ahmidan, alias “El Chino,” which will be used in the March 2004 Madrid train bombings (see September 2003-February 2004). Those bombs will be timed to explode using cell phones (see 7:37-7:42 a.m., March 11, 2004). For some reason, this sale is not detected, even though Toro and Trashorras are being monitored. Victor will reveal what Zouhier told him in 2007 court testimony. He did not mention it in several earlier testimonies, and will claim he “forgot.” [El Mundo (Madrid), 4/9/2007] Zouhier will eventually be convicted and sentenced to more than ten years in prison, on the grounds that he knew about the deal between Ahmidan and Trashorras and did not tell his handler about that as well. Zouhier claims that he did, but is unable to provide any proof. [El Mundo (Madrid), 4/9/2007; MSNBC, 10/31/2007]
Entity Tags: Rafa Zouhier, Antonio Toro, Emilio Suarez Trashorras, Jamal Ahmidan, “Victor”
Category Tags: Other Possible Moles or Informants, Al-Qaeda in Spain, 2004 Madrid Train Bombings
March-May 2003: British Intelligence Fails to Stop Suicide Bombers before They Attack Israel; Fails to Ban the Group They Belong to Afterwards
Asif Hanif (left) and Omar Sharif (right) holding AK-47 rifles and a Koran. Apparently this is from a video filmed on February 8, 2003, in the Gaza Strip. [Source: Public domain]In March 2003, the British domestic intelligence agency MI5 arrests eight members of the Islamist militant group Al-Muhajiroun in the city of Derby. Two other Britons, Asif Hanif and Omar Sharif, are also identified as members of the group, but they are not arrested. MI5 is also aware that Sharif is connected to the Finsbury Park mosque where radical imam Abu Hamza al-Masri preaches. [Daily Mail, 5/5/2003; ISN Security Watch, 7/21/2005] When police raided Abu Hamza’s mosque in January, they even found a letter from Sharif to Abu Hamza inquiring about the proper conduct of jihad. The letter contained Sharif’s address in Derby. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 90-91] MI5 does not monitor either Hanif or Sharif, and instead simply keeps their names on file, believing them to be harmless. Later that same month, Italian undercover journalist Claudio Franco, posing as a Muslim convert, visits the London office of Al-Muhajiroun and meets Hanif. Hanif, unaware that he is being formally interviewed, tells Franco that he is sorry the poison ricin was allegedly seized in a raid elsewhere in London (see January 7, 2003) before it could be used in an attack. The next month, Hanif and Sharif travel to Israel and are killed on a suicide bombing mission which kills three others (see April 30, 2003). After the bombing, Al-Muhajiroun’s official leader, Anjem Choudary, calls the two bombers martyrs. The group’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, admits he knew both men. But the group is not banned. [Daily Mail, 5/5/2003; ISN Security Watch, 7/21/2005] Other members of the group will attempt to build a large fertilizer bomb in early 2004 (see Early 2003-April 6, 2004), but the group will still not be banned, then or later. (It will disband on its own in late 2004 (see October 2004).) Investigators also fail to discover that Mohammad Sidique Khan, the lead bomber in the 7/7 London bombings (see July 7, 2005), knew both men, was friends with Sharif and attended the same small mosque as he did (see Summer 2001), and traveled to Israel weeks before they did in a probable attempt to help with the bombing (see February 19-20, 2003).
Entity Tags: Omar Sharif, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Anjem Choudary, UK Security Service (MI5), Al-Muhajiroun, Asif Hanif, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed
Category Tags: Omar Bakri & Al-Muhajiroun, 2005 7/7 London Bombings, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
March 2003: Zelikow and 9/11 Commission Consultant Complete Outline of Final Report before Staff Start Writing It
9/11 Commission Executive Director Philip Zelikow and Ernest May, a long-time associate of Zelikow and consultant to the commission, complete an outline of the commission’s final report, although the commission has barely began its work and will not report for another 16 months. The outline is detailed and contains chapter headings, subheadings, and sub-subheadings. The outline anticipates a 16-chapter report (note: the final report only has 13) that starts with a history of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden’s 1998 fatwa against the US. There will then be chapters on US counterterrorism policy, threat reporting leading up to 9/11, and the attacks themselves will be in chapter seven (in the final report, the day of 9/11 chapter is moved to the start).
"Blinding Effects of Hindsight" - Zelikow and May even have a chapter ten entitled “Problems of Foresight—And Hindsight,” with a sub-chapter on “the blinding effects of hindsight,” (actually chapter 11 in the final report, slightly renamed “Foresight—And Hindsight;” the “blinding effects” sub-heading does not appear in the final version, but the chapter starts with a meditation on the value of hindsight).
Kept Secret - Zelikow shows the report to Commission Chairman Tom Kean and Vice-chairman Lee Hamilton and they like it, but think it could be seen as evidence that they have pre-determined the outcome. Therefore, they all decide it should be kept secret from the commission’s staff. According to May it is “treated as if it were the most classified document the commission possessed.” Zelikow comes up with his own internal classification system, labeling it “Commission Sensitive,” a phrase that appears on the top and bottom of each page.
Staff Alarmed - When the staff find out about it and are given copies over a year later, they are alarmed. They realize that the sections of the report about the Bush administration’s failings will be in the middle of the report, and the reader will have to wade past chapters on al-Qaeda’s history to get to them. Author Philip Shenon will comment: “Many assumed the worst when they saw that Zelikow had proposed a portion of the report entitled ‘The Blinding Effects of Hindsight.’ What ‘blinding hindsight’? They assumed Zelikow was trying to dismiss the value of hindsight regarding the Bush administration’s pre-9/11 performance.” In addition, some staffers begin circulating a parody entitled “The Warren Commission Report—Preemptive Outline.” One of the parody’s chapter headings is “Single Bullet: We Haven’t Seen the Evidence Yet. But Really. We’re Sure.” [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004; Shenon, 2008, pp. 388-389]
Entity Tags: Lee Hamilton, Ernest May, Thomas Kean, 9/11 Commission, Philip Zelikow
Category Tags: 9/11 Commission, Role of Philip Zelikow, 9/11 Investigations
March 2003: CIA Falsely Claims Kidnapped Imam Is in Bosnia
The CIA tells anti-terrorist authorities in Italy that it has reliable information that Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr (a.k.a. Abu Omar), a radical Islamist cleric who was under joint Italian-CIA surveillance in Milan until recently, is in Bosnia. This is a deliberate lie; the CIA knows Nasr is in Egypt, as it recently kidnapped him and took him there, handing him over to Egyptian authorities (see Noon February 17, 2003). According to the Washington Post, the purpose of the lie is “to stymie efforts by the Italian anti-terrorism police to track down the cleric….” The Italians believe the CIA’s story for more than a year, but subsequently discover the CIA was involved in his kidnapping. [Washington Post, 12/6/2005]
Entity Tags: Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, Central Intelligence Agency
March 2003-July 2004: White House Has Better Relationship with 9/11 Commission’s Democratic Vice Chairman than Republican Chairman
The White House comes to prefer dealing with the 9/11 Commission’s vice chairman, Democrat Lee Hamilton, rather than its Republican chairman Tom Kean. Author Philip Shenon will comment: “The White House found that its best support on the Commission came from an unexpected corner—from Lee Hamilton.… Hamilton, they could see, was as much a man of the Washington establishment as he was a Democratic partisan. Probably more so.” This is because Hamilton, a friend of Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, “underst[ands] the prerogatives of the White House—in particular, the concept of executive privilege—in a way that Kean d[oes] not or w[ill] not.” White House chief of staff Andrew Card will comment: “I came to really respect Lee Hamilton. I think he listened better to our concerns better than Tom Kean.” The White House even comes to view Kean as disloyal, effectively operating as one of the Commission’s Democrats, while Hamilton is a de facto Republican (see Early July 2004). Kean will later say, “I think the White House believed Lee was more reliable than I was.” [Shenon, 2008, pp. 177] Hamilton previously helped Republicans cover up political scandals (see Mid-1980s and 1992-January 1993). He is friends with Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and trusts them to tell the truth (see Before November 27, 2002).
Entity Tags: Thomas Kean, Andrew Card, Lee Hamilton, 9/11 Commission, Philip Shenon
Category Tags: 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Investigations
After February 2003: Militant’s Wife Continues Reporting on Group of Madrid Bombers
In January and February of 2003, the wife of suspected Islamist militant Mouhannad Almallah gave stunning details on the activities and planned attacks of a group of militants including her husband Mouhannad (see January 4, 2003 and February 12, 2003). She apparently grows estranged from him and sees him less and less in subsequent months. However, Spanish investigators are impressed with her revelations, especially since they had most of the group already under surveillance (see December 2001-June 2002). At some point, she is given a phone and a special number to call at any time she learns more about the group. The group frequently watches violent videos promoting jihad. For instance, one video shows a person in Afghanistan being buried up to his head in sand. There are also videos of radical imam Abu Qatada preaching. She manages to sneak some of the videos to the authorities and return them without being noticed. But most details about what warnings she gave after February 2003 remain unknown. [El Mundo (Madrid), 3/13/2007; El Mundo (Madrid), 3/13/2007]
Entity Tags: Mouhannad Almallah, Mouhannad Almallah’s wife
March 2003 and After: Alleged Leader of Al-Qaeda Bomb Plot Is Monitored in Britain but Mysteriously Never Arrested or Even Questioned
Mohammed Quayyum Khan. [Source: BBC]In March 2003, the British intelligence agency MI5 begins monitoring Mohammed Quayyum Khan (a.k.a. “Q”), a part-time taxi driver living in Luton, England, and born in Pakistan. He is said to be an associate of the radical London imams Omar Bakri Mohammed and Abu Hamza al-Masri. It is not known how MI5 first gains an interest in Quayyum, but apparently during a trip to Pakistan in 2003, Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, tracks him overtly to warn him that they are aware of his activities. During a later court trial, an al-Qaeda operative turned informant named Mohammed Junaid Babar will allege that Quayyum:
Takes his orders from al-Qaeda leader Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi. He is said to be one of about three or four operatives working directly under this leader.
Arranges for Mohammad Sidique Khan, the head suicide bomber in the 7/7 London bombings, to travel to Pakistan and attend militant training camp in 2003.
Provides funds and equipment for militants fighting US troops in Afghanistan.
Is the leader of the 2004 British fertilizer bomb plot. Five of Quayyum’s associates will be sentenced to life in prison for roles in this plot.
In early February 2004, MI5 first discovers the existence of the fertilizer bomb plot while it monitors the various plotters meeting with Quayyum (see Early 2003-April 6, 2004). For instance, Omar Khyam, one of those who will later be sentenced to life in prison, is secretly videotaped meeting with Quayyum. Khyam will later admit that just before he left for militant training in Pakistan, Quayyum gave him money and said: “It’s better for both of us if we don’t meet each other. Because the security services may be monitoring me.” Yet when all the other members of the plot are arrested in late March 2004, Quayyum stays free. The Guardian will later report, “Despite the number of serious allegations leveled against him [in court], police and MI5 say they have never found sufficient evidence to arrest or charge him.” Quayyum is never questioned about his links to the fertilizer bomb plotters. After the 7/7 suicide bombings in 2005, he is not questioned about his verified links with the suicide bombers either (such as the monitored calls between him and the head suicide bomber (see Shortly Before July 2003)). He continues to live in Luton and is seen by a Guardian journalist working as a chef in a small cafe there. “He is thought to have since disappeared.” [Guardian, 5/1/2007; Guardian, 5/1/2007] Author Loretta Napoleoni will later comment that the lack of action against Quayyum is especially strange given the British government’s power to detain suspects for years without charge. She will say, “The press has proffered the hypothesis—neither confirmed nor denied by the special services—that Quayyum was a ‘Deep Throat’” mole or informant. [Antiwar (.com, 5/8/2007]
Entity Tags: Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, Abu Hamza al-Masri, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Mohammed Junaid Babar, Loretta Napoleoni, UK Security Service (MI5), Mohammed Quayyum Khan, Pakistan Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed
Category Tags: Other Possible Moles or Informants, 2005 7/7 London Bombings, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
February 2003 or After: 9/11 Commission Staff Set up ‘Back-Channel Network’ to Report on Executive Director Zelikow’s Behavior
Members of the 9/11 Commission’s staff who are suspicious of the partisanship of the Commission’s executive director, Philip Zelikow, establish what author Philip Shenon calls a “back-channel network” through which reports of Zelikow’s behavior can be passed. The staff members are suspicious of Zelikow because they think he is close to the Bush administration, in particular National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice (see January 3, 2001), whose interests he defends on the Commission (see May-June 2004). The network’s aim is to “alert the Democratic commissioners when [staff] thought Zelikow was up to no good.” Commissioner Tim Roemer will say that he often gets phone calls late at night or on weekends at home from staffers who want to talk about Zelikow. “It was like Deep Throat,” he will later say (see May 31, 2005). Richard Ben-Veniste is another one of the Democratic commissioners involved in the network. [Shenon, 2008, pp. 375]
Entity Tags: Richard Ben-Veniste, 9/11 Commission, Philip Zelikow, Tim Roemer
February 29 or March 1, 2003: KSM Reportedly Arrested in Pakistan, but Doubts on Circumstances Persist
A photo taken during KSM’s alleged arrest in Pakistan. [Source: Associated Press]Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is reportedly arrested in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. [Associated Press, 3/1/2003] Officials claim that he is arrested in a late-night joint Pakistani and FBI raid, in which they also arrest Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, the purported main financer of the 9/11 attacks. [MSNBC, 3/3/2003] An insider informant allegedly tips off authorities to KSM’s location, and is given the $25 million reward money for his capture (see Shortly Before February 29 or March 1, 2003). However, some journalists immediately cast serious doubts about this arrest. For instance, MSNBC reports, “Some analysts questioned whether Mohammed was actually arrested Saturday, speculating that he may have been held for some time and that the news was made public when it was in the interests of the United States and Pakistan.” [MSNBC, 3/3/2003] There are numerous problems surrounding the US-alleged arrest of KSM:
Witnesses say KSM is not present when the raid occurs. [Associated Press, 3/2/2003; Associated Press, 3/2/2003; Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 3/2/2003; Guardian, 3/3/2003; New York Times, 3/3/2003]
There are differing accounts about which house he is arrested in. [Associated Press, 3/1/2003; Los Angeles Times, 3/2/2003; Los Angeles Times, 3/3/2003]
There are differing accounts about where he was before the arrest and how authorities found him. [Time, 3/1/2003; Washington Post, 3/2/2003; Washington Post, 3/2/2003; New York Times, 3/3/2003; New York Times, 3/4/2003]
Some accounts have him sleeping when the arrest occurs and some don’t. [Los Angeles Times, 3/2/2003; Reuters, 3/2/2003; New York Times, 3/3/2003; Daily Telegraph, 3/4/2003]
Accounts differ on who arrests him—Pakistanis, Americans, or both. [CNN, 3/2/2003; Los Angeles Times, 3/2/2003; New York Times, 3/2/2003; Daily Telegraph, 3/3/2003; London Times, 3/3/2003; Associated Press, 3/3/2003]
There are previously published accounts that KSM may have been killed in September 2002 (see September 11, 2002).
There are accounts that he was captured in June 2002 (see June 16, 2002).
These are just some of the difficulties with the arrest story. There are so many problems with it that one Guardian reporter says, “The story appears to be almost entirely fictional.” [Guardian, 3/6/2003]
Account by 9/11 Commissioners Conflicts - In addition, 9/11 Commission chairman Tom Kean and vice chairman Lee Hamilton will write in a 2006 book that the arrest is made in an apartment in Karachi and carried out by a joint CIA, FBI, and Pakistani team (see Early 2003).
Account by Musharraf Also Conflicts - Also in 2006, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will publish a memoir in which he claims that KSM was arrested on February 29, 2003 (instead of the widely cited March 1, 2003), and held by Pakistani forces for three days, “during which time we interrogated him fully. Once we were done with him and had all the information we wanted, we handed him over to the United States government.” [Musharraf, 2006, pp. 193]
Entity Tags: Thomas Kean, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Lee Hamilton, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, Pervez Musharraf
Timeline Tags: Torture of US Captives, 9/11 Timeline
Category Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Key Captures and Deaths, High Value Detainees, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
March 2, 2003: 9/11 Commission Executive Director Zelikow Tries to Prevent Staff Talking Directly to Commissioners
The 9/11 Commission’s executive director Philip Zelikow issues a five-page memo, entitled “What Do I Do Now?” telling newly hired staff members how to go about their jobs on the Commission. The most controversial part of the memo prevents staffers from returning calls from commissioners, stating: “If you are contacted by a commissioner, please contact [deputy executive director] Chris [Kojm] or me. We will be sure that the appropriate members of the Commission’s staff are responsive.” Author Philip Shenon will write that the staffers are surprised by this: “It occurred to several of the staff members, especially those with experience on other federal commissions, that Zelikow was trying to cut off their contact with the people they really worked for—the commissioners.”
Part of Memo Rescinded - When commissioner Jamie Gorelick learns of the restriction, she calls the Commission’s chairman and vice chairman, Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, and tells them this is unacceptable. Fellow commissioner Max Cleland also thinks the order is a bad idea, and will later say, “It violates the spirit of an open look at what the hell happened on 9/11.” Zelikow is forced to rescind this portion of the memo, allowing commissioners free access to the staff.
Other Restrictions - Other rules in the memo include:
Commission staff should not disclose the exact location of the Commission’s offices for security reasons;
Staffers should never talk to reporters about the Commission’s work, because “there are no innocent conversations with reporters.” Zelikow or his deputy should be notified of such calls. A breach of this rule can get a staffer fired; and
All staffers have to prepare a confidential memo describing potential conflicts of interest. Shenon will comment, “Staff members who knew some of Zelikow’s own conflicts of interest found it amusing that he was so worried about theirs.” [9/11 Commission, 3/2/2003; Shenon, 2008, pp. 83-85]
Entity Tags: Philip Shenon, Jamie Gorelick, 9/11 Commission, Philip Zelikow, Max Cleland
After February 29 or March 1, 2003: Interrogators Threaten to Kill KSM’s Children
At some point after alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is captured (see February 29 or March 1, 2003), interrogators threaten to kill his children if he does not co-operate with them. An “experienced agency interrogator” will tell the CIA inspector general that “interrogators said to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed that if anything else happens in the United States, ‘We’re going to kill your children.’” [Central Intelligence Agency, 5/7/2004, pp. 43 ] Two of his children are alleged to have been captured in late 2002 (see After September 11, 2002). According to author Ron Suskind, this is after CIA headquarters authorizes the interrogators to “do whatever’s necessary” to get information. However, according to a CIA manager with knowledge of the incident, “He [KSM] basically said, so, fine, they’ll join Allah in a better place.” [Suskind, 2006, pp. 230]
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Category Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, High Value Detainees
Shortly After February 29 or March 1, 2003: Alleged 9/11 Mastermind KSM Tortured in Secret CIA Prison
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed shortly after arrest. (Note: this picture is from a video presentation on prisoners the Pakistani government gave to BBC filmmakers. It has been adjusted to remove some blue tinge.) [Source: BBC's "The New Al-Qaeda."]Following his arrest in Pakistan (see February 29 or March 1, 2003), al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) finds himself in CIA custody. After two days of detention in Pakistan, where, he will allege, he is punched and stomped upon by a CIA agent, he is sent to Afghanistan. After being transferred to Guantanamo in 2006, he will discuss his experiences and treatment with officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC—see October 6 - December 14, 2006). Mohammed will say of his transfer: “My eyes were covered with a cloth tied around my head and with a cloth bag pulled over it. A suppository was inserted into my rectum. I was not told what the suppository was for.” [New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009]
Naked - He is reportedly placed in a cell naked for several days and repeatedly questioned by females as a humiliation. He is attached to a dog leash and repeatedly yanked into the walls of his cell. He is suspended from the ceiling, chained naked in a painful crouch for long periods, doused with cold water, and kept in suffocating heat. [New Yorker, 8/6/2007; MSNBC, 9/13/2007] On arriving in Afghanistan, he is put in a small cell, where, he will recall, he is “kept in a standing position with my hands cuffed and chained to a bar above my head.” After about an hour, “I was taken to another room where I was made to stand on tiptoes for about two hours during questioning.”
Interrogators - He will add: “Approximately 13 persons were in the room. These included the head interrogator (a man) and two female interrogators, plus about 10 muscle guys wearing masks. I think they were all Americans. From time to time one of the muscle guys would punch me in the chest and stomach.” This is the usual interrogation session that Mohammed will experience over the next few weeks.
Cold Water - They are interrupted periodically by his removal to a separate room. There, he will recall, he is doused with “cold water from buckets… for about 40 minutes. Not constantly as it took time to refill the buckets. After which I would be taken back to the interrogation room.”
No Toilet Access - During one interrogation, “I was offered water to drink; when I refused I was again taken to another room where I was made to lie [on] the floor with three persons holding me down. A tube was inserted into my anus and water poured inside. Afterwards I wanted to go to the toilet as I had a feeling as if I had diarrhea. No toilet access was provided until four hours later when I was given a bucket to use.” When he is returned to his cell, as he will recall, “I was always kept in the standing position with my hands cuffed and chained to a bar above my head.” [New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009] However, he is resistant to these methods, so it is decided he will be transferred to a secret CIA prison in Poland (see March 7 - Mid-April, 2003), where he will be extensively waterboarded and tortured in other ways.
Entity Tags: International Committee of the Red Cross, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Central Intelligence Agency
Category Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Destruction of CIA Tapes, High Value Detainees, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics
Shortly After February 29 or March 1, 2003: KSM Allegedly Confesses He Has Recently Seen Bin Laden
Shortly after the arrest of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) (see February 29 or March 1, 2003), US investigators will allegedly find out that he had recently met with Osama bin Laden. Later in 2003, authors Nick Fielding and Yosri Fouda will claim that not long after KSM is transferred from Pakistani to US custody, he confesses that he had met with bin Laden within the past two months. Bin Laden is said to be in good health. KSM met him in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan after a journey involving a complicated network of phone calls and couriers. He also says that bin Laden has been concentrating his forces in South Waziristan, in Pakistan’s tribal region, and bin Laden has formed an alliance with Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Fielding and Fouda will note that this story seems confirmed by the fact that within days of KSM’s arrest, residents in the town of Chaman in Baluchistan said that US aircraft dropped millions of leaflets mentioning the $25 million reward for bin Laden’s arrest. KSM also allegedly claims to know that al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri recently returned to Quetta, Pakistan, after spending time in the Middle East. Also within days of KSM’s arrest, millions of leaflets about al-Zawahiri and his reward are dropped in that region. [Fouda and Fielding, 2003, pp. 184] It is likely that KSM is tortured during this time (see Shortly After February 29 or March 1, 2003). KSM will later say, “During the harshest period of my interrogation, I gave a lot of false information in order to satisfy what I believed the interrogators wished to hear in order to make the ill-treatment stop” (see March 7 - Mid-April, 2003).
Entity Tags: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Osama bin Laden
Category Tags: Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Osama Bin Laden, Hunt for Bin Laden in Pakistan
Between March 2003 and June 25, 2003: Top Al-Qaeda Prisoners Deny Al-Qaeda-Iraq Link
US officials admit that imprisioned al-Qaeda leaders Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaida have said in interrogations that bin Laden vetoed a long term relationship with Saddam because he did not want to be in Hussein’s debt. [Newsweek, 6/25/2003]
Entity Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaida
Category Tags: Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links, High Value Detainees, Abu Zubaida
March 3, 2003: Bush’s Efforts in Fighting Terrorism Since 9/11 Are Called an ‘Abysmal Failure’
An article in the New Republic claims that “President Bush has repeatedly stifled efforts to strengthen domestic safeguards against further terrorist attacks. As a consequence, homeland security remains perilously deficient.” The article cites numerous examples to support this contention, and comments: “Bush’s record on homeland security ought to be considered a scandal. Yet, not only is it not a scandal, it’s not even a story, having largely failed to register with the public, the media, or even the political elite.” It points out numerous examples where the administration has opposed the spending of more money to protect against an attack and argues: “The White House appears to grasp that Bush’s standing on national security issues, especially after September 11, is so unassailable that he does not need to shore it up. Instead, the administration seems to view his wartime popularity as a massive bank of political capital from which they can withdraw and spend on other, unrelated causes. In the short run, this strategy is a political boon for Bush and his party. But, in the long run, it divides and weakens the nation against its external threats.” [New Republic, 3/3/2003] Here are some of the examples of evidence supporting this article’s arguments pointed out in this and subsequent articles:
Airports are said to be unacceptably vulnerable to terrorism. [Associated Press, 6/8/2004]
Terrorist watch lists remain unconsolidated. [United Press International, 4/30/2003]
Basic background checks on air security personnel remain undone. [Time, 7/8/2003]
The Treasury Department has assigned five times as many agents to investigate Cuban embargo violations as it has to track al-Qaeda’s finances. [Associated Press, 4/30/2004]
The White House has spurned a request for 80 more investigators to track and disrupt the global financial networks of US-designated terrorist groups. [New York Times, 4/4/2004]
Cases involving “international terrorism” have been fizzling out in US courts. [Los Angeles Times, 12/9/2003]
Experts have concluded that the Iraq War has diverted resources from the war on terrorism and made the US less secure. [MSNBC, 7/29/2003; Salon, 7/31/2003]
Investigations have shown that most chemical plants across the US remain dangerously vulnerable to a guerilla-style attack. Some plants have virtually no security at all, often not even locked gates. Explosions at some of these plants could kill more than a million people. Yet the Bush administration has so far successfully opposed strengthening security regulations, apparently at the behest of chemical industry lobbyists. [New Republic, 3/3/2003; New Jersey Star-Ledger, 1/28/2005]
There has been a huge increase in government spending to train and respond to terrorist attacks, but Time magazine reports that the geographical spread of “funding appears to be almost inversely proportional to risk.” [Time, 3/21/2004]
Several high-profile studies have concluded that despite its frequent “bear any burden” rhetoric, the Bush administration has grossly underfunded domestic security. [New Republic, 3/3/2003; New York Times, 7/25/2003]
Community-based “first responders” lack basic equipment, including protective clothing and radios. [New Republic, 3/3/2003; New York Times, 7/25/2003]
Spending on computer upgrades, airport security, more customs agents, port security, border controls, chemical plant security, bioweapon vaccinations, and much more, is far below needed levels and often below Promised levels. [New Republic, 3/3/2003]
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, Bush administration (43), Central Intelligence Agency, US Department of the Treasury, George W. Bush
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Policy/Politics, Internal US Security After 9/11
March 3, 2003-March 2004: Spanish Monitor Apartment of Madrid Bombings Mastermind
Beginning on March 3, 2003, Spanish police begin monitoring the apartment where Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet lives. He will later be considered one of around three masterminds of the 2004 Madrid bombings. Fakhet’s apartment is on Francisco Remiro street in Madrid. Police discovered his apartment after monitoring an apartment on Virgen de Coro street where Fakhet and other Islamist militants regularly meet (see January 17, 2003-Late March 2004). Police discover that the militants sometimes hold meetings at Fakhet’s apartment as well. They identify 16 militants who meet there. They notice that Mustapha Maymouni, Fakhet’s brother-in-law, frequently sleeps on the floor there. Maymouni is arrested in Morocco later in 2003 for a role in the Casablanca bombings (see May 16, 2003). Monitoring of his house apparently continues through the date of the Madrid bombings. [El Mundo (Madrid), 8/10/2005]
Entity Tags: Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, Mustapha Maymouni
February-Late March 2003: US Intelligence Learns Al-Qaeda Called Off Chemical Bomb Attack in US, but Effectiveness of Bomb is Disputed
In February 2003, some radical militants are arrested in Bahrain. A joint US-Saudi raid of an apartment in Saudi Arabia owned by one of them reveals the designs for a bomb called a mubtakkar. This bomb is made of two widely available chemicals, sodium cyanide and hydrogen, which combine to create hydrogen cyanide. When turned to gas, it is lethal, and counterterrorism experts are highly alarmed at this technical breakthrough. CIA Director Tenet briefs President Bush about the mubtakkar bomb in early March. [Suskind, 2006, pp. 193-197; Time, 6/17/2006] Journalist Ron Suskind calls it a “nightmare delivery system—portable, easy to construct, deadly.” The CIA has a highly placed al-Qaeda informant codenamed Ali, and in late March they contact him to learn more about the bomb. He tells his CIA handlers that Yusef al-Ayeri, a Saudi in charge of al-Qaeda operations in the Arabian peninsula, visited al-Qaeda number two leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in January 2003. He told al-Zawahiri of an already advanced plot in the US. Operatives loosely linked to al-Qaeda had traveled to the US in the fall of 2002 and thoroughly cased locations in New York City. They would place the mubtakkar bomb in subway cars and remotely activate them. The group was ready to implement an attack in about 45 days. According to Suskind, several thousand people could be killed. But Ali learned that al-Zawahiri called off the attacks, though Ali does not know the reason why. The group did cancel the attack, and US intelligence never learns who exactly they were. President Bush and others puzzle why the attack was canceled and speculate that al-Qaeda put it aside in favor of an even bigger attack. [Suskind, 2006, pp. 216-220; Time, 6/17/2006] Suskind’s account will cause alarm when revealed in 2006. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) will say that authorities took the plot seriously but were never able to confirm its existence. Other officials will debate the effectiveness of the bomb and how many deaths it could have caused. [CNN, 6/18/2006] University of Maryland professor Milton Leitenberg later says of the bomb, “What you would get, in all probability, is a big bang, a big splash, but very little gas.” He also says that concentrations of key chemicals present in household materials are so low “you would get next to nothing” by using them, and one would have to get them from a chemical supplier or steal them from a laboratory. One counterterrorism official points out, “If this is such an amazing weapon, and the design for it is out there, why has no one ever used it?” [United Press International, 6/27/2006] An article by the private intelligence service Stratfor is also skeptical and suggests that al-Zawahiri called off the attack because it wouldn’t have been as deadly as if conventional bombs were used instead. [Stratfor, 6/21/2006] CIA Deputy Counter Terrorism Center Director Hank Crumpton will also later suggest that a team was recruited to stage the attack but apparently never was sent to the US. [Newsweek, 8/28/2007]
Entity Tags: Ron Suskind, Milton Leitenberg, Yusef al-Ayeri, Charles Schumer, George J. Tenet, Ali, Ayman al-Zawahiri, George W. Bush, Hank Crumpton
March 5, 2003: Al-Qaeda Operative Living in US Is Arrested in Pakistan
Majid Khan. [Source: Defense Department]According to his father, al-Qaeda operative Majid Khan is arrested by Pakistani soldiers and police at his brother Mohammed Khan’s house in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 5, 2003. Both brothers are interrogated by Pakistani and US agents. Majid Khan is eventually transferred to a secret US prison and will remain there until 2006, when he will be sent to the Guantanamo prison as one of 14 “high-value” detainees (see September 2-3, 2006). [Reuters, 5/15/2007] The US apparently considers Khan of high value due to his involvement in plots targeting the US. Khan moved to the US from Pakistan as a teenager in 1996 and graduated from a high school in Baltimore in 1999. According to US charges against him, he became involved in a local Islamic organization and then returned to Pakistan in 2002. An uncle and cousin who were al-Qaeda operatives drafted Khan there, and he started working for al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM). KSM worked with Khan because of Khan’s knowledge of the US, fluency in English, and willingness to be a suicide bomber. His family owned a gas station, and he allegedly plotted to blow up gas stations and poison water supplies in the US. [Baltimore Sun, 9/9/2006]
Entity Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Majid Khan, Mohammed Khan
Category Tags: Key Captures and Deaths, High Value Detainees, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
March 7 - Mid-April, 2003: Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Tortured in Poland
Communications antenna at Stare Kiejkuty, the Polish “black site” where Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was held for a time after his capture. [Source: CBC]9/11 planner Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, after being detained and abused for three days in US custody in Afghanistan (see February 29 or March 1, 2003 and Shortly After February 29 or March 1, 2003), is transferred to another CIA-run facility in Poland. [New Yorker, 8/6/2007; New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009] The facility is later identified as Stare Kiejkuty, a secret prison near the Szymany military airbase. Mohammed is flown in on a Gulfstream N379P jet known to prison officials as “the torture taxi.” The plane is probably piloted by “Jerry M,” a 56-year-old pilot for Aero Contractors, a company that transfers prisoners around the world for US intelligence agencies. [Der Spiegel (Hamburg), 4/27/2009] He is dressed in a tracksuit, blindfolded, hooded, has sound-blocking headphones placed over his ears, and is flown “sitting, leaning back, with my hands and ankles shackled in a high chair,” as he will later tell officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC—see October 6 - December 14, 2006). He later says he manages to sleep a few hours, for the first time in days. Upon arrival, Mohammed is stripped naked and placed in a small cell “with cameras where I was later informed by an interrogator that I was monitored 24 hours a day by a doctor, psychologist, and interrogator.” The walls are wooden and the cell measures some 10 by 13 feet. [New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009; Der Spiegel (Hamburg), 4/27/2009]
'I Would Be Brought to the Verge of Death and Back Again' - As he will later recall, it was in this detention camp that “the most intense interrogation occurred, led by three experienced CIA interrogators, all over 65 years old and all strong and well trained.” The interrogators tell him that they have received the “green light from Washington” to give him “a hard time” (see Late September 2001 and September 25, 2002). As he will later recall: “They never used the word ‘torture’ and never referred to ‘physical pressure,’ only to ‘a hard time.’ I was never threatened with death, in fact I was told that they would not allow me to die, but that I would be brought to the ‘verge of death and back again.‘… I was kept for one month in the cell in a standing position with my hands cuffed and shackled above my head and my feet cuffed and shackled to a point in the floor.” When he falls asleep, “all my weight [is] applied to the handcuffs around my wrist resulting in open and bleeding wounds.” The ICRC will later confirm that Mohammed bears scars consistent with his allegations on both wrists and both ankles. “Both my feet became very swollen after one month of almost continual standing.”
Interrogations - He is interrogated in a different room, in sessions lasting anywhere from four to eight hours, and with a wide variety of participants. Sometimes women take part in the interrogations. A doctor is usually present. “If I was perceived not to be cooperating I would be put against a wall and punched and slapped in the body, head, and face. A thick flexible plastic collar would also be placed around my neck so that it could then be held at the two ends by a guard who would use it to slam me repeatedly against the wall. The beatings were combined with the use of cold water, which was poured over me using a hose-pipe. The beatings and use of cold water occurred on a daily basis during the first month.”
'Alternative Procedures' - The CIA interrogators use what they will later call “alternative procedures” on Mohammed, including waterboarding (see After March 7, 2003) and other techniques. He is sprayed with cold water from a hose-pipe in his cell and the “worst day” is when he is beaten for about half an hour by one of the interrogators. “My head was banged against the wall so hard that it started to bleed. Cold water was poured over my head. This was then repeated with other interrogators.” He is then waterboarded until a doctor intervenes. He gets an hours’s sleep and is then “put back in my cell standing with my hands shackled above my head.” He sleeps for a “few minutes” on the floor of cell after the torture sessions, but does not sleep well, “due to shackles on my ankles and wrists.” The toilet consists of a bucket in the cell, which he can use on request, but “I was not allowed to clean myself after toilet during the first month.” In the first month he is only fed on two occasions, “as a reward for perceived cooperation.” He gets Ensure [a liquid nutritional supplement] to drink every four hours. If he refuses it, “then my mouth was forced open by the guard and it was poured down my throat by force.” He loses 18 kg in the first month, after which he gets some clothes. In addition, “Artificial light was on 24 hours a day, but I never saw sunlight.” [New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009]
Deliberately False Information - As he will later tell ICRC officials, he often lies to his interrogators: “During the harshest period of my interrogation, I gave a lot of false information in order to satisfy what I believed the interrogators wished to hear in order to make the ill-treatment stop.… I’m sure that the false information I was forced to invent… wasted a lot of their time and led to several false red-alerts being placed in the US.” [New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009] It will later be reported that up to 90 percent of Mohammed’s confessions may be unreliable. Furthermore, he will recant many of his statements (see August 6, 2007).
Entity Tags: Jack Goldsmith, “Jerry M”, Aero Contractors, International Committee of the Red Cross, David S. Addington, Central Intelligence Agency, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Stare Kiejkuty
March 7, 2003-May 18, 2007: Al-Qaeda Financier Tied to Pearl’s Death Disappears for Four Years, Then Dies
An ill Saud Memon shortly before his death. [Source: Daily Times]Saud Memon, a Pakistani businessman who owns the land where Wall Street Journal report Daniel Pearl is killed in late January 2002 (see January 31, 2002), apparently flees Pakistan for fear of being arrested for Pearl’s death. According to later newspaper accounts in Pakistan and India, Memon is arrested by the FBI in South Africa on March 7, 2003. He is kept at Guantanamo prison for more than two years and then handed over to Pakistani authorities. On April 28, 2007, some unknown men drop Memon in front of his house in Pakistan. He is deathly ill and unable to speak or recognize people. He dies less than one month later on May 18, 2007. Memon has been the top name on the list of Pakistan’s most wanted. In addition to having a suspected role in Pearl’s death, he helped fund the Al Rashid Trust, which has been banned for being an al-Qaeda front. While some suspect a US and/or Pakistan government role in Memon’s disappearance, it is not known for sure what happened to him for those four years. [Associated Press, 5/18/2007; Daily Times (Lahore), 5/19/2007; Indo-Asian News Service, 5/19/2007]
Entity Tags: Al Rashid Trust, Saud Memon
Category Tags: Pakistan and the ISI, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Key Captures and Deaths
After March 7, 2003: CIA Officer Takes Sightseeing Trip to See KSM Waterboarded
CIA manager Alfreda Frances Bikowsky takes an unauthorized trip to see alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) being waterboarded in Poland (see After March 7, 2003). Based on information from “two well-informed agency sources,” author Jane Mayer will write that Bikowsky is “so excited” by KSM’s capture that she flies “at government expense to the black site where Mohammed was held so that she could personally watch him being waterboarded.” However, according to Mayer, she is not an interrogator and has “no legitimate reason to be present during Mohammed’s interrogation.” A former colleague will say she went because, “She thought it would be cool to be in the room.” Her presence during KSM’s torture seems “to anger and strengthen his resolve, helping him to hold out longer against the harsh tactics used against him.” Bikowsky will later be reprimanded for this, and, in Mayer’s words, “superiors at the CIA scold […] her for treating the painful interrogation as a show.” A former colleague will say: “She got in some trouble. They told her, ‘It’s not supposed to be entertainment.’” [Mayer, 2008, pp. 273] Bikowsky may be interviewed by the CIA inspector general’s probe into torture (see July 16, 2003) and will later be considered for the position of deputy station chief in Baghdad (see (March 23, 2007)).
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Alfreda Frances Bikowsky, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Alec Station
After March 7, 2003: Alleged 9/11 Mastermind KSM Repeatedly Waterboarded in Poland
After being transferred from Afghanistan to Poland (see March 7 - Mid-April, 2003), alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is repeatedly waterboarded by the CIA, a technique simulating drowning that international law classifies as torture. He is only one of about four high-ranking detainees waterboarded, according to media reports (see May 2002-2003). [New Yorker, 8/6/2007; MSNBC, 9/13/2007; New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009] He will recall: “I would be strapped to a special bed, which could be rotated into a vertical position. A cloth would be placed over my face. Cold water from a bottle that had been kept in a fridge was then poured onto the cloth by one of the guards so that I could not breathe.… The cloth was then removed and the bed was put into a vertical position. The whole process was then repeated during about one hour. Injuries to my ankles and wrists also occurred during the waterboarding as I struggled in the panic of not being able to breathe. Female interrogators were also present… and a doctor was always present, standing out of sight behind the head of [the] bed, but I saw him when he came to fix a clip to my finger which was connected to a machine. I think it was to measure my pulse and oxygen content in my blood. So they could take me to [the] breaking point.” [New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009] Accounts about the use of waterboarding on KSM differ. He says he is waterboarded five times. [New York Review of Books, 3/15/2009] However, contradictory reports will later appear:
NBC News will claim that, according to multiple unnamed officials, KSM underwent at least two sessions of waterboarding and other extreme measures before talking. One former senior intelligence official will say, “KSM required, shall we say, re-dipping.” [MSNBC, 9/13/2007]
In 2005, former and current intelligence officers and supervisors will tell ABC News that KSM “won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last between two and two-and-a-half minutes before begging to confess.” [ABC News, 11/18/2005] In 2007, a former CIA official familiar with KSM’s case will tell ABC News a sligntly different version of events: “KSM lasted the longest under waterboarding, about a minute and a half, but once he broke, it never had to be used again.” A senior CIA official will claim that KSM later admitted he only confessed because of the waterboarding. [ABC News, 9/14/2007] In November 2005, John Sifton of Human Rights Watch will say of waterboarding, “The person believes they are being killed, and as such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law.” [ABC News, 11/18/2005]
The New York Times will claim that “KSM was subjected to intense and repeated torture techniques that, at the time, were specifically designated as illegal under US law.” Some claim that KSM gives useful information. “However, many of the officials interviewed say KSM provided a raft of false and exaggerated statements that did not bear close scrutiny—the usual result, experts say, of torture.” CIA officials stopped the “extreme interrogation” sessions after about two weeks, worrying that they might have exceeded their legal bounds. Apparently pressure to stop comes from Jack Goldsmith, head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, who is troubled about updates from KSM’s interrogations and raises legal questions. He is angrily opposed by the White House, particularly David Addington, a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. [New York Times, 10/4/2007]
The New Yorker will report that officials who have seen a classified Red Cross report say that KSM claims he was waterboarded five times. Further, he says he was waterboarded even after he started cooperating. But two former CIA officers will insist that he was waterboarded only once. One of them says that KSM “didn’t resist. He sang right away. He cracked real quick. A lot of them want to talk. Their egos are unimaginable. KSM was just a little doughboy.” [New Yorker, 8/6/2007]
A different ABC News account will claim that KSM was al-Qaeda’s toughest prisoner. CIA officers who subject themselves to waterboarding last only about 14 seconds, but KSM was able to last over two minutes. [ABC News, 11/18/2005]
In 2009, evidence will surface that indicates KSM was waterboarded up to 183 times (see April 16, 2009 and April 18, 2009).
Entity Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Central Intelligence Agency, John Sifton
March 9, 2003: Condoleezza Rice Suggests Hussein Could Work with Al-Qaeda to Attack US
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice goes on to speculate on CBS Face the Nation that Hussein may eventually decide to “enlist” al-Qaeda to attack the United States. “Now the al-Qaeda is an organization that’s quite disbursed and—and quite widespread in its effects, but it clearly has had links to the Iraqis, not to mention Iraqi links to all kinds of other terrorists. And what we do not want is the day when Saddam Hussein decides that he’s had enough of dealing with sanctions, enough of dealing with, quote, unquote, ‘containment,’ enough of dealing with America, and it’s time to end it on his terms, by transferring one of these weapons, just a little vial of something, to a terrorist for blackmail or for worse.” [Face the Nation, 3/9/2003; US House Committee on Government Reform, 3/16/2004]
Entity Tags: Condoleezza Rice
March 10, 2003: Dubious Arrest Video Raises Question of KSM-ISI Connection
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed shortly after arrest. (Note: this picture is from a video presentation on prisoners the Pakistani government gave to BBC filmmakers, and it is not from the ISI video. It has been adjusted to remove some blue tinge.) [Source: BBC's "The New Al-Qaeda."]One week after the purported arrest of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) in Pakistan (see February 29 or March 1, 2003), the ISI show what they claim is a video of the capture. It is openly mocked as a bad forgery by the few reporters allowed to see it. [ABC News, 3/11/2003; Reuters, 3/11/2003; Pakistan News Service (Newark, CA), 3/11/2003; Daily Times (Lahore), 3/13/2003] For instance, a Fox News reporter says, “Foreign journalists looking at it laughed and said this is baloney, this is a reconstruction.” [Fox News, 3/10/2003] Other information about the arrest also raises questions about his relationship with the ISI (see Spring 1993). At the time of KSM’s alleged arrest, he was staying in a neighborhood filled with ISI officials, just a short distance from ISI headquarters, leading to suspicions that he’d been doing so with ISI approval. [Lateline, 3/3/2003] One expert notes that after his arrest, “Those who think they have ISI protection will stop feeling that comfort level.” [Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 3/2/2003] Journalist Robert Fisk reports, “Mohammed was an ISI asset; indeed, anyone who is ‘handed over’ by the ISI these days is almost certainly a former (or present) employee of the Pakistani agency whose control of Taliban operatives amazed even the Pakistani government during the years before 2001.” [Toronto Star, 3/3/2003]
Entity Tags: Pakistan Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Category Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Pakistan and the ISI
Shortly Before March 14, 2003: CIA Allegedly Prevents Bush from Mentioning Atta in Prague Claim in Speech
In 2007, Newsweek will claim that still-classified portions of a CIA cable reveal that some White House officials wanted to mention an alleged meeting between hijacker Mohamed Atta and an Iraqi agent in Prague in a speech President Bush was scheduled to give on March 14, 2003. But after learning of the proposed speech, the CIA station in Prague sent back a cable explaining why the CIA believed the meeting never took place. Accounts differ, but one source familiar with the cable will claim that the cable was “strident” and expressed dismay the White House would try to fit the dubious claim into Bush’s speech only days before the US begins a planned invasion of Iraq. There is no proof that Bush ever saw the cable and he ultimately does not mention the claim in his speech. A senior intelligence official at the time will later claim that the White House proposed on multiple occasions to mention the claim in speeches by Bush and Vice President Cheney. While Bush never mentioned it, Cheney did on several occasions before the Iraq war began. For instance, in December 2001, Cheney claimed, “It’s been pretty well confirmed, that [Atta] did go to Prague and he did meet with a senior official of the Iraqi intelligence service…” (see December 9, 2001). [Newsweek, 9/13/2006]
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Richard (“Dick”) Cheney, White House, George W. Bush
March 14, 2003: Afghanistan Becomes Number One Heroin Producer
The Afghan government warns that unless the international community hands over the aid it promised, Afghanistan will slip back into its role as the world’s premier heroin producer. The country’s foreign minister warns Afghanistan could become a “narco-mafia state.” [BBC, 3/17/2003] A United Nations study later in the month notes that Afghanistan is once again the world’s number one heroin producer, producing 3,750 tons in 2002. Farmers are growing more opium poppies than ever throughout the country, including areas previously free of the crop. [Associated Press, 3/27/2003]
Entity Tags: United Nations, Afghanistan
Category Tags: Afghanistan, Drugs
March 14, 2003: Justice Department Claims Military Can Ignore Laws against Torture, Assault, Maiming, and Drugging Detainees
The Justice Department sends a legal memorandum to the Pentagon that claims federal laws prohibiting torture, assault, maiming, and other crimes do not apply to military interrogators questioning al-Qaeda captives because the president’s authority as commander in chief overrides the law. The 81-page memo, written by the Office of Legal Counsel’s John Yoo, is not publicly revealed for over five years (see April 1, 2008).
President Can Order Maiming, Disfigurement of Prisoners - Yoo writes that infractions such as slapping, shoving, and poking detainees do not warrant criminal liability. Yoo goes even farther, saying that the use of mind-altering drugs can be used on detainees as long as they do not produce “an extreme effect” calculated to “cause a profound disruption of the senses or personality.” [John C. Yoo, 3/14/2003 ; Washington Post, 4/2/2008] Yoo asks if the president can order a prisoner’s eyes poked out, or if the president could order “scalding water, corrosive acid or caustic substance” thrown on a prisoner. Can the president have a prisoner disfigured by slitting an ear or nose? Can the president order a prisoner’s tongue torn out or a limb permanently disabled? All of these assaults are noted in a US law prohibiting maiming. Yoo decides that no such restrictions exist for the president in a time of war; that law does not apply if the president deems it inapplicable. The memo contains numerous other discussions of various harsh and tortuous techniques, all parsed in dry legal terms. Those tactics are all permissible, Yoo writes, unless they result in “death, organ failure, or serious impairment of bodily functions.” Some of the techniques are proscribed by the Geneva Conventions, but Yoo writes that Geneva does not apply to detainees captured and accused of terrorism. [Washington Post, 4/6/2008]
'National Self-Defense' - Yoo asserts that the president’s powers as commander in chief supersede almost all other laws, even Constitutional provisions. “If a government defendant were to harm an enemy combatant during an interrogation in a manner that might arguably violate a criminal prohibition, he would be doing so in order to prevent further attacks on the United States by the al-Qaeda terrorist network,” Yoo writes. “In that case, we believe that he could argue that the executive branch’s constitutional authority to protect the nation from attack justified his actions.… Even if an interrogation method arguably were to violate a criminal statute, the Justice Department could not bring a prosecution because the statute would be unconstitutional as applied in this context.” Interrogators who harmed a prisoner are protected by a “national and international version of the right to self-defense.” He notes that for conduct during interrogations to be illegal, that conduct must “shock the conscience,” an ill-defined rationale that will be used by Bush officials for years to justify the use of waterboarding and other extreme interrogation methods. Yoo writes, “Whether conduct is conscience-shocking turns in part on whether it is without any justification,” explaining that that it would have to be inspired by malice or sadism before it could be prosecuted.
Memo Buttresses Administration's Justifications of Torture - The Justice Department will tell the Defense Department not to use the memo nine months later (see December 2003-June 2004), but Yoo’s reasoning will be used to provide a legal foundation for the Defense Department’s use of aggressive and potentially illegal interrogation tactics. The Yoo memo is a follow-up and expansion to a similar, though more narrow, August 2002 memo also written by Yoo (see August 1, 2002). Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will suspend a list of aggressive interrogation techniques he had approved, in part because of Yoo’s memo, after an internal revolt by Justice Department and military lawyers (see February 6, 2003, Late 2003-2005 and December 2003-June 2004). However, in April 2003, a Pentagon working group will use Yoo’s memo to endorse the continued use of extreme tactics. [John C. Yoo, 3/14/2003 ; Washington Post, 4/2/2008; New York Times, 4/2/2008]
Justice Department Claims Attorney General Knows Nothing of Memo - Yoo sends the memo to the Pentagon without the knowledge of Attorney General John Ashcroft or Ashcroft’s deputy, Larry Thompson, senior department officials will say in 2008. [Washington Post, 4/4/2008]
Entity Tags: US Department of Justice, John C. Yoo, Larry D. Thompson, Al-Qaeda, Office of Legal Counsel (DOJ), Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft, Geneva Conventions, US Department of Defense
Timeline Tags: Torture of US Captives, Civil Liberties
March 14, 2003: Spanish Police Hone in on Apartment of Madrid Bomber
On March 14, 2003, Spanish police begin intensively monitoring Islamist militant Mouhannad Almallah. They locate his house on Quimicos street in Madrid and begin monitoring it too. They notice that his brother Moutaz is frequently traveling back and forth between Madrid and London. Police also apparently begin videotaping the house, although details on that are unclear. [El Mundo (Madrid), 8/10/2005] Mouhannad had been a suspect since 1998, and Moutaz since 1995, and both had already been monitored to some degree (see November 1995). Both were linked to the al-Qaeda cell originally run by Barakat Yarkas. [El Mundo (Madrid), 3/2/2005] Surveillance on Mouhannad increased after police linked him to a group of militants meeting at the Virgen de Coro apartment owned and frequented by him and his brother (see January 17, 2003-Late March 2004). The police will continue to monitor him until the Madrid bombings. He will later get 12 years for his role in those bombings (see October 31, 2007).
Entity Tags: Moutaz Almallah, Mouhannad Almallah
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda in Spain, 2004 Madrid Train Bombings, Remote Surveillance
March 14, 2003: President Bush Waives Last Remaining US Sanctions on Pakistan
President Bush waives the last set of US sanctions against Pakistan. The US imposed a new series of sanctions against Pakistan in 1998, after Pakistan exploded a nuclear weapon (see May 28, 1998), and in 1999, when President Pervez Musharraf overthrew a democratically elected government (see October 12, 1999). The lifted sanctions had prohibited the export of US military equipment and military assistance to a country whose head of government has been deposed. Some other sanctions were waived shortly after 9/11. Bush’s move comes as Musharraf is trying to decide whether or not to support a US-sponsored United Nations resolution which could start war with Iraq. It also comes two weeks after 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan (see February 29 or March 1, 2003). [Agence France-Presse, 3/14/2003]
Entity Tags: Pervez Musharraf, George W. Bush
Category Tags: Pakistan and the ISI
March 15, 2003: Alleged Al-Qaeda Leader Captured in Pakistan, Disappears into US Custody
A Moroccan named Yassir al-Jazeeri is captured in Lahore, Pakistan, by Pakistani police and the FBI. Al-Jazeeri is not on any wanted list and there is virtually no known public information about him before his arrest, but a Pakistani official will call him one of the seven top leaders of al-Qaeda. He is said to be linked to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in some way, who was arrested in Pakistan not long before (see February 29 or March 1, 2003). He is soon transferred into US custody. Witnesses see him at a CIA operated portion of the Bagram prison in Afghanistan in late 2003 through early 2004. One fellow detainee will later claim that al-Jazeeri told him he had been tortured and permanently injured, and forced to listen to loud music for four months straight. In 2007, Human Rights Watch will list him as a likely “ghost detainee” still being held by the US (see June 7, 2007). [Human Rights Watch, 6/7/2007]
Entity Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Central Intelligence Agency, Yassir al-Jazeeri
Category Tags: Key Captures and Deaths, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
Mid-March 2003: Al-Qaeda Operative in US Is Arrested, Informs on Others
Iyman Faris. [Source: Justice Department]Shortly after al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is captured in Pakistan in early March 2003 (see February 29 or March 1, 2003), US investigators discover an e-mail sent to KSM from an associate in the US. They learn the e-mail is from Iyman Faris, a truck driver living in Columbus, Ohio, who is a naturalized US citizen from Kashmir, Pakistan. Faris had been working on a plot to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge by cutting its suspension cables, but in the e-mail he complained to KSM that such a plot would be impossible to carry out. Faris is secretly arrested around the middle of March, and taken to a government safe house in Virginia. FBI agents threaten to have him declared an enemy combatant unless he cooperates, and also offer to move his extended family from Pakistan to the US if he does cooperate. He agrees, and begins phoning and sending e-mail messages to other al-Qaeda operatives while the FBI watches. A senior US official will later say: “He was sitting in the safe house making calls for us. It was a huge triumph for law enforcement.” Faris pleads guilty in early May to providing material support to al-Qaeda. [Time, 6/30/2003] In late June, Newsweek reveals Faris’s links to al-Qaeda and KSM, presumably ending his effectiveness as an informant. Interestingly, Newsweek notes that Faris got a speeding ticket in Ohio in May, suggesting he was being allowed to travel. [Newsweek, 6/15/2003] The charges against him are made public days after the Newsweek article. He later withdraws his guilty plea, but is subsequently convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. [CBS News, 6/14/2004]
Entity Tags: Iyman Faris, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Category Tags: Other Possible Moles or Informants, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Key Captures and Deaths, Internal US Security After 9/11
March 17, 2003: Ricin Scare in Paris is False Alarm
A suspicious substance is discovered in a train station locker at the Gare de Lyon in central Paris. Agents find two vials of powder, a bottle of liquid, and two other vials with liquid. The Interior Ministry says the contents of the vials are “traces of ricin in a mixture which has proven to be a very toxic poison.” [Newsday, 4/12/2003] Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy calls for greater public vigilance and says there could be a connection with a network of Islamic extremists who were detained around the capital in December. Officials have in the past linked ricin production to al-Qaeda and Iraq. On January 5, British police claimed to find traces of ricin in a raid on a London flat during which five men of North African origin with alleged al-Qaeda connections were arrested (see January 5, 2003). [BBC, 4/11/2003]
Terrorism Scare - The discovery sparks widespread terrorism concerns just two days before the invasion of Iraq. French authorities double the number of soldiers in the streets to 800 and order increased surveillance in train stations and ports. Flights are temporarily banned over nuclear power plants, chemical, petrochemical and other sensitive facilities. [Newsday, 4/12/2003] Ricin, which is derived from castor beans, is relatively easy to make and stockpile. If added to food or drinks, or injected into a victim, it causes severe and rapid bleeding to the stomach and intestines. If the poison gets into the bloodstream, it can attack the liver, kidneys and spleen, often leading to death. It may be inhaled, ingested or injected. There is no treatment or antidote. [New York Times, 4/12/2003]
Alleged al-Qaeda link - US officials said in August that the Islamic extremist group Ansar al-Islam tested ricin along with other chemical and biological agents in northern Iraq, territory controlled by Kurds, not Saddam Hussein. The group is allegedly linked to al-Qaeda. UN weapons inspectors, who left Iraq in 1998 after a first round of inspections, listed ricin among the poisons they believed Saddam produced and later failed to account for. [Newsday, 4/12/2003]
False alarm - The ministry soon downgrades the assessment, saying the traces of suspected ricin are too minute to be lethal. In fact, the substance later proves to be entirely harmless. Further Defense Ministry laboratory tests show the vials contain a mixture of ground barley and wheat germ. “Preliminary tests pointed towards ricin but they were not confirmed by more complete analysis,” an official says. [BBC, 4/11/2003] They said the grain was mistakenly identified as ricin because it consists of protein whose structure is similar to that of ricin. [New York Times, 4/12/2003] However, French officials are still not entirely satisfied that the substances found are not in some way related to a planned terrorist attack. A senior Interior Ministry says the substances may be “the product of an experiment” or the remains of an effort to produce a toxic weapon. Antiterrorism police agents will continue to investigate the incident, the officials says. [New York Times, 4/12/2003]
Entity Tags: Ansar al-Islam, Al-Qaeda, Nicolas Sarkozy
Category Tags: Terror Alerts, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
March 17, 2003: Homeland Security Raises Threat Level, Advises Americans to Buy Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) raises the national threat level to orange, or “high.” DHS director Tom Ridge tells Americans, not for the first time (see February 7-13, 2003), to stock up on duct tape and plastic sheeting as protection against biological and/or radiological attacks. [Unger, 2007, pp. 293] The duct tape and plastic sheeting recommendations have become something of a national joke by this point, with Saturday Night Live comedians riffing on the topic and a Tom Ridge impersonator performing while wrapped in plastic sheeting for Ridge and President Bush at a recent Gridiron dinner. Late-night talk show host Jay Leno recently said after having Ridge on his show: “When problems seem overwhelming, simplistic solutions always seem funny. Duct tape and plastic sheeting? When the threat level goes down, it’ll be downgraded to Scotch tape and two Ziploc bags.” On a more serious note, David Ropeik of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis says: “Ridge and the department need to come up with a better way of saying, ‘Be afraid.’ They say, ‘Be alert,’ and then out of the other side of their mouth they say, ‘Go about your normal lives.’ To most of us, those messages don’t mesh. They also need to be more specific. When the threat level goes from yellow to orange, tell us what we can do besides being more alert.” Gary Hart, the former Democratic senator who helped compile the report that eventually led to the creation of the department (see January 31, 2001), says: “The idea of using duct tape to protect yourself would resonate only if people could see the government taking action to protect you. But because the government has done so little against terrorism at home, it sounded as if they were saying, ‘You’re on your own.’” Ridge may have gotten the last laugh on Leno’s show, when Leno asked sardonically: “I’m sitting at home in my underpants watching the game and, boop, we’re in yellow. What do I do now?” Ridge replied, “Change shorts.” [New York Times, 3/17/2003]
Entity Tags: US Department of Homeland Security, David Ropeik, Gary Hart, Tom Ridge, George W. Bush, Jay Leno
Category Tags: Terror Alerts
March 17, 2003: President Bush Justifies Imminent US Invasion of Iraq, Claims Iraq Has WMDs and Al-Qaeda Links
In a televised address to the nation, shortly before the US officially begins its invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush justifies the need to use military force. He asserts that the US has “pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without war,” but that Iraq “has uniformly defied Security Council resolutions demanding full disarmament.” He maintains that Iraq “continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised” and “has aided, trained, and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al-Qaeda.… Today, no nation can possibly claim that Iraq has disarmed.” Bush then gives Saddam Hussein an ultimatum, warning the Iraqi leader that if he and his sons do not leave Iraq within 48 hours, the US will use military force to topple his government. The choice is his, Bush says. “Should Saddam Hussein choose confrontation, the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war, and every measure will be taken to win it.” He assures Iraqis that the US will liberate them and bring them democracy and warns Iraq’s military not to destroy its country’s oil wells or obey orders to deploy weapons of mass destruction. As to the issue of war crimes, Bush says: “War crimes will be prosecuted, war criminals will be punished and it will be no defense to say, ‘I was just following orders.’” [US President, 3/24/2003]
Entity Tags: George W. Bush
March 17-18, 2003: FBI Alleges Al-Qaeda Likely to Attack to Help Saddam Hussein
On March 17, 2003, the National Alert Level is raised to orange. The FBI warns of terror strikes directed by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein or “allied or sympathetic terrorist organizations, most notably the al-Qaeda network.” This warning clearly attempts to establish a connection between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist activities of al-Qaeda. Interestingly, this third orange alert comes three days before President Bush invades Iraq, opening what he calls the “central front of the War on Terror.” The attack claim is debunked by future CIA director Porter Goss, then the chair of the House intelligence committee. He states that there is no intelligence which suggests a new attack. [Rolling Stone, 9/21/2006 ] The next day, the Arizona National Guard is alerted and sent to an Arizona nuclear plant because “an attack by al-Qaeda agents [is] imminent.” No attack materializes. [News Hounds, 10/9/2004]
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush, Porter J. Goss, Federal Bureau of Investigation
(Before March 18, 2003): CIA Conducts Major Review of Iraq Intelligence; Finds No Evidence of a Link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda
After the US Department of Defense publishes several reports linking al-Qaeda to Iraq, CIA Director George Tenet orders CIA researchers and analysts—who have maintained that there are no such links—to go through all the agency’s records on Iraq and al-Qaeda and search for evidence of the alleged relationship. CIA researcher Michael Scheuer leads the effort, which combs through about 19,000 documents going back nine or 10 years. Scheuer will later say, “there was no connection between [al-Qaeda] and Saddam. There were indications that al-Qaeda people had transited Iraq, probably with the Iraqis turning a blind eye to it. There were some hints that there was a contact between the head of the intelligence service of the Iraqis with bin Laden when he was in the Sudan, but nothing you could put together and say, ‘Here is a relationship that is similar to the relationship between Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah,’ which was what Doug Feith’s organization was claiming. There was simply nothing to support that.” [Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 11/24/2004; PBS Frontline, 6/20/2006; PBS Frontline, 6/20/2006 Sources: Michael Scheuer]
Entity Tags: US Department of Defense, Michael Scheuer, George J. Tenet
Between March 16 and 20, 2003: Associate of 9/11 Hijackers Possibly Escapes US
Gulshair Shukrijumah, Adnan’s father. [Source: Fox News]Suspect Adnan Shukrijumah is able to escape the US despite growing evidence of his involvement with al-Qaeda and even his connection with some 9/11 hijackers. Shukrijumah lives in Miramar, Florida, and neighbors claim to have seen him as recently as March 15 and 16, 2003. For instance, one neighbor, Orville Campbell, says he saw Shukrijumah at a neighborhood barbeque on the afternoon of March 16. On March 20, just four days later, the FBI announces a $5 million reward for Shukrijumah, after he apparently has left the country (see March 21, 2003 and After). Just after the announcement, the New York Times reports, “Residents of Miramar, Fla., said a man who appeared to be Mr. Shukrijumah was living there as recently as last weekend.” [New York Times, 3/21/2003] It is unclear why Shukrijumah was not monitored closely enough to prevent him leaving the US. CNN reports that Shukrijumah’s name first came up in documents recovered after 9/11 associate Ramzi bin al-Shibh was arrested in Pakistan in September 2002. Additionally, his name came up again in documents seized in early March 2003 when 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was arrested in Pakistan. Those documents referred to him as someone who would carry out a suicide attack. Additionally, by March 19, Mohammed identified him as one of his deputies. [CNN, 3/22/2003; US News and World Report, 3/30/2003] But those were hardly the first times US intelligence saw a link between Shukrijumah and al-Qaeda.
His father, Gulshair Shukrijumah, was the imam of a Florida mosque, and appears to have been under suspicion before 9/11 because of his links to the “Blind Sheikh,” Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman, and others convicted of roles in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (2000-2001).
From November 2000 to the spring of 2002, the FBI in Florida investigated a group of Muslims it suspected of being terrorists, including Adnan Shukrijumah. Two members of the group were arrested in May 2002 and later found guilty and given prison sentences (see November 2000-Spring 2002). In April and May 2001, the focus was on Shukrijumah, but he was careful and the FBI was only able to prove that he lied on his green card application regarding a prior arrest (see April-May 2001).
An FBI informant, Elie Assaad, infiltrated the mosque run by Adnan’s father in early 2001, and grew suspicious of Adnan and his friend, 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta. However, his FBI handlers assigned him easier targets instead (see Early 2001). Assaad claims that shortly after 9/11, he grew very upset after he realized that Atta was one of the hijackers. “I curse on everybody. I destroyed half of my furniture. Uh, I went crazy.” Presumably Assaad would have told his FBI superiors about the link between Shukrijumah and Atta, if they didn’t know about it already. [ABC News, 9/10/2009]
It appears that 9/11 hijacker Marwan al-Shehhi attended the same small mosque as Adnan Shukrijumah and Atta. Shortly after 9/11, the FBI visited the mosque and asked Adnan’s parents if they recognized any of the hijackers and if Adnan knew Atta or had mentioned trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan (see 2000-2001).
In the spring of 2001, the FBI also investigated Shukrijumah in connection with another Florida-based Islamist militant group. While the FBI developed evidence against others in the group, Shukrijumah kept his distance from the main plotters and he could not be linked to their plans (see (Spring 2001)).
Shukrijumah was also seen going to the Miami District Immigration Office with Atta and one other man, who may have been 9/11 hijacker Ziad Jarrah (see May 2, 2001).
One article published in March 2003, shortly after the announcement of the reward money to find Shukrijumah, claims that in the months after 9/11, US agents went to his parents’ Florida home six times to ask about him, but he was never there. Furthermore, his parents claimed he had been gone since before 9/11 and rarely called. His parents also claim he is innocent of any links to Islamic militancy. [US News and World Report, 3/30/2003] It is unclear if the neighbors who knew Shukrijumah were mistaken that he was still in Florida well after 9/11, or if he was able to stay in the US for a long time without the FBI finding him.
Entity Tags: Marwan Alshehhi, Gulshair Shukrijumah, Elie Assaad, Ziad Jarrah, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mohamed Atta, Adnan Shukrijumah
Category Tags: Possible Hijacker Associates in US, 9/11 Investigations, FBI 9/11 Investigation
March 18, 2003: President Bush Sends Letter to Congress Justifying Decision to Invade Iraq
President Bush sends a letter to Congress justifying the invasion of Iraq. The letter is addressed to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and President Pro Tempore of the Senate Ted Stevens (R-AK). In the letter, Bush declares that he has determined that further diplomacy will not “adequately protect the national security of the United States.” Therefore, he is acting to “take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.” [US President, 3/24/2003; Unger, 2007, pp. 293] This mimics language from a bill passed by Congress in October 2002 (see October 11, 2002), which granted Bush the power to declare war against Iraq if a link with the 9/11 attacks is shown and several other conditions are met. [US Congress, 10/2/2002] But there is no evidence linking Iraq to the 9/11 attacks, a fact that Bush has previously acknowledged (see January 31, 2003).
Entity Tags: US Congress, George W. Bush, Ted Stevens, Dennis Hastert
March 19, 2003: US and Partners Invade Iraq
A building in Baghdad is bombed during the US invasion of Iraq. [Source: Reuters]The US begins its official invasion of Iraq (see (7:40 a.m.) March 19, 2003). While most observers expect a traditional air assault, the US planners instead launch what they call a “Shock and Awe” combination of air and ground assaults designed to avoid direct confrontations with Iraqi military forces and instead destroy Iraqi military command structures. [CNN, 3/20/2003; CNN, 3/20/2003; Unger, 2007, pp. 302] The initial invasion force consists of 250,000 US forces augmented by 45,000 British troops and small contingents from Poland, Australia, and Denmark, elements of the so-called “coalition of the willing.” [BBC, 3/18/2003; Unger, 2007, pp. 302]
Entity Tags: United States
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion, Iraq under US Occupation
Category Tags: Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links, Iraq War Impact on Counterterrorism
March 21, 2003 and After: FBI Offers $5 Million Reward for Information on Atta Associate
The FBI issues a reward of $5 million for information on Adnan Shukrijumah, starting a world-wide manhunt that will last for years. Shukrijumah lived in the same area as most of the 9/11 hijackers and was reportedly seen with Mohamed Atta in the spring of 2001 (see May 2, 2001), when he was being investigated by the FBI over two terrorist plots (see April-May 2001 and (Spring 2001)). Information gleaned from detainees suggests that Shukrijumah is a top al-Qaeda operative who was trained in Afghanistan and is associated with 9/11 architect Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Jose Padilla (see June 10, 2002). In May 2004 Attorney General John Ashcroft will even single out Shukrijumah as the most dangerous al-Qaeda operative planning to attack the US. However, despite reported sightings in Central America, he is still on the run in 2006 and believed to be hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan. [US News and World Report, 4/7/2003; USA Today, 6/15/2003; FrontPage Magazine, 10/27/2003; 9/11 Commission, 8/21/2004, pp. 40-41 ; Los Angeles Times, 9/3/2006]
Flight Training - US authorities claim he is a pilot and has been receiving flight training outside the US for several years, though they do not release any evidence to substantiate this. His family insists that he is neither a qualified pilot nor an al-Qaeda operative. [USA Today, 6/15/2003; CNN, 9/5/2003] A senior Bush administration official says the government has evidence Shukrijumah had attended the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma, but does not say when. Other Islamist militants, including Zacarias Moussaoui, attended that school before 9/11 (see February 23-June 2001, May 18, 1999 and May 15, 1998). The director of the school claims there is no evidence of a student with any of Shukrijumah’s publicly revealed aliases. [New York Times, 3/21/2003]
Entity Tags: John Ashcroft, Adnan Shukrijumah, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mohamed Atta
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Internal US Security After 9/11
March 24, 2003: CIA Drafts Report about KSM Interrogation; KSM Will Later Change Story regarding Almihdhar
The CIA drafts a report containing statements reportedly made by alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) under interrogation at a black site. According to the report, KSM says that 9/11 hijacker Khalid Almihdhar did not receive specialized training at a course for al-Qaeda operatives scheduled for inclusion in the 9/11 operation in late 1999 because he had already received the training from KSM. In later statements, KSM will deny this and say he gave Almihdhar no such training, adding that he assumed Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda military commander Mohammed Atef had excused Almihdhar from the training (see Early December 1999). [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 157, 493] The report also states that KSM says he sent Zacarias Moussaoui to Malaysia (see September-October 2000), that Jemaah Islamiyah leader Hambali helped Moussaoui when he was in Malaysia, and that KSM recalled Moussaoui from Malaysia when he discovered he was behaving badly there. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 490, 520] The US is already aware that Moussaoui had been to Malaysia, that Hambali and KSM were linked, and that Moussaoui behaved badly in Malaysia. [US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, 3/8/2006; US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, 3/8/2006] Details of the report will apparently be leaked to the media four days later (see March 28, 2003).
Entity Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Central Intelligence Agency
Category Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Zacarias Moussaoui, High Value Detainees
March 26, 2003: President Bush Turns Down Increased Budget for 9/11 Commission
Time magazine reports that the 9/11 Commission has requested an additional $11 million to add to the $3 million for the commission, and the Bush administration has turned down the request. The request will not be added to a supplemental spending bill. A Republican member of the commission says the decision will make it “look like they have something to hide.” Another commissioner notes that the recent commission on the Columbia shuttle crash will have a $50 million budget. Stephen Push, a leader of the 9/11 victims’ families, says the decision “suggests to me that they see this as a convenient way for allowing the commission to fail. they’ve never wanted the commission and I feel the White House has always been looking for a way to kill it without having their finger on the murder weapon.” The administration has suggested it may grant the money later, but any delay will further slow down the commission’s work. Already, commission members are complaining that scant progress has been made in the four months since the commission started, and they are operating under a deadline. [Time, 3/26/2003] Three days later, it is reported that the Bush administration has agreed to extra funding, but only $9 million, not $11 million. The commission agrees to the reduced amount. [Washington Post, 3/29/2003] The New York Times criticizes such penny-pinching, saying, “Reasonable people might wonder if the White House, having failed in its initial attempt to have Henry Kissinger steer the investigation, may be resorting to budgetary starvation as a tactic to hobble any politically fearless inquiry.” [New York Times, 3/31/2003]
Entity Tags: 9/11 Commission, Stephen Push, Bush administration (43)
March 27, 2003: Security Clearance of 9/11 Commission Members Stalled
It is reported that “most members” of the 9/11 Commission still have not received security clearances. [Washington Post, 3/27/2003] For instance, Slade Gorton, picked in December 2002, is a former senator with a long background in intelligence issues. Fellow commissioner Lee Hamilton says, “It’s kind of astounding that someone like Senator Gorton can’t get immediate clearance. It’s a matter we are concerned about.” The commission is said to be at a “standstill” because of the security clearance issue, and cannot even read the classified findings of the previous 9/11 Congressional Inquiry. [Seattle Times, 3/12/2003]
Entity Tags: 9/11 Commission, Slade Gorton, Lee Hamilton, 9/11 Congressional Inquiry
March 28, 2003: First Details of KSM’s Interrogations Leaked to Press
The first details of the interrogation of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) are leaked to the press and appear in the Washington Post. At least some of the information appears to come from a report on KSM’s interrogation drafted four days ago. According to the Post article, KSM claims that Zacarias Moussaoui, an al-Qaeda operative arrested in the US in August 2001 (see August 16, 2001), was not part of the 9/11 plot and was scheduled for a follow-up attack. He also says that Moussaoui was helped by Jemaah Islamiyah leader Hambali and Yazid Sufaat, one of Hambali’s associates. KSM reportedly says Sufaat attempted to develop biological weapons for al-Qaeda, but failed because he could not obtain a strain of anthrax that could be dispersed as a weapon. This information appears to be based on a CIA report of KSM’s interrogation drafted on March 24, which discussed KSM’s knowledge of Moussaoui’s stay in Malaysia, where he met both Hambali and Sufaat (see March 24, 2003). The Post notes that if KSM’s claim about Moussaoui were true, this could complicate the prosecution of Moussaoui. For example, it quotes former prosecutor Andrew McBride saying that “on the death penalty, it is quite helpful to Moussaoui.” [Washington Post, 3/28/2003] During the Moussaoui trial, the statement about Moussaoui’s non-involvement in the 9/11 operation will be submitted to the jury as a part of a substitution for testimony by KSM. [US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 7/31/2006 ] Moussaoui will escape the death penalty by one vote (see May 3, 2006). During this month, KSM is in CIA custody and is waterboarded 183 times over five days (see After March 7, 2003 and April 18, 2009). The claim about Moussaoui is not the full truth, as a communications intercept between KSM and his associate Ramzi bin al-Shibh in July 2001 showed that KSM was considering Moussaoui for the 9/11 plot (see July 20, 2001).
Entity Tags: Andrew McBride, Central Intelligence Agency, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
March 28, 2003: Independence of 9/11 Commission Called Into Question
An article highlights conflicts of interest amongst the commissioners on the 9/11 Commission. It had been previously reported that many of the commissioners had ties to the airline industry (see December 16, 2002), but a number have other ties. “At least three of the ten commissioners serve as directors of international financial or consulting firms, five work for law firms that represent airlines and three have ties to the US military or defense contractors, according to personal financial disclosures they were required to submit.” Bryan Doyle, project manager for the watchdog group Aviation Integrity Project says, “It is simply a failure on the part of the people making the selections to consider the talented pool of non-conflicted individuals.” Commission chairman Thomas Kean says that members are expected to steer clear of discussions that might present even the appearance of a conflict. [Associated Press, 3/28/2003]
Entity Tags: 9/11 Commission, Thomas Kean, Bryan Doyle
March 28, 2003: Al-Qaeda Supporter Now In Charge of Security of Nation Closely Allied with US
The Los Angeles Times reports that, ironically, the man in charge of security for the nation where the US bases its headquarters for the Iraq war is a supporter of al-Qaeda. Sheik Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani is the Interior Minister of Qatar. US Central Command and thousands of US troops are stationed in that country. In 1996, al-Thani was Religious Minister and he apparently let 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) live on his farm (see January-May 1996). Mohammed was tipped off that the US was after him. Some US officials believe al-Thani was the one who helped KSM escape, just as he had assisted other al-Qaeda leaders on other occasions. [Los Angeles Times, 3/28/2003] Another royal family member has sheltered al-Qaeda leaders and given over $1 million to al-Qaeda. KSM was even sheltered by Qatari royalty for two weeks after 9/11 (see Late 2001). [New York Times, 2/6/2003] Ahmad Hikmat Shakir, who has ties to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (see February 26, 1993), the Bojinka plot (see January 6, 1995), and also attended the January 2000 al-Qaeda summit in Malaysia (see January 5-8, 2000), was sheltered by al-Thani’s religious ministry in 2000. [Newsweek, 9/30/2002] Former counterterrorism “tsar” Richard Clarke says al-Thani “had great sympathy for Osama bin Laden, great sympathy for terrorist groups, was using his personal money and ministry money to transfer to al-Qaeda front groups that were allegedly charities.” However, the US has not attempted to apprehend al-Thani or take any other action against him. [Los Angeles Times, 3/28/2003]
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, Richard A. Clarke, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Osama bin Laden, Abdallah bin Khalid al-Thani, United States, Ahmad Hikmat Shakir
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Other Government-Militant Collusion
March 30, 2003: Alleged Female Al-Qaeda Sleeper Agent Disappears in Pakistan
Aafia Siddiqui. [Source: FBI]Alleged al-Qaeda member Aafia Siddiqui vanishes in Karachi, Pakistan, with her three children. Although she and her family are Pakistani, she had been a long-time US resident until late 2002, and had even graduated with a biology degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The day after her disappearance, local newspapers will report that an unnamed woman has been taken into custody on terrorism charges, which is unusual since nearly all terrorism suspects have been men. A Pakistan interior ministry spokesman confirms that Siddiqui is the woman who has been arrested. But several days later, both the Pakistan government and the FBI publicly deny that she is being held. Later in 2003, her mother will claim that two days after her disappearance, “a man wearing a motor-bike helmet” arrives at the Siddiqui home in Karachi, and without taking off his helmet, says that she should keep quiet if she ever wants to see her daughter and grandchildren again. Beginning with a Newsweek article in June 2003, Siddiqui and her husband will be accused of having helped al-Qaeda as possible US sleeper agents. Siddiqui’s sister will claim that in 2004 she is told by Pakistan’s interior minister that Siddiqui has been released and will return home shortly. Also in 2004, FBI Director Robert Mueller will announce at a press conference that Siddiqui is wanted for questioning. Siddiqui divorced her long-time husband in 2002. The BBC will later report that, shortly before her disappearance, she married Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, a nephew of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and alleged participant in the 9/11 plot. “Although her family denies this, the BBC has been able to confirm it from security sources and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s family.” In July 2008, she will reappear in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan, and then be transferred to the US to stand trial for murder (see July 17, 2008). Allegations continue that she was secretly held by the US or Pakistan some or all of the five years between 2003 and 2008. Her three children will not be seen following their disappearance. [BBC, 8/6/2008]
Entity Tags: Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, Aafia Siddiqui
9:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. March 31, 2003: 9/11 Commission Says It Will Not ‘Point Fingers,’ Family Members Are Disappointed
After his opening comments on the first day of the 9/11 Commission’s first hearing, Chairman Tom Kean says, “We will be following paths, and we will follow those individual paths wherever they lead,” adding: “We may end up holding individual agencies, people, and procedures to account. But our fundamental purpose will not be to point fingers.” According to author Philip Shenon, there is “a rumble in the audience, even a few groans,” as the victims’ family members realize “what the Commission would not do: It did not intend to make a priority of blaming government officials for 9/11.” Shenon will add: “A few of the family advocates cocked their ears, wondering if they had heard Kean correctly. They had pushed so hard to create the Commission because they wanted fingers pointed at the government. And Kean knew it; the families had told him that over and over again in their early meetings. For many families, this investigation was supposed to be all about finger pointing. They wanted strict accountability, especially at the White House, the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon, and other agencies that had missed the clues that might have prevented 9/11. The families wanted subpoenas—and indictments and jail sentences, if that was where the facts led.” [Shenon, 2008, pp. 99]
Lack of Publicity - This hearing and the next two do not receive much publicity and Commission Chairman Tom Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton will later call them “background policy hearings in front of a C-SPAN audience.” They will later say that at this point the Commission “was not ready to present findings and answers,” since the various staff teams are nowhere near completing their tasks. For example, the team investigating the air defense failure on the day of 9/11 will not even issue a subpoena for the documents it needs until autumn (see Late October 2003 and November 6, 2003). [Kean and Hamilton, 2006, pp. 127-8]
Close to a Disaster - Referring to various problems with the first hearing, including confusion over logistics, low turnout by the public, and the discontent from the victims’ families, Shenon will say that this first public hearing “came close to being a disaster.” [Shenon, 2008, pp. 97]
Entity Tags: Philip Shenon, 9/11 Commission, Thomas Kean, Lee Hamilton
March 31, 2003: US Forces Overrun Supposed Militant ‘Poison Factory’ in Iraq, but Its Poison Capabilities Appear Overblown
A Kurdish soldier allied with US forces stands on the site where the Sargat training camp used to be. He holds a piece of a US cruise missile that hit the camp. [Source: Scott Peterson / Getty Images]US Special Forces working with local Kurdish forces overrun the small border region of Iraq controlled by the militant group Ansar al-Islam. This is where Secretary of State Colin Powell alleged militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had a ‘poison factory’ near the town of Khurmal where chemical weapons of mass destruction capable of killing thousands were made. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers says, “We think that’s probably where the ricin that was found in London probably came; at least the operatives and maybe some of the formulas came from this site.” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld comments, “We’re not certain what we’ll find but we should know more in the next three days - three or four days.” [New York Daily News, 3/31/2003] In a 2007 book, CIA Director George Tenet will claim, “Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, al-Zarqawi’s camp in Khurmal was bombed by the US military. We obtained reliable human intelligence reporting and forensic samples confirming that poisons and toxins had been produced at the camp.” [Tenet, 2007, pp. 277-278] He will further claim that the camp “engaged in production and training in the use of low-level poisons such as cyanide. We had intelligence telling us that al-Zarqawi’s men had tested these poisons on animals and, in at least one case, on one of their own associates. They laughed about how well it worked.” [Tenet, 2007, pp. 350] But Tenet’s claims seem wildly overblown compared to other subsequent news reports about what was found at the camp. In late April 2003, the Los Angeles Times will report that, “Documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, along with interviews with US and Kurdish intelligence operatives, indicate [Ansar al-Islam] was partly funded and armed from abroad; was experimenting with chemicals, including toxic agents and a cyanide-based body lotion; and had international aspirations. But the documents, statements by imprisoned Ansar guerrillas, and visits to the group’s strongholds before and after the war produced no strong evidence of connections to Baghdad and indicated that Ansar was not a sophisticated terrorist organization. The group was a dedicated, but fledgling, al-Qaeda surrogate lacking the capability to muster a serious threat beyond its mountain borders.” A crude chemical laboratory is found in the village of Sargat, but no evidence of any sophisticated equipment is found. “Tests have revealed the presence of hydrogen cyanide and potassium cyanide, poisons normally used to kill rodents and other pests. The group, according to Kurdish officials, had been experimenting on animals with a cyanide-laced cream. Several jars of peach body lotion lay at the site beside chemicals and a few empty wooden birdcages.” While a lot of documentation is found showing intention to create chemical weapons, the actual capability appears to have been quite low. [Los Angeles Times, 4/27/2003] As the Christian Science Monitor will later conclude, the “‘poison factory’ proved primitive; nothing but substances commonly used to kill rodents were found there.” [Christian Science Monitor, 10/16/2003] Journalist Jason Burke will also later comment, “As one of the first journalists to enter the [al-Qaeda] research facilities at the Darunta camp in eastern Afghanistan in 2001, I was struck by how crude they were. The Ansar al-Islam terrorist group’s alleged chemical weapons factory in northern Iraq, which I inspected the day after its capture in 2003, was even more rudimentary.” [Foreign Policy, 5/2004]
Entity Tags: Richard B. Myers, George J. Tenet, Colin Powell, Ansar al-Islam, Donald Rumsfeld, Jason Burke, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
9:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m. March 31, 2003: New York Officials Testify to 9/11 Commission, Mayor Tries to ‘Blindside’ Inquiry
At its first public hearing, the 9/11 Commission takes testimony from New York Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Pataki arrives early and insists that he be allowed to speak immediately, so Commission Chairman Tom Kean interrupts the commissioners’ opening statements expressing their pride in serving on the investigation. Pataki then reads a prepared statement pledging the state’s co-operation with the investigation and leaves without taking questions. Bloomberg testifies next. He had originally said he would not appear, but would send a written statement to be read by somebody else. Then he agreed to appear, but said he would not take questions. Then he agreed to take questions, but insisted his police and fire commissioners would not accompany him. However, he arrives with both of them and says they will take questions. Author Philip Shenon will comment, “it was clear to the commissioners and the staff that the mayor was trying to blindside them,” as the Commission had not had the chance to prepare questions for the police and fire commissioners, vital witnesses in their inquiry. When Bloomberg enters the room to testify, in Shenon’s words, “In a gesture that seem[s] designed to make his disdain even clearer, he casually tosse[s] his prepared testimony onto the witness table before taking his seat, as if this were a routine meeting of the zoning board.” When he starts, he offers an aggressive defense of the way the city responded to the attack, and sharp criticism of the way federal emergency preparedness funds are distributed. Bloomberg conducts himself in this way throughout the inquiry (see November 2003), and Shenon will write that it is never clear if Bloomberg is “genuinely furious or if his anger [is] a well-choreographed show by the billionaire mayor to intimidate the 9/11 Commission.” The Commission does not schedule testimony from former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani for this day, as it wants to wait until it better understands his performance on the day of the attacks. [Shenon, 2008, pp. 96-98, 100-101]
Entity Tags: 9/11 Commission, George E. Pataki, Michael R. Bloomberg, Philip Shenon, Thomas Kean
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. March 31, 2003: US Government Draws Harsh Criticism at First 9/11 Commission Hearing
Mindy Kleinberg. [Source: Public domain]Following introductory statements by 9/11 Commissioners (see 9:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. March 31, 2003) and questioning of New York officials, several of the victims’ relatives testify on the first day of the Commission’s first hearing. One relative is selected from each of the four organizations they have formed. [Shenon, 2008, pp. 102] The relatives are unhappy and, as the Miami Herald reports, “Several survivors of the attack and victims’ relatives testified that a number of agencies, from federal to local, are ducking responsibility for a series of breakdowns before and during September 11.” [Miami Herald, 3/31/2003] The New York Times suggests that the 9/11 Commission would never have been formed if it were not for the pressure of the 9/11 victims’ relatives. [New York Times, 4/1/2003] Some of the relatives strongly disagree with statements from some commissioners that they should not place blame. For instance, Stephen Push states: “I think this Commission should point fingers.… Some of those people [who failed us] are still in responsible positions in government. Perhaps they shouldn’t be.” [United Press International, 3/31/2003] The most critical testimony comes from 9/11 relative Mindy Kleinberg, but her testimony is only briefly reported on by a few newspapers. [United Press International, 3/31/2003; Newsday, 4/1/2003; New York Times, 4/1/2003; New York Post, 4/1/2003; New Jersey Star-Ledger, 4/1/2003] In her testimony, Kleinberg says: “It has been said that the intelligence agencies have to be right 100 percent of the time and the terrorists only have to get lucky once. This explanation for the devastating attacks of September 11th, simple on its face, is wrong in its value. Because the 9/11 terrorists were not just lucky once: They were lucky over and over again.” She points out the insider trading based on 9/11 foreknowledge, the failure of fighter jets to catch the hijacked planes in time, hijackers getting visas in violation of standard procedures, and other events, and asks how the hijackers could have been lucky so many times. [9/11 Commission, 3/31/2003]
Entity Tags: Mindy Kleinberg, Stephen Push, 9/11 Commission
Category Tags: US Government and 9/11 Criticism, 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Investigations
2:00 p.m. March 31, 2003: First Expert Witness for 9/11 Commission Promotes Iraq War
Abraham Sofaer of the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank, becomes the first expert witness to testify before the 9/11 Commission. He uses this opportunity to express his support for the war in Iraq. Sofaer, a former federal judge and State Department legal adviser, will later say that he was pleased to testify before the Commission and that he knew what an honor it was to be the first expert witness. According to author Philip Shenon, the witness list was drawn up by Philip Zelikow, the Commission’s executive director, who appears to be a supporter of the Iraq war (see June 14, 2002). Despite Sofaer’s experience, Shenon will think it “odd” that he is the first expert witness, as he has “no special expertise on the events of September 11.” Instead, he advocates the recent US invasion of Iraq and champions the concept of “preemptive defense” or “preemptive war,” even against a country that poses no imminent military threat. “The president’s principles are strategically necessary, morally sound, and legally defensible,” Sofaer says. He also criticizes the perceived policy of former President Bill Clinton, saying, “The notion that criminal prosecution could bring a terrorist group like al-Qaeda to justice is absurd.” In the future, he says, when an enemy “rises up to kill you,” the US should “rise up and kill him first.” He calls on the Commission to endorse the preemptive war concept, and, in effect, the invasion of Iraq. [Shenon, 2008, pp. 103-104]
Entity Tags: Philip Zelikow, Abraham Sofaer, 9/11 Commission, Philip Shenon
April 2003: 9/11 Commission’s Zelikow Refuses to Approve Half of Interview Requests for ‘Saudi Connection’ Investigators
Two investigators on the 9/11 Commission, Mike Jacobson and Dana Leseman, compile a list of interviews they want to do to investigate leads indicating that two of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, were linked to elements of the Saudi government. The list is submitted to Philip Zelikow, the commission’s executive director, for approval. However, a few days later Zelikow replies that the twenty interviews requested is too much, and they can only do half the interviews. Leseman, a former Justice Department lawyer, is unhappy with this, as it is traditional to demand the widest range of documents and interviews early on, so that reductions can be made later in negotiations if need be.
'We Need the Interviews' - Leseman tells Zelikow that his decision is “very arbitrary” and “crazy,” adding: “Philip, this is ridiculous. We need the interviews. We need these documents. Why are you trying to limit our investigation?” Zelikow says that he does not want to overwhelm federal agencies with document and interview requests at an early stage of the investigation, but, according to author Philip Shenon, after this, “Zelikow was done explaining. He was not in the business of negotiating with staff who worked for him.”
More Conflicts - This is the first of several conflicts between Zelikow and Leseman, who, together with Jacobson, had been on the staff of the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry and had researched this issue there. Shenon will write: “Leseman was that rare thing on the commission: She was not afraid of Zelikow; she would not be intimidated by him. In fact, from the moment she arrived at the commission’s offices on K Street, she seemed to almost relish the daily combat with Zelikow, even if she wondered aloud to her colleagues why there had to be any combat at all.” [Shenon, 2008, pp. 109-111]
Later Fired, Evidence Deleted from Final Report - Zelikow will later fire Leseman from the commission for mishandling classified information (see April 2003 and (April 2003)) and will have the evidence of the Saudi connection gathered by Jacobson and Leseman’s successor, Raj De, deleted from the main text of the commission’s report (see June 2004).
Entity Tags: 9/11 Commission, Dana Leseman, Michael Jacobson, Philip Zelikow
Category Tags: Alhazmi and Almihdhar, Bayoumi and Basnan Saudi Connection, 9/11 Commission, Role of Philip Zelikow, 9/11 Investigations
April 2003: British Home Secretary Campaigns to Strip Leading Islamist Radical Abu Hamza of Citizenship
Items seized in a raid on Abu Hamza’s Finsbury Park mosque in January 2003. [Source: Daily Telegraph]After learning some information about the Islamist militant connections of leading London imam Abu Hamza al-Masri, British Home Secretary David Blunkett initiates a campaign against him. Blunkett introduces legislation to have Abu Hamza stripped of his British citizenship, which he acquired unlawfully (see April 29, 1986), and then either deported or interned. However, the British intelligence service MI5 fails to provide Blunkett with all the information it has about Abu Hamza, who has been an informer for MI5 and Special Branch since 1997 (see Early 1997 and Before May 27, 2004). Even after the relevant legislation is passed in April 2003, the process is drawn out by Abu Hamza, who appeals, delays the appeal process by not filing a defense, and then argues the government should pay his legal fees. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 284-5] A hearing will be held on the case in April 2004 (see April 26, 2004).
Entity Tags: David Blunkett, Abu Hamza al-Masri, UK Security Service (MI5)
Category Tags: Abu Hamza Al-Masri, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
April 2003: US Intelligence Analysts Complain about Pressure to Tie Iraq to Al-Qaeda
Larry C. Johnson, a former CIA deputy director of the US State Department Office of Counterterrorism, will say at a National Press Club briefing in February 2004: “By April of last year, I was beginning to pick up grumblings from friends inside the intelligence community that there had been pressure applied to analysts to come up with certain conclusions. Specifically, I was told that analysts were pressured to find an operational link between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. One analyst, in particular, told me they were repeatedly pressured by the most senior officials in the Department of Defense.” Johnson, who is also a former CIA analyst, adds: “In an e-mail exchange with another friend, I raised the possibility that ‘the Bush administration had bought into a lie.’ My friend, who works within the intelligence community, challenged me on the use of the word, ‘bought,’ and suggested instead that the Bush administration had created the lie.… I have spoken to more than two analysts who have expressed fear of retaliation if they come forward and tell what they know. We know that most of the reasons we were given for going to war were wrong.” [Bamford, 2004, pp. 333-334; Falls Church News-Press, 2/2004 Sources: Larry C. Johnson]
Entity Tags: Larry C. Johnson
April-June 2003: Spanish Authorities Recognize Cell of Future Madrid Bombers but Only Arrest One of Them after Cell Is Linked to Morocco Bombings
In April 2003, Spanish police alert judge Baltasar Garzon to the existence of an Islamist militant cell in Madrid. Garzon has generally led al-Qaeda related investigations in Spain. An intelligence report to Garzon details a cell led by Mustapha Maymouni. Its assistant leaders are said to be Driss Chebli, Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, and the brothers Hassan and Mohammed Larbi ben Sellam. The cell is linked to the radical Takfir Wal Hijra movement and the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (MICG). The MICG is said to be led by Amer el-Azizi, who escaped arrest in Spain (see Shortly After November 21, 2001), and an international arrest warrant has been issued for him. The cell has links to el-Azizi as well. In fact, the wife of one of the cell members recently told the authorities that Fakhet and others are staying in contact with el-Azizi by e-mail (see January 4, 2003), a lead that apparently is not pursued. In May 2003, suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco, kill 45, and the MICG is quickly identified as the group behind the attacks. Maymouni had gone to Morocco just before the bombings and is arrested there later in May (see Late May-June 19, 2003). On June 25, 2003, Chebli is arrested in Spain for his links to the Casablanca bombings. He will later be accused of a minor role in the 9/11 plot and sentenced to six years in prison (see September 26, 2005). However, the others are not arrested at this time. The police who are monitoring Fakhet will later say they do not understand why Fakhet at least was not arrested after the Casablanca bombings due to his link to Maymouni, who is his brother-in-law. Authorities will claim he was not arrested because there was no evidence he was involved in any plot. [El Mundo (Madrid), 3/3/2007] However, this cell is being monitored by a variety of means, including the use of an informant named Abdelkader Farssaoui, a.k.a. Cartagena (see October 2002-June 2003). Even before the Casablanca bombings, Farssaoui tells his handlers that this cell is discussing launching attacks in Morocco and Spain. [El Mundo (Madrid), 10/18/2004] Furthermore, a 2002 report said that Fakhet was preparing for “violent action” (see 2002). Farssaoui will later claim that he came across evidence that Fakhet was also an informant (see Shortly After October 2003). Fakhet will take over leadership of the group after Maymouni’s arrest and will lead most of them in carrying out the Madrid train bombings (see 7:37-7:42 a.m., March 11, 2004).
Entity Tags: Takfir Wal Hijra, Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, Mustapha Maymouni, Mohammed Larbi ben Sellam, Driss Chebli, Abdelkader Farssaoui, Amer el-Azizi, Baltasar Garzon, Hassan ben Sellam
April 2003: 9/11 Commission’s Zelikow Blocks Access to Key Document by ‘Saudi Connection’ Investigators
9/11 Commission Executive Director Philip Zelikow prevents two investigators, Mike Jacobson and Dana Leseman, from viewing a key document they need for their work. Jacobson and Leseman are working on the ‘Saudi Connection’ section of the commission’s investigation, researching leads that there may have been a link between two of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, and elements of the government of Saudi Arabia. Zelikow is also involved in another, related dispute with Leseman at this time (see April 2003).
28 Pages - The classified document in question is part of the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry, 28 pages that were redacted in the final report and concerned possible Saudi government support for two of the 9/11 hijackers (see August 1-3, 2003). The 28 pages were actually written by Jacobson and are obviously relevant to his and Leseman’s work at the 9/11 Commission, but Jacobson cannot remember every detail of what he wrote.
Stalled - Leseman therefore asks Zelikow to get her a copy, but Zelikow fails to do so for weeks, instead concluding a deal with the Justice Department that bans even 9/11 commissioners from some access to the Congressional Inquiry’s files (see Before April 24, 2003). Leseman confronts Zelikow, demanding: “Philip, how are we supposed to do our work if you won’t provide us with basic research material?” Zelikow apparently does not answer, but storms away. [Shenon, 2008, pp. 110-112]
Leseman Later Fired - Leseman later obtains the document through a channel other than Zelikow, and will be fired for this (see (April 2003)).
Entity Tags: Philip Zelikow, 9/11 Commission, Dana Leseman
April 3, 2003: Ex-CIA Director Foresees Many More Wars in Middle East
James Woolsey. [Source: Public domain]Former CIA Director James Woolsey says the US is engaged in a world war, and that it could continue for years: “As we move toward a new Middle East, over the years and, I think, over the decades to come… we will make a lot of people very nervous.” He calls it World War IV (World War III being the Cold War according to neoconservatives like himself ), and says it will be fought against the religious rulers of Iran, the “fascists” of Iraq and Syria, and Islamic extremists like al-Qaeda. He singles out the leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, saying, “We want you nervous.” This echoes the rhetoric of the PNAC, of which Woolsey is a supporter, and the singling out of Egypt and Saudi Arabia echoes the rhetoric of the Defense Policy Board, of which he is a member. In July 2002 (see July 10, 2002), a presentation to that board concluded, “Grand strategy for the Middle East: Iraq is the tactical pivot. Saudi Arabia the strategic pivot. Egypt the prize.” [CNN, 4/3/2003; CNN, 4/3/2003]
Entity Tags: Iran, Al-Qaeda, Iraq, Syria, James Woolsey
Category Tags: US Dominance
(April 2003): Zelikow Fires ‘Saudi Connection’ Investigator from 9/11 Commission in Dispute over 28 Redacted Pages from Congressional Inquiry
9/11 Commission Executive Director Philip Zelikow fires one of the commission’s investigators, Dana Leseman, with whom he has had a number of conflicts (see April 2003). Leseman and a colleague were researching a possible link between two of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, and elements of the government of Saudi Arabia.
Blocked - The firing stems from a dispute over the handling of classified information. Leseman asked Zelikow to provide her with a document she needed for her work, 28 redacted pages from the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry report she had helped research herself, but Zelikow had failed to do so for some time (see April 2003 and August 1-3, 2003). Leseman then obtained a copy of the report through a channel other than Zelikow, which is a breach of the commission’s rules on handling classified information. Some colleagues will later say that this is just a minor infraction of the rules, as the document is relevant to Leseman’s work, she has the security clearance to see it, and she keeps it in a safe in the commission’s offices. However, she does not actually have authorisation to have the document at this point.
'Zero-Tolerance Policy' - Zelikow will later say she violated the commission’s “zero-tolerance policy on the handling of classified information,” and that she “committed a set of very serious violations in the handling of the most highly classified information.” Zelikow is supported by the commission’s lawyer Daniel Marcus, as they are both worried that a scandal about the mishandling of classified information could seriously damage the commission’s ability to obtain more classified information, and will be used as a stick to beat the commission by its opponents.
Fired, Kept Secret - Zelikow is informed that Leseman has the document by a staffer on one of the commission’s other teams who has also had a conflict with Leseman, and fires her “only hours” after learning this. Luckily for the commission and Leseman, no word of the firing reaches the investigation’s critics in Congress. Author Philip Shenon will comment, “The fact that the news did not leak was proof of how tightly Zelikow was able to control the flow of information on the commission.”
'Do Not Cross Me' - Shenon will add: “To Leseman’s friends, it seemed that Zelikow had accomplished all of his goals with her departure. He had gotten rid of the one staff member who had emerged early on as his nemesis; he had managed to eject her without attracting the attention of the press corps or the White House. And he had found a way to send a message to the staff: ‘Do not cross me’.” [Shenon, 2008, pp. 110-113] Zelikow will later be investigated for mishandling classified information himself, but will apparently be exonerated (see Summer 2004).
Entity Tags: Daniel Marcus, Dana Leseman, Philip Shenon, 9/11 Commission, Philip Zelikow
April 6, 2003: Iraqi Training Camp Overrun by US Forces; Allegations Facility Was Used to Train Islamist Terrorists Is Found Baseless
Overhead photo of Salman Pak, with erroneous captioning. [Source: The Beasley Firm]US forces overrun the Iraqi military training facility at Salman Pak, just south of Baghdad. The facility has been identified by several Iraqi National Congress defectors as a training facility for foreign terrorists, possibly aligned with al-Qaeda (see November 6-8, 2001). [New Yorker, 5/12/2003; Knight Ridder, 11/2/2005] The day of the raid, Brigadier General Vincent Brooks attempts to give the impression that US forces have found evidence that the camp was used to train terrorists, telling reporters that the camp was hit “in response to information that had been gained by coalition forces from some foreign fighters that we encountered from other country, not Iraq, and we believe that this camp had been used to train these foreign fighters in terror tactics…. The nature of the work being done by some of those people that we captured, their inferences to the type of training that they received, all of these things give us the impression that there was terrorist training that was conducted at Salman Pak.” Brooks says that tanks, armored personnel carriers, buildings used for “command and control and… morale and welfare” were destroyed. “All of that when you roll it together, the reports, where they’re from, why they might be here tell us there’s a linkage between this regime and terrorism and that’s something that we want to break…. There’s no indications of specific organizations that I’m aware of inside of that. We may still find it as with all operations that we conduct into a place, we look for more information after the operation is complete. We’ll pull documents out of it and see what the documents say, if there’s any links or indications. We’ll look and see if there’s any persons that are recovered that may not be Iraqi.” [CNN, 4/6/2003] However, US forces find no evidence whatsoever of any terrorists training activities at the camp. The story had a sensational effect in the media, and helped feed the public impression that the regime of Saddam Hussein was connected in some way with the 9/11 terrorists, but others, from Iraqi spokespersons to former US intelligence officials, asserted before the March 2003 invation that the Salman Pak facility was built, not for training terrorists, but for training Iraqi special forces to combat passenger jet hijackers. The facility formerly housed an old fuselage, generally identified as being from a Boeing 707, used in the training, and has been used in counter-terrorism training since the mid-1980s. A former CIA station chief says the agency assisted the Iraqis in their training: “We were helping our allies everywhere we had a liaison.” The former station chief adds that it is unlikely that the Iraqis, or anyone else, would train for terrorist strikes in an open facility easily spotted by satellite surveillance and human observers. “That’s Hollywood rinky-dink stuff,” he says. “They train in basements. You don’t need a real airplane to practice hijacking. The 9/11 terrorists went to gyms. But to take one back you have to practice on the real thing.” The US forces comb through Salman Pak, and find nothing to indicate that the facility was used for anything except counter-terrorism training. [New Yorker, 5/12/2003; Knight Ridder, 11/2/2005] In 2004, a senior US official will say of the claims about Salman Pak as a terrorist training facility, “We certainly have found nothing to substantiate that.” [Knight Ridder, 3/15/2004] In 2006, the Senate Intelligence Committee will report similar findings (see ISeptember 8, 2006). The CIA doubted reports of Salman Pak being used as a terrorist training camp as early as 2003 (see January 2003). And former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter was debunking those stories in 2002 (see August 2002).
Entity Tags: Senate Intelligence Committee, Saddam Hussein, Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Al-Qaeda, Iraqi National Congress, Vincent Brooks
Shortly After April 9, 2003: US Troops Find Many Forged Documents in Iraq that Attempt to Link Hussein and Al-Qaeda
In 2007, CIA Director George Tenet will write in a book, “Once US forces reached Baghdad (see April 9, 2003), they discovered—stacked where they could easily find them—purported Iraqi intelligence service documents that showed much tighter links between Saddam [Hussein] and [Abu Musab] al-Zarqawi, and Saddam and al-Qaeda.” CIA analysts work with the Secret Service to check the paper and ink, plus to verify the details mentioned in the documents. But “time and again” the documents turn out to be forgeries. “It was obvious that someone was trying to mislead us. But these raw, unevaluated documents that painted a more nefarious picture of Iraq and al-Qaeda continued to show up in the hands of senior [Bush] administration officials without having gone through normal intelligence channels.” [Tenet, 2007, pp. 356] For instance, one forged document found in December 2003 and reported on by the press will purport that 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta went to Iraq to be trained by Iraqi intelligence agents (see December 14, 2003). Tenet will not speculate who is behind the forgeries.
Entity Tags: George J. Tenet, Central Intelligence Agency
April 11, 2003-March 2004: Ten Cole Bombing Suspects Escape Prison in Yemen, Then Are Recaptured One Year Later
Fahad al-Quso, far left, Jamal al-Badawi, in center with black cap, and two other militants in a Yemeni prison in February 2005. [Source: Khaled Abdullah / Reuters / Corbis]Ten suspects in the USS Cole bombing escape from prison in Aden, Yemen. The suspects include al-Qaeda operatives Jamal al-Badawi and Fahad al-Quso, both thought to play important roles in the Cole bombing (see October 12, 2000). [Associated Press, 4/11/2003] All ten are recaptured in Yemen in March 2004. [New York Times, 3/20/2004] After al-Badawi is recaptured, some Yemeni officials try unsuccessfully to claim a multimillion-dollar US award. Newsweek will later comment that this suggests the escape was a scam. At the time, al-Badawi apparently is friendly with Colonel Hussein al-Anzi, a top official in the Political Security Organization, Yemen’s version of the FBI. Al-Anzi will later be fired. [Newsweek, 2/13/2006] Al-Quso will later be sentenced to 10 years in prison in Yemen for his role in the Cole attack, while al-Badawi will be given the death penalty. However, al-Badawi will later escape again (see February 3, 2006), then be pardoned, and then imprisoned again (see October 17-29, 2007). Al-Quso also will be secretly freed by the Yemeni government in 2007 (see May 2007). [New York Times, 9/30/2004]
Entity Tags: Jamal al-Badawi, Yemeni Political Security Organization, Hussein al-Anzi, Fahad al-Quso
Category Tags: 2000 USS Cole Bombing, Yemeni Militant Collusion
April 22, 2003: Afghan President Gives Pakistani President List of Taliban Leaders Living in Pakistan, No Action Is Taken on It
Mullah Dadullah Akhund. [Source: Associated Press]Afghan President Hamid Karzai travels to Islamabad, Pakistan, and meets with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Karzai hands Musharraf a list of Taliban leaders living in Quetta, Pakistan, and urges Musharraf to have them arrested. The list includes the names of senior Taliban leaders Mullah Omar, Mullah Dadullah Akhund, and Mullah Akhter Mohammed Usmani. All are believed to be in Quetta. The list is leaked to the press. The Pakistani government denounces Karzai and denies any Taliban leaders are in Pakistan. The US government declines to back the list, even though the US embassy in Kabul had helped make it. Journalist Ahmed Rashid will later explain: “The Americans were already deeply involved in Iraq and wanted no distractions such as a cat fight between the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan. [The US] was unwilling to push the Pakistanis, and the Afghans were angry that the Americans had allowed Karzai’s credibility to suffer.” [Rashid, 2008, pp. 246]
Entity Tags: Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Hamid Karzai, Mullah Akhter Mohammed Osmani, Mullah Omar, Pervez Musharraf
Category Tags: Iraq War Impact on Counterterrorism, Haven in Pakistan Tribal Region, Afghanistan
Before April 24, 2003: 9/11 Commission Executive Director Zelikow Cuts off Commissioners’ Access to Congressional Inquiry Files
Tim Roemer. [Source: US Congress]9/11 Commission Executive Director Philip Zelikow strikes a deal with the Justice Department to cut the 9/11 Commission’s access to files compiled by the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry (see July 24, 2003) until the White House is able to review them. However, he keeps the agreement secret from the commissioners and, when Commissioner Tim Roemer, who had actually sat on the Congressional Inquiry and already seen the material, goes to Capitol Hill to read the files on April 24, he is turned away. Roemer is furious and asks: “Why is our executive director making secret deals with the Justice Department and the White House? He is supposed to be working for us.” [Associated Press, 4/26/2003; Shenon, 2008, pp. 90] He adds, “No entity, individual, or organization should sift through or filter our access to material.” [Associated Press, 4/30/2003] Author Philip Shenon will comment, “Roemer believed, correctly, that it was a sign of much larger struggles to come with Zelikow.” [Shenon, 2008, pp. 90]
Entity Tags: Philip Zelikow, 9/11 Commission, Tim Roemer, 9/11 Congressional Inquiry, Philip Shenon
April 29, 2003: Two Key 9/11 Figures Captured in Pakistan
Twenty-five al-Qaeda operatives are captured in Karachi, Pakistan, including two key 9/11 figures. The captured include Tawfiq bin Attash, better known by his nickname Khallad. He is considered one of the masterminds of the USS Cole bombing (see October 12, 2000) and attended a Malaysia summit where the 9/11 plot was discussed (see January 5-8, 2000). Also captured is Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, one of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s nephews. He made travel arrangements for and wired money to many of the 9/11 hijackers. One investigator will later say, “He was turning up everywhere we looked—like a chameleon.” [New York Times, 5/1/2003; Los Angeles Times, 5/21/2006] Both Aziz Ali and bin Attash will be sent to secret CIA prisons and remain there until 2006, when they will be transfered to the Guantanamo Bay prison (see September 2-3, 2006). Bin Attash will be extensively tortured while in US custody in Afghanistan (see April 29 - Mid-May, 2003). The identities and fates of the others captured with them are unknown.
Entity Tags: Khallad bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali
Category Tags: 2000 USS Cole Bombing, High Value Detainees, Key Captures and Deaths, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
Late April 2003: Al-Qaeda Linked Arms Dealer Victor Bout Begins Flying Supplies to Iraq for US Army
In late April 2003, the first civilian cargo planes begin arriving in Baghdad, Iraq, after US-led forces took over the city. As many as sixty civilian flights and seventy military flights arrive at Baghdad International Airport, all of them filled with supplies to replenish the US military effort and for Iraq’s reconstruction. The US military officers in charge of the airport, such as US Air National Guard Major Christopher Walker have no idea how private supply contracts were made or with whom, but they note that most of the pilots appear to be from Russia and various Eastern European countries, flying rugged Russian-made aircraft. On May 17, 2004, the Financial Times reports that many of the planes delivering supplies to US troops in Iraq are actually owned by a Russian named Victor Bout, the world’s biggest illegal arms dealer. The United Nations has placed a ban on all dealings with Bout, due to his links to the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and many other militant and rebel groups around the world. Walker has never heard of Bout, but he is tasked to look into the allegations by his superiors. He quickly concludes that many of the planes flying into Baghdad daily are owned by Bout’s front companies, and that such Bout flights have been taking place over since the US reopened the airport. Bout’s companies have contracts flying in tents, food, and other supplies for US firms working for the US military in Iraq, including a large contract to fly supplies for Kellogg, Brown, and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, the company once run by Vice President Cheney. Bout’s companies also fly for US Air Mobility Command. Walker is reluctant to stop the flow of vital supplies, and leaves the issue to US military contracting officials to hire planes not linked to Bout. [Financial Times, 5/17/2004; Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 214-224] However, the US military does not stop hiring and using Bout’s planes until about 2007 (see Late April 2003-2007). Walker will later speculate, “If the government really wanted him bad they could have come up with a pretext and seized his planes. But I guess they looked at Victor Bout and figured this guy’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole, so let’s keep him in business.” [Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 251]
Entity Tags: US Military, Christopher Walker, Kellogg, Brown and Root, Victor Bout
Category Tags: Victor Bout, Iraq War Impact on Counterterrorism, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11
Late April 2003-2007: US Military Repeatedly Hires Victor Bout Companies for Iraq Supply Flights, Despite Sanctions and Media Reports
Beginning in late April 2003, when the first civilian cargo planes begin arriving in Baghdad (see Late April 2003), through at least 2007, Victor Bout front companies fly supplies into Iraq for the US military. Bout is the world’s biggest arms dealer, with links to the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other militant and rebel groups around the world. The United Nations has banned all business dealings with his companies since before 9/11. Around October 2003, the CIA apparently learns that Bout’s planes have been flying into Iraq, but this warning does not lead to any action to stop such flights. [Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 232]
Bout Flights Exposed by Media - Starting in May 2004, various newspapers occasionally report on how Bout front companies are supplying the US military. Some actions are eventually taken against him. For instance, on July 22, 2004, President Bush signs an executive order declaring Bout a “specially designated person,” permanently freezes his assets, and bans all US business with his companies. [Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 225, 237]
Continued Collaboration - But the US military continues to hire Bout’s companies for Iraq supply flights. One Bout front company alone is estimated to make about 1,000 flights into US controlled air bases in Iraq by the end of 2004. [Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 225] A Pentagon spokesman will later confirm that the US military gave at least 500,000 gallons of free airplane fuel to Bout’s pilots. US government contractors pay Bout-controlled companies roughly $60 million to fly supplies into Iraq. [ABC News, 3/6/2008] Journalist Stephen Braun will later claim, “The US military insisted they had no responsibility for Bout’s hiring, because, as [Deputy Defense Secretary] Paul Wolfowitz said, he was a ‘second-tier contractor’-in other words, hired by, say, [Kellogg, Brown, and Root] or FedEx, not directly by the Army or the Marines. But there were other reports of direct contracts. [The Defense Department] made no effort to put Bout on a no-fly list early on, and made only perfunctory follow-up efforts to find out the backgrounds of the companies flying for them.” [Harper's, 7/26/2007]
Bout Flights Continue - In early 2006, it will be reported, “The New Republic has learned that the Defense Department has largely turned a blind eye to Bout’s activities and has continued to supply him with contracts, in violation of [Bush’s] executive order and despite the fact that other, more legitimate air carriers are available.” [New Republic, 1/12/2006] In 2008, Douglas Farah, who co-wrote a 2007 book with Braun about Bout, will tell ABC News that Bout may have worked on behalf of the US government as recently as 2007. [ABC News, 3/6/2008]
Outrage - Gayle Smith of the National Security Council will comment in 2007: “It’s an obscenity. It’s contrary to a smart war on terror. Even if you needed a cut-out (to transport supplies) why would you go to the one on the bottom of the pile, with the most blood on his hands? Because he worked fastest and cheapest? What’s the trade-off? Where’s the morality there?” National Security Council adviser Lee Wolosky, who led a US effort to apprehend Bout before 9/11, will similarly complain, “It befuddles the mind that the Pentagon would continue to work with an organization that both the Clinton and Bush White Houses actively fought to dismantle.” [Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 237]
Theories - Some officials and experts believe the US military is simply being incompetent by repeatedly hiring Bout. Others suggest there was some kind of secret deal. For instance, one senior Belgian Foreign Ministry official involved in efforts to try to arrest Bout comments: “Not only does Bout have the protection of the US government, he now works for them as well. It’s incredible, amazing. It has to be the only reason why he is still around and free.” [Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 224-225] In 2006, Bout’s companies will supply weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon (see July 2006) and an al-Qaeda linked militant group in Somalia (see Late July 2006). Bout will finally be arrested by US agents in Thailand in March 2008 (see March 6, 2008).
Entity Tags: Lee Wolosky, US Military, Victor Bout, Gayle Smith, US Department of Defense
Category Tags: Victor Bout, Iraq War Impact on Counterterrorism, Counterterrorism Action After 9/11, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics
Key Day of 9/11 Events (102)Key Hijacker Events (145)Key Warnings (95)
Day of 9/11
All Day of 9/11 Events (1393)Dick Cheney (57)Donald Rumsfeld (37)Flight AA 11 (145)Flight AA 77 (152)Flight UA 175 (87)Flight UA 93 (243)George Bush (131)Passenger Phone Calls (74)Pentagon (140)Richard Clarke (35)Shanksville, Pennsylvania (25)Training Exercises (56)World Trade Center (91)
The Alleged 9/11 Hijackers
Alhazmi and Almihdhar (343)Marwan Alshehhi (134)Mohamed Atta (206)Hani Hanjour (72)Ziad Jarrah (74)Other 9/11 Hijackers (172)Possible Hijacker Associates in US (79)Alleged Hijackers' Flight Training (73)Hijacker Contact w Government in US (33)Possible 9/11 Hijacker Funding (42)Hijacker Visas and Immigration (135)
Alhazmi and Almihdhar: Specific Cases
Bayoumi and Basnan Saudi Connection (51)CIA Hiding Alhazmi & Almihdhar (120)Search for Alhazmi/ Almihdhar in US (39)
Al-Qaeda Malaysia Summit (172)Able Danger (60)Sibel Edmonds (61)Phoenix Memo (27)Randy Glass/ Diamondback (8)Robert Wright and Vulgar Betrayal (67)Remote Surveillance (241)Yemen Hub (75)
Before 9/11
Soviet-Afghan War (105)Warning Signs (466)Insider Trading/ Foreknowledge (53)US Air Security (77)Military Exercises (86)Pipeline Politics (67)Other Pre-9/11 Events (64)
Counterterrorism before 9/11
Hunt for Bin Laden (158)Counterterrorism Action Before 9/11 (225)Counterterrorism Policy/Politics (255)
Warning Signs: Specific Cases
Foreign Intelligence Warnings (35)Bush's Aug. 6, 2001 PDB (39)Presidential Level Warnings (31)
The Post-9/11 World
9/11 Investigations (661)9/11 Related Criminal Proceedings (22)9/11 Denials (30)US Government and 9/11 Criticism (67)9/11 Related Lawsuits (24)Media (47)Other Post-9/11 Events (80)
Investigations: Specific Cases
9/11 Commission (257)Role of Philip Zelikow (87)9/11 Congressional Inquiry (41)CIA OIG 9/11 Report (16)FBI 9/11 Investigation (150)WTC Investigation (111)Other 9/11 Investigations (135)
Possible Al-Qaeda-Linked Moles or Informants
Abu Hamza Al-Masri (103)Abu Qatada (36)Ali Mohamed (78)Haroon Rashid Aswat (17)Khalil Deek (20)Luai Sakra (12)Mamoun Darkazanli (36)Nabil Al-Marabh (41)Omar Bakri & Al-Muhajiroun (25)Reda Hassaine (23)Other Possible Moles or Informants (169)
Other Al-Qaeda-Linked Figures
Abu Zubaida (99)Anwar Al-Awlaki (17)Ayman Al-Zawahiri (81)Hambali (39)Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (139)Mohammed Haydar Zammar (44)Mohammed Jamal Khalifa (47)Osama Bin Laden (229)Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh (105)Ramzi Yousef (67)Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman (57)Victor Bout (23)Wadih El-Hage (45)Zacarias Moussaoui (159)
Al-Qaeda by Region
"Lackawanna Six" (13)Al-Qaeda in Balkans (168)Al-Qaeda in Germany (189)Al-Qaeda in Italy (55)Al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia (149)Al-Qaeda in Spain (121)Islamist Militancy in Chechnya (50)
Specific Alleged Al-Qaeda Linked Attacks or Plots
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Miscellaneous Al-Qaeda Issues
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Geopolitics and Islamic Militancy
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Pakistan / ISI: Specific Cases
Pakistani Nukes & Islamic Militancy (37)Pakistani ISI Links to 9/11 (73)Saeed Sheikh (59)Mahmood Ahmed (30)Haven in Pakistan Tribal Region (179)2008 Kabul Indian Embassy Bombing (10)Hunt for Bin Laden in Pakistan (154)
Terrorism Financing: Specific Cases
Al Taqwa Bank (29)Al-Kifah/MAK (54)BCCI (37)BIF (28)BMI and Ptech (21)Bin Laden Family (62)Drugs (71)
'War on Terrorism' Outside Iraq
Afghanistan (299)Drone Use in Pakistan / Afghanistan (53)Destruction of CIA Tapes (92)Escape From Afghanistan (61)High Value Detainees (179)Terror Alerts (50)Counterterrorism Action After 9/11 (353)Counterterrorism Policy/Politics (432)Internal US Security After 9/11 (125)
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Startseite / For him / Viola menopause self-test
Viola menopause self-test
Very reliable menopause self-test, results within 10 minutes.
What does the Viola Menopause self-test do?
This test serves to detect the entry into the time after the last period (=menopause). With this result, a woman knows if the menopause has started.
For whom is the Viola Menopause self-test suitable?
The average age at which a woman reaches the menopause is 51.5 years (the menopause is the time of your last period, this time is determined after 1 year), but it can happen sooner or later. In 1 out of every 100 women, menstruation ends before the age of 40. In 1 in 1000 before the age of 30. Knowing the transition to menopause is important to every woman, so she can talk with her doctor about hormone treatment and her personal risk of osteoporosis.
How does the Viola Menopause self-test work?
The pre-menopausal phase is responsible for a change in hormone production. Before postmenopause, the level of the hormone FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) in the urine varies between 10 and 20 mU FSH / ml. After menopause, the concentration increases to more than 25 mU FSH / ml and remains permanently elevated during menopause. The Viola menopause self-test measures the amount of FSH in the urine.
The test can be performed at any time of the day, but the test is recommended with morning urine because it contains the highest levels of FSH in the urine.
Why should I do the self-test?
Knowing the transition to menopause is important to every woman, so she can talk to her doctor about hormone treatment and her personal risk of osteoporosis. Other typical symptoms of menopause can also be discussed, such as hot flashes, vaginal itching, sweating, sleep disturbances, depression, heart problems, loss of sexual desire, dry eyes, joint pain or constipation.
How is the self-test performed?
The test rod is held directly in the urine stream for about three seconds or immersed in a beaker in which the urine was collected.
When can the result be read?
The result can be read after 10 minutes.
How is the result read?
If two purple lines appear in the result field and the top line is significantly more intense than the bottom line, this means that entry into the menopause has not yet taken place. The same applies if only one line appears. If two violet lines are detected in the result field and the bottom line is equal to or more intense than the top line, the postmenopause is reached.
Why do women reach menopause?
The number of eggs in the ovary is limited; This number is set from birth. Gradually the number of eggs decreases. Menopause is therefore the sign of exhausted ovaries.
Why do women need the menopause?
Actually, women do not need it. It is an illustration of slower development compared to increased life expectancy of women. In the past, when women’s life expectancy was much lower, many women had no menopause because of their early death. Today, however, we are getting much older, but our bodies are not developing fast enough.
How individual does the menopause take place in women?
Not only is there a whole range of symptoms, but also countless ways in which they can occur. The most common is sweating, the hot flashes. About 70 to 80 percent of women are affected. Of course, the intensity varies. The reactions to sweating are very different. Some find it harder to deal with and more restrictive than others.
What factors are affecting the way women treat menopause and what kind of symptoms they experience?
There are some family components that can be determined in advance. Often a woman reaches the menopause at the same or similar age as her mother. It is also possible that the symptoms are similar. There is no guarantee for that. However, it can be assumed that the following applies to women who are struggling with depressive disorders during menopause: Menopausal women who have been affected by severe mood swings, PMS, postpartum depression or mood disorders during puberty are more susceptible to suffer such symptoms after menopause.
Menopause can be divided into several stages, beginning with the perimenopause.
What does this first phase involve?
The first hormonal changes can begin in the mid-30s. The perimenopause is characterised by the fact that the first symptoms such as bleeding disorders or hot flashes can occur. Often there is a luteal hormone deficiency at the beginning, since the ovulation of the mature egg does not always occur. On the other hand, two eggs can sometimes ripen at the same time because in the second half of the cycle, the next egg grows under the influence of hormones from the brain. Then sometimes high estrogen levels can be found in the blood. Clinically, this can manifest itself in short or long cycles.
What is the postmenopause?
The postmenopause begins after menopause. We distinguish between early and late postmenopause. The early postmenopause lasts about five to eight years. From the onset of postmenopause, a woman can no longer become pregnant. As a result, the topic of contraception becomes redundant. There is a rule of thumb: if a woman does not have her period for one year after the age of 50, she will not need to use contraception unless there are other causes of missing periods. If she is younger than 50, she will have to wait two years after the last period before she no longer needs contraception, unless there are other causes for missed periods.
How can you optimally prepare for menopause?
A preparation and thus a reduction of the symptoms is difficult to impossible. You can not figure out in advance which symptoms someone will suffer from. However, it helps to strengthen your own awareness of the problem, so you will not be surprised by the symptoms. The best preparation for the menopause is therefore to educate yourself.
Can you actually say something good about menopause?
The menopause is often a significant time for women, both for their family life and work life. It is the beginning of a new phase of life. And a small consolation: women who had pain during their periods are free from this post-menopausal pain.
Be the first to review “Viola menopause self-test” Antworten abbrechen
Amniotic fluid leak test
Viola chlamydia self-test
Drug detection test
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Iran’s matriarchal Burnt City, mysterious mark of prehistoric times
The Burnt City — the birthplace of a glorious matriarchal civilization which emerged over 5,200 years ago — has left its mysterious trail beneath the plains of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
The title ‘Burnt City’, or Shahr-e Soukhteh in Persian, is not the original name of the city and it has been used over the past three centuries due to numerous remains of ash across the UNESCO World Heritage site, presstv.com reported.
Findings show the construction of the prehistoric city started around 3,200 BCE on the bank of the Helmand River along the current Zahedan-Zabol road, but it was abandoned for unknown reasons over a millennium later around 1,800 BCE after experiencing four stages of urbanization.
Contrary to what the title implies, the city was not abandoned as a result of fire and the traces of ash are said to be the remains of ovens used by the residents of the city.
Some theories suggest that the city was abandoned due to climate change and drought, but the actual reasons for the demise of the civilization are still wrapped in mystery.
It has been speculated that the Bronze Age urban settlement might ultimately provide concrete evidence of a civilization east of prehistoric Persia that was independent of ancient Mesopotamia.
Discoveries from the site demonstrate that the city was a hub of trading routes which linked Mesopotamia and Iran with the Central Asian an Indian civilizations as well as China.
The city comprises various compounds of intricately-designed structures made of mud bricks, including a large palace as well as separate neighborhoods for residential purposes, industrial activities and production of local goods.
Glorious civilization
The 151-hectare ancient site has been under constant excavation since 1967.
Although only an estimated four percent of the city has still been unearthed, the findings from this Bronze Age archeological treasure contain astonishing evidence of how advanced the civilization was.
Evidence indicate that weaving was one of the main professions in the prehistoric city and the inhabitants made a variety of woven products such as carpets, baskets, and other household items.
The ground of the ancient site is littered with broken pottery, showing that pottery was produced in the city on a massive scale.
From among the findings, the archeologists have found the world’s first animation drawing on a goblet.
The drawing depicts a goat jumping and grazing when the cup is turned around. The vessel is currently held at the National Museum of Iran in the capital city of Tehran.
Other findings include the oldest known board game, a ruler with half a millimeter accuracy and many other astonishing tools, indicating that the residents of the city were masters of their time in urbanization, architecture, mathematics, science, medicine and engineering.
Matriarchal civilization
Archeological findings also provide evidence that the Burnt City was among rare matriarchal civilizations in human history, where women were responsible for handling the financial affairs of their family and mothers had social prominence.
Excavations of different sites, particularly of the graves of female bodies, have found seals of ownership, suggesting that women were in control of sources of production and food supply.
Insignias which supposedly belonged only to distinguished residents of the city were found in the graves of some female citizens.
According to some paleoanthropologists, the female owners of the insignias probably used the insignias to seal valuable documents or used the seal to indicate their lofty social status.
Medical know-how
In December 2006, archeologists made the astounding discovery of a 4,800-year-old artificial eyeball belonging to a woman aged 32-36. The woman was 1.82 meters tall much taller than ordinary women of her time.
The hemispherical-shaped eyeball has a diameter of just over 2.5 centimeters and is made of very light material, probably bitumen paste, coated with a thin layer of gold and engraved with a central circle as the iris and gold lines resembling Sun rays.
Tiny holes are drilled on both sides of the eye, through which a golden thread could hold the eyeball in place.
Since microscopic research has shown that the eye socket showed clear imprints of the golden thread, the eyeball must have been worn during her lifetime.
Archeologists have also found traces of brain surgery in the Burnt City, going back to over 4,000 years ago.
Studies on the skull of a 12-13 year-old female skeleton show the girl underwent brain surgery and survived for nearly nine months after the operation.
Coexistence of diverse cultures
A massive 25-hectar cemetery is located west of the city, containing over 25,000 ancient graves in over 10 different types.
While the large number of graves shows the huge population of the area, the variety of the types of graves indicate the likelihood of coexistence of several cultures in the ancient city.
The most common form of graves is semicircular burial chambers which contained the dead body and some of its belongings with the entrance of the tomb sealed off with mud bricks.
Since earth was never directly poured inside the burial chambers, the skeletons of the deceased and their belongings have mainly remained intact.
Some of the excavated graves have been reconstructed and put on display at the Museum of Burnt City located at a walking distance from the ancient site.
Some of the skeletons found at the excavated tombs are in fetal positions. One hypothesis suggested that the residents of city believed that the position in which we were born was the proper way for us to leave the earth.
Another characteristic of the tombs is the way husbands and wives were buried together, facing each other.
Although so many items have been discovered during the excavations, none of the remains and symbolisms has helped researchers understand how such an advanced city could have existed over 5,000 years ago, what happened to the civilization and why we lost track of all the knowledge they had.
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Well it’s raining, again
With flooding back in the news today, I thought I’d take the opportunity to mention that my colleague and co-author Swenja Surminski from LSE will be giving evidence tomorrow morning (Thursday) at the Oireachtas Finance Committee hearings on the Flood Insurance Bill. Details of the session are here. You should be able to watch proceedings online here. The Flood Insurance Bill can be viewed here.
Author: Tom McDermott
I am a Government of Ireland Research Fellow at the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU), Whitaker Institute, NUI Galway, and a Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics. My research is at the intersection of environmental and development economics. I am co-editor with Sam Fankhauser of The Economics of Climate Resilient Development (Edward Elgar, 2016). I am also Principal Investigator for a project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency on the economic impacts of flooding in Ireland, and options for managing flood risk, including an emphasis on the role of insurance. View all posts by Tom McDermott
Author Tom McDermottPosted on November 22, 2017 Categories Climate change, events, Insurance, Regulation
3 thoughts on “Well it’s raining, again”
Immediate reaction to reading the Act is that it’s full of vague terms and undefinable terms. Either it’s a sop for PR purposes, or it’s potentially a carte blanche to force insurers to insure properties that should not be insurable and to pass the costs on to people in unaffected areas. To use the language of the Act itself, that would be unfair.
colm mccarthy says:
it’s called moral hazard Hugh. There is an extensive literature in the US of A on flood insurance legislation – it creates an incentive to build on flood plains. In Ireland we do that anyway, so no worries.
I know about moral hazard. But let’s assume that it’s theoretically possible to agree sensible categories of places at flood risk. The act doesn’t even attempt it.
Most people could probably agree that buildings in a historic town centre now increasingly at flood risk are a different category than recent houses built flush to the ground in the shadow of the levees and flat on the Shannon’s flood plain or new apartment buildings with underground parking on any flood plain you’d like. The act merely suggests terms like “fair” as the rule. Strikes me as inadequate. But yeah, Ireland.
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Pre-weekend weekend lunch invite 20. Healthy teeth and bones
Many things this weekend. First, today is the Chase Corporate Challenge in Highland Park. Although I haven't run in a while, I hope to not collapse in a heap of goo on the course. :-)
Next, tomorrow, as some of you heard from Derrick is the Singles Convention at the Jefferson Raddison. Before you get too excited about making fun of all the people there, it's $20 to keep out riff-raff like you. Derrick has more details...and yeah, I'm going and, as Derrick put it so well, "What have you got to lose, other than the $20, your self esteem, sense of self-worth, your pride, ego, and dignity? You lost all that ages ago, right?"
Throughout the weekend--starting Friday--is the Rochester Ham Fest. Although it has nothing to do with pigs, there are some portly people there. It was started by ham radio operators to buy, sell, and trade equipment, but it has evolved into a big garage sale with any and all electronic junk. Plus, even though your odds of finding a date (unless you're looking for a male nerd in his 50's) are as slim as at the Singles Convention, at least it's only 8 bucks for the whole weekend (I don't have an exact number, but that's about what it was last year).
Also (I told you it was many things), Thirteenth Floor started last week, but I'll be going to see "Driver's Wanted," an independent film produced by, directed by, and starring Tim something or other. It's a comedy about pizza delivery, has been well received, and was made here in Rochester. Money made from it goes to help WBER get a new extra-large Mr. Microphone. It's at 1:00 p.m. at the Little on both Saturday and Sunday, but I don't know how much it cost.
The part that isn't very new follows:
For the last few months I've been having lunch at O'Bagelo's on State Street on Saturday at 11:30. The same people who have been going have been coming back, so I guess I'm not on crack about the food being good.
I'll be there at 11:30. For the few of you who haven't been there, it's on State Street between the Federal Building and Frontier Field. It's south of 490 and north of Andrews on the west side of the street (i.e., across from West Group on the east side.) Their sign is flush against the building so it's a little hard to see unless you're looking. They've got a variety of sandwiches on bagels, fresh bread or fresh rolls, and some soups. There are some veggie stuff too, but sometimes they don't make the fried eggplant very early.
Anyhow, RSVP, call, e-mail, or just show up.
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Farmland keeps disappearing, and it won't come back
No one needs to stop the presses to report that America’s farmland is dwindling. All you have to do is look at your own genealogy to see the story unfold.
I’m guessing you won’t have to go back too many generations to find people who supported themselves through farming, whereas chances are you don’t.
Chances also are good your kids are fuzzy on the concept of the origins of the processed meat on their lunchtime sandwiches or the hotdog at the family barbecue. Meanwhile, few things would make them lose their appetite quicker than spelling it out for them.
But sometimes it helps to put things in stark terms.
In 1790, farmers and farm workers made up about 90 percent of the nation’s 4 million people. Today they comprise about 2 percent of almost 320 million. If you’re good at math, you’ll see that we have more farmers in real numbers today, but there is one farmer for every 50 people, compared to a land where we had just about all farmers everywhere back in the day.
So when we talk about Utah’s tremendous growth rate gobbling up farmland, it has to be put into that perspective. One farmer can feed about 155 people today, compared to 19 in 1940. The American Farm Bureau Federation says today’s farmer produces 262 percent more than in 1950, and with 2 percent less seed, labor, fertilizer and feed.
We’ve gotten better at farming, and we don’t need as much land for it any more. So why is it important to stop it from disappearing?
Because that’s what people want, according to Robert Grow, chief executive officer of Envision Utah, which works as a neutral facilitator to help communities plan for healthy growth. He said research shows young people today want locally grown food, and older people want food security.
In a world where scary disruptions are just a terrorist attack away, and where tainted beef in one part of the country can ripple through grocery stores everywhere, people want to eat locally produced food.
To this, I add another perspective: The closer you live to where your food is produced, the better you appreciate the realities of life; the causes and effects of a world that too often comes in prepackaged synthetic materials.
But you don’t see people buying up commercial land to put up a farm. Once it’s gone, it isn’t coming back.
It’s also gone as an open space – the sort of thing that could at least be used as a nice, green park in some future urban development.
If any of this has a familiar ring to it, it’s because Utah’s leaders have done a lot of talking and handwringing about this over the years, all while cities continue to annex farmland and developers continue to offer struggling farmers good money.
More than 20 years ago, former Gov. Mike Leavitt convened a growth summit to discuss the issue. A few years later, lawmakers set up what became known as the LeRay McCallister Fund to preserve open space and farmland. Named for a longtime legislator, the fund was to provide money that would be matched by private conservation groups and used to pay fair market value to acquire land that otherwise would be developed.
Lawmakers immediately balked at funding it. This year they appropriated exactly zero, except for an amount specifically designated to help preserve the endangered sage grouse.
If you’re keeping score, lawmakers favor spending $14 million to sue the federal government to obtain title to federal land in Utah, but will give zero to help preserve the open spaces already in private hands.
As a Deseret News report this week said, some farmers and ranchers are coming to the end of the road, with few options but to sell. Few Utah cities have strategies for this, other than to annex farmland and hope someone comes along to develop it when the farmer is ready.
Envision Utah has a toolbox of options for those cities and farmers. But, “We’re not going to save every farm,” Grow said.
Maybe, however, we can save just enough to keep us from becoming too disconnected from fresh fruits and vegetables, and from the lives our ancestors knew so well.
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Jun 15, 2014 / Uncategorized
Continuum GoH Speech
Jim C. Hines / Continuum /
This is my guest of honor speech from Continuum 10 in Melbourne, minus the parts where I stumbled over my words or misread anything…
First of all, I want to thank Continuum for inviting me, and to thank all of the volunteers who have been working so hard to put this event together.
I grew up in the dark ages, before the internet. I think that’s one of the reasons I didn’t discover fandom when I was young. The closest I came was when my father took my brother and me to a Star Trek convention for an afternoon. There were some awesome (and too expensive) toys, and I got to listen to George Takei and get his autograph, but that was it. I didn’t get a sense of community or belonging. It was more like being in the world’s geekiest toy store. So, you know, still an awesome way to spend the day.
And then, years later, I started writing. This was in the late nineties, which meant I could now dial out on my 56K modem to connect to the World Wide Web and check out the bulletin boards where other newbie writers hung out. I learned how to avoid writing scams, where to find markets for my work, and so on. I also learned about this phenomenon called conventions, where writers and fans got together and did stuff. As a wannabe writer, it sounded like something I should do.
My very first convention was just ten minutes from my house, in Michigan. How had I never heard of this? I signed up for a one-day membership and even got scheduled a reading and a couple of panels.
It went … badly. I showed up at the Holiday Inn, got registered, looked around at the strangers swarming through the halls, and asked myself what the hell I was doing here. I’ve always been an introvert, and this was too much. I remember going to my very first panel, introducing myself, and then not saying a single word for the rest of the hour. My reading had two attendees: my wife, and the author who had been reading before me and stuck around, I’m assuming because he felt bad for me.
What I don’t remember is what made me try again, but I did. Maybe it was stubbornness. Maybe I’m just a masochist — actually, those are some of the same reasons I ended up becoming a writer, now that I think about it. Anyway, I ended up going to World Fantasy Con next … because apparently a little local con wasn’t overwhelming enough for me. Once again I showed up, got registered, and wandered aimless and lost. I sat in on a few panels, because panels were both informative and safe. And then a little later, I found my way to the con suite, where I spotted author Jay Lake and artist Frank Wu, two people I had heard of from those online bulletin boards.
It took an absurdly long time for me to work up the courage to go introduce myself, but eventually I did. They were kind enough to invite me to sit down and join them. We chatted for a bit, and they asked if I was new to the con scene. And then they did something I’ll never forget. They took me around and introduced me to some of the other fans and writers at the convention.
I remember that day because it was the first time I started to feel welcome in fandom. I don’t know that either one of them would remember that day, but I will always be grateful to them for that kindness.
Fast forward to 2014, and I’m attending at least a half-dozen conventions a year, and loving it! I’m the freaking Guest of Honor at Continuum 10 in Australia. How the heck did that happen?
It happened in part because people made me feel welcome. They invited me into this big, geeky, snarky, Monty Python-quoting, book-loving, cranky, wonderful family, and I discovered I wasn’t alone. I found people who loved the things I loved. Who introduced me to new stories and new authors and new shows. Over time, I began to feel at home.
There’s been a lot of discussion and debate about inclusion in fandom and genre. For me, it goes back to that World Fantasy con twelve years ago. Because it wasn’t enough for me to know conventions existed. I needed someone to welcome me in.
How much harder must it be for people who feel actively unwanted? Nobody ever asked me to prove my geek cred, but women are challenged because everyone knows those “fake geek girls” girls don’t belong in science fiction and fantasy and gaming and so on. The day I wrote this speech, award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal did a Q&A online and had to deal with another guy explaining how he didn’t read books with female protagonists.
I’ve talked about the lack of racial diversity at conventions and in the makeup of con volunteers, only to be told that the real problem is that black people don’t read science fiction and fantasy. Or in one case, to be told that “those people” just don’t read, period. I’ve been accused of pushing a political agenda for including characters whose sexuality isn’t “normal.” (Though, oddly enough, nobody ever tells me I’m pushing an agenda when I write about straight, monogamous characters.)
People ask to see characters like themselves in our stories, and to judge from the backlash from certain folks, you might as well have asked them to pass a porcupine. Apparently, talking about diversity and representation is a secret plot, masterminded by people who want to DESTROY THE GENRE!!!
I wish I was exaggerating.
I’ve rarely seen anyone deliberately posting “no girls allowed” or “whites only” signs on the clubhouse, and that’s a good thing. But it’s not enough. We send messages about who is and isn’t welcome in a thousand other, subtler ways.
It’s not enough to passively sit back and hope more people will somehow, magically find their way into fandom. I know how hard it was for me at that first convention. How much harder is it for people who never see themselves in our stories? For fans who pour so much time and money and work into cosplay, only to be harassed and groped and told they’re just looking for attention? For authors who write amazing stories that are dismissed and ignored, because the author happened to have girl cooties?
It’s easy not to see these things when they’re not about you. I’ve never felt discriminated against for my race or my gender or my sexual orientation, so it’s simple for me to assume that sort of thing doesn’t happen to others. Or yeah, I guess it happens occasionally, but it’s not that big a deal, right? Those people are just blowing things out of proportion, or looking for things to be offended by. It’s so easy for me to dismiss other people’s pain.
Maybe that one joke on Big Bang Theory about how no one has ever seen a pretty girl in a comic book shop isn’t, by itself, a big deal. But it’s not just one joke. It’s a constant flood of messages whispering about who does and doesn’t belong. It’s cover art that reduces women to sexual objects, helpless to do anything but thrust their butt and boobs at you. It’s stories that treat rape as a mandatory plot twist for female character development. It’s the ongoing practice of using white actors to play characters of color vs. the hurricane-strength crapstorm that rolls in the moment someone casts a black actor to play Johnny Storm. It’s editors saying they’d be happy to buy that book, but only if the author makes the gay character straight.
When I get a paper cut, it stings, but it’s not the end of the world. I might swear a bit, but I grab a band-aid and I get on with my life. And then someone else goes online to write this big, long blog post about their own paper cut, and maybe I’m thinking, “Why are you making a mountain out of a molehill?” Because I ignore the fact that for them, it isn’t just one paper cut, but one of a thousand they’ve suffered this week. A single paper cut is annoying. A thousand, and you’re being flayed alive.
I love fandom. I love this community. And I want other people to find that sense of coming home. I want them to feel a part of our stories and our celebrations. I want them to feel welcome.
If this is your first convention, or if you’re feeling as overwhelmed or out of place as I did all those years ago in Michigan, I want to invite you to please come and say hello. We’ll talk about why David Tennant is the best Doctor, or geek out about Avatar: The Last Airbender, or just grumble about the fact that DC still won’t give us a Wonder Woman movie because it’s “too complicated,” when Marvel’s busy promoting a raccoon with a rocket launcher.
And to those of us who have been a part of the community for a while now, I want to remind us all how large our family really is, and how important it is to listen to other voices. I’d encourage us to actively expand our fandom, to explore new stories, to seek out new films and new novelizations, to boldly go—
Wait, sorry. That’s Star Trek.
My point is, there are a lot of people standing near the margins and feeling unwanted or excluded or invisible. Fandom is amazing, but we also have a lot of work to do. You and I may not be able to change the world, or to single-handedly fix the various systemic and cultural inequities that play out in genre and publishing and fandom and everywhere else.
But we can listen. And we can choose to actively reach out and welcome people into our community.
Believe me, it can make all the difference in the world.
« Flashback: June 14, 2002 » Continuum Pics and Links
Hannah Steenbock
Thank you for this, Jim. Speaking out like this has made me become a fan.
Cheers from Firle, from way back.
lkeke35
I loved this speech. But it also supremely pissed me off. I’m a WoC whose been a geek since birth, I think. I first volunteered at a con twenty years ago, as a ” gofer”. I distinctly remember all the feelings you said you had at your first ,except no one reached out to me at all. I was too overwhelmed then to be upset about any of that but it kind of ticks me off thinking about it today. No males acknowledged my presence there at all and I only remember seeing one or two women, no PoC, and I don’t think the other volunteers, male or female had any idea what to do with me, either.
If you give the convention goers one more piece of advice while you’re there, tell them they may not be able to solve all the problems in fandom but they can do one small thing while they’re there: talk to at least one person they wouldn’t normally speak to or encounter in their everyday life. Even if it’s just to say ” Hello”. It won’t hurt, costs them nothing and could make all the difference to someone there, whose feeling overwhelmed and not exactly welcome that day.
Incidentally, I haven’t been to a con since. But not bc I don’t read SFF ( I definitely read, as do most of the PoC I know), nor do I hate conventions. I don’t have the money or vacation time from work to attend and very few of them seem to reach my neck of the woods. When they do, I’m often saddled with much bigger concerns. I imagine it’s much the same for a lot of PoC. Sometimes conventions just aren’t on our radar, even when we totally identify as geeks.
Michi Trota (@GeekMelange)
There’s so much I love about this speech, but what really sticks out for me is the acknowledgement of how important it is to actively reach out a friendly hand to encourage people to feel more welcome and wanted, rather than expecting them to walk in and make themselves at home, particularly if they’re used to seeing signs (big and little, intentional or not) all over the place that add up to: “You’re not really wanted here.”
And being ignored is absolutely another form of exclusion.
I’m involved in the communities where I devote the majority of my time and energy primarily because I was lucky and met people who purposefully invited me in and introduced me around, making sure I felt welcome. I’ve never forgotten how important that is and now as an established member of said communities, make an effort to do the same for new people I meet, and I hope I’ve managed to make a positive difference for others in a similar fashion.
Great speech, reaching out is very important, welcoming people really helps.
But you’re wrong. David Tennant is not the best Doctor, Peter Davison is! Even David Tennant thinks so! So there, nyah!
KatG
That was succinct and clear and probably made a lot of folk feel welcome. Nice work!
(And the best Doctor was Tom Baker. But David was good.)
John Samuel
Thanks for being a great guest, and I loved hearing this speech.
If you give the convention goers one more piece of advice while you’re there, tell them they may not be able to solve all the problems in fandom but they can do one small thing while they’re there: talk to at least one person they wouldn’t normally speak to or encounter in their everyday life. Even if it’s just to say ” Hello”.
Good advice, and I wish more people would take that step.
Yeah, there are a lot of reasons a convention might not be a priority or a possibility for folks. And like you said, we might not be able to fix everything, but we can at least do some things to try to make people feel more welcome and wanted.
Thanks, John 🙂
Great speech, Jim, you must have sounded great reading it.
(Nine is the best Doctor, you’re so so wrong.)
Nenya
How dare you–Paul McGann is clearly the superior Doctor!
(Or Nine. Nine also works.)
Good speech though. I like how you break down what “being welcoming” can look like.
Q: What was the best present a fan ever gave you?
A: A granddaughter!
Five is pretty great. Ten is not my favourite but I kind of love the ascended fanboy part of that story.
I technically started watching during the tag end of Tom Baker’s run, but I didn’t get into it until the start of Peter Davison’s, and I totally imprinted on him as the Doctor! Plus Tennant’s ultimate ascended fanboy thing is just wonderful. Did you see the “Fivish Doctors Reboot” that Peter made for the 50th, with Sylvester and Colin, and assorted others? Too much fun!
And seriously, this is the kind of thing we should be arguing about (not meanly, of course, and with humor and affection) – who is the best Doctor! Diversity and inclusion shouldn’t be controversial. Topics of discussion due to importance, yes, but things like that should not be argued over. Save the arguing for things like who is the best Doctor, or companion, or which Star Trek captain is the best!
I did see “The Five-ish Doctors Reboot”! It was hilarious. With cameos by McGann (“Whatever you’re planning, I’m in” but then he gets A Real Acting Job) and Barrowman…great stuff.
Yeah, as Jim says, there’s a reason that those of us in fandom do what we do. It’s tremendous fun, intellectually stimulating, and great friendships are made. It’s pretty shitty to be shutting people out of that because we’re still doing the same old racism, sexism, etc thing.
Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz June 15-21, 2014 | Writerly Goodness
[…] C. Hines shares his Continuum guest of honour speech. It’s kick-ass. Then again, Jim’s good at that kind of thing […]
Continuum X Wrap Up – Continuum X
[…] missed) some of the con: Jim C. Hines has put the transcript of his Guest of Honour speech on his website. He also posted some photos and links […]
Continuum X post-con report | Boomerang Books Blog
[…] of admission. And they both delivered extraordinary Guest of Honour speeches — you can check out Jim’s here and Ambelin’s […]
The Writer and the Critic: Episode 39 | Kirstyn McDermott
[…] Jim C. Hine’s Guest of Honour speech from Continuum 10 […]
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Find Your School English Martyrs R.C. Primary Grey Stitch Down Pleated Skirt
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Browse these categories as well: English Martyrs R.C. Primary School, Our Lady of the Rosary R.C. Primary School, St. Ann’s R.C. Primary School, Tyntesfield Primary School, St. Hilda’s C.E. Primary School, St. Hugh of Lincoln R.C. Primary School, St. Margaret Ward R.C. Primary School, St. Matthew's C.E. Primary School, Stretford Grammar School, Stretford High School, St. Teresa’s R.C. Primary School, St. Antony’s Catholic College, Urmston Grammar School, Victoria Park Primary/Junior School, Skirts, Worthington Primary School, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Moss Park Junior School
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A HOTEL OF A LARGE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL NETWORK IS GOING TO BE OPENED IN ARKHANGELSK
Раздел News Calendar
Arkhangelsk Regional Development Corporation signed an Agreement on Cooperation with one of the international hotel business operators. The signing ceremony took place in the framework of the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
According to open marketing sources, more than half of the existing number of rooms are in hotels in Moscow and St. Petersburg (52%), followed by Sochi (11%), the Moscow region (6%), Yekaterinburg (3%) and other cities. The number of hotels under international management is planned to increase by 2021 for 109 properties (22,335 rooms). Thus, if all the hotels announced by the operators are open, by 2021 their number in Russia will become 278 objects (59,970 rooms) located in 55 cities.
Today, international hotel operators are represented in 39 cities of Russia. It is planned to open hotels in 16 cities, where previously there were no hotels under the international brand, Arkhangelsk is among them.
The Governor of the Arkhangelsk region Igor Orlov during a business meeting at the International Arctic Forum at the end of March supported the project, expressing his readiness to fully contribute to Promsnab LLC, which invests in a future international hotel in the capital of Pomorie.
"The implementation of a large and long-term international project is primarily connected For Arkhangelsk with the holding every two years of the International Arctic Forum. IAF-2017 showed that during large international events in the city there are not enough comfortable hotel rooms. The arrival of the international hotel business participant to the regional market will help to remove the severity of the issue, "commented the director general of the Arkhangelsk Regional Development Corporation Aleksey Kovalev.
At present, the Corporation as a regional development institution acting as the "single window", is searching for a site for the investment project implementation and the establishment of a first class international hotel in Arkhangelsk of an average price category. According to preliminary estimates, the investment will amount up to half a billion rubles. In the future, the hotel is expected to have a minimum of 130 rooms, a restaurant, a bar, meeting rooms and a conference room, a gym, parking, and the necessary amenities and facilities.
"I'm not afraid to invest in Pomorie, I want to do it and I’m doing it," Ildar Neverov, the founder of Promsnab LLC, said after signing the document. - Now I work in the field of environmental protection and ecology, but the sphere of leisure and hotel business is no less interesting to me as an investor. I believe that the sphere of leisure in the Arkhangelsk region is underestimated. I place great hopes on the Arkhangelsk Regional Development Corporation. I think that the Corporation experts will help me competently "pack" the project and attract extra funding. I'm sure that we are on the beam. Thank you all very much for your trust! ".
Arkhangelsk Regional Development Corporation, press centre
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Home » Frank Chalmers
Frank Chalmers
Frank Chalmers was an important member of the First Hundred.
Captain of the American contingent, US embassador to Mars
First Hundred
Big, tall, bulky, swarthy, dark, hazel eyes, black hair
Savannah, Georgia, USA
Valles Marineris, Mars
Frank was born in 1979 in the United States of America (in Savannah, Georgia). His parents divorced when he was seven; he lived with his father, an alcoholic, in Jacksonville, Florida, where he grew up. He graduated from Harvard. In his young years, he was hardworking, optimistic and idealistic. He joined the National Service Corps and ran a project for the integration of Caribbean immigrants in Florida. He married Priscilla Jones. In 2004 the NSC was terminated because its excessive success threatened local interest and Frank was embittered. He joined NASA's astronaut program in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2005 and broke up with Priscilla. In 2007 he became an astronaut; he and John Boone were teamed in the American space station. During those years his character changed completely; his dreams of social justice disappeared, he became a pessimist withholding a deeply rooted anger, obsessed with keeping the situation from becoming worse than what it already was -- damage control. He became head of NASA in 2015. With John he promoted the "Mars Apollo" project to the government. He left the position of first man on Mars to John so that he could be the leader of the first permanent martian colony; eventually John joined the First Hundred nevertheless.
He was the leader of the American contingent of the First Hundred. On the voyage out on the Ares he had a short relationship with Maya Toitovna before she got involved with John.
Political career and assassination of John Boone
After Underhill, he became the US Secretary for Mars. Maya was one of the reasons he and John grew estranged: he and John were also not on the same line politically, as Frank perceived John to be unrealistic and manipulative. He was one of the rare Americans to accept and be accepted by the Arab immigrants. He ordered the assassination of John in Nicosia. After John's death, he and Maya became lovers again, however they argued often. Frank negotiated the renewal of the UN Mars Treaty in 2057. He joined Zeyk Tuqan's mining caravan for a period of resting from political activity. He returned to active duty and moved the Department of Mars headquarters to Sheffield, where the space elevator was about to be completed. Despite his efforts at damage control during a period of riots across Mars, he was unable to prevent the 2061 revolution.
The First Revolution and death
He was at Nicosia when the Coyote effectively started the revolution. With Maya, he attempted to make Cairo a meeting point for the First Hundred, from where they could negotiate with UNOMA. When the situation in Cairo turned sour, Frank followed his friends and joined the Areophany team that was sent to retrieve all the First Hundred to Zygote. He was killed on the journey by the flooding caused by the Compton aquifer break.
With John Boone and Arkady Bogdanov, he is considered to be one of the three most influential politicians of the First Hundred who all died prior to or during the First Martian Revolution.
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KCC Home > EEO > Employment Discrimination Complaint Procedure
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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ON NON-
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Policies and Procedures on Non-Discrimination and Sexual Harassment
I. Non-Discrimination Policy
The City University of New York, located in a historically diverse municipality, is committed to engendering values and implementing policies that will enhance respect for individuals and their cultures. The University believes that, in order to truly benefit from this diversity, the University must foster tolerance, sensitivity and mutual respect among all members of its community. Efforts to promote diversity and to combat bigotry are an inextricable part of the educational mission of the University. Diversity among the University’s many members strengthens the institution, promotes the exchange of new ideas, and enriches campus life.
The University does not condone and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment in employment or in its educational programs and activities.
The City University of New York continues to recognize the important need to maintain at each campus equal access and opportunity for qualified students, faculty and staff from all ethnic and racial groups and from both sexes.
It is the policy of The City University of New York and the constituent colleges and units of The University to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees and to admit and provide services for students without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, legally registered domestic partnership status, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, alienage, citizenship, military or veteran status, or status as a victim of domestic violence.
Sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, is prohibited under the University’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment.
The City University of New York, as a public university system, adheres to federal, state, and city laws and regulations regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action including among others Section 1324b of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Executive Order 11246, as amended, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law. The “protected classes,” as delineated in Executive Order 11246: (i.e. Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native and Women), were expanded on December 9, 1976 by the Chancellor of The City University of New York to include Italian-Americans. The Office of Management and Budget further expanded these protected classes in 2006 to include two or more races (not 4 Hispanic or Latino) and replaces Asian/Pacific Islander, with Asian (not Hispanic or Latino) and Native Hawaiian (not Hispanic or Latino) and Black will be renamed as Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latino).
Should any federal, state, or city law or regulation be adopted that prohibits discrimination based on grounds or characteristics not included in this policy, this policy shall be read to prohibit discrimination based on those grounds or characteristics, as well.
Responsibility for Compliance
The President of each college of the University, the Senior Vice Chancellor at the Central Office, and the Dean of the Law School shall have ultimate responsibility for overseeing compliance with this Policy at his or her respective unit of the University.
Discrimination Complaints
The City University of New York is committed to addressing discrimination complaints promptly, consistently and fairly. There shall be a discrimination complaint procedure administered by each unit of the University.
Retaliation against any member of the University community who has made a complaint of discrimination is prohibited.
Effective: July 1, 2010
Board Approved: June 28, 2010 (Non-Discrimination Policy)
II. Legal Justifications for Filing a Complaint of Discrimination
Section 1324b of the Immigration and Nationality Act, enacted in 1986, prohibits employers from intentional employment discrimination based upon citizenship or immigration status, national origin, and unfair documentary practices or “document abuse” relating to the employment eligibility verification or Form I-9 process. Document abuse prohibited by the statute includes improperly requesting that an employee produce more documents than required by the I-9 form, or a particular document, such as a “green card”, to establish the employee’s identity and employment authorization; improperly rejecting documents that reasonably appear to be genuine during the I-9 process; and improperly treating groups of applicants differently when completing the I-9 form.
Executive Order 11246 (1965), as amended by 11375 (1967), prohibits discrimination in employment by all institutions with federal contracts over $10,000. Sets forth contractor obligations, enforcement procedures, administrative responsibilities, and describes the equal opportunity obligations. Only administrative remedies are provided for in Executive Order 11246.
Title VII, Civil Rights Act (1964), as amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, prohibits discrimination in employment (including hiring, upgrading, salaries, fringe benefits, training, and other conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex).
Title VI, Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibits discrimination or the denial of benefits on the ground of race, color or national origin (but not sex) in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Equal Pay Act (1963), as amended by the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act) prohibits discrimination in salaries (including almost all fringe benefits) on the basis of sex. Covers all employers.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act) prohibits discrimination or the denial of benefits in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance on the ground of gender.
Title VII (Sect. 799A) and Title VIII (Sect. 845) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by the Comprehensive Health Manpower Act and Nurse Training Amendments Act of 1971, prohibits discrimination in admission of students on the basis of sex.
Age Discrimination in Employment Act, enacted in 1967 and amended in 1978, (ADEA) prohibits employers with 20 or more employees from discriminating against individuals over the age of 40 with certain exceptions, one of which specifically includes tenured faculty members.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 defines and forbids acts of discrimination against qualified handicapped persons in employment and in the operation of programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires government contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified handicapped individuals.
Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1972 with the 1974 Amendments requires government contractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era. Disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era may file a complaint for alleged violation of this Act. The complaint must first be filed with a local Veteran’s Employment Representative within 130 days from the date of the alleged violation.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
Civil Rights Act of 1991 strengthens and improves Federal civil rights laws, provides for damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination and clarifies provisions regarding disparate impact actions.
New York City Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination on a number of grounds including arrest or conviction record and status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, and sex offenses. In addition, it prohibits retaliation and bias-related harassment.
New York State Human Rights Law specifies that it is unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to refuse to hire or employ or to bar or discharge an individual from employment or to discriminate against an individual in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment due to his or her status as a protected class.
III. Complaint Procedure for Review of Allegations of Unlawful Disparate Treatment Discrimination
(The University has developed separate procedures for implementation of the Policy Against Sexual Harassment. For details see Section V)
1. Discrimination Defined
a. Treating members of a protected class less favorably because of their membership in that class. The protected groups are set forth in CUNY’s nondiscrimination policy.
b. Harassment is a type of discrimination involving oral, written, graphic or physical conduct relating to an individual’s race, color, or national origin (including an individual’s ancestry, country of origin, or country of origin of the individual’s parents or other family member) or other protected characteristic that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to work for, participate in or benefit from the educational institution’s programs or activities.
2. Responsible Offices and Individuals
a. Responsibilities of the Presidents
The President of each college of the University, the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer at the Central Office, the Deans of the Law School, Graduate School of Journalism and Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education shall have ultimate responsibility for overseeing compliance with the Non- Discrimination Policy (hereinafter the “Policy”) at his or her respective unit of the University. Each President shall:
Appoint an Affirmative Action/Compliance and Diversity Officer (AA/CDO), a Sexual Harassment Coordinator and at least one Deputy Coordinator, a 504/ADA Compliance Coordinator and a Title IX Coordinator. The AA/CDO may be appointed to perform one or more of these functions.
Ensure that the individuals appointed to handle allegations of discrimination/harassment, including sexual harassment, are fully trained and equipped to carry out their responsibilities. 7
Assure that supervisors receive orientation on the University’s Non- Discrimination Policy and Policy Against Sexual Harassment.
Annually disseminate to all employees the Non-Discrimination Policy, the Policy Against Sexual Harassment, and the Form for Notification of Protected Categories, and include the names, titles, telephone numbers, and office locations of the AA/CDO, the Sexual Harassment Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator(s), the 504/ADA Compliance Coordinator, and in addition, to students, the Title IX Coordinator, and the Chief Student Affairs Officer. Such information should be widely disseminated and included in all orientations (including supervisory orientation sessions), handbooks, newsletters, and on the colleges’ websites. In addition, the Policies and Procedures on Non-Discrimination and Sexual Harassment should be incorporated into the training curriculum for employees that are involved in investigating discrimination complaints.
Submit annually to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Faculty and Staff Relations an annual report on non-discrimination, which shall include information on complaints filed within the past year and their resolution, and other information.
b. Responsibilities of the Affirmative Action/Compliance and Diversity Officer (AA/CDO) and the Chief Student Affairs Officer.
The AA/CDO is responsible, as the President’s designee, for providing confidential consultation, informal complaint resolution and investigation of all internal complaints of discrimination/harassment.
The AA/CDO and the Chief Student Affairs Officer or his/her representative are responsible, as the President’s designees, for handling and providing for prompt and equitable resolution of student discrimination/harassment complaints under applicable laws, rules, and/or regulation
c. Responsibilities of the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator and Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee are set forth in Section IV.
d. Responsibilities of Supervisory Personnel
Supervisory personnel exercise authority on behalf of the University. They include deans, directors, department chairpersons, executive officers, administrators, or other persons with supervisory responsibility. They must take steps to create a workplace free of discrimination and harassment, and must take each and every complaint seriously.
Each supervisor must arrange for the posting, in his or her area, of the University’s Non-Discrimination Policy with the names, titles, telephone 8 numbers, and office locations of the AA/CDO, the Sexual Harassment Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator(s), the Chief Student Affairs Officer, the 504/ADA Compliance Coordinator and the Title IX Coordinator
e. Responsibilities of the University Community-at-large
Members of the University community, who become aware of allegations of discrimination including sexual harassment, should encourage the aggrieved individual to report the alleged act to the AA/CDO or the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, as applicable.
The privacy of individuals who bring complaints of discrimination, who are accused of discrimination, or who are otherwise involved in the complaint process should be respected, and information obtained in connection with the filing, investigation, or resolution of complaints should be handled as confidentially as possible. It is not possible, however, to guarantee absolute confidentiality and no promise of complete confidentiality should be made to University employees or students who are involved in the complaint process.
4. Making a Complaint of Discrimination
Any applicant for employment or individual who is employed by or enrolled at The City University of New York may file a complaint of discrimination. The University places a strong emphasis on prompt action to resolve complaints alleging discrimination. Members of the University community who believe they have been discriminated against or harassed are strongly encouraged to report allegations as promptly as possible. Delay in making a complaint may make it more difficult for a unit of the University to investigate the allegations.
The complaint procedure that follows applies to all job applicants and employees and in some instances, former employees of The City University of New York. Students employed by CUNY have the right to equal employment opportunity in their capacity as employees.
Sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, is prohibited under the University’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment. Members of the University community who believe they have been sexually harassed are strongly encouraged to report their allegations as promptly as possible to the Sexual Harassment Coordinator (who in most cases is the AA/CDO). For details on reporting a complaint of sexual harassment see Section IV.
Any employee, applicant for employment, or student, may file a complaint of discrimination or sexual harassment.
Individuals who believe they are being or have been discriminated against or harassed in violation of university policy are encouraged to contact, as soon as possible, the AA/CDO.
At the time the individual makes his/her complaint, the AA/CDO should provide the complainant with the complaint form (Attachment A) and with information about the various internal and external mechanisms through which the complaint may be filed (Attachment B).
In the event that an employee on an assignment off campus files a complaint of discrimination the AA/CDO should investigate the complaint promptly, including coordinating, when necessary, with the off campus entity. Students who participate in field placement assignments should be informed, prior to reporting to the assignment, of CUNY’s procedures regarding complaints of discrimination while on field placement assignments.
5. Preliminary Review of Discrimination Complaints
Individuals who believe they have been victims of discrimination/harassment may contact the AA/CDO to discuss issues relating to discrimination, with or without filing a complaint. The AA/CDO may conduct a preliminary fact-finding review. At its conclusion, the AA/CDO shall inform the complainant of the options available. These include seeking informal resolution to the problems the complainant has encountered or asking that a full investigation be conducted. Based upon the facts of the case, the AA/CDO may also advise the complainant that his or her case is more suitable for adjudication by another entity within the University.
6. Informal Resolution
Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against may choose to resolve their complaints informally. Informal resolution is a confidential process where parties can participate in a search for fair and workable solutions. Informal resolution requires the consent of both parties and suspends the complaint procedure for up to thirty (30) working days, which can be extended, at the discretion of the AA/CDO, upon consent of both parties. The AA/CDO should determine if informal resolution is appropriate in light of the nature of the complaint.
All complaints, whether formal or informal, should be made in writing. The parties may agree upon a variety of resolutions, including but not limited to modification of work assignment, training for a department, or an apology. Resolutions should be agreed upon, signed by, and provided to the complainant(s) and respondent(s). Once both parties reach an informal agreement, it is final. Because informal resolution is voluntary, sanctions may be imposed against the accused only for a breach of the executed voluntary agreement.
The complainant may advise the AA/CDO at any time during the informal resolution process that he or she wishes to withdraw a complaint.
The AA/CDO or either party may at any time, prior to the expiration of thirty (30) working days, declare that attempts at informal resolution have failed. Upon such notice, the AA/CDO may commence a full investigation.
If no informal resolution of a complaint is achieved, the individual shall refer the matter to the AA/CDO to conduct a more through investigation of the complaint. Individuals must complete the form annexed as Attachment A.
7. Investigation of Discrimination Complaints
a. Full investigation of a discrimination complaint may occur when:
1. The AA/CDO determines, upon review of a complaint, that an investigation is warranted, or
2. Informal resolution has failed.
b. It is recommended that the investigation include the following, to the extent feasible:
1. Interviewing of the complainant by the AA/CDO.
2. Informing the complainant that an investigation is being commenced, that interviews of the accused and possibly other people shall be conducted, and that the President shall determine what action, if any, to take after the investigation is completed.
3. Interviewing of the accused by the AA/CDO. The accused should be advised that a complaint of discrimination has been received, that an investigation has begun, which may include interviews with third parties, and that the President shall determine what action, if any, to take after the investigation is completed. The accused should be given a copy of the complaint (with sensitive information such as the complainant’s home address and telephone number redacted) and an opportunity to respond. An accused employee who is covered by a collective bargaining agreement may consult with a union representative and have a union representative present during the interview.
4. Determining if, in addition to the complainant, the accused, and those persons named by them, there are others who may have relevant information regarding the events in question and whether there is documentary evidence that may be relevant to the complaint. Persons interviewed should be advised that information related to the complaint should be kept confidential and not disclosed further, except as necessary during the complaint process.
5. Informing the accused that retaliation against any person who files a complaint of discrimination, participates in an investigation, or opposes a discriminatory employment or educational practice or policy is prohibited 11 under University policy and federal and state and city law. The accused should be informed that if retaliatory behavior is engaged in, he/she shall be subject to severe discipline, up to and including termination of employment or, if the accused is a student, permanent dismissal from the University.
6. Informing the complainant of the right to file a complaint with the appropriate federal or state or city agency and requesting that the complainant advise the AA/CDO if he or she has filed a complaint with an external agency. In the event that the AA/CDO learns that the complainant has filed a complaint with an external agency, he or she should inform the Office of General Counsel and coordinate the investigation accordingly.
c. Withdrawing a complaint.
1. A complaint of discrimination may be withdrawn at any time. Only the complainant(s) may withdraw a complaint. Requests for withdrawals must be submitted to the AA/CDO in writing. The AA/CDO, prior to making the determination to end the investigation, will consider whether evidence has been found that may lead to the conclusion that the University has an obligation to take action to correct unlawful discriminatory behavior. If there is such evidence, the investigation will continue.
In either event, the AA/CDO will notify the respondent(s) in writing that the complainant(s) has withdrawn the complaint and whether it has been determined by appropriate University officials to continue the investigation for corrective action purposes.
d. In the event that a complaint is anonymous, the complaint should be investigated as thoroughly as possible under the circumstances.
e. Timeframe: While some complaints of discrimination may require extensive investigation, whenever possible, the investigation of most complaints should be completed within 60 days of the receipt of the complaint. In cases where the investigation is not completed within 60 days, a Delay Notification Letter (Attachment D) should be sent to the parties and the reason for the delay should be noted in the file.
8. Action Following Investigation of Discrimination Complaints
a. Promptly following the completion of the investigation, the AA/CDO shall report his or her findings to the President, and in the event that the accused is a student, to the Chief Student Affairs Officer.
b. Following such report, the President shall review the complaint investigation report and authorize such action as he or she deems necessary to properly correct the effects of or to prevent further harm to an affected party or others similarly situated. The President’s review of the report and authorization that action be taken shall be documented in writing, which may be issued electronically. This 12 can include commencing action to discipline the accused under applicable University Bylaws or collective bargaining agreements. Disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to, termination of employment and/or dismissal from the University, demotion, reassignment, suspension, reprimand, training or granting a benefit wrongfully withheld.
c. The complainant(s) and respondent(s) to an investigation should be apprised in writing of the outcome and action taken as a result of the complaint.
d. For each investigation, the President will sign a form that will go into the investigation file, stating: "I have reviewed the report of the investigation of the discrimination complaint filed by [complainant] on [date] and authorize the Affirmative Action Officer/Compliance and Diversity Officer/Sexual Harassment Coordinator to take appropriate action based on the findings in the report." The action authorized by the President shall be final.
e. If the President is the accused, the Vice Chancellor of Faculty and Staff Relations shall appoint an investigator who shall report his/her findings to the Chancellor. The Chancellor shall determine what action shall be taken. The Chancellor’s decision shall be final.
9. Immediate Preventive Action
The President may, in extreme cases, take whatever action is appropriate to protect the college community.
10. False and Malicious Accusations
Members of the University community who make false and malicious complaints of discrimination, as opposed to complaints, which, even if erroneous, are made in good faith, shall be subject to disciplinary action.
11. Records and Reports
a. The AA/CDO shall keep the President informed regarding complaints of discrimination and shall provide the information necessary to prepare the annual non-discrimination report referenced above in § II 2(a).
b. Records regarding complaints of discrimination shall be maintained in a secure location.
12. Applicability of Procedures
a. These Procedures are applicable to all of the units and colleges of the University. The Hunter College Campus Schools may make modifications to these procedures, subject to approval by the University, as appropriate to address the special needs of their elementary and high school students.
b. These Procedures are intended to provide guidance to the Presidents for implementing the University policy of non-discrimination; these procedures do not create any rights or privileges on the part of any others.
The University reserves the right to alter, change, add to, or delete any of these procedures at any time without notice.
IV. Policy Against Sexual Harassment
It is the policy of The City University of New York to promote a cooperative work and academic environment in which there exists mutual respect for all University students, faculty, and staff. Harassment of employees or students based upon sex is inconsistent with this objective and contrary to the University’s non-discrimination policy. Sexual harassment is illegal under Federal, State, and City laws, and will not be tolerated within the University.
The University, through its colleges, will disseminate this policy and take other steps to educate the University community about sexual harassment. The University will establish procedures to ensure that investigations of allegations of sexual harassment are conducted in a manner that is prompt, fair, thorough, and as confidential as possible under the circumstances, and that appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action is taken as warranted by the circumstances when sexual harassment is determined to have occurred. Members of the University community who believe they have been be aggrieved under this policy are strongly encouraged to report the allegations of sexual harassment as promptly as possible. Delay in making a complaint of sexual harassment may make it more difficult for the college to investigate the allegations.
A. Prohibited Conduct
It is a violation of University policy for any member of the University community to engage in sexual harassment or to retaliate against any member of the University community for raising an allegation of sexual harassment, for filing a complaint alleging sexual harassment, or for participating in any proceeding to determine if sexual harassment has occurred.
B. Definition of Sexual Harassment
For purposes of this policy, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other oral or written communications or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
1. submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment or academic standing;
2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such individual; or
3. such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or abusive work or academic environment.
Sexual harassment can occur between individuals of different sexes or of the same sex. Although sexual harassment most often exploits a relationship between individuals of unequal power (such as between a faculty member and student, supervisor and employee, or tenured and untenured faculty members), it may also occur between individuals of equal power (such as between fellow students or co-workers), or in some circumstances even where it appears that the harasser has less power than the individual harassed (for example, a student sexually harassing a faculty member). A lack of intent to harass may be relevant to, but will not be determinative of, whether sexual harassment has occurred.
C. Examples of Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment may take different forms. Using a person's response to a request for sexual favors as a basis for an academic or employment decision is one form of sexual harassment. Examples of this type of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, the following:
- requesting or demanding sexual favors in exchange for employment or academic opportunities (such as hiring, promotions, grades, or recommendations);
- submitting unfair or inaccurate job or academic evaluations or grades, or denying training, promotion, or access to any other employment or academic opportunity, because sexual advances have been rejected.
Other types of unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature can also constitute sexual harassment, if sufficiently severe or pervasive that the target does find, and a reasonable person would find, that an intimidating, hostile or abusive work or academic environment has been created. Examples of this kind of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, the following:
- sexual comments, teasing, or jokes;
- sexual slurs, demeaning epithets, derogatory statements, or other verbal abuse;
- graphic or sexually suggestive comments about an individual's attire or body;
- inquiries or discussions about sexual activities;
- pressure to accept social invitations, to meet privately, to date, or to have sexual relations;
- sexually suggestive letters or other written materials;
- sexual touching, brushing up against another in a sexual manner, graphic or sexually suggestive gestures, cornering, pinching, grabbing, kissing, or fondling;
- coerced sexual intercourse or sexual assault.
D. Consensual Relationships
Amorous, dating, or sexual relationships that might be appropriate in other circumstances have inherent dangers when they occur between a faculty member, supervisor, or other member of the University community and any person for whom he or she has a professional responsibility. These dangers can include: that a student or employee may feel coerced into an unwanted relationship because he or she fears that refusal to enter into the relationship will adversely affect his or her education or employment; that conflicts of interest may arise when a faculty member, supervisor, or other member of the University community is required to evaluate the work or make personnel or academic decisions with respect to an individual with whom he or she is having a romantic relationship; that students or employees may perceive that a fellow student or co-worker who is involved in a romantic relationship will receive an unfair advantage; and that if the relationship ends in a way that is not amicable, either or both of the parties may wish to take action to injure the other party.
Faculty members, supervisors, and other members of the University community who have professional responsibility for other individuals, accordingly, should be aware that any romantic or sexual involvement with a student or employee for whom they have such a responsibility may raise questions as to the mutuality of the relationship and may lead to charges of sexual harassment. For the reasons stated above, such relationships are strongly discouraged.
For purposes of this section, an individual has "professional responsibility" for another individual at the University if he or she performs functions including, but not limited to, teaching, counseling, grading, advising, evaluating, hiring, supervising, or making decisions or recommendations that confer benefits such as promotions, financial aid awards or other remuneration, or that may impact upon other academic or employment opportunities.
E. Academic Freedom
This policy shall not be interpreted so as to constitute interference with academic freedom.
F. False and Malicious Accusations
Members of the University community who make false and malicious complaints of sexual harassment, as opposed to complaints which, even if erroneous, are made in good faith, will be subject to disciplinary action.
G. Procedures
The University has developed procedures to implement this policy. The President of each constituent college of the University, the Senior Vice Chancellor at the Central Office, and 16 the Dean of the Law School shall have ultimate responsibility for overseeing compliance with this policy at his or her respective unit of the University. In addition, each dean, director, department chairperson, executive officer, administrator, or other person with supervisory responsibility shall be required to report any complaint of sexual harassment to the individual or individuals designated in the procedures. All members of the University community are required to cooperate in any investigation of a sexual harassment complaint.
H. Enforcement
There is a range of corrective actions and penalties available to the University for violations of this policy. Students, faculty, or staff who are found, following applicable disciplinary proceedings, to have violated this Policy are subject to various penalties, including termination of employment and/or student expulsion from the University.
Effective October 1, 1995
Board Approved: November 29, 2004 (No. 6 A)
Revised by OHRM July 2008 per agreement with Equal Employment Practices Commission
V. Procedures for Implementation of The City University's Policy Against Sexual Harassment
The following are procedures for implementation of the Policy Against Sexual Harassment at The City University of New York (hereinafter the "Policy"):
1. Sexual Harassment Defined
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other oral or written communications or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: 1. submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or academic standing; 2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such individual; or 3. such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or abusive work or academic environment.
2. Responsibilities of Officers and Individuals
The President of each constituent college of The City University of New York, the Senior Vice Chancellor at the Central Office, and the Dean of the Law School (hereinafter "Presidents") are responsible for overseeing compliance with the implementation of the Policy. Each President shall:
Appoint a Sexual Harassment Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator(s) to be available to employees who wish to make complaints of sexual 17 harassment. More than one Deputy Coordinator may be appointed at the discretion of the President. Presidents should take into account gender and ethnic balance as they appoint individuals. Further, one of the Coordinators should be a faculty member. The responsibilities of the Sexual Harassment Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator(s) are set forth in subsection b. below.
Appoint a Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee to be responsible for educating the college community about sexual harassment through printed materials, workshops, and the like. The responsibilities of the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee are set forth in subsection c. below.
Ensure that the Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator(s) and Awareness and Intake Committee members are fully trained and equipped to carry out their responsibilities.
Disseminate the Policy Against Sexual Harassment, including the names, titles, telephone numbers, and office locations of the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator(s) and Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee members, annually to all employees. It is recommended that such information be included in all orientation, and all handbooks and newsletters; and on the college website.
Submit as part of the annual report on non-discrimination, a summary of the sexual harassment educational activities undertaken at the college, as well as a summary of the number of complaints filed and the general outcomes thereof.
b. Responsibilities of the Sexual Harassment Coordinator and Sexual Harassment Deputy Coordinator(s)
It is the responsibility of the President to appoint the college AA/CDO as either the Sexual Harassment Coordinator or a Sexual Harassment Deputy Coordinator. Further, a faculty member should be appointed as one of the Coordinators.
The Sexual Harassment Coordinator is responsible, as the President’s designee, for reviewing all complaints of sexual harassment from any member of the college community, and for making efforts to resolve those complaints informally, if possible. When informal resolution is not possible, the Sexual Harassment Coordinator shall investigate the complaint. The Sexual Harassment Coordinator shall report to the President (and the Chief Student Affairs Officer, if the accused/complainant is a student) the results of the investigation. A Deputy Coordinator may also assume responsibility for the informal resolution or investigation of complaints, as assigned by the Sexual Harassment Coordinator. The Coordinators have an obligation to maintain confidentiality to the fullest extent possible.
Submit annually as part of the report on non-discrimination, a summary of the sexual harassment educational activities undertaken at the college, as well as a summary of the number of complaints filed and the general outcomes thereof.
c. Responsibilities of the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee
The Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee is responsible for educating employees about sexual harassment and its potential consequences to the University community, and for overseeing sexual harassment training.
It is recommended that the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee consist of six to eight persons, all of whom shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the President. Further, it is strongly recommended that the Committee reflect the diversity of the college, and be composed of at least two faculty members, as well as administrators, staff, and students.
All members of the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee shall be available to receive complaints of sexual harassment from any member of the college community, to explain the University complaint procedures, and to refer individuals and/or the complaint to the Sexual Harassment Coordinator.
All members of the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee have an obligation to maintain confidentiality to the fullest extent possible.
d. Responsibilities of Supervisors
Each dean, director, department chairperson, executive officer, administrator, or other person with supervisory responsibility (hereinafter "supervisor") is responsible within his or her area of jurisdiction for the implementation of the Policy. Supervisors must report to the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, or in his or her absence a Deputy Coordinator, any complaint of sexual harassment or any incident of sexual harassment that he or she becomes aware of or reasonably believes to exist. Having reported such complaint or incident, the supervisor should keep it confidential and not disclose it further, except as necessary during the complaint process.
Each supervisor shall arrange for the posting, in his or her area, of the University Policy Against Sexual Harassment and the names, titles, telephone numbers, and office locations of the college Sexual Harassment Coordinator, Deputy Coordinators and Awareness and Intake Committee members. Other materials provided to a supervisor by the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee should also be posted.
19 Members of the University community who become aware of allegations of sexual harassment should encourage the aggrieved individual to report the alleged sexual harassment to the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, a Deputy Coordinator or any member of the Awareness and Intake Committee.
The privacy of individuals who bring complaints of sexual harassment, who are accused of sexual harassment, or who are otherwise involved in the complaint process should be respected, and information obtained in connection with the filing, investigation, or resolution of complaints should be handled as confidentially as possible. It is not possible, however, to guarantee absolute confidentiality and no such promises should be made by the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, a Deputy Coordinator, Awareness and Intake Committee member or other University employees who may be involved in the complaint process.
4. Making a Complaint of Sexual Harassment
Any member of the University community may report allegations of sexual harassment to the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, a Deputy Coordinator or any member of the Awareness and Intake Committee. Employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements may elect to use both their contractual grievance procedures, within the time limits provided in those agreements, to report allegations of sexual harassment; and to report such allegations directly to the Sexual Harassment Coordinator, a Deputy Coordinator or a member of the Sexual Harassment Awareness and Intake Committee. Members of the University community who believe they been aggrieved under the Policy are strongly encouraged to report the allegations of sexual harassment as promptly as possible. Delay in making a complaint may make it more difficult for the college to investigate the allegations.
5. Informal Resolution of Sexual Harassment Complaints
a. After receiving a complaint of sexual harassment, the Sexual Harassment Coordinator shall, in appropriate cases, make efforts to resolve the complaint informally, i.e., by an arrangement that is acceptable to the complainant, the accused, and the college. Examples of informal resolutions include, but are not limited to:
- arranging for a workshop on sexual harassment to be conducted for the unit, division, or department in which the sexual harassment is alleged to have occurred;
- having a supervisor, Sexual Harassment Coordinator or Deputy Coordinator speak to the accused regarding the allegations of sexual harassment and counsel the accused as to appropriate behavior;
- arranging for a meeting between the complainant and the accused, with a third party present, to discuss and resolve the allegations;
- having the accused write a letter of apology. Whenever possible, an informal resolution should be acknowledged in writing and signed by the complainant. The accused should also be asked to sign such an acknowledgement.
b. If no informal resolution of a complaint is achieved, the Sexual Harassment Coordinator shall conduct a formal investigation of the complaint. It is recognized, however, that complaints may be resolved by mutual agreement of the complainant, the accused, and the college at any time in the process.
6. Investigations of Sexual Harassment Complaints
While the investigation of sexual harassment complaints may vary depending upon the nature of each case, it is recommended that an investigation include the following, to the extent feasible:
a. The Sexual Harassment Coordinator should interview the complainant, preferably with a Deputy Coordinator present. The complainant may bring the person to whom he or she originally brought the complaint to the interview. The complainant should be informed that an investigation is being commenced, that interviews of the accused and possibly other people shall be conducted, and that the President shall determine what action, if any, to take after the investigation is completed.
b. The Sexual Harassment Coordinator should interview the accused, preferably with a Deputy Coordinator present. The accused should be advised that a complaint of sexual harassment has been received, that an investigation has begun, which may include interviews with third parties, and that the President will determine what action, if any, to take after the investigation is completed. The accused should be advised of the nature of the allegations against him or her and be given an opportunity to respond. In addition, the accused should be advised that any sexual harassment of or other retaliation against, the complainant or others is prohibited. If such behavior is engaged in, the accused shall be subject to severe discipline, up to and including termination of employment or, if the accused is a student, permanent dismissal from the University. An accused employee who is covered by a collective bargaining agreement may consult with a union representative and have a union representative present during the interview.
c. In addition to interviews with the complainant, the accused, and those persons named by them, it should be determined whether there are others who may have relevant information regarding the events in question and whether there is documentary evidence that may be relevant to the complaint. Persons interviewed should be advised that information related to the complaint should be kept confidential and not disclosed further, except as necessary during the complaint process.
e. While some complaints of sexual harassment may require extensive investigation, whenever possible, the investigation of most complaints should be completed within 60 days of the receipt of the complaint.
7. Action Following Investigation of Sexual Harassment Complaints
a. Promptly following the completion of the investigation, the Sexual Harassment Coordinator shall report his or her findings to the President, and in the event that the accused is a student, to the Chief Student Affairs Officer.
b. Following such report, the President shall review the complaint investigation report and authorize such action as he or she deems necessary to properly correct the effects of or to prevent further harm to an affected party or others similarly situated. The President’s review of the report and authorization that action be taken shall be documented in writing, which may be issued electronically. In addition to initiating disciplinary proceedings, corrective action may include, but is not limited to, transferring a student to another class section, transferring an employee, or granting a benefit wrongfully withheld. The action authorized by the President shall be final.
c. For each investigation, the President will sign a form that will go into the investigation file, stating: "I have reviewed the report of the investigation of the discrimination complaint filed by [complainant] on [date] and authorize the Affirmative Action Officer/Compliance and Diversity Officer/Sexual Harassment Coordinator to take appropriate action based on the findings in the report."
d. The complainant and the accused should be apprised in writing of action taken as a result of the complaint.
9. False Complaints
In the event that the Sexual Harassment Coordinator concludes that a complainant made a complaint of sexual harassment with knowledge that the allegations were false, the Sexual Harassment Coordinator shall state this conclusion in his or her report. The failure to substantiate a sexual harassment complaint, however, is not in and of itself sufficient to demonstrate that a complaint was false.
a. The Sexual Harassment Coordinator shall keep the President informed regarding complaints of sexual harassment and shall provide the information necessary to prepare the annual report referenced in § II, 2, a, (last bullet).
b. Records regarding complaints of sexual harassment shall be maintained in a secure location.
b. These Procedures are intended to provide guidance to the Presidents for implementing the University policy against sexual harassment; these procedures do not create any rights or privileges on the part of any others.
List of Resources
New York City Commission on Human Rights
40 Rector Street
(212) 306-7686 (TDD)
New York State Division of Human Rights Headquarters
One Fordham Plaza, 4th Floor
New York State Division of Human Rights
55 Hanson Place, 3rd Floor, Room 304
Manhattan Offices
20 Exchange Place, 2nd Floor
Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building
163 W. 125th Street, 4th Floor
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section
Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (NYA)
Employer Hotline (1-800-255-8155)
Worker Hotline (1-800-255-7688)
Office of Civil Rights, Region II
75 Park Place, 14th Floor
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
New York District Office
33 Whitehall Street
(212) 336-3622 or 1-800-669-6820 (TTY)
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Sunny Persistence
A little less than a year ago, I recounted how Liz chose not to go with me to the Boswell High School homecoming festivities when I was a freshman in high school. Something about waiting for someone else to ask her out.
Writing the Watson Wire carries significant risk. I came into the kitchen the morning that Wire went out, and Liz, having already read it, immediately and rather emphatically asked, “When are you going to get over that?”
Well, officially, I was over it right at that moment. We’ve been married almost 30 years now, so I feel like I’ve pretty much conquered Liz’s reluctance to be seen with me in public (she even reads the Watson Wire, apparently).
But when you combine a very pretty girl with the romantic madness of a 14-year-old, you wind up with a formative experience. And the fact that Liz did, eventually, agree to date me remains a helpful lesson in patience and persistence.
Lord knows it paid off last week, when the Senate passed my RPS bill.
How an idea becomes a bill
I’ve written before about this bill – Senate Bill 541. It creates what’s known as a Renewable Portfolio Standard, or RPS, for non-wind sources of renewable energy.
In English, that means the state would set a goal for how much of our electricity comes from solar power and other sources that won’t emit greenhouse gases (we’re the country’s leading emitter of carbon dioxide). And in doing so, we’d save Texas families money.
The RPS has been like green-colored rocket fuel for the wind energy industry in Texas. Since we created the first one back in 2001, the state has shattered its goals for wind power generation, becoming the leading producer of it in the country.
With the rising profile of solar power, improving technology, and a boatload of federal carrots and sticks to encourage renewable energy, it’s the best possible time to take the next step and position Texas as a leader in the 21st Century energy industry.
The Public Utility Commission reported in January that wind energy is reducing the overall cost of electricity in Texas. Solar should do that even more, since it will be more readily available at times when energy is the most expensive – during the hottest part of the day. Plus, when considered in the context of federal taxes on greenhouse gas emissions, there’s a significant net savings by generating more renewable energy.
It’s sort of like paying the $19.99 for an oil change on your car every 3,000 miles. Sure, it costs you $19.99, but it creates a net savings as your car runs more efficiently and avoids additional repairs. Plus, you don’t have to buy a new car as soon because you took common-sense steps that addressed your future needs.
But despite this obvious logic and track record, S.B. 541 has been running quite a while.
I filed it in January. It was referred to committee until February. It was heard in March. Then it was voted out of committee at the end of last month.
And finally, last Monday, we got it up in the Senate, where it passed 24-7.
I feel great about that vote, but don’t let it fool you – I’ve never worked harder passing a bill.
A lot of people worked hard addressing the legitimate concerns and improvements that businesses, consumers and utilities brought up, getting folks to think creatively about how to encourage renewable energy, and helping people see how important these kinds of initiatives will be as the country gets more and more serious about fighting climate change.
How a legislature becomes a racetrack
So now the bill needs to rush through the House before the session wraps up in two weeks.
It’s not going to be easy – it never is when you only have a few months every two years to build consensus around big ideas. But the good news is that this is a really, really good idea, and it’s the right time for it.
Texas has a deserved, hard-won reputation as being the world capital for the energy industry. But that industry is changing, and if we want to keep leading, we have to seize opportunities the way we did decades ago to stay ahead of it.
We’ve never lacked for audacity in this state – particularly outside the Capitol – and we’ve never shied from change or from leadership. That’s a legacy that gives me a lot of hope.
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Home > United States Lawyer > Alabama Lawyers > Dothan
Lawyers near Dothan, Alabama
John Edge, Associate at Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney & Turner, P.C.
Address: 291 North Oates Street P.O. Box 2246, Dothan, AL 36303
Practice:Real Estate; Corporate Law; Tax Law; Tax Litigation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Probate; Estate Planning
Admitted:1995, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Law School:Cumberland School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1995; University of Florida, LL.M., Taxation, 2011
James W. Parkman, III, Partner at Parkman & White, LLC
Address: 661 West Main Street, Dothan, AL 36301
Practice:White Collar Criminal Defense; Federal Drug Cases; Homicide; Criminal Appeals
Admitted:1979, Alabama; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 11th Circuits
Law School:Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, J.D., 1979
Benjamin H. Barron, Partner at Lee, Livingston, Lee & Nichols, P.C.
Address: 238 West Main Street (36301) P.O. Box 1665, Dothan, AL 36302
Practice:Real Estate; Wills; Trusts and Estates; Civil Practice; Defense Litigation; Divorce; Insurance Defense; Personal Injury; Personal Injury Defense; Probate; Civil Litigation; Premises Liability Defense
Admitted:2008, Alabama
Law School:Cumberland School of Law, J.D., 2008
R. Eugene Clenney, Jr., Member at Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney & Turner, P.C.
Practice:Tax; Tax Litigation; Estate Planning; Corporate; Securities; Mergers and Acquisitions; Finance Law
Admitted:1982, Alabama; 1984, Texas
Law School:Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, J.D., cum laude, 1982; New York University, LL.M. in Taxation, 1983
Scott Sasser, Associate at Carr Allison
Address: 256 Honeysuckle Road, Brightleaf Court, Suite 6, Dothan, AL 36305
Practice:Worker's Compensation; Employment Law
Law School:Cumberland School of Law of Samford, J.D., 2009
Eric M. Wade, Shareholder at Carr Allison
Practice:Labor and Employment; Retail and Hospitality; Workers' Compensation
Admitted:2002, Alabama; United States District Court, Middle District of Alabama
Law School:Cumberland School of Law, J.D.
Stephen T. Etheredge, Managing Partner at Buntin, Etheredge & Dowling, L.L.C.
Address: 185 North Oates Street (36303) P.O. Box 1193, Dothan, AL 36302
Practice:Civil Litigation; Personal Injury; Wrongful Death; Automobile Accident; Workers Compensation; Social Security Disability; Real Estate; Fraud; Family; Banking
Admitted:1975, Alabama; 1976, Florida and U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
Law School:University of Alabama, J.D., 1975
Lexa E. Dowling, Member at Buntin, Etheredge & Dowling, L.L.C.
Practice:Civil Litigation; Personal Injury; Wrongful Death; Workers Compensation; Social Security Disability; Real Estate; Family; Fraud; Bankruptcy; Domestic Relations
Admitted:1984, Alabama and U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
Dustin J. Fowler, Associate at Buntin, Etheredge & Dowling, L.L.C.
Practice:Civil Litigation(50%); Criminal Defense(50%)
Law School:Birmingham School of Law, J.D., 2005
Joe M. Chambers, Associate at Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney & Turner, P.C.
Practice:Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Real Estate; Tax Law; Tax Litigation; Estate Planning
Admitted:2006, Florida; 2007, Alabama
Law School:University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., 2006; New York University, LL.M., in Taxation, 2007
Paul F. Turner, Jr., Member at Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney & Turner, P.C.
Practice:Tax Law; Tax Litigation; Estate Planning; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions
Admitted:2000, Alabama; 2006, Florida
Law School:Cumberland School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2000; University of Florida, LL.M., Taxation, 2001
G. David Johnston, Member at Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney & Turner, P.C.
Address: 291 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303
Practice:Tax; Tax Litigation; Estate Planning; Corporate; ERISA; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Litigation; Securities
Admitted:1977, Alabama, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama and U.S. Tax Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Law School:Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, J.D., 1977; New York University, LL.M. in Taxation, 1978
William W. Hinesley, Member at Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney & Turner, P.C.
Practice:Tax; Tax Litigation; Estate Planning; Corporate; Tax Exempt Financings; Securities; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Litigation
Admitted:1977, Georgia and Alabama; 1978, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh and Fourth Circuits and U.S. District Court, Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia; 1979, South Carolina; 1982, U.S. District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama, U.S. Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals
William T. Flowers, Member at Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney & Turner, P.C.
Practice:Tax; Tax Litigation; Estate Planning; Corporate; Mergers and Acquisitions; Partnerships
Admitted:1986, Alabama and U.S. Tax Court
Law School:Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, J.D., 1986; Washington University, LL.M in Taxation, 1987
W. L. Lee, Member at Lee & McInish, P.C.
Admitted:
Law School:
Alto V. Lee, III, Member at Lee & McInish, P.C.
H. Dwight McInish, Member at Lee & McInish, P.C.
William L. Lee, III, Member at Lee & McInish, P.C.
Practice:Civil Defense Litigation; Insurance Litigation; Medical Malpractice Defense; Worker's Compensation Law
Admitted:1968, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Alan C. Livingston, Partner at Lee, Livingston, Lee & Nichols, P.C.
Practice:Civil Defense Litigation; Products Liability; Railroad Defense; Commercial Litigation; Worker's Compensation Law; Medical Malpractice Defense Law
Admitted:1973, Alabama; 1975, U.S. District Court, Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama; 1978, U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
Law School:University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence, 1973
William C. Carn, III, Member at Lee & McInish, P.C.
Practice:Commercial Law; Banking Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor's Rights; Civil Defense Litigation; Corporate Law; Employment Law; Workers Compensation; Mediation; Arbitration; Creditor/ Collector Defense
Admitted:1978, Alabama; U.S. District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Law School:Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, J.D., 1978
Note: Above table lists the lawyers practicing law in Dothan, AL. Please click lawyer names to view lawyer profiles or law firm names to view law firm profiles.
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The Aligned Leader Show
CEO Collaboration Day
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Join Our Mission
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Together with our partners, we organize and promote high-impact events & programs that support the growth of The Conscious Economy with the goal of facilitating partnerships between high-growth companies, investors, corporates and service providers.
Global Peter Drucker Forum
Claiming our humanity -- managing in the digital age
Start up conference
This conference started as a small project of group of students and slowly turned into a significant event. Some of the conferences are available online. It is quite amazing what ideas are spread and how impactful such event can be.
AWE Summit
Portugal, Spain, Switzerland
AWE Summit's mission is to draw women from the background to the foreground, and to create an environment of experience sharing and peer learning. To expand women's contact base, to network, to collaborate, to find business opportunities and have FUN!
To establish friendships through stories that inspire, impact, transform...Because everyone's story matters!
Campaigning Summit
We create real change by inspiring or empowering others with cases, keynotes and trends from the campaigning world! Become part of the movement and join the summit! (coming soon in Poland, Finland, France, The Netherlands)
CEO COllaborative Forum
CEO-CF connects three times per year as a community in attractive and unique settings that allow our executives critical time outside their business. We call it balcony time, the opportunity to expose yourself to new perspectives, key learnings as well as forging new alliances across our community that strengthen you as a leader both personally and professionally. At the heart of the community meetings are the strategic challenges, where members tackle their most pressing problems through collaboration in their trust groups and across the Forum.
European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
The European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) is a non-profit organization whose main objective is to advance the understanding of entrepreneurship and to improve the competitiveness of SMEs in Europe. The ECSB is an affiliation to the ICSB.
Innovators Under 35
Innovators Under 35 is the most prestigious recognition worldwide from MIT Technology Review.
We aim at connecting remarkable minds and projects in an effort to escalate the impact of their achievements. In Europe, more than one hundred Innovators from Spain, Germany and Italy are part of this global community. Belgium and Poland join us this year.
New Media Europe
This unique conference is aimed at podcasters, bloggers, social media visionaries, content creators, entrepreneurs and new media enthusiasts who are looking to up their game through the effective use of new media tools ‒ such as podcasting, blogging and social media ‒ in their endeavours. During this two-day event, you will have the choice to attend over 24 sessions prepared by some of the best speakers in the world. From general ‘know-how’ sessions and technical workshops to inspiring keynote speeches ‒ you are going to be equipped with the new media knowledge, ideas and inspiration that will make you stand out from others in your niche!
Networking events throughout the whole weekend will enable you to connect with other like-minded individuals.
WeFound
Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands
Since launch in February 2014, we have organized 40 events, workshops, webinars, networking and co-working days, in 13 European cities and 9 countries.
Our events mainly focus on developing entrepreneurial mindset, we tell authentic and very personal stories of very successful people and how failure turns into success through changes in mindset
Founded in 2004 by French entrepreneurs Loïc and Geraldine Le Meur, LeWeb is an internationally-renowned conference for digital innovation where visionaries, startups, tech companies, brands and leading media converge to explore today’s hottest trends and define the future of internet-driven business.
Berlin Change Days
The Berlin Change Days is the global Agora for people who are passionate about organizational and personal development. It provides a forum where practitioners meet to look at trends, hear about new tools, network, and celebrate.
Global Female Leaders
An organisation becomes fit for the future through its richness of ideas, approaches and perspectives. More and more women are taking up positions of responsibility on executive and supervisory boards across the world, thereby entering top management. The growing dynamics of this trend cannot be ignored. And one thing is clear: wherever this happens, old patterns of thought are being disbanded. We profit from this increased variety of thoughts, perspectives and solutions.
Heureka Conference
HEUREKA is the conference for founders who want to bring their business to the next level. Learn about the key factors of success, get inspired by like-minded entrepreneurs and meet high level investors and media Representatives. Bigger and more international than ever!
MakeSense
MakeSense is a rapidly growing, global open-source community of passionate individuals who use their skills, knowledge and connections to tackle business, design and technology challenges of social entrepreneurs.
Their monthly informal get-together, SenseDrink, happens in Berlin.
European Entrepreneurship Foundation
The European Entrepreneurship Foundation (EEF) – created in 2005 – is a non-profit organization. EEF helps building the next generation of European companies. Train the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders, develop and disseminate programs that enhance entrepreneurial skills and abilities. Our aim is to improve the ecosystem in which entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. Europreneurs.org is the official website of EEF.
This is a group for change makers that already are or want to be involved in business projects that help make the world a better place. The objective of this group is to connect people who are interested in social entrepreneurship. Whether you have a project already, you’re working on an idea, or you’re just thinking about getting started, this group can help you meet other like-minded people to share advice, information and lots more. Social entrepreneurship refers to the creation of sustainable businesses that respond to a social need. If they are a Green businesses, all the better!
The A Factor
The A Factor gives visibility to individuals who are shifting the traditional balance. Because connection between people is the true leverage to change the world!
The Institute came to life in 2013 to support entrepreneurs and promote entrepreneurship within society. With our primary offices and coworking space in the heart of Madrid, we offer a range of programmes and services to people who have an entrepreneurial project in mind or already underway, those who already have an established company, or those who want to join in the fun. We also work around the world through a series of projects, in order to bring the entrepreneurial ecosystem to everyone who wants to get involved.
Impact Days
PYMWYMIC ANNUAL IMPACT DAYS is Europe’s most inspiring and focused gathering for the groundswell movement of people involved with the Impact movement: aligning investment, intention, and action for social and environmental return. With carefully curated content in a welcoming space, Impact Days welcomes family investors, business angels, and philanthropists to interact with global entrepreneurs and impact activists.
The Next Web Europe
Since 2006 our conferences have been known for bringing together the world’s leading thinkers, promising international startups and the most inspiring brands to do business and share their ideas. Join us for our 10th anniversary and discover what the next decade has in store.
Birmingham Salon
Birmingham Salon runs stimulating debates led by subject experts in local settings. Our events are genuine public conversations and our speakers are open to challenge – we give plenty of time for participants to say what they think.
Inspired by London’s annual debating festival, Battle of Ideas organised by the Institute of Ideas, we believe that the starting point for changing our world is open debate that is unafraid to tackle the thorniest questions.
Come and join us at our next debate. We’re a serious but friendly group, and we look forward to debating with you soon. We ask attendees to make a donation towards our running costs.
East Midlands Salon
The East Midlands Salon like those that currently exist in Brighton, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, New York and Lisbon is inspired by the Institute of Ideas. The IoI is committed to: (1) The legacy of the Enlightenment: scientific and social experimentation, intellectual ambition and curiosity; (2) Embracing change and making history; (3) Art for art’s sake, knowledge for its own sake, and education as an end in itself. (4) Freedom. To think, to act, to say what needs saying – even if it offends others; (5) Challenging irrational social panics; (6) Open and robust debate, in which ideas can be interrogated, argued for and fought over Civil liberties, with no ifs or buts
The Leeds Salon
The Leeds Salon is a public forum for debate around contemporary political, cultural and scientific issues, with the aim of challenging any orthodoxies along the way. Writers, academics and experts in their field are invited to present their ideas and to have them debated and held up to scrutiny by the audience.
Battle of Ideas
The Battle of Ideas festival was set up 10 years ago, initiated by the Institute of Ideas and supported by a wide range of partners, to encourage free thinking and open-ended public discussion. In 2014, this feels particularly apposite: we need serious thinking to deal with serious times.
GlobalNet21
GlobalNet21 is the leading platform in the UK for discussing the major issues in the 21st Century, and where can we take it from here. We share a common concern for the sustainability of both our planet and the people on it, with over 17,000 members in the UK and abroad. The GlobalNet21 community is about a space for people to meet, learn about and actively engage with the issues of the day, meet others with similar passions or discover new ones.
London Entrepreneurs
Want to meet other like minded entrepreneurs? Find an interesting startup to join? Discover the next big thing to invest in? Or maybe just to relax and have a drink some fascinating people? London Entrepreneurs is a weekly meetup where we join a different entrepreneurial networking event every week and host our own one every month. Brought to you by UCL Enterprise Society, UCL Entrepreneurs Society, Enactus UCL, Clean Tech Challenge and AIESEC.
Meaning conference exists to help connect and inspire the people who believe in better business. Be part of the change.
Tony Robbins' Unleash The Power Within
UNLEASH THE POWER WITHIN is about not waiting any longer. It’s about seizing the power that is already within you and challenging you to lead a life of your own design, rather than one that’s been scripted by your environment, society or anyone else. Break through the fears that hold you back (including unconscious fears). Create momentum in your life to make difficult things become effortless.
Develop powerful new routines that create maximum energy, optimum health and peak vitality. [NEW!] Implement a fail-safe system to ensure that you follow through long-term, especially when the demands, distractions and frustrations of life begin to vie for your focus. [NEW!] Harness the key strategies for wealth creation, regardless of the economy or any other external forces.
Skoll World Forum, bringing you the most relevant news, insight, and opportunities to accelerate entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social issues.
Sheffield Salon
Who are the thinkers of our time? What are the ideas that matter? What do we really value? Founded in September 2011, Sheffield Salon is part of a small but growing movement that seeks answers to these questions. We see public discussion as an end in itself, engaging the widest audience in issues of the day, striving to create a public space to explore contemporary ideas.
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UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders should not politicise the Vision School issue to create a second Suqiu-like political crisis in four months just for the sake of the UMNO special general assembly next Saturday
(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders should not politicise the Vision School issue to create a second Suqiu-like political crisis in four months just for the sake of the UMNO special general assembly next Saturday.
In the past two weeks, there appears to be a deliberate campaign by UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders to escalate political temperatures to create a crisis atmosphere in the run-up to the UMNO special general assembly on November 18.
The UMNO special general assembly next Saturday is supposed to save UMNO from being thrown into the dustbin of history and learn from the important lesson from last November’s general election when UMNO suffered its worst election defeat in its party history, losing 16 Parliamentary seats and 55 State Assembly seats as compared to 1995.
The UMNO membership and the Malaysian people were given to understand that the UMNO leadership had realised the need for radical reforms in UMNO to win back to Malay heartland from PAS and Keadilan and that the first crucial step is to restore democracy in UMNO.
However, from the decisions of the UMNO Supreme Council, it is clear that the amendments to the UMNO Constitution to be tabled at the UMNO special general assembly would make UMNO even more undemocratic, centralising greater powers in the hands of the UMNO President especially with the proposal to have party national elections once in five years after the national general election.
UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders must be aware that the UMNO Supreme Council’s constitutional amendments on Saturday represent a severe throwback to greater authoritarian and feudal rule by the UMNO President and that the only way to distract the attention of UMNO delegates and the public is to create another crisis atmosphere, explaining the recent attempt to politicise the Vision School issue to create a second Suqiu-like crisis in four months.
The statement made by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday accusing Dong Jiao Zong of wanting a Chinese education system in the country which is un-Malaysian is not only baseless and most unfortunate, it is reminiscent of the Prime Minister’s 43rd Merdeka Day Message likening the supporters of the Malaysian Chinese Organisations’ Election Appeals Committee (Suqiu) to communists and communalists.
Mahathir’s accusation that Dong Jiao "had never accepted anything about education in Malaysia" and in wanting a "China-type" Chinese education system is most insensitive, unfair and unfounded. Even more serious, it has reinforced and justified the widespread concerns about the true and hidden agenda of the Barisan Nasional’s Vision Schools.
The Chinese primary schools in Malaysia are completely different from the Chinese schools in China as they are part of the Malaysian national education system, follow the national curriculum, where Bahasa Malaysia is a compulsory subject and where there is a multi-racial student population. At present, there are about 65,000 non-Chinese students, making up 12 to 15 percent, in the Chinese primary schools in the country.
UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders should not undermine the multi-racial, multi- lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious nation-building process and framework by returning to the traditional divide-and-rule tactics of sowing ethnic suspicions and distrust among the different communities.
The Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin, has set a very bad example in this respect with his his outrageous attack on those who question and oppose the Barisan Nasional government’s Vision Schools plan as "disloyal" and "unpatriotic" and he should withdraw and apologise for such unwarranted and baseless accusations.
One important reason why Malaysia has been losing out in the battle for international competitiveness, even lagging behind other countries in the region in attracting foreigh direct investment, threatening the various national economic and development goals as leapfrogging into the information age and K-economy, is the extremist politics of UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders in a multi-racial society.
UMNO and UMNO Youth leaders should end their politics of extremism for the nation’s sake, stop looking at issues from narrow communal angle but emulate Keadilan and PAS leaders in fully accepting Malaysia’s multi-racial, multi- lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious character and identity, whether in education or in any other field of national endeavour.
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Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service.[1] Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers.[2] Most social media platforms have built-in data analytics tools, which enable companies to track the progress, success, and engagement of ad campaigns. Companies address a range of stakeholders through social media marketing, including current and potential customers, current and potential employees, journalists, bloggers, and the general public. On a strategic level, social media marketing includes the management of a marketing campaign, governance, setting the scope (e.g. more active or passive use) and the establishment of a firm's desired social media "culture" and "tone."
Traditional advertising techniques include print and television advertising. The Internet has already overtaken television as the largest advertising market.[90] Web sites often include the banner or pop-up ads. Social networking sites don't always have ads. In exchange, products have entire pages and are able to interact with users. Television commercials often end with a spokesperson asking viewers to check out the product website for more information. While briefly popular, print ads included QR codes on them. These QR codes can be scanned by cell phones and computers, sending viewers to the product website. Advertising is beginning to move viewers from the traditional outlets to the electronic ones.[citation needed]
Facebook and LinkedIn are leading social media platforms where users can hyper-target their ads. Hypertargeting not only uses public profile information but also information users submit but hide from others.[17] There are several examples of firms initiating some form of online dialog with the public to foster relations with customers. According to Constantinides, Lorenzo and Gómez Borja (2008) "Business executives like Jonathan Swartz, President and CEO of Sun Microsystems, Steve Jobs CEO of Apple Computers, and McDonalds Vice President Bob Langert post regularly in their CEO blogs, encouraging customers to interact and freely express their feelings, ideas, suggestions, or remarks about their postings, the company or its products".[15] Using customer influencers (for example popular bloggers) can be a very efficient and cost-effective method to launch new products or services[18] Among the political leaders in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the highest number of followers at 40 million, and President Donald Trump ranks second with 25 million followers.[19] Modi employed social media platforms to circumvent traditional media channels to reach out to the young and urban population of India which is estimated to be 200 million.
Early versions of search algorithms relied on webmaster-provided information such as the keyword meta tag or index files in engines like ALIWEB. Meta tags provide a guide to each page's content. Using metadata to index pages was found to be less than reliable, however, because the webmaster's choice of keywords in the meta tag could potentially be an inaccurate representation of the site's actual content. Inaccurate, incomplete, and inconsistent data in meta tags could and did cause pages to rank for irrelevant searches.[10][dubious – discuss] Web content providers also manipulated some attributes within the HTML source of a page in an attempt to rank well in search engines.[11] By 1997, search engine designers recognized that webmasters were making efforts to rank well in their search engine, and that some webmasters were even manipulating their rankings in search results by stuffing pages with excessive or irrelevant keywords. Early search engines, such as Altavista and Infoseek, adjusted their algorithms to prevent webmasters from manipulating rankings.[12]
Facebook had an estimated 144.27 million views in 2016, approximately 12.9 million per month.[109] Despite this high volume of traffic, very little has been done to protect the millions of users who log on to Facebook and other social media platforms each month. President Barack Obama tried to work with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to attempt to regulate data mining. He proposed the Privacy Bill of Rights, which would protect the average user from having their private information downloaded and shared with third party companies. The proposed laws would give the consumer more control over what information companies can collect.[107] President Obama was unable to pass most of these laws through congress, and it is unsure what President Trump will do with regards to social media marketing ethics.
AdWords is recognized as a web-based advertising utensil since it adopts keywords which can deliver adverts explicitly to web users looking for information in respect to a certain product or service. It is flexible and provides customizable options like Ad Extensions, access to non-search sites, leveraging the display network to help increase brand awareness. The project hinges on cost per click (CPC) pricing where the maximum cost per day for the campaign can be chosen, thus the payment of the service only applies if the advert has been clicked. SEM companies have embarked on AdWords projects as a way to publicize their SEM and SEO services. One of the most successful approaches to the strategy of this project was to focus on making sure that PPC advertising funds were prudently invested. Moreover, SEM companies have described AdWords as a practical tool for increasing a consumer’s investment earnings on Internet advertising. The use of conversion tracking and Google Analytics tools was deemed to be practical for presenting to clients the performance of their canvas from click to conversion. AdWords project has enabled SEM companies to train their clients on the utensil and delivers better performance to the canvass. The assistance of AdWord canvass could contribute to the growth of web traffic for a number of its consumer’s websites, by as much as 250% in only nine months.[30]
On April 24, 2012 many started to see that Google has started to penalize companies that are buying links for the purpose of passing off the rank. The Google Update was called Penguin. Since then, there have been several different Penguin/Panda updates rolled out by Google. SEM has, however, nothing to do with link buying and focuses on organic SEO and PPC management. As of October 20, 2014 Google has released three official revisions of their Penguin Update.
SEM is the wider discipline that incorporates SEO. SEM includes both paid search results (using tools like Google Adwords or Bing Ads, formerly known as Microsoft adCenter) and organic search results (SEO). SEM uses paid advertising with AdWords or Bing Ads, pay per click (particularly beneficial for local providers as it enables potential consumers to contact a company directly with one click), article submissions, advertising and making sure SEO has been done. A keyword analysis is performed for both SEO and SEM, but not necessarily at the same time. SEM and SEO both need to be monitored and updated frequently to reflect evolving best practices.
Snapchat is a popular messaging and picture exchanging application that was created in 2011 by three students at Stanford University named Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. The application was first developed to allow users to message back and forth and to also send photographs that are only available from 1–10 seconds until they are no longer available. The app was an instant hit with social media members and today there are up to 158 million people using snapchat every single day.[60] It is also estimated that Snapchat users are opening the application approximately 18 times per day, which means users are on the app for about 25–30 minutes per day.[60]
Many brands are now heavily using this mobile app to boost their marketing strategy. Instagram can be used to gain the necessary momentum needed to capture the attention of the market segment that has an interest in the product offering or services.[54] As Instagram is supported by Apple and android system, it can be easily accessed by smartphone users. Moreover, it can be accessed by the Internet as well. Thus, the marketers see it as a potential platform to expand their brands exposure to the public, especially the younger target group. On top of this, marketers do not only use social media for traditional Internet advertising, but they also encourage users to create attention for a certain brand. This generally creates an opportunity for greater brand exposure.[55] Furthermore, marketers are also using the platform to drive social shopping and inspire people to collect and share pictures of their favorite products. Many big names have already jumped on board: Starbucks, MTV, Nike, Marc Jacobs, and Red Bull are a few examples of multinationals that adopted the mobile photo app early. Fashion blogger Danielle Bernstein, who goes by @weworewhat on Instagram, collaborated with Harper's Bazaar to do a piece on how brands are using Instagram to market their products, and how bloggers make money from it. Bernstein, who currently has one and a half million followers on Instagram, and whose "outfit of the day" photos on Snapchat get tens of thousands of screenshots, explained that for a lot of her sponsored posts, she must feature the brand in a certain number of posts, and often cannot wear a competitor's product in the same picture. According to Harper's Bazaar, industry estimates say that brands are spending more than $1 billion per year on consumer-generated advertising.[56] Founder of Instagram Kevin Systrom even went to Paris Fashion week, going to couture shows and meeting with designers to learn more about how style bloggers, editors, and designers are currently dominating much of the content on his application.[57]
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Chef Adam Graham has taught classes, hosted dinners and done presentations in Taiwan, Europe (Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy and Spain), the United States (Arizona, California, Illinois, Vermont, New Mexico and Florida) and Canada. Chef Adam was a demo chef at Raw Spirit Fest East 2009 in Maryland, Raw Spirit 2010 in Arizona and was also a presenter and chef at the New England Healers Symposium 2009 in Greensborough, Vermont. He is available for teaching opportunities around the globe.
In February of 2005, while doing a cleanse and fast in Thailand, Adam Graham had his first Live Food Experience. At the time he did not know the immediate and lasting effects it would have on his life. Upon introduction to the Live Food Lifestyle Adam progressed down the path of Live Foods, with reluctance at first but eventually embracing it and incorporating the Live Food Lifestyle into all aspects of his life. At this time in his life he was living in Taipei, Taiwan and working as an English teacher. It was while living on the beautiful island of Formosa (aka: Taiwan) that he was able to explore the many aspects of live foods without the influence of friends, family and the ever present processed media. Over the following 19 months Adam experimented with sprouting, nut and seed milks, fermenting, dehydrating and all the new and exciting aspects of the Live Food Lifestyle. Eventually he even taught a series of live food classes to Taipei locals that were interested in this new and exciting way to prepare food. This switch from English teacher to Live Foods teacher was a brief glimpse of what the future had in store.
In October of 2006 Adam returned to the United States and did volunteer work for the uplifting vegetarian global media station Supreme Master Television in Los Angeles, California. It was while recording interviews and editing various productions that Adam was able to interact with some of the pillars of the Live Food community like David Wolfe, Angela Stokes, Patricia Bragg and Sergei Boutenko. It was Adam’s exposure to interviews with Gabriel Cousens MD and his books that would lead him to apply for a position as Live Food Chef and Instructor at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona. From September 2007 until May 2009, Adam worked as a live food chef and instructor at Tree of Life while finishing his time there by working for 3 months doing media production for the online media site GabrielCousens.com.
During his time at Tree of Life Adam was given the opportunity to interact with and provide instruction to guests from around the world as well as to 4 different café apprenticeship groups.
It was while working as a chef in the Tree of Life Café that he caught wind of plans to open a Vegan Live Food Café in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. In September of 2008 Adam Graham returned to Jacksonville, Florida to assist in the grand opening of Shakti Life Kitchen in Atlantic Beach, Florida. The opening of Shakti Life Kitchen in October of 2008 marked another blessed landmark event for the North Florida community and for Adam’s vision of sharing the benefits of the Live Food Lifestyle with his hometown community.
Have Vitamix will travel
January 2009 manifested the beginning of the next phase of this vision: The Live Food Experience. It is Adam’s intention to assist people in reacquiring their true human potential by providing instruction and support for individuals and groups wishing to expand their understanding of the Live Food Lifestyle and its limitless benefits.
–Live Foods Change Lives!
4 thoughts on “Adam Graham”
Hi Adam, I was really glad to meet you at the Raw Spirit Festival this past weekend. Your food was excellent! Please keep on doing what you do! 🙂
Enjoyed your Seminar last night! Thank you for showing me a healthy path to choose for my life.
hi, I was excited to come across your website . I would like to know how to take some classes in jacksonville florida. Keep up the good work.
Pingback: Pressed Juicery–Friend or Foe? « aglamourouslife
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LETTER OF FATHER JONAS DANYLA TO THE EDITORS OF THE RAYON NEWSPAPER, PIRMYN (FORWARD)
To The Editors of the Molėtai Rayon newspaper, Pirmyn:
In the February 5 issue of your newspaper (Nr. 16) an article by Kęstutis Deksnys was printed, entitled, "Atheism, Morality and Religion". Even though the editors are lavish in their praise of the article's author, saying that he, "is impressive in his research and his ability to hold the readers' interest", nevertheless, the more astute reader will notice immediately that he lacks the most elementary facts, especially historical.
Here are a few facts: (1) The author accuses the Church of teaching that "all government is from God". If the Church did teach this, there would be no Christians, since the Caesars forbade them to worship Christ as God, and the Christians would have obeyed them and reverted to idol worship, but they did not do so, and preferred rather to go to their death... they believed THAT ONLY JUST GOVERNMENT AND ITS JUST REQUIREMENTS COME FROM GOD. If the government or its requirements are unjust, then there is no duty to obey; on the contrary, THERE IS A DUTY TO DISOBEY. The Christians of all ages know that: "Better to obey God, rather than men." (Acts 5, 29)
Deksnys alleges that the popes organized the Crusades desiring "to seize new lands and force the inhabitants of several more lands to pay tribute and to amass new wealth." Is this how it really was?
After all, Palestine, Asia Minor and North Africa were once Christian lands, and lived for several centuries in peace. Later, the Muslims began to attack those lands. They killed Christians, forced them to abjure their religion, forced those who would not obey into slavery, and distroyed everything that was dear and sacred to the Christians, such as their churches and the places which had figured in the life and death of Christ. The Crusades were organized to defend those places revered by the Christians, and to defend themselves. This is completely contrary to what Deksnys alleges. IT WAS NOT TO CONQUER FOREIGN LANDS, BUT TO DEFEND THEIR OWN, THAT CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS MARCHED TO PALESTINE. Did the Soviet Union not act similarly? Why did it fight the Nazis when they began to covet foreign lands?
Finally, the Arabs and Turks were not satisfied with Palestine and Asia Minor, but crossed into Europe, taking Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and Yugoslavia; they poured into Hungary, and even surrounded Vienna, the capital of Austria, and tried to reach Italy...
Many actions of the Inquisition are not defended by anyone today, but were there not greater and more terrible inquisitions in the Twentieth Century? How many millions of completely innocent people perished during the Stalin era in prisons, camps, exile and during artificial famine? What horror stories one can hear from Ukrainians, Caucasians and Germans from the Volga and from Odessa... Before these tens of millions of victims, the numbers of Inquisition victims pale.
Many more of our fellow countrymen perished during the sixteen years of the Stalin terror (up to the XX Party Congress), than died under the Knights of the Cross in two hundred years. Why do you not write anything about those matters, even though they are still alive in the memory of the majority of residents in our country, instead of writing with relish about those which took place several centuries ago, and were much less significant?
How many scientists perished in Soviet prisons and camps? (Here are just a few names of specialists in the science of genetics: Vavilov, Chetverikov, Feri, Efroimsov, Agoli, Levicky, Karpeshenko, Kolsov, Serebrovsk...) Their places were taken by such as Lysenko, Lepesinskaya and others. In Lithuania, too, the renowned Professor Sivickis was furloughed from work for a long time while Professors Dovydaitis, Karsavin, Bishop Reinys and many others perished in prisons and camps. So it is not iust in the Middle Ages that there was an Inquisition...
Deksnys writes in a most uninformed manner about the work of the Jesuits: "The activity of the Jesuits was bad news." Four years ago, we celebrated the 400th Anniversary of the University of Vilnius. Who founded that university? It was the very Jesuits whom Deksnys despises. Apparently, he never read the first volume of the definitive History of the University of Vilnius, where he would have found in the very introduction the following:
"The founding of a university, even in our times, is a great and significant event in the life of a city, a country and a state. It was all the more significant in the Middle Ages. The unusual, actually exceptional significance of a university for education, science and cultural in general, found its expression in the traditional... term of endearment'alma mater', nourishing mother.
"Founded in 1579 as the Academy and University of Vilnius, it was, for several centuries, the only institution for higher learning in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and had a great influence on the intellectual life of Lithuania... Characteristic of the University of Vilnius is the tradition of cooperation between people of various nations. Studying there were Lithuanians and Russians, Poles and Ukrainians, Byelorussians and Latvians, and there were professors from almost all the countries of Europe. So the merits of the university were great for the culture and learning, not only of Lithuania, but also of neighboring countries, above all, Poland and Byelorussia.
"Famous professors and alumni of the university were authorities in the world of science and influenced the scientific thought
Professor Pranas Dovydaitis, deported in 1941 to Siberia where he later died. He was a signer of the Lithuanian Declaration of Independence in 1918, and a founder of the Lithuanian Catholic Youth movement, "Ateitis" ("Future").
of the world." (History of the University of Vilnius, 1579 — 1803. Introduction pp. 7,8)
So you see, my dear Kęstutis, the editors of the History of the University of Vilnius have an opinion different from yours, and every thinking person, unblinded by fanaticism, will believe them and not you.
Until the arrival of the Jesuits, Lithuania lacked not only an institution of higher learning, but even an intermediate school.
The first year they arrived, the Jesuits opened a middle school, and ten years later, an institution of higher learning. It is the oldest university within the borders of the Soviet Union.
The university produced a whole list of renowned scientists known even abroad such as: the mathematician Simanavičius, the astronomer Počobutas and the poet Sarbievius (Sarbiewski). Kojalavičius wrote the first history of Lithuania; Sirvydas, the first dictionary of the Lithuanian language. The university developed a whole line of jurists who prepared the Statute of Lithuania, acknowledged by all as a juridical work of high quality. Besides the colleges of Vilnius, middle schools were established in Kaunas, Kražiai, Ilukšta and elsewhere. So those who speak of "Jesuit activity of unhappy memory" are very poorly acquainted with the history of Lithuania.
Even more baseless is Deksnys' accusation against the Jesuits, that they taught "the end justifies the means". This is a calumny made up out of thin air, often repeated by enemies of the Jesuits, but never proven to this day.
In the middle of the last century (1852), in Frankfort, the Jesuit missionary Roh publicly proclaimed:
"1. If anyone shows the law faculty of the University of Heidelberg or of Bonn any work by a Jesuit, in which, in the judgement of the faculty, this shameful expression 'the end justifies the means' is taught in these or similar words, then following the decision of the faculty, I will pay the denouncer of that book 1000 guilders.
"2. And whoever accuses the Jesuit order of that shameless doctrine without proving it by word or in writing is a dishonorable slanderer." (Ehrloser verleumder)
For twenty years after this announcement (Roh died in 1872), no one could be found to claim this handsome prize.
In 1890, the offer was renewed by Richter Dūsburg, and in 1903, Dasbach, a member of the Reichstag, publicly stated, "I will pay 2000 guilders to the one who proves that Jesuit writings teach that the end justifies the means."
No one claimed that reward, either.
In Lithuania, I believe in 1924, Professor Antanas Maliauskas also offered a reward of 5000 litas to anyone who would prove the allegation that the Jesuits taught that "the end justifies the means", but no one at that time tried to claim the reward either, and the accusation diminished greatly in the atheistic press. It was revived again in 1940, when the religious press was completely suppressed. Anyone who is the least bit better acquainted with the teaching of the Catholic Church knows well and understands that the Jesuits not only did not but could not teach such a rule. Who, after all, are the Jesuits? They are a religious order of the Catholic Church which has no separate Jesuit morality of its own, but keeps the general rules of Catholic morality.
Between 1925 and 1939, I myself went through the entire ten-year Jesuit education and course of studies, and after four years of practicum, teaching secondary school, I attended Jesuit houses of higher study in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, but never did I hear from my professors nor did I read in any books written by Jesuits (and I read several hundred of them), nor have I ever heard from my friends, that anyone had taught such a principle or disseminated it; i.e., that the end justifies any means, as understood by enemies of the Jesuits. In reality, Jesuits hold the same principles as the whole Catholic Church and the civil law of all civilized states.
Moreover, we must not forget one more thing: Every book written by a Jesuit must, before it is published, receive a bishop's approval that there is nothing in it contrary to the moral teaching of the Catholic Church. No bishop will give such approval if it contains the above-mentioned rule — "the end justifies the means".
At the beginning of 1930, when I was studying at Valkenburg (in the Netherlands), in the School of Theology and Philosophy, I heard the Jesuit archives director, Kleiser, give a report on the recently published wirk of the Austrian, Fillop-Miller, Macht unci Geheimnis der Jezuiten (The Power and Secret of the Jesuits).
That same author had earlier written a work on Bolshevism in which he states that the Bolsheviks hold the "Jesuit principle" that "the end justifies the means". At that time, Kleiser denied that accusation against the Jesuits, and advised Fillop-Miller to study the history of the Jesuit order and its teaching. Fillop-Miller devoted four whole years to this task, and the fruit of this was a new work, Macht und Geheimnis der Jezuiten. In it Miller retracted his earlier thesis and emphasized that JESUIT TEACHING ON MORAL QUESTIONS DOES NOT DIFFER IN ANY WAY FROM THAT OF OTHER CATHOLIC THEOLOGIANS, and that the alleged principle is without foundation.
Today, I would like to repeat to you, Kęstutis Deksnys, the same advice given by Kleiser to Fillop-Miller: "Study, investigate, and I am sure that if you sincerely seek the truth, you will soon become convinced like all seekers for the truth that the aforesaid teaching attributed to the Jesuits is just a mistake and a calumny.
Perhaps the best and most exhaustive article on this question in the Lithuanian langauge was published in 1911, by the magazine Ateitis (The Future) on pp 105, 154, 295.
In the last section of his article, Deksnys equates religion with fear: "Fear forces a person to his knees." First of all, it is not just fear which forces a person to his knees, but much more often, respect and gratitude or repentance for wrong-doing. More than once, I have seen in the Soviet press a photograph in which a high-ranking Soviet general or major is kneeling to kiss a unit's flag. What brought them to their knees? Surely not fear, but more likely respect and gratitude to those who accompanied this flag into battle and sacrificed their lives for their country.
We the faithful also kneel before the cross or the tabernacle, not from fear, but from respect and love and gratitude to Our Lord and Redeemer.
A child who has seriously offended his parents or benefactors, and has come to understand his own ingratitude and offense, apologizes to them, and sometimes even gets down on his knees to request forgiveness. By kneeling, he expresses regret for his bad behavior and his desire to make amends for his misbehavior. Does this demean a person? Far from it. It demonstrates his conscientiousness and desire to repair the wrong. At the same time, he wishes to honor those against whom he offended.
In the desire to prevent crime, governments often take stern measures against criminals. Is this bad? No. More than one person refrains out of fear from doing wrong. Is punishment therefore an evil means? It can often be the only means to prevent crime.
Strangely enough, Deksnys blames religion, saying that in Italy, belief in God has not prevented the Mafia. In Italy, only a part of the population are believers — about half of them. After all, the Communists alone (and they are most likely atheists), garner about 30% of the vote. Besides that, there are Social Democrats, Socialists, Liberals and members of other parties, many of whom are atheists.
In western democracies, along with good and positive signs, there are the negative. One of them is excessive freedom, which is a good excuse for disorderly elements to manifest themselves. But is it not even worse when there is too little freedom, when religion is repressed and cannot do the positive work which it otherwise could do? Then public morals decline, you need increasingly more militia, prisons and labor camps. SO, THE WAR AGAINST RELIGION IS A REAL ANOMALY, which cannot be justified in any way. Life has often confirmed the fact that where people pray more, they curse less; where there are many people in church, there are fewer of them in prison. Here is one example: During the summer of 1969, in Molėtai, the pastor of the parish of Dubingiai, Father Antanas Šeškevičius, was on trial for two days because he explained to a few children in church the truths of the catechism whose basis is the Decalogue: Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not curse. Do not overindidge in drink. Honor your father and mother. Do not ignore prayer. Be sober. Do your duty conscien-ciously...
Father Šeškevičius carried out his sentence in the labor camp of Alytus, where there were about 1500 inmates, most of them young people. Yes, young people, and already criminals. Christmas came and then Easter — barely three or four celebrated these holidays, while none of the others had any idea about religion, but lived according to their "own conscience", more likely according to their untrammeled passions. Atheism, after undermining their religion, undercut their morals, too. All people who think a bit more deeply acknowledge that in human beings there are many baser instincts which, without religion, that is, without the help of God's grace, they cannot overcome; and this is the most important reason why, where there are fewer people in church there are more in prison.
A good confession and Holy Communion form barriers to control the passions of our baser nature. Mairionis has beautifully expressed that truth in his poem:
"Thank you, Lord because by loving me You protected the morning of my life. Did I not more than once, Succombing to temptation, Run for the net Cleverly set out for me?
I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO PERISH BY MY HOLY FAITH, AND YOUR VIGILANT, PATERNAL PROVIDENCE."
At the end, Deksnys praises the atheistic world-view which "requires a conscientious, selfless moral life, as required by conscience..." It is exactly this which religion requires in the first place. But what are the fruits of that atheistic worldview? What does life say? Why, among us, in spite of the army, controllers, auxiliary police, militia and secret militia, are there so many crimes, and so much wrongdoing? Why in the schools, especially professional and technical schools, do the teachers complain of the unusually difficult work? Why is there so much moral decline, scheming, thievery, hooliganism, drunkenness and sexual depravity? Why are there so few who "live as required by conscience"?
In the last sentence of his article, the author directly contradicts the sad truth, by saying that "Communist morality stands higher than religious morality which demands blind obedience and fear". Actually, religion requires not blind, but INFORMED obedience; not fear, but JUSTICE, RESPECT AND LOVE. Fear stands in the last place here. This truth is best demonstrated by family life. Before the war, in Lithuania, divorce was a rarety, and most often, a sensation. With the growth of atheistic education, the families began more and more to disintegrate. With the disintegration of families, the morality of the whole nation declined. In 1950, 2.7% of marriages ended in divorce, and these were, for the most part, not the people of Lithuania but arrivals from other "more progressive" republics.
· After ten years, the divorce rate had risen to 9% (I960),
· in another ten years (1970) 23%,
· by 1980, 33%,
· This year, we are approaching 36%.
The year before last, in Molėtai Rayon, as reported in the newspaper Pirmyn, 178 couples celebrated marriages... and there were 60 petitions for divorce. So, a good third of the families are breaking up.
Today, ten times as much alcohol is consumed as before the war in independent Lithuania, and several score times the wine.
Atheistic education creates a vacuum in young people's souls, which is the source of many evils. This is admitted today even by the more convinced atheists. I heard from a reliable person about one journalist's lecture to teachers in which he spoke about contemporary youth. After the lecture, he was asked how to explain the cruelty of today's youth, and its refusal to adhere to the norms of morality. The journalist answered, "Formerly, the mind of youth was formed by religion. After the latter was done away with, a vacuum appeared which nothing else can fill; there is nothing to take the place of religion."
Last spring, twelve members of the Balninkai Communist Youth went on trial in Molėtai, to answer for their "actions": petty thievery and robbery. Those young people had everything at home: The body and its inclinations were taken care of in every way, but the most important thing was lacking, that which makes a human being human — a feeling of responsibility for one's own actions. They had no idea of God, Whom they knew about only from atheistic propaganda, and so they did not worry their heads about His commandments.
If you do not have an immortal soul, grab from life what you can, because after death, everything will be finished. That's what they did. Their conscience never spoke to them of duty or responsibility. They feared only the militia, but they thought they were smarter than the guardians of the law. This time, it did not work. However, will they not try in the future to be smarter? God grant that they learn their lesson.
So in spite of all the schools, press, radio and television, morality today is much lower than in Christian Lithuania before the war. These are the catastrophicly sad facts today, which we cannot ignore; otherwise we will be deceiving ourselves.
Bijutiškis, December 7, 1983 Father Jonas Danyla
About Chronicles
Chronicles - history
THE CHRONICLE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LITHUANIA
LORD, WHAT A BLESSING THAT YOU ALLOWED...
THE ORIGIN AND AIMS OF THE LIETUVOS KATALIKŲ BAŽNYČIOS KRONIKA
KGB STRUGGLE AGAINST KRONIKA IN LITHUANIA AND IN THE WEST
Nijole Sadunaite
A Radiance in the Gulag
PART I: PREPARATION
PART II: ORDEAL
Part III: After Her Release from the Gulag
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Pay Costs & Fines
About Clerk of Courts
(From the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association brochure, "Keeper of Records")
The office of the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas traces its origin to the medieval cleric. They maintained the records, were responsible for correspondence and had various powers to issue writs or other processes ordered by the Court. The cleric was generally one of the few educated persons in the community.
In creating a state judicial system, the 1802 Ohio Constitution provided for the appointment of a Clerk of Courts for each county. The judges of the Common Pleas Court made the appointments for a seven-year term.
Under the 1851 Constitution the office became elective for a three-year term, which was extended to four years in 1936.
The official title is Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, but most often the officeholder is referred to as the Clerk of Courts.
Many prominent Ohioans have served as Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. For example, William Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States, was a Clerk of Courts when he was elected President in 1840. James Myers was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio in 1851 and was elected to a full term as Lieutenant Governor in October of 1855. James Myers had previously held office in both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate and from 1841 to 1844 was the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for Lucas County. For a complete listing of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas Clerks use the link provided below.
The duties mandated by the statutes of the Ohio Revised Code have grown tremendously over the years. The responsibilities of the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas are now set forth in over 250 sections of the Ohio Revised Code.
About the Clerk of Courts
Clerk of Courts Genealogy
About Bernie Quilter
automobile & watercraft division
dockets online
Bernie Quilter
Auto Title 419-213-8844
Records Center 419-213-4892
Civil Fax 419-213-4487
Criminal Fax 419-213-4291
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B.E.S.O. strives for excellence
By Eleazar Rodiles
New and current B.E.S.O members gather for a photo after first meeting with the officers. Photo by Eleazar Rodiles.
Current and new members of the Bilingual Education Student Organization (B.E.S.O) have agreed to change their membership GPA to 2.5 and sign-up fee to $50.
Officers met on Sept. 13 to approve the two changes they say will benefit members and put them on a path to success. Leaders said the changes will motivate them to succeed, and encourage other students with the same passion for bilingual education to join the student organization.
During their first meeting with the officers, members agreed to change the GPA requirements from 2.0 to 2.5 and a mandatory sign-up fee from $40 to $50.
Genesis Segura, bilingual generalist EC-6 major and president of B.E.S.O, said the decision to change the GPA was to stand out from all the other organizations at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
“We want B.E.S.O to have the best of the best students. It’s to motivate you to do better,” she said.
The minimum GPA acceptance is 2.0 for most organizations on campus.
B.E.S.O provides information, assistance and unity among the bilingual education students to expand social and professional growth.
“We want to provide our members with resources to raise their overall GPA,” said Alejandra Peña, political science major and secretary of B.E.S.O. “This is not meant to hurt or keep anyone out from joining the organization,” Peña said.
Segura said students who join receive more than just support from the members. They get to attend state and national conferences where members present to teachers.
“We are taking members from B.E.S.O to other conferences like Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE ) and National Association for Bilingual Education, NABE. There’s a true goal that we want to go to, which is going to those conferences. In the long run, they will help you as an educator,” said Valeria Cazares, bilingual generalist EC-6 major and treasurer of B.E.S.O.
“It’s amazing because in those conferences you have so many school districts and you get your name out there,” Segura said. “Last semester I was able to present to the teachers it was pretty amazing, being able to educate educators that I look up to was amazing,” she said.
B.E.S.O has been invited to NABE next semester to present in Florida.
“That’s the biggest bilingual conference in the country. That speaks highly of the organization of what we do,” Peña said. “It’s not just another organization or another club, we want to make a difference for our students.”
To become a member, students are not required to be an education major they can sign up any time in the year. Officers recommend that students join early to get all the benefits that the organization has to offer.
Officers also discussed what they have planned for Fall Fest where they will sell aguas frescas to raise money for their upcoming conferences.
B.E.S.O will hold their next meeting on Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. The location has not been determined.
For more information on joining B.E.S.O. go to JagSync or add them on Facebook.
What are you looking forward to most at the Festival de Cascarones, April 28?
Games/Activities
Eleazar Rodiles
Eleazar Rodiles is a senior Communications major and a minor in Special Education at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. He’s a first-generation student who obtained his associates degree at San Antonio College. He plans to work in public relations after he graduates.
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General Europe
Putin, Rasputin and Kerensky
On Sunday May 7, Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as President of Russia with all the pomp and ceremony of a tsar. Nothing was missing: twenty-one gun salute, goose-stepping soldiers with uniforms that seemed to have been borrowed from a Hollywood musical, and even the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. Such empty show and tasteless pomp is very typical of the so- called New Russians--a class of upstarts and usurpers who are anxious to ape what they imagine to be the splendours of the western bourgeoisie. To students of history this will be quite familiar. The Thermidorian counter-revolutionaries in France also tried to ape the life style old aristocrats after they had sent the Jacobins to the guillotine.
On Sunday May 7, Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as President of Russia with all the pomp and ceremony of a tsar. Nothing was missing: twenty-one gun salute, goose-stepping soldiers with uniforms that seemed to have been borrowed from a Hollywood musical, and even the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. Such empty show and tasteless pomp is very typical of the so-called New Russians--a class of upstarts and usurpers who are anxious to ape what they imagine to be the splendours of the western bourgeoisie. To students of history this will be quite familiar. The Thermidorian counter-revolutionaries in France also tried to ape the life style old aristocrats after they had sent the Jacobins to the guillotine.
In the last ten years, Russia has experienced a counter-revolution in every sense of the word. This is not just a question of the destruction of the nationalised planned economy. It is a question of the destruction of science and culture. Everywhere we see the rise of superstition, mysticism and the poisonous opium of religion. Not for nothing was Putin accompanied at his inaugural ceremony by the Holy Russian Patriarch, dressed in white robes straight out of some medieval icon. Nothing better expresses the general social and intellectual regression that flows directly from capitalist restoration. At least Yeltsin preferred his spirits directly from a bottle!
Reason becomes Unreason said Hegel. When a world is turned upside down, when people can no longer see any sense or meaning to their lives, then religion and superstition flourish. They look for some mystical explanation for the chaos that engulfs them, or, if no explanation is forthcoming, at least some crumb of consolation. No wonder that the bookstalls are full of cheap works on the occult and miracles. For nothing short of a miracle will be required to pull Russia out of the unholy mess that capitalism has plunged it into. And when people look for miracles, they also tend to seek out miracle-workers. Enter Vladimir Putin.
Yeltsin was persuaded to step down in favour of Putin, in exchange for immunity from corruption charges and a more than comfortable retirement. In the words of the Godfather, he made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Putin's "party" Yedinstvo (Unity) was hastily put together last Autumn with the aid of large sums of money provided by a section of the Oligarchy--powerful bankers and monopolists--who feared the possibility of a CPRF victory. It seems that the man behind this initiative was Boris Berezovsky, one of the most powerful of these magnates. Berezovsky, who was previously one of the main figures in the Kremlin clique around Yeltsin's daughter, had a lot to lose. With the aid of his millions and the loud support of the kept press, a massive campaign was launched to present Putin as the Saviour of the Nation. A key element in this equation was the war in Chechnya.
The contrast between the sharp-suited, energetic and (relatively) coherent newcomer and the bumbling old alcoholic he replaces could hardly be greater. For the time being, moreover, Putin enjoys the luxury of being an unknown quantity. The mass media--now firmly in the hands of the Oligarchy--is engaged in a deafening campaign to boost the personal image of the new President. He is shown practising martial arts in the gym--and always flooring a bigger opponent, or reviewing the troops in battle-dress at the front. He is like a caricature of himself--a mixture of Bonaparte, Stalin and Beria. Poker-faced, short of stature and sparse of words, he likes to project an image of a man of action.
In his speech the new President was as sweet as a razor. Speaking quietly but firmly, Putin laid heavy stress on the need for a strong state. He reminded the public of the need to respect Russia's traditions (he did not specify which ones) and to honour the memory of the founders of the Russian state (he did not say who). However, it seems that the only portrait in his study is of Peter the Great. He is for order. However, when we come to examine his actions, they do not add up to much, except the war in Chechnya--and that may yet end badly.
The changes introduced by Putin have mainly a cosmetic character. After Yeltsin's resignation his family was partly purged, but Boris Berezovsky is still at the centre of power. Putin's First Deputy Prime Minister, Kasyanov, the man in charge of running the Federal Government. is generally regarded as a tool of Berezovsky. His economics adviser, Andrei Illiaronov, is an ultra-liberal.
As an ex-KGB bureaucrat, Putin's idea of a strong state is fairly clear. In the very short time he has been in office, there has been a stepping up of the brutal war in Chechnya, increased pressure by the secret police (now renamed the FSB) on left wing and dissident organisations, and even a clumsy attempt to muzzle what little remains of the "free press".
Nevertheless, the change from Yeltsin to Putin is not just a change of government. It is a reflection of profound changes within the regime itself. After almost a decade of so-called market reform, Russian capitalism remains a weak and sickly plant. No real stabilisation has been achieved, either on the economical. Social or political plane. The constant upheavals at the top, the infighting between different cliques and "clans" are a reflection of this self-evident fact. The political regime is more similar to a third world country than an established bourgeois state. It is characterised by corruption and constant instability, an explosive mixture that calls to mind the degenerate court camarilla of the Rasputin regime that preceded the February Revolution. Not for nothing do some bourgeois strategists liken Putin to Kerensky!
The comparison between Putin and Kerensky was made by Stratfor in January. It is worth quoting the relevant extracts in full:
"Now, Putin's real test begins. Getting the oligarchs to give up their vast wealth, particularly the wealth that is sequestered overseas, is critical to Russia's future. Will the oligarchs be willing to cut a deal in return for pardons? Putin is himself in a difficult spot, cleaner than most certainly involved to some extent in the process that eviscerated Russia's economy. That is why he is trying to devise a scheme that will save the Russian economy without triggering a vicious backlash from the oligarchs and the Russian Mafia. The formula: return most of what was stolen, keep enough to ensure a very comfortable life style, get a pardon.
"This was an insider's solution to the problem, engineered by the quintessential insider, Vladimir Putin. If this doesn't work, the only other solution is to act without giving the oligarchs room for retreat: massive expropriations amidst a terror campaign. But Putin is in no position to do that. He is too compromised by the system.
"With Yeltsin's resignation, Putin has painted the outlines of rectification within the system. He has declared himself to be Kerensky, the revolutionary who didn't want to go too far. Kerensky failed and Lenin came from nowhere, the revolutionary who had no limits. The situation in Russia is, in our view, on the knife's edge. Putin is trying to contain the situation as well as possible. We are not optimistic.
"However, Putin now holds out the carrot. If he shows that he can also wield a stick, he may just save what little is left of the post-Communist reforms. If not, Russia will enter a revolutionary situation."
What Stratfor means is that Putin is striving to maintain the corrupt rule of the oligarchy, while simultaneously attempting to introduce reforms that will guarantee a more efficient functioning of the capitalist system, above all more productive investment--the life and death question for Russia. But since Putin is the creature of the oligarchy, and since no devil has ever voluntarily cut off its own claws, he will inevitably fail and be brought down.
This goes to the heart of the matter. The central question for Russia is: how to mobilise the necessary resources to halt the decline and commence the rebuilding of Russia's shattered productive base, superstructure and military potential? To plead with the oligarchs to invest in Russia is a waste of time. Only a direct showdown with the parasites will provide a solution. This is something Putin cannot be expected to undertake. The pessimism of the strategists of capital is clear from every line.
Yet there is something missing from this historical parallel. In 1917 there was a Bolshevik Party under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky. That was the main reason why the movement in the direction of proletarian revolution was so quick. The problem is that no such party exists today. If there existed a Communist Party worthy of the name, a party on the lines of the Bolshevik party of 1917, the problem could be very swiftly resolved. In the absence of the subjective factor, all kinds of peculiar variants are possible. That is why the process in Russia is taking such a slow and convulsive character.
Mood of the masses
The key to the whole situation is the role of the working class. For the time being Putin seems to enjoy absolute control. The workers have their heads down. The main factor that conditions the mood of Russian society at present is undoubtedly the war in Chechnya. But the situation of the economy is also a powerful factor in shaping the psychology of the masses.
After ten years of market reforms, the mood of the mass of the population--not only the workers--has turned against capitalism. Two years ago, after the economic collapse of August 1998, the situation in Russia was grim indeed. The high hopes of the market reformers were dashed. The extreme unpopularity of capitalism was partially reflected in a big increase in support for the CPRF. But the pro-capitalist policies of Zyuganov and the CPRF leaders rapidly led to disenchantment. The strikes and demonstrations that shook the government in the first half of 1998 have given way to a sullen acquiescence. After Putin's electoral victory the mood of the left is sceptical and despondent. Attendance on the May Day demonstrations was well down on last year: in Moscow, from about 100,000 to 15,000 or so.
The mood of the Russian workers is not difficult to understand. They have repeatedly shown that they are willing to fight, but lack the necessary leadership. All along, the so-called Communist Party (CPRF) has confined its activities to parliamentarianism of the worst sort. Its deputies are much more interested in maintaining their careers, salaries and privileges than in fighting for the working class. The CPRF leaders have done everything possible to prevent a serious struggle, and has even done several deals with Putin in the Duma, for example, to carve up the committees in the Duma. Putin actually supported the CPRF in its bid to get the Speaker of the Duma, etc. In return, the CPRF backs Putin on the Chechen war, which it is in favour of. This conduct has led to widespread disillusionment and a sharp fall in support for the CPRF, although Zyuganov still managed to get 32 percent of the vote in the presidential election.
Given the class collaborationist policies of Zyuganov, the initiative once again passed to the right wing, There were a number of objective factors that undoubtedly assisted Putin's success. First, the economic situation has improved somewhat over the last twelve months. The economy has partially stabilised as a result of two factors: the effects of devaluation and the steep rise in prices of oil and other raw materials.
The government has, of course, trumpeted success. The GDP, it is claimed, has grown by three percent last year--the first growth for ten years--and industry is said to have grown by as much as eight percent. These claims are clearly exaggerated and are regarded with scepticism by many observers. Such growth that has taken place will have been concentrated in just a few sectors. It is far too early to speak of a general recovery. Nevertheless, some improvement has taken place: wage arrears have been reduced, and some industries (mainly those linked to oil and raw materials) have experienced growth. In the first two months, it is claimed that the GDP increased by 5.5 percent and industrial production went up by 10-11 percent. According to the official estimates, real wages, which fell again last year, increased 10 percent in January and February. Although this figure certainly overstates the real situation, it is likely that there has been some improvement. Wages are at least being paid more regularly and arrears are being reduced. Wage debts decreased by 2 billion dollars over a six month period (to January). Real wages by last Autumn began to increase for the first time in three years.
Even if we accept the official figures on the economy, this by no means compensates for the catastrophic fall of the last ten years. In the best case, it might take Russia somewhere close to the situation at the time of the 1998 crisis. Moreover, the benefits of the 1998 devaluation are wearing off. Food imports in December 1999 were up 48 percent compared to the same period in 1998. The crisis of Russian agriculture means that the country is no longer able to feed itself. Temporarily Russia is enjoying a trade surplus of 2.5 billion dollars a month. But, on the one hand, money is still flowing out of Russia. On the other hand, it is faced with huge debt repayments. Before his election Putin made a series of demagogic promises (20 percent pensions increases etc.) on the other hand, the war in Chechnya must be paid for.
The bulk of Russian industry, deprived of investment and spare parts, remains in a deep slump and, even if wage arrears have been reduced, the majority of the population still live in dire poverty. The economic recovery has made virtually no difference to them. And in any case, it has an extremely weak and unstable character, and can be snuffed out by a new fall in commodity prices that will be the inevitable consequence of any major economic slowdown in the West. One can say that the tripling of oil prices saved the regime, but, by the same token, a further collapse of oil prices will plunge it into a new and convulsive crisis.
Nevertheless, the relative economic improvement is undoubtedly a factor in the attitude of many workers who have adopted a "wait-and-see" mentality. The worker is always a realist. If nobody offers any alternative, and things are not too bad, why not wait to see if anything comes of all the promises? Putin is a new man. Maybe something will come of it. However, this attitude is very superficial and temporary. In fact, most people are sceptical in relation to all politicians and their promises. That is one of the main reasons behind the present lull in the class struggle in Russia. However, there is a difference between the kind of social peace born of contentment, and the kind of uneasy and reluctant truce which is merely the calm before the storm.
So far, Putin has tried to be all things to all men. His policies are shrouded in a calculatedly nebulous ambiguity. This has been one of the key elements in his success. Here is something for everybody! A few hints to the reformers, a few hints to the Stalinists, a nod and a wink to the nationalists, and so on and so forth. The trouble is that all these are merely so many promissory notes that sooner or later must be cashed in.
And Putin has not taken very long to emerge in his true colours. He has announced a programme of tax-cutting and slashing of state expenditure on social subsidies, including public transport and housing. This is meant as a gesture to the IMF at a time when Russia has to pay off a huge foreign debt. Since Putin and the generals are determined to continue the war in Chechnya, the burden will be put on the shoulders of the working class. This will lay the basis for a new explosion of the class struggle in Russia in the coming period.
Before the election the CPRF in the Duma timidly opposed some of the cuts, doubtless with one eye on the polls. But now they have established a modus vivendi with Putin. How long this lasts is another matter. Once a mass movement develops, the pressure will be on Zyuganov to distance himself from the Kremlin. But at the moment it seems that Putin has a sufficient parliamentary base to push through unpopular measures.
As a first indication of this we have the attempt to introduce a new draft labour law (Kzot) which represents a real counter-revolution on the factory floor, reproducing many of the retrograde features that have become all too familiar to workers in the West in recent years. Labour flexibility, restrictions on trade union activity and strikes, casualisation and so on. So far the unions have been slow to react. The union leaders in Russia are no different to their counterparts in the West. But the new draft law represents a heavy blow against the unions, and therefore against the base on which the union bureaucracy leans for its power and privileges. It is therefore not entirely ruled out that the FNPR may yet take action. But to judge from past experience, the initiative for action must come from below.
The CPRF
The interpretation of the present situation as "proof" that the Russian workers will never fight because of some allegedly innate fatalism lacks any semblance of scientific or rational basis. The Russian workers have repeatedly shown their willingness to fight--provided some leadership is given. Two years ago, there was a big movement of the miners, teachers and other layers, culminating in the impressive workers' picket on the Gorbaty Most in Moscow. There were strikes and occupations like that of the Vyborg Paper Mill and in Yasnogorsk, which included workers' occupations of factories. In a number of areas there was a movement to establish soviets--workers' committees--which began to take over the running of towns such as Anzhero-Suzhdensk. But in the absence of a proper leadership and co-ordination, most of these movements ended in defeat. Then the struggle moved onto the political plane, where it was reflected in a big increase in support for the CPRF. However, the disgraceful conduct of the CPRF leadership led to disillusionment and a swift collapse of support. The Party's membership has fallen sharply, and at the election in December, although it maintained and very slightly increased its vote, it lost some seats and was heavily defeated by Putin's "Unity" Party that came from nowhere to win the election.
The position of the parties was as follows:
1) CPRF: 25 percent
2) Yedinstvo (Putin): 24 percent
3) Otechestvo (Luzhkov, Primakov): 14.5 percent
4) Yabloko (Yavlinsky): 5.5 percent
5) LDP (Zhirinovsky): 5 percent
6) RKRP: 2.6 percent
The CPRF's vote is normally strong in the so-called Red Belt of central Russia, part of the Caucasus, Southern Siberia and Kuzbass, and also a number of smaller republics like Tataristan and Dagistan. Nevertheless, it was noticeable that the CPRF vote actually went down in the areas where the Party was traditionally strongest. The main reason was the shameful conduct of many of the CPRF regional governors which disappointed and disgusted many CP voters in these areas. In addition, the CPRF, despite its huge apparatus and resources, hardly waged any campaign. All in all, the surprising thing was how well the Party's vote held up. Interestingly, the vote for Zyuganov in the Presidential elections was higher than the vote which the party got in the December elections. In Moscow, Zyuganov received his highest vote ever--more than 20 percent.
The reason is not hard to see. It certainly was not that Zyuganov is more popular than his party; the exact opposite is the case! The reason is that all those who wished to vote against Putin rallied to the main "opposition" party candidate and voted for Zyuganov. Under the circumstances, 32 percent was a good result, but, in fact, Zyuganov got more than that, since the result was obviously rigged. This fact alone serves to show just how fragile Putin's position really is. If the CPRF got such a result even now, what will be the position when the crisis begins to undermine Putin's support?
The RKRP (Communist Workers' Party) got a disappointing result. In the previous elections it almost cleared the critical barrier of 5 percent, beyond which it would have got parliamentary representation. This time its vote was well down. In part this was due to competition from Anpilov's split-off, which did very badly (only 0.66 percent) but succeeded in splitting the vote that would otherwise have gone to the RKRP. The other parties' results were insignificant.
If there was disappointment in the ranks of these parties before the election, there is now widespread demoralisation, which is already being expressed in crises and splits. The membership of the CPRF, which is overwhelmingly made up of old people, has slumped from over half a million eight years ago to less than 100,000 and falling. There are signs of a split involving the Speaker in the Duma, Selyeznyev--a right winger. At a different level, the Stalinists of the Leninist-Stalinist platform are attempting to organise, with limited success. The RKRP, as we have already commented, is split into many factions and has lost a lot of ground. However, the vote for the CPRF and Zyuganov shows that this party, in spite of everything, has big reserves of support in the population. It has two big advantages: a big apparatus with a national presence, and the name of the Communist Party. As the crisis develops it can pick up support merely on the basis that there is no alternative.
Russia and the West
Prior to the elections, the West was seriously alarmed at the prospect of the CPRF coming to power. Not that they are unduly worried about Zyuganov, but such a development would encourage the working class and strengthen those tendencies opposed to market economics. Therefore, the West has quietly been helping Putin by partially relaxing the financial pressure on Moscow. The IMF, which earlier refused to bail out Russia (after August 1998), is now offering one billion dollars to aid in "restructuring"--this, despite the fact that the West knows that billions of dollars of aid has already ended up in the bank accounts of Russian officials and oligarchs.
Despite all the appearances, it will not be easy to establish genuine stabilisation in Russia on a capitalist basis. The present recovery, as we have seen, has a purely conjunctural and unstable character. The unsound character of the economy is reflected in the huge state debt. This is a central problem for the market reformers--including Putin. The economists frequently call for a packet of measures to finish off the reform. What is meant by this? Already the bulk of the economy has been privatised in one way or another. All vestiges of the old Soviet planned economy have been liquidated. Yet if one asks the question whether Russian capitalism is already functioning on normal lines, the answer must be emphatically in the negative.
Capitalism is not merely private ownership of the means of production. It involves a process of accumulation of capital which in turn propels the development of the means of production. The private capitalist extracts surplus value from the workers, but does not do this in order to pocket the profits, but to re-invest them in further production, and therefore further surplus value. It is this element that is lacking in Russia. Recently, the Americans published an astonishing figure, showing that in the last ten years, the staggering figure of 500 billion dollars has been taken out of Russia and salted away in the vaults of German and Swiss banks. If this money had been invested in productive activity (which would be the normal mode of capitalist accumulation), the whole situation of Russia would be entirely different. But this chronic haemorrhage of capital continues, while the bulk of Russian industry is dying of anaemia. Even the Americans have characterised this as "the biggest social plunder in history". There can be no better proof of the reactionary and parasitic character of Russian capitalism.
No society can continue to exist on these lines. The present situation is completely untenable. Without the necessary productive investments a gigantic country like Russia cannot exist. This is not merely an economic question. It has very fundamental strategic and military implications.
True, Russia's public finances have improved, again mainly as a result of the high price of oil. But a large slice of this money has been spent on the war in Chechnya. The West, while quietly backing Putin (for fear of worse to come), is not prepared to write off Russia's debts. The IMF has decided that Russia must pay "only" eleven billion dollars of the total of over 17 billion in the next three years. But such gestures do not solve the central problem of the huge sums that Russia will have to pay in the next few years. Whether Russia is able to pay its debts and keep on good terms with the IMF depends on a number of factors--none of them under the direct control of Moscow. The first is the price of oil and other raw materials. The second is the outcome of the war in Chechnya. The third is the attitude of her foreign creditors (e.g. the negotiations with the Paris Club).
The language of Putin is already different to that of Yeltsin. His continuous emphasis on the need for a strong Russia and strong state, his insistence on pursuing the war in Chechnya to the bitter end, have caused raised eyebrows in the West. But, for the lack of a better alternative, at least for the time being, the West has preferred to turn a blind eye. As long as Russia does not turn its back on "the market", it is necessary to back the winning horse. So far, the West has been muted in its criticism of the Chechen war. But the war itself is part of a larger picture of the struggle for the domination of the Caucasus with its huge oil and mineral resources that directly pits Russia against the USA (and its main agent in the region, Turkey).
It is clear to all that relations between Russia and America will continue to deteriorate on a world scale. At certain stage this can have serious consequences for the West's willingness to continue funding a Russia that persists in spending huge sums on rearmament and wars in the Caucasus. This in turn can have serious consequence for Russia's flirtation with "market economics".
The Kosovo war was a turning point for Russia (see The New World Disorder) because it cruelly revealed the extent to which Russia has fallen behind the USA in purely military terms. How could it be otherwise? Ten years of economic collapse has meant the destruction of a large part of Russia's industrial and technological base. Without the necessary productive investment, Russia cannot maintain its powerful military machine. And it is now threatened by the rise of American global power as never before. The greed and arrogance of US imperialism is reflected, not only by advancing NATO up to the borders of Russia, not only by the cruel bombing of Iraq and Yugoslavia, but also by its constant manoeuvring in the Caucasus--a vital area from Russia's point of view.
America is playing a dirty game in the Caucasus which is condemning millions of people to war and misery. Their experts have decided that the Caucasus will be the Saudi Arabia of the next century. They would very much like to get their hands on the oil and other natural resources the area has in abundance. But there is a problem. Russia holds the Northern Caucasus and has important points of support in all the other states. The Americans would like to build a pipeline for oil that would by-pass Russia altogether and pass through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. This would effectively cut Russia out of the picture, while simultaneously compensating the US's ally Turkey for the loss of Iraqi oil. Such a plan means war of necessity.
It is true that the war in Chechnya has a number of causes, not all of them related to global and strategic considerations. Nevertheless, the desire of the Russian military elite to send a signal to Washington--thus far, and no further!--was certainly one of the elements in the situation. The struggle for control of the Caucasus and Central Asia will play a prominent role in determining relations between Russia and America in the next decade or so.
The Russian army's rapid advance through Chechnya has brought it right up to the border of Georgia where Moscow is already pulling all the strings to secure the downfall of the pro-American Shevardnadze (see The New World Disorder). It would be naïve to imagine that these questions are not connected in the most intimate way.
There is little doubt that the series of bloody bomb atrocities in Moscow and other Russian cities last Autumn were the work of elements inside the regime or the State Security forces themselves, or any other combination of the same elements. The slaughter of innocent working class Russians caused a wave of fury that was cleverly manipulated by the media and the government to whip up war fever. This is not the first time in Russian history that a regime in crisis attempted to save itself through a "victorious little war".
With the aid of the mass media, Putin has used the Chechen question demagogically to whip up nationalist sentiment. In the short run this has worked, since the war has been "successful". The Russian army has taken Grozny and the other cities. But the brutal use of indiscriminate air and artillery bombardment, and the clumsy and heavy-handed treatment of the population, has played into the hands of the rebels, who are engaged in a guerrilla war that can go on for a long time and is claiming an increasing number of Russian victims. It is far from certain that Putin will be able to do a deal with the "moderate" Chechen leaders, or, even if they do, that this will resolve matters. Thus, at a certain stage, the public perception of the war can turn into its opposite.
An absolutely criminal role in all this has been played by Zyuganov and the other CPRF leaders. They enthusiastically back the war, and only "criticise" Putin for not bringing Chechnya directly under Presidential rule as "an unalienable part of Russia". In all its propaganda, the CPRF strives to be more nationalist than the nationalists, treading underfoot all that Lenin ever wrote on the national question and specifically Great Russian chauvinism. In fact, the CPRF leaders have absolutely nothing in common with the ideas, programme, methods and traditions of Marxism-Leninism and the Bolshevik Party.
The future of the war is now the key question in Russian politics. It is already giving rise to differences even within the regime which bring to mind the old Chinese proverb: a man who rides a tiger finds it difficult to dismount! There have been contradictory noises coming out of Moscow recently. It seems that the majority of the Oligarchy would like to see a speedy end to the war. Having served its purpose--namely, to ensure the election of a Business-friendly President--it now presents more problems than advantages. It complicates life and business and makes for bad relations with the Americans and foreign investors. Furthermore, all the signs are that it is now entering a more problematical phase, with continual guerrilla strikes and increased Russian casualties. Is it not time to call a halt?
This (not unreasonable) analysis lies behind the persistent rumours of an imminent peace deal between Putin and the "moderate" Chechen faction of Aslan Maskhadov. But so far at least there is no sign of such a deal materialising. This is not very surprising, for two reasons. Firstly, even if Maskhadov were prepared to put his name to a deal with the Russians (which would be like putting his name on his own death-warrant), there is absolutely no guarantee that he could persuade the other clans and factions to recognise it. Secondly, the Russian generals are implacably hostile to any deal that does not spell out unconditional victory. They are still smarting under the effect of what they regard as the treachery of Alexander Lebed, who signed the last deal with the Chechens that led to de facto "independence". They are now hell-bent on pursuing the war to the bitter end. And it is hard to see how anyone in Moscow can stop them.
Nevertheless, the war in Chechnya is not going so well from the Russian point of view. True, the first phase went well, in the sense that the towns of Chechnya were conquered with apparent ease and few Russian casualties. The Russian commanders merely copied the cynical brutality of NATO in the Kosovo conflict, using artillery and planes to bomb hell out of an area before moving in troops.
After a long period of humiliation and decline, many ordinary Russians welcomed the sight of the Russian army winning victories. The terrible cost to the Chechen civilians has been mostly hidden from public view. The Russian army is presented as an army of liberators. But as the conflict drags on, the attitude of the public can easily change. From an economic point of view, the war is swallowing up much-needed resources. From a human point of view, the number of Russian casualties is growing. The brutal treatment of the population means that the Chechen rebels will get a steady supply of new recruits. They are receiving supplies of arms and money from Saudi Arabia, and are supported by mercenaries from Afghanistan. The terrain is ideal for guerrilla warfare. This can go on for a long time and even spread to neighbouring republics. Recently a Russian column was ambushed in Ingushetia and took heavy casualties. The situation has worsened with the oncome of Spring. During the Winter months the wooded foothills were bare, and any movement on the ground was visible from the air. Now the trees provide easy cover for the rebels who move with impunity across hills and borders to stage ambushes and disappear.
Napoleon long ago explained the importance of morale in war. During the Second World War, the Red Army fought like tigers because the soldiers felt that they were fighting for a just cause. The poorly trained and badly equipped Russian conscripts who fight in Chechnya have only the vaguest notion of why they are there. They are not inspired by the belief that they are fighting for a just cause. The reports of those western journalists who have managed to get close to the front line provide a disheartening picture of Russian soldiers with holes in their boots and drunken officers.
Worst of all, there is plenty of evidence of poor co-ordination and even the most criminal inter-departmental rivalry, particularly between those forces commanded by the Ministry of Defence and the MVD. I was told of the following incident. Crack parachute troops from Pskov were dropped on a hill held by trained and well-armed mercenaries led by a fanatic from Jordan called Khattab. The Russian troops were immediately surrounded and wiped out over the course of three days. Less than one kilometre away, there was a division of MVD troops. Yet no attempt was made to go to the assistance of the beleaguered paratroops. As a result, 84 of them were killed. One source, a retired officer with combat experience in Afghanistan who also participated in the first Chechen campaign, expressed his shock and disgust at this unprecedented state of affairs. He stated that in Afghanistan, if Soviet troops were under attack, help would immediately be sent. It was unthinkable that they should be abandoned to their fate.
This is a reflection of the effects of ten years of capitalist reaction, not just in society, but in the armed forces themselves. This is not the Red Army of 1918-20, or even the Red Army of 1941-45. It is the product of the bourgeois counter-revolution and the monstrous reactionary and corrupt regime that it spawned. Throughout history, as Trotsky explains, the army is always the faithful mirror of society. Within the army all the contradictions of society are mirrored with exceptional sharpness. So it is here. These are no isolated incidents. Russian convoys are continually being ambushed in Chechnya, and no help is forthcoming. The effect on the morale of the Russian soldiers of this kind of thing can only be imagined. Later on, when the true situation at the front becomes known, support for the war can swiftly turn into its opposite.
The National Question
The bourgeoisie cannot solve the national question. On the contrary, it has enormously exacerbated it. After the death of Lenin the Soviet Union suffered a process of bureaucratic degeneration, but nevertheless important elements of the soviet system remained in being. This was only a bureaucratic and totalitarian caricature of socialism, but it was infinitely preferable to the present monstrosity. Thus, under the old regime, Chechen clan leaders had the opportunity to advance themselves in the "Communist" Party. That people like Khasbulatov were Communists in name only needs no special emphasis. They merely used the cloak of the CPSU to cover their power and privileges. But at least they paid lip service to socialism and internationalism and the link to the USSR benefited all the peoples. Under the nationalised planned economy, real resources were transferred to the Caucasus and Central Asia and the people lived in peace and relative prosperity.
Now all that has been destroyed. The collapse of the planned economy and the shattering of the USSR into its constituent parts has produced a nightmare for all the peoples--Russians as well as Chechens. The old "ideology" was only a pretence which in the end nobody believed in. But what has replaced it is a thousand times worse. What is Putin's ideology? Insofar as he has one it can be simply stated: Great Russian nationalism--that same ideology which Lenin described as that of the scoundrel, bureaucrat and bully who specialises in the oppression of small nations.
Putin swaggers about, surrounded by the trappings of imperial power, the filth of tsarism, the Russian flag, the Russian Orthodox Church. But how can a Chechen accept this? In the old days, it was clear that the talk of internationalism and the brotherhood of the peoples of the USSR contained a lot of hypocrisy and that the Russian bureaucracy still ruled the roost. But at least Russian domination was kept within certain limits, and the other peoples could subscribe to the ideal of the Soviet Union. But now? By thus blatantly espousing the cause of RUSSIAN chauvinism and the RUSSIAN state, Putin is rudely challenging the national aspirations of all other peoples. By such means the only way to succeed is by brute force--as in Chechnya. Along this path lies only war, bloodshed and chaos.
"Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad". Putin's first decree after assuming office was to order the division of Russia into seven administrative units, in place of the present 84 districts, of which no fewer than 21 are made up of ethnic minorities! The logic behind this move becomes somewhat clearer if we bear in mind that there are seven military regions in Russia. Putin, the creature of the KGB, likes to reduce everything to the administrative convenience of the bureaucracy. The idea of military-style centralised control seems to him the perfect ideal. But between the theory and the practice there lies a gulf.
It is instructive to compare Putin's approach to that of Yeltsin. The latter was the product of a different school--that of the old-style Soviet apparatchik. Under the planned economy, it was always possible to buy the loyalty of local leaders by diverting money and resources to the republics via Gosplan. But under the market economy this is no longer possible. Yeltsin had to accept the rise of powerful local governors (with powerful business interests behind them). Despite all the rhetoric and the image of the tough leader ("I'm the Boss"), in practice, Yelstin let them do much as they liked as long as they formally paid homage to Moscow. But Putin comes from a different school. In reality, this formerly obscure KGB bureaucrat understands very little about the realities of state power. He lacks the elementary "feel" of his predecessor who, though not particularly profound or even educated, had come up through the Party and early on learned the art of Realpolitik. In place of Yeltsin's cautious pragmatism, Putin immediately introduces a sweeping plan of administrative reform. The result is not difficult to foresee.
The pragmatic and unprincipled Yeltsin never had much time for theories. Insofar as it is possible to attribute to Putin a coherent idea, this must be the idea of centralisation and a "strong state". The two notions are in his mind mixed up with the simple expedient of force as the magic solution for any problem. However, the idea that Russia can be held together by brute force, by the FSB (KGB) alone, is a serious misunderstanding. Contrary to the myths of Western propaganda, the USSR was never controlled by the KGB. The KGB was merely the executive arm of the Bureaucracy. In the old days, the Soviet Union was held together by the CPSU, the Party of the Bureaucracy. But the CPSU no longer exists. True, the FSB is currently operating like an (armed) state within a state. But there are limits to how far this can go.
The Media Most Incident
Putin's overestimation of the power of the FSB was shown by the recent raid on Media Most--the media empire controlled by the tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky. The exact reasons behind the raid are not quite clear. Various interpretations are possible. But there is no doubt about the scale of the operation which was dramatic. Media Most's office was raided by no fewer than three different police forces, armed with automatic weapons and with their faces covered by Balaclava helmets.
The first and most obvious reason for the raid was the fact that Media Most is the most "independent" amidst a servile gang of television and newspaper outfits. It is also known to be deeply in debt. Another reason is possible, namely that this is an attempt by Berezovsky to get control of the media empire of a business rival. Berezovsky is known to have close relations with Putin and has even bragged that he put Putin where he is. There is a third possible explanation. The newspaper Segodnya is part of the Media Most group. It recently carried an article about corruption which exposed the fact that Yuri Zaostrovstev, the Deputy General of the FSB, and the man in charge of its Anti-Economic Crimes Department, is himself corrupt and owns several firms. The paper promised further information, but then we had the Media Most raid, which was supervised by--Yuri Zaostrovstev!
This little incident casts a lot of light on the type of regime that exists at the heart of the Russian state, and the FSB in particular. It is a regime that is rotten and corrupt to the core. In fact, a Rasputin regime. The Russian bourgeoisie is organically corrupt, reactionary and parasitic, and it is building a state in its own image. Putin is only the front man for this state and the corrupt oligarchy that stands behind it. From such a tree only rotten fruit can be expected. The basic problem is that no socio-economic regime can endure for long unless it develops the means of production. There is absolutely no sign that the nascent Russian bourgeoisie is remotely interested in doing this. Its sole guiding principle is to achieve self-enrichment while avoiding the painful necessity of getting involved in anything productive.
In order to cover up the shameful plunder of the Russian state and people, it is necessary to gain control of the state and in particular the organs of state security. The latter turn out to be just as corrupt as the bourgeoisie itself. And no light whatsoever must be allowed to penetrate the shady operations of the mafia-bourgeoisie and its agents. The attack on Media Most was clearly a clumsy attempt to frighten what little is left of an "independent" or half-critical press into submission. The activities of the new Rasputin regime must not be brought under public scrutiny.
Putin is the representative of the oligarchy, in fact more so than Yeltsin. The latter played off one oligarch against another in order to keep control in his own hands. But Putin seems to be identified with one particular gang of oligarchs--that group associated with Boris Berezovsky. If it is true that he has permitted Berezovsky to move against his rival Gusinsky (with the idea of swallowing up his property) this marks a new departure.
Putin's regime may be characterised as a weak regime of bourgeois Bonapartism. He stands for capitalism and a strong state. Actually, the two goals may be mutually exclusive. He is simultaneously the creature of the oligarchy and also the candidate of the security apparatus and, partly the military. There is a contradiction implicit in this. Namely, it is not possible for Russia to become strong or for the army to rebuild its base while Russian industry is starved of investment and the Russian state is systematically looted. Temporarily, a crisis has been staved off by the lucky accident of high oil prices and the benefits of devaluation. But when this changes, the Russian economy will be plunged into a deep crisis which must in turn provoke a crisis of the regime.
In the years leading up to 1917, the Rasputin regime engaged in an orgy of corruption in which a handful of magnates enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian state, people and army. The soldiers at the front fought the German army with holes in their boots and no ammunition. Western observers marvelled at the seemingly infinite patience of the Russian soldier. But in the end the patience of the masses always has its limits.
Today the Russian working class is a thousand times stronger than in 1917. Moreover, it has an entirely different mentality to that of the backward and illiterate mass of peasants. It can compare the present catastrophe to the achievements of the planned economy in the past. The idea of capitalism, of private ownership of the means of production, the market and so on, have very shallow roots--or, more correctly, no roots at all as far as the great majority is concerned. They correctly see privatisation as a massive theft which has benefited only a handful of wealthy parasites, while inflicting misery on the millions. For the masses, capitalism has no legitimacy. This idea will grow and acquire an active and conscious form, especially in the event of the inevitable crisis in the West, which will hit Russia hard.
Capitalism and the Military
On the eleventh of January Putin stated: "Our country was a powerful strong state and this is not possible if we do not have strong armed forces." The appointment of Putin, who met with the approval of the General staff, also marked a shift on the military front. Under Yeltsin, Russia lacked a military doctrine. Whereas during the Cold War the enemy was clear, and the defensive system of the Soviet Union was designed to meet the threat from the West, for the last ten years this threat was (foolishly) treated as non-existent.
The shift in thinking in Russian military circles was shown in a draft document issued by General Headquarters last October and submitted to the Security Council, in which it is stated that Russia's security is threatened by the West, which wants to create a single-pole world, expand NATO eastward and carry out military operations without UN Security Council approval--all perfectly true, of course. But the Russian Security Council, fearing to name the West as an enemy, dodged the issue. As Alexander Galts points out, this creates a contradiction:
"The policy document says that Russia's national interests are threatened by Western countries, and yet it also points out the 'critically low level of combat-readiness in the Russian armed forces'. As Viktor Yesin, head of military reform on the Security Council said, 'no matter how much Russia's economy improves, Russia will never be able to counter an organisation like NATO with conventional weapons'." (The Russian Journal May 15, 2000)
These are extraordinary words! Thirty years ago, the military might of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact would have been more than enough to defeat the forces of NATO in terms of conventional warfare, which was why the West had to rely for defence on nuclear weapons. Now, after a decade of capitalist economics, Russia's defence capabilities have been so weakened that the roles have been reversed! Russia's only line of defence against NATO aggression is nuclear weapons! The problems faced by the Russian army in Chechnya is in glaring contrast with the high-tech Blitzkrieg launched by the Americans against Yugoslavia. The contrast is a painful one for Russia's military Establishment, which is demanding more investment to plug the gap. "A worn-out capital base, obsolete technology and poverty are all problems too serious to solve without taking reforms to their conclusions," writes Otto Latsis in The Russia Journal (May 15-20, 2000)
What an incredible indictment of capitalism! The Soviet army defeated Hitler single-handed and marched to Berlin in the most spectacular military campaign in history. It was the finest fighting force in the world, admired and feared by the Americans and every other army in the world. Yet now it is reduced to a pathetic condition, reminiscent of the tsarist army in the First World War. Yet how could it be otherwise? A Rasputin regime has its mirror-reflection in every aspect of social life, including the army. So it was then, so it is now.
Of course, not all of Russia's military might has disappeared. Despite everything, it still remains a formidable force, especially in nuclear terms. This fact is well-known in the West, and Putin lost no time reminding them of it. The document on Russia's military doctrine mentioned earlier also spells this out. The new doctrine no longer gives the "negative guarantees" under which Russia pledges not to launch a nuclear strike first. Instead the document states:
"Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of attack on itself or its allies using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or in the event of large-scale aggression using conventional weapons in situations critical for its national security." (ibid.)
However, since the only powers in a position to launch a such a full-scale attack on Russia are the West or China, it is clear that the enemy under consideration is the West. For their part, the Americans are pressing Russia to accept nuclear disarmament. Naturally! The proceedings around the START-111 and ABM treaties have an unusually piquant flavour in such a context. All disarmament negotiations always combine an element of high farce with a large dose of diplomatic cynicism, but never more than now. All parties (except for China, India, Pakistan and IsraelÉ.) solemnly swear to renounce the use of nuclear weapons and destroy their stockpiles. Only don't look for a date when this wonder will be accomplished! There is no deadline. No firm commitment. In short, no nothing, except a pious wish that all such dreadful weapons should really not existÉIt reminds one of Saint Augustine's celebrated prayer: "Lord, make me chaste. But not yet!"
Of course, there is really no question of Russia or America disarming. The contradictions between the two are too great, the future too uncertain. They smile at each other across the negotiating table--and continue spending huge sums on weapons of mass destruction. Only in this race Russia is now far behind. In order to catch up, serious measures will be necessary. This is yet another element in the equation of Russia's future, and not necessarily the least important one.
Capitalism has seriously undermined Russia's ability to defend itself. For the degenerate clique of "reformers" who act as the agents of US imperialism and are willing to sell their grandmother, let alone Russia's national interests, for a fistful of dollars, there is no problem. But for others there is a very big problem indeed. This partly explains the constant struggles within the regime itself. Since Kosovo the military wing has been asserting itself. Alexander Golts reports:
"The [military] doctrine calls on the state to preserve and renew military potential and on industry to increase defence capacity--ideas that hark back to the Soviet days of mobilising all resources for confrontation with half the world.
"The doctrine also announces the creation of a single military system--bringing all military groupings under one umbrella--but contains no specific provisions on how to do this. What no doubt happened was that General Headquarters wanted to take control of everything itself and other ministries resisted."
And the author concludes: "The contradictions in the doctrine will only bring grist to the mill of those opposed to reform."
That is the crux of the matter. The general staff is pressing to rebuild Russia's shattered defence system. That involves centralising and planning "ideas that hark back to the Soviet days" and which inevitably clash with the policies of the reformers, who, it must be said in passing, are anxious to preserve good relations with America and the West, which General Headquarters regard as the Enemy. This contradiction will also grow more acute in the next period, posing a large question mark over the viability of "reform" in general.
If the proletariat does not take power, a Bonapartist solution of one sort or another is inevitable. At a certain stage when Putin fails, he will be swept aside. If the working class had an adequate leadership, workers' power would be on the order of the day. Even in the absence of such a leadership, it is possible that we could see something like the February Revolution.
However, if the proletariat does not take power, all kinds of developments are possible, either bourgeois Bonapartism, or, under certain conditions some variant of proletarian Bonapartism where the military would nationalise and centralise the economy, leaning on the working class for support. Something like that occurred in Syria, Burma, Ethiopia and Afghanistan in the past. Such a perspective would be the possible outcome of a deep slump in the West. The argument that the military caste in Russia has no tradition of coups is too superficial. It is true that in the Soviet Union the army was held in check by the Bureaucracy through the mechanism of the CPSU. But that no longer exists. The old system has collapsed, but nothing substantial has replaced it. The whole situation is characterised by chronic instability, including in the state institutions. The present Russian state is far more similar to the state of a third world country than that of the Soviet Union. And it will behave in a similar way.
Either way, it is the task of the Marxists to fight for an independent proletarian policy, for workers' power, for a soviet democracy as the only real solution.
Back to Lenin!
For Marxists the decisive question is whether a given socio-economic system develops the means of production. In Russia this is no longer a theoretical question. We have had ten years of experience which enables us to draw the following conclusion: Capitalism in Russia has completely failed to develop the productive forces. Productivity--the real key to economic progress--is now half what it was ten years ago. Around 500 billion dollars have been sent abroad. Foreign investors are expected to inject just one billion dollars into Russia this year--a miserable amount, and down from 2.2 billion last year. From this source no real recovery is possible. Stratfor (31/ 11/ 99) concludes: "After years of decline, Russia's flirtation with capitalism has now reached a critical juncture. The experiment with Western-style capitalism has collapsed. And the invention of Russia's peculiar (?) and wild (?) brand of capitalism has ended in outrageous scandal and popular discontent. A decade worth of foreign aid and investment has left Russia a pauper nation."
And again: "The economy is in such critical condition that a return to some form of centralised planning presents itself as the only viable option."
Given the depth of the crisis. Putin's "solution" is no solution at all. To base oneself on the oligarchy that has sucked Russia dry for ten years is to rule out any real solution. Nor is it possible to advance on the basis of bureaucratic rule. To mobilise the resources of Russia for any purpose through the mechanism of the Bureaucracy is a nightmare. The vast bureaucratic machine is so corrupt that the only thing it is at all efficient at is stealing and bribe-taking. This was made clear to the West when the IMF revealed that most of the credits extended to Russia in the past decade had simply disappeared into the pockets of corrupt officials (and not minor ones, either!)
Ironically, after ten years of "market reform" the Russian bureaucracy is more in evidence than ever before. As a matter of fact, the Bureaucracy in Russia is now 1.7 times bigger than it was in the Soviet Union, which had a population 100 million more than the Russian Federation today. Yeltsin did not disband the Bureaucracy or even confront it, but basically bought it off. Even in 1993, when he was compelled to use armed force against the White House, he managed to get the backing (or neutrality) of two-thirds of the Duma, and only had to liquidate one-third.
Thus, Russia now has the worst of all worlds: the chaos and anarchy of capitalism, and the corruption and inefficiency of the old state apparatus which still survives basically intact. The proletariat will therefore be faced with a dual task: the expropriation of the capitalists and the liquidation of the monstrous bureaucratic state apparatus which continues to waste huge resources.
The first step must therefore be a merciless war on corruption and bureaucracy. The programme for such a struggle--the only programme that can work--was spelt out by Lenin in 1917 in The State and revolution, and incorporated in the Party Programme of 1919. It is the programme of workers' democracy based on the soviets.
The proletariat must inscribe on its banner not only the expropriation of the oligarchy (without which nothing can be done), but also a return to Lenin's programme, based on the famous four points:
1) Election of all officials with the right of recall.
2) No official to receive a wage higher than that of a skilled worker.
3) No standing army but the armed people.
4) Gradually, all the tasks of running the state must be performed on a rotative basis by the people.
Despite the widespread ruination caused by ten years of market economics, Russia today is not the backward illiterate country of 1917. It is a powerful and potentially prosperous nation of 150 million educated people, in a huge subcontinent with vast resources. On the basis of a nationalised planned economy, with workers' administration and control, colossal advances would be possible in a relatively short space of time. A victorious socialist revolution in Russia would therefore not repeat the experience of the backward and isolated workers' state but instead provide the staring point for the world socialist revolution.
London May 25th, 2000
Footnote on Belarus
In Belarus there has been hardly any change in the past ten years. Very little has been privatised. Belarus has therefore avoided the economic catastrophe that Russia has experienced. Rates of growth have been high:
1996: 3 percent
1997: 17 percent
As a result, while Russia (and still more the Ukraine) has regressed, the economy of Belarus has recovered the level of ten years ago. True, inflation has been high and recently there has been some decline in living standards, but nothing like the horrendous collapse in Russia and other ex-Soviet Republics.
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Russia: Stop feeding the oligarchs! 13 Mar 2012
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I N T E R V I E W S
Interview With Bob Mitchell, vocalist for Attacker 9/14/05 by Agent Of Steel
Some might say time is the best medicine to heal all wounds. That just might be the case with New Jersey’s cult power/thrash legends Attacker. Since 1983, Attacker has had its fair share of ups and downs, whether it be label problems, line-up changes, personal clashing between band members, and to top it all of, completely breaking up for over 10 years. Not that that is anything out of the ordinary from bands of their caliber. Attacker could have easily stayed an unknown little metal band that made their debut on the much renowned "Metal Massacre V", with two full length albums that followed, only to disappear into the dark shadows of obscurity. Alas, in the late 90’s Denis Gulbey and Sentinel Steel Records got the ball rolling with reissuing both of the first two Attacker albums on CD. After breathing life back into Attacker music and gaining new fans from the newly accessible CD reissues, it was only inevitable the Lords of Thunder return, and return they did. With 3/5 of the original line-up together (RIP Jim Mooney), the crushing “Soul Taker” album landed Attacker back on the Heavy Metal map and it’s been a continuous victory ever since. Now, with “Battle at Helms Deep” bassist Lou Ciarlo back in the band, Attacker is ready yet again to recreate the magic that’s been going on for over 20 years. CALL ON THE METAL. CALL ON THE ATTACKER. Right now, I’ll call on Bob Mitchell.
Maximum Metal: First things first, Bob. Maximum Metal welcomes you. It’s great to finally get around to another interview. How the hell are you?
Bob Mitchell: I'm doing great, thanks. My God, it's been awhile. It's a pleasure for me to be back talking to you guys at Maximum Metal. So fire away, pallie.
MM: I’m assuming that the European gigs must have all went great seeing as how a 2006 European Tour is already being planned. Attacker has achieved what most Metal bands only dream about. What was it like flying to Europe?
BM: It's been an incredibly great experience for all of us. The flights have thankfully, been without incident. Plus, the fact that I slept great going there and back. So, there was no jet lag on my part. I'd step off the plane feeling refreshed and ready to hit that stage. Germany is a beautiful country and the people there are very gracious and respectful. Our fans in Europe have been faithful and they've shown their loyalty when we performed for them! It's amazing to me that they sing every line, word for word, and they are just so damned loud about it too. The fans have made Attacker the band we are today and what the band will be for years to come.
MM: How does America differ as far as live Heavy Metal crowds are?
BM: I can sum that up in three words: passion, tradition and respect. To be more specific, however, Europe is truest of all as far as the tradition, respect, and passion they show for their bands. Again, I can't tell you enough how honorably we were treated in both Germany and Holland. Fans in America will like you for the moment you are there and of course, that's because America is so damned trendy. We play in America and don't get me wrong, we get great fan reaction too, but Europe held on to us for all these years that the band wasn't around and they let us know how much they cared by the reception we got each time we arrived there to perform for them.
MM: How does it feel stepping out onto a stage in front of hundreds of Heavy Metal maniacs? Those pictures from the Keep it True festival look like the result of an obviously head banger of a performance from Attacker.
BM: Josh, as you know, the stage is my home. I never feel uncomfortable in front of crowds. I was born to be an entertainer and besides my hospital work, it's what I do the best. It's especially gratifying when it’s a new audience that has never seen you live and you win them over. When this happens, the longevity of the fans sincerity and commitment becomes a lifelong union between band and audience. As for Attacker, we are one with our audience and the feeling we get going out onto that stage cannot be put into mere words. Put it to you this way, for those that perform, they understand and there is no explanation needed. To those that don't, any explanation given would be dismissed.
MM: So, Attacker performed the entire “Battle at Helm’s Deep” album at the Headbanger’s Ballroom, July 10th in Hamburg, Germany. I can’t even begin to imagine how energetic that crowd must have been by the time “Slayer’s Blade” blasted through the PA. Was the album played in sequence and nothing else?
BM: Performing the "Battle" album in Europe was an absolute dream come true for me and I know for the rest of the band as well. It was our way of saying 'thank you' to our fans for the years of support and for welcoming us into their homelands with open arms. The crowd was, again, amazingly vocal throughout the show. The album was performed in sequence and we did "The End" for an encore. It was great and we will perform that show here in the US later this year.
MM: Any surprises like “Trapped” thrown in the set? I know it wasn’t written by any current member of Attacker but I’ve always thought that was a great cult song.
BM: Actually, we haven't done "Trapped" since we recorded it. But in this business, you learn never to say never. I must agree with you that it is a great song. Personally, I would love to do that song someday in a live setting.
MM: How was the crowd response at the Headbanger’s Open Air and the Thrash Till Death Festivals? German fans are known to be some of the most diehard Heavy Metal fans in the world.
BM: Honestly, I can't really go into detail because the experience of being there was..... It was great don't misunderstand me but...... really hard to describe. I was numb after each show because the positive crowd reaction was that strong. The organizers of both festivals were great too. They made us feel welcomed and basically let us run with the ball. We had a tremendous time. I look forward to our next trip to Europe in 2006 which is currently in the works.
MM: What was it like doing those meet and greets?
BM: Well, we finally got to personally meet so many great fans and make new friends. We signed so much stuff. CD's, Vinyl's, pictures, posters, magazines we were featured in…programs. I myself had a bunch of fans standing in line with Sleepy Hollow, Vyndykator, and Alchemy X offerings that quite frankly, I've had the pleasure to have been a part of outside of what I have done with Attacker. As for the other guys, they were signing Jersey Dogs CD's and vinyl's and the like and they got a big kick out of it as well. We were blown away by the support and the fact that they (the fans) have all the other bands we were on, respectively, and brought them all for us to sign. Those meet and greet appearances have become some of our proudest moments as a band.
MM: Was the language barrier a problem?
BM: Not at all. A lot of them actually spoke perfect English. But as you know, Heavy Metal is a universal language so it goes without saying that we had absolutely no problems communicating with our friends and fans.
MM: Attacker had quite a bit of down time between gigs in Europe. What did you guys do to keep busy?
BM: My lord. I don't know a damn thing about down time, brother (laughs). Seriously, when we came back from Holland late last year, we started working on "The Unknown" and we have been to this point ever since. At one point, we did take a break to perform at the Classic Metal Fest. After that, we started rehearsing for our recent trip to Germany and from the beginning of August till now, we resumed work on "The Unknown" and we're nearly completed with the album as of right now.
MM: Any interesting road stories while not on stage delivering the Metal?
BM: No road stories, boss. Even though we are a band, we don't live the lifestyle. We're not heavy partiers or anything like that. We hang with the people at our shows, we perform then we head on home. We have a respect for what we do as artists and we also have great respect for the people that come to see us. Many of them are hard working folks and have families. They pay good money to see bands like us so we are not going to go up there in a drunken stupor and pretend that we're putting on a great show. We go up there with the intention of performing to the best of our abilities and give them the best show we can possibly give.
MM: Is the DVD still coming out? I know there was news of this release at one time but I haven’t heard anything else about it.
BM: The DVD is on hold as of now because we have not gotten some of the footage we are waiting for. Plus, we've been shooting this thing since our reunion show back in December of 2003. Again, with the DVD, it's going to be something really great for our fans and we can't wait to eventually put it out. But for now, you will have a new Attacker album in a couple of months which I know you and everyone else will really and truly enjoy!!
MM: “The Unknown” is out this fall. I thought “Soul Taker” took what was great about the previous Attacker albums but gave the overall sound a more refined quality, leaving “Soul Taker” to be nothing more than solid and my favorite Attacker release. “Forgotten” is certainly one of the best Attacker tunes. How will “The Unknown” compare to it or any other Attacker album?
BM: I think we've gone in a heavier direction, much like we did for the "Second Coming". It's still Attacker, but it's a more aggressive version of ourselves. To be more specific, I think overall, our songwriting has matured. Again, the songs are heavier than the last one, yet we have maintained the Attacker sound and character that has made us the band we are. Not much of a departure because we know what works, but the direction has certainly gone heavier.
MM: What should be expected?
BM: I can't say, brother. The fans will decide that. It's hard to say, really. I do expect it to do great but I can't count on that completely only because if we think it’s a great record but the fans don't, well, needless to say, it would be a major letdown. We've worked very hard on this album and it has the best sound compared to any of our previous albums thus far. The intensity of it, I would definitely rate it up there with the "Second Coming", and the songwriting itself has surpassed anything we've ever done to this point. That's my view on this new album, but again, the fans will decide.
MM: Has a release date been set?
BM: No sir not yet.
MM: What was the songwriting process for “The Unknown” like? Were songs written individually or was it a group effort?
BM: These songs really started out as raw as you could possibly imagine but they have cultivated themselves into some great pieces. Again, however, that's just my view on things as far as the new album is concerned. For the first time in our history, "The Unknown" has become a complete band effort.
MM: I thought the production job on “Soul Taker” was really good. Was “The Unknown” recorded at the same studio?
BM: A few months after "Soul Taker" was released, we actually decided to build our own studio at our rehearsal room and it has turned out to be the best venture we've done for ourselves. We invested our money and we did the project ourselves. Our Drummer Mike (Sabatini) engineered the production of our new album and he did an excellent job! When my vocal sessions came up, he really pushed me to my limits and I came out of those sessions completely satisfied. The album as a whole, thus far, it sounds great! I'm really excited about this album! The beauty of having your own studio is that we aren't under a time restraint and the sessions run much smoother without the pressure of having to finish up before time runs out. We have taken our time and it's paying off in a big way.
MM: How far along have you guys gotten in recording the album?
BM: As I said before, the album is near completion. I think we'll start mixing it in the next few weeks starting off in, or about late September.
MM: If the artwork is any indication of the music, “The Unknown” will be yet another classic, dark, balls-out release for Attacker to include in their discography. Jowita Kaminska is an amazing artist that’s really getting a name for herself in the metal world. Why was Jowita chosen to do the artwork?
"Europe is truest of all as far as the tradition, respect, and passion they show for their bands."
BM: You answered your own question, pallie. Her work speaks for itself. Actually, it was King (Fowley) who first turned me on to her artwork. So, I am indebted to him for that. If you're reading this Kingy, thanks again, brother! Jowita will do all of our album covers from this point on. I honestly can't see anyone else representing Attacker from an artistic standpoint, only her, Josh. She's really captured who we are as a band not only with the artwork but with her photography as well.
MM: Was the artwork a concept that had already been conceived or was the artist given the task of creating an image for the next Attacker album?
BM: Jowita and I mutually worked on the concept idea for the cover. I got my ideas from watching classic horror films of the silent-film era. More or less the German expressionist films like "Caligari", "Nosferatu" and the works of Lon Chaney Sr. So, I got ideas from the various films I had watched and I dictated these ideas to Jowita and, hell, she just took ball and scored the proverbial touchdown. The cover has gotten great reactions. I mean, even to the point that we decided to place the image of our new cover art on t-shirts and they're selling extremely well. When we did the Festivals in Germany this past July, a lot of people were wearing them. So, now I pray the album will do just as well.
MM: Is your Heavy Metal cover band Denim and Leather on the backburner? I don’t recall if you guys officially called it quits or not. I know Alchemy X have reformed with a new vocalist but I’ve yet to hear any material?
BM: Yes, D and L are no more. I haven't done that band since 2000. Alchemy X was a great experience for me as a singer and they were great to work with. I've said this so many times before but it holds true for me and that is, Alchemy X has made a much better singer out of me and I hold the honor of sharing my name with the Scorsese name. I will never forget my time with that great band. I really hope they do well for themselves because they certainly deserve it. I want to, if I may, touch upon Alchemy X a little bit more. For the benefit of those of you reading this interview that are not familiar with my time with Alchemy X, here's a brief history of my time with them. It was through a mutual friend of mine that I had gotten a call from Steve (bassist Ratchen) and he asked me if I would be interested in singing for Alchemy X to which of course I said yes because I was a fan of their music. So, in turn, I asked him if he knew of any bass players because I needed one for Vyndykator. So Steve offered to join Vyndykator if I join Alchemy X and I really thought it was a fair exchange and it worked out great for a while. I managed to cut two albums with two great bands and get them both released by Unisound Records. It was a great experience for me. I want to go on record in saying this; Alchemy X was quite different from anything I've ever done. Aside from joining the A-X because of the great music they perform, it was really an artistic choice. I needed to see if I could perform a more progressive style and it has paid off for me in spades. This is a great band and, again, I'm very proud to have been a part of it. At first, truthfully, I wasn't quite sure of myself and I wasn't sure if I would become accustomed to that style, but since then, I have become accustomed to the progressive style of metal and I'm quite comfortable with it. Plus, overall, I think it's made me a better singer. The music of Alchemy X is challenging to say the least and, thankfully, I've learned a whole new way of singing. I mean, I finally got to utilize the influences of John Arch and Ian Gillan as opposed to Udo and Halford to which fans of my music have become so used to. We also did some great shows together. It truly expanded me as an artist and it is one of my favorite albums that I have ever been a part of.
MM: Do you keep in touch with any of those guys or anyone in the Vyndykator camp?
BM: No brother, sadly, not at all. But I wish them well, also. The metal world needs bands like Vyndykator and Alchemy X.
MM: Finding exciting, new heavy hetal albums and bands is quite the task for me nowadays. Have you stumbled across any new bands that have caught your attention?
BM: I'm sorry to say, but no. There are some decent ones that have come out recently, but nothing that has peeled the paint off of my walls.
MM: What’s the most recent Metal album that you’ve liked?
BM: Judas Priest's "Angel of Retribution". It's a great album and I can't wait for the next one. I had the honor of seeing them over the summer and they were just awesome. It wasn't a show, it was school.
MM: Everyone I talked to that attended Classic Metal Fest 5 a few months back had nothing but great things to say about Attacker’s performance that night. I was front row center for CMF4 but sadly wasn’t able to attend this past year. Attacker got a great response at CMF4, and for good reason. The 14 hour drive to Chicago didn’t seem like such a drag after we finally got into the club. It was great to hear songs from “The Second Coming”. Your vocals were very convincing on the John Leone material. Closing the set with “A Dangerous Meeting” couldn’t have been more perfect. Anyway, I think I’m drifting off into a flashback at this point. What was it like playing CMF5?
BM: I've been doing the CMF shows for the last four years and I've always had the best time at those events. The first time I brought Attacker over to the CMF, I couldn't believe the reaction. Hell, you were there, Josh, so I don't have to tell you. It was an amazing event. This year was even better. We tried out two of our newest songs from the forthcoming album and they went over great! We were really pleased with the response as well as the turnout for our set. The fans were as loud as we were (laughs). It was great and I look forward to more next year. I must say that the organizers of the festival (Metal Music Foundation) are the most professional and honest group of people I've ever has the pleasure of working with. Josh, they're like an extended part of my family. So, I want to say hello to Courtney and Lynette Debow and also congratulate them on the birth of their first child! Love you and God bless the baby!!
MM: Is it too mind-blowing to think that the band from Hoboken, New Jersey who originally started under the moniker “Warloc” in 1983 is still going strong today? As unfortunate as it is to say, most Heavy Metal reunions are nothing more than a joke. Why do you think Attacker has been able to strive ahead of others in their live performances and on record?
BM: I would agree with that Josh. It is mind blowing. I mean... It's mind blowing to me, to be part of an album that metal fans now consider a classic. I never thought it would get to this point and I feel in my heart, it's because we are true to whom we say we are. We are a Heavy Metal band. We didn't comeback with the intention to make money! We came back because we WANTED to come back! We wanted to remind the fans of metal that there is only one style of metal and that style is HEAVY. To be honest with you brother, I wasn't sure what the reaction was gonna be when we put out "Soul Taker" and quite frankly I'm sure, the fans weren't sure what we would sound like after all those years we were off the scene. Now we have proven to everyone that Attacker has maintained its musical character without change. Each album will get better without altering the style in any way, shape or form. We'll go into heavier directions, for certain, but we will NOT change who we are. In a live situation, we love what we do and many have witnessed that, as you know. For instance, to touch upon the new album for a bit, I don't want to reveal too much about it. But I will say this. It is really turning into something very unique and special. However, it's still a tried and true Attacker album. If the fans enjoyed 'Soul Taker', they will absolutely love this new one. It's the same feeling I had when I recorded 'Battle' all those years ago. The other thing I can say about it is that it will contain eleven songs. Some really heavy moments on this album, just wait and see, my friend. You know, looking back on my whole career after all these years, I'm really pleased with all that I accomplished and the way I feel now, I guess, coming from Hoboken, I feel as though Attacker are Heavy Metals answer to Frank Sinatra.
MM: Do you have any fond memories of when Attacker made it’s inclusion with “(Call on) The Attacker” on “Metal Massacre V”? That might be my favorite MM compilation.
BM: I remember bringing my copy home to my family and playing the song for them! My mother was working late that day so she didn't hear it until later that night. She was very proud of me. I remember her taking it (the album) to her job and she hung it up in her office. As a matter of fact, she still to this day has that very copy in her home in Las Vegas. My grandfather bought up a bunch of copies and gave them out to his friends. He was my biggest fan, I really miss him. It was a great moment at the time for me and for all of us as a band.
MM: What would you say your greatest accomplishment has been, musically, so far in your lifetime?
BM: Attacker is the band whom I am most known for, obviously. That band is the Metal world to me. But, I would have to say that artistically, and I would venture to say even personally, my greatest accomplishments would have to be Alchemy X and Sleepy Hollow. Let me explain this a little bit to you. For example, Bela Lugosi is known for his role as "Dracula", right? But, his fans also remember him for his role as "Ygor" in "Son of Frankenstien". So, comparatively speaking, "Battle", or more specifically, Attacker is my equivalent to "Dracula" while A-X and Hollow are my equivilants to "Ygor". Any fan of his (Lugosi) will tell you that although he always appreciated the notoriety and success that "Dracula" brought him, he really enjoyed his role as "Ygor". Because it allowed him to showcase his acting talents in a more diverse way and it is, I believe, his personal favorite role. But, one would ask why was he buried in his "Dracula" gimmick? It's because he went home with the one that brought him to the dance. So, I attribute that same analogy to my success as a singer.
MM: Over two years ago, you told me that you would be retired from Metal in the next 5-10 years. With the success of the Attacker reunion still going strong and a new album about to be unleashed to the masses, has your mindset of retirement been persuaded at all?
BM: No, sir. My mindset has not been changed nor has it been persuaded in any way at all. I do plan on retiring from music real soon. Many musicians and entertainers say that, I know, but the difference is I have a future with something other than music to look forward to. I'll give you a good example. I'm not sure any of you remember the Saturday Morning show, "The Might Isis". Well the actress of that show who was also the star of the show is a now former actress named Joanna Cameron. Shortly after her show went off the air, she did a few movie roles and eventually retired from the business and went into the healthcare industry and has been an RN (Registered Nurse). Last I heard of anyhow, ever since. My point is she found success outside of show business and so have I. Josh, the successes that I have had with Attacker and my other bands could never be re-created and it's something I will soon be able to look back on with pride. I will also be able to look back and say that we (Attacker) accomplished what no other band has been able to do and that is, that I was…or I should say, we were responsible for one of, if not the best comebacks of any underground Heavy Metal band ever and we left them wanting more. Josh, that is something to be truly proud of. When I am ready to go, everyone will know about it and I'll be going out with a proverbial bang, brother!
MM:What does the future hold for Attacker and yourself?
BM: For the band, I would definitely say continued successes with another couple of albums, a tour, or two of Europe, and more great times together as a band and with our friends and fans. As for me I will continue with my hospital work as a CNA and eventually become an RN. I love what I do, Josh. I have the best of both worlds in that I interact with people either by providing care or entertaining them. Whichever I do, it helps them forget their troubles and in some cases, specifically with my hospital work, it helps them recover a bit sooner. Aside from the band and healthcare, I plan on going back to school and further my education and eventually move to Las Vegas so that I can live close to my mother. Actually, my family plans on moving there in a couple of years, so I plan on following them after I finish school which, by that time, Attacker will have another album or two under its belt. The future looks great and, again, I can someday look back on all this with absolutely no regrets.
MM: Well, this looks like the end. Thanks for taking the time to chat and keep everyone up to date with Attacker. I look forward very much to “The Unknown”. Until we meet again, Bob. Any final thoughts?
BM: I can't thank you enough for allowing me to express myself to you and your readers. I had a blast, as always, doing this interview. I look forward to more great times and accomplishments with Attacker. All my best to the staff at Maximum Metal!! Prepare to escape "The Unknown"!
Photo Credit byJowita Kaminska: www.jowita-kaminska.com
ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: ATTACKER
Bob Mitchell Josh Greer 9/16/2005
ALL REVIEWS FOR: ATTACKER
Giants Of Canaan 2013 Eric Compton 3/15/2013 3
Soul Taker 2004 Eric Compton 2/10/2004 -
The Unknown 2006 Eric Compton 5/16/2006 -
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Chris Farlowe
CD@Shop
Chris Farlowe – As Time Goes By
Towards the end of 1994 Chris Farlowe spoke to me about his desire to record an album featuring some of the jazz standards he had grown up with. We had previously worked on one album together. ‘Waiting in the Wings’ and toured with a band that featured the late, great, Pat Crumly on saxophone. I approached Pat with the idea because he had his own jazz quartet featuring John Pearce on piano, Simon Woolf on bass and Simon Morton on drums. Chris spoke to his long time friend Jon Hiseman who agreed to let us record in his home studio.
Together with Pat and myself Chris short-listed the titles to be recorded and John Pearce was set the task of writing the arrangements. Then in February 1995 we arrived at Temple Music to commence recording with Jon Hiseman at the helm. Jon wouldn’t accept that he was the producer but his involvement was invaluable, as was that of engineer John Canham.
Pat also brought in Mark Nightingale on trombone and Steve Simpson, also from the Farlowe band, to play guitar. Unfortunately Steve’s style of playing didn’t suite feel of the album so the call went out to Clem Clempson who came in at the eleventh hour to play the guitar parts faultlessly.
The album was released in 1995; this new release features an extra track not on the original ‘Remind Me’. I can’t remember why we omitted it at the time, it was featured on the ‘Rock n Roll Soldier’ compilation from 2004, but that is also long deleted.
Over the years Chris and I have talked about doing a ‘As Time Goes By 2’ and maybe a series of concerts but sadly, so far, this hasn’t happened, perhaps it’s time it did. – (Kris Gray)
Extraordinary, rather untypical album of the british bluessinger, peppered with unforgettable Jazz Classics like ‘These Foolish Things’, ’As Time Goes By’, ‘Sunday Kind Of Love’, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ and many more.
1. Bewitched
2. The Glow
3. Sunday Kind Of Love
4. As Time Goes By
5. Drinking Again
6. These Foolish Things
7. At Last
8. Blues As Blues Can Get
9. You Don’t Know Me
10. Trust In Me
11. I Thought Of You
12. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely
13. Untitled Track
Bonustrack:
14. Remind Me
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Home Society Expatriates Eight Moroccans Among 31 Suspects of Sexual Assaults in Germany on New...
Eight Moroccans Among 31 Suspects of Sexual Assaults in Germany on New Year’s Eve
New York - Germany’s New Year’s Eve celebrations were stained by nearly 170 criminal complaints of sexual assault and robberies in several German cities. Eight out of the 31 identified assailants are Moroccan nationals.
Karla Dieseldorff
Karla is an award-winning actress and producer.
New York – Germany’s New Year’s Eve celebrations were stained by nearly 170 criminal complaints of sexual assault and robberies in several German cities. Eight out of the 31 identified assailants are Moroccan nationals.
A week after investigations began in search for the suspects, German authorities have identified 31 people, including 18 refugees involved in the attacks in the city of Cologne, in western Germany, 80 kilometers from Belgium.
After searching through nearly 350 hours of video footage for the assailants, investigators have identified nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, five Iranians, four Syrians, two Germans, one Serbian, one Iraqi, and one American, according to German Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate.
According to a report by CNN Berlin, a large number of sexual assaults and muggings shook several European cities on New Year’s Eve, yet Cologne suffered the most attacks.
Several victims have come forward to relate the unfortunate events to which they were subjected on that night of celebration that ended in criminality all across the city.
One of the victims told CNN, “We ran to the police. But we saw the police were so understaffed. They couldn’t take care of us and we as women suffered the price.”
Cologne Police Spokeswoman Christoph Gilles said on Friday that at least 120 out of the 170 filed reports were of a sexual nature.
A police spokesman confirmed Police Chief Wolfgang Albers was fired Friday morning for his reported lack of control of “his department’s handling of the violence.”
According to the same source, other German cities suffered attacks such as Hamburg, in northern Germany, which reported 50 assaults, and Stuttgart.
Justice German Minister Maas said on Thursday that any refugee convicted of a crime could be deported.
“The law allows for people to be deported during asylum proceedings if they’re sentenced to a year or more in prison, and that’s possible with sexual offenses,” Minister Maas said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been criticized for her openness to welcome nearly 800,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq into the country in 2015.
The assaults on New Year’s Eve have fueled anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim protests in Europe, especially in Germany.
According to the same source, Chancellor Merkel condemned the attacks on December 31 as “intolerable” and said her government will “send a clear sign” to those who choose to disrespect German laws.
Yet, she remained open to the possibility that these attacks are part of a larger society problem beyond migrants.
“I don’t think these are single cases,” Merkel said, adding that “People have a right, and we as a state … have the obligation to give the right answers to this.”
Moreover, In Zurich, Switzerland, six women denounced they were “robbed from one side, [while] being groped … on the other side” men described as “having dark skin”, according to a Zurich Police statement released on Friday.
In Helsinki, Finland, police are investigating two reported harassment attacks in “a gathering of asylum-seekers.”
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Home/ DI Women's Basketball/ Bulldogs Escape Late Scare to Upset Campbellsville (Ky.)
DI Women's Basketball
Bulldogs Escape Late Scare to Upset Campbellsville (Ky.)
Montana Western defeated Campbellsville (Ky.), 60-57
BILLINGS, Mont. – [BOX SCORE] Four-seed Montana Western almost lost a 6 point lead with 10 seconds left in what was eventually a 60-57 win over one-seed Campbellsville (Ky.). The Tigers are the first one-seed to lose in the 2018 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships presented by Wells Fargo, and each of the top three seeds in the Duer Bracket have been eliminated.
Despite how close the final seconds were, Montana Western led for the final 15 minutes of the game. The Bulldogs used a 20-4 run to start the third quarter to turn a 4 point deficit at the half into a 12 point lead.
Campbellsville spent the rest of the game narrowing the gap but never got closer than three points.
Offensively, the Bulldogs were a balanced unit with four players scoring 10 points or more. Sophomore, Savanna Bignell, stepped up in the team’s biggest game of the year. She entered the game averaging four points per game but finished with a team-leading 14 points with six rebounds in just 19 minutes on the floor.
For the Tigers, it was Clements with a second straight great shooting night, going four-for-eight from three for a game-high 22 points after going six-for-seven from three for 32 points in the team’s first-round game.
The loss closed Campbellsville’s quest for its first title. The Tigers have made 25 NAIA tournament appearances, including 10 in a row, but have never been able to finish the season with a win.
Montana Western advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. They will play six-seed Menlo (Calif.) on Saturday, March 17 at 2:00 p.m.
40th ANNUAL DIVISION I
Billings, Mont.
2020 Bracket
2020 Championship Statistics
Purchase All-Championship Pass
Experience NAIA
All-Time Programs Wins
Winningest Coaches
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You are here: Home Success Stories Business leaders come together to discover new concept in personal air mobility
Business leaders come together to discover new concept in personal air mobility
Written by Cranfield University
Success story from Cranfield University
Business chiefs and local authority leaders from across the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford growth corridor came together at Cranfield University this month to discover a new concept that promises to offer fast, efficient and congestion-free urban and inter-city air travel.
The Volante Vision Concept previews a luxurious flying autonomous hybrid-electric vehicle with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities.
First unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in July, the Volante has been developed by experts from Cranfield’s global research airport together with Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce.
This month, business chiefs and local authority leaders from the surrounding areas were invited to Cranfield’s £35 million Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) to find out more about the project and were given the chance to get up close to a scale-model of the Volante.
Professor Iain Gray, Cranfield’s Director of Aerospace said: “We are at the start of a technology revolution in aerospace with increased levels of electrification, autonomy and new materials. This opens up new opportunities for the future, such as Volante. We are proud to be part of this programme. It reinforces that Cranfield, with its global research airport, is at the heart of this technology revolution.”
Aston Martin President and CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “With the population in urban areas continuing to grow, congestion in towns and cities will become increasingly demanding. We need to look at alternative solutions to reduce congestion, cut pollution and improve mobility. Air travel will be a crucial part in the future of transportation. The Volante Vision Concept is the ultimate luxury mobility solution.
“Humans have always spent, on average, one hour commuting to and from work. The distance we live from our workplace has been determined by the methods of transportation available. The Volante Vision Concept will enable us to travel further with our hourly commute, meaning we are able to live further away from where we work. Cities will grow, and towns that are today too far away from cities to be commutable will become suburban.
The next phase of the Volante project will focus on engineering and technical development, with the aim of working towards a full-size flying demonstrator prototype.
Cranfield is leading work on the autonomous flight controls, connectivity and security of the aircraft, while digital aviation research at the University will also support how the aircraft will fit into the wider transportation ecosystem.
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Megan Mullally Thanks Ellen for Making “Will & Grace” Possible
DeGeneres and her sitcom character famously came out in 1997.
by Brandon Voss 4/7/2019
Someone had to take a step before someone else could slay, honey. Isn’t that a saying?
Megan Mullally was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week and credited the host for paving the way for Will & Grace by coming out on her own sitcom in the ’90s.
“Your show really laid the groundwork for Will & Grace,” Mullally told DeGeneres. “I don’t know if there would’ve been a Will & Grace had you not done that show and come out, so thank you for that. Thank you for my career.”
In 1997, during the fourth season of her self-titled sitcom, Ellen, both DeGeneres and her character famously came out as a lesbian with “The Puppy Episode.”
Chris Haston/NBC
Will & Grace paid homage to that episode’s iconic airport coming out scene in this week’s season finale. Mullally’s character, Karen Walker, comes out as straight to love interest Nikki, played by Samira Wiley.
“When I came out, I had death threats and there was a bomb threat, but they misjudged the time of the taping,” DeGeneres told Adweek, which honored her last year with its Media Visionary Award. “We had already finished, and thank God.”
“The Puppy Episode” earned record ratings, as well as an Emmy and a Peabody Award, but ABC ultimately cancelled Ellen after the following season.
“I knew there would be people that didn’t like it, but I didn’t realize my show would be cancelled,” she said. “It’s definitely something I know helped a lot of people, and I was hoping it would help more people.”
Ellen/ABC
DeGeneres came under fire in January for defending comedian Kevin Hart after he stepped down from hosting the Oscars amid backlash surrounding his homophobic history.
Will & Grace, which ran on NBC for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006, returned in 2017 with all four original leads—Mullally, Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, and Debra Messing—to became the network’s top-rated comedy.
The revival’s second season concluded April 4, and a third season has already been confirmed for this fall.
Watch Mullally thank DeGeneres below.
Ellen Celebrates Pride With Her Talk Show’s Top LGBTQ Moments
Brandon Voss
Celebrity interviewer. Foodie and Broadway buff in Manhattan. Hates writing bios.
@brandonvoss
Tags: Ellen DeGeneresMegan MullallyWill & Grace
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Make-believe
It is perilous to pretend that China is not India’s strategic competitor.
By N.V. Subramanian (28 December 2018)
New Delhi: Governments lies about lots of things but it is most dangerous when they lie about foreign relations. Relations between India and China are far from satisfactory and they will remain so until Chinese expansionism is contained and India rises as an economic and politico-military power. But were New Delhi’s background briefing to the press to be believed, ties with Beijing have never been better. The Doklam crisis is well behind both countries; China is not strengthening Pakistan against India; the Chinese market will unprecedentedly open for Indian produce; there is complete understanding of the two nations on “Indo-Pacific” conflicts, and so on.
The truth is diametrically opposite. China-India relations are far from stable. The Chinese military build-up in Tibet is being sought to be matched with some puny military airlifts of our own which the services have duly advertised. China has noted India’s flip-flop on Doklam: an aggressive posture quickly followed by appeasement. The Wuhan summit went according to the Chinese script. In close grilling by the Chinese according to insiders, the Indian side disclosed more than was prudent. Xi Jinping received Narendra Modi in the manner of a Chinese monarch of old receiving tribute from a vassal. China-Pakistan relations are stronger than ever because China sees Pakistan as a gateway for expansion. The Pakistanis cannot complain because they are indebted to the Chinese. And China will only make a show of opening its market to Indian goods. It needs temporary peace with regional adversaries since Donald Trump’s trade war has left China vulnerable.
A true guide to Chinese intentions is the state of play with the United States. Come January and the United States is likely to order a ban on purchases of Huawei and ZTE technologies. The detention of the Huawei heiress and chief financial officer in Canada has led to matching Chinese retaliation against two Canadian subjects. If Meng Wanzhou is finally deported to the United States as looks likely, China will be further informed about the seriousness of the American assault on its economic and trade brigandage. China has made cosmetic moves to placate the United States. That they are cosmetic is well recognized and badly received and unlikely to assist China’s cause. The US battle with China is no longer president Donald Trump’s private war. The American establishment is determined to end China’s iniquitous trade practices. Simultaneously, pressure is mounting on China’s illegal claims to the East China Sea and South China Sea. The centre of gravity of future conflict has shifted to those seas. It will take long years to break Chinese adamancy and make it behave. So what’s this Indian make-believe about that ties with China are proceeding swimmingly?
Foreign offices generally try to portray situations better than they are to deflect attention from their own diplomatic failures. In the case of China, a succession of foreign secretaries, including the serving one, have painted a rosy picture of relations. It is the foreign office bureaucracy which claimed that China had been won over to India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Club, a pointless pursuit in any case. Tellingly, there is no mention of NSG in the ministry of external affairs’ optimistic assessment of India-China ties. If you press the diplomatic bureaucracy, it will reel off the various bilateral and multilateral events, allude to the communiques, and gush about personal chemistry. Important as they are, they do not constitute the substance of India-China ties. There is a vast power differential between India and China. Summits and joint statements (anodyne for the most part) cannot address that. In any case, the Chinese are realists. They fear the exercise of force when it is sustained, inexhaustible and absolute. They fear Donald Trump. India is a blip on their radar.
The second reason for the glowing report on China is that a general election is due in months and Narendra Modi needs to manufacture a nice geopolitical narrative. He cannot claim a breakthrough in relations with Pakistan. There is no coherence in Indian diplomacy as applied to the rest of the region as well. Obviously, the government has to be economical with the truth. But in geopolitics, it never pays to lie or exaggerate. A nation is forewarned and forearmed when the external environment is correctly presented. Such high-mindedness and wisdom cannot be expected from the present rulers. The country, however, should not be fooled about China. If the United States, the world’s only superpower, has identified China as the foremost threat to world peace, stability and prosperity, India cannot pretend otherwise.
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The Modi magic
His own failures are drawing President Obama to the political genius of the Indian prime minister.
New Delhi: Why has President Barack Obama decided to make a second visit to India on his watch which is rather unprecedented for the American presidency? There are, obviously, the usual explanations, commencing from Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting him and he accepting, and reaching far into the whole gamut of relations between the world’s oldest and largest democracies on opposite sides of Earth. But there is something more which has to do with the personality of Narendra Modi and his dazzling success in the general election this year and since.
Regardless of whether a politician belongs to the West, East, the First World or the Third, they learn from others of their flock. The dictators watch each other, sometimes watchfully and antagonistically, and try on other occasions to learn from one another’s successes and mistakes. The Chinese leadership, for example, was determined not to commit Mikhail Gorbachev’s blunder of encouraging political freedom in the old Soviet Union which brought it down faster. Leaders of democracies also take mutual lessons and sometimes form a mutual admiration society. As the newest mass leader on the world stage, there is much interest about Narendra Modi, and this was evident in the East Asia and G-20 Summits.
Narendra Modi’s rise comes at a particularly fraught time for leaders of Western democracies. Barack Obama is perhaps the most unpopular United States president in recent memory. According to some analysis, his low poll of around 40 per cent suggests that his own Democratic Party constituents are disenchanted with him; the party’s mid-term losses makes it more conclusive. The situation is not happy either for the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who is already warning of future recession to insulate his government from criticism in the coming polls being strongly contested by the opposition Labour Party. The French presidency is a disgrace for a great nation like France. Only Angela Merkel of Germany holds up amidst the decay and general hopelessness of European democracies but that is more due to the hardworking and industrious qualities of the German people than any exceptionality displayed by the chancellor.
In all this, Barack Obama’s sorry situation is particularly noteworthy. As a scholarly thinking president, Obama beats most of his recent predecessors except perhaps Bill Clinton, whose remarkable intellectuality includes the entire memorization of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. In the first years of Barack Obama’s presidency, this writer heard neutral Americans say that he had expended himself in winning the election. His personal ambition was limited to electoral triumph and he had no vision for his presidency. Not all of Obama’s failures are his fault. He inherited a tottering capitalistic economy in which the state had to bail out big companies and banks. And he had to pull out the United States from foreign interventions that did not advance America’s national security while bleeding its military and economy.
But you can only curse your inheritance so much. Politics is a creative enterprise. You have to make the best of a bad deal; Obama’s presidential heroes, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, did it. In his own way, Narendra Modi is doing it in India, trying to turn the base metal of 10-year United Progressive Alliance rule into gold, and very likely to succeed where the alchemists failed. To use a sporting phrase, Barack Obama choked up in his presidency. He got daunted by his responsibilities. He knew so much (like poor Manmohan Singh) that he was afraid to do anything new; it happens to a majority of academics. His supreme moment was the score-settling with Osama Bin Laden when he showed presidential cool, courage and steel. Before and since, it has been a wasted presidency; his latest initiative for illegal immigrants smells of bad odour.
It is his inability to get anything right that is probably driving Obama to learn from Narendra Modi by close association. When Modi went to the US as prime minister in September, this writer wrote that Obama and he would hit it off, and that the US president had a lot to learn from Modi. It has turned out so. Narendra Modi is a political genius. His ability to devise the simplest political solution to complex problems is without parallel in the democratic world today. His sway over the masses is unbelievable. A friend of this writer calls him a magician. It is the Modi magic which has drawn President Obama to India again.
Also read The salesman cometh.
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About NSSO
Harry Marenstein, Music Director and Conductor
Anthony LaGruth, Associate Conductor
Susan Deaver, Conductor Emerita
Friends of the NSSO
Young Artists Competition
YAC Final Round Information
New Horizons Composers Competition
History of the NSSO
Email the NSSO
YOUNG ARTIST COMPETITION WINNER: SARAH MA, VIOLIN
VLAD VIZIREANU, MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR
Described as a conductor with “ample gestures, clarity, precision, and genuine passion,” Vlad Vizireanu has made his mark as one of this generation’s finest young conductors and as an energetic and vibrant presence with a unique artistic vision.
Most recently, Vizireanu was accepted in the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition with the London Symphony and was invited among 14 conductors (out of 400 applicants worldwide) to participate in the renowned Mahler Conducting Competition with the Bamberg Symphony. He won Second Prize in the 11th International Cadaqués Conducting Competition where he conducted the Cadaqués Symphony in an internationally televised concert in L’Auditori Hall, Barcelona.
Vlad Vizireanu, Music Director
Harry Marenstein,
Principal Guest Conductor
Young Artist Competition
He studied with David Zinman at the 2016 Tonhalle Orchestra Masterclass, with the late Kurt Masur at the 2015 Manhattan School of Music Conducting Seminar, and was selected for two consecutive years as one of seven conductors from around the world to study with Bernard Haitink at the 2013 and 2014 Lucerne Easter Festivals. Vizireanu was one of the last students of the late Lorin Maazel under full fellowship at the 2014 Castleton Festival. He also received the prestigious 2013 Chautauqua Conducting Fellowship in New York.
In Fall 2013 he was invited to debut at the renowned George Enescu Festival in Bucharest where he conducted a side-by-side concert with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Royal Camerata. He conducted the Royal Camerata again in the 2015 edition of the George Enescu Festival with sololist Rebekka Hartmann. He has since made his debuts with the Iasi Philharmonic, Sibiu Philharmonic, Constanta Symphony, Translyvania Philharmonic, and New Valley Symphony.
An ardent advocate of new music, Vizireanu has showcased new compositions with the Castleton Festival Orchestra, Cadaqués Symphony, and Hebrides New Music Ensemble. Some new works he has recently recorded include Light Show by Max Grafe, Scherzo for Orchestra by Joshua Groffman, and Evelyne Davis’ Concerto for Two Percussionists. He recently commissioned several new compositions by renowned Los Angeles composer Michael Glenn Williams and conducted the world premieres with the Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble and Sibiu Philharmonic.
Vizireanu made his operatic debut in 2013 with Arizona State University Opera in Die Fledermaus. He served as assistant conductor to Lorin Maazel and Timothy Muffitt with productions of Les Dialogues des Carmelites, Madama Butterfly, and Don Giovanni.
Vizireanu currently serves as Music Director of the North Shore Symphony Orchestra in Long Island, NY and Assistant Conductor for the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic in Thousand Oaks, CA. He previously served as Conductor for New West Symphony’s Harmony Project, which is aimed at inspiring young children to develop a lifelong love of music through education and exciting musical experiences. He also serves as Artistic Director of Enescu & The Americas, an organization that fosters cultural exchange between Romania and the United States through the music of Romania’s greatest composer, George Enescu.
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You are here: Home / Pro-Life / DA Foulston Insisted To Grand Jury That Abortion Law Is Not Enforceable
DA Foulston Insisted To Grand Jury That Abortion Law Is Not Enforceable
July 7, 2008 By Operation Rescue 6 Comments
Grand Jury says “common interpretation” cannot be applied to abortion laws
By Cheryl Sullenger, Operation Rescue Senior Policy Advisor
A citizen-called grand jury was discharged last week without issuing indictments against Wichita abortionist George R. Tiller for violations of the state ban on post-viability abortions. In parting, the grand jury released a statement through the District Attorney’s office, explaining their unwillingness to indict based their belief that a “common interpretation” of Kansas law is not appropriately applied to abortion statutes. (Read the statement)
After “hearing extensive witness testimony, reviewing volumes of documents and medical records of patients of Women’s Health Care Services,” the panel of fifteen citizens concluded that they found many instances where late abortions were “questionable” as to the diagnosis of “substantial and irreversible impairment.”
A 1998 law, K.S.A. 65-6703, states that abortions past 22 weeks must be evaluated for viability, the ability of the pre-born baby to live outside the womb. Once viability is determined, those abortions can only be done for two reasons: to save the life of the mother, or to prevent “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” of the mother should the pregnancy continue – and then only when two non-affiliated physicians agree that the abortion is medically necessary.
As to the first exception, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, there has never been a reported case in Kansas history that a late-term abortion was done to save the mother’s life. Why? Because every state allows for abortions under dire medical emergencies where continuation of the pregnancy would cause the imminent death of the mother, even if late-term abortions were otherwise banned. There is no reason for women to travel to Kansas to receive such abortions, and it is likely, given the extreme medical emergency such a condition would present, that a woman would be incapable of traveling to another state at such a time.
Therefore, the obvious conclusion is that women in the latest stages of pregnancy come to Kansas to have abortions in order to circumvent the laws of their home states.
As to the second exception, the grand jury acknowledged that it was the intent of the legislature to limit late-term abortions. A common reading of “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” would certainly call into question the legality of many abortions reviewed by the grand jury. However, former Attorney General Carla Stovall issued an opinion in 2000 that stated mental health must be included as a “major bodily function,” and concluded that such mental health risks must also meet the standard of “substantial and irreversible.”
This is where the jury members depart from a “common interpretation.”
The definition of a “substantial and irreversible” mental health risk so debatable, according to the grand jury, that if two doctors approve such an abortion, no one can question their judgment. Therefore, if other physicians disagree that a mental health risk does not meet the legal standard of “substantial and irreversible” that is just their opinions and should not be considered as to the legality of the abortion.
Applying that line of reasoning to other situations, we can see the strain of logic.
Imagine a physician and his partner who mis-prescribes painkillers, resulting in the deaths of dozens of his patients. What if no one could question their judgment? This is actually a real situation currently making headlines in Wichita. That physician and his wife were jailed and face federal felony charges. Certainly no one is arguing that because the two agreed, they cannot be held accountable for violating the “common” reading of the law.
Tiller is, in fact, currently facing 19 counts of illegal late-term abortions done in 1993, because he was “in cahoots” with another abortionist, Ann Kristin Neuhaus, who rubberstamped all his late abortions as being medically necessary on “mental health” grounds, violating the “non-affiliated physician” clause in the abortion law. The grand jury never addressed an additional four years of abortions during which Tiller and Neuhaus operated what amounted to an illegal abortion racket.
A prominent expert in the field of psychiatry, Dr. Paul McHugh of Johns Hopkins University Hospital, reviewed over two dozen abortion records for the Attorney General’s office and concluded that he saw no file in which a late-term abortion was medically necessary according to the law, even with the Stovall opinion that the law includes “substantial and irreversible” mental health risks. (Listen to Dr. McHugh’s Interview.) Dr. McHugh stated that reasons for late abortions included such trivial reasons as the following:
One woman felt the continuation of her pregnancy would prohibit her from attending a rock concert.
One woman believed that her pregnancy would interfere in sporting events.
Another woman believed that if she continued her pregnancy, she could not afford to buy a new computer.
Several women were diagnosed with a single episode of depression – hardly an “irreversible” condition.
Certainly it takes an “uncommon interpretation” of the law to conclude that any of these circumstances meet the legal standard of “substantial and irreversible.”
In fact, women who are actually getting the late abortions do not believe they are getting them for mental health risks. They have told Operation Rescue and other pro-lifers that they are getting the abortions for reasons that simply do not comply with the law.
Operation Rescue submitted to the grand jury documentation that show numerous women getting late abortions for illegal reasons. Those include:
Five women who were coerced or forced into unwanted late-term abortions by boyfriends or family. All regretted their abortions and suffered mental pain as a result.
One woman who had an abortion because she didn’t want to ruin the effects of her “tummy tuck” cosmetic procedure.
One woman who had a late-abortion for financial reasons.
One woman who went ahead with a late-abortion even though her insurance provider evaluated her condition and determined than an abortion was not medically necessary and therefore denied her coverage.
Numerous women who had late-abortions for fetal anomalies.
Once instance where a woman who was approved for an abortion at WHCS due to fetal anomaly, changed her mind and gave birth to a perfectly healthy child without adverse affects to her physical or mental health.
One instance where a woman who was approved for an abortion on a healthy baby at WHCS changed her mind and later gave birth without any adverse affects to her physical or mental health.
It is clear that the mental health excuses used by Tiller and his cohorts are simply window dressing used to disguise the truth that they are aborting pre-born babies, up until the day of delivery, for reasons that do not meet standards outlined in the legal exceptions.
While the grand jury acknowledges that the intent of the legislature was to limit late abortions, the practical result is that Tiller and his supporters in the District Attorney’s office have redefined the language to include abortions for any reason at any gestational age.
It certainly did take an “uncommon interpretation” to come to that conclusion.
Where did that unorthodox take on Kansas law come from? One need not look farther than the District Attorney’s office, which is currently run by Nola Foulston, a radical abortion supporter and personal friend of Tiller’s. It was Foulston who persuaded a judge to dismiss 30 criminal charges against Tiller filed by former Attorney General Phill Kline on dubious jurisdictional grounds, even though two judges independently concluded that there was probable cause to believe that Tiller violated the law.
Not coincidently, Assistant District Attorney Ann Swegle, who managed the recent grand jury, also managed the grand jury that investigated Tiller in the third-trimester botched abortion death of Christin Gilbert. A former grand juror came forward and told Operation Rescue of a number of incidents where Swegle prevented the jurors in the Gilbert investigation from accessing evidence and witnesses, and misdirected them as to the scope of their investigative powers.
It was because of this that the petition seeking the more recent grand jury demanded a special prosecutor unrelated to the DA’s office. But that did not happen. There is little doubt that Swegle, under the direction of Foulston, is behind the “uncommon interpretation” of K.S.A. 65-6703, that led the grand jury to believe it could not indict.
In fact, a confidential source close to the grand jury investigation told Operation Rescue that Foulston personally told the grand jury that the law was unenforceable.
Without the support from Foulston that any indictments would be prosecuted, it became useless to indict.
It is obvious that there can be no further requests for grand juries until the District Attorney’s office is purged of corruption along with Tiller cronies such as Foulston and Swegle.
The grand jury also stated that the Legislature needed to “provide clearer and more definitive guidelines regarding ‘substantial and irreversible impairment,’” or provide new legislation limiting late-term abortions.
“We see no reason to re-invent the wheel,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “The laws of the State of Kansas are sound. However, we would support a clarification by the Legislature of the terms ‘substantial and irreversible’ for the sake of those who cannot understand their common usage in the English lexicon.”
The Foulston interpretation of the state ban on post-viability abortion places Kansas to the left of even the most radical supporters of abortion. Even Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, stated recently that he believes that late-term abortions should not be done simply because a woman is feeling “blue.” But that is exactly what we are seeing in Kansas, where, according to Dr. McHugh, the current application of the law would not prevent a single woman from obtaining an abortion up until the moment of birth. That is hardly the intent of the Legislature, even as recognized by the grand jury.
“If Tiller and his lawyers think this is the end of this matter, they are gravely mistaken,” said Newman. “So far all we have seen are political allies who radically support unrestricted abortion, insulating Tiller from accountability to the law through a series of linguistic gymnastics and shady legal maneuverings. We have yet to see anything resembling justice. For the sake of the innocent, viable babies being unjustly aborted, we cannot stop until we do.”
Filed Under: Pro-Life
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Future Tiger Peters a force
By Brett MarshallSpecial to the HDN
When watching him throw both the shot put and discus, it would be difficult to determine the emotion of Gilbert Peters.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 265-pound gentle giant rarely expresses the outgoing joy of a good throw, or any frown of disappointment after a foul or a shorter-than-expected throw.
But at the end of the day, or at the end of his meets, the results generally have been the same — he wins.
And he wins.
And he wins by a big margin.
During his senior season at South Gray, nothing changed as Peters successfully defended his Class 1A state titles in the two specialty throws he had captured gold in during his 2017 junior season.
And it came in dominating fashion, just as he had done much of his junior year. Peters won the 2018 titles in the shot put by just more than 7 feet (58-2) and more than 23 feet in the discus (175-6).
In the process, Peters helped his Rebel teammates also repeat in the Class 1A state team title, thus capping off a banner senior year in which the school also won the 1A-I state basketball championship.
He now heads to Fort Hays State University for basketball and track and field.
“Winning the basketball championship was my goal in that sport since we had lost the year before,” Peters said in a recent telephone interview. “That was a good start, and then for track I wanted to win again, but wanted to get some state records if I could.”
That would be the only disappointment of his final high school season, as he came up short in Wichita of the two state meet records of 58-04.50 and 186-04, with winning heaves of 58-02 and 175-06. His season bests were 58-03 and 184-06.50.
“I would have liked to have gotten the state records, but winning was the big thing,” Peters said.
Despite competing in the state’s smallest classification, Peters’ impact statewide was evident as his shot put mark was the second best in Kansas during the 2018 spring season while his discus toss ranked No. 4 for all classes.
It has been a journey of growth and maturity for Peters throughout his four-year prep career.
In his freshman season, he watched his older brother, Jake, set the table for his future goals by winning the same two events with marks of 53-05.50 in the shot and 162-05 in the discus. As a rookie thrower in high school, the younger Peters did not qualify in the shot put and placed third in the discus with a throw of 145-05.Progress was steady, but not exponentially so. His sophomore season increased his shot put distance to 52-01, good for second place at state in 2A while his 137-02 discus toss failed to place among the top eight medal winners.
Then came his junior season, and things seemed to fall into place, and the distances exploded.
“I think the biggest thing I learned from Jake was just learning how to be more explosive in the ring,” Gilbert said of the help from his brother. “We’d just be throwing in practice and he would show me how to maintain a better balance in the ring.”
During his junior year, when the Rebels dropped back to Class 1A, Peters increased his season-best shot put mark to 55-10 and the discus to 179-11.75, and made winning throws at state of 52-02 and 175-11.00.
“In the shot put, you’re just trying to give a good quick move on the last part of the throw, and honestly just trying to throw as far as you can.”
With younger brother moving up the tape measure, he eventually broke both of Jake’s school marks by his junior season, so the next goal was the state marks and repeating the titles he had won his junior year.
“I always tried to get in a good throw early so that would take the pressure off,” said Peters, who indicated he rarely fouled on his first or second attempts in both throws. “I think I like the discus better just because the distance is greater, but I think I improved more in the shot put because improving a couple of feet in the shot is more significant than a couple of feet in the discus.”
Peters’ technique, as it is with most throwers, is still a work in progress, and he will have that opportunity next year when he heads to FHSU, where he has been recruited for both basketball and track and field.
“I’ll mainly be doing technique work for now,” Peters said. “Basketball will be first, so the technique work will be all I have time to do. We’ll get on the weights and see how much I can improve.”
Peters said he didn’t necessarily think he needed to add weight to his big frame, but losing what he called “a little bit of baby fat” would be on his to-do list.
“I’m sure I can get stronger, and I’m sure I can trim up some,” Peters said. “I didn’t do much running in high school, so I know that will help me, too.”
When looking back on his high school exploits, Peters said he’s happy with what he accomplished.
“I wanted to win right away my sophomore year, and I didn’t do that,” he recalled. “But both junior and senior years were good. I was able to go to state and win, and we won in basketball. Pretty fortunate that I had a lot of good teammates, too, and was able to contribute to our team winning.”
His mindset was quite simple.
“Repeating was the big thing and I just had it in my head to not let anybody else get it (gold medal),” he said.
Consider that goal accomplished for the gentle giant from South Gray.
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The Winged Hourglasses of de Armas and Dupaquier
At the end of the main aisle in Square 1 of St. Louis No. 2 is a simple tomb with a low-pitched gable roof. Coated in modern cement and latex paint, it is difficult to determine much about its original appearance. Perhaps it was once coated in brightly-colored stucco, or its roof tiled in slate or terra cotta. Ironwork may once have enclosed its simple design. Without the fortunate discovery of an historic photograph, which is extremely rare, the elegant past of this tomb may never be known.
But the de Armas tomb offers a hint to the scrutinizing eye. Its marble closure tablet is embellished with an ornate relief carving depicting a winged hourglass encircled with a floral wreath. The hourglass is surrounded by a snake eating its tail – the ouroboros – a symbol of immortality. Among the few depictions of the winged hourglass in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, this carving is by far the most detailed. Such a carving is indicative of a level of style and craftsmanship long faded from New Orleans cemeteries. At one time it was not alone in its ornamental beauty, but instead belonged to a rich landscape of beaded wreaths, draped urns, and weeping angels.
Above: The de Armas tomb, St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. Right: The Dupaquier tomb, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. Photos by Emily Ford.
Even today, the de Armas tomb is not alone in one regard. Nearly three miles away, St. Louis Cemetery No. 2’s younger sister, St. Louis No. 3, stretches along the edge of Bayou St. John in long aisles. Amidst its large lots and photogenic tombs is the tomb of the Depaquier family. Uncompromised by modern repairs, the faded stucco walls bely that the tomb was once limewashed a dark rose color. The pitch of its roof is reminiscent of the de Armas tomb.
The closure tablet of Dupaquier tomb is bordered with a carved braided rope. Atop its simply-lettered epitaph is a winged hourglass nearly identical to that found on the de Armas tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2.
Studies of cemetery craftsmanship in New Orleans have shown that few motifs, materials, or methods in cemetery stonecarving are the result of happenstance. Who carved these tablets? What do they symbolize? And why did the Dupaquier and de Armas families end up owning identical tablets?
Dupaquier tablet, top. De Armas tablet, bottom. Photos by Emily Ford.
The de Armas and Dupaquier Families
The two tombs are the burial places of the patriarchs of their respective families. In St. Louis No. 2, Michel Theodore de Armas (sometimes listed in documents as Michael or Miguel), was a notary and lawyer who was born in New Orleans in 1783 and died in 1823.[1] In St. Louis No. 3, Claude Dupaquier was born in France in 1806, arrived in New Orleans in the 1840s, and died in 1856.[2] Between 1823 and 1856, life expectancy was around 37 years, so that these men died at age 40 and 50 (respectively) is unremarkable. Both de Armas and Dupaquier had children that became important members of New Orleans’ business and social circles after the Civil War. Dr. Auguste Dupaquier, who is buried with his parents, was described as having a “gentle, loving, and kindly temperament, mixed with firmness and rare energy, and he secured the affections of all whom he approached.[3]” Dr. Dupaquier had no discernable interaction with the children of de Armas, and it is unlikely that the families had enough relation to construct matching tombs knowingly.
One significant similarity between the Michel de Armas and Claude Dupaqueir was their preference for the French language. Both tablets are carved in French.
A Common Language and Culture
De Armas was such a dedicated defender of New Orleans’ Francophone tradition that he was dismissed from an Orleans Parish court in 1821 for loudly protesting the use of English. His notarial record is primarily Francophone.
Claude Dupaquier was a native of France. Little record remains of his occupation or residence, but as the vast majority of his years were spent in Europe it is quite likely that his preferred tongue was French, if he ever spoke English at all.
"Adieu, Bonne Sophie," French-language epitaph carved by Monsseaux, St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. Photo by Emily Ford.
In nineteenth century New Orleans, a person’s linguistic and cultural identity often determined who they chose to carve their final epitaph or build their eternal resting place. For de Armas, or his widow, Gertrude St. Cyr Debreuil, it would have been a given that they chose Paul Hippolyte Monsseaux.
New Orleans cemeteries are populated with the small, often overlooked signatures of local stonecutters. Often these signatures wear away, and craftsmen often neglected to sign their work at all. Many stonecutters began their careers working for other more established cutters, signing the name of their master instead of that of the apprentice. These realities complicate the study of cemetery craftwork. In the case of the de Armas closure tablet, a small, clean-lettered signature is present at its bottom right-hand corner – MONSSEAUX. The Depaquier tomb retains no signature at all.
Paul Hippolyte Monsseaux
Like Claude Depaquier, Paul Hippolyte Monsseaux (1809-1874) was a French native who arrived in New Orleans as an adult.[4] Present in New Orleans by 1842, Monsseaux is best known as the stonecutter who built many tombs designed by architect J.N.B. De Pouilly. These included many famous tombs in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2.
The Caballero tomb (above) and Grailhe tomb (right), in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. Both designed by J.N.B. de Pouilly and constructed by P.H. Monsseaux. Photos by Emily Ford.
Monsseaux often worked with other stonecutters in either a master/apprentice role or as business partners. In addition to his work for J.N.B. de Pouilly, his signature is often found beside other cutters like Tronchard and Kursheedt & Bienvenu. Through his entire career, Monsseaux held the same marble yard on St. Louis Street at the corner of Robertson Street – directly beside St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 and New Basin Canal. Through his career, Monsseaux also sold marble to fellow stonecutters; he partnered with others to secure equipment and technology that advanced the trade. Most notably, he owned a steam marble works for some time in the 1870s, the rights to which he lent to other cutters Stroud and Richards.[5]
Monsseaux’s accomplishments were many, but his clientele was rather distinct. Most of Monsseaux’s signed tablets are carved in French. In this manner, Monsseaux is a French counterpart for German-speaking stonecutters of the time who served a distinctly German clientele. There are always exceptions – Monsseaux built the DePouilly-designed Iberian Society tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. Yet the majority of his work served French-speaking clients who belonged to the upper echelons of New Orleans society.
Stylistic Inspirations and Symbolism
French speaking upper-class New Orleaneans in the 1830s were enthralled with the style and beauty of tombs found in Paris’ Pere Lachaise Cemetery at the time, and Paul Hippolyte Monsseaux gladly catered to that demand. Sarcophagus-style tombs with corner acroteria and inverted torches appeared in St. Louis No. 2 during this time. These tastes adapted through the 1850s and into the first years of St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. Greek Revival temples and Egyptian Revival tombs rose in the squares of the both cemeteries, mimicking the aisles of the great French burial ground. Often, it was Monsseaux who provided his clients with these romantic sepulchers.
Cast iron fence in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2. Photo by Emily Ford.
Pere Lachaise Cemetery is populated with hundreds of winged hourglasses. In fact, the first image to greet the visitor at the cemetery gate is a pair of such hourglasses. This is also the case at Montparnasse Cemetery, also in Paris.
The history of the winged hourglass as a funerary symbol appears to split along linguistic and cultural lines in the United States. In the English-speaking Northeast, it is contemporary with the skull-and-crossbones and death’s head, symbolizing the fleetingness of time. In this context, the winged hourglass was contemporary to the 18th century and faded from popularity by the 1830s.
detail of gates at Pere Lachaise cemetery, photo by Wikimedia Commons user Coyau.
French-speaking New Orleans funerary culture developed more closely to that of Paris than its American cousins, however. The winged hourglass is seldom seen in tombs constructed prior to 1820. It does, however, appear to grow in popularity from 1820 through the 1850s, when the de Armas and Dupaquier tombs were constructed. This inspiration was drawn directly from the Parisian cemeteries. And New Orleans was not alone in this inspiration. Not to be outdone as a European city in the New World, Buenos Aires’ Recoleta Cemetery, founded in 1822, hums with the flutter of winged hourglasses.
The de Armas and Dupaquier families may never have known each other, but they are together twin scions of a lost cemetery landscape. Opulent with their floral wreaths and outspread wings, their hourglass tablets were likely carved by Monsseaux himself or an apprentice. It is possible, even, that the Dupaquier tablet was a replica of de Armas’, carved by a student still learning his trade. Or, perhaps, both designs were borrowed from a pattern book imported from Paris. In any case, they endure as silent reminders of the importance of each tomb in the larger landscape of our historic cemeteries.
[1] Florence M. Jumonville, Ph.D., ‘Formerly the Property of a Lawyer’: Books that Shaped Louisiana Law. New Orleans: University of New Orleans Library Facility Publications, 2009, 7.
[2] Orleans Death Indices 1804-1876. Vol. 17, 312.
[3] “Death of Dr. Dupaquier,” New Orleans Daily Democrat, April 8, 1879, p. 8.
[4] Charles LeJ. Mackie, “Paul Hippolyte Monsseaux: Marble Dealer,” printed in SOCGram, Fall 1984, 14-16.
[5] Daily Picayune, May 18, 1871, 3.
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“Learning is a dynamic process in which the whole personality of the child must be actively engaged.”
-Maria Montessori
The mission of the Montessori School of Oakton (MSO) is to provide an enriched educational environment, based upon Montessori principles, that will guide, nurture and stimulate the fullest development of each individual child.
We are a family-oriented Montessori school, situated in the small community of Oakton, on six wooded acres of property owned by the Alliance Church Centre. The school occupies five classrooms and has a playground, garden and nature areas adjacent to the building. We strive to provide beautiful environments, a challenging program and a supportive school community to serve children from three to twelve years of age.
Since its founding in 1981, the Montessori School of Oakton has offered a unique program in which skilled professionals, sensitive and responsive to the learning patterns and needs of each child, help the child to grow in confidence, independence and knowledge. At MSO there is a special blending of freedom and responsibility, choice and structure, creativity and discipline, individual interest and group cooperation.
Today the Montessori School of Oakton has an enrollment of about 100 students, ranging from age three through the sixth grade. We have three Primary Classes (3 – 6+) and one Elementary Class (6 – 12). We serve a diverse population of students and families.
MSO is a non-profit, non-sectarian school, which admits all children regardless of race, creed, color or origin.
The Montessori School of Oakton is accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), is a full member of the American Montessori Society (AMS), is a member of the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) and is licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet and show you our school. We schedule tours regularly, which will allow you to observe our students at work. Please give us a call to arrange your first visit. Until then, please feel free to contact us personally if you have any further questions
12113 Vale Road
Oakton, VA 22124
Powered by: Go Montessori
Content © 2019 MSO
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Farewell to Jack Kingston 1918-2017
Posted by SCe Comments Off on Farewell to Jack Kingston 1918-2017
Jack Kingston was one of Piha’s oldest and longest dwelling residents, when he died on 9 November 2017 aged 99 years.
He has been at Piha so long, the corner of the road by his driveway is known locally as “Kingstons’ corner”. A very community-minded man, he was also a thorough going gentleman and will be very sadly missed.
Jack was born on 25 August 1918 in England, just two months before the end of WW1. He died just 2 days before the commemoration of the 99th year since the Armistice – his life spanned an enormously long period of New Zealand history. His family emigrated to New Zealand when he was four on SS Corinth and settled in Henderson.
Jack first came to Piha at 13 years in a Model T Ford and fell in love with the place. He visited as often as he could and then made regular trips after he met Joan.
Jacks’ profession was as a photographer and cinematographer and even late in life he made good use of the skills he had learned, making cards featuring scenes he had photographed, often from his home at Piha.
Jack and Joan married in 1939, Jack having met when Joan was working as a seamstress at George Court. They made their home in Clonbern Road, Remuer. The couple had three daughters: Bonnie, Gay and Judy.
The Kingstons moved to Piha in 1964. The couple lavished attention on their gardens around the house and won many garden competitions. Jack has a massive vege garden, fenced to keep possums out, and grew everything for the table. He also cared for the native bush around his house and trapped possums.
Although Jack was straight up and down, and called a spade a spade, he was always cheerful and pleasant, with a relentlessly positive outlook on life.
Jack and Joan were a devoted couple, a tight unit, supporting each other and sharing each others’ interests. They were both skilled at creating things, whether sewn in the case of Joan or crafted from other materials by Jack. Any fund-raising project at Piha benefited from the Kingstons’ skills.
Jack was super organised and involved with everything at Piha. With Jack de Bazin he was a stalwart of the Neighbourhood Watch group that flourished at Piha while these two gentlemen poured their energy into it. They would put on their tin hats and head into the night – while their wives were at home in contact with CB radios – with not every a motocycle gang visiting Piha phasing them.
in the 1980s, with Cyril Murphy, Jack formed the Piha Community Centre Society to take over Barnett Hall at North Piha. Jack was also involved in the Piha Ratepayers’ and Residents Association, and was a key figure in the North Piha Water Supply project, attending to maintenance and repairs. He was the patron of Protect Piha Heritage Society.
In his role of the Piha R&R Jack was one of those who converted the old Telecom building into Piha’s community-run post office, and accordingly when the building was shifted across the road into the campground, it was Jack (with early post mistress Janet Murray) who was given the role of cutting the ribbon. See photo below, Jack with Keith Franich, then R&R president.
In 2008 Jack was honoured by Waitakere City Council with a certificate of appreciation for his community service. He was nominated by his old friend, Jack de Bazin.
Joan suffered from ill health in her later years and Jack nursed her devotedly until she died in 2012. Jack continued living at Piha. Jack had 7 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren.
No one represented the best of Piha better than Jack Kingston.
Categories: news, The dear departed, Uncategorized
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July 7, 1902: double your pleasure
Althea Gibson was lucky. She didn't have equal footing as a tennis player in her childhood, or even for all of her adulthood, but she got there before too much time had passed.
Today's honoree was born a generation before FDR sought the stories of the aging ex-slaves, two generations before Truman integrated the military (though previously, not for lack of trying), in the days before Martin Luther was King.
What had already happened by 1902, though, was the unofficial ban on black players in Major League Baseball, about which more here. So when today's honoree began to show baseball affinity as children, his parents joined millions of others faced with a future in which their children would not be allowed to compete on the content of their skills but on the color of their skin.
He never got to the majors, though he roomed with one of its most famous players.
We will never know how Theodore Roosevelt "Double Duty" Radcliffe, born on July 7, 1902, would have done against Babe Ruth's bat (and arm).
But to end the story there is to penalize him for being born in the wrong time.
For Leroy "Satchel" Paige, born on July 7, 1906, who with Ted Radcliffe was a star on and off the field before Kenesaw Mountain Landis died and left MLB open to integrate.
And for Robert Heinlein, born on July 6, 1907, whose name alone triggers stories in those who read his.
Baseball historians and statisticians like to talk about the ultimate ballplayers by calling them five-tool players. They run, hit for average, hit for power, field and throw.
"Double Duty" Radcliffe puts a kink in that. If you want to talk about his fielding, you have to compare him to other catchers.
You also have to compare him to other pitchers.
And then you have to compare his bat to that of other players who pitched and caught.
We're enthralled in this day by pitchers who can grow from being relievers to starters or vice versa.
We have two stories of a pitcher being moved to the field. One of them is owned by Rick Ankiel, and the other is owned by George Herman Ruth.
"Double Duty" moved back and forth regularly:
In the 1932 Negro World Series, Radcliffe played several positions without missing a beat. In the first game of a doubleheader, he caught Satchel Paige, then pitched a shutout in the second game. Radcliffe's ability to flawlessly move from one position to the next led sportswriter Damon Runyon to nickname him "Double Duty."
This isn't done in baseball today, and it wasn't done then. There are no stories of Christy Mathewson stepping off the mound to catch, of Honus Wagner moving from shortstop to pitch. We laud Babe Ruth for being so good with his bat that he was given a permanent home in right field. And yes, we absolutely should bear in mind this caveat against thinking of Radcliffe as some sort of superhero:
In the Negro Leagues, players who were good at only one position weren't very valuable. With rosters as small as 12 men during the depression years, pitchers needed to be able to play outfield, third basemen needed to be able to pitch in an emergency, and everyone needed to be able to hit. It's no wonder that Double Duty was highly sought after for 36 years. Besides being one of the best catchers in the Negro Leagues, he usually won about 70% of his decisions on the mound and was a dangerous power hitter, usually belting 20-25 homers per season.
But as much as we take that into account, we need to remember equally that we have no trove of stories of Cool Papa Bell catching a fly ball in center field, then throwing a run out at home -- and registering the assist and put-out.
But we do know that Radcliffe was lauded for doing similar things, and his contemporaries recognized him:
The widely traveled Ted Radcliffe was a man of many talents. Not only was a he 3 time all-star catcher, he matched this accomplishment with 3 all-star nominations as a pitcher.
In life, apart from baseball, Radcliffe was not alone. He was joined by fellow star Satchel Paige:
Radcliffe grew up in Mobile, only a few miles from Satchel Paige, and they were an air-tight battery when only kids. Another neighbor who played in those early sandlot games, Bobbie Robinson, became a star third baseman in the Negro Leagues and is still one of Radcliffe's closest friends today.
You are probably no stranger to Satchel Paige; or, if you are, you have probably at least heard of him, whereas "Double Duty" Radcliffe was unknown to me before I mapped the first week of July's Todays in History.
And now you can enjoy what some people not worth naming here (as I have identified them elsewhere) might keep from you. As you did yesterday, you can look at a black athlete virtually unmatched by white counterparts. You can look at a man who enjoyed a long, long life:
Former Negro Leagues star Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, believed to be the oldest living professional baseball player, died Thursday[, Aug. 11, 2005]. He was 103.
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[Sir George Burrows, President of the Royal College of Physicians.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Geo. Burrows') to the editor of Debrett's Peerage, R. H. Mair, with slip of his entry, completed and corrected in his autograph.
Sir George Burrows (1801-1887), President of the Royal College of Physicians, Lecturer on Medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London [Robert Henry Mair (1832-1888), editor, Debrett's Peerage]
Letter on letterhead of Springfield, near Ryde, Isle of Wight; 22 August 1874.
ONE: Letter. 1p, 16mo. In fair condition, aged and worn, with thin strip of paper from mount adhering to reverse. He is returning 'the slip for Debretts Peerage & Baronetage, revised, corrected & with the blank spaces filled up'. He will be resident on the Isle of Wight for the next six weeks, and 'would not delay answering your communication until I return to London in October', although 'materials would have been accessible for affording further particulars'. He ends by stating that he 'always has a copy of Debrett' in his house. TWO: Printed 9 x 10 cm slip of proof of Burrows' entry in Debrett, corrected and completed in his autograph. In fair condition, with glue from mount adhering to the reverse. In addition to various corrections, Burrows gives details of family members, his address and his club.
DEBRETT
DEBRETT'S
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: "Trump unfit to be President"
December 06, 2016 / Jack Fletcher
In the Richland Chronicle of Nov. 15, I read with great interest Copy Editor Joyce Jackson’s comments regarding the recent presidential election. I have read a number of previous opinion pieces by Ms. Jackson and so I instinctively knew I was unlikely to agree with her. I was right.
I’ll begin by saying that insofar as her factual statements go, I have no quarrel with Ms. Jackson. As she says, “many Americans stayed up late into the night of Nov. 8-9, to learn the outcome of the election.” I was one of them. As Ms. Jackson also correctly points out, “Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote, whereas Hillary Clinton won the popular vote.”
As it happens, we now know that Ms. Clinton received over 2 million more votes than Mr. Trump, which is more than four times the number of popular votes that Al Gore received in 2000 when he likewise won the popular vote, but barely lost to George W. Bush in the Electoral College.
As Ms. Jackson further correctly states, “During the course of the next several nights, thousands of unhappy voters took to the streets of major cities across the country to protest the outcome of the election.” Ms. Jackson quoted Fox “News” (a notoriously right-wing agenda-driven network), which inaccurately characterized the protests as “left wing intolerance forced upon the conservatives by President Obama and his corrupt administration.” What a load of rubbish!
The protesters did not take to the street at the behest of President Obama or anyone else in his administration, nor because they were intolerant but rather, because they are alarmed. And why are they alarmed? Because thanks to Trump’s own juvenile behavior and his own hateful statements, they have every reason to believe that the incoming administration is going to be intolerant toward them.
When Trump supporters say they want to “make America great again” or “take our country back,” it seems pretty clear to me that what they mean is that they wish take our country back to the 1950s or earlier; to an America that until recently I believed we had long ago left behind us; an America where racial injustice, misogyny, homophobia and intolerance of new ideas and mistrust of anything that did not benefit old white guys like me was the order of the day.
It is easy for Ms. Jackson to say that the 53-percent of Americans who did not vote for Donald Trump should “just face reality” because “the Electoral College … is the law of the land.” That may be true but just because something is law doesn’t make it right. There used to be laws in this state that required black people to sit in the back of buses and laws that forbade them from going to the same schools, or using the same restrooms, or drinking from the same water fountains as white people. I am old enough to remember those things. They were also lawful. But they were not right.
I wonder how Ms. Jackson would feel if the shoe were on the other foot; if Donald Trump had lost in the Electoral College but won the popular vote. Would she and all the other Trump supporters just sit and take it quietly? I doubt it.
Thanks to the Electoral College, there have been four times in our country’s history when the winner became the loser and the loser the winner. In every case, in 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016, a Republican took the prize even though it was clear that more people wanted the Democrat. What makes it all the worse on this most recent occasion is that the last time it happened was only 16 years ago, and then, as now, the man who ascended to the presidency was a man who was neither fit for nor deserving of the high office he came to occupy.
We all know the disaster that resulted from the election, or should I say “selection,” of George W. Bush. When Bush and Gore debated in 2000, they were asked what they would do with the surplus that the federal government was then enjoying (i.e., they were taking in more money than they were spending). Gore said he would use it to pay down the national debt, which had declined during the Clinton years but was still quite substantial. Bush said he would give tax cuts.
Well, Bush did give tax cuts, with the help of a Republican-dominated Congress, and then he fought two unnecessary wars on a credit card, so to speak. The second war, the war in Iraq, was particularly egregious because it was based on the lie that Iraq had “weapons-of-mass destruction” that they intended to use them against us, and the strong suggestion by Bush and his staffers that somehow Iraq had something to do with 9/11 (which of course, it didn’t). Then we had the financial meltdown of Wall Street and the “Great Recession,” which began under Bush and lasted for years. And then, after Barack Obama took office, Republicans had the temerity to blame him for the burgeoning national debt!
Bush also turned his back on human-induced climate change. Al Gore certainly would not have done so. Trump has said he thinks it is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese and Vice President-elect Pence thinks that “intelligent design,” rather than Darwin’s theory of evolution, “provides the only even remotely rational explanation for the known universe.” Are these the sort of people we want making decisions that will affect not only Americans but also people all over the world? I know I don’t.
Unless the presidential electors do the right thing on Dec. 19 and vote for the person who the majority of the electorate wanted to be president, come next year we are going to again be stuck with a Republican president who has proven time and again he is neither fit for nor deserving of that high office, as well as a Congress and a Supreme Court controlled by Republicans.
The last time Republicans controlled all three branches of government was during the Bush years and look what happened. Republicans also controlled all three branches from 1921 to 1931. The result then was the widespread suffering of the Great Depression.
Ms. Jackson says that with Trump in office, “Change is on the way.” That may be true, but with the Republicans in the saddle again, it is not going to be the sort of change that most Americans will welcome. Mark my words: The people who voted for Trump will come to regret it. It’s just too bad that all the rest of us are being forced to join them on what I predict will be a very rough ride.
—Dr. Steven R. Butler, Adjunct Professor of History
December 06, 2016 / Jack Fletcher/
‘Play That Funky Music’ T’ducks
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Episode 12: Machine Gun
Jimi’s astonishing, supernatural talent was forged in poverty and neglect as he grew up in Seattle. We talk about that, and about the night Elvis came to town. After a short stint in the Army comes to a humiliating end, Jimi takes it on the road and spends the next four years paying his dues as a sideman.
We then take a look at two wars: a shooting war in Vietnam, and a cultural war in America. As we hurtle towards the closing years of the decade, Rock N Roll is reflecting and absorbing the events of the time.
We end up in London for the liftoff. We close with some commentary about the man, the music, and the price of stardom.
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Fire,” from Are You Experienced? 1967 Track Records
Glenn Miller Orchestra: “American Patrol,” (written by F.W. Meacham), single released 1942, RCA Victor Records
The Andrews Sisters: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” (written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince), single released 1941, Decca Records
Elvis Presley: “Don’t Be Cruel,” (written by Otis Blackwell), single released 1956, RCA Victor Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Castles Made of Sand,” from Axis: Bold as Love, 1967 Track Records
Sam Cooke: “Twistin’ the Night Away,” single released 1962, RCA Victor Records
John Lee Hooker: “Boogie Chillun’,” single released 1948, Modern Records
Barry McGuire: “Eve of Destruction” (written by P.F. Sloan), single released 1965, RCA/Dunhill Records
SSgt Barry Sadler: “Ballad of The Green Berets” (written by Robin Moore and SSgt Barry Sadler), single released 1966, RCA Victor Records
Jimi Hendrix: “Machine Gun,” from Band of Gypsys, 1970 Capitol Records
Buffalo Springfield: “For What It’s Worth,” from Buffalo Springfield, 1967 Atco Records
Albert King: “Crosscut Saw” (written by Tommy McClennan), single released 1967, Stax Records
Isley Brothers: “Shout!” single released 1959, RCA Victor Records
Don Covay “Mercy Mercy,” (written by Don Covay and Ronald Alonzo Miller) single released 1964, Rosemart Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Stone Free,” from Smash Hits, 1969 Reprise Records (American Release)
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Wait Until Tomorrow,” from Axis: Bold as Love, 1967 Track Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Little Wing,” from Axis: Bold as Love, 1967 Track Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Purple Haze,” from Are You Experienced? 1967 Track Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Foxey Lady,” from Are You Experienced? 1967 Track Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Like a Rolling Stone” (written by Bob Dylan), from Jimi Live at Monterey, 2014 Legacy Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Hey Joe,” from Are You Experienced? 1967 Track Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Sunshine of Your Love,” (written by Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton), from Valleys of Neptune 2010 Legacy Records
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “The Wind Cries Mary,” from Are You Experienced? 1967 Track Records
Caputo, Phillip (1977) A Rumor of War
Cross, Charles (2005) Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix
Gitlin, Todd (1987) The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage
Hendrix, Leon (2012) Jimi Hendrix: A Brother’s Story
Marcus, Greil (1975) Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music
Roby, Steven and Schreiber, Brad (2014) Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London
Sheehan, Neil (1988) A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
Shelton, Robert (1986) No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan
Films and Television Programs
Full Metal Jacket, directed by Stanley Kubrick: 1987 Warner Bros. Pictures
Monterey Pop, directed by D.A. Pennebaker: 1968 Leacock Pennebaker
NBC Nightly News with David Brinkley, broadcast date August 23, 1966. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evA7dA-wvVQ&feature=youtu.be
Ronald Reagan speech from 1966 California Gubernatorial campaign. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCr3nL78qWs
Online Sources, by topic in order of appearance
Excerpts from the US Army Discharge Summary for James Marshall Hendrix: retrieved from The Smoking Gun: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/jimis-private- parts
Draft statistics: retrieved from the US Selective Service System website: https://www.sss.gov/About/History-And- Records/Induction-Statistics
American Public Opinion and the Vietnam War: http://www.gallup.com/vault/191828/gallup-vault-hawks-doves- vietnam.aspx
RNRAP January 17, 2017 Comment
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Rock N Roll Librarian: Aretha: The Queen of Soul - A Life in Photographs
Shelley and Christian dig deep into friend of the show Meredith Ochs' latest book, Aretha: The Queen of Soul - A Life in Photographs. Since the book is filled with photos, along with three essays by Ms. Ochs, we decide to play as many disparate songs by the Diva of divas to showcase just how amazing Aretha really was during her lifetime.
Aretha Franklin’s voice was legendary, unforgettable: deeply rooted in gospel, yet versatile enough to brilliantly interpret R&B, rock, soul, pop, and jazz standards, it fueled a six-decade career. Her vocal wallop was a mix of preaching, rebuke, and elation. From the languorous “I Never Loved a Man (the Way That I Love You),” to the funky “Chain of Fools,” to the fiercely feminist “Think,” to the definitive, demanding version of Otis Redding’s “Respect,” Franklin’s songs played out against the tumultuous sociopolitical backdrop of the late ’60s like a soundtrack meant to set things right.
Her accolades were many: she received the Kennedy Center honor in 1994, won 18 Grammys, was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and performed for presidents and the Pope. Illustrated with 85 photos, and with insightful text from noted radio personality and author Meredith Ochs, Aretha explores the diva’s life, from her formative years growing up in Detroit, to her singing and recording career from the 1950s until her untimely death in 2018, to her numerous honors, awards, and causes, including her advocacy for civil rights and the arts.
Diggers, you can support the show by wearing cool rock n roll gear from TeePublic: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/rocknroll
Disclaimer: The views expressed here by Shelley Sorenson are made in her capacity as a private citizen, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the San Francisco Public Library or the City of San Francisco.
Call us at 650-822-ROCK or email at: info@rocknrollarchaeology.com
RNRAP April 17, 2019 Comment
Rock N Roll Librarian: Bruce Dickinson: What Does This Button Do? - An Autobiography
RNRAP June 12, 2019
Rock N Roll Librarian Reads: Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
RNRAP February 14, 2019
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Jules (Blue JV3) is an adult male osprey of unknown age who was caught and satellite tagged by Roy Dennis and Frank Law at Rothiemurchus Fishery on 13th September 2017. Our thanks to Julian Orsi and Rothiemurchus Estate.
Biscay crossing
Having spent 17 days stopping-over a few kilometres to the north-west of the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany, Jules (Blue JV3) resumed his migration yesterday and flew direct across the Bay of Biscay to Asturias in northern Spain.
Jules spent most of his 17 day stop-over in Brittany to the north-west of Gulf of Morbihan, favouring two locations near Auray (red circles indicate areas with 50% of GPS fixes)
During his stop-over in Brittany Jules spent long periods perched in marshes beside the River Auray
Over the past week Jules had continued to frequent his favoured spots along the River Auray, but when yesterday dawned bright and sunny he took the opportunity to resume his migration. A gap in the satellite data means that we do not know the exact time of his departure from Gulf of Morbihan but it must have been fairly early because at 13:23 local time he had flown 149 km and was flying south-west across the Bay of Biscay at an altitude of 250 m. At 14:35 he was crossing the Saint-Nazarie Canyon where the sea bed drops from a depth of around 100 m to over 4000 m. Interestingly at this point he had climbed to an altitude of 1051 m, suggesting that he was able to exploit some kind of lift; perhaps weak sea thermals which sometimes develop over the Bay of Biscay in autumn. You can read more about this in chapters 2 and 3 of my PhD thesis here. Unfortunately the GPS fixes are not of sufficient temporal resolution to determine whether Jules was soaring over the sea, but the change in altitude certainly suggests it.
Jules climbed to an altitude of 1051 m during his Bay of Biscay crossing, suggesting he may have been able to exploit some form of lift over the sea
Jules was flying with a light east-north-east tailwind and during the course of the afternoon this turned almost due east. Such winds have the potential to cause migrating ospreys to miss the north coast of Spain, but Jules compensated by changing his heading at 15:28 and flying almost due south for 67 km. At 17:12 he turned back to the south-west and continued on a constant bearing to the Spanish coast, flying at altitudes of between 194 m and 76 m. He finally reached land at Aviles in Asturias in northern Spain an hour after sunset at 22:07 local time having flown 515 km from Gulf of Morbihan, 500 km of which was over the Bay of Biscay. Having arrived in the dark he settled to roost in trees on the outskirts of Aviles.
Jules flew 500 km across the Bay of Biscay from Brittany to Asturias
This morning Jules was still at his overnight roost at 08:13 local time but an hour later was perched near Embalse de la Grande. He remained there until at least 11:30, suggesting he may well have caught a fish. By 13:04, the final GPS fix in this batch, he had resumed his migration and was 31 km south of Aviles heading towards the Cantabrian mountains.
You can check out Jules’ latest locations on our interactive map.
Blue JV3 still in Brittany
While Blue DF flies south through Senegal, Blue JV3 is continuing to stop over near the Gulf of Morbihan on the Brittany coast. Blue JV3 refers to the bird’s colour ring on his left leg, but those of you who follow our Facebook page will know that we asked for suggestions for a name for Blue JV3 to use in our updates. We very much enjoyed reading all your suggestions but in the end by far the most popular name was ‘Jules’ after the French novelist Jules Verne (i.e. JV), most famous for his adventure novels including Around the World in Eighty Days. It seems fitting therefore that Blue JV3, or Jules as we will now refer to him, is stopping-over in France. Thanks to Janine Pannett for the great suggestion.
Having arrived on Saturday 16th September Jules has spent most of his time in a 40 km² area stretching from the west end of Gulf of Morbihan north to a short section of the River Auray, north of the town of Auray, and then across to his favoured roosting area in the forested banks of the River Bono north of Plougoumelen.
Blue JV3 has tended to favour two areas to the north-west of Gulf of Morbihan since arriving on 16th September. The red shaded areas include 50% of GPS fixes since he arrived
Blue JV3 often roosts beside the River Bono
In recent days Blue JV3 has spent most afternoons beside the River Auray
It will be interesting to see how long Jules remains at Gulf of Morbihan. Another of our satellite tagged birds, Nimrod, stopped-over on Ile d’Oleron, a small island situated just to the south of La Rochelle in autumn 2008, 2009 and 2010. In each year he favoured the same forested area in the south of the island and fished along the coast once or twice a day. In 2010 he spent a total of nineteen days on the island, thereby constituting almost half of the total days (40) it took to migrate to its wintering site in Guinea-Bissau. Don’t forget that you can check out all of Jules’ recent movements on our interactive map.
A Brittany break
After a fast start to his migration at the end of last week Blue JV3 spent much of yesterday at the Gulf of Morbihan on the Brittany coast and was still there at 12:57 local time today.
The previous batch of data had shown that Blue JV3 was just north of Leamington Spa at 08:45 on Saturday morning having left his overnight roost near Leeds soon after first light. Over the course of the next four hours he made fast progress south and at 12:52 was approaching Southampton at an altitude of 698 metres. An hour later he was high (854 m) over western Isle of Wight and he then made a two-an-a-half hour crossing of the English Channel, making landfall to the east of Cherbourg. Once in French airspace he changed his heading to south-west and flew direct across the sea to St-Malo. He eventually settled to roost for the night beside the Rance Estuary, just north of the village of Saint-Suliac at 22:01 local time having flown an impressive 584 km from South Yorkshire.
JV3 roosted beside the Rance Estuary in Brittany on Saturday night
On Sunday morning BLue JV3 had already left his overnight roost at 08:00 and was flying purposefully south-west. Four hours later at midday he was perched on the edge of a forested area to the east of the Gulf of Morbihan having flown 122 km. Interestingly he went no further and instead made only local movements during the course of the afternoon. At 17:18 he was perched in the estuary and was still there an hour later: suggesting he was eating a fish. He then headed off to roost in a wooded area 18 km north-west near the village of Leran.
This morning Blue JV3 flew back to the Gulf of Morbihan and appeared to be fishing at both 10:56 and 11:57, the latter being the last GPS fix in this latest batch of data. This vast natural habour would be an excellent place for a stop-over and it is possible that JV3 will linger here for a few days. His change of track through Brittany certainly indicates that he made a conscious decision to head there. Many ospreys have a favourite stop-over site that they visit on each migration; it seems very likely that this is a place Blue JV3 has visited before.
You can check out Blue JV3’s migration on our interactive map.
Blue JV3 has remained around Gulf of Morbihan since arriving there at lunchtime on Sunday
JV3’s migration 15-18 Sept
Blue JV3 races south
On Wednesday evening this week Roy Dennis and Frank Law caught and satellite tagged another adult male osprey at Rothiemurchus Fishery in Aviemore. Unlike Blue DF who was colour-ringed as a chick, this new male was unringed and, as a result, we can not be sure if he is a breeding male at one of the local nests, or a youngster yet to establish a territory. Nevertheless this is really excellent news because it means we will be able to follow a second male on its autumn migration, and, assuming the bird survives the winter, collect a great deal of valuable information on its movements once it returns to Strathspey next spring.
Roy preparing to release Blue JV3 after tagging him
The new male, which Roy colour ringed as blue/white JV3, had put on a great deal of fat in preparation for migration and, like Blue DF, set off on migration the morning after being tagged. It had an excellent first day of migration, taking advantage of a north-westerly tailwind and flying 420 km before spending the night beside the River Calder between Leeds and Wakefield. We do not know the exact time that Blue JV3 left Starthspey but at 12:28 (BST – times shown on the map are GMT) he was 11 km north of Pitlochry and two hours later he passed over Edinburgh at an altitude of 1240 m. He crossed into English airspace at around 16:00 and then maintained a south-easterly course along the eastern Pennines before skirting around the east side of Leeds and then settling to roost for the night in trees beside the River Calder.
JV3 spent the night of 14th September beside the Rover Calder near Leeds
This morning Blue JV3 resumed his migration at dawn and headed powerfully south passing over Barnsley and then Sheffield before skirting around the west side of Derby at an altitude of 536 metres. By 08:45 he was approaching Leamington Spa had already flown 158 km from his overnight roost. It will be fascinating to see how far south he is when the next batch of data arrives.
By 08:45 this morning Blue JV3 had already covered 578 km, having left Strathspey just 24 hours earlier.
Our thanks to Julian Orsi and Rothiemurchus Estate for allowing us to catch and tag Blue JV3.
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The World of J-Rock
Explore The Wonders of Japanese Rock
History of J-Rock
Major and Independent J-Rock Labels
Sales and Fan Base
by Travis
Rock and roll through the ages- A musical transformation
Music will always be part of human nature and will always be around until we humans exist. Music is a kind of art that make a creative sound to express emotions, ideas and feelings and is being mediated through rhythm, beats, melody and beautiful harmony. Through the time music is transformed from ancient times (clapping) to classical music and to modern times rock and roll. This time we will check how rock and roll transformed and evolve through the ages.
Rock and Roll is arguably a evolution of rhythm and blues. This type of music is known for the use of electrical guitars and a strong rhythm with scintillating high beats. This form of music ignited young adults and brought excitement to the young generation. It is said that Chuck Berry started the rock and roll generation by giving shivering feeling when playing the solo part of the guitar. Even John Lennon a known rocker of his time acknowledges that Chuck Berry is the Father of Rock and Roll music.
Rock and Roll through the times, transformed as newer evolution of approach to electric guitars and beat changed. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry made a noise in the 1950s and ignited a new wave of upbeat music. Bill Hally in Europe during the 1960s and who would forget about the Beatles and the Beach-boys during the mid 1960s. According to an autocad drummer “Music will always transform just because people will never be satisfied with what we have and rock and roll will still be one for the ages.”
Prev 4 Apps For Music In The Cloud
Next The art of Japanese Rock- A music genre review
© Copyright 2019 – The World of J-Rock
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AXS TV Gives Viewers a Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin with a Day of Appearances & Performances Sept. 23
Caption: L-R Robert Plant, Jimmy Page from "The Song Remains The Same"
AXS TV GIVES VIEWERS A WHOLE LOTTA LED ZEPPELIN WITH A DAY OF EPIC APPEARANCES & PERFORMANCES FEATURING THE BAND’S ICONIC 1976 CONCERT FILM THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 STARTING AT 1pE
Highlights Include a Pair of Solo Performances by Zeppelin Frontman Robert Plant, Guitar God Jimmy Page in the 2008 Rock Doc IT MIGHT GET LOUD, & More
LOS ANGELES – August 28, 2017 – Get “Dazed And Confused” with AXS TV, as the network unleashes a whole lotta Led Zeppelin with a Saturday Stack lineup honoring the groundbreaking rock quartet on September 23, starting at 1pE. The block includes rare performances, solo sets, concert films, and more, kicking off with the 2008 rock doc IT MIGHT GET LOUD, featuring guitar wizard Jimmy Page discussing the tools of his trade alongside fellow six-string savants Jack White and U2’s The Edge.
Next, at 3pE, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant puts a new spin on beloved classics with stripped down and acoustic renditions of “Black Dog,” “What Is And What Should Never Be,” “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” and “Whole Lotta Love,” as well as solo standouts “Turn It Up,” “Rainbow,” and “Little Maggie,” among others, in the 2016 concert ROBERT PLANT & THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS – LIVE AT DAVID LYNCH’S FESTIVAL OF DISRUPTION. And the hard rock pioneers take viewers on a psychedelic journey of music and cinema, rocking Madison Square Garden with an epic set that includes “Dazed And Confused,” “Stairway To Heaven,” and many more, in the 1976 hit LED ZEPPELIN: THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME at 4pE.
Robert Plant is back in action at 6:30pE, bringing his trademark vocals to the PBS Soundstage in Chicago for an innovative and intimate evening of music that finds Plant funking up Zeppelin classics such as “No Quarter” and “Four Sticks,” as well as the solo favorite “Freedom Fries,” and the Jimi Hendrix cover “Hey Joe” in SOUNDSTAGE: ROBERT PLANT & THE STRANGE SENSATIONS. Then, Sammy Hagar cruises down to the Sunshine State to headline SunFest with his band The Circle—featuring Jason Bonham, the celebrated son of Led Zeppelin’s trailblazing drummer John Bonham—in a special episode of the AXS TV original series ROCK & ROLL ROAD TRIP WITH SAMMY HAGAR at 7:30pE.
The block comes to a close at 8pE, as heavy metal mastermind Dave Mustaine hosts a star-studded night of rock and metal that includes appearances and performances by Jimmy Page, Richie Sambora, Johnny Depp, Cheap Trick, Kirk Hammett, Orianthi, and Joe Perry, in a special broadcast of CLASSIC ROCK AWARDS 2016.
Schedule At-A-Glance on September 23
1pE - It Might Get Loud
3pE - Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters - Live at David Lynch's Festival of Disruption
4pE - The Song Remains the Same
6:30pE - Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation (Soundstage)
7:30pE – Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar: Carolina Rebellion
8pE - The Classic Rock Awards 2016
ABOUT AXS TV
Launched in July 2012 by visionary entrepreneur CEO Mark Cuban, AXS TV is dedicated to providing groundbreaking music programming, stand-up comedy performances from today’s top comedians, and hard-hitting mixed martial arts promotions. The network’s hit franchise series include THE BIG INTERVIEW with Dan Rather; ROCK & ROLL ROAD TRIP WITH SAMMY HAGAR; and AXS TV FIGHTS.
AXS TV is a partnership between Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS. The network is available in the United States via AT&T U-verse, Charter/Spectrum TV, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW, DISH, Frontier, Sling TV, Altice/Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable/Spectrum TV, Verizon FiOS, and other cable, satellite and telco providers, including members of the National Cable Television Cooperative. The network is also distributed in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. For more information, please visit www.axs.tv and www.axs.tv/press. Follow AXS TV on Facebook,Twitter @axstv; Instagram; Cyber Dust and YouTube.
Join Some of Music's Most Iconic Artists in AXS TV's 'Docs That Rock' Every Tuesday Starting Sept. 12
Older August 24, 2017
Music Icons Band Together For America's Farmers as AXS TV Presents Farm Aid 2017 Live Sept. 16 at 7pE
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1998 Laverda Multiple (Laverda) - Added by search.google.com on 08-Apr-2019
The 1998 Laverda 750S and Formula 750.
More Information on the Laverda Multiple (Laverda)
The roots of the Laverda Motorcycle company go back to 1873, when Pietro Laverda (1845-1930) decided to start an agricultural engines enterprise – Laverda S.p.A. – in the small rural village of Breganze in Vicenza province (North-East of Italy).
Almost exactly three quarters of a century later, with a spirit of enterprise and feeling the need to improve the situation of an economically underdeveloped region which had suffered badly from two world wars, in October 1949, Pietro's grandson Francesco founded Moto Laverda S.A.S. – Dottore Francesco Laverda e fratelli.
Assisted by Luciano Zen, and after hours of running the normal agricultural business, Francesco had started in 1947 to design a small motorcycle. Word has it, that some engine parts were cast in Francesco's kitchen, confirming that at least initially, the project was not regarded as a serious business proposition. What most likely started as an evening pastime garage project of two technical enthusiasts was to become one of the most successful motorcycles in history. A simple four stroke 75 cc bike with girder forks and a fully enclosed drive chain.
However, the little bike showed promise and so on October 13, 1949, the statutes of Moto Laverda were officially submitted to the Chamber of Commerce of Vicenza. Over the next several years, Laverda became well known for building small capacity machines of high quality, durability and relative innovation for the time. To prove this, right from the beginning they modified their bikes in order to race them in distance and endurance events like the Milan-Taranto, the Giro d'Italia and the Cavalcata delle Dolomiti. In 1951 upon their first entry in the Milan-Taranto, the 75 cc Laverdas finished 4th, 5th, 6th and 10th in their class, racing against renowned marques like Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Alpino, Verga, Cimatti, Navarra, Ardito, Capriolo and Ceccato. Inspired by these results, and after once again improving their bikes, Laverda entered 20 bikes the following year in the 15th running of the Milan-Taranto in 1952. In this race which covered a distance of 1410 km they took the first five places. The winner was Nino Castellani, L. Marchi came second and F. Diolio came third. In total they had 16 bikes amongst the first 20 of the classification. Laverda motorcycles thus became a firm favorite among racing clubmen due to their record for reliable performance.
Over the next two decades, Laverda would go on to produce new models of ever increasing capacity and capability, in different sectors of the market. Off-road, trial and motocross machines were developed in conjunction with other manufacturers like Zündapp, BMW and Husqvarna, and were successfully raced. But the real development came in street models, which began to earn a good reputation as classy, low maintenance and quiet motorcycles. From that first 75 cc single, they eventually went on to produce different bikes ranging from scooters, the Laverdino commuter and eventually to the 200 cc twin.
The big twins
By the late 1960s, Francesco and brothers began sketching out a new breed of large motorcycles that would be built around an all new 650 cc parallel twin engine. The brand was now sufficiently strong and well known, and Francesco's son Massimo had just returned from the USA where it was clear that sales were dominated by large capacity British and American hardware suited for long distance traveling. Above all this, was a desire to produce a prestigious and powerful machine that could conceivably take on the best and finest from Moto-Guzzi, BMW and the rapidly emerging Japanese.
In November 1966 Laverda exhibited the result of its thinking with the 650 prototype at Earls Court in London. While not an extreme sport bike in any sense, it exhibited all the virtues that Laverda had become synonymous with. At the same time its appearance disrupted the concept of a big bore parallel twin being British built. After this first appearance, Luciano Zen and Massimo Laverda retreated until April 1968, working hard in order to prepare the bike for production. By now they had developed a 750 cc version too. They were confident enough to enter four examples in the prestigious Giro d'Italia. Two 650 and two 750 machines provided Laverda with victory for the 650 in her class, with three bikes finishing in the first 6 and all in the top 10! Two weeks after this victory the first 650 cc production models left the factory. The bikes carried the finest components available at the time, from British Smiths instruments, Pankl con-rods, Ceriani suspension, Mondial pistons, to Bosch electrical parts and (revolutionary at the time!) Japanese Nippon-Denso starter, thus eliminating the one problem plaguing nearly all contemporary British and Italian motorcycles at the time: their electrical unreliability. The 650 cc offered superior comfort and stability with its handling at least equivalent to the competition. Of course, it also carried a high price. It is difficult to quantify production quantities since frame numbering was shared with the 750 launched in May 1968 - as few as 52 or up to 200 Laverda 650 cc were produced.
The true birth of Laverda as a serious big bike brand occurred with the introduction of 750 cc; its appearance halted sales of the recently introduced 650. Many of the first bikes were produced for the American market under the brand "American Eagle", which were imported to the US from 1968 until 1969 by Jack McCormack. The 750 was identical to the 650 except for the lower compression and carburettor rejetting. In 1969 the "750 S" and the "750 GT" were born, both equipped with an engine which would truly start the Laverda fame. Both engine and frame were reworked: power was increased to 60 bhp (45 kW) for the S. 3 bikes were entered by the factory at the 1969 Dutch 24-hour endurance race in Oss, the 750S was clearly the fastest bike until piston failure left just one machine to finish fourth.
Just like the agricultural machinery made by Laverda S.p.A., the other family business, Laverdas were built to be indestructible. The parallel twin cylinder engine featured no less than five main bearings (four crankcase bearings and a needle-roller outrigger bearing in the primary chaincase cover), a duplex cam chain, and a starter motor easily twice as powerful as needed. Of course, this made the engine and subsequently the entire bike heavier than other bikes of the same vintage, such as the Ducati 750.
The SF evolved to include disc brakes and cast alloy wheels. Developed from the 750S road bike was the 750 SFC (super freni competizione), a half-faired racer that was developed to win endurance events like the Oss 24 hours, Barcelona 24 hours and the Bol D'Or at Le Mans. This it did, often placed first, second and third in the same race, and dominating the international endurance race circuit in 1971. Distinguished by its characteristic orange paint which would become the company's race department colour, its smooth aerodynamic fairing and upswept exhaust, the SFC was Laverda's flagship product and best advertisement, flaunting pedigree and the message of durability, quality, and exclusivity. The SFC "Series 15,000" was featured in the Guggenheim Museum in New York's 1999 exhibit The Art of the Motorcycle as one of the most iconic bikes of the 1970s.
By the late 1960s, Laverda was facing increasing competition from the Japanese. While launching their new 750 cc model range in 1968, the company turned its attention to a new three-cylinder powerplant, which was first shown as a prototype at the Milan and Geneva shows in 1969. The 1,000 cc prototype was essentially a 750 twin with an additional cylinder. After extensive testing, modifications, and mechanical engineering, the company finally unveiled the new liter-class, three-cylinder bike in competition at the Zeltweg race in Austria. The bike that went into production shortly later in 1972 was recognisable as a motorcycle of the modern era, but it was still configured in a conservative layout, sharing some of the features of the earlier SF/SFC models, such as the high-quality alloy castings and distinctive styling. The 981 cc triple provided more power than the outgoing twins, with not much more weight.
In 1977, Laverda unveiled a V6 at the Milan Show, and went on to enter it in the 24-hour Bol d'Or race held at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. While notching an impressive straight-away speed of 175.46 mph (282.38 km/h) during a practice run, its performance in the race was hindered by a bulky build and it did not finish the race. Laverda planned on re-entering the V6 in the 1979 race but rule changes limited Endurance racers to four cylinders and the V6 project was officially ended.
British importer Roger Slater worked with the factory to develop a high-performance version of the bike, the Jota. Laverda three-cylinder engines up to 1982 featured a 180-degree crankshaft arrangement, whereby one piston would be at the top of its stroke, and two at the bottom. This purposefully out-of-phase design gave the 1,000 cc Laverdas a distinctive character. The engine evolved into a smoother, rubber mounted 120 degree configuration in 1982.
Middleweight twins
Laverda launched a smaller 500 cc twin cylinder eight-valve entry-level machine named the Alpina in 1977 (quickly renamed Alpino due to trademark infringement and Zeta in the USA). It came with a six-speed gearbox and balance shaft. A 350 cc version of the Alpino was also available from November 1977 – primarily designed for the home Italian market where a high tax was payable for machines over 350 cc. This was followed by the improved Alpino S and Formula 500 racer in 1978, to support a single model race series. Its import into the UK led Roger Slater to develop the Montjuic in 1979 which was a road legal F500 with lights, sidestand & instruments. It evolved into the mk2 in 1981. EEC noise restrictions saw its demise by 1983. Tellingly, Massimo Laverda said that each Alpino sold lost the factory money.
Then somewhere in the mid eighties an enduro frame was built with 500 cc engine, which was followed by the Atlas series with 570 cc engine and improved oil cooling.
By the 1980s, the European motorcycle industry as a whole was reeling from Japanese competition, causing many companies like NVT (the amalgamated surviving British companies Norton, Triumph, and BSA), Moto-Guzzi, and many others to struggle or disappear completely. Laverda attempted to update their product line by introducing the RGS sports tourer in 1983, with features such unbreakable Bayflex plastic mouldings; fuel filler in the fairing; integrated but removable luggage (Executive version), and adjustable footpeg position. In 1985, came the SFC 1000 sports model – a badge engineered attempt based on the RGS to reprise the hallowed SFC name.
Underneath the new skin were engines and technologies that were ten years out of date and over priced when compared to the lighter, faster, cheaper and more advanced Japanese bikes. As an example, in 1983 the Montjuic mk2 cost the same as the four-cylinder, 100 bhp (75 kW) Kawasaki Z1000J. On the race tracks too, the Japanese bikes dominated.
Flirtations with a highly complex aluminum framed, 350 cc three-cylinder two-stroke and the unsuccessful V6 endurance racer consumed resources that the small factory could not afford. Combined with this, the motorcycle industry in general was in trouble as sales dropped. In these conditions, the Laverda family bowed out by 1985.
Takeovers and rebirth
Initiatives to save Laverda, included a Japanese investment company who wanted to sell apparel and other merchandise under the name; to a local government initiative which tried to run the factory as a co-operative; but each of these failed.
In 1993, millionaire Francesco Tognon bought everything, thus saving the company and setting up what looked like the first serious attempt in a decade to relaunch the brand. Over the next five years, they launched a small selection of new sports models based on a thorough redo of the DOHC 650 cc parallel-twin derived from the old Alpino, upped to 668 cc and clothed in contemporary superbike livery. These bikes were outfitted with Weber-Marelli electronic fuel injection, Brembo Gold Line brakes, fully adjustable Paioli suspension (White Power on some models), hollow spoke Marchesini wheels and a modern beam or trellis frame. Within a year and a half, a larger, water cooled 750 appeared with a new engine in an aluminum beam chassis developed by frame specialist Nico Bakker.
At successive international motorcycle shows, Laverda displayed mockups of new models they were planning to build, including an all new, 900 cc liquid-cooled three-cylinder engine; The 750 roadster variants Ghost and Strike; the Lynx, a small, naked roadster with a Suzuki 650 cc V-twin engine; and finally the 800TTS trail/enduro, which aimed to take on the likes of the Cagiva Gran Canyon and Honda Transalp. The venture failed after five years.
Aprilia takeover
Along with historical rival Moto-Guzzi, the Laverda motorcycle brand was purchased by Aprilia S.p.a (another Italian motorcycle manufacturer based in the same region) in 2000, restructured and incorporated into the Aprilia Group. Several projects that had been in development and the existing two motorcycles in production, were cancelled. Aprilia founded a new Laverda division business unit which shortly after began importing low cost Asian scooters and quads and selling them under the Laverda brand name.
In 2003, Laverda presented a new SFC prototype, based on a heavily revised Aprilia RSV1000 at the Milan EICMA motorcycle show. While stunning in many aspects, in particular the attention to component and mechanical detailing, it did not generate enough positive interest to merit further development.
In 2004, the Aprilia Group was acquired by Piaggio, the giant scooter manufacturer of Vespa fame. Piaggio elected to close all activities related to the Laverda brand, and has publicly stated that they would be willing to sell the rights to the brand if an investor should appear. Today, the brand is no longer in use.
Laverda (harvesters)
"Laverda - Twins and Triples", Mick Walker, 1999, The Crowwood Press Ltd., ISBN 1-86126-220-5
"Laverda Twin & Triple Repair & Tune-up Guide", Tim Parker, Ampersand Press, ISBN 0-906613-00-0
"Laverda", Raymond Ainscoe with Tim Parker, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1-85532-183-1
"SFC 750", Tim Isles & Marnix van der Schalk, privately published
"Legendary Laverda 1949-1989", Jean-Louis Olive and Stephen Battisson, ETAI, ISBN 978-2-7268-8702-8
Media related to Moto Laverda at Wikimedia Commons
Laverda at DMOZ
http://www.laverda.com/
http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/motorcycle-reviews/laverda-750sf.aspx
http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/motorcycle-reviews/2007-07-01/laverda-1000-3c-triple-massimos-masterpiece.aspx
http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/motorcycle-reviews/2007-03-01/laverda-v6-the-fastest-laboratory-ever-built.aspx
http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/motorcycle-reviews/1983-laverda-rgs-1000.aspx
http://www.slaterlaverda.com/profile.htm
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/rare-italian-and-japanese-motorcycles-up-for-auction/18788.html
https://www.dmoz.org//Recreation/Motorcycles/Makes_and_Models/Laverda/
The photo 1998-Laverda-Multiple-(Laverda)-662.jpg (1998 Laverda Multiple (Laverda) - The 1998 Laverda 750S and Formula 750.) was uploaded by: search@google.com.
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Oxshott St. Andrew
© Copyright Reserved www.churchphotos.org.uk
Oxshott was formerly part of the Ancient Parishan Ancient Parish is a Church of England parish which had both ecclesiastical and civil functions of Thames Ditton and became a separate ecclesiastical parishan ecclesiastical parish is an administrative area within the Church of England or Roman Catholic church. It is distinct from the civil parish, a local government unit in England in 1913.
Other parts of Thames Ditton became separate ecclesiastical parishesan ecclesiastical parish is an administrative area within the Church of England or Roman Catholic church. It is distinct from the civil parish, a local government unit in England : Claygate (1840)Hinchley Wood (1953), and Weston (1934).
There are no records for Oxshott St. Andrew in the Surrey Monumental Inscriptions Index, however there are around 2,000 names from the Thames Ditton in the Surrey MI Index
WSFHS CD10 (The Surrey Burial Index - 2nd edition 2009) has burial records for
Thames Ditton St. Nicholas from 1663 to 1865; and,
Claygate Holy Trinity from 1841 to 1865
WSFHS CD 15(Surrey Baptisms Not in the IGI) has baptismal records for
Thames Ditton St. Nicholas from 1689 from 1753; and,
Weston Green Chapel from 1816 to 1864.
For a full list of parishes covered see our sales page(opens in a new page).
WSFHS CD 28 Ancient Parishes in the Kingston District) has baptismal records for Thames Ditton St. Nicholas from 1663 to 1840; Marriages from 1663 to 1837 and Burials 1663 from 1865; For a full list of parishes covered see our sales page for more information (opens in a new page).
Oxshott is a village in the Surrey District of Elmbridge
Unless otherwise stated the dates for the creation of parishes are taken from Youngs, Frederick. A., jr.. Guide to the Administrative Units of England; Royal Historical Society: London, 1979 volume 1 Southern England.
The Elmbridge Index will show you all the churches and cemeteries we know of in the Elmbridge District. If we have missed any or you are looking for a church or graveyard that might no longer exist do please let us know using the email at the bottom of this page
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GENUKI (Thames Ditton)
A Vision of Britain
Page last updated: 7 February 2018
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Otis Boykin
Otis Boykin (1920-1982)
Otis Boykin was an Africian-American inventor. He was born in Dallas, Texas in 1920. He attended Fisk University and the Illinois Institute of Technology. He attended for only two years, from 1946 to 1947.
Boykin first worked in the field of mechanics as a lab assistant where he tested automatic controls for airplanes. He invented the wire precision resistor and received a patent on June 16th, 1959. By February 21, 1854, he had invented an electrical resistor and had received a patent for it. Otis also invented the electrical capacitator and a method of producing it. He received a patent them on June 22, 1965.
On February 14, 1867, he received a patent for the electrical resistance capacitator. June 4, 1967, he patented an electrical resistance element and a method of producing it. On October 24 1967, he patented a method of making a thin film capacitator.
On June 23, 1968, he patented a thin film capacitator. September 6, 1968, he patented the electrical resistor element and added a method of producing it.
Boykin's next invention was the self supporting electrical resistor. It was composed of glass, refractory materials and noble metal oxide. This device was patented on May 12, 1981. It was used as a contol unit for the pacemaker.
Boykin died of heart failure in Chicago, Illinois.
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John Nunn
FOLLOW John
Name: John Nunn
Sport: Track and Field
Event(s): 50K Race Walk
Birthplace: Durango, Colo.
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
High School: Harrison High School (Evansville, Ind.) ‘96
College: University of Wisconsin – Parkside ’97; Palomar College ’14, Business
Team/Club: U.S. Army
Coach(es): Enrique Pena
Three-time Olympian (2004, 2012, 2016)
Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 43rd (50K)
London 2012 Olympic Games, 43rd (50K)
Athens 2004 Olympic Games, 26th (20K)
World Championship Experience
Most recent: 2015 – 37th (50K)
Years of participation: Outdoor – 2013, 2015 (50K)
Top finish: 37th (50K) – 2015
2015 Pan American Games, DNF
2011 Pan American Games, 8th
2007 Pan American Games, 3rd
Personal: Son of Leslie and Jeanette Nunn...Has one brother, Charles, and three sisters, Laura, Sarah and Susannah...Has one daughter, Ella...Owns and operates a gourmet cookie business, Ella’s Cookies, with his daughter...Participated in cross-country and race walking in college...Speaks Spanish....Interests include cooking and surfing.
Han Xiao Elected Chair Of U.S. Olympic Committee Athletes' Advisory Council
United States Olympic Committee Jan. 24, 2017
The former table tennis athlete has been a member of the AAC since 2013.
Top Tweets From Team USA's White House Visit
Check out what Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes were tweeting from our nation's capital.
U.S. Olympic Committee Announces 558-Member 2016 U.S. Olympic Team
United States Olympic Committee July 23, 2016
Team USA features 190 returning Olympians, 66 Olympic champions.
Meet The First 100 Members Of The 2016 U.S. Olympic Team
From boxers to wrestlers, these athletes were the first to punch their tickets to Rio.
Overcoming The Flu, John Nunn Race Walks His Way To Third Olympic Games
Ken Stone Feb. 21, 2016
Nunn finished first at Olympic trials, beating the rest of the field by almost 20 minutes.
Watch Your Step: Why The Olympic Event Of Race Walk Is No Walk In The Park
What is race walking? Learn everything you need to know ahead of the Olympic Trials.
Han Xiao Elected Chair Of U.S. Olympic Committee Athletes' Advisory Council Jan. 24, 2017
Top Tweets From Team USA's White House Visit Sept. 29, 2016
U.S. Olympic Committee Announces 558-Member 2016 U.S. Olympic Team July 23, 2016
Meet The First 100 Members Of The 2016 U.S. Olympic Team April 24, 2016
Overcoming The Flu, John Nunn Race Walks His Way To Third Olympic Games Feb. 21, 2016
Watch Your Step: Why The Olympic Event Of Race Walk Is No Walk In The Park Feb. 18, 2016
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Teens Need Love Too
Texasfostercare | 4 years, 4 months ago
Adolescence can be a challenging stage of life for both the teenagers as well as their parents.However, during this time of life, when a young person’s foremost task is to find his or her identity, teens will reap the benefits, later in life, from parents who contribute positively to identity and self-esteem. Many teens are blessed with the support of their families into their twenties and beyond. Teens, who age out in foster care, however, seldom receive such support as they transition into adulthood.
Over the past decade, more than 200,000 teenagers have aged out of foster care at age 18, often without achieving supportive permanent family connections. Consequently, too many of them face challenges upon leaving foster care—challenges that don't just affect this cohort of young people, but that affect us all.
Teenagers, by the very nature of the fact that they are adolescents, are difficult to place in foster care; most foster families would rather receive young children into their homes. And while young children indeed need the protection and nurture of foster parents when their families or origin cannot provide adequate care, teenagers have a desperate need for someone to make a commitment to them as well. Often, younger children are adopted by their foster families when the parental rights of their biological parents have been terminated; thus they find that permanent family that will make the lifelong commitment to them. Teenagers who cannot return home, on the other hand, will not be adopted as a rule; thus they find themselves alone with all the damaging emotions that accompany loneliness and rejection.
Then, once a teen leaves foster care, he or she is at alarming risk for dropping out of school, becoming pregnant, or being jobless, homeless, or incarcerated. By age 24, it is estimated that over 50% are unemployed, more than two-thirds of the young women have children, nearly 60 percent of the males have been convicted of a crime, and 27% of males end up in jail; more than 25% of these unfortunate young adults become homeless at some point after leaving foster care.
Parenting teenagers, while challenging, also has its rewards. When a teenager feels respected he or she can become a good friend—engaging in sports, games, conversations, and mutual interests with the caretaker. Adolescents need less supervision than the younger children, and for that matter, can even contribute to fulfilling the family’s tasks and responsibilities. While many potential caretakers would predict that the behaviors young children display when acting out the emotions of their trauma of neglect and abuse would be relatively easy to deal with, in reality a teenager who is acting out his negative feelings may exhibit behaviors some may find to be not so difficult. For instance, temper tantrums, encopresis, enuresis, and other base behaviors of young children may be more difficult for some to deal with than foul language, defiance, moodiness, and the like which a teenager is more likely to present.
If you are looking for a ministry where there exists a large gap in provision for a desperate need, providing foster care for a teen boy or girl—who has been neglected and/or abused and has not been able to return home and needs someone to make a commitment intended to last into adulthood—may be a challenging but rich and rewarding experience for you.
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Texas Foster Care
Teen care , Teen Adoption
← Looking for an Alternative to "Private" Adoption ?
Foster Care: Good or Bad? Then, Now, and Beyond →
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Movie Reviews: -------- 2019 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2019 Films_______ A Dog's Way Home After (2019) Alita: Battle Angel Anna (2019) Annabelle Comes Home Avengers: Endgame Breakthrough Captive State Child's Play (2019) Cold Pursuit Dark Phoenix Dragon Ball Super: Broly Dumbo (2019) Escape Room Fighting with My Family Five Feet Apart Glass Gloria Bell Godzilla: King of the Monsters Greta Happy Death Day 2U Hellboy (2019) Hotel Mumbai How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Isn't It Romantic Late Night Little Long Shot Ma (2019) Men in Black International Midsommar Miss Bala Missing Link No Manches Frida 2 Penguins (Disneynature) Pet Sematary (2019) Rocketman Run the Race Serenity (2019) Shaft (2019) Shazam! Spider-Man: Far from Home The Beach Bum The Best of Enemies The Curse of La Llorona The Intruder (2019) The Kid Who Would be King The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part The Prodigy The Secret Life of Pets 2 The Upside Toy Story 4 Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral Uglydolls Unplanned Us What Men Want Wonder Park Yesterday anna2019 -------- 2018 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2018 Films_______ 12 Strong A Quiet Place A Simple Favor A Star is Born (2018) A Wrinkle in Time A.X.L. Action Point Adrift Alpha Annihilation Ant-Man and the Wasp Aquaman Avengers: Infinity War Bad Times At The El Royale Bharat Ane Nenu BlacKkKlansman Black Panther Blockers Bohemian Rhapsody Book Club Breaking In (2018) Bumblebee Burn the Stage: The Movie Chappaquiddick Crazy Rich Asians Creed II Deadpool 2 Death Wish (2018) Den of Thieves Disney's Christopher Robin Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018) Early Man Every Day (2018) Fahrenheit 11/9 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Fifty Shades Freed First Man Forever My Girl Game Night Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween Green Book Halloween (2018) Hell Fest Hereditary Holmes and Watson Hotel Artemis Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Hunter Killer I Can Only Imagine I Feel Pretty Incredibles 2 Insidious: The Last Key Instant Family Isle Of Dogs Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Life of the Party Love, Simon Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Mary Poppins Returns Mary Queen of Scots Maze Runner: The Death Cure Mid90s Midnight Sun Mile 22 Mission: Impossible - Fallout Mortal Engines Night School (2018) Nobody's Fool Ocean's 8 On the Basis of Sex Operation Finale Overboard (2018) Overlord Pacific Rim Uprising Paddington 2 Padmaavat Paul, Apostle of Christ Peppermint Peter Rabbit Proud Mary RBG Ralph Breaks the Internet Rampage (2018) Ready Player One Red Sparrow Robin Hood (2018) Roma Sanju Searching Second Act Sherlock Gnomes Show Dogs Sicario: Day of the Soldado Skyscraper Slender Man Smallfoot Solo: A Star Wars Story Sorry to Bother You Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Strangers: Prey at Night Super Troopers 2 Superfly Tag Teen Titans Go! To The Movies The 15:17 to Paris The Commuter The Darkest Minds The Equalizer 2 The Favourite The First Purge The Girl in the Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story The Happytime Murders The Hate U Give The House With A Clock In Its Walls The Hurricane Heist The Meg The Mule The Nun The Nutcracker and the Four Realms The Old Man & the Gun The Possession of Hannah Grace The Predator (2018) The Spy Who Dumped Me They Shall Not Grow Old Tomb Raider Traffik Tully (2018) Tyler Perry's Acrimony Unbroken: Path to Redemption Uncle Drew Unfriended: Dark Web Upgrade Venom (2018) Vice Welcome to Marwen White Boy Rick Widows Winchester Won't You Be My Neighbor? -------- 2017 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2019 Films_______ 47 Meters Down A Bad Moms Christmas A Cure for Wellness A Dog's Purpose Alien: Covenant All Eyez on Me All the Money in the World American Assassin American Made Annabelle: Creation Atomic Blonde Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Baby Driver Battle of the Sexes Baywatch Beauty and the Beast (2017) Before I Fall Birth of the Dragon Blade Runner 2049 Born in China CHiPs Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Cars 3 Coco Daddy's Home 2 Darkest Hour Despicable Me 3 Detroit Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Downsizing Dunkirk Everything, Everything Father Figures Ferdinand Fifty Shades Darker Fist Fight Flatliners (2017) Friend Request Geostorm Get Out Ghost in the Shell (2017) Gifted Girls Trip Going in Style (2017) Gold Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Happy Death Day Home Again Hostiles How to be a Latin Lover It It Comes at Night Jigsaw John Wick: Chapter Two Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Just Getting Started Justice League Kidnap (2017) King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Kingsman: The Golden Circle Kong: Skull Island Lady Bird Leap! Let there be Light Life (2017) Lion Logan Logan Lucky Lowriders Mayweather vs. McGregor Megan Leavey Molly's Game Monster Trucks Murder on the Orient Express (2017) My Cousin Rachel My Little Pony: The Movie Only The Brave Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Pitch Perfect 3 Power Rangers (2017) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Rings Roman J. Israel, Esq. Rough Night Sleepless Smurfs: The Lost Village Snatched Spider-Man: Homecoming Split Star Wars: The Last Jedi Stronger Suburbicon Thank You for Your Service (2017) The Beguiled The Belko Experiment The Big Sick The Boss Baby The Bye Bye Man The Case for Christ The Circle (2017) The Dark Tower The Disaster Artist The Emoji Movie The Fate of the Furious The Foreigner The Founder The Glass Castle The Great Wall The Greatest Showman The Hitman's Bodyguard The House The LEGO Batman Movie The LEGO Ninjago Movie The Lost City of Z The Mountain Between Us The Mummy (2017) The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature The Post The Promise (2017) The Shack The Shape of Water The Snowman The Space Between Us The Star The Zookeeper's Wife Thor: Ragnarok Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Til Death Do Us Part Transformers: The Last Knight Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween Underworld: Blood Wars Unforgettable (2017) Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Victoria and Abdul War for the Planet of the Apes Wind River Wish Upon Wonder Wonder Woman mother! xXx: Return of Xander Cage -------- 2016 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2019 Films_______ 10 Cloverfield Lane 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi A Hologram for the King Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Alice Through the Looking Glass Allied Almost Christmas Arrival Assassin's Creed Bad Moms Bad Santa 2 Barbershop: The Next Cut Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ben-Hur (2016) Blair Witch Bleed for This Boo! A Madea Halloween Bridget Jones's Baby Captain America: Civil War Central Intelligence Collateral Beauty Compadres Criminal Deadpool Deepwater Horizon Dirty Grandpa Doctor Strange Don't Breathe Eddie the Eagle Eye in the Sky Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Fences Fifty Shades of Black Finding Dory Florence Foster Jenkins Free State of Jones Ghostbusters (2016) God's Not Dead 2 Gods of Egypt Hacksaw Ridge Hail, Caesar! Hardcore Henry Hell or High Water Hello, My Name is Doris Hidden Figures Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party How to Be Single Ice Age: Collision Course Incarnate Independence Day: Resurgence Inferno Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Jason Bourne Keanu Keeping Up with the Joneses Kevin Hart: What Now? Kubo and the Two Strings Kung Fu Panda 3 La La Land Lights Out Live by Night London Has Fallen Love & Friendship Manchester by the Sea Masterminds Me Before You Mechanic: Resurrection Meet the Blacks Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Miracles from Heaven Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Moana Money Monster Moonlight Mother's Day My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Nerve Nine Lives (2016) Nocturnal Animals Norm of the North Now You See Me 2 Office Christmas Party Ouija: Origin of Evil Passengers (2016) Patriots Day Pete's Dragon Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Queen of Katwe Race Ratchet & Clank Ride Along 2 Risen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Sausage Party Shut In Sing Snowden Star Trek Beyond Storks Suicide Squad Sully Sultan Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows The 5th Wave The Accountant The Angry Birds Movie The BFG The Birth of a Nation The Boss The Boy The Brothers Grimsby The Choice The Conjuring 2 The Darkness The Divergent Series: Allegiant The Edge of Seventeen The Finest Hours The Forest The Girl on the Train The Huntsman: Winter's War The Infiltrator The Jungle Book The Legend of Tarzan The Light Between Oceans The Magnificent Seven The Nice Guys The Perfect Match The Purge: Election Year The Secret Life of Pets The Shallows The Wild Life The Witch The Young Messiah Triple 9 Trolls War Dogs Warcraft When the Bough Breaks Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Why Him? X-Men: Apocalypse Zoolander 2 Zootopia -------- 2015 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2019 Films_______ 90 Minutes in Heaven A Walk in the Woods Aloha Alvin and the Chipmunks The Road Chip American Ultra Ant-Man Avengers: Age of Ultron Baahubali: The Beginning Bajirao Mastani Bajrangi Bhaijaan Black Mass Black or White Blackhat Bridge of Spies Brooklyn Burnt Chappie Cinderella Concussion Creed Crimson Peak Daddy's Home Danny Collins Dilwale Do You Believe? Dope Entourage Everest Ex Machina Fantastic Four - 2015 Far from the Madding Crowd Fifty Shades of Grey Focus Furious 7 Get Hard Goosebumps Grandma Hitman: Agent 47 Home Hot Pursuit Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Hotel Transylvania 2 In the Heart of the Sea Inside Out Insidious Chapter 3 Insurgent It Follows Joy Jupiter Ascending Jurassic World Kingsman: The Secret Service Krampus Love & Mercy Love the Coopers Mad Max: Fury Road Magic Mike XXL Max Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials McFarland, USA Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Minions Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Monkey Kingdom Mortdecai Mr. Holmes No Escape Our Brand Is Crisis Paddington Pan Paper Towns Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Pitch Perfect 2 Pixels Point Break Poltergeist Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Project Almanac Ricki and the Flash Room Run All Night San Andreas Secret in Their Eyes Self/Less Seventh Son Sicario Sinister 2 Sisters Southpaw Spectre Spotlight Spy Star Wars: The Force Awakens Steve Jobs Straight Outta Compton Strange Magic Taken 3 Ted 2 Terminator Genisys The 33 The Age of Adaline The Big Short The Boy Next Door The DUFF The Gallows The Gift The Good Dinosaur The Green Inferno The Gunman The Hateful Eight The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 The Intern The Last Witch Hunter The Lazarus Effect The Loft The Longest Ride The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The Martian The Night Before The Peanuts Movie The Perfect Guy The Revenant The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water The Transporter Refueled The Visit The Walk The Wedding Ringer The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death Tomorrowland Trainwreck Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos Unfinished Business Unfriended Vacation Victor Frankenstein War Room While We're Young Woman in Gold Woodlawn -------- 2014 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2019 Films_______ 22 Jump Street 3 Days to Kill 300: Rise of an Empire A Haunted House 2 A Million Ways to Die in the West A Most Wanted Man A Walk Among the Tombstones About Last Night Addicted Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day America American Sniper And So It Goes Annabelle Annie As Above/So Below Bears Begin Again Beyond the Lights Big Hero 6 Birdman Blended Boyhood Brick Mansions Captain America: The Winter Soldier Chef Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Deliver Us from Evil Devil's Due Divergent Dolphin Tale 2 Dracula Untold Draft Day Dumb and Dumber To Earth to Echo Edge of Tomorrow Endless Love Exodus: Gods and Kings Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Fury Get On Up God's Not Dead Godzilla (2014) Gone Girl Guardians of the Galaxy Heaven is for Real Hercules Horrible Bosses 2 How to Train Your Dragon 2 I, Frankenstein If I Stay Interstellar Into The Storm Into the Woods Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Jersey Boys John Wick Labor Day Left Behind Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return Let's Be Cops Lucy Maleficent Meet the Mormons Million Dollar Arm Moms' Night Out Mr. Peabody & Sherman Muppets Most Wanted Need for Speed Neighbors Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb Nightcrawler No Good Deed Noah Non-Stop Oculus Ouija P.K. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Penguins of Madagascar Planes: Fire & Rescue Pompeii Ride Along Rio 2 RoboCop Sabotage Selma Sex Tape Snowpiercer Son of God St. Vincent Step Up All In Still Alice Tammy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles That Awkward Moment The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Best of Me The Book of Life The Boxtrolls The Drop The Equalizer The Expendables 3 The Fault in our Stars The Gambler The Giver The Grand Budapest Hotel The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies The Hundred-Foot Journey The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 The Identical The Imitation Game The Judge The Legend of Hercules The Lego Movie The Maze Runner The Monuments Men The November Man The Nut Job The Other Woman The Purge: Anarchy The Pyramid The Quiet Ones The Theory of Everything Think Like a Man Too This is Where I Leave You Top Five Transcendence Transformers: Age of Extinction Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club Unbroken Vampire Academy Veronica Mars When the Game Stands Tall Whiplash Wild Winter's Tale X-Men: Days of Future Past -------- 2013 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2013 Films_______ 12 Years a Slave 2 Guns 21 & Over 42 47 Ronin A Good Day to Die Hard A Haunted House About Time Admission After Earth American Hustle Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues August: Osage County Baggage Claim Battle of the Year Beautiful Creatures Black Nativity Blue Jasmine Broken City Bullet To The Head Captain Phillips Carrie Closed Circuit Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 Dallas Buyers Club Dark Skies Dead Man Down Delivery Man Despicable Me 2 Dhoom 3 Don Jon Elysium Ender's Game Enough Said Epic Escape From Planet Earth Escape Plan Evil Dead Fast & Furious 6 Free Birds Frozen Fruitvale Station G.I. Joe: Retaliation Gangster Squad Getaway Gravity Grown Ups 2 Grudge Match Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters Her Homefront Identity Thief Insidious: Chapter 2 Instructions Not Included Iron Man 3 Jack the Giant Slayer Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Jobs Justin Bieber's Believe Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain Kick-Ass 2 Last Vegas Lee Daniels' The Butler Lone Survivor Machete Kills Mama Man of Steel Monsters University Movie 43 Mud Nebraska Now You See Me Oblivion Olympus Has Fallen One Direction: This Is Us Out of the Furnace Oz The Great and Powerful Pacific Rim Pain & Gain Paranoia Parker Peeples Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Phantom Philomena Planes Prisoners Pulling Strings R.I.P.D. Red 2 Riddick Runner Runner Rush Safe Haven Saving Mr. Banks Scary Movie V Side Effects Snitch Spring Breakers Stand Up Guys Star Trek Into Darkness Texas Chainsaw 3D The Best Man Holiday The Big Wedding The Book Thief The Call The Conjuring The Counselor The Croods The Family The Fifth Estate The Great Gatsby The Hangover Part III The Heat The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug The Host The Hunger Games: Catching Fire The Incredible Burt Wonderstone The Internship The Last Exorcism Part II The Last Stand The Lone Ranger The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones The Place Beyond The Pines The Purge The Secret Life of Walter Mitty The Smurfs 2 The To Do List The Wolf of Wall Street The Wolverine The World's End This Is The End Thor: The Dark World Turbo Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas Tyler Perry's Temptation Walking With Dinosaurs Warm Bodies We're the Millers White House Down World War Z Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani You're Next -------- 2012 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2012 Films_______ 2016: Obama's America 21 Jump Street A Thousand Words Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Act of Valor Alex Cross American Reunion Amour Arbitrage Argo Battleship Beasts of the Southern Wild Big Miracle Brave Casa de Mi Padre Chernobyl Diaries Chimpanzee Chronicle Cloud Atlas Contraband Dark Shadows Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Django Unchained Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Dredd End of Watch Flight For Greater Glory Frankenweenie Fun Size Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Girl in Progress Gone Haywire Here Comes the Boom Hit & Run Hope Springs Hotel Transylvania House at the End of the Street Housefull 2 Ice Age: Continental Drift Jab Tak Hai Jaan Jack Reacher John Carter Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Joyful Noise Katy Perry: Part of Me Killing Them Softly Lawless Les Miserables Life of Pi Lincoln Lockout Looper Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Magic Mike Man on a Ledge Marvel's The Avengers Men In Black 3 Mirror Mirror Moonrise Kingdom October Baby One for the Money ParaNorman Paranormal Activity 4 Parental Guidance People Like Us Pitch Perfect Playing for Keeps Premium Rush Project X Prometheus Promised Land Red Dawn Red Tails Resident Evil: Retribution Rise of the Guardians Rock of Ages Safe Safe House Salmon Fishing In The Yemen Savages Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Seven Psychopaths Silent Hill: Revelation 3D Silent House Silver Linings Playbook Sinister Skyfall Snow White & The Huntsman Sparkle Step Up Revolution Taken 2 Ted That's My Boy The Amazing Spider-Man The Apparition The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel The Bourne Legacy The Cabin in the Woods The Campaign The Cold Light of Day The Collection The Dark Knight Rises The Devil Inside The Dictator The Expendables 2 The Five-Year Engagement The Grey The Guilt Trip The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The Hunger Games The Impossible The Lucky One The Man With the Iron Fists The Master The Odd Life of Timothy Green The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure The Perks Of Being A Wallflower The Pirates! Band of Misfits The Possession The Raven The Secret World of Arrietty The Three Stooges The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 The Vow The Watch The Woman in Black The Words Think Like a Man This Is 40 This Means War To Rome With Love Total Recall Trouble with the Curve Tyler Perry's Good Deeds Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection Underworld Awakening Wanderlust What to Expect When You're Expecting Won't Back Down Wrath of the Titans Wreck-It Ralph Zero Dark Thirty -------- 2011 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2011 Films_______ 30 Minutes or Less 50/50 A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas Abduction African Cats Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Anonymous Apollo 18 Arthur Arthur Christmas Bad Teacher Battle: Los Angeles Beastly Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son Bridesmaids Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star Captain America: The First Avenger Cars 2 Colombiana Conan the Barbarian Contagion Courageous Cowboys & Aliens Crazy, Stupid, Love Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Dolphin Tale Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Dream House Drive Drive Angry Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close Fast Five Final Destination 5 Footloose Friends with Benefits Fright Night Glee: The 3D Concert Movie Gnomeo & Juliet Green Lantern Hall Pass Hanna Happy Feet Two Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil Hop Horrible Bosses Hugo I Am Number Four I Don't Know How She Does It Immortals In Time Insidious J. Edgar Jack and Jill Johnny English Reborn Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer Jumping the Broom Just Go With It Justin Bieber: Never Say Never Killer Elite Kung Fu Panda 2 Larry Crowne Limitless Mars Needs Moms Midnight in Paris Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Moneyball Monte Carlo Mr. Popper's Penguins New Year's Eve No Strings Attached One Day Our Idiot Brother Paranormal Activity 3 Paul Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Priest Prom Puss in Boots Rango Real Steel Red Riding Hood Rio Rise of the Planet of the Apes Sanctum Scream 4 Season of the Witch Shark Night 3D Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Something Borrowed Soul Surfer Source Code Spy Kids: All the Time in the World Straw Dogs Sucker Punch Super 8 Take Me Home Tonight The Adjustment Bureau The Adventures of Tintin The Artist The Big Year The Change-up The Conspirator The Darkest Hour The Debt The Descendants The Dilemma The Eagle The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Green Hornet The Hangover Part II The Help The Ides of March The Iron Lady The Lincoln Lawyer The Mechanic The Muppets The Rite The Roommate The Rum Diary The Sitter The Smurfs The Thing The Three Musketeers The Tree of Life The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Thor Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Tower Heist Transformers: Dark of the Moon Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family Unknown War Horse Warrior Water for Elephants We Bought a Zoo What's Your Number? Winnie the Pooh X-Men: First Class Young Adult Your Highness Zookeeper -------- 2010 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2010 Films_______ 127 Hours A Nightmare on Elm Street Alice in Wonderland Alpha and Omega Babies Black Swan Brooklyn's Finest Burlesque Case 39 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Charlie St. Cloud Clash of the Titans Conviction Cop Out Country Strong Cyrus Date Night Daybreakers Dear John Death at a Funeral Despicable Me Devil Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dinner for Schmucks Due Date Easy A Eat Pray Love Extraordinary Measures Fair Game Faster Flipped For Colored Girls From Paris With Love Furry Vengeance Get Him to the Greek Going the Distance Green Zone Grown Ups Gulliver's Travels Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 Hereafter Hot Tub Time Machine How Do You Know How to Train Your Dragon Inception Iron Man 2 Jackass 3D Jonah Hex Just Wright Kick-Ass Killers Kites Knight and Day Leap Year Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Legion Let Me In Letters to God Letters to Juliet Life as We Know It Little Fockers Lottery Ticket Love & Other Drugs MacGruber Machete Marmaduke Megamind Morning Glory My Soul to Take Nanny McPhee Returns Oceans Our Family Wedding Paranormal Activity 2 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Piranha 3D Predators Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Ramona and Beezus Red Remember Me Repo Men Resident Evil: Afterlife Robin Hood Salt Saw 3D Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Secretariat Sex and the City 2 She's Out of My League Shrek Forever After Shutter Island Skyline Splice Step Up 3D TRON: Legacy Takers Tangled The A-Team The American The Back-up Plan The Book of Eli The Bounty Hunter The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader The Company Men The Crazies The Edge of Darkness The Expendables The Fighter The Karate Kid The Kids Are All Right The King's Speech The Last Airbender The Last Exorcism The Last Song The Losers The Next Three Days The Other Guys The Social Network The Sorcerer's Apprentice The Spy Next Door The Switch The Tourist The Town The Twilight Saga: Eclipse The Warrior's Way The Wolfman Tooth Fairy Toy Story 3 True Grit Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? Unstoppable Valentine's Day Vampires Suck Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps When in Rome Winter's Bone Yogi Bear You Again Youth in Revolt -------- 2009 -------- _________New This Week_______ Spider-Man: Far from Home Midsommar _________All of 2009 Films_______ (500) Days of Summer 12 Rounds 17 Again 2012 9 A Perfect Getaway A Serious Man Adventureland Aliens in the Attic All About Steve Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Amelia An Education Angels & Demons Armored Astro Boy Avatar Away We Go Bandslam Bride Wars Brothers Bruno Capitalism: A Love Story Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Confessions of a Shopaholic Coraline Couples Retreat Crank High Voltage Crazy Heart Dance Flick Did You Hear About the Morgans? Disney's A Christmas Carol District 9 Drag Me to Hell Dragonball Evolution Duplicity Earth Everybody's Fine Extract Fame Fantastic Mr. Fox Fast & Furious Fighting Fired Up! Friday the 13th Funny People G-Force G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Gamer Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Halloween II Hannah Montana The Movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince He's Just Not That Into You Hotel for Dogs I Love You, Beth Cooper I Love You, Man Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Imagine That Inglourious Basterds Inkheart Invictus It's Complicated Jennifer's Body Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience Julie & Julia Knowing Land of the Lost Law Abiding Citizen Love Happens Michael Jackson's This Is It Miss March Monsters vs. Aliens My Bloody Valentine 3D My Life in Ruins My Sister's Keeper New In Town Next Day Air Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Nine Ninja Assassin Not Easily Broken Notorious Observe and Report Obsessed Old Dogs Orphan Pandorum Paranormal Activity Paul Blart: Mall Cop Pirate Radio Planet 51 Ponyo Post Grad Precious Public Enemies Push Race to Witch Mountain Saw VI Sherlock Holmes Shorts Sorority Row Star Trek State of Play Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li Sunshine Cleaning Surrogates Taken Taking Woodstock Terminator Salvation The Blind Side The Box The Brothers Bloom The Final Destination The Fourth Kind The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard The Hangover The Haunting in Connecticut The Hurt Locker The Informant! The International The Invention of Lying The Last House on the Left The Lovely Bones The Men Who Stare at Goats The Pink Panther 2 The Princess and the Frog The Proposal The Road The Soloist The Stepfather The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 The Time Traveler's Wife The Twilight Saga: New Moon The Ugly Truth The Unborn The Uninvited Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Up Up in the Air Watchmen Where the Wild Things Are Whip It Whiteout X-Men Origins: Wolverine Year One Zombieland -------- 2008 -------- 10,000 B.C. 21 27 Dresses 88 Minutes An American Carol Appaloosa Australia Baby Mama Babylon A.D. Bangkok Dangerous Be Kind Rewind Bedtime Stories Beverly Hills Chihuahua Blindness Body of Lies Bolt Burn After Reading Cadillac Records Changeling City of Ember Cloverfield College Road Trip Death Race Deception Defiance Definitely, Maybe Disaster Movie Doomsday Doubt Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! Drillbit Taylor Eagle Eye Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Fireproof First Sunday Flash of Genius Fool's Gold Forgetting Sarah Marshall Four Christmases Frost/Nixon Get Smart Ghost Town Gran Torino Hancock Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay Hellboy II: The Golden Army High School Musical 3: Senior Year Igor Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Iron Man Journey to the Center of the Earth Jumper Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Kung Fu Panda Lakeview Terrace Leatherheads Mad Money Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Made of Honor Mamma Mia! Marley & Me Max Payne Meet Dave Meet the Spartans Milk Miracle at St. Anna Mirrors My Best Friend's Girl Never Back Down Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Nights in Rodanthe Nim's Island Nothing Like the Holidays One Missed Call Over Her Dead Body Penelope Pineapple Express Pride and Glory Prom Night Punisher: War Zone Quantum of Solace Quarantine Rambo Redbelt Religulous Righteous Kill Role Models Saw V Semi-Pro Seven Pounds Sex Drive Sex and the City Shutter Slumdog Millionaire Smart People Soul Men Space Chimps Speed Racer Star Wars: The Clone Wars Step Brothers Step Up 2 the Streets Stop-Loss Strange Wilderness Street Kings Superhero Movie Swing Vote The Bank Job The Boy in the Striped Pajamas The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Dark Knight The Day the Earth Stood Still The Duchess The Express The Eye The Forbidden Kingdom The Happening The Haunting of Molly Hartley The House Bunny The Incredible Hulk The Longshots The Love Guru The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor The Other Boleyn Girl The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie The Reader The Ruins The Secret Life of Bees The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 The Spiderwick Chronicles The Spirit The Strangers The Tale of Despereaux The Visitor The Women The X-Files: I Want To Believe Traitor Transporter 3 Tropic Thunder Twilight Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys Under The Same Moon Untraceable Valkyrie Vantage Point Vicky Cristina Barcelona W. WALL-E Wanted Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins What Happens in Vegas Yes Man You Don't Mess with the Zohan Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Box Office Top 60 Archive: -------------- 2019 ----------- July 5 - 7, 2019 June 28 - 30, 2019 June 21 - 23, 2019 June 14 - 16, 2019 June 7 - 9, 2019 May 31 - June 2, 2019 May 24 - 26, 2019 May 17 - 19, 2019 May 10 - 12, 2019 May 3 - 5, 2019 April 26 - 28, 2019 April 19 - 21, 2019 April 12 - 14, 2019 April 5 - 7, 2019 March 29 - 31, 2019 March 22 - 24, 2019 March 15 - 17, 2019 March 8 - 10, 2019 March 1 - 3, 2019 February 22 - 24, 2019 February 15 - 17, 2019 February 8 - 10, 2019 February 1 - 3, 2019 January 25 - 27, 2019 January 18 - 20, 2019 January 11 - 13, 2019 January 4 - 6, 2019 -------------- 2018 ----------- December 28 - 30, 2018 December 21 - 23, 2018 December 14 - 16, 2018 December 7 - 9, 2018 November 30 - December 1, 2018 November 23-25, 2018 November 16-18, 2018 November 9-11, 2018 November 2-4, 2018 October 26-28, 2018 October 19-21, 2018 October 12-14, 2018 October 5-7, 2018 September 28-30, 2018 September 21-23, 2018 September 14-16, 2018 September 7-9, 2018 August 31 - September 2, 2018 August 24 - 26, 2018 August 17 - 19, 2018 August 10 - 12, 2018 August 3 - 5, 2018 July 27 - 29, 2018 July 20 - 22, 2018 July 13 - 15, 2018 July 6 - 8, 2018 June 29 - July 1, 2018 June 22 - 24, 2018 June 15 - 17, 2018 June 8 - 10, 2018 June 1 - 3, 2018 May 25 - 27, 2018 May 18 - 20, 2018 May 11 - 13, 2018 May 4 - 6, 2018 April 27 - 29, 2018 April 20 - 22, 2018 April 13 - 15, 2018 April 6 - 8, 2018 March 30 - April 1, 2018 March 23 - 25, 2018 March 16 - 18, 2018 March 9 - 11, 2018 March 2 - 4, 2018 February 23 - 25, 2018 February 16 - 18, 2018 February 9 - 11, 2018 February 2 - 4, 2018 January 26 - 28, 2018 January 19 - 21, 2018 January 12 - 14, 2018 January 5 - 7, 2018 -------------- 2017 ----------- December 29 - 31, 2017 December 22 - 24, 2017 December 15 - 17, 2017 December 8 - 10, 2017 December 1 - 3, 2017 November 24 - 26, 2017 November 17 - 19, 2017 November 10 - 12, 2017 November 10 - 12, 2017 November 3 - 5, 2017 October 27 - 29, 2017 October 20 - 22, 2017 October 13 - 15, 2017 October 6 - 8, 2017 September 29 - October 1, 2017 September 22 - 24, 2017 September 15 - 17, 2017 September 8 - 10, 2017 September 1 - 3, 2017 August 25 - 27, 2017 August 18 - 20, 2017 August 11 - 13, 2017 August 4 - 6, 2017 July 28 - 30, 2017 July 21 - 23, 2017 July 14 - 16, 2017 July 7 - 9, 2017 June 30 - July 2, 2017 June 23 - 25, 2017 June 16 - 18, 2017 June 9 - 11, 2017 June 2 - 4, 2017 May 26 - 28, 2017 May 19 - 21, 2017 May 12 - 14, 2017 May 5 - 7, 2017 April 28 - 30, 2017 April 21 - 23, 2017 April 14 - 16, 2017 April 7 - 9, 2017 March 31 - April 2, 2017 March 24 - 26, 2017 March 17 - 19, 2017 March 10 - 12, 2017 March 3 - 5, 2017 February 24 - 26, 2017 February 17 - 19, 2017 February 10 - 12, 2017 February 3 - 5, 2017 January 27 - 29, 2017 January 20 - 22, 2017 January 13 - 15, 2017 January 6 - 8, 2017 -------------- 2016 ----------- December 30-January 1, 2016 December 23-25, 2016 December 16-18, 2016 December 9-11, 2016 December 2-4, 2016 November 25-27, 2016 November 18-20, 2016 November 11-13, 2016 November 4-6, 2016 October 28 - 30, 2016 October 21 - 23, 2016 October 14 - 16, 2016 October 7 - 9, 2016 September 30 - October 2, 2016 September 23 - 25, 2016 September 16 - 18, 2016 September 9 - 11, 2016 September 2 - 4, 2016 August 26 - 28, 2016 August 19 - 21, 2016 August 12 - 14, 2016 August 5 - 7, 2016 July 29 - 31, 2016 July 22 - 24, 2016 July 15 - 17, 2016 July 8 - 10, 2016 July 1 - 3, 2016 June 24 - 26, 2016 June 17 - 19, 2016 June 10 - 12, 2016 June 3 - 5, 2016 May 27 - 29, 2016 May 20 - 22, 2016 May 13 - 15, 2016 May 6 - 8, 2016 April 29 - May 1, 2016 April 22 - 24, 2016 April 15 - 17, 2016 April 8 - 10, 2016 April 1 - 3, 2016 March 25 - 27, 2016 March 18 - 20, 2016 March 11 - 13, 2016 March 4 - 6, 2016 February 26 - 28, 2016 February 19 - 21, 2016 February 12 - 14, 2016 February 5 - 7, 2016 January 29 - 31, 2016 January 22 - 24, 2016 January 15 - 17, 2016 January 8 - 10, 2016 January 1 - 3, 2016 -------------- 2015 ----------- December 25 - 27, 2015 December 18 - 20, 2015 December 11 - 13, 2015 December 4 - 6, 2015 November 27 - 29, 2015 November 20 - 22, 2015 November 13 - 15, 2015 November 6 - 8, 2015 October 30 - November 1, 2015 October 23 - 25, 2015 October 16 - 18, 2015 October 9 - 11, 2015 October 2 - 4, 2015 September 25 - 27, 2015 September 18 - 20, 2015 September 11 - 13, 2015 September 4 - 6, 2015 August 28 - 30, 2015 August 21 - 23, 2015 August 14 - 16, 2015 August 7 - 9, 2015 July 31 - August 2, 2015 July 24 - 26, 2015 July 17 - 19, 2015 July 10 - 12, 2015 July 3 - 5, 2015 June 26 - 28, 2015 June 19 - 21, 2015 June 12 - 14, 2015 June 5 - 7, 2015 May 29 - 31, 2015 May 22 - 24, 2015 May 15 - 17, 2015 May 8 - 10, 2015 May 1 - 3, 2015 April 24 - 26, 2015 April 17 - 19, 2015 April 10 - 12, 2015 April 3 - 5, 2015 March 27 - 29, 2015 March 20 - 22, 2015 March 13 - 15, 2015 March 6 - 8, 2015 February 27 - March 1, 2015 February 20 - 22, 2015 February 13 - 15, 2015 February 6 - 8, 2015 January 30 - February 1, 2015 January 23 - 25, 2015 January 16 - 18, 2015 January 9 - 11, 2015 January 2 - 4, 2015 -------------- 2014 ----------- December 26 - 28, 2014 December 19 - 21, 2014 December 12 - 14, 2014 December 5 - 7, 2014 November 28 - 30, 2014 November 21 - 23, 2014 November 14 - 16, 2014 November 7 - 9, 2014 October 31 - November 2, 2014 October 24 - 26, 2014 October 17 - 19, 2014 October 10 - 12, 2014 October 3 - 5, 2014 September 26 - 28, 2014 September 19 - 21, 2014 September 12 - 14, 2014 September 5 - 7, 2014 August 29 - 31, 2014 August 22 - 24, 2014 August 15 - 17, 2014 August 8 - 10, 2014 August 1 - 3, 2014 July 25 - 27, 2014 July 18 - 20, 2014 July 11 - 13, 2014 July 4 - 6, 2014 June 27 - 29, 2014 June 20 - 22, 2014 June 13 - 15, 2014 June 6 - 8, 2014 May 30 - June 1, 2014 May 23 - 25, 2014 May 16 - 18, 2014 May 9 - 11, 2014 May 2 - 4, 2014 April 25 - 27, 2014 April 18 - 20, 2014 April 11 - 13, 2014 April 4 - 6, 2014 March 28 - 30, 2014 March 21 - 23, 2014 March 14 - 16, 2014 March 7 - 9, 2014 February 28 - March 2, 2014 February 21 - 23, 2014 February 14 - 16, 2014 February 7 - 9, 2014 January 31 - February 2, 2014 January 24 - 26, 2014 January 17 - 19, 2014 January 10 - 12, 2014 January 3 - 5, 2014 -------------- 2013 ----------- December 27 - 29, 2013 December 20 - 22, 2013 December 13 - 15, 2013 December 6 - 8, 2013 November 29 - December 1, 2013 November 22 - 24, 2013 November 15 - 17, 2013 November 8 - 10, 2013 November 1 - 3, 2013 October 25 - 27, 2013 October 18 - 20, 2013 October 11 - 13, 2013 October 4 - 6, 2013 September 27 - 29, 2013 September 20 - 22, 2013 September 13 - 15, 2013 September 6 - 8, 2013 August 30 - September 1, 2013 August 23 - 25, 2013 August 16 - 18, 2013 August 9 - 11, 2013 August 2 - 4, 2013 July 26 - 28, 2013 July 19 - 21, 2013 July 12 - 14, 2013 July 5 - 7, 2013 June 28 - 30, 2013 June 21 - 23, 2013 June 14 - 16, 2013 June 7 - 9, 2013 May 31 - June 2, 2013 May 24 - 26, 2013 May 17 - 19, 2013 May 10 - 12, 2013 May 3 - 5, 2013 April 26 - 28, 2013 April 19 - 21, 2013 April 12 - 14, 2013 April 5 - 7, 2013 March 29 - 31, 2013 March 22 - 24, 2013 March 15 - 17, 2013 March 8 - 10, 2013 March 1 - 3, 2013 February 22 - 24, 2013 February 15 - 17, 2013 February 8 - 10, 2013 February 1 - 3, 2013 January 25 - 27, 2013 January 18 - 20, 2013 January 11 - 13, 2013 January 4 - 6, 2013 -------------- 2012 ----------- December 28 - 30, 2012 December 21 - 23, 2012 December 14 - 16, 2012 December 7 - 9, 2012 November 30 - December 2, 2012 November 23 - 25, 2012 November 16 - 18, 2012 November 9 - 11, 2012 November 2 - 4, 2012 October 26 - 28, 2012 October 19 - 21, 2012 October 12 - 14, 2012 October 5 - 7, 2012 September 28 - 30, 2012 September 21 - 23, 2012 September 14 - 16, 2012 September 7 - 9, 2012 August 31 - September 2, 2012 August 24 - 26, 2012 August 17 - 19, 2012 August 10 - 12, 2012 August 3 - 5, 2012 July 27 - 29, 2012 July 20 - 22, 2012 July 13 - 15, 2012 July 6 - 8, 2012 June 29 - July 1, 2012 June 22 - 24, 2012 June 15 - 17, 2012 June 8 - 10, 2012 June 1 - 3, 2012 May 25 - 27, 2012 May 18 - 20, 2012 May 11 - 13, 2012 May 4 - 6, 2012 April 27 - 29, 2012 April 20 - 22, 2012 April 13 - 15, 2012 April 6 - 8, 2012 March 30 - April 1, 2012 March 23 - 25, 2012 March 16 - 18, 2012 March 9 - 11, 2012 March 2 - 4, 2012 February 24 - 26, 2012 February 17 - 19, 2012 February 10 - 12, 2012 February 3 - 5, 2012 January 27 - 29, 2012 January 20 - 22, 2012 January 13 - 15, 2012 January 6 - 8, 2012 -------------- 2011 ----------- December 30 - January 1, 2011 December 23 - 25, 2011 December 16 - 18, 2011 December 9 - 11, 2011 December 2 - 4, 2011 November 25 - 27, 2011 November 18 - 20, 2011 November 11 - 13, 2011 November 4 - 6, 2011 October 28 - 30, 2011 October 21 - 23, 2011 October 14 - 16, 2011 October 7 - 9, 2011 September 30 - October 2, 2011 September 23 - 25, 2011 September 16 - 18, 2011 September 9 - 11, 2011 September 2 - 4, 2011 August 26 - 28, 2011 August 19 - 21, 2011 August 12 - 14, 2011 August 5 - 7, 2011 July 29 - 31, 2011 July 22 - 24, 2011 July 15 - 17, 2011 July 8 - 10, 2011 July 1 - 3, 2011 June 24 - 26, 2011 June 17 - 19, 2011 June 10 - 12, 2011 June 3 - 5, 2011 May 27 - 29, 2011 May 20 - 22, 2011 May 13 - 15, 2011 May 6 - 8, 2011 April 29 - May 1, 2011 April 22 - 24, 2011 April 15 - 17, 2011 April 8 - 10, 2011 April 1 - 3, 2011 March 25 - 27, 2011 March 18 - 20, 2011 March 11 - 13, 2011 March 4 - 6, 2011 February 25 - 27, 2011 February 18 - 20, 2011 February 11-13, 2011 February 4-6, 2011 January 28-30, 2011 January 21-23, 2011 January 14-16, 2011 January 7-9, 2011 -------------- 2010 ----------- December 31 - January 2 December 24 - December 26 December 17 - December 19 December 10 - December 12 December 3 - December 5 November 26 - November 28 November 19 - November 21 November 12 - November 14 November 5 - November 7 October 29 - October 31 October 22 - October 24 October 15 - October 17 October 8 - October 10 October 1 - October 3 September 24 - September 26 September 17 - September 19 September 10 - September 12 September 3 - September 5 August 27 - August 29 August 20 - August 22 August 13 - August 15 August 6 - August 8 July 30 - August 1 July 23 - July 25 July 16 - July 18 July 9 - July 11 July 2 - July 4 June 25 - June 27 June 18 - June 20 June 11 - June 13 June 4 - June 6 May 28 - May 30 May 21 - May 23 May 14 - May 16 May 7 - May 9 April 30 - May 2 April 23 - April 25 April 16 - April 18 April 9 - April 11 April 2 - April 4 March 26 - March 28 March 19 - March 21 March 12 - March 14 March 5 - March 7 February 26 - February 28 February 19 - February 21 February 12 - February 14 February 5 - February 7 January 29 - January 31 January 22 - January 24 January 15 - January 17 January 8 - January 10 January 1 - January 3 -------------- 2009 ----------- December 25 - December 27 December 18 - December 20 December 11 - December 13 December 4 - December 6 November 27 - November 29 November 20 - November 22 November 13 - November 15 November 6 - November 8 October 30 - November 1 October 23 - October 25 October 16 - October 18 October 9 - October 11 October 2 - October 4 September 25 - September 27 September 18 - September 20 September 11 - September 13 September 4 - September 6 August 28 - August 30 August 21 - August 23 August 14 - August 16 August 7 - August 9 July 31 - August 2 July 24 - July 26 July 17 - July 19 July 10 - July 12 July 3 - July 5 June 26 - June 28 June 19 - June 21 June 12 - June 14 June 5 - June 7 May 29 - May 31 May 22 - May 24 May 15 - May 17 May 8 - May 10 May 1 - May 3 April 24 - April 26 April 17 - April 19 April 10 - April 12 April 3 - April 5 March 27 - March 29 March 20 - March 22 March 13 - March 15 March 6 - March 8 February 27 - March 1 February 20 - February 22 February 13 - February 15 February 6 - February 8 January 30 - February 1 January 23 - January 25 January 16 - January 18 January 9 - January 11 January 2 - January 4 -------------- 2008 ----------- December 26 - December 28 December 19 - December 21 December 12 - December 14 December 5 - December 7 November 28 - November 30 November 21 - November 23 November 14 - November 16 November 7 - November 9 October 31 - November 2 October 24 - October 26 October 17 - October 19 October 10 - October 12 October 3 - October 5 September 26 - September 28 September 19 - September 21 September 12 - September 14 September 5 - September 7 August 29 - September 1 August 22 - August 24 August 15 - August 17 August 8 - August 10 August 1 - August 3 July 25 - July 27 July 18 - July 20 July 11 - July 13 July 4 - July 6 June 27 - June 29 June 20 - June 22 June 13 - June 15 June 6 - June 8 May 30 - June 1 May 23 - May 26 May 16 - May 18 May 9 - May 11 May 2 - May 4 April 25 - April 27 April 18 - April 20 April 11 - April 13 April 4 - April 6 March 28 - March 30 March 21 - March 23 March 14 - March 16 March 7 - March 9 February 29 - March 2 February 22 - February 24 February 15 - February 17 February 8 - February 10 February 1 - February 3 January 25 - January 27 January 18 - January 20 January 11 - January 13 January 4 - January 6 -------------- 2007 ----------- December 28 - December 30 December 21 - December 23 December 14 - December 16 December 7 - December 9 November 30 - December 2 November 23 - November 25 November 16 - November 18 November 9 - November 11 November 2 - November 4 October 26 - October 28 October 19 - October 21 October 12 - October 14 October 5 - October 7 September 28 - September 30 September 21 - September 23 September 14 - September 16 September 7 - September 9 August 31 - September 3 August 24 - August 26 August 17 - August 19 August 10 - August 12 August 3 - August 5 July 27 - July 29 July 20 - July 22 July 13 - July 15 July 6 - July 8 June 29 - July 1 June 22 - June 24 June 15 - June 17 June 8 - June 10 June 1 - June 3 May 25 - May 28 May 18 - May 20 May 11 - May 13 May 4 - May 6 April 27 - April 29 April 20 - April 22 April 13 - April 15 April 6 - April 8 March 30 - April 1 March 23 - March 25 March 16 - March 18 March 9 - March 11 March 2 - March 4 February 23 - February 25 February 16 - February 18 February 9 - February 11 February 2 - February 4 January 26 - January 28 January 19 - January 21 January 12 - January 15 January 5 - January 7 -------------- 2006 ----------- December 29 - January 1 December 22 - December 24 December 15 - December 17 December 8 - December 10 December 1 - December 3 November 24 - November 26 November 17 - November 19 November 10 - November 12 November 3 - November 5 October 27 - October 29 October 20 - October 22 October 13 - October 15 October 6 - October 8 September 29 - October 1 September 22 - September 24 September 15 - September 17 September 8 - September 10 September 1 - September 4 August 25 - August 27 August 18 - August 20 August 11 - August 13 August 4 - August 6 July 28 - July 30 July 21 - July 23 July 14 - July 16 July 7 - July 9 June 30 - July 2 June 23 - June 25 June 16 - June 18 June 9 - June 11 June 2 - June 4 May 26 - May 29 May 19 - May 21 May 12 - May 14 May 5 - May 7 April 28 - April 30 April 21 - April 23 April 14 - April 16 April 7 - April 9 March 31 - April 2 March 24 - March 26 March 17 - March 19 March 10 - March 12 March 3 - March 5 February 24 - February 26 February 17 - February 20 February 10 - February 12 February 3 - February 5 January 27 - January 29 January 20 - January 22 January 13 - January 16 January 6 - January 8 -------------- 2005 ----------- December 30 - January 2 December 23 - December 26 December 16 - December 18 December 9 - December 11 December 2 - December 4 November 25 - November 27 November 18 - November 20 November 11 - November 13 November 4 - November 6 October 28 - October 30 October 21 - October 23 October 14 - October 16 October 7 - October 9 September 30 - October 2 September 23 - September 25 September 16 - September 18 September 9 - September 11 September 2 - September 5 August 26 - August 28 August 19 - August 21 August 12 - August 14 August 5 - August 7 July 29 - July 31 July 22 - July 24 July 15 - July 17 July 8 - July 10 July 1 - July 4 June 24 - June 26 June 17 - June 19 June 10 - June 12 June 3 - June 5 May 27 - May 30 May 20 - May 22 May 13 - May 15 May 6 - May 8 April 29 - May 1 April 22 - April 24 April 15 - April 17 April 8 - April 10 April 1 - April 3 March 25 - March 27 March 18 - March 20 March 11 - March 13 March 4 - March 6 February 25 - February 27 February 18 - February 20 February 11 - February 13 February 4 - February 6 January 28 - January 30 January 21 - January 23 January 14 - January 17 January 7 - January 9 -------------- 2004 ----------- December 31 - January 2 December 24 - December 26 December 17 - December 19 December 10 - December 12 December 3 - December 5 November 26 - November 28 November 19 - November 21 November 12 - November 14 November 5 - November 7 October 29 - October 31 October 22 - October 24 October 15 - October 17 October 8 - October 10 October 1 - October 3 September 24 - September 26 September 17 - September 19 September 10 - September 12 September 3 - September 6 August 27 - August 29 August 20 - August 22 August 13 - August 15 August 6 - August 8 July 30 - August 1 July 23 - July 25 July 16 - July 18 July 9 - July 11 July 2 - July 5 June 25 - June 27 June 18 - June 20 June 11 - June 13 June 4 - June 6 May 28 - May 31 May 21 - May 23 May 14 - May 16 May 7 - May 9 April 30 - May 2 April 23 - April 25 April 16 - April 18 April 9 - April 11 April 2 - April 4 March 26 - March 28 March 19 - March 21 March 12 - March 14 March 5 - March 7 February 27 - February 29 February 20 - February 22 February 13 - February 16 February 6 - February 8 January 30 - February 1 January 23 - January 25 January 16 - January 19 January 9 - January 11 January 2 - January 4 -------------- 2003 ----------- December 26 - December 28 December 19 - December 21 December 12 - December 14 December 5 - December 7 November 28 - November 30 November 21 - November 23 November 14 - November 16 November 7 - November 9 October 31 - November 2 October 24 - October 26 October 17 - October 19 October 10 - October 12 October 3 - October 5 September 26 - September 28 September 19 - September 21 September 12 - September 14 September 5 - September 7 August 29 - August 31 August 22 - August 24 August 15 - August 17 August 8 - August 10 August 1 - August 3 July 25 - July 27 July 18 - July 20 July 11 - July 13 July 4 - July 6 June 27 - June 29 June 20 - June 22 June 13 - June 15 June 6 - June 8 May 30 - June 1 May 23 - May 26 May 16 - May 18 May 9 - May 11 May 2 - May 4 April 25 - April 27 April 18 - April 20 April 11 - April 13 April 4 - April 6 March 28 - March 30 March 21 - March 23 March 14 - March 16 March 7 - March 9 February 28 - March 2 February 21 - February 23 February 14 - February 17 February 7 - February 9 January 31 - February 2 January 24 - January 27 January 17 - January 20 January 10 - January 12 January 3 - January 5 -------------- 2002 ----------- December 20 - December 22 December 13 - December 15 December 6 - December 8 November 29 - December 1 November 22 - November 24 November 15 - November 17 November 8 - November 10 November 1 - November 3 October 25 - October 27 October 18 - October 20 October 11 - October 13 October 4 - October 6 September 27 - September 29 September 20 - September 22 September 13 - September 15 September 6 - September 8 August 30 - September 2 August 23 - August 25 August 16 - August 18 August 9 - August 11 August 2 - August 4 July 26 - July 28 July 19 - July 21 July 12 - July 14 July 5 - July 7 June 28 - June 30 June 21 - June 23 June 14 - June 16 June 7 - June 9 May 31 - June 2 May 24 - May 27 May 17 - May 19 May 10 - May 12 May 3 - May 5 April 26 - April 28 April 19 - April 21 April 12 - April 14 April 5 - April 7 March 29 - March 31 March 22 - March 24 March 15 - March 17 March 8 - March 10 March 1 - March 3 February 22 - February 24 February 15 - February 18 February 8 - February 10 February 1 - February 3 January 25 - January 27 January 18 - January 21 January 11 - January 13 January 4 - January 6 -------------- 2001 ----------- December 28 - December 30 December 21 - December 23 December 14 - December 16 December 7 - December 9 November 30 - December 2 November 23 - November 25 November 16 - November 18 November 9 - November 11 November 2 - November 4 October 26 - October 28 October 19 - October 21 October 12 - October 14 October 5 - October 7 September 28 - September 30 September 21 - September 23 September 14 - September 16 September 7 - September 9 August 31 - September 3 August 24 - August 26 August 17 - August 19 August 10 - August 12 August 3 - August 5 July 27 - July 29 July 20 - July 22 July 13 - July 15 July 6 - July 8 June 29 - July 1 June 22 - June 24 June 15 - June 17 June 8 - June 10 June 1 - June 3 May 25 - May 28 May 18 - May 20 May 11 - May 13 May 4 - May 6 April 27 - April 29 April 20 - April 22 April 13 - April 15 April 6 - April 8 March 30 - April 1 March 23 - March 25 March 16 - March 18 March 9 - March 11 March 2 - March 4 February 23 - February 25 February 16 - February 19 February 9 - February 11 February 2 - February 4 January 26 - January 28 January 19 - January 21 January 12 - January 15 January 5 - January 7 -------------- 2000 ----------- December 29 - January 1 December 22 - December 25 December 15 - December 17 December 8 - December 10 December 1 - December 3 November 24 - November 26 November 17 - November 19 November 10 - November 12 November 3 - November 5 October 27 - October 29 October 20 - October 22 October 13 - October 15 October 6 - October 8 September 29 - October 1 September 22 - September 24 September 15 - September 17 September 8 - September 10 September 1 - September 4 August 25 - August 27 August 18 - August 20 August 11 - August 13 August 4 - August 6 July 28 - July 30 July 21 - July 23 July 14 - July 16 July 7 - July 9 June 30 - July 2 June 23 - June 25 June 16 - June 18 June 9 - June 11 June 2 - June 4 May 26 - May 29 May 19 - May 21 May 12 - May 14 May 5 - May 7 April 28 - April 30 April 21 - April 23 April 14 - April 16 April 7 - April 9 March 31 - April 2 March 24 - March 26 March 17 - March 19 March 10 - March 12 March 3 - March 5 February 25 - February 27 February 18 - February 21 February 11 - February 13 February 4 - February 6 January 28 - January 30 January 21 - January 23 January 14 - January 17 January 2 - January7 December 31 - January 2
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Top Movies 15 Years ago
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Weekend Box Office for
(Domestic gross in millions)
Rank This Week Rank Last Week Movie
(click for in-depth B.O.) Distributor Weekend Gross Pct. Change Per-Screen Avg. # of Screens Cumulative Gross # Days In Release DVD Poster
1 New Ant-Man Buena Vista $57.226 -- $14,841 3,856 $57.226 3 DVD Poster
2 1 Minions Universal $49.275 -57% $11,430 4,311 $215.766 10 DVD Poster
3 New Trainwreck Universal $30.097 -- $9,530 3,158 $30.097 3 DVD Poster
4 3 Inside Out Buena Vista $11.544 -35% $3,538 3,263 $306.247 31 DVD Poster
5 2 Jurassic World Universal $11.455 -37% $3,675 3,117 $611.229 38 DVD Poster
6 4 Terminator: Genisys Par. $5.402 -61% $1,920 2,814 $80.642 17 DVD Poster
7 6 Magic Mike XXL Warner Bros. $4.448 -54% $1,726 2,577 $58.584 17 DVD Poster
8 5 The Gallows Warner Bros. $4.011 -59% $1,475 2,720 $18.013 10 DVD Poster
9 New Bajrangi Bhaijaan Eros $2.621 -- $10,239 256 $2.621 3 DVD Poster
10 7 Ted 2 Universal $2.602 -54% $1,645 1,582 $77.359 24 DVD Poster
11 New Mr. Holmes RAtt. $2.435 -- $6,745 361 $2.435 3 DVD Poster
12 8 Self/Less Focus $2.268 -58% $964 2,353 $10.332 10 DVD Poster
13 10 Max Warner Bros. $1.912 -46% $1,268 1,508 $37.888 24 DVD Poster
14 11 Spy 20th Century Fox $1.506 -51% $1,604 939 $106.599 45 DVD Poster
15 9 Baahubali: The Beginning BSC $1.405 -61% $6,690 210 $6.498 10 DVD Poster
16 12 Amy A24 $1.110 -38% $2,552 435 $4.178 17 DVD Poster
17 13 San Andreas Warner Bros. $0.590 -52% $1,467 402 $151.244 52 DVD Poster
18 17 Avengers: Age of Ultron Buena Vista $0.468 3% $1,603 292 $455.998 80 DVD Poster
19 16 Mad Max: Fury Road Warner Bros. $0.384 -38% $1,434 268 $150.987 66 DVD Poster
20 15 Dope ORF $0.297 -52% $1,345 221 $16.119 31 DVD Poster
21 18 Love & Mercy RAtt. $0.246 -43% $1,241 198 $11.788 45 DVD Poster
22 14 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Fox Searchlight $0.234 -65% $997 235 $6.199 38 DVD Poster
23 20 Pitch Perfect 2 Universal $0.198 -28% $755 262 $183.436 66 DVD Poster
24 19 I'll See You In My Dreams BST $0.198 -44% $1,212 163 $6.852 66 DVD Poster
25 21 Home 20th Century Fox $0.196 -11% $923 212 $176.249 115 DVD Poster
26 New Irrational Man SPC $0.175 -- $35,062 5 $0.175 3 DVD Poster
27 22 Tomorrowland Buena Vista $0.138 -26% $955 144 $91.756 59 DVD Poster
28 28 Cartel Land Orch. $0.124 25% $2,102 59 $0.311 17 DVD Poster
29 23 Testament of Youth SPC $0.124 -30% $1,192 104 $1.266 45 DVD Poster
30 24 Infinitely Polar Bear SPC $0.119 -29% $1,489 80 $0.804 31 DVD Poster
31 25 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Sony $0.110 -25% $776 142 $20.819 94 DVD Poster
32 New Northern Limit Line WGUSA $0.108 -- $8,327 13 $0.108 3 DVD Poster
33 34 Entourage Warner Bros. $0.088 26% $468 188 $32.244 45 DVD Poster
34 37 Tangerine Magn. $0.075 24% $4,683 16 $0.165 10 DVD Poster
35 42 Jimmy's Hall SPC $0.064 64% $1,494 43 $0.152 17 DVD Poster
36 26 Insidious Chapter 3 Focus $0.055 -59% $637 87 $51.904 45 DVD Poster
37 29 The Wolfpack Magn. $0.052 -46% $998 52 $1.100 38 DVD Poster
38 27 The Overnight Orch. $0.051 -57% $810 63 $1.022 31 DVD Poster
39 30 Far from the Madding Crowd Fox Searchlight $0.050 -43% $676 74 $12.104 80 DVD Poster
40 38 Cinderella Buena Vista $0.048 -19% $461 104 $200.849 129 DVD Poster
41 40 Hot Pursuit Warner Bros. $0.046 -14% $540 85 $34.507 73 DVD Poster
42 32 Aloha Sony $0.045 -43% $502 89 $20.991 52 DVD Poster
43 36 Poltergeist 20th Century Fox $0.041 -35% $571 71 $47.338 59 DVD Poster
44 35 Woman in Gold Weinstein Co. $0.039 -41% $590 66 $33.221 108 DVD Poster
45 New The Stanford Prison Experiment IFC $0.038 -- $18,757 2 $0.038 3 DVD Poster
46 41 Ex Machina A24 $0.031 -30% $991 31 $25.361 101 DVD Poster
47 31 Faith of Our Fathers PFR $0.028 -66% $533 52 $0.953 17 DVD Poster
48 New Boulevard SM $0.027 440% $2,454 11 $0.032 10 DVD Poster
49 New The Third Man Rialto $0.026 -31% $2,369 11 $0.253 24 DVD Poster
50 33 Forever Young CL $0.024 -66% $1,721 14 $0.131 10 DVD Poster
51 44 A Borrowed Identity Strand $0.024 -2% $1,700 14 $0.112 24 DVD Poster
52 49 Island of Lemurs: Madagascar Warner Bros. $0.024 33% $677 35 $10.054 472 DVD Poster
53 New Lila & Eve Gold. $0.022 -- $991 22 $0.022 3 DVD Poster
54 New Do I Sound Gay? IFC $0.015 43% $2,989 5 $0.031 10 DVD Poster
55 51 The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared MBox $0.014 -17% $927 15 $0.854 80 DVD Poster
56 New Ardor Part. $0.014 -- $807 17 $0.014 3 DVD Poster
57 39 A Little Chaos Focus $0.012 -78% $499 25 $0.552 24 DVD Poster
58 59 A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence Magn. $0.012 54% $733 17 $0.164 45 DVD Poster
59 53 The Tribe Drft. $0.007 -53% $777 9 $0.089 31 DVD Poster
60 46 Nowitzki Magn. $0.007 -66% $1,728 4 $0.033 10 DVD Poster
Total Top 60 =
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Home › entertainment › He Starts Singing "Purple Rain," But Look At His Hands When The Camera Pans Out. WHOA!
He Starts Singing "Purple Rain," But Look At His Hands When The Camera Pans Out. WHOA!
- Libellés : entertainment
A few years back when the "King of All Media" Howard Stern celebrated his 60th birthday, tons of his celebrity friends came out to help him celebrate. There were a lot of amazing performances that night, but one shone through in particular. Adam Levine, who you probably know from Maroon 5 or The Voice, wanted to do something special for Stern so he took to the stage to perform one of the most legendary songs of all time, Prince's "Purple Rain."
Levine is mostly known as a vocalist, but when he takes center stage in this performance, you realize the full breadth of his talents. Not only can he sing, he can also play the heck out of a guitar. At 3:45 in the video, he takes on one of the most notoriously difficult solos in music and he absolutely shreds it. Sure, Prince does it better (he's Prince after all) but Levine does a version worthy of the tribute.
After Prince passed away, The Howard Stern Show decided to release this footage of the performance so that everyone could enjoy it. Prince has inspired countless musicians, including Levine, who told People about Prince's influence on his own career as a musician. This performance is a beautiful tribute to Prince, so be sure to enjoy it and SHARE it with the music lovers in your life.
[Source: Youtube]
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OBITUARY - Bowden
The County Record
in Obituaries
Ms. Patricia Kate (Smith) Bowden, 70, of Altha, FL, passed away Saturday, April 28, 2012, in Panama City, FL.
Pat was born on May 22, 1941, in Blountstown, FL, and had lived in Calhoun County for most of her life. She retired from the Department of Revenue with the State of Florida with over 20 years of service. Pat also worked for the Department of Children and Family Services in Blountstown for a number of years. She was a 1959 graduate of Blountstown High School, a 1962 graduate of Chipola College and attended West Florida University in Pensacola. Pat was an avid Florida State Seminole fan; she loved NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.; but most of all, she truly loved her family. Pat was an active Cub Scout den mother for a number of years and she helped with the Boy Scouts. She was one of the first women to receive the Silver Beaver award.
Pat was preceded in death by her parents, George Edward Smith and Dorothy Nell (Love) Smith; and a son, Scott Bennett Bowden.
Survivors include one son, Derry Bowden, of Altha; one daughter, Karla Nichols, and her husband, Hank, of Clarksville; three brothers, George Smith, Jr. and his wife, Carolyn, of Orange Park, FL, Roger Smith of Blountstown, and Rodney Smith and his wife, Tina, of Blountstown; one sister, Kathy Johnson, and her husband, Sammy, of Chattahoochee; four grandchildren, Heather Varnum of Bristol, Nicholas Hansford and girlfriend, Summer Attaway, of Blountstown, Laine Nichols and Hayden Nichols, both of Clarksville; three great-grandchildren, Peyton, Cadence and Ridge, all of Bristol; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday May 1, at 11 am (CDT) at Peavy Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Jim McIntosh officiating. Interment will follow in Pine Memorial Cemetery in Blountstown. The family will receive friends Monday, April 30, from 6 pm until 8 pm (CDT) at Peavy Funeral Home.
All arrangements are under the direction of Marlon Peavy at Peavy Funeral Home in Blountstown (ph. 674-2266).
What is zero plus five?
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Yes a contractor did that.
The HVAC was replaced and the secondary condensate was arranged to drain to the floor. 60 times at a condo complex. The kicker is the two pipes that leave the closet through the wall. One of them is for a secondary drain that terminates in a carport ceiling.
Never terminate the drain on a roof.
It appears to be a condensate drain. The house is a single story and the coil is in a closet with a condensate pump.
There are three condensate drains that empty into one pump. One is from the furnace and then there's the primary and secondary drains from the coil. The pipe with the float switch comes from an emergency drain pan.
Condensate drain pipe is supposed to slope 1/8" per foot. That's not much and there is no scouring action with such a low flow as condensation from a coil or furnace. The pipe, even if dead flat will drainMany times the pipe isn't visible unless you crawl way into the attic. The pipe, even if dead flat, will drain in most cases. Here there is a dip that will be a problem.
When in fact, it was plumbed correctly at one point in time.
The secondary drain terminates at a return air register in a hallway ceiling. So if they find the floor wet they will not have a clue as to what's wrong.
This is typical of the work done by a general contractor. The pipe on the left is a primary condensate. I have written a correction about the pipe running uphill....twice. Today the contractor was there for inspection. He told me that I must be new at this because water drains from the pipe when the A/C is operating. I assured him that I have been an inspector all day long.
The lady seemed forthright. She told me that a big box store contractor went in the attic to prepare a bid to replace her furnace. He told her that she needed to replace the A/C equipment as well as the furnace. She declined because the A/C has been used only a few times in all the years that she's had it. She wondered if it was ok after hearing his diagnosis so she tried it out. She got a huge water bubble on the ceiling.....but it did blow cold air.
Now another contractor has replaced the furnace and left the condensates cut off. I explained what's up but she is out of money.
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Contents tagged with Doping
Russia agrees to pay $15 million fine to International Olympic Committee
Sunday, December 24, 2017 2:00:29 PM
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has agreed to pay $15 million to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the development of a global anti-doping system, as stated by the head of the ROC, Alexander Zhukov, reports TASS news agency.
"We will pay. There is a contractual process currently in process with the IOC, and a payment deadline will be established," he reported.
On December 5, 2017, the IOC Executive Committee decided to suspend the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee, …
Russia to conduct ‘alternative Olympics’ for athletes banned from going to South Korea due to doping
Saturday, December 23, 2017 9:00:59 AM
The Russian Minister of Sport, Pavel Kolobkov, has told journalists that his ministry will organize and carry out separate games for athletes banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, in South Korea.
Kolobkov said the competition will not seek to obtain a new Olympic Games status because the exclusive rights to conduct the Olympics were owned by the International Olympic Committee.
“Currently we are considering organizing a number of competitions and inviting foreign colleagues. We …
WADA suspects 300 Russian athletes of doping
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sent the names of 300 Russian athletes suspected of doping to the international sports federations, Deutsche Welle reports.
On Thursday, December 14th, the sports British edition, Inside the Games, reported that the names of 300 athletes, including the representatives of both summer and winter sports and those who want to participate in the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, had been selected from a list of 10,000 names available to informant Grigory Rodchenkov. …
Canadian biathlon team to boycott competitions in Russia
Thursday, December 14, 2017 5:00:15 PM
The Canadian biathlon team has written a letter to the President of the International Biathlon Union (IBU), Anders Besseberg, informing the Union that the athletes intend to boycott the IBU World Cup in Tyumen, Russia, reported the Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
The reasoning for the boycott is the refusal of the IBU to punish the Russian team for numerous violations of anti-doping regulations discovered by the International Olympic Committee.
"The occurrence of high-level IBU events in Russia is …
Head of International Olympic Committee says Russia trying to spy on him
Russian Federation authorities tried to spy on the Disciplinary Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) while it was investigating the systematic use of doping by Russian athletes, the Chair of the IOC Disciplinary Commission, Samuel Schmid, said in an interview with Aargauer Zeitung newspaper on Saturday, December 9th, DW reports.
“But before we get to work we have taken precautionary measures,” the former head of the Department of Defense and former President of the Swiss …
Putin: Kremlin will not interfere with participation of Russian athletes under neutral flag at 2018 Olympics
Thursday, December 7, 2017 11:00:27 AM
The Kremlin will not interfere with Russian athletes participating under a neutral flag in the 2018 Olympics, said Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with workers at GAZ car plant in Nizhny Novgorod.According to him, the Russian authorities “themselves provided grounds” for the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban the national team from the Olympic Games. At the same time, as Putin put it, the IOC has acted “not quite honestly” with the Russian athletes, …
European Parliament MP Rebecca Harms called for boycott of 2018 World Cup in Russia
In an interview with the German publication Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung , Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rebecca Harms has urged politicians and visitors to boycott the World Cup in Russia.
"Politicians and visitors should stay away from the 2018 World Cup," Harms said.
The MEP added that Russia is not a country where it is worth holding such competitions. She named former German President Joachim Gauck, who refused to attend the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, as a model example. …
Russia refuses to return medals of athletes accused of doping
The Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation declared that skiers and bobsledders who were disqualified from the Olympics and stripped of their 2014 Olympic Medals are not going to return the medals and will ask the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to consider their lawsuits before the 2018 Olympics, reported Interfax, citing a source in the Russian Ministry of Sport.
“The Bobsled Federation of Russia and the Cross-Country Ski Federation of Russian are ready to appeal to the …
WADA refuses to lift suspension of Russia’s anti-doping agency
Friday, November 17, 2017 11:00:04 AM
The Foundation Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency or WADA decided not to restore the rights of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency or RUSADA.
Leaving in force the decision on RUSADA, the Foundation Board noted the absence among Russian sports functionaries of the "unconditional recognition of the conclusions from the McLaren report," the BBC reports.
RUSADA activity was suspended in November 2015 after the independent WADA commission published a report that revealed a state-supported system of …
Media: WADA will not restore authorization of Russian anti-doping agency
A German ARD correspondent, Hajo Seppelt, states that according to his sources, on November 16th in Seoul, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will again state that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) does not meet WADA standards and will not be reinstated.
According to the journalist, WADA did not receive confirmation of the implementation of two sections of the plan - Russia did not recognize the conclusions of Professor Richard McLaren about the existence of a system supporting doping …
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Home Features A SATIRE: THE TRIBE OF STRUGGLES
A SATIRE: THE TRIBE OF STRUGGLES
The great Kingdom lies in the heart of a vibrant nation of wealthy and influential people. Indeed, it is the kind of kingdom that many strive to be associated with, known for its many rich resources, most especially those of the human nature. It is in fact, the pride of the nation.
Within this Kingdom, like in every other kingdom, is a king who ideally is there to control the affairs of the Kingdom. But this Kingdom has a special mode of kingship, in that the king himself is ruled by those who put him in place, not the citizens, no, but the kingmakers. The Chief Kingmaker is therefore, the true ruler of the kingdom. It is not as though the citizens enjoy being ruled by this Chief Kingmaker, but there is nothing they can do, as long as their King is chosen by him. Any attempt to create and enforce change, and they are exiled from the kingdom. At present, they do not even like their King. But who are they to speak against the declaration of the Chief Kingmaker?
Then the Kingdom is further divided into the Tribes and Clans, and this is how they are divided. Clan members are chosen based on skill, and area of working specialisation. The Clans are what we can call trade unions. They are the groupings based on skill, while the Tribes are the groupings based on gender, as well as geographical location. And within these Tribes and Clans, there are also kings. Two sets of kings, precisely. The Junior King does not act without the backing of the Senior King, but at the same time, the Junior king acts in the interest of the citizens, while the senior king is the representative of the aforementioned Chief Kingmaker and his band of Kingmakers.
The hierarchy goes on and on, because under every king is a set of Chiefs, who also see to the administration of their jurisdiction. But we shall not dwell too much on the hierarchy. We shall dwell on the happenings in this wonderful, highly-envied, and yet confused world that is the Great Kingdom.
Deep into the thickly vegetated forest that this Kingdom is characterised by, lies the Tribe of Struggles. It is a female tribe. One might wonder why females, who are considered to be the weaker sex, should be thrown into the heart of the forest, almost exiled from the civilisation of the kingdom, and thus subjected to a life of hardship, all against their very will. Some have suggested privacy, protection, many outrageous things, but the truth that stands is that the living standards of these women is as less-privileged as the environment which they are subjected to live in, as clearly denoted by their tribal name. The only seemingly good thing about the life in this Tribe is that anybody, and truly, anybody can be subjected to it, regardless of position. However, there are, of course, an over-privileged few, who ditch the moral high road and run down and out into the supposedly civilised parts of the Kingdom, taking with them, the sweet-mouthed influence of a few Chiefs, Kings, or the greatest of them, Kingmakers, as their alibi. But the norm still stands that anybody, and indeed, anybody, can be assigned to a hut in the Tribe of Struggles, with no room for change or complaint.
It is the duty of the Senior King of every tribe to assign huts to tribe members. Census is a yearly affair, and after each census is a reassignment of huts. Women die, women come, women go, women are exiled. And so there must be a reassignment, making post-census period the most critical time of the year, as the women anticipate the same life of struggle with a new set of people.
In the early days before the Kingdom became a great one, when it was still an expanse of land upon which men tried to create a purpose for living, the hut assignment was desirable. Two persons to a hut, no congestion, no disturbance. But as the Kingdom expanded and numbers increased, foresight did not, and so it remained the same old huts, to cater to the larger Kingdom. Two became four, and four finally became five. This year, the women are placed five to a hut, no choice involved. It is bad news when two bulls try to drink from the same trough. But what word, can ever measure up to describe the nature of catastrophe attached to a drinking trough that is forced, against its will, to cater to five large bulls, against their own will?
It is not that all the women are large and important, no. But there are definitely a number of large and important women. When coincidence plays a practical joke on the human, it is never funny to anyone, but her own self.
She is the daughter of the Kingdom Diviner, spirituality flows in her veins. If there is anybody to whom spiritual power has been bequeathed in perpetual abundance, it is she. Your first encounter with her is likely to be at the peak of the mountain, which is the centre of worship for the Kingdom. She is always there, connecting to the spirituality within her. Little wonder she is called the Razor, she cuts a path on the divination tray that is sharper than the point of a Hunter’s arrow. Ah, the Hunter. She will cross paths with the Hunter, but not yet. The king is a Hunter, and the Hunter is a king. But she who cuts sharper than his arrow, she whose current is triggered by supernatural power, also has her eyes on the throne. She has her eyes, not on the throne of the Junior King of her Tribe, no, but on the throne of the next-in-command to the King of the Kingdom. It might interest you to know that she is not the Kingmakers’ choice, and that she is a citizen of the Tribe of Struggles.
Of course, one who has had to undergo suffering and struggle, is automatically the ideal candidate for leadership, because it is expected that that person knows just where it hurts and bites. Expectations though, are only expectations, nothing more than that. And many-a-time, that which we expect is that which will place itself as far away from us as possible, and even create a chasm, such that, even if effort was made to bring Expectation closer, success would be an impossible feat, and futility would be inevitable.
The women of the Tribe of Struggles suffered it last season. One of them was wearing the shoes that this spiritual daughter now wears, and fortune worked in her favour. The expectation was that, having been in those tight shoes, and knowing just where they hurt, would make her the ideal woman for the job. Little did they know, that something worse than the opposite would occur, and change the entire state of things. Not only did this woman forget about her tight shoes, she went ahead to deal in such dishonour that she was forced on an exile from the council of High Chiefs: A prime situation of betrayal of trust, and a trigger for the worst type of scepticism. The cycle is starting again, with this Divining Daughter, but the real question lies in whether she will complete it, or break it to pieces. Or, more appropriately, shred it to pieces, and live up to her name and reputation as the Razor.
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DEAR NIGERIAN ELECTORATE, IT’S TIME TO GET IT RIGHT OR FURTHER...
HEALTH PAROLE
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Mahinda Rajapaksa was lack of good governance, transparency, freedom of expression and freedom
5th June 2015 Karu LATEST UPDATES, SRI LANKA NEWS, Uncategorized 0
By Niranjala Ariyawansha
Governor of the Eastern Province Austin Fernando says: “We must understand that development alone will not appease people. The reason for the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa was the lack of good governance, transparency, freedom of expression and freedom for organizing. People give prominence to freedom which was not here.
What is the situation of reconciliation among the people of the Eastern Province, six years after the end of war
A: We have to consider several factors when we speak of reconciliation. What is our perception? Reconciliation is discussed widely by politicians in the media. They express divided thoughts and some think that reconciliation is bringing it to one dialogue. But it is not reconciliation.
People lose lives, they are displaced and their rights violated due to war. Many think reconciliation is rebuilding their lives and making them happy. Many think resettling them will end the problem. They think, end of political conflicts and legal reforms will complete reconciliation. But it is a wrong perception.
The government had to deal with a lot of things within the past four years. We did a lot of changes and the divisions between the political parties minimized. The Chief Minister of the Eastern Province is a Muslim. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which contested the election against the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has accepted two ministerial portfolios. The Chairman of the Eastern Provincial Council is a UNP Councillor. They have joined to administer the Province. This is what is expected everywhere in the island, but still it has taken place only in the Eastern Province. I am proud as Governor of that Province, of the development. I had to mediate to create the situation. I discussed with the political authority to create the situation. But we failed to achieve certain objectives. We can’t do everything within four months.
The biggest service rendered towards reconciliation in the Eastern Province was taking over of 818 acres of land in Sampur by the government under a special Gazette. But the Gateway Company which had taken over the land from the Board of Investment (BOI) filed a case. Were the hopes of the people shattered with it
A: We were proud to announce the release of 100 acres of Northern Province and 818 acres of Sampur land to the people. A total number of 825 families were to be resettled in this land. But it does not mean that all 818 acres will be given to these 825 families. They will be given back the land they owned. Those who owned one acre will have that one acre and those who owned 20 perches will have those 20 perches.
However, the process has been delayed due to the lawsuit. The Court ordered to suspend action under the special Gazette. But the Court again has withdrawn the Stay Order and we are waiting for the Court verdict which is expected to be delivered before 15 June.
What did you propose for the reconciliation in the Eastern Province
A: We have focused on Sampur, because the biggest problem is there. We want the people to be resettled there. They must be given a respectable life there. The livelihoods must be rebuilt. Infrastructure like roads, irrigation and schools must be developed. I believe people’s democratic rights will improve when such problems are solved.
What is your view on the opinion promoted by the TNA and civil society organizations that the military camps must be withdrawn from Northern and Eastern Provinces
A: Matters like withdrawing the High Security Zones and military camps are not against my view. There is no tough military intervention here like in the North. In the Eastern Province, we have no conflict between the military and political authorities. National security belongs to List No. 2 under the Provincial Council Act. There is no gap as wide as the one in the Northern Province between the Governor and military.
Do you think this agreement between the Governor and military in the Eastern Province is healthier in terms of peace building
A: Yes. It is very healthy. Military is not an obstacle to my work. The senior military officials of the present time were the junior officers when I was the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. Some problems are easily resolved through that relationship. They too are very cordial. But in the North, there are homogenous groups and heterogenous groups. When the Northern Provincial Council announces that there was genocide, they create a conflict with the military. But the situation in the Eastern Province is different. The ethnic groups are mixed here. The attitudes, dialogues and objections are different here. There are agreements too. We have a unity government here.
Have you taken steps to create normalcy by way of handing over of land back to people and resettling people
A: The most important factor is building mutual understanding. It is naive thinking that people will be appeased merely due to development projects. That’s why people of the North defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Election despite the development he carried out.
We must understand that development alone will not appease people. The reason for the defeat was the lack of good governance, transparency, freedom of expression and freedom for organizing. People give prominence to freedom which was not here.
The past regime took some decisions to show off to the UNHRC. Does the present government also act in the same way
A: The present government is completely different. We want people to be resettled in their original lands. We want them to be granted the respectable life they had earlier. We have already provided it in the Northern Province and we shall do it in the Eastern Province as well. The best example is the release of land. The issue was discussed in Geneva too, but we don’t do it merely in fear of the UNHRC.
The past regime also resettled people. Housing was developed with the intervention of the military. Basil Rajapaksa highlighted the developments in Parliament and said they gave the people freedom to worship in temples
They are good. But they hadn’t done it fairly. If they had done so, they would have won the Presidential Election. This means that the way the past regime treated people had problems and they had done it merely for political advantage.
You keep your kitchen clean. But here the people cover the kitchen with a couple of cadjans. Cows, dogs, cats live and children study in one packed space which has a tin roof. Your house may also have some roofing problems, but water flows across their houses. People here sleep comfortably in the rain, but they lack sleep in rainy nights. Is it wrong to give them the facilities we have? Are they not people with equal rights?
We cannot let it happen anymore.We have to provide them with what we have. Basil says they gave the people freedom to worship in temples. But, does the military make way for you to go to the temple in your area? No. Why weren’t they allowed to pray to their Gods freely? The military cannot decide the times and the ways the people observe their religion. This lack of freedom was the problem and we try to resolve that issue. Government is keen in doing it.
Eastern Province is a region where people of all communities live. You will have to be extremely careful when making decisions
A: When I went to the Eastern Province, the Muslim politicians were plotting to chase away the Muslim Chief Minister. I changed the situation and now there are no clashes among the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim politicians. I have created political reconciliation. All are happy. I don’t mean that there may not be any clash in future. But today the people of diverse ethnic identities do not clash in the Eastern Province. The situation was not like this a few months back. People clashed for diverse issues like placement of religious symbols.
How could you create that situation
A: I think the question must be asked from others. I believe people must be rendered justice. If you come to meet me you will see on my table only the National Flag and the statue of the Lady of Justice. If somebody sets forth an unfair demand, I say I ask them to let me live like that statue. Conflicts erupt when one avenges unfair acts.
What is the situation of law and order in the Eastern Province after the end of the war
A: There were some drawbacks. War was the result. We need time to rid ourselves of that mentality. People move away from normalcy when there is war. In the past, we read newspapers to know the number of deaths. That mentality is the result of war. Journalists and editors know it very well. They too were fed from war like the politicians and military officers. They published photos of people suffering. Then they branded those who launched bomb attacks as terrorists and those who saved people as war heroes. Don’t be angry with me, but that situation no more prevails.
In some parts of the Eastern Province, land allocated to one community had been squatted on by the people of the other communities. I told the Chief Minister that we cannot allow it to happen so. The defence authorities have found that there are problems in some districts. For example, the crime rate has gone up in the Batticaloa District. They are the side effects of war.
Likewise, we cannot avoid the problems related to ethnic, religious, social, economic and personal problems among people. They are in the South too. People do not try to live in peace. The engagement of the religious leaders and elders is also not sufficient. Perhaps, people may resent each other due to the high heat here.
How do the people respond to a civil Governor like you in a Province where the previous Governor was a military officer
A: No one has told me that I am good and the former Governor was bad. Former Governor Rear Admiral Mohan Wejewickrema is a friend of mine. Anyone who served in military for 25-30 years tend to get used to military ways and means. It is normal. I too might get used to a military style of life if I was there. Likewise, some bosses are blamed by their wives early in the morning and then they relieve their pressure on the subordinates of their offices.
Military officers do not associate with people, politicians or administrators. They are saluted by the juniors from morning and they live in such a context. My mindset is different and my behaviour too reflects it. But you must ask others whether my behaviour is good or bad.
Mostly the politicians in North and the East are anti-government. They stand on the opposite side of the government as well as the military. They normally don’t like the senior public officials appointed by the government. When a military officer is appointed for a civil position, the situation worsens.
Are you satisfied about the service you have rendered in the Eastern Province
A: I didn’t have much time either to be satisfied or not. I assumed duty as the Governor on 27 January, i.e. four months ago. I run fast, but I am still not tired. It is said that new brooms sweep well.
Minority Representation Through The 20A
Addressing “blocked grief” in Jaffna
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GRSG Working Documents - 2014
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/32 - (Belgium) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 39 (Speedometer)
French DOC PDF
Russian DOC PDF
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/31 - (OICA) Proposal for amendments to the 05 and 06 series of amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/30 - (Netherlands and the Natural Gas Vehicles Global) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 110 (CNG/LNG vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/29 - (Netherlands) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 110 (CNG/LNG vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/28 - (Belgium) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 110 (CNG/LNG vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/27 - (Netherlands and the Natural Gas Vehicles Global) Proposal for Supplement 3 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 110 (CNG/LNG vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/26 - (Japan) Proposal for amendments to the 04 series of amendments to Regulation No. 46 (Devices for indirect vision)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/25 - (Secretariat) Proposal for amendments to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/78/Rev.3 on the Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/24 - (OICA) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 118 (Burning behaviour)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/23 - (Germany) Proposal for Supplement 3 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 43 (Safety glazing)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/22 - (EU) Proposal for the amendments to 05 and 06 series of amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/20 - (OICA) Proposal for Supplement 2 to the 05 series of amendments to Regulation No. 105 (ADR vehicles)
English only DOC PDF
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/19 - (Belgium) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/18 - (Germany) Proposal for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 58 (Rear underrun protection)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/17 - (Germany) Proposal for Supplement 1 to the 04 series of amendments to Regulation No. 46 (Devices for indirect vision)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/16 - (Japan) Proposal for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 34 (Prevention of fire risks)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/15 - (France) Proposal for Supplement 3 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 43 (Safety glazing)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/14 - (OICA) Proposal for Supplement 3 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 43 (Safety glazing)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/13 - (Netherlands) Proposal for Supplement 1 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 118 (Burning behaviour)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/12 - (OICA) Proposal for Supplement 9 to Regulation No. 121 (Identification of controls, tell-tales and indicators)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/11 - (OICA) Proposal for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 58 (Rear underrun protection)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/10 - (OICA) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 46 (Devices for indirect vision)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/9 - (CLEPA) Proposal for Supplement 3 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 43 (Safety glazing)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/8 - (Germany) Proposal for Supplement 3 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 43 (Safety glazing)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/7 - (Hungary) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/6/Rev.1 - (Sweden) Proposal for a Supplement to the 06 series of amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
English DOC PDF (with track changes)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/6 - (Sweden) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/5 - (OICA) Proposal for Supplements to the 05 and 06 series of amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/3 - (Germany) Proposal for Supplements to the 05 and 06 series of amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2014/2 - (Germany) Proposal for amendments to Regulation No. 107 (M2 and M3 vehicles)
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tv Americas News HQ FOX News September 12, 2015 12:00pm-1:01pm PDT
next thing we'll have a beagle that catches 14 balls in under a minute. >> we'll let this keep playing until the top of the hour. you don't want to see more of us but more of the beagle. >> that's all for "american headquarters in washington." >> see you next weekend. hello, i'm uma pemmaraju live in new york. the spotlight on iowa, new hampshire and north carolina as a number of republican hopefuls hit the campaign trail in key states this weekend just days ahead of the next presidential debate. donald trump still holding on as number one in the crowded field, but his rivals like governor bobby jindal are taking aim in a big way. >> conservatives have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get our country back, to implement conservative principles. we have to ask ourselves, are we going to turn the prudent conservative principles or turn to a man who believes in nothing more than himself? >> i'll have much more on my
interview with the louisiana governor just minutes away. plus, residents on edge at this hour. 11 shootings along a major interstate in arizona. are cops getting any closer to finding out who is responsible for the reckless crime? we're live in phoenix. plus, new questions erupting over concerns about whether intelligence reports about al qaeda or isis may have been skewed saying we are gaining ground there. we want to know who is behind it. "america's news headquarters" starts right now. game on in iowa today. the republican presidential candidates are converging on the hawkeye state with hope of gaining momentum and supporters. don altd trump holding a high-profile rally where hundreds gathered to hear more from the candidates who
according to the latest polls shows him emerging as the clear front-runner. senators marco rubio along with rand paul and scott walker are taking part in a tailgate party ahead of a college football game. mike emmanuel is joining us live with the action from boone, iowa. mike? >> reporter: well, uma, i asked donald trump what his takeaway of the latest poll. and the latest poll is showing trump number one. dr. ben carson at number two. and he says clearly iowa voters are looking for the outsider. we'll look at the quinnipiac survey showing donald trump out front. they know dr. ben carson at 21%. all the others in single digit, ted cruise third, jeb bush fourth, marco rubio fifth and carly fiorina fifth. scott walker rounds out the top ten in iowa. trump rallied supporters here in boone debuting a new camouflage version of his make america great again hack and trump offered this reaction to the news, former governor rick perry has dropped out of the race.
>> perry is -- isn't he a nice man? mr. perry, governor perry, he's gone. good luck. he was very nasty to me. i hear ben who is a nice guy, he's a very nice man. he's surging but way behind me. i say, what about me? i'm leading? they don't mention that. the headline is carson surging. i keep saying, what about trump? i say, oh, well you're leading. you know, by the way, i'm surging much more than him. i'm surging more than anybody. >> also new this weekend is florida senator marco rubio looking to climb up the ranks in the polls. we caught up with him at a local brewery and asked him about perry dropping out. >> you know, governor perry, i don't know him very well but met him a few times and always liked him a lot. obviously a man very deeply in his faith. you heard that today in his announcement. i don't believe he's done serving our country.
obviously this is tough. >> reporter: tough, indeed. you have governor scott walker of neighboring wisconsin who was the very early front-runner in iowa that now dropped to tenth place in the latest poll. to be fair to him and all the others, there's still plenty of time before iowa voters go to their caucuses. >> that's right. we are still months away. mike, thank you so much. well, all this week donald trump's been taking quite a few hits from his rivals on the campaign trail. one of them not holding back at all is louisiana governor bobby jindal. i had a chance to catch up with him earlier. >> welcome, governor. great to have you on the show today. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> your campaign has taken a very big turn this week with you launching a no-holds-barred attack on donald trump. you call him, quote, a narcissist, egomaniac and questioned his faith say, quote, he had not read the bible. isn't that calling him a phony
christian? is that a cheap shot? >> well, a couple things. first, the comment about the bible is when asked his favorite book, he said the bible and said he couldn't name a vipture verse that impacted him. i joked that he had not read the bible because his name is not in it. here's the serious point. we've got a unique opportunity in our country. the left has run the country into the ground. $18 trillion of debt. planned parenthood selling baby parts across the country. our president who is about to allow iran to become a nuclear power. he's run the country into the ground. conservatives have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get our country back, to implement conservative principles. we have to ask ourselves, are we going to turn to proven conservative principles or to a man who leaves in nothing but himself? the idea of donald trump is great. it's been an entertaining show. but at the heart of it, he's not a conservative, a liberal, a moderate, he doesn't believe in anything but himself. it's time to say enough is enough. >> when you say he's not a
conservative, are you referring to his ties to the democratic party in the past? because when you take a look at it, for example, ronald reagan was a democrat in his political career. and then he ended up switching over. so it does show that people can evolve as politicians in public service. >> certainly. others are criticized if we're giving money to democrats or being friends with the clintons for his previous position, that's not what i'm saying. look, i don't think he has any interest in policy or substance. he tells us his tax plan and health care plan will be fabulous and terrific. he's all over the plan for socialized medicine one day and for a higher tax rate. donald trump is not for limited government. he's really just for donald trump. look, he's not against top-down big government, he's just to posed to the idea he's not running it. a lot of the show has been entertaining. i enjoy the fact he's an outsider but he's politically correct. he takes on the d.c. establishment. i agree with that. the polls need to be fired,
including the republicans and democrats. his dig diagnosis is right, the prescription is wrong. one is that he may implode if he's the nominee. he could implode in a general election giving this election away. i think hillary clinton has gift-wrapped this election. he's the best gift for hillary clinton. here's the worst alternative. if we actually got in the office, we have no idea what he'll do. people say you can't let him near the nuclear because it's worse than that. we have no idea what he'll do in the white house. this is not about me but a moment in time in our country when the idea of america is fading away. >> i hear you about that, but you are launching this attack against mr. trump who responds in a twitter response and says, quote, he did not make the debate stage and therefore i have never met him. i only respond to people that register more than 1% in the polls. i never thought he had a chance and has been proven right. with all due respect, sir, you are registering in the latest cnn poll at 1%.
what are you going to do in terms of gaining the momentum? where do you go from here to reach to voters? >> i wish donald had been better in his insult. i was expecting more to come back to insult and say i'm going to be president or insult my faith or say i have low energy like others. he can do better than that. but this isn't about me. this is about the fact we have a narcissist and egomaniac. it is always all about donald trump. the act is entertaining but this is an important moment to get our country back. the more they attack the donald trump establishment, the more strong he gets. he's right we need to fire the political insiders in d.c. but wrong in saying donald trump is the solution. we need to beers so. let's turn our conservative principles and not to this entertainer. >> you pointed out though who attacked him ended up hurting their own campaigns and their numbers went down. you're not worried about that?
>> not at all. look, the way they attacked him saying he's a cancer to conservativism and giving money to clintons. i'm not saying that. and all that's right, but the bigger point, i think they missed the bigger point. he's an egomaniac, a bafoon, he's not going to be the next nominee or president. it's time to get through the summer silliness season, it's over and time to get serious. >> the there you have it. bobby jindal not mincing words there. so just what is it about trump that's connecting with voters? earlier i spoke to geraldo rivera. he spent lots of time with trump as a contestant on the show "celebrity apprentice" and he offers insight into trump's personna. >> he does have an intimidating aura about him, but what he says
generally speaking, although he doesn't follow the rules of political correctness, generally speaking i would argue that what he says in response to some of the negative criticism is pretty much fact-based. however fam buoyantly flamboyantly insulting it may be. >> i'll have more on that interview coming up next hour. and now i want to hear about the presidential sweepstakes. with the second presidential debate coming up, i want to know if you were moderating the next presidential debate, what questions would you ask? tweet me @umapemmaraju and we'll try to get to your answers later at the end of the show. turning now to the showdown over the iran nuke deal. and it continues to be a heated one for republicans who are standing firm in their opposition against it. the house voting to reject the deal on friday after senate democrats earlier blocked a resolution of disapproval. in the gop's weekly address to
the country, the chairman of the house homeland security committee, michael mccall, says they will continue to listen to the american people and keep working to stop the deal. >> it will leave iran with the ingredients for a bomb. and the infrastructure to build it. and it will give iran a cash windfall freeing up over $100 billion to fuel the regime's global campaign of islamist terror. incredibly the agreement also failed to curve iran's intercontinental ballistic missiles, which the ayatollah says they will now mass produce. >> so the stakes remain quite high. joining us now, republican congressman peter king of new york. a member of the house homeland security committee. welcome, sir. great to have you on the show today. >> thank you, uma. thank you. >> lots of fireworks in congress this week over the nuke deal and the gop's efforts to find a way to block its movement in the house and senate. but even with the vocal opposition, it appears the
president will have a victory on this one since there are not enough votes to scrap the deal's entirety. many conservatives are set right now with the leadership on the way this went down. what is your take? >> you know, i have to disagree with that. if they are opposed to anyone, it should be the constitution. the president does have the power to veto and the senate rules do say you have to have more than 60 votes to go ahead with the debate. even if they had gone ahead with the debate and voted down in the senate or moved to disapprove it and we had done the same in the house, the president could still veto it. so the reality is the president won the election. i think he's abusing his power. i think that certainly it goes against the spirit of the way the commander and chief should act. but under the constitution, the president has the right to veto. and that was ultimately no matter how the votes come out in the house or senate. we would not have had the two-thirds. republicans are making a mistake going after the republican leadership and should be focused on barack obama and should be focused on nancy pa lelosi and
should be focused on harry reid. the only way we'll become president in 2016 is by electing more republicans and congressmen rather then a setting up the firing squad. >> the polls show the majority of americans don't want this deal and don't trust iran are. you confident about nuclear sites being credible at this time? >> no, not at all. i'm totally opposed to this deal. i start off with the premise that even if iran fully complies with the agreement, it's bad for the united states. because, in fact, it plays a nuclear infrastructure for iran and that leaves them only one year away from a nuclear bomb. in addition to that, we know iran is going to cheat and the inspection process is totally inadequate. just the basic fact that they would have 24 days of notice before any inspections could begin. so this agreement is wrong from top to bottom and is entirely wrong. my only point before was don't blame the republican leadership.
i'm not part of the leadership, but this is barack obama's deal and the democrats in the house. the democrats in the senate who stood with the president on this. and they are the ones we should be focused on. not john boehner and mitch mcconnell. >> i want to talk to you about further concerns on what is taking place internationally with the fact we are seeing the russian buildup in syria. with the escalation of russian presence beginning just days after a secret meeting this summer between iran's lead commander and vladimir putin. have the russians moved from being inviters to now co-leading the war in syria as some sources are suggesting? what can you tell us about this and what about the fallout for the white house? >> first of all, jennifegriffin on reporting this. agreeing with general jack king, this is an attempt by russia to reestablish itself as a force in the middle east. and this is all due the to the
president easterab' easterabl's syria. he actually allowed the russians to become mediators in this when it was 40 years ago they were thrown out of the middle east by saddam. now as president obama brings them back into force, now they see what they can get away with in ukraine and it appears they are doing the same thing in syria. and it's bad enough in syria, but what this is doing is establishing or reestablishing russia's power in the middle east. that's why you see countries like saudi arabia and egypt who wanted nothing to do with the russians for years and are now concerning armed deals with the russians because they don't trust the united states. but it is important and it goes beyond syria itself. it mean that is russia is once again becoming a player. now they are back in almost at the direct invitation of president obama. >> you know, let's also expand
this discussion to the fact that we are dealing with a situation of horrific proportions right now. humanitarian crisis with the syrian migrants around the world going from syria going into europe. and we are hearing that the president wants to bring up the 10,000 or so of these migrants over the next year. but are you among those worried about the vetting process? should we be concerned about terrorists and migrants crossing our borders? >> uma, i'm very concerned. obviously this is a humanitarian crisis. many of the refugees, economic refugees are coming -- they are living in syria and trying to get into turkey. but having said that, there's a humanitarian crisis here. but i do not believe the united states should take in a large number of the refugees because we have no way of vetting who they are and there's virtually no intelligence on the ground. over more than a year now, the u.s. has been trying to vet refugees. they have only gotten in 1600 they have been able to clear. and the president says we'll
have 10,000 in the next year. how you go from 1500 over a period of more than a year to 10,000 within a year, to me, we know that isis wants to infiltrate and come into europe and the united states hiding with these refugees. and there's no databases and no government records. there's no reliable records at all of these people coming from syria. and we are not even sure they are from syria. we know others from arab nations are coming in with the refugees. no, this is bad. as much as the humanitarian impulses say something -- >> are you basically saying we shouldn't let them in until there's a proper vetting system in place before they are allowed to come? >> absolutely. i have spoken to those involved in the vetting. i don't see how you do it in large numbers. we can bring in small numbers, but we have put together a fighting force vetted over the last several years. it's going to be very, very difficult. and my main obligation is my heart goes out to the refugees, but my obligation is to the
american people to make sure they are not killed by terrorists. >> peter king, thank you so much for joining us. always appreciate it. it's a tough situation and a horrific situation forhose migrants and ref yugees. thank you. >> thank you, uma. all in a bid to make it appear that isis and other terrorist groups are not as dangerous as first feared. lawmakers want answers now on how this might have happened. and police are questioning someone in connection with several shootings near busy interstates. more on the person of interest and why the nightmare may not be over yet. >> normally when you see an arrest, you don't see too much officers.
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but mattress price wars ends sunday at sleep train. ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ welcome back with this fox news alert. police are now questioning a person of interest in the arizona highway shootings. over the last two weeks, 11 cars and trucks have been hit. so far no one has been seriously
injured as investigators continue to look for answers. will carr is standing by now live in phoenix with the latest on this investigation. will? >> reporter: hi, uma. authorities continue to look for their prime suspect. drivers here on i-10 in phoenix still really on edge throughout the course oftoday. there have been several calls to authorities where drivers thought their cars were being shot at but turns by they were being hit by debris and rocks. but this comes after 11 cars have been shot in the past 13 days. police are working 24/7. we just had a police helicopter fly over us a short time ago as they are looking at nearby surveillance video and still also need the public's help. now yesterday there appeared to be a break in the case as they were questioning a person of interest. the man oscar munoz after bragging to friends about involvement in the latest shootings. but munoz say they have no idea
why police believe they are involved. >> i just stopped for cigarettes and a drink. and when i got into my truck, they got into my truck and threw me on the ground. and had my mom with guns all over her. they have not told us why. they keep saying, we can't tell you. >> reporter: munoz was booked on a separate drug charge and to our knowledge is still behind bars today. authorities do tell me he's not, quote, their guy. they say their prime suspect or suspects are still out there admitting there could be more than one gunman. they say this is a difficult case with a lot of moving cars. now if there's any good news here, there's only been one injury. a 13-year-old was hurt when some glass hit her face after one of these recent shootings. nobody else seriously hurt. authorities, uma, say they are doing everything they can to make sure that it's staying that way. >> will, thank you very much for the update from phoenix, arizona.
well, hillary clinton could be losing her front-runner status. what the new polls say about her race as bernie sanders continues to gain momentum. plus, donald trump is holding on to his top spot bashing critics all along the way. so who exactly is the man behind all the headlines? geraldo rivera who has known trump for years weighs in. >> he's definitely thin-skinned and also arrogant. he also does not suffer fools. he's a lot like floyd play mayweather. it's from daddy. sfx: dad's voice i love you baby girl. duracell quantum lasts longer in 99% of devices so you can always be there. ♪
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welcome back, everybody. bernie sanders expanding his political staff as he inches closer to hillary clinton in the democratic presidential race. a new quinnipiac poll university survey has sanders drawing even with hillary clinton for the first time in iowa. now the independent vermont senator edging the once
democratic favorite 41% to 40%. we are joined now live from washington with more on what this means for the democratic race. molly? >> hi, uma. they are separated by one point which is within the margin of error, so this is a dead heat. we talk about the quinnipiac poll to show bernie sander who is has two events in south carolina today has closed the nearly 20-point gap to make it a toss-up in iowa. at least at this point. clinton led 52% to 33% in july. and now she's behind by one point. here's what bernie sanders said about bringing change to washington. >> no president, not bernie sanders or anybody else, can deal with the crises facing working families today unless there is a mass movement of millions of people who look at
washington and say loudly and clearly, enough is enough. >> reporter: clinton who has been mired in controversy over the private e-mail server she used as secretary of state is also trailing sander business nine points in new hampshire according to a poll earlier this week. indicating that sanders seems to have momentum now in the first two states to vote in the primary season. but clinton says she's been working on locking in delegates for the democratic convention. and in a new cnn poll out yesterday, she still has a ten-point lead over sanders, although that lead has slunk significantly over the summer. as for the new too close to call poll out of iowa, sanders' campaign says, quote, it's delighted. clinton's campaign said it knew iowa would be, quote, a close race. >> molly, thank you very much. very interesting to watch indeed. i clearly think apologizing
is a great thing, but if you're wrong, you're wrong. for instance, they wanted me to apologize when i first announced for president. i will absolutely apologize sometime in the hopefully distant future if i'm never wrong. >> did you happen to see that? donald trump on "the tonight show with jimmy fallon." the donald proving he's never afraid to speak his mind. earlier i spoke to a man who has known him for years and could offer insight into the mind of this larger-than-life businessman, geraldo rivera. thank you for being here. >> my pleasure. >> you're a great friend of donald trump and lots of folks are really looking at this campaign and scratching their heads saying, wait a minute. he seems to defy all the proper protocols of political etiquette. why do you think he is so masterfully able to throw out the rule book out the window and have the political pundits really stymied on this one as he
continues to gain traction? >> that's a great question. i just ran into johnny damon, the former new york yankee/boston red sox hall of famer who was on "celebrity apprentice" with me. i've known donald for decades, but we really got to see him up close and with his children and grandchildren. got to see him with his business associates. he really is, not only a charismatic, energetic, original ball of fire, but he's also a genuinely nice guy. some of his ideaes, some of his policies, if it were any other politician, i would be shunning them and be absolutely rejecting what he said about mexicans, rapists and drug dealers, carly fiorina might in some other mouth sound so horrible. somehow in his comes across as part of his charm. why does he defy gravity? great question. and i don't know other than to say that i believe that donald trump is a very genuine force of
nature. that he is unique. that his success makes him independent. he is a one-of-a-kind. i used to say if someone was really unique or original, wow, one in a million. trump is a one-of-a-kind. there's no one else like him. he's someone as a builder, as a philanthropist and a businessman has the kind of skills and life skills as i said, i've seen him with his family on lots of occasions, he really can be a terrific president. i think a lot of people are sick of washington, sick of insiders, sick of lobbyists and the fact that the game is rigged against the little guy. >> we take a look at this guy that you have known for decades, but he seems to have a very thin skin because every time someone goes on the attack against him, amongst the political rivals, he is quick to fire back.
what is it about that? why does he have this thin skin? >> well, he's definitely thin skinned and also arrogant. he also does not suffer fools. he's a lot like floyd mayweather. not like any other politicians but like the great boxer, maybe the greatest boxer ever. floyd mayweather is a counter puncher. he waits until you try to hit him and then whack, whack, whack. that's the way trump is. he's a counter-puncher. he's thin-skinned and does have an intimidating aura about him. but what he says generally speaking, although he doesn't follow the rules of political correctness, generally speaking, i would argue that what he says in response to some of the negative criticism is pretty much fact-based. however, flamboyantly insulting it might be. >> but some say that -- is that really presidential when you let people get under your skin like this? is he going to respond every
time, for example, like putin or another senator, somebody who says, that guy is nuts? >> i think that's the big question that the american voters have to answer. it's one thing to say you're going to vote for someone in a poll. it's another thing to say when you're in the privacy of the polling place and do you really want donald trump with his hands near the red button at 3:00 in the morning when he gets the word, or do you want him yelling at vladimir putin and telling him he's a jerk-off. it is possible that that personality would translate. however, i personally do not expect that. i don't believe that he could have been as successful as he has been to amass this fortune in the middle of this, the most observed public scrutinized island in the center of the world if he were not a reasonable and reasonably prudent person. i think that every american has to make that judgment. some would say he's burned a lot of bridges. i would say he's beat up or bent a lot of bridges to straighten out with women, with latinos for
sure, with others. it is clear that he's taking all of the oxygen out of the political atmosphere. i think that trump is definitely the odds-on favorite now to win the republican nomination. i think it is a much greater challenge for him to win the presidency. but i was wondering, when we talked about johnny damon, whether trump will actually live in the white house or will he think that's a downgrade and take a place in his new trump hotel in union station across the street there. >> only time will tell. always great to see you, geraldo. thank you for being here. coming up, the three courageous men who stopped a gunman on a train. what they have to say about stopping the would-be terror attack. and members of congress want some answers now about isis.
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welcome back. more than 100 people are now dead after a crane collapses outside of saudi arabia's grand mosque. they say the crane fell down through the roof while worshippers were inside. many were preparing for the hajj pilgrimage later this month. the house panel is now looking into a report saying the obama administration pressured analysts to skew data to make isis seem weaker in their report. that news revealed this week with 50 analysts and special command headquarters in tampa making a complaint saying their reports were altered by senior officials to make isis seem weaker than it was. joining us now with some insight on this, retired army general colonel schaeffer, also a senior fellow with the london center
for policy research. tony, great to have you on board today. so the fallout on this is tremendous because we're talking about the who politization of this. >> there's always conflicts. i was reminded by a friend of mine -- it's like sauce you're making, not a pretty process. but it has to be pure and based on the facts, not a political narrative. i think what we are finding here, uma, is because there are certain narratives the administration wants the american people to follow. they are now essentially going behind the scenes and attempting to shape the analysts' information, their conclusions based on a narrative they want rather than on the truthful narrative. this is usually bad and frankly it's not in the interest of the american people or anyone to see this happen. >> so basically what you're hearing is that the information
that the administration wants to put out is the war on terror is working. we are gaining ground against isis. isis is not as weak as we first perceived and we do not have to fear as we once did. is that the narrative at the moment? >> yes. the doj is now investigating this. there's an investigation going through this piece by piece. what we found out, and this is new for you and your audience, is major general grove, the senior intelligence officer of central command is apparently receiving on a daily basis, every day calls from one jim clapper, the director of national intelligence. this is unheard of and never done. but the dni has a representative who sits at central command who is supposed to be the conduit for any contact. this is essentially the administration, the white house reaching through bypassing all parts of the chain of command, attending to influence of things going on at central command. so this is where we believe, a
lot of us investigating this, believe the critical breakdown is. this is where you see the white house having jim clapper pushing its narrative into the process, thereby fulfilling the process, fulfilling a self-fulfilling prophesy. >> you're making daily calls to central command. >> yes, ma'am. >> the analysts, what prompted them to say enough is enough from their point of view? >> these are good people. these are people who have made their life trying to tell the truth. i sacrificed my career over having to testify about 9/11 failures of intelligence. this is the same thing going on. people understand that. and let me be clear on this. those same analysts are seeing the manipulation going on right now are going to be part of the iranian treaty verification. how can we trust anything from this white house if we know they are trying very strongly to basically taint all the intelligence coming out of the process to their view? we have to be able to have an
intelligence community which is able to tell the truth. they cannot be pushed to accept a narrative, and that's why you have analysts speaking out now. >> do you think this ever is being made at a time when it is very clear that the efforts against isis have failed and we have not been able to gain traction, that isis continues to dominate the middle east and caliphate is in place that is trying to minimize what it can in terms of the fallout here. because right now the pictures are telling of a different story. >> exactly. >> in a big way. >> you can only go so far, uma, in telling a false narrative because reality catches up and that's what we have seen here. i sixth has not been diminished. they have grown and are now influencing the refugee flow into europe and america. these are -- i heard peter king talking about it earlier, that's valid. they said they will put people in the stream and will do it. they have not been diminished
whatsoever. and the bombing campaign is one of the areas manipulated. so i think what we have to do is do an independent survey by multiple agencies, probably congress is about to figure out why we are failing. >> there's a house panel right now looking at this very closely and may put together an investigative team to go ahead and move forward with taking a look at these concerns. because a number of senators are saying that this raises all kinds of questions. and they are not comfortable and very alarmed by what's happening. >> again, we have to watch this in terms of the iraq -- i'm sorry, the iranian nuclear deal. we can't verify what is going on with isis, so how can we verify what is happening with the iran deal? or we completely, supposedly, missed the russian movement of forces into syria. something is broken and we need to fix it. >> tony shaffer will continue to update us with more information as it becomes available. thank you for joining us today. >> thank you, uma. well, a grueling journey
across the sea is making news. take a looked a a group of u.s. kayakers attempting to kayak from havana to key west. and just why they are making this daring attempt. plus, one town is lighting up the sky with displays from all over the world. ♪ have you ever thought, "i could never do that"? have you ever thought... you just didn't have anything left in the tank? well - you do. because the courage is already inside. we value sticking with things.
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because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. do you remember the trio that stopped a gunman on a paris train honored as hometown hero today in a parade in sacramento. in one of the more joyful events of yesterday's 9/11 tribute. the day hitting close to home for the men who prevented a would be terror attacks. they shared their highlights with our own megyn kelly. >> what has been the most emotional part of this for you? >> i had this moment where this little girl was asking me if i could fly. that made me melt. oh, my gosh, these kids heroes right now. >> courageous guys indeed. you can catch the rest of the interview on a special edition of the kelly file tonight here on the fox news channel.
the white house and manhattan's district attorney's now pledging a combined $79 million to end a shocking rape kit back log across the country. this comes amid reports that tens of thousands of dna samples taken after sexual assaults have gone untested. bripan llenas is sitting by wit more on this troubling story. >> a recent usa today investigation found at least 70,000 rape test kits collected by more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies were not sent to crime labs around the country for testing. it's estimated hundreds of thousands of kids are sitting on the shelves in police departments nationwide for up to a decade because time and money creating a major back log. rape kits hope dna and biological evidence collected from a sexual assault victim's body. all critically important in prosecuting their rapists.
on thursday vice president joe biden and attorney general loretta lynch announced a program with the manhattan county attorney's office. pledging $79 million to eliminate the back log in 43 jurisdictions in 27 states. the new initiative will test 70,000 kits, about half the funding is coming from asset forfeiture funds from new york city. >> together, they secure the civil rights and human dignity of tens of thousands of women. sometimes men. who have had to summon the courage to report a rape only to have the results of their evasive examinations sit ignored on a shelf and their rapes unvolved. >> one in six women in the united states are sexually assaulted during their lifetime. about 50% of previously unsolved rapes are solved after the the kits are tested. this woman was raped in 1993.
she submitted a rape kit but it took 14 years before her attacker was captured. >> my body became the crime seen. it was important to get all the evidence in order to apprehend this criminal. my kit sat and collected dust for nearly a decade with 17,000 other kits in new york city. >> 2/3 of sexual assault victims do not report to police. officials are hoping this initiative will encourage nor victims to come forward. all right. thank you very much. and they're off. ten u.s. kayakers setting sail from havana to key west. the non-shop journey is expected to last between 30 and 40 yards. they are padding with their cuban counterparts. a coastal city new lisbon portugal lighting up for the annual light festival. it's inspired by some of the
town's iconic land marks. if you were moderating the next debate, what questions would you ask? brian writes what would you do as president of the united states to return the presidency to constitutional constraints rather than going around congress and the constitution? mike asks what would you sign the life at conception act if it was passed. cathy would press trump on all the things he's claiming he would do if he's president. to all the candidates in the fight against isis how much collateral damage are you willing to accept, whatever it take snz thanks to all you weighed in. that's a wrap for me. make it a great day, everybody. (ray) i'd like to see her in. that's a wrap for me. make it a great day, everybody. d in. that's a wrap for me. make it a great day, everybody. . that's a wrap for me. make it a great day, everybody. . that's a wrap for me. make it a great day, everybody. aware. (jan) she loves the food.
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legendary john deere quality. unexpected low price. see your local john deere dealer for great savings on the e series family of tractors. ♪ hello, everyone i'm kelly wright. welcome to inside news headquarters. >> i'm julie ban derris. topping the news, no end in site to the migrant crisis in europe. 10,000 additional refugees arriving in munich today. we will get a live report. a judge ordering trials to be held in baltimore for six officers charged in the death of freddie gray. defense attorneys claiming a fair trial cannot be possible in that city. because of heavy pretrial publicity. our legal panel will weigh in. a growing number of supporters of vice president joe biden pleading with him to run
<div class="tv-ttl">Americas News HQ<div>FOX News September 12, 2015 12:00pm-1:01pm PDT</div></div>
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tv The Rachel Maddow Show MSNBC February 3, 2016 1:00am-2:01am PST
>> we'll see. thank you. that is "all in" for this evening. rachel maddow show starts now. >> thank you. you did amazing work in iowa. it was so much fun to watch you. when you found the santorum guy in the sweater vest. >> i was watched that about 15 times today. it cracks me up. it's the perfect moment of the absurdity of this election. >> you found that guy and told that story. it was perfection. thanks to you at home for joining us. in 1980, the front-runner for the republican nomination was ronald reagan. he challenged gerald in 1976. ford did win in 1976 and he went onto lose the general election to jimmy carter. the republican party by 1980 was of the general opinion that ronald reagan was due.
ronald reagan was next the line. he was the front-runner. in 1980, things did not start well for governor reagan. the night before the iowa caucuses the republican candidates held an iowa debate. ronald reagan decided to not show up for it. it was not just the last debate before iowa voted in 1980. it was the night before the caucuses. front-runner ronald reagan blew it off. on the following day ronald reagan stayed in california. he didn't show up in iowa. maybe he was just taking it for granted. he was the front-runner and expected to win. on the ground, in iowa, that year, something went wrong. something really specific went wrong. iowa public television went back to it recently. they did an autopsy of what happened there. a moment by moment reconstruction of what went so
wrong and had such dramatic consequences for the country. on the ground, at the iowa caucuses in 1980. >> republican party of iowa reporting system was built on brand new computers technology designed to compile data phoned in from rural and urban corners of the iowa. >> we did it in an effort to get a fast response to the many people who wanted to know what happened in 2500 and 3500 different meetings or what the strength was. a day or two later wasn't fast enough. this was the fastest way we could come up with. >> despite the best intentions of reliability, the system ultimately failed on caucus night. >> we haven't been able to get much out of western part of the state. we expect to be quite strong. >> bush took on an early lead as the late vote started to come in. the computers crashed. no real hope of getting them started again. reporters, i got to write a lead. bush won.
>> without them stopping the counting in some of these rural counties in 1980, we wouldn't have -- he would have been vice president. he wouldn't have been president. w would likely now be president. >> think our different american history would be that reagan won the iowa caucuses in 1980. we hold bush dynasty never would have started. >> did george bush senior actually win iowa in 1980? who knows. after the caucuses wrapped up that year and everybody moved onto cover the races. cbs stuck around afterwards and did an analysis of the iowa caucuses from that year and as far as they could tell ronald reagan won that year, not poppy bush. factually who knows. politically, it went down in the books as a win for george h.w. bush. that was huge. it was huge for him. i spent the day watching news packages from the time about how
george bush campaign got the wind in their sails and this new fund-raiser and media for him after his supposed win in iowa. in the end, in the republican presidential contest that year, george bush senior didn't end up winning. he didn't beat ronald reagan for the nomination. reagan ended up becoming the party's nominee and ultimately becoming president, but thanks to that big surprise win that george bush pulled off in iowa, that supposed win, thanks to the huge boost that gave to the bush campaign that year, george bush did accomplish himself in 1980 because of iowa as the primary challenger, the main challenger to ronald reagan. the next best guy in the field. it's a matter of historic record that is why ronald reagan chose george h.w. bush to be his running mate. that did make his the vice president and that did start the bush legacy in presidential
politics, and the rest is history or it's a computer glitch depending on you are in the matrix. small ripples in the state of iowa can create very big waves in the whole world that last for a very, very long time. last night in iowa, the winner on the republican side was texas senator ted cruz. senator cruz winning the iowa caucuses would have not been a shock had the vote happened in december when he was consistently leading in the iowa polls. because they were not in december, it was last night. it was a surprise result because ted cruz stopped leading in the iowa polls around the holidays . donald trump had been beating him soundly in the iowa polls. it was a surprise that ted cruz won last night. we'll talk about whether ted cruz is a real contender for the nomination given iowa's recent
track record in republican politics. there's reason to ask whether or not ted cruz's just another mike huckabee, rick santorum, pat robinson type. he has no real chance at the big prize. iowa's track record of picking far right religious conservative republicans who don't have much appeal to the rest of the republican electorate that is part of why lots of republicans question year after year the wisdom of having iowa go first. as this year's iowa winner, we don't know yet if ted cruz will follow that same pattern. honestly, personally, i think there's some signs he's not a candidate like a huckabee or a santorum or pat. i think he has a much better chance of going further than your iowa winner.
we'll see. we'll be talking about that evidence ahead tonight. second place on the republican side went to donald trump, who i think is suffering today from the let down of high expectations. i mean, step back from the results here. donald trump came in second out of 12 candidates in iowa, which is great. second out of 12 is great until people expected you to be first in which case all you did was lose. mr. trump has been whining today. sorry to call it that. he's not getting enough credit for his good second place finish in iowa. you can't whine about that. that's how these things go. you raise expectations that you're going to win, and you don't, you get bad press and bad momentum for a long time. the candidate who is claiming the biggest mandate out of iowa is a guy who lost not only to ted cruz but he also lost to donald trump. florida senator marco rubio is the candidate last night who was first on the stage before anybody else delivering a combination toothpaste ad and glee full victory speech celebrating his third place win in iowa. big picture, third out of 12 is
a nice thing. marco rubio had been in third place in the iowa polls for weeks and weeks and weeks. then he got third place in iowa. he had been in third place in every iowa poll for weeks and weeks. he was expected to get third place in iowa and he got third place in iowa. whoo! by the magic of top dollar a game political spin doctoring marco rubio doing exactly as well as he was supposed to is something we should regard as huge news. it's now the near unanimous view in the beltway that marco rubio is the candidate to beat in new hampshire. it's not just the pundit class and the beltway that sees it that way. it's a view shared by his fellow republican candidate. it's a belief that is shared by one of those republican
candidates named chris christie. we can tell because we have evidence for it. the evidence is chris christie basically losing his mind today in such an extended, unprompted, anti-marco rubio repetitious that i expected the reporter who covered it to reach out and maybe rub his head a bit. >> i'm going to work. you can follow me around. you know me, i'm not the boy in the bubble. you know who the boy in the bubble is up here who never answers your questions and constantly scripted and controlled because he can't answer your questions. when the boy in the bubble getting here, i hop -- hope you ask him some questions. seems to me he should have to sit across from you to answer your questions and you and you, and he hasn't.
it's time for him to man up and step up and stop letting all his handlers write his speeches. that's what they do. that's what you have to do for somebody who has never done anything in their life. let's get him up here. let's get the boy in the bubble out of bubble. let's see if he will answer your questions. let's see if he will gaggle with you every day like i do when you're here. i don't think he will. you know why, i don't think he can. i'd be happy every day, i'll have as many gaggles as marco rubio does every day. he wants to answer your tough questions about immigration and answer your tough questions about the lack of experience, he wants to answer your questions about why he ran away from his own immigration bill when it got too hot, i'm fascinated to hear the answers. i'm sure you will be too. maybe he'll answer more than two or three questions and do more than 40 minutes on a little
stage telling everybody these speeches that he's memorized. this isn't the student council election. this is the election for the president of the united states. let's get the boy in the bubble out of the bubble. i'm ready to play. i hope he is. i'll be ready to see him on saturday night. >> tell us what you really think. governor chris christie telling reporters just how much he doesn't care about marco rubio. never thinks about him. he's of no consequence. not a substantive guy. nothing to say. you can tell he doesn't think about marco rubio or care about marco rubio because he's physically unable to stop himself from talking about marco rubio. governor christi, john kasich and jeb bush watched iowa election results last night not from iowa but new hampshire. they all did various degrees of terrible in the iowa results last night. one of the things chris christie bragged to reporters about today was he spent less money to do
terribly in iowa than jeb bush spent to do terribly in iowa. he'd be beater manager of your money. i lose cheaper. vote for me. we're going to be talking later this hour about which republican candidates are dropping out of race and which ones are not. at least on the republican side one thing we got last night was a clear result. on the democratic side, i was on the air for a long time last night. we were here live until 2:00 a.m. eastern and you could see it on our faces. it was not until well after we left that anybody even tried to
call the democratic race other than the clinton campaign that declared victory as soon as caucuses closed. the iowa democratic party did declare that hillary clinton was the winner of the iowa caucus by an exceedingly close margin. they're holding off any more declarative statement until it's clear whether there's going to be any sort of challenge to the iowa result. if you want to know how close the race was on the democratic side in iowa last night, it's so close it's hard to show the difference between the candidates. here, for example, is a correct to scale graph. show it. is that the bar graph? these are the inset. the inset bar graph there. that's to scale map. a to scale graph showing the difference between hillary clinton and bernie sanders last night. you can see the big difference between the red bar and the tan bar. no difference between the two bars to the naked eye. you have to use math to show the difference. the tally announced by the iowa democratic party is that hillary clinton was awarded this number of state delegate equivalents. 700.59. senator sanders was awarded this number, 696.82. that's a difference of 3.77 delegate equivalents out of roughly 1400 to be awarded. former maryland governor dropped out of race. he got a minuscule 7.61 state delegate equivalents in last night caucus.
that's a really, really tiny number for him. you know what, the contest between hillary clinton and bernie sanders got the numbers were so tight it would persuade them twice over. it's just astonishingly close, which led to a very late night, which ultimately turned into a very early morning. >> do you anticipate contesting this vote count at all? >> honestly, we just got off the plane. we don't know enough to stay anything about it. >> thank you very much, sir. >> casey hunt with bernie sanders in the pre-dawn moment he stepped off the plane in new hampshire this morning. one of the kind of amaze things that happened with senator sanders is when we got to new hampshire at freaking 5:00 in the morning, there was a huge crowd of supporters to greet him. he ended up having an impromptu
rally in the back of the pickup truck at 5:00 in the morning. [ cheers and applause ] >> this is bernie sanders getting into new hampshire this morning before dawn. we're told by our nbc producer there were about 350 people there. this is in bow, new hampshire. he had just arrived in state. this was 5:00 in the morning. he seemed as bewildered by the crowd as anybody was. >> i cannot believe -- what time is this? it's amazing.
cannot believe that you're here at the 5:00 in the morning. something is wrong with you guys. thank you. we thank you so much. >> we love your bernie. >> the man is 74 years old. i am not 74 years old, but i could not have done that at 5:00 this morning. by later in day, after the iowa democratic party announced that secretary clinton officially won the iowa caucuses, this closest race in iowa history, that put a spring in secretary clinton's step for her event and the interviews she did today with chris matthews. >> thank you for joining us. it was quite a night last night. >> thanks. >> it's taken with your moment of candor there before the cameras when you said you had a sigh of relief. tell us about that sigh of
relief. >> right. right. >> and what it meant to you. >> oh, chris, it meant the world to me. we all remember i was not successful in iowa last time. i know how hard that caucus process is. so proud of our organization, our volunteers, all my supporters. everybody said if there were a big turn out that would advantage senator sanders. there was a big turn out. we won. >> there was a big turn out last night on the democratic side in iowa. it was not a historically big turn out. 2008 was bigger on the democratic side. it was a larger turn out last night than people expected. hillary clinton did better that are bernie sanders did with women voters. she did better with democratic voters who call themselves moderate. she did well with non-white voters. non-white voters don't make up a huge portion of the electorate in iowa. bernie sanders did well with democratic voters who consider themselves to be very liberal. he did well with voters who do not consider themselves to be democrats at all. the group with whom bernie
sanders hit it out of the park was the youngest voters at iowa democratic caucuses last night. voters between the ages of 17 and 29. he won them by a 70-point margin. a 70-point margin, which is a bigger gap than any other demographic group. the reason that huge gap with young voters didn't translate into a win is because not that many of those young voters who like him so much turned out. compared to 2008, the portion of the democratic electorte that turned out that young was only 18% of the overall turn out. that was down from 2008. that young proportion was down about four points. maybe that is what made the difference. bernie sanders, bottom line, absolutely lucked up the young vote by an astonishing large particular gin.
not enough young people turned out and voted to have him win iowa. what does that mean for for what comes next? what does that mean for new hampshire? who knows. the poll numbers have looked very strong for quite a long time. one of the things that's fun about politics is you never know how far to widen the lens. you never know how big and distant of a horizon you should be focusing on. those poll numbers where he's so far ahead, that's new hampshire 2016 as best we can tell now from the most recent polling. the polling may change after iowa. we don't know in what direction, and new hampshire, as a democratic battleground also has to take into account this recent history. this was hillary clinton at her victory party in new hampshire in 2008. the last time she ran for president in '08, remember what happened to her in new hampshire. she had been leading in the
polls until the 2008 democratic primary race was shocked by what happened in iowa that year when barack obama won in iowa. what that did to the polls in new hampshire is that hillary clinton's lead in new hampshire got shaky. she had been steadily leading in new hampshire but once iowa happened, that was a earthquake. she started trading the lead back and forth with obama. they even tied in one new hampshire poll shortly after iowa. ultimately before new hampshire voted the, barack obama just took over in the polls. before the new hampshire primary in 16 straight polls, barack obama was on top. he was going to win. he was going to beat hillary clinton in new hampshire. she didn't have a chance. the voters went to the poll in 2008 and barack obama did not win. hillary clinton pulled it out. when the polls said she had no chance of it.
what's going to happen? on the republican side in new hampshire and beyond, i have no idea. on the democratic side in new hampshire and beyond, i have no idea, and neither do you. particularly, after this tie. this de facto tie which is the smallest of all wins ever for the clinton campaign. the clinton-sanders contest here sort of has to be seen as resetting, i think. after this down to the wire, unbelievely close result in iowa. after something as weird as this, this does feel like a new day one. this is the day to start asking what are the differences between these candidates? who's better on the stump? who has a better organizational structure? who's got a better chance at beating a republican if they are the nominee? you know we need right now between these two candidate s a freaking debate in new hampshire.
maybe the day after tomorrow. thursday night at university of new hampshire is really nice. maybe at 9:00 eastern. are we on? that debate, that possible debate between hillary clinton and bernie sanders is turning into a point of contention between the campaigns like you wouldn't believe. i think it's on. is it on? i'm not sure. if it is on, i'm one of the moderators. chuck todd will be the other one. he joins us in a moment. stay with us. is your head so cd it's ready to explode? you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®-d to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. so, you can breathe easier all day. zyrtec®-d. at the pharmacy counter.
personal announcement to make. i am moving to new hampshire, tonight. we're going on the road after this very show tonight. we're all packing our bags here in new york and piling north to new hampshire and we're going to be in new hampshire the whole rest of the week. seriously. it's really nice this time of year. i'm hoping to steal away for a
little fishing if the ice is safe to fish through. come on. we got two new hampshire shows in the works. we're prepping for the debate on thursday night, which i'm going to make happen through sheer force of will. we're decamping and moving the whole thing to new hampshire. chuck todd is here next. stay with us.
iowa, we love you. we thank you. you're special. we will be back many, many times. i think i might come buy a farm. thank you. thank you, everybody. >> two days before the iowa caucuses, the final poll from the de facto paper in iowa predicted donald trump winning iowa.
showed him leading marco rubio by 13. when it came to actual caucusing he finished one point ahead of marco rubio. why is that? did the people not actually turn out to caucus or did the expected number of of trump folks show up but they were swamped by unexpectedly high number of ted cruz and marco rubio supporters. donald trump remains the front-runner in new hampshire now and by significant margins. is the unpredicted weakness that he showed in iowa, is that likely to be replicated in new hampshire? should we see him as paper tiger or are his poll numbers realistic in new hampshire even though they turned out not to be in new hampshire? joining us is chuck todd. the most overworked man in the building now.
>> i don't know. i think we're having a contest. >> the most basic questions are always the hardest to answer. does the way that donald trump underperformed last night predict anything about what happens next to him? >> it would. he didn't have an organization. if you look at the polling and to defend the des moines register polling and our own polling, people that made their decision in the last three or four days, they basically swamped to cruz and rubio. trump led with people who had made their decision before the last week by the same margins we showed in our polling. i think that sounds defensive of polling. those are the facts. i think donald trump campaign was sort of the akin to the kid that crams for the final when he realizes he hadn't prepared for the final exam. the caucuses are hard. organizing for the caucuses are hard work.
some time in january they realized we have work to do. i think had me not put in this last minute effort that he did, he stormed the state, tried the sarah palin lynn, i think he would have finished third or fourth. i think he salvaged second by putting together this shoe string organization that he did just to get where he is. it was hard work. he didn't dofully of the work. cruz and rubio had done a will the of hard work. >> he probably would have been better suited, in terms of national attention to have come in third or fourth with no apparent effort than to been seen to try and fall short. >> he went for the win. he knew he was right strategically but he didn't back it up with hiring the right people. cruz loses iowa, cruz has no path after that. he knew it was a way to knock cruz out. that's why he went for the kill.
it was smart strategic mover. he just -- he just sort of thought about it. did back of the envelope stuff and rushed in and crammed for the final exam. >> what happened with the close race between clinton and sanders last night when it got called by nbc and when iowa democratic party called it, when the clinton campaign called it. do you have anymore clarity on that? >> i think they were worried that somehow sanders was going claim victory. that he was going to do it. they panicked but the way they went about and all of a sudden the correction came. that was the thing i think that threw them. they did look at the numbers and thought he can't overtake us. then they had the error in dallas county that shrank the margin to the margin we followed the rest of the night. they created a story that wasn't necessary.
they could have got more credit for the narrow win. >> then because today she could have given the same speech having not made the claim. >> all this gamesmanship, sanders made a strategic error in waiting. he could have declared that virtual. he could have given that same speech at 10:30. he could have talked at the time marco rubio talked. >> he knew from third place. the only shot was he could have gotten to second. we'll see. i think this, to go back to your first question, i think what we learned last night is trump may be this emperor, the campaign emperor may not have any close. he loses new hampshire and i don't know what he does. the whole thing comes falling down. >> you watch to see if he collapses everywhere. chuck todd and maybe the guy i'm
moderating a debate with. >> we're showing up. i've already got some friends that plan oncoming. >> okay. >> we can bring them on stage and let them debate. susan is coming. i have questions for you. >> it will be great. >> we'll at least be there. we'll be right back.
2016, presidential election year. also election year for every single member of the united states house and more than a third of the seats in the u.s. senate. one of the weirdest and shortest senate campaigns we covered two years ago in the mid terms is when former vice president dick cheney's daughter packed up and headed west to wyoming to try to primary republican senator out of his seat. turns out wyoming kind of like him and if they didn't, they weren't receptive to someone who spent their life in the d.c. beltway and moved to wyoming specifically for that election acting like she had been there. the news was out that she bought a wyoming fishing license that listed her as a ten-year resident even though she lived in virginia. she blamed that on the clerk who sold her the license. lest you think all the excitement is on the
presidential side of politics this year. the good news i have for you right now is that old liz cheney is back again. she will try to run again from wyoming. this time she will run from the house and not the senate. her original announcement, her announcement that she's running was published on facebook with a location tag. location tag from the charming backwoods wyoming town of alexandria, virginia. the cheney has taken it down and call it a campaign glitch. despite appearing to launch her campaign, they say they are really based in gillette, which is definitely in wyoming.
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yeah, treatment with xarelto®. hey, safety first. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is the number one prescribed blood thinner in its class. well that calls for a round of kevin nealons. make mine an arnold palmer. same here. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for us. ask your doctor about xarelto®.
we are here today because a state appointed emergency manager made the decision that the city of flint would stop purchasing treated water that had well served them for 50 years and instead purchase untreated water and not treat that water. that is the decision that was made and by law the state of michigan had to approve that switch and they did not require corrosion control. all to save money. now that state decision resulted in lead leeching out of lead service pipes and plumbing, exposing kids to excess amounts of lead. >> that's the head of the epa in flint, michigan delivering a review of the rick schneider administration and the state of michigan's responsibility for
poisoning all the kids in flint, michigan. she said her agency is there for the long haul. we're not leaving until the water system is back on track. in addition to the head of the epa personally going to flint today, two big things just happened in flint. the first involves flint's mayor. when she was elected last year, mayor karen weaver had almost no authority because the city had been taken over by the state. that's the whole emergency manager thing in michigan. flint had been under state control for years. newly elected mayor didn't have much power to do anything to try to get her city out of this lead poisoning disaster they were well into by that point. she decided she would fake it until she made it. she made this bold, arguably, outside her lane of authority and declared a city wide state of emergency. we don't know if she had the authority to do that and because she took that leap, that started a ball rolling in terms of accountability that resulted in michigan governor finally
issuing an actual emergency declaration for flint and president obama signing a federal emergency declaration for flint and that's how you get the ahead of the epa in flint today promising to fix the water and be there until it's fixed. it started because mayor weaver made that bold move. in terms of government action, that's the thing that changed the course of how the government was responding. today, mayor weaver had done something like that again. she convened a press conference this afternoon and said she is calling for all of flint's lead water pipes to be removed and replaced. she's convening team of people headed by a retired brigadier general who will head it up. she proposed faster, cheaper method for replacing pipes. she said lansing did this to remove thousands of lines and she thinks they could do that in flint too. what karen weaver does not have is the ability to order something like this to happen. flint doesn't have the money to
do it. governor snyder is in no hurry to replace the pipes. he says he wants a lot more studying done. karen weaver looks like she will get those pipes dug up by sheer force of her will. >> this must happen immediately. that's what i'm asking for. i am morally obligated to use every bit of the power and authority my office has to make flint's water safe and the city successful for the people who live and work here. that's what i intend to do. >> we don't necessarily know ha power and authority she has but she is doing everything she can, including this bold gambit today laying down that gauntlet. that's one big thing that happened in flint today. the other thing that happened in flint today is even bigger. that's next.
one the country decided the wake up and saw the response to flint is the u.s. attorney was investigating. a federal prosecutor's investigation into how the water got poisoned. we knew that was happening the first week of january. we didn't know if it was a criminal or civil investigation. today we find out it's criminal. today we find out the fbi is involved. a spokeswoman said pe have been investigating it for a while. now everybody is wanting to investigate, including something a little sketchy in terms of investigative overture from congress. congress will hear from some of the people involved, but they will not hear from the main people involved in it. the republican committee leaders didn't invite rick schneider to
testify and epa whistle employeer will not be there. in terms of this hearing, here is how the ranking democrat is describing it. we won't hear from the governor, any of the emergency managers he appointed in flint or from anyone else in the state who is involved this making decisions that led to this crisis. he went onto call the hearing a partisan effort to protect the governor and others who brought about this crisis. joining us now is one man who will be testifying at tomorrow's hearing, congressman dan of flint, michigan. i know you've been working like you can't believe on this story. thank you so much for being with us again. >> thank you. >> i want to start by asking you, there might be some breaking news about this congressional hearing tonight.
we have seen it reported this hour that the flint emergency manager, one of the people directly involved in this decision that did poison the water is being subpoenaed now to testify tomorrow on capitol hill. do you know anything about that? do you know what's likely to happen there? >> no. i did talk to the chairman on the floor of the house and he did indicate that he would be subpoenaing mr. early. i think he was embarrassed. they invited him and he accepted and think the committee chair was irritated by that so they issued a subpoena. whether or not he'll appear is doubtful. >> we have been hearing that he and his lawyer are refusing to whether or not he'll appear is doubtful. >> we have been hearing that he and his lawyer are refusing to be served with that subpoena tonight. obviously anybody has the right to plead the fifth for example in a case like this, but there's questions that have been raised
particularly by ranking member that the committee isn't trying to get to the bottom of this, that they want to make this an obama administration scandal instead of figuring out what happened. does this issue with the subpoena change your mind about the overall direction of the committee and what congress is trying to learn? >> not really because if they wanted to get answers they would ask the governor to come. he's the one person who is in a position to know exactly what happened, to answer the questions. he pledged as you know complete transparency. this doesn't look like it. but the committee hearing i'll testify because i asked to tell flint' story before the committee hears from other witnesses, but i think everything communicates and i think the hearing is important because the congress and those watching will see exactly how transparent the administration is being about this. not at all. and they'll also see members of congress who should be
discharging your duties protecting children in flint. some of them may be more interested in the career of the governor. the kids. >> we got word today that the fbi is part of the investigation into why this happened and how this happened in flint. we heard last month that the u.s. attorney is looking into it and it looks now like it's a broader investigation with the fbi on the case. is that heartening to you? >> i'm very happy that it's happening because the individuals who did this to the people i represent, to people in my hometown, need to be held accountable and i hope and believe that the facts will lead the investigation wherever it goes and those people who did wrong to the people of flint will have to stand for that and explain what they did and will be judged accordingly. i am concerned however that with all the attention on individual accountability that we will somehow lose the responsibility, the moral obligation, that the
state of michigan has to make it right for the people of flint. as you showed the mayor is asking for those lead service lines to be replaced. the state of michigan should write a check to the city of flint to get that done and they should do it tomorrow. we're working to get federal help, but frankly the governor is out of excuses. he's sitting on a billion dollars. big tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the state of michigan and flint has water they can't drink and he's not doing anything about it. that's just wrong. >> congressman has been aggressive on this issue in every possible way for the folks in his district. congressmen, i know we'll have you back soon. thank you for being here tonight. >> thank you. >> stay with us. (politely) wait, wait, wait! you can't put it in like that... ...you have to rinse it first. that's baked-on alfredo. baked-on? it's never gonna work. dish issues? trust your dishwasher with cascade platinum. it powers... through... your toughest stuck-on food. better than finish. cascade.
so it was a surprise that ted cruz won in iowa last night. now nobody knows what new hampshire will think of him. it was also a surprise that hillary clinton won by that slimmest sliver last night in iowa and nobody knows what that will do to her prospects in new hampshire. there were surprises last night at the top and the bottom of the ticket, but there is no more surprising event that happened last night to any one candidate than what happened to the only candidate who returns my phone calls and that's next. stay with us.
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you have been waiting for this. it's been a long time since we got to do this. former ark governor mick huckabee quit the presidential race after the iowa caucuses so we get to puff him off the list of candidates. here goes. mike huckabee going bye bye in three, two, one. puff. i thought i would get to do a lot more of this today, but so far i only get to do it to that one guy. there are still 11 republicans running for president. all the rest of them are apparently staying in, even the ones who just tanked in iowa and iowa was the only place they had a chance to do well anywhere. i'm looking at you rick santorum. you know who else isn't
quitting, jim gillmore. at least he went on talk radio before the iowa caucuses to say publicly exactly what would constitute a victory in iowa this year. >> if i get one vote frankly in iowa i'll consider it a victory, a single vote i'll consider it a victory. >> he announced in advance of the iowa caucuses that if he got just one vote in iowa, it would be a victory. he outperformed expectations last night by a factor of more than ten. he got 12 votes in the state of iowa. he's not getting puffed off the list any time. he's exceeding expectations and he's in it for the long haul. the field on the republican side is a strange thing this far into the race, but it persists.
they all persist. 11 of these people are still running. it's never going to end. this is our life now forever. that does it for us tonight. "first look" is up next. it's wednesday, february 3rd, and right now on "first look" presidential hopefuls make the mad dash to new hampshire with just six days to go until the nation's first primary. health officials confirm the first case of sexually transmitted zika in the u.s. a double weather whammy in the nation's midsection with blizzard conditions and reports of multiple tornadoes. plus, should women register for the draft? two top military officials think so. and the florida thief messes with the wrong store clerk. "first look" starts right now. and good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us. i'm shannon
<div class="tv-ttl"><a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/">The Rachel Maddow Show</a><div>MSNBC February 3, 2016 1:00am-2:01am PST</div></div>
Rachel Maddow takes a look at the day's top political news stories.
Iowa 49, New Hampshire 21, Marco Rubio 13, Michigan 10, Bernie Sanders 9, Ronald Reagan 9, Donald Trump 8, Wyoming 7, The Iowa 7, George Bush 5, Xarelto 4, Chuck Todd 4, Sanders 4, Chris Christie 4, Fbi 3, Karen Weaver 3, Weaver 2, Virginia 2, Mike Huckabee 2, Rick Santorum 2
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Outside Source
HARDtalk : BBCNEWS : January 31, 2017 4:30am-5:01am GMT
stephen sackur. the uk parliament is about to vote on the government's plan to trigger article 50, the formal process which will end in britain leaving the eu. there's little doubt mps will give prime minister theresa may a green light, but much has changed since lastjune‘s brexit referendum. the government has clarified its vision of what brexit means, while president donald trump is shaking up global politics. what place will post—brexit britain occupy on the world stage? my my guess is that today is conservative mp domin raab. domin raab, welcome to hardtalk. you area domin raab, welcome to hardtalk. you are a westminster mp who took the somewhat difficult to understand position of having the right to give a green light to article 50 taking the view that that was wrong and it should not be allowed.” the view that that was wrong and it should not be allowed. i took the view it as did all the mps who passed the referendum legislation by 61. we gave this decision to the english people and by the way all parties agreed to this and having done that we need to respect it. the commit
stephen sackur. the uk parliament is about to vote on the government's plan to trigger article 50, the formal process which will end in britain leaving the eu. there's little doubt mps will give prime minister theresa may a green light, but much has changed since lastjune‘s brexit referendum. the government has clarified its vision of what brexit means, while president donald trump is shaking up global politics. what place will post—brexit britain occupy on the world stage? my my guess is...
HARDtalk : BBCNEWS : January 5, 2017 12:30am-1:01am GMT
the uk. he's being replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale. that's all from me now — stay with bbc world news. now its time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the military threats facing the western world have changed dramatically. the west's military doctrine and capabilities have failed to keep up. that's the view of my guest today — not an outside observer, but, until last year, one of the most senior generals in the british armed forces. general sir richard barrons led the uk'sjoint forces command. he's fought in wars, from the balkans to the middle east and afghanistan. how vulnerable is the west in the new balance of global military power? general sir richard barrons, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. how comfortable are you in a civilian suit and out of uniform? well, after nearly a0 years of service in the military, this is still in transition. in transition! well, let's call upon your authority and experience, both with your new suit on, but with your uniform still in the cupboard. how, or what, would you define as the most pressing military t
the uk. he's being replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale. that's all from me now — stay with bbc world news. now its time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the military threats facing the western world have changed dramatically. the west's military doctrine and capabilities have failed to keep up. that's the view of my guest today — not an outside observer, but, until last year, one of the most senior generals in the british armed forces. general sir richard barrons...
HARDtalk : BBCNEWS : January 17, 2017 8:30pm-9:01pm GMT
told them, according to downing street, that the uk wanted the eu to thrive and that britain understood the importance of the four freedoms of the single market and would not be seeking membership of the single market and downing street say chancellor merkel and president hollande welcomed the prime minister's commitment to the continuing strength of the eu and indeed her intention to negotiate a new partnership with the eu when it leaves. that's the spin given from downing street to those phone calls from theresa may to the german and french leaders. more on that later on. first we check out the latest weather prospects. temperatures topped at 13 celsius in scotland. just one or two degrees in kent though, big contrasts across the uk. rain and drizzle in the north west. some of that going into the night here. wherever you are, where the cloud is thick enough, you may encounter drizzle. with cloud, those temperatures are staying up. where it's clear across east anglia and south—east england, in the countryside, quite a widespread and ha rd countryside, quite a widespread an
told them, according to downing street, that the uk wanted the eu to thrive and that britain understood the importance of the four freedoms of the single market and would not be seeking membership of the single market and downing street say chancellor merkel and president hollande welcomed the prime minister's commitment to the continuing strength of the eu and indeed her intention to negotiate a new partnership with the eu when it leaves. that's the spin given from downing street to those...
in the northern england. cold in the northern half of the uk, particularly more rule spots, the risk of icy patches into thursday morning. showers will continue across the northern half of the uk tomorrow, some of the showers quite frequent. further south, tomorrow, some of the showers quite frequent. furthersouth, rain moving into the cold hour and as it interacts it will turn to snow. for pa rt interacts it will turn to snow. for part of the midlands, welcomed the south—west of england by the middle of the afternoon. a cold feeling day, feeling like some zero for many, feeling like —2—macro or three. in the evening we see the mix of rain, sleet and snow heading towards east anglia and the south—east. behind that, further snow showers, turning cold and frosty. you are watching bbc news. the top stories at half past eight. the us president—elect, donald trump, has held his first news conference since winning the election and in it he attacked the intelligence agencies, claiming they are behind the leak of a dossier suggested russian agents have information they could u
in the northern england. cold in the northern half of the uk, particularly more rule spots, the risk of icy patches into thursday morning. showers will continue across the northern half of the uk tomorrow, some of the showers quite frequent. further south, tomorrow, some of the showers quite frequent. furthersouth, rain moving into the cold hour and as it interacts it will turn to snow. for pa rt interacts it will turn to snow. for part of the midlands, welcomed the south—west of england by...
HARDtalk : BBCNEWS : January 4, 2017 8:30pm-9:00pm GMT
western military powers — and, let's face it, we're talking about the united states and the uk as well, maybe you could call in france — they've got it wrong? i think it's to be expected that many of the western powers, particularly in europe, are running on assumptions that reflect all our adult experiences from the end of the cold war, where we didn't feel any existential risk to our homeland. we felt that the western way was holding primacy in the world, and we had an initiative on how the world would actually turn out. and i think that is eroding very quickly. so, complacency is what you are suggesting? a combination of hubris, for sure, complacency. but also a preoccupation with our own internal business, such as brexit or austerity, which has caused us not to look at these things. but even as you say this, i'm mindful of the fact that one of the key issues of our day — and we experience it sadly almost daily or weekly, with bombs going off in western cities, istanbul or further afield — is this notion that there is a threat to the west's homelands, and that threat is from j
western military powers — and, let's face it, we're talking about the united states and the uk as well, maybe you could call in france — they've got it wrong? i think it's to be expected that many of the western powers, particularly in europe, are running on assumptions that reflect all our adult experiences from the end of the cold war, where we didn't feel any existential risk to our homeland. we felt that the western way was holding primacy in the world, and we had an initiative on how...
... she's talking about the us—uk relationship, "we will no longer undertake foreign military interventions to remake countries in our own image". now that, to me, sounds like a major strategic rethink, a strategic shift, would you agree? yes, and it is also in line with the thinking in nato. because nato has, of course, has to remain able to conduct big combat operations out of our own area like we have done in afghanistan or in the balkans. but her words are precisely saying "no longer will we undertake the sorts of foreign interventions like afghanistan, like iraq". that is the history, that is not going to be what we do in the future. there is a big differs between afghanistan and iraq. afghanistan had a clear un mandate and nato operation. with respect, hang on, hang on, she says "we will no longer remake countries in our own image". right now, today, as we speak, you and nato are spending billions of dollars with hundreds of personnel continuing to be in afghanistan, to, as you put it, "train, advise and assist the afghan military in resolute support mission". what on ea
... she's talking about the us—uk relationship, "we will no longer undertake foreign military interventions to remake countries in our own image". now that, to me, sounds like a major strategic rethink, a strategic shift, would you agree? yes, and it is also in line with the thinking in nato. because nato has, of course, has to remain able to conduct big combat operations out of our own area like we have done in afghanistan or in the balkans. but her words are precisely saying...
you actually entered a very different environment you went to one of the uk's top contemporary dance schools and then you started to get work which was beginning to make your name, not in the strict kathak tradition but by actually finding a dance language which combined some eastern traditional expression with a lot of very, very contemporary, edgy, current western dance. yeah, yeah. i call it confusion. people like to call, used to call the work fusion, but i preferred to call it confusion, because really my body was very confused at the time and i think out of that confusion you start to search for your voice. your identity, in a way, which you're exploring, actually through dance. yes. but, it could have been writing, or music or whatever, but you you were very much autobiographical in a way. a lot of my work is autobiographical. i like to touch, there is a lot of questions i would like to explore. that went through my childhood. as i said, michaeljackson wasn't the only person, i loved charlie chaplin, i loved fred astaire, buster keaton, muhammad ali, bruce lee, all these peopl
you actually entered a very different environment you went to one of the uk's top contemporary dance schools and then you started to get work which was beginning to make your name, not in the strict kathak tradition but by actually finding a dance language which combined some eastern traditional expression with a lot of very, very contemporary, edgy, current western dance. yeah, yeah. i call it confusion. people like to call, used to call the work fusion, but i preferred to call it confusion,...
state visit to the uk to be cancelled, unless the ban is lifted. and a usjudge issues a temporary halt to the deportation of visa holders and refugees as demonstrators protest at airports across america. in yemen, us commandos kill at least 30 suspected al-qaeda fighters, as well as civilians. a statue of princess diana will be built in kensington palace by her sons prince harry and the duke of cambridge. the princes said 20 years after her death, the time was right to recognise their mother's positive impact around the world. now on bbc news, stephen sackur is in brussels to speak to nato secretary generaljens stoltenberg on hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk from nato headquarters in brussels. i'm stephen sackur. the job of nato secretary general isn't an easy one, this alliance is supposed to worked by consensus. and achieving that consensus just got a whole lot harder for my guest today, jens stoltenberg, nato‘s chief. why? the united states, nato‘s dominant member, is now being led by president trump, who has voiced grave doubts about nato‘s future. so, will trump's assent h
state visit to the uk to be cancelled, unless the ban is lifted. and a usjudge issues a temporary halt to the deportation of visa holders and refugees as demonstrators protest at airports across america. in yemen, us commandos kill at least 30 suspected al-qaeda fighters, as well as civilians. a statue of princess diana will be built in kensington palace by her sons prince harry and the duke of cambridge. the princes said 20 years after her death, the time was right to recognise their mother's...
HARDtalk : BBCNEWS : January 25, 2017 12:30am-1:00am GMT
declined significantly." president trump said, after brexit, other countries can follow the uk's example and leave and president xi of china, "the eu is gradually falling apart." three powerful voices, not much confidence in your. warning voices? different points of view? yes, the question that is in front of us, is do we want this european union and do we want a european family or can live without it? i am strongly in favour of a european union because i think our future and the tackling of our, the problem we are facing, we battle when we are in the european union, i do not think a single country of the european union, not even a large country like germany, can handle the problems as well as the european union can do it. but a member of the family — you said the family of the european union — a key member of the family, britain, has decided to go it alone. theresa may said, "we are not turning our backs on europe "but we want to claim our place as ou history has always "given us, in the world." looking beyond europe to partners elsewhere. you're faced with this issue that you canno
declined significantly." president trump said, after brexit, other countries can follow the uk's example and leave and president xi of china, "the eu is gradually falling apart." three powerful voices, not much confidence in your. warning voices? different points of view? yes, the question that is in front of us, is do we want this european union and do we want a european family or can live without it? i am strongly in favour of a european union because i think our future and...
the uk, as some rain arrives. it will be light and patchy, as it works its way south across england and wales. lots of showers follow along behind, those turning increasing wintery over the higher ground of scotland. it will be a cold night, single digits for major towns and cities, a few degrees lower than that in rural spots. a cold and windy start to the day. in fact, the wind could be a real problem for some tomorrow, particularly for the northen half of the uk, very blustery conditions, gusting to 60 or 70 mph, northern england northwards. lots of snow showers across the higher ground of scotland. those snow showers getting down to lower levels gradually through the day. some rain showers for northern ireland and northern england. still a bit of snow possible on higher ground and further south, showers are few and far between. ten or 11 degrees in cardiff and london. but cold in the wind, further north. looking ahead towards thursday, it's another cold day in the northern half of the uk. just two or three degrees with further wintry showers. some rain and maybe even some snow o
the uk, as some rain arrives. it will be light and patchy, as it works its way south across england and wales. lots of showers follow along behind, those turning increasing wintery over the higher ground of scotland. it will be a cold night, single digits for major towns and cities, a few degrees lower than that in rural spots. a cold and windy start to the day. in fact, the wind could be a real problem for some tomorrow, particularly for the northen half of the uk, very blustery conditions,...
near as widespread. there'll be some across the south—eastern quarter of the uk, but, the further west you go, a lot more cloud, and that cloud is bringing at least some rain with it but it's also helping to get the temperatures up, seven or eight degrees to start the day in glasgow and belfast. but it'll be quite widespread in the western side of scotland, the eastern side faring a little bit better. still cloudy and it's quite wet in northern ireland first thing this morning. some are even fringing into the western side of england and wales. not quite into cornwall and devon at this stage, so it's largely dry here. head further east and it's not just cold and frosty, there'll be some patches of fog, and some of the fog will be slow to clear, and it could be quite dense in places, so do bear that in mind if you're heading out on the roads. some fog in eastern anglia, it'll be a chilly old day here. chilly here across northern england, but a fair bit of cloud and just a little bit of rain first thing. now, our main area of rain will topple its way further southwards and eastwards
near as widespread. there'll be some across the south—eastern quarter of the uk, but, the further west you go, a lot more cloud, and that cloud is bringing at least some rain with it but it's also helping to get the temperatures up, seven or eight degrees to start the day in glasgow and belfast. but it'll be quite widespread in the western side of scotland, the eastern side faring a little bit better. still cloudy and it's quite wet in northern ireland first thing this morning. some are even...
comparing the french government to nazi prison guards in its attitude towards the uk leaving the european union. two investment banks have said they'll relocate some staff from london to the mainland as a result of brexit. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to a special edition of hardtalk from moscow, i'm stephen sackur. for 17 years, one man has dominated the politics of the russian capital, vladimir putin. externally, he's projected russian power from ukraine to syria and internally, opposition has been repressed, intimidated and silenced. but not altogether. my guest today is the most prominent leader of russia's anti—putin opposition, alexey navalny. now he has committed to fighting putin in the 2018 presidential election but will his defiance cost him dear? alexey navalny, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me here. you have been involved in opposition politics of one form or another for almost ten years, maybe more, and itjust seems to me that right now your position is perhaps more dispiriting, more depressing than it's ever been before. w
comparing the french government to nazi prison guards in its attitude towards the uk leaving the european union. two investment banks have said they'll relocate some staff from london to the mainland as a result of brexit. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to a special edition of hardtalk from moscow, i'm stephen sackur. for 17 years, one man has dominated the politics of the russian capital, vladimir putin. externally, he's projected russian power from ukraine to syria and...
scotland. the further south and east we are across the uk, it will be drier with the best of the sunshine across east anglia and southern england through the afternoon. seven or eight if you're lucky. for most it's chillier than that, particularly further north with the cloud persisting. nearer four or five at best. then tomorrow night, the main concern is fog. it's going to become more of an issue into monday morning, particularly across central and southern parts of the uk. that fog could really be an issue. it will probably get worse into tuesday. this is a heads up. the potential for disruption from that fog with very little wind to shift it through the early part of next week. later on next week, the wind will begin to pick up. that should clear most of the fog, however, we will see a change in the weather with weather fronts pushing in from the west and that will bring rain later on next week. before that, though, it's cold. more of that, though, it's cold. more of that frost and fog around. that's it. back in half an hour. fundamental rights this is bbc news. the headlines
scotland. the further south and east we are across the uk, it will be drier with the best of the sunshine across east anglia and southern england through the afternoon. seven or eight if you're lucky. for most it's chillier than that, particularly further north with the cloud persisting. nearer four or five at best. then tomorrow night, the main concern is fog. it's going to become more of an issue into monday morning, particularly across central and southern parts of the uk. that fog could...
blast of freezing weather is sweeping across the uk. some areas of eastern england are being evacuated following severe flood warnings. the met office says we will receive a "real taste of winter" in the coming days. investigators have announced that 23 people and organisations could face prosecution over the 1989 hillsborough disaster, where 96 football fans were unlawfully killed. figures from across football are paying tribute to the former england manager, graham taylor, who's died from a suspected heart attack at the age of 72. i held him in the very, very highest regard, because of what he gave to me — he gave me my england debut, he set me on the road as it were. and i'll never, ever forget that. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, with me, zeinab badawi. my guest is american journalist theo padnos. from october 2012 to august 2014 he was held hostage in syria by the nusra front, which is allied to al-qaeda. he was beaten, abused, not knowing from day—to—day if he would be shot or spared by his captors. but was he the victim of his own actions? he says the most
blast of freezing weather is sweeping across the uk. some areas of eastern england are being evacuated following severe flood warnings. the met office says we will receive a "real taste of winter" in the coming days. investigators have announced that 23 people and organisations could face prosecution over the 1989 hillsborough disaster, where 96 football fans were unlawfully killed. figures from across football are paying tribute to the former england manager, graham taylor, who's...
parts of the uk, and continue that way. whereas into parts of southern england, the midlands, east anglia, it is troublesome fog once again. some freezing fog patches at that, dense in places. and that could be having an impact on travel again, so check the situation before you head out, you can see the fog showing up here. but, if you are in scotland and northern ireland, you can see the wind arrows indicating a strong, quite gusty wind in places, keeping the fog at bay. that is also into the far west of wales and the far south—west of england. where we have the thickest fog is where we have the frost as well, and that could be giving the icy stretches on untreated surfaces. look at the strength of wind, though, into the far south—west, into the western parts of wales. could be a few fog patches into the welsh marches, into a few spots in yorkshire. it is a windy picture through scotland and northern ireland, north—west england, too. plenty of cloud around, could be quite drizzly in places first thing. now, as we go on through the day, the fog will gradually lift into low cl
parts of the uk, and continue that way. whereas into parts of southern england, the midlands, east anglia, it is troublesome fog once again. some freezing fog patches at that, dense in places. and that could be having an impact on travel again, so check the situation before you head out, you can see the fog showing up here. but, if you are in scotland and northern ireland, you can see the wind arrows indicating a strong, quite gusty wind in places, keeping the fog at bay. that is also into the...
bring you here in the uk at this hour. the police watchdog the ipcc has launched an inquiry after a man was shot dead on the m62 motorway near huddersfield. police say a pre—planned operation was taking place at around 6pm when the fatal shot was fired from a police weapon. the slip roads around junction 2a at ainley top have been closed. now on bbc news: hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. my guess is comedian and satirist trevor nola who presents one of the most influential programmes on american television, the daily show. born a crime, toa television, the daily show. born a crime, to a black father and white mother in south africa, he has navigated his way through the explosive issue of race and identity. with critics claiming that donald trump's victory has encouraged intolerant rhetoric, does he fear that the space for liberal satire such as he has is shrinking? trevor noah, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, zeinab. you were born in 1984, six years before nelson mandela was released. your father is a white swiss man, your mother was black, a union punishable by five years in prison. ho
bring you here in the uk at this hour. the police watchdog the ipcc has launched an inquiry after a man was shot dead on the m62 motorway near huddersfield. police say a pre—planned operation was taking place at around 6pm when the fatal shot was fired from a police weapon. the slip roads around junction 2a at ainley top have been closed. now on bbc news: hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. my guess is comedian and satirist trevor nola who presents one of the most influential programmes on...
settlement on the uk to deter others from leaving. china's president, xijinping, has told the world economic forum in davos that his country wants to be a champion of free trade and stability. in his speech he made no direct reference to us president—elect donald trump, but warned against a trade war with america, saying there would be no winners. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. the so—called islamic state may be coming under pressure in both syria and iraq, it still accounts emerge of atrocities carried out by them. the minority yazidi community has been amongst the most persecuted groups of people, living mostly in northern iraq. they have been killed, forced to convert to islam and the women and girls held in sexual slavery. my guest is a psychologist, a yazidi kurd living in germany. he is helping 1000 yazidi females from camps in iraq to germany to start a new life. how does he decide who should stay and who should go? jan kizilhan, welcome to hardtalk? what is your main goal in rescuing these children and bring them from iraq to germany? they are under great psychol
settlement on the uk to deter others from leaving. china's president, xijinping, has told the world economic forum in davos that his country wants to be a champion of free trade and stability. in his speech he made no direct reference to us president—elect donald trump, but warned against a trade war with america, saying there would be no winners. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. the so—called islamic state may be coming under pressure in both syria and iraq, it still...
HARDtalk : BBCNEWS : January 5, 2017 2:30am-3:01am GMT
the north and west of the uk, by the end of the night some frost and fog is confined to the south—eastern corner. but it will be a pretty grey day for many of us on friday. fog slow to clear in the south—eastern corner. it should do eventually. all the rain in the north and west becomes light and patchy with some hill fog to go with that. it's a pretty grey day. that rain eventually gets down into the south—east in the afternoon. starting to turn a little bit less cold. we get up to, what, 5—7 in norwich and london. but out the west, belfast and plymouth, ten or 11 degrees and a mild air continues to filter its way in through friday night and on into saturday. we start to see the winds coming from the atlantic. always a mild direction. it will bring a fair bit of moisture with it, a lot of cloud and a little bit of rain to start the weekend but the rain will be light and patchy and i think many places will be fine and dry. and those temperatures are back up into double figures in the south of the uk, not too far away from that for some northern areas as well. so, not so co
the north and west of the uk, by the end of the night some frost and fog is confined to the south—eastern corner. but it will be a pretty grey day for many of us on friday. fog slow to clear in the south—eastern corner. it should do eventually. all the rain in the north and west becomes light and patchy with some hill fog to go with that. it's a pretty grey day. that rain eventually gets down into the south—east in the afternoon. starting to turn a little bit less cold. we get up to,...
of cloud across the uk under building high pressure. spot the difference on tuesday. a bit of sunshine coming in the south—east of england. and yesterday's satellite picture also shows a lot of cloud. again, the south—east poking out in the sunshine. you can guess what the forecast will be for thursday. another cloudy day for much of the country. the cloud will be thick enough as we go through the first part of the morning to give a few spots of rain. under this cloud it's a mild start for most. a touch of frost in aberdeenshire and certainly for southern wales and southern counties of east anglia it will be a cold day, under relatively clear skies. a widespread frost. but just as we've seen for the past couple of days there will be sunshine working across southern counties of england. cold, bright. the weather front continues to move across central portions of wales and england, where the thickest cloud is. that's where we could see the odd spot of morning drizzle. temperatures about 6—9 celsius as we push in the northern parts. in scotland the cloud produces a few spot
of cloud across the uk under building high pressure. spot the difference on tuesday. a bit of sunshine coming in the south—east of england. and yesterday's satellite picture also shows a lot of cloud. again, the south—east poking out in the sunshine. you can guess what the forecast will be for thursday. another cloudy day for much of the country. the cloud will be thick enough as we go through the first part of the morning to give a few spots of rain. under this cloud it's a mild start for...
uk punishment beatings over brexit like a world war ii movie. we've had a response from the top of the eu, theresa may's announcement that the uk will leave the single market. thousands of tourists are leaving the gambia because of an ever worsening political crisis. in theory the new president will be inaugurated tomorrow. it's not
fairly dry day. the cloudiest weather, if you like, across the north—west of the uk could bring isolated showers across the hills of northern england. we do have some wet weather on and off through the day across the north—west of scotland. but it's here where we will see here some of the day's highest temperatures — up to 9 degrees. windy through the northern isles, particularly for shetland. gusts could reach 60—70 miles an hourfor a time. through the night, it will stay blustery, plenty of showers working in across the northern isles, and it will turn cold enough for a nip of frost this coming night, across the far north—west of scotland, particularly in rural parts. looking at the weather charts as they change through tuesday and wednesday, we still have high pressure with us, but it is kind of reorientating, allowing a blast of colder air to work down from the north sea. with that colder air, the blues you can see on the chart, will have plenty of showers forming but the good news is most of those showers should be steered away from the coastline by these brisk nort
fairly dry day. the cloudiest weather, if you like, across the north—west of the uk could bring isolated showers across the hills of northern england. we do have some wet weather on and off through the day across the north—west of scotland. but it's here where we will see here some of the day's highest temperatures — up to 9 degrees. windy through the northern isles, particularly for shetland. gusts could reach 60—70 miles an hourfor a time. through the night, it will stay blustery,...
has claims from a leading brexit campaigner that up to a million eu migrants may head to the uk over the next two years. the metro says theresa may is ready to challenge president trump over sexist remarks when she meets him at the white house on friday. the telegraph says a free trade deal with the united states is likely to open the door to us jobs for british workers. the mirror has more on accusations that the prime minister didn't share knowledge of a failed trident test ahead of a vote to renew the weapons system. and the times reports that rural enterprises will be the biggest losers in upcoming business rate rises in england. now it's time for hardtalk. welcome to a special edition of hardtalk from moscow. i'm stephen sackur. according to us intelligence chiefs the kremlin ran a covert operation aimed to influence the us presidential election in favour of donald trump. if they did, it worked, but was it really so? what is the truth behind the swirl of allegations? and what now for russia—us relations? well, i'm going to the kremlin to meet vladimir putin's spokesman, dmitry
has claims from a leading brexit campaigner that up to a million eu migrants may head to the uk over the next two years. the metro says theresa may is ready to challenge president trump over sexist remarks when she meets him at the white house on friday. the telegraph says a free trade deal with the united states is likely to open the door to us jobs for british workers. the mirror has more on accusations that the prime minister didn't share knowledge of a failed trident test ahead of a vote...
northern half of the uk today. some travel disruption is possible as wee see wind gusts in excess of 60mph. strongest winds through northern scotland as this weather feature pushes east, introducing cold winds across the country and keeping the wind lively and gusty for the morning rush—hour. gusts in excess of 60mph across parts of scotland. frequent showers turning frequently to sleet and snow notjust over the hills. rain showers for northern ireland accompanies the strong to gale force winds, gales if not severe gales for some parts of northern and western england, as well as western wales. not a great morning rush hour across the pennines. to go with showers, the winds particularly lively. further south and east, the wind isn't as strong, but picking up through the day, introducing some sunshine but dropping the temperature. feeling colder for all in the afternoon. showers most frequent in the north—west of england and ireland, and they turn increasingly to snow across scotland with afternoon temperatures at three or four degrees at best. we continue with those winds, strong,
northern half of the uk today. some travel disruption is possible as wee see wind gusts in excess of 60mph. strongest winds through northern scotland as this weather feature pushes east, introducing cold winds across the country and keeping the wind lively and gusty for the morning rush—hour. gusts in excess of 60mph across parts of scotland. frequent showers turning frequently to sleet and snow notjust over the hills. rain showers for northern ireland accompanies the strong to gale force...
three to five degrees will be typical. we soon go into frost across the southern half of the uk, and there could well be some slippery surfaces, so watch out for those. if anything, though, temperatures will recover further north, with increasing cloud, and a somewhat milder wind pushing in from the north—west, carrying some showers, principally to the west of scotland. so a different sort of day here as we go through tuesday, a lot more cloud around. some showery rain for a time, on a stiff old breeze, especially across the north of scotland. some of this cloud will filter its way down across england and wales. but, bar the odd shower, actually, still plenty of dry weather, with some sunshine across these more southern and eastern areas. after that chilly start, temperatures slow to recover, but a degree or so higher than they will be today. but on wednesday we see some cold air coming back in again, particularly into the more northern and eastern areas. here the best of the sunshine. further south and west, we will hold onto a bit more cloud. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to
three to five degrees will be typical. we soon go into frost across the southern half of the uk, and there could well be some slippery surfaces, so watch out for those. if anything, though, temperatures will recover further north, with increasing cloud, and a somewhat milder wind pushing in from the north—west, carrying some showers, principally to the west of scotland. so a different sort of day here as we go through tuesday, a lot more cloud around. some showery rain for a time, on a stiff...
rain we will be seeing overnight across the southern parts of the uk. that's keeping the temperatures up. it could turn chilly across the glens of scotland where skies are clear. central and eastern scotland will see sunshine and a bit more cloud in the west. a pretty cloudy start and maybe a bit misty too across the northern ireland and for most of england and wales that's the way it will be as well. a lot of low cloud, it's quite low cloud sitting on the hills. there will still be some rain and drizzle left over from overnight along the south coast and into the south—west of england. that's going to dawdle in the south—west corner through much of saturday in actualfact. one or two heavy bursts perhaps first thing. away from here a lot of dry weather, a few spots of drizzle around some western hills, maybe getting a bit more sunshine in the north of england, especially over in the east of the pennines, possibly the best of blue skies across central and eastern scotland. pretty cloudy elsewhere but we may get temperatures in double figures. and again, no realfrost problems overnig
rain we will be seeing overnight across the southern parts of the uk. that's keeping the temperatures up. it could turn chilly across the glens of scotland where skies are clear. central and eastern scotland will see sunshine and a bit more cloud in the west. a pretty cloudy start and maybe a bit misty too across the northern ireland and for most of england and wales that's the way it will be as well. a lot of low cloud, it's quite low cloud sitting on the hills. there will still be some rain...
brightness on sunday will be further north. across the uk milder than recently. i'm rico hizon in singapore. glad you could join us. the headlines: the white house says it wants a 20% tax on imports from mexico. and president pena nieto cancels a trip to washington. u nless unless mexico is going to treat the united states fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless. britain's prime minister will visit washington, with warm words, but also warnings, for president trump. i'm kasia madera in london. after allegations of massive abuses against myanmar‘s rohyingya minority, the bbc‘s invited to investigate. but the local authorities ban our reporter. and since the year of the rooster is almost upon us, we invite an astrologer to predict what's ahead. it doesn't look good.
brightness on sunday will be further north. across the uk milder than recently. i'm rico hizon in singapore. glad you could join us. the headlines: the white house says it wants a 20% tax on imports from mexico. and president pena nieto cancels a trip to washington. u nless unless mexico is going to treat the united states fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless. britain's prime minister will visit washington, with warm words, but also warnings, for president trump. i'm kasia...
brightness on sunday will be further north across the uk. milder than recently. hello. you're watching bbc world news. i'm james menendez. our top story this hour: president trump says he could impose taxes of up to 20% on imports from mexico to pay for his border wall. but mexico's government warns that a tax will only make products from avocados to appliances more expensive for americans. britain's prime minister will meet mr trump later on friday, to press the case for even closer political and economic ties. welcome to the programme. our other main stories this hour: celebrations in the gambia for the first peaceful transfer of power in the country's modern history. commemorations will be held across europe on friday to mark international holocaust remembrance day. i'm aaron heslehurst.
brightness on sunday will be further north across the uk. milder than recently. hello. you're watching bbc world news. i'm james menendez. our top story this hour: president trump says he could impose taxes of up to 20% on imports from mexico to pay for his border wall. but mexico's government warns that a tax will only make products from avocados to appliances more expensive for americans. britain's prime minister will meet mr trump later on friday, to press the case for even closer political...
the north—western parts of the uk at the moment. the air behind that isn't desperately chilly, but the front itself will bring heavy bursts of rain through scotland and northern ireland. behind that, showers beginning to turn wintry at breakfast time and a strong, cold wind. some sunshine in between. this band of heavy rain, with squally winds, heading into north—western parts of england and wales at breakfast time. ahead of that it is still dry and still a bit of fog over high ground. the winds are still light. that will clear as winds freshen. the rain will then push in from the north—west. some wet weather arriving later in the day across southern and eastern areas. further north and west it brightens up. showers again heavy in northern ireland, scotland. wintry over high ground. it will feel chilly, 4—6 degrees. but ahead of that, nine, possibly 10 before rain arrives. the rain will clear overnight and then we have brisk west or north—westerly winds. chilly, but not desperately cold. there could be some frost around, but not too widespread or too sharp. then towards tuesday
the north—western parts of the uk at the moment. the air behind that isn't desperately chilly, but the front itself will bring heavy bursts of rain through scotland and northern ireland. behind that, showers beginning to turn wintry at breakfast time and a strong, cold wind. some sunshine in between. this band of heavy rain, with squally winds, heading into north—western parts of england and wales at breakfast time. ahead of that it is still dry and still a bit of fog over high ground. the...
. there will be some across the south—eastern quarter of the uk. that is because we have more cloud coming in from the west. it is bringing some rain with it and hoping cold temperatures. it is quite wet for the western side of scotla nd quite wet for the western side of scotland to start the day. the eastern side fares better. some fog on the hills and wet weather in northern ireland. the rain fringing into the western side of england and wales. not quite into cornwall yet. a largely dry start. head further east and we run into the lowest temperatures, cold and frosty, and some patches of fog. bear that in mind if you heading out on the rates. it could be up and down. into northern england, much more cloud. not much in a way of rainfall, but a bit. two or three in places. through the day, the main area of rain will topple southwards and eastwards and get into the midlands to the afternoon. it never really gets to the south—east. the morning fog moves into low cloud. that will break up into the afternoon. the lowest temperatures there as well. further west, something less cold com
. there will be some across the south—eastern quarter of the uk. that is because we have more cloud coming in from the west. it is bringing some rain with it and hoping cold temperatures. it is quite wet for the western side of scotla nd quite wet for the western side of scotland to start the day. the eastern side fares better. some fog on the hills and wet weather in northern ireland. the rain fringing into the western side of england and wales. not quite into cornwall yet. a largely dry...
that illegal drugs are being bought online and delivered by mail all over the uk. we'll bring you that report. apple has withdrawn the new york times from its china app store, following a request from chinese authorities. michelle fleury in new york has been looking in this for us. and if you want to get in touch we're on #bbcos.
at the moment. one day relatively mild, the next cold and it's the turn of the north of the uk to have a slab of cold air working in behind. the weather front over the next few hours, tightly packed isobars affecting shetland. gusty winds of up to 50 mph. but the winds will gradually ease. the cold air will be wafting in across scotland and a good part of northern england as we start the day. that's where the lowest temperatures will be. there could be the odd pocket of frost in sheltered parts of the highlands of scotland. this is wednesday morning. across england and wales we have cloud, but easing through the day for many areas. the weak front will bring patchy outbreaks of rain southwards across wales, the midlands and into parts of eastern england. it is patchy and some areas will get almost nothing. to the north of this front, across northern england and to a degree northern ireland and scotland, the cloud will break up. the best of the sunshine in scotland. here, a few wintry showers across shetland and leaving the coast of aberdeenshire, with strong winds still around. the
at the moment. one day relatively mild, the next cold and it's the turn of the north of the uk to have a slab of cold air working in behind. the weather front over the next few hours, tightly packed isobars affecting shetland. gusty winds of up to 50 mph. but the winds will gradually ease. the cold air will be wafting in across scotland and a good part of northern england as we start the day. that's where the lowest temperatures will be. there could be the odd pocket of frost in sheltered...
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July 31 - Joseph of Arimathea, Disciple, Citizen of the Kingdom
Joseph of Arimathea had heard the preaching of Jesus near the beginning when he had traveled through Judea. It was here that he began to hear Jesus' comments about the coming Kingdom of God. His interest was piqued and he continued to follow what Jesus was saying as he traveled. His commitment to the Sanhedrin limited how much he could be present for Jesus' teachings and, yet, he took every opportunity. When approached, Joseph denied any allegiance to this traveling preacher and messiah. He had so much to lose that he didn't think he could afford to follow Jesus openly.
Joseph was probably surprised that Jesus had been arrested. But, he probably expected it, as well, because of some of the challenging and revolutionary things that Jesus was doing and saying in pursuit of the Kingdom of God. Joseph's heart beat faster at the thought that the Kingdom of God might be thwarted by the machinations of mortals. Jesus was condemned to death and crucified by the orders of the Empire and the powers that be. In this, perhaps, Joseph saw the death of the coming Kingdom and wondered if his dreams had met an end on the cross spattered with Jesus' blood.
Out of his grief and desperation, he was moved to go to Pilate and beg for the body of Jesus. When he arrived, Pilate was unsure if Jesus was even dead yet. The centurion informed Pilate that Jesus had died and Pilate, with body to Joseph. He ran and bought fine linen and went to bury the body of Jesus in his own tomb. On his way, he metNicodemus who brought spices to take part in the burial. It would seem that the death of Jesus had moved both of these two men with much to lose to take a frightening step and demonstrate their allegiance to this now-dead crucified man.It was Jesus' death that finally brought these two men into the Kingdom.
little regard for those who had already died at thehands of Rome, released the
Joseph was a man of great wealth and had a rock-tomb that he had recently had carved for his personal--and preferably eventual--use. They wrapped the body in linen and spice and buried it there in a hurry because of the coming Sabbath. Consider the great number of people who would have watched in surprise as this man of respect and renown traded it all in for the privilege of burying a despised and disreputable man. Though it would have surprised many, it did not surprise Joseph who traded in anything and everything to finally be a citizen of the Kingdom that he had been searching for. Joseph had finally found the door to the Kingdom in the cross and sacrifice of Jesus. Indeed, Joseph found that he couldn't afford not to give all for the Kingdom.
Posted by Joshua Hearne at 7:00 AM 0 comments
July 30 - Peter of Ravenna, Chrysologus, Doctor of the Church
Peter of Ravenna, (406-450) is perhaps better known as "Peter Chrysologus." Chrysologus means, roughly, " golden worded." Peter received this title--and the title "Doctor of Homilies"-- because of his incredible gift for oratory. Though he was a clearly gifted speaker and preacher, his other contributions cannot be overlooked.
Peter was not simply a gifted speaker because of the quality, pitch, or timbre of his voice. It wasn't because of a use of vocal techniques and attention-grabbing phrases.Rather, it came from two desires worthy of emulation: a desire not to bore those who listen and a desire to explain important things in comprehensible ways. Assuredly, any speaker can make subjects of difficulty sound challenging or obtuse--in point of fact, many do so because of the boost it grants their ego--but it takes a gifted speaker to make difficult subjects comprehensible. Peter devoted his life to making the faith accessible under the assumption that if it was accessible, then it would be interesting and it it would be accessed. Peter is so well remembered, then, not because of personal talent but because of a drive to communicate important teachings with precision. For preachers, Peter should be a role-model and mentor.
Beyond his speaking, though, Peter was committed to orthodox teaching and belief and the unity of the Church in the face of temptations to split and schism. When Eutyches was condemned at the synod of Constantinople, he appealed to Peter to intervene on his behalf with the pope and, yet, Peter refused the request on grounds of promoting unity within the Church. Peter advised Eutyches to prefer unity over argumentation. In doing this, Peter hoped to offer Eutyches a way to be welcomed back into the Church he was rejecting and hoped to offer the comforting embrace of the Church to another.
Additionally, he would preach and sensibly defend orthodoxy against Arianism and Monophysitism. In these sermons, he argued for the unity of the church in mercy and love behind a united and orthodox doctrine that would nourish and form Christians throughout the world. Peter had a great love for the Church and demonstrated it in the way he defended her while inviting people in.
Perhaps the best tribute to a man like Peter of Ravenna is to share some of his especially quotable words. These words, given to him by the Spirit, inspired many and fought for unity within a fracturing and struggling Church. Peter, worthy of emulation for all preachers and Christians, should be remembered alongside his words:
"[Jesus] is the bread sown in the Virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in his passion, baked in the furnace of the sepulchre, placed in the churches, and set upon the altars, which daily supplies heavenly food to the faithful."
"The devil does not wish to possess a man, but to destroy him. Why? Because he does not wish, he does not dare, he does not allow the man to arrive at the Heaven from which the devil fell. Jealousy, envy, pride and anger, to name only a few capital sins, rage in Lucifer, the prince of devils."
"There are three things, my brethren, which causes faith to stand firm, devotion to remain constant and virtue to endure. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains and mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting are one. They give life to each other."
"Brothers, let us be sinners by our own admission, so that with Christ's forgiveness we may be sinners no more."
"God receives sinners, but God does not allow those whom he receives to remain sinners. The approach of the sinner does no harm to God. God sanctifies the sinner who draws near to him. O Pharisee, Christ does not receive sins when he receives sinners, because God is the recipient not of the offense, but of the human being. So the Pharisee should not have been looking at the condition the sinners were in when they arrived, but at their condition upon their return."
July 29 - Martha of Bethany, Unafraid to Hope
Martha had a home in Bethany near Jerusalem and it was here that Jesus often rested and visited. Her brother and sister--Lazarus and Mary--are regularly mentioned with her. Often, the story that we remember of them is when Jesus visited and Martha was busy preparing and working to provide for Jesus. Her sister, Mary, was sitting at Jesus' feet.Martha chided Mary about not helping and Jesus corrected Martha saying that Mary had chosen correctly by being present with him. It's a popular scene for sermons and stories and, yet, it is not the only place we see Martha--whom Jesus loved.
Mary and Martha had sent word to their friend Jesus that Lazarus was sick and likely to die. They expected him to come quickly because of his dying friend and provide the healing that they had seen with their own eyes. At first, their anxiety was high but their hope remained fixed on Jesus' intervention. They had seen him heal strangers so, surely, he would heal a dear friend like Lazarus. Yet, he did not come immediately. Instead, he waited and conversed with his disciples. He took the moment to teach those close to him even if it involved anxiety and pain.
As the days passed, hope dwindled and confusion reigned in the minds of those close to Jesus. Martha must have wondered why Jesus delayed. Every passing traveler must have attracted her attention even as she cared for and served her brother. Finally, Lazarus died and with him Martha's hope. They buried him, they mourned him, and they wondered what could possibly have kept Jesus. They gave up hope. They wondered if Jesus had been waylaid by bandits. They wondered if Jesus had forgotten them.Martha--whom Jesus loved--was forced to deal with the anxiety and pain of the cold grip of grief.
Finally, Jesus arrived at the entrance to their land and somebody told Martha that he had come. She left her family and friends and ran out to meet him. Mary remained with the mourners. Who can know what thoughts flew through Martha's head as she ran? When she met him, she lamented: "Lord, if you had been here, Lazarus wouldn't have died."Feeling a faint glimmer of hope that begged to be believed in but demanded to be doubted she continued, "But, even now, I know that you can do anything..." Perhaps, she was just telling him that she still loved and trusted him even if he had let her down. Perhaps, she was asking for a miracle. And yet, perhaps, she didn't really know why she was saying it except that she had faith in this Jesus whom she loved--and whom loved her. She was asking for permission to hope.
"Lazarus will rise again," he said.
Martha, not wanting to fan the flames of hope if they would only die away again, replied, "Of course... on the last day--in the great resurrection." Martha had grown used to the saccharine sweet words of the mourners and friends who comforted her with anxious phrases.They saw her hopelessness and offered sickly assurance to replace it. She thought that Jesus was offering bland support because he didn't know what else to say.
Instead, Jesus said something shocking: "I am the resurrection. I am life. Whoever trusts me will live, even though they die. Death is not the end of all things for those who trust in me--I am life itself and I shall conquer death." Having said this, he asked her, "Do you trust me?"
Martha looked into his eyes and knew that hope and trust placed in this man--Jesus--is not misplaced. She replied, "Yes, Lord, I trust you. You are the Messiah. You are the Son of God.You are what happens when life takes a body."
In the story, Jesus goes to the tomb and calls Lazarus out of death. Jesus defies the powers of the world that say that death is the end and the ultimate threat. Instead, Jesus shows that those who place their trust and hope in the incarnation of life have nothing to fear in death. Jesus defied the hope-killers by offering life even in the presence of death. Lazarus comes out of the tomb and continues to live. This is an amazing scene but it is not the only amazing scene in the text. Before Jesus raises Lazarus from out of death, Jesus resurrected Martha's hope by assuring her that death is not the end and is not insurmountable--a point he would make again through his crucifixion. Jesus gave hope back to Martha and this is, perhaps, as amazing of a miracle as the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
July 28 - Stanley Rother, Martyr, Priest, Shepherd of Guatemala
Stanley Rother experienced a life quite like that of many Midwestern Roman Catholic priests. He was born in 1935, attended seminary, and was ordained in 1968 (though he struggled with Latin enough to make this a challenge at times). He served as an associate minister at a few churches before being commissioned and called to the congregation of Santiago Atitlán in Guatemala. Stanley Rother, with his heart full of love and anxiety, left the United States of America and became shepherd of a people miles away in geography and culture.
After some time, he had mastered the language of his flock: a Mayan dialect of the Tzutuhil. He was the first to translate the scripture into Tzutuhil. More than that, he offered services in the language of his flock and became greatly endeared to them. Soon, more than 3,300 people were attending the Sunday masses. Stanley did not accomplish this with flash and programs aimed at reaching the unreached but, rather, by slowly pouring his life our for those whom he comforted, baptized, buried, married, counseled, trained, taught, and assisted. When he wasn't busy about his priestly duties, he lent a hand in a field and offered love wherever he might be. Stanley did not see his life as something that was his own to hoard but, rather, a gift that he could gleefully spend on others to ease their pain and buoy them up in their distress. In short, Stanley Rother was much loved by the Guatemalan people because he loved them much. Because of this great love, he was honored with a Tzutuhil name: Padre A'plas.
Guatemala's history is rife with violence and kidnappings. Santiago Atitlán had, for many years, been a haven from this violence and the country's political distress had not stepped across the threshold of parish for some time. However, this peace would not hold once some politically minded people had determined to escalate the violence to accomplish their destructive goals. After all, the way of violence leads only to more violence and not into the way of life and peace. Stanley diagnosed the problem as such: "The country here is in rebellion and the government is taking it out on the church...The Church seems to be the only force that is trying to do something about the situation, and therefore the government is after us."
Stanley was urged to flee and return to the United States but Stanley refused saying, "At the first signs of danger, the shepherd can't run and leave the sheep to fend forthemselves." He stayed and, eventually, one of the lay leaders from the congregation was kidnapped during the day by armed men. One day, as he walked through the streets, he was accosted and informed that his name was on a list of those condemned to death by the powers.He resisted leaving but, upon the advice of his friends and parishioners, returned to Oklahoma so that his flock might not be harmed because of him.
Yet, being the shepherd that he was, he was unable to stay away from the place where he belonged and where he was, truly, home. He left the chalice his parents had gifted to him with his parents and said good-byes to his family and friends. Stanley knew well that he was likely walking back into his death. Yet, As Archbishop Salatka said, "Father Stanley Rother did not go back to Guatemala to die. He went back to help his people." He left Oklahoma near Holy Week and returned to Santiago Atitlán to celebrate the Gospel story: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. In the early morning hours of July 28th, 1981, armed men broke into rectory and seized Stanley. Apparently, they were intending to kidnap him and torture him. Stanley did not beg for his life or cry out in fear or pain but, rather, told his would-be-abductors: "Kill me here." Stanley Rother died when one of the armed men shot him in the head twice. He died where he requested and where he had returned: among the people of Guatemala.
For Stanley Rother, there was no other place he'd rather be than in Guatemala among his flock whom he cared for. The powers could not stand that this one person would dare oppose them and help the people they couldn't help. With closed fists they had tried to aid the people not knowing that it was only with a peaceful and loving open hand that aid can be given to the broken. His body was returned to Oklahoma for burial but his heart was buried where it truly belonged: Santiago Atitlán.
July 27 - Panteleimon, Martyr, Physician, Opponent of Death
Pantaleon (meaning "like a lion in all things") was born to a non-Christian father and Christian mother in Nicomedia in 275 CE. His mother repeatedly shared the Christian faith and way with him throughout his childhood but he fell away from his mother's beliefs and never claimed them as his own. His academic pursuits and able intellect led him to study medicine. His skill in the field was apparent from the beginning and his practice gained attention from many people--including the emperor Maximian. It was, in fact, as a physician that he was first reached by the convicting faith of his mother. Hermolaus, a physician himself, appealed to him arguing that Jesus was "the great physician" and, therefore, worthy of emulation and great consideration.
Hermolaus connected the life and viewpoint of Pantaleon to that of his childhood and his mother's teachings. For Pantaleon, this resulted not only in the changing of his name to Panteleimon (meaning "mercy for everyone") but, also, the changing of his approach to medicine. By bridging the gap between Panteleimon's childhood and his identity,Hermolaus unleashed a great healer upon not only the persecuted Christians but, also, the sick and suffering. Panteleimon truly did offer mercy for anyone and everyone. Though he was employed by Maximian he offered healing and mercy even to the poorest of the poor.
Eventually, he was denounced to the authorities and charged with being a Christian. Given Panteleimon's incredible reputation as a healer and worker of good, the emperor Maximian hoped to convince Panteleimon to renounce his faith and become an apostate--a well-rewarded and highly-regarded apostate.Panteleimon refused to deny the faith he once had cast aside and, instead, he confessed it boldly regardless of what he stood to lose in doing so.
Further, he challenged the imperial delusions to a test. He challenged Maximian's best doctors to a challenge: there was a certain paralytic who was considered unable to be healed--Panteleimon invited this man in and gave the doctors sufficient time to try all that they knew to heal the man's paralysis. Though they were esteemed in imperial eyes, the doctors failed. Panteleimon offered prayer and requested healing and the man stood up free from paralysis. Perhaps Panteleimon expected to be released or to convert Maximian but this was not to be as hatred and shame had filled the heart of Maximian. Maximian--so lost in imperial delusions and unable truly to see life--labeled this healing as trickery and sorcery. He had the healed paralytic executed in a show of savage domination and power.
As punishment for healing the paralytic and being a Christian, Maximian brought some of Panteleimon's friends--including Hermolaus--before himself and threatened them with beheading if Panteleimon would not renounce his faith. These men were martyred as Panteleimon stood strong and proclaimed that there is more to life than a heartbeat and more to death than a grave. In doing this, Maximian made a statement about life and death and made the point that the empire's power was death and the control of it. However, even as he condemned Panteleimon--instrument of life and mercy to so many and his own personal physician--to death, his power of death could not restrain the power of life held by the God of Panteleimon.
In anger and desperation for power, Maximian ordered Panteleimon beheaded to make his point concerning death and power. As Panteleimon prayed, the blade failed to cut his neck. As he finished his prayer, Panteleimon heard a voice from heaven calling him home and he lovingly permitted the soldiers to execute him. Having shown the power of life over death and God over the empire, Panteleimon was beheaded and martyred as a servant of life and opponent of the power of death in the year 303.
July 26 - Titus Brandsma, Martyr, Priest, Opponent of Nazi Germany
Titus Brandsma was born Anno Sjoerd in the Netherlands in 1881. He was raised Roman Catholic and, eventually, became a Carmelite and priest. He was awarded the Ph.D. at Rome in 1909. He was a well-known authority on Carmelite mysticism. This principled man had the fortune of intersecting the Nazis in the Netherlands. Though it resulted in his martyrdom, it cannot be described as bad fortune because Titus knew his life was a story of the power of love in the face of death and domination--this was the only appropriate end.
Titus was the Roman Catholic adviser to the Netherlands' several dozen Roman Catholic newspapers. This was a position of importance and one which Titus was equipped to do well. Holland was invaded by the Nazis in 1940 and tensions were high. Many Roman Catholics wanted to resist the Nazi occupation but were unsure of how much or how to do so. It is, most assuredly, a black mark that those bearing the banner of Jesus Christ--a crucified Lord--would compromise with the Nazi regime in trade for limited safety and security and, yet, that is often what happened. Many were willing to fight only for the safety and security of fellow Roman Catholics and felt that the Church should solely be concerned with the protection of its members. Titus disagreed and did so vocally. For Titus, there was no compromise to be had with those who dealt in death, destruction, torture, and pain.The Church has no room to join with others who promise only "controlled evil."
Referring to Nazism as "the new paganism," it was clear that Titus opposed the treachery and tragedy of the Nazi empire. Titus resisted the Nazi oppression of all people regardless of the religion, creed, race, or sex of those who were oppressed. After all, if oppression was evil, then it didn't matter who did it. He publicly denounced and fought a German law prohibiting students of Jewish lineage from attending Roman Catholic schools. This further drew the ire of the Nazi empire. In late 1941, a Nazi edict demanded that all newspapers run Nazi propaganda.Titus Brandsma organized an effort to refuse and resist this edict. This was, apparently, the last straw for an empire that depended upon domination, control, and fear.
January 19th, 1942, was the day that Titus was arrested and seized by the Nazi death machine. Eventually, he was transferred to Dachau to be with the nearly 3,000 other clergy who were swept up by the empire that accepted no resistance. He was beaten and tortured before being transferred to a "hospital" for execution.
On July 26th, 1942--70 years ago, today--Titus Brandsma was injected with acid and murdered.Though the Nazis felt that they were punishing him for his resistance to the empire, they only spread his influence and further proved their own savagery. They killed a sickly, 61-year-old man who offered no physical resistance with a needle to make it "clean" but acid to make it vindictive--observing their methods, one wonders if there wasn't the spark of fear in their hatred of Titus. They hoped to punish him for the state of his mind that offered resistance to their "new world order" but, instead, they crowned him as a martyr for the cause of a sacrificial and loving savior who resisted evil done to any and all people.
July 25 - James, Son of Zebedee, Apostle, Martyr
James the Apostle and John the Evangelist were brothers. Their father, Zebedee, was clearly a man of wealth and influence. He was a fisherman by trade and, therefore, so were James (the older) and John (the younger). Zebedee provided for them in their youth and education. Their mother, Salome, was one of Jesus' followers and would, later, be one of the women who followed after Jesus and provided for him as he engaged in ministry prior to his death.
Growing up in Galilee, their family likely knew Jesus' family and, perhaps, were even distant relatives. As they grew older they engaged in the fishing trade of their father until, one day, Jesus came alongside the Sea of Galilee and called out to the brothers on the boat and proclaimed that if they would follow him, then he would make them "fishers of people." Along with his brother, James accepted the call and became one of "the twelve disciples." He abandoned the life of affluence that his father provided for the life of a wandering disciple of an itinerant teacher.This sacrifice should not be overlooked. After all, James would follow Jesus loyally for years forsaking his own life in pursuit of the Kingdom--even if he wasn't entirely sure what it might look like.
As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem for the last time, Salome ambitiously decided to take some initiative and convince Jesus of her sons' worth as leaders in the new Kingdom. Salome said to Jesus, "Jesus, I want you to tell me that my sons can be your inner circle when you finally start this Kingdom you've been talking about." Oblivious that the Kingdom had already started and they were missing it in their ambition, her sons joined in with her and placed their hope in worldly gain and power. For a moment, James bought into the lie of success through power--a new kingdom just like the other kingdoms except with himself on top.They bought into that old lie that says, "The only thing wrong with this world's kingdoms is that I'm not the one in charge." Jesus, knowing how the Kingdom worked and hoping to get it through to them asked: "Can you drink the cup I'm getting ready to drink?" In their ambition, they exclaimed, "Yes!" Jesus knew they still didn't get it and so he said to them, somewhat cryptically, "Yes, you will drink the same cup but the Kingdom is not about power like you understand it. No, it's different--it's not about domination and control. It's about love and sacrifice."
James would, later, be present at the transfiguration of Jesus at Gethsemane. James, along with Peter and John, would see their Lord and Savior conversing with Moses and Elijah. The effect of this event for James' change of outlook and character should not be underestimated. Even as James gazed upon Jesus transfigured that night, parts of James were being transfigured.
Jesus would, of course, go on to lay down his life and die for the sins of the world. He would offer forgiveness to the death-dealers surrounding him and love to those intent on being his enemies. This frightening inauguration of a new Kingdom scattered the Twelve--including James. Perhaps the words of Jesus about the cup he would drink came back to haunt James. Regardless, James would help lead the disciples and early Christians in living into the Kingdom they understood so late. He who had been given much and who had come from an affluent family would give it all up for a chance to be a part of a new and different Kingdom--the Kingdom of God.
July 24 - John Newton, Ex-Slaver and Lost Cause
John Newton was born on July 24th, 1725, to a family of affluence that had grown rich on the backs of slaves. Though his mother died young from tuberculosis, it was his father’s desire that John should become a slave master in the family business on a sugar plantation. Before this could occur, however, John was pressed into service to the empire as a naval officer. For whatever reason, John tried to desert and was punished severely: 96 lashes, humiliation in front of the whole crew, and demotion to the status of servant. John’s well-planned life that had been formed quickly by the desires of his father and the values of imperial England was falling down around him.
His pain turned him to thought of suicide but he refrained from a quick death and tried to throw himself into a dark abyss one choice at a time instead. He requested to be transferred to a slave ship and made a servant of a slaver. His self-imposed punishment and exile was ended, however, when his father sent a crew to recover him. On his way back to England aboard the Greyhound, a terrible storm descended upon them. John had only just changed places with another man when the man was swept overboard and drowned. Having read Thomas a Kempis’Imitation of Christ and in a great panic John prayed to God in desperation for grace and protection. After the terrible storm had passed, that night, he began reading the scriptures and feelings the beginning of his conversion. Whereas the promises and plans of the world had failed him and left him empty, the promises and plans of God began a process of conversion.
He would, eventually, become an Anglican priest—though not until June 17th, 1764—and experience God’s grace and formation as he continued the process of conversion from who he was into what God was making him into. Throughout John Newton’s story it is evident that his conversion was a slow and steady process that involved the persistent formation and repair of all that was broken about him. In fact, it was only after years of being a priest and continuing in relationship and conversation with other Christians that John eventually renounced the slavery that he had grown up under.
Some have criticized John Newton for dwelling in sin even as he claimed the mantle of Christian. Charges of hypocrisy are not unheard when telling the story of John Newton. Even though John later regretted his commitment to the slavery he had engaged in and supported, it cannot be simply overlooked. Yet, it only serves to strengthen the power of his story: conversion is a process that takes time whereby we are made more into the image God has for us. Though John’s continued support of slavery is distasteful for us, it must be remembered that unlike many people who struggled with the issue he did renounce it--better late than never. Also, it makes the story more real and more honest because it so closely resembles the struggles of all Christians in the process of conversion away from the world’s image and into God’s image. Perhaps this is why so many Christians have connected with his hymn “Faith's review and expectation”—you might know it as “Amazing Grace.” Perhaps, it is that Christians can sing along with John Newton confidently:
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
July 23 - Phocas, Martyr, Grave-digger
Phocas had finished tending his gardens and it seemed that yet another day had slipped away into dusk while he worked busily to grow the crops that had been planted and sustained. Giving thanks to God, he watched the Christian pilgrims sneaking away under the increasingly dark cover. Under the rule of Diocletian, food was becoming increasingly difficult to find for those professing Jesus’ name and lordship. More and more Christians were coming to Phocas to receive foodfrom his vast gardens along with the poor and oppressed that had been coming for some time. This was a blessing and, yet, there was a catch: the more he helped his brothers and sisters, the more the Empire’s gaze turned to Phocas’ home at Sinope near the Black Sea.
As is always the case for those who attract the hatred of the empire, Phocas was ordered to die by an imperial sword. For, you see, the power of the empire is ultimately rooted in the power to deprive you of your life. Diocletian sent soldiers to find and execute Phocas for his obedience to Jesus—a power besides Rome. And, so, the soldiers traveled to Sinope where they found the gates locked. Looking for a place to stay the night, they came upon the home of Phocas. They did not know what he looked like when they arrived at his home looking for him. Phocas promised to show them where they could find the man they were looking for in the morning but, first, invited them into his home for a meal and a place to sleep. He fed them, perhaps he washed their feet and he provided them with a place to sleep and recover from their travel. As they slept that night, Phocas went out and dug a grave near his garden. Praying while he dug, he prepared himself for his own martyrdom.When he had finished digging his own grave, he spent the remainder of the night in prayer.
In the morning, the thankful soldiers awoke and prepared for the day. They were appreciative of Phocas’ hospitality and kindness but were unprepared for Phocas’ confession. Phocas agreed to show them the man they were looking for and lead them out of his home. As they approached Phocas’ garden, he stood in front of the grave he had dug, turned to face them, and confessed to being the man they were looking for. The soldiers who had been tasked with killing Phocas —menace and rebel that he was—suddenly found their imperial resolve weakened. They offered to return to Diocletian and lie: “We couldn’t find him.”
Phocas knelt in the dirt, bared his neck, and refused to let the soldiers lie, sin, and risk their own lives to save his. He assured them that he was not afraid of death—a concept entirely foreign to the threats of the Empire—and, instead, eagerly anticipated his martyrdom. Having given permission to his executioners, they decapitated him and finished the burial he had started the night before.
Phocas denied the power of the Empire over him and left an indelible impression upon not only his executioners—the soldiers—but, also, all who would hear the story of the willing martyr and grave-digger. The great power of the Empire—the ability to deprive you of your life—had failed to convert Phocas and, yet, Phocas’ seemingly incomprehensible willingness to love and die converted many.
July 22 - Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles
Mary of Magdala was found in the crowd that had turned on Jesus as He drug the cross toGolgotha. Fickle as people are, it is not especially surprising that they had turned on Jesus and now gloried in His agony and looming death. Equally unsurprising is Mary’s presence near Jesus as He walked the Via Dolorosa. After all, Jesus had cast seven demons out from Mary and began the beautiful process of conversion and redemption. Mary’s feet were planted firmly in the Kingdom and, for her, that meant walking alongside—or at least as close as possible—Jesus as He agonized in His journey. The Twelve may have fled for their lives but Mary continued to follow because of hers.
Arriving at the Cross, Mary waited with Jesus as He shed his blood and took away the sins of the World. She was present as they took the Lord God Almighty down from the Cross and buried Him in the tomb. It is inconceivable what pain went through her as she watched Jesus slowly suffer and die. Who can tell the fear and desperation that passed through her as they carried her Lord and placed him in a tomb?
She went with the other women to the tomb on the third day and found it empty. She ran for Peter and others and told them of the emptiness that she had discovered. The emptiness of the tomb must surely have symbolized to her the emptiness of hope for the once-exorcised and now seemingly abandoned disciple of Jesus. As she stood there, weeping for herself and for her lost Lord, she sees a man approaching. In her desperation, she takes Him to be the gardener and pleads with him to tell her where Jesus has been laid. The man, Jesus, only calls out her name and casts the fear, confusion, and emptiness out of her.
She cried out, “Teacher!” and is comforted again by His presence. He commissions her, again, and gives her an important message: “Go to my people and say them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” She took this blessed charge and ran to tell them the blessed news. Mary had carried the Gospel message—Jesus has lived, died for our sins, and been raised from the dead—before any other and, thus, is well deserving of the title: Apostle to the Apostles.
Though others may overlook Mary and focus solely on the other disciples, there can be no doubt that this devoted follower of Jesus Christ was an apostle and citizen of the Kingdom of God. She was the first to hear the good news and the first to proclaim it to the world. As is the case for all conversions to the Kingdomof God, Mary was redeemed by the life, death, and teachings of Jesus Christ and made into an instrument of God’s redeeming love. Indeed, Mary—Mary who never abandoned Jesus and whom Jesus called by name—was a witness to the redeeming power of love over death and evil.
July 21 - Victor of Marseilles, Martyr, Opponent of Idolatry
Victor was raised as many Roman military officers might have been. He showed great promise as a soldier of the empire. He was well known for his bravery and intelligence. He had the right pedigree—a noble background that assured him advancement and power within the imperial system. He was well-equipped for imperial success. Indeed, one would imagine that a man like Victor would have too much to lose to abandon an empire and imperial success for a crucified
And, yet, Victor—who served the empire—refused to offer sacrifice to the gods and values of Rome. Instead, Victor called the imperial gods what they were: idols. His opponents seized this opportunity and denounced him before the empire. Mighty Victor the intended role model of so many Roman citizens was brought before two prefects, Asterius and Eutychius, who recognized that such a notable man should instead appear before the emperor. And, so, Victor was brought before Emperor Maximian and given a chance to repent of his verbal sin against the empire—they asked him to deny the truth he had seen and proclaimed. They asked him to lie and become an idolater.
Surely, Victor knew the eventual cost of his truth-tellingand, yet, he endured Maximian’s tortures. He was severely beaten and, still, would not deny the charge of idolatry. They put him on the rack and tortured him slowly in hopes that his resolve would crack and he would escape pain into the arms of poisonous agreement. They underestimated Victor's commitment. They drug him through the streets hoping, still, that humiliation and abuse would shake loose Victor’s conviction and “bring him to his senses.” Victor accepted their abuse and would not take part in their blindness—the one who had seen could not simply un-see like they were demanding of him.
Maximian threw him into prison under a guard of three soldiers thinking that isolation, abuse and brokenness would have the desired effect if left to simmer and stew. While in prison, Victor ministered to his guards and the three of them were converted. Longinus, Alexander and Felician were liberated from the imperial lie and brought into the Kingdom of God that day.
When Maximian heard this he had the three converts brought before him and beheaded. He had to stop the hemorrhaging while he still had a chance. Still, Victor would not participate in the imperial lie. Maximian was becoming enraged and confused at Victor’s actions. Maximian could not understand how Victor could take such abuse and, yet, still be reaching out in mercy to his abusers. Maximian could not understand how the Kingdom of God’s values differed from the Empire’s.Maximian didn’t understand the process of conversion—- all he understood was self-deception and a bland hope for security through domination. So, Maximian ordered Victor to the temple of Jupiter—perhaps hoping that the grandeur of the temple would change Victor’s mind. Maximian hoped to woo Victor back to the comfortable lies of the Empire.
As Victor stood before the statue of Jupiter he was expected to burn incense to Jupiter and the Empire. Everybody held their breath as every eye was on Victor. As they watched, Victor kicked the statue of Jupiter and it fell over. In one defiant and powerful act, Victor reinforced what he had been saying all along: the gods and values of Rome are dead and useless. He was immediately seized by the shocked mob and Maximian ordered the offending foot cut off. After his foot was cut off, Maximian ordered the beaten and bloody Victor to be crushed to death by a millstone. And, so, Victor of Marseilles was martyred for refusing to believe and preach the imperial lie. St. Victor died for the Kingdom of Godin opposition to the damning self-deception of the imperial machine.
July 20 - Elijah, Truth-Teller
In our world, there is no shortage of people who claim an intimate relationship with God and an innate sense of God's desires and will. Very often it seems that you don't even need to ask to receive advice from somebody about what God wants--specifically--for you to do. Regret tably, many of these people take the Lord's name in vain by granting divine authorship to personal opinion. For those who speak with power and certainty the story of Elijah can be unnerving--in a good way. For Elijah was a truth-teller and a man who knew the life-giving intimacy of the Lord God Almighty.
Elijah was born nearly 2900 years ago. He is noted as a prophet but we must be clear not to call him a fortune-teller but, rather, a truth-teller. After all, there is no room within the faith of Moishe, Eliyahu, and Yeshua for sorcery and idle predictions of the future--the future is in Adonai's hands and not a matter of concern. Instead, Adonai (God) spoke with Elijah and told him about the evil acts of the King and Queen of Israel (Ahab and Jezebel). They had forgotten Adonai and begun worshiping idols of Baal because they thought it would bring them good rain and crops. The people had tried to make life for themselves not knowing that any life they could make for themselves wouldn't stand the test of time. In a haphazard pursuit of life, they had chosen a bland mockery of life because it was easy instead of pursuing life more abundant in Adonai.
Adonai sent Elijah to teach a lesson about life to those who had abandoned it intentionally or ignorantly. Eli jah came before them and told them the truth God had given to him: a drought was coming because of the rejection of Adonai. The cheap security and supposed power of Baal was being called into question by Elijah's prophecy. If the people had chosen predictability and a god they could control over life/Adonai, then they should know what they were choosing: death. And, so, in a very visceral and symbolic way the water was withdrawn from those who had withdrawn themselves from Adonai.
As the flower wilts when removed from the soil and its life-giving moisture, so also go those created by Adonai when removed from God—the ground of their being—and the spiritual sustenance of Adonai—King of the Universe.
This truth, however, was missed by those who refused to see it. Instead of accepting their own complicity in their disconnection from Adonai, they blamed Elijah and, so, Elijah fled for his life. While fleeing from those who claimed to be the people of God, Elijah was provided for first by unclean birds and, then, by a poor widow. It is of no little importance that the prophet of Adonai was cared for not by the people who claimed such intimacy with God but, rather, by the least equipped and least likely of the world. For, you see, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob does not dwell only in a temple built with mortal hands—an idea that we must all relearn repeatedly.
Elijah would go on to do many other things including raise the widow's son from the dead, provide for her and her family, contest with the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel, flee again from the wrath of Ahab and Jezebel, hear the “still small voice” of Adonai, be assumed into the pr esence of Adonai on a chariot of fire, and be present for the transfiguration of Jesus the Christ. Elijah was, truly, a prophet who spoke powerful truth about the nature of our lives and connection to the Lord God Almighty. His story speaks volumes about what intimacy with God looks like: life-giving as in the raising of the widow's son,sustaining as in the provision of oil and flour for the widow's family,among the unclean as in the ministrations of the ravens to Elijah,gentle, humble, and personal as in the still-small-voice,concerned with the weak and powerless as in Elijah's community with the widow, empowered but prayerful as in the contest with the priests of Baal, dependent as in Elijah's constant need for intimacy and affirmation from Adonai, and transfiguring.
Elijah reminds us all what it looks like to tell the truth in a powerful way. Elijah reminds us all of the life-sustaining-and-redeeming power of the still-small-voice of the Lord God Almighty.
July 19 - Macrina the Younger, Devoted Sister
Some have argued that the basic unit of Christianity is not the individual but, rather, the family unit. If this is the case, then one of the great families in Christian tradition must be St. Macrina's family. St. Macrina the Younger's grandmother was St. Macrina the elder. Her brother's include St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Basil the Great, and St. Peter of Sebaste (all three were bishops at some point). Macrina's parents were St. Basil the Elder and St. Emmelia. In such a canonized family it seems that young daughter Macrina could be overlooked or overshadowed--brothers Gregory and Basil were, after all, two of the three Cappadocian fathers who went on to be great champions of orthodoxy and significant influences for Christian theology. And, yet, Macrina was not a bit player to be overlooked or mentioned in passing but, rather, was inspiration and encouragement to all who met her and fell within the sound of her teachings.
Young Macrina was lucky enough to receive an incredible education which included memorizing large sections of the scriptures that her family was devoted to. She memorized the entirety of the Psalter and was formed and informed by the great stories of the scripture. Her intelligence was remarked upon by her well-educated brothers and her beauty was well-known by many. It is easy to say that Macrina had many advantages. However, unlike many she did not take these things for granted. Rather, she understood her gifts as not her own but given for the use of the Kingdom.
She was betrothed to a young man of considerable reputation and whom she, apparently, loved but this young man died after the betrothal and before the wedding. For the sake of fidelity, Macrina considered herself already a wife--of a man hidden in Christ with God--and took no other husband. Instead, she remained committed to taking care of her family as they--one by one--died.
When Basil the Great had returned from receiving a wonderful education in Athens, it was Macrina who grounded him in faith and in opposition to the ivory towers of academia. Clearly, learning was highly valued in their family and, yet, Macrina grasped that education is not salvific and Christianity is not a religion of redemption through knowledge or intelligence. And, so, Macrina became a spiritual center for the great Cappadocian fathers: Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus. Though they would fight and debate and champion orthodoxy, Macrina reminded them of the spiritual and essential nature of the faith. Though the Cappadocians may be well-known there is no doubt that they owed more than we can articulate to Macrina.
Basil and Gregory would remark following her death that she seemed to grasp innately and essentially at what it meant to be a servant and follower of Jesus. Her love for and devotion to her family helped to link them together even as the ravages of disease and time whittled them away. From her deathbed she consoled brother Gregory about death and redemption. As Gregory suffered grief for Basil and Macrina so closely together it was Macrina who comforted him with her prayers and teachings.
There is much to be said for the great mentor of such great teachers (Gregory would go on to write a biography of Macrina to share her life with others as she had shared it with him) but there is, perhaps, more to be said for a sister devoted to love and compassion for her family and her brothers and sisters in humanity. In this way, Macrina is not solely the devoted sister of Gregory, Peter, and Basil but, also, the devoted sister of all of us--constantly calling us back to a spiritual reality she experienced so clearly.
July 18 - The Great Burning of Rome
Nearly 2,000 years ago on this day someone started a small fire. But, a fire never consents to remain small and, so, it began to ravage the homes of many Romans near the Circus Maximus. Regrettably, these houses were close together and made of wood and cloth. Soon, the "great city of Rome" was set alight and burning with abandon. Even in our day--nearly 2 millenniums later--fires are terrifying forces of destruction that can become unquenchable if left unchecked. Consider the wildfires that plague the American west consuming fuel and producing nothing more than ash and death. This great fire was left unchecked and the burning continued.
The fire burned for an entire week. Those who stood in its way were made to cower and flee or to be consumed and feed the horrific onslaught. There was little room to run given that of the fourteen districts of Rome, four were consumed entirely and seven more were crippled. Devastation had taken residence in great Rome. Rome! So many powers and principalities had quaked before it and acquiesced to its commands and demands. So many had bought into the gospel of "Pax Romana" that declared protection and security to be more valuable than free will and community. The great flames offered no quarter or peace to mighty Rome and, tragically, many lives were lost.
Where, then, did the fire come from? Some say Nero set it because of insanity--that the Pax Romana had prepared those who gave their lives to it to execute atrocity for insanity. Some say Nero set it because he wanted to remove the poor from around the Circus Maximus and rebuild it in a new and beautiful fashion--that the greed and lust of one man burned up the least of Rome. Some say Nero was nowhere near Rome when it happened and, instead, rushed back to fight the flames of an unquenchable destroyer--that bad things happen in this world and the flames of chance consume even those dear to us: Christian or Roman. Nero said it was the Christians. And the words of the Emperor are the gospel of the empire.
Nero, feeling the pain of accusation from the people he likely tried to save, shifted blame away from himself and toward another group. Tacitus writes, "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace." Christians were known as incestuous (even wife and husband called each other brother and sister) atheist (having denied the Roman Gods) cannibals (met at night and ate the body and blood of their leader). They were an easy target for the flames of Nero's vengeance. These people who refused to deny their Lord--Jesus Christ--were gathered together and punished for the great fire that stripped Rome of its greatest value: protection and security. They were commended to the flames of sacrifice to appease the quailing hearts of an empire that had realized--all too suddenly--that it could bring the "Pax Romana" but not peace.
And, so, Christians were crucified like their Lord. They were wrapped in animal skins and mauled by animals. They were wrapped in flammable garments and set ablaze to provide light for Nero and the people of Rome. They did not fight back. They did not deny their faith. Instead, they stepped forward and into the flames that had mastered Rome. They died in a different way that would be apparent to all who saw. While Nero capitalized on the loss and rebuilt Rome and a "golden palace," more Christians died--for some most certainly died in the fire--with the words of their Lord on their lips: "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing."
They were right; Rome was fleeing from death in a panic and Christians proclaimed a different gospel with a different set of values: There is no peace in domination and control--there is only peace in love. The Empire cannot and does not want to save you. And, so, the flames of vengeance and retribution found no fuel and were suffocated. Yet, another fire was fueled: the fire of the Christian witness and the good news of redemption for all people.
July 17 - Bartolome de las Casas, Priest, Bishop, Opponent of Slavery
Bartolome de las Casas was born in Seville, Spain, in 1484 and so he was only nine years old when Christopher Columbus returned to Seville to tell of the world he had discovered to the west.Columbus had gained the favor of queen Isabella and king Ferdinand II by insisting that there was another route to the East Indies that didn't involve traveling through Arabia but, instead, meant sailing west from Spain to approach the Indies from the other side. This interested the Spanish nobles because access to the East Indies, unencumbered by Italian and Arabian merchants and rulers, meant a lucrative trade in spices. In other words, the rich could get richer if Columbus was right. Columbus, of course, was wrong and had severely underestimated the circumference of the Earth but in his error he had stumbled upon the land we call the Americas. Bartolome wasfascinated by the tales of a distant land and different people and so he was thrilled when Columbus brought several of their men and women off of his ship and paraded them before the curious crowds. They came in chains and did so unwillingly but this fact was overlooked by those who were enchanted with dreams of foreign riches and conquest. When Columbus returned for his second voyage, Bartolome's father and uncle went with him and Bartolome was left behind to imagine.
Bartolome's father brought him a slave to be his servant and he developed a friendly relationship with the man. When Bartolome was eighteen, he went with his father and uncle to what we now know as Hispaniola aboard the ship captained by Nicolas de Ovando.Bartolome had spent years imagining that foreign land and it had become something mythical in his own imagination. Consequently, Bartolome was horrified to see the brutality and cruelty being perpetrated against the people of the island by virtue of their different appearance and different language. The Spanish settlers were given land to which they had no legitimate claim and slaves with which to work their ill-gotten gains. Bartolome was uncomfortable with the savage approach the Spaniards were taking and, as a Dominican priest, began to wonder if this wasn't a repudiation of Jesus' way of love and mercy. Columbus was sending native peoples back to Spain as currency to repay his debts to the crown and wealthy financiers. Bartolome began to question the rightness of such barbarism. Bartolome began ministering to the native people in whatever little ways he could but it never seemed to be enough. Then, one day, Bartolome heard a Dominican priest named Antonio de Montesinos preach about the evil being committed against the people and being called "progress." Antonio's preaching--he was the first clergy member to vocally oppose the Spanish actions in the colonies--seemed to give Bartolome permission to join the fight for liberation and love.
Bartolome's first decision was to free every slave on his settlement and to renounce the land he had been gifted. Having set an example of the way of the Kingdom of God he called upon other settlers to do the same, yet they refused and Bartolome was forced to travel back to Spain to seek reform. At his impassioned request he received permission to establish a settlement at Cumana in the northern portion of the region we call Venezuela. Bartolome imagined a settlement where native people and Spaniards would co-exist and help each other to live peacefully and comfortably. The problem, though, was the tension that had already developed between the Spaniards and the native people in the region. When Bartolome left the settlement, fighting would break out and people would die. Eventually, Bartolome left the settlement after Spanish raids took most of the native people as slaves and went to the Dominican monastery in Santo Domingo. From there he began to write accounts of the brutal murders of native people by Spaniards who claimed the yoke of Christ the Crucified. He lobbied Spain for laws that would protect the people upon whom they had intruded so much already. Meanwhile, he engaged in missionary work among native tribes and led many to place their faith in Jesus even though counter-arguments abounded in the colonists with whom they were acquainted. Though it meant defending himself against treason, Bartolome returned to Spain and was able to bring about new laws that abolished Columbus' way of doling out land for support and slaves for loyalty. When Bartolome died in July of 1566 he was in Madrid but his heart still rested with the people he had learned to love in a distant and fantastic world.
July 16 - The Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne
Constance was only one of the sixteen women who were now facing their own imminent deaths at the hands of those who were the self-proclaimed enlightened minds of a new world order. Yet, she was the youngest and least experienced of all of the women. Constance was still in her novitiate with the Carmelite order when they had been arrested and dragged before a judge to answer charges of treason, espionage, and fanaticism.Thus, Constance was distressed that she would face death without having ever professed her vows as a nun. However, the prioress of the community--Teresa--invited Constance to profess her vows with the community as the older and more experienced women reconsecrated themselves in service to God at the foot of the guillotine. Having finally become a full member of that sacred community, Constance was more than willing to ascend the steps to the revolution's enlightened butchery, but first she knelt before her prioress and asked for permission to go and die as a martyr for their common Lord Jesus.When Teresa granted her permission, Constance stood quickly and walked confidently up the stairs while singing the hymn "Laudate Dominum omnes gentes"--"All peoples praise the Lord." Fifteen other voices joined with her as Constance set her own neck in the path of the suspended blade but the rest of the crowd remained deathly silent. Once the blade had fallen and made Constance a martyr, there were only fifteen voices left to sing the hymn.
The women had once lived peaceful lives in a cloistered community of service and devotion. They fed the poor, treated the sick, and offered love to their enemies. But, in 1792 there had been a revolution in France that overthrew the absolute monarchy andaristocracy that strongly favored Roman Catholic clergy and monastics. In the aftermath of that upheaval, the new leaders had favored a viciously anti-religious government that discounted all expressions of faith regardless of their goodness or peacefulness. They ruled by more modern ideas and according to the teachings of those thinkers we call members of "the Enlightenment."The nuns of Compiegne had not fought against the revolutionaries and had, in fact, helped to reduce oppression upon the poor and hurting but in the aftermath of the revolution their vows of allegiance to Jesus Christ meant that they were targets for elimination. At first, they were simply outlawed but they continued to meet in secret in spite of the commands of the new government. Eventually, they were arrested and tried. In accordance with the demands of Robespierre, their trial and sentencing happened in less than twenty-four hours. The charges were trumped up and they were eventually found guilty of the catch-all crime for those the revolutionaries detested: "fanaticism."
As each woman climbed the steps that led to her death and martyrdom there was one less voice singing the hymns that sustained them and spoke beautifully of the faith that motivated their actions. The crowd remained silent as they watched each woman approach their death with courage and forgive their executioners. Their song became a trio and then a duet but it had lost none of its passion. Finally, it was a solo performance by Teresa, the prioress of a community of martyrs. Teresa ascended the stairs and followed in the footsteps of Constance and all the other faithful women who had died in the last few hours. She continued the song they had shared. When Teresa finished the song, she offered forgiveness to the executioner and surrendered her neck to the guillotine with a quiet prayer. The lever was pulled and the blade, having not grown tired of carnage, rushed to kill Teresa and reunite her with her sisters in the presence of God.With the death of the last nun, the crowd remained silent and began to leave that place with doubts in their mind--who would claim such savagery as enlightened when it was covered over in the blood of sixteen innocent and loving women? As they left the place, one of the crowd observed, "Look at them and see if they do not have the air of angels! By my faith, if these women did not all go straight to Paradise, then no one is there!" As the crowd left, perhaps some went away humming the hymn the women had sung and left behind for the crowd as an inheritance of a Kingdom-not-of-this-world.
July 15 - Julitta and Cyricus, Martyrs
Julitta had known that eventually she would be recognized--one of the costs associated with influence and power was the loss of anonymity. Julitta had anticipated that the potential gain offered to the "good" citizens of Rome would prove too enticing for some poor soul and that, eventually, somebody would turn her over to the authorities as a Christian and a traitor to Rome. Diocletian's campaign against Christians was a popular one among those who sought power and influence and at the time there were few better ways to advance in society than to denounce one above you as a Christian--especially if they truly were one. So, it came as no surprise that the authorities eventually captured Julitta in Tarsus where she had fled after spending time hiding in Seleucia. Julitta had left behind the estate and wealth of her family in Iconium. In doing so, Julitta left everything her dear, departed husband had ever given to her except for the blessed memories she carried with her as she fled and the son she concealed behind her: a little boy named Cyricus.Julitta had expected all of this but what came as a surprise to her as she was interrogated by the governor Alexander was his intentions to make Cyricus a ward of the state.
Julitta had always known that her confession of Christ as Lord and Savior would likely cost her her life if she was ever identified and arrested but she had been too afraid to consider what might happen to her only son Cyricus. Perhaps Julitta assumed that Cyricus would escape her capture and be cared for by her Christian brothers and sisters. After all, she wanted Cyricus to be raised as a Christian but since he was only a very little child she knew that he had not yet made confession of his sins or profession of his faith and trust in Jesus. As the soldiers beat and tortured her she repeatedly insisted that she was a Christian and would never deny her faith in her Lord. But Julitta's mind and eyes drifted to Cyricus' face and while the lashes of her tormentors only made her bleed, fear for her son's soul caused her far more pain and suffering. Alexander refused to allow Cyricus to go to his mother as she bled and offered forgiveness to her torturers and, instead, decided to capitalize on Julitta's love for her son. Alexander sat the boy on his knee and tried to soothe him so that Julitta might look up and know that her son would be raised by those who outlawed the saving faith for which she was willing to die. Cyricus would be raised as a "good" Roman citizen before ever able to make a confession and profession of faith. Alexander wagered that Julitta was willing to die for her faith but that she might rethink her stance if it meant Cyricus would be raised by the deniers of Christ.
Cyricus continued to struggle to break free from Alexander's grasp and continued to cry out to his mother as she bled and prayed. Cyricus knew why they were torturing his mother: she trusted Jesus more than them--more than anybody. He had heard her many stories about Jesus and he loved every one of them. Cyricus had spent many days with adoptive uncles and aunts in the congregation where his mother worshiped and he knew the Christians to be a loving people devoted to a loving God. As he watched the soldiers beat his mother for her allegiance to Jesus he thought about what she had said it meant to be a Christian. Cyricus needed no more evangelism than to see the stark difference between the way of the Kingdom of God and the way of Rome. Cyricus pulled away from Alexander and yelled, "Let me go to my mother! I am a Christian, too." In this powerful statement of defiance, Cyricus made his first profession and officially placed his trust in the Lord that had led his mother to die while muttering her forgiveness for her executioners. Cyricus didn't understand everything about the faith of his mother but he knew the difference between Rome and the Kingdom of God and he knew whom he trusted. Alexander kicked Cyricus down the stone stairs and he bashed his head against the corner of one of the stairs. Cyricus died a martyr seconds after confessing Christ. Julitta rejoiced that his profession had come so easily and quickly and that she would be with Christ to welcome her in a few moments. Disgusted with the whole ordeal and the defiance of the child, Alexander ordered the soldiers to kill Julitta. They complied and sent her to rest in Christ with her beloved husband and son.
July 14 - Camillus de Lellis, Neglected Child, Converted by Love, Caretaker of the Sick
Camillus de Lellis' father was a soldier and an officer in not only the army of Naples but, also, at one time the army of France. It wasn't unusual for a boy's father to serve in the military in the sixteenth century but it set Camillus up for a series of circumstances that would change the nature of his life. When Camillus was only a boy his mother became ill from some disease that swept through the countryside where they lived while Camillus' father and her husband was away at war. Camillus watched as his mother's life slowly faded and knew that he was abandoned when she finally passed from this world into what he only knew as the dark and irrevocable fog of death. With his father far away and seemingly uninterested in him, young Camillus joined the army of Venice in their fight against the Turks. Though he was young he was exceptionally tall and strong being nearly six feet and six inches tall and so he made an excellent soldier in the eyes of the Venetian officers and commanders. Though he must have resented his father, he followed in his footsteps as he sought both direction and understanding.
After his military service he ended up serving in a hospital with patients deemed hopeless and incurable. He must have been able to see the face of his mother in the face of many of the ones he cared for in that hospital--people who had been labeled by the world as the walking dead and utterly without hope.He tried to care for them but he was no more able to pull them out of their despair and illness than one panicked and drowning shipwreck victim is able to save another flailing in the water beside him. Camillus had become a heavy drinker to deal with his own dark thoughts and fears and had taken up gambling as he traveled to and fro with the soldiers of his regiment.Somebody who had experienced so much "bad luck" must have thought that his luck would soon turn but it didn't. His compulsive gambling began to consume more and more of his life as any addiction will do if given the chance. Eventually, he was dismissed from his job at the hospital because he had become more and more aggressive and unreliable as the hooks of his addiction sank more deeply into his flesh. Shortly after losing his job he had incurred so many gambling debts that he had to find a job--any job--so that he might try to dig his way out of the hole he had dug for himself. He found a Capuchin monastery.
Camillus ended up at the monastery because he had taken a job in construction and the monastery was adding on to its buildings. He began listening to the monks when he took a break from his work and soon he found himself looking forward more and more to their prayers and readings and less and less to the games that had once consumed and ruled him. Camillus was soon converted to the Christian faith through the teaching and love of the monks and tried to take their vows upon himself as a monk, but he could not forget the time he had spent with those labeled hopeless and incurable. Furthermore, Camillus could not escape a leg injury he had incurred while serving in the military and this persistent pain prevented him from taking the Capuchin habit as his own. Instead, he returned to the hospital of years ago and began spending time with the sick and dying. Camillus prayed over their wounds and held out hope when everyone else said it was foolishness. Having found the dry land of the Faith, Camillus was able to help those still adrift in the shipwreck that he had once known and in the waters of addiction and sin in which he had once nearly drowned.After he was ordained to the priesthood, Camillus established an order of Christians devoted to the sick and dying known as the "Congregation of the Servants of the Sick." Their charge and goal was to treat each sick and dying person as they would treat Jesus himself and to do so with hopeful confidence in their recovery from sickness. In the end, the boy who had been abandoned by indifference and illness found his way through to redemption and a life of healing and service.
July 13 - Silas, Missionary, Leader Among the Brothers, Companion of Paul
Contrary to what many might think, it wasn't easy figuring out how to be "the Church" in that first generation after Jesus--in the days of Peter and Paul. In fact, Paul and Barnabas once were forced to insist that some of their brothers and sisters misunderstood the nature of Christ's Body because they required that gentile converts first be circumcised if they were going to become Christians.They did so because a party of Jewish Christians from Jerusalem had taught this to some of the gentiles converted under their mission and ministry. The debate was not quickly resolved and so they took it to Jerusalem and the other Apostles so that they might return to unity and cooperation under the trusted decision of those who had walked with their common Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As they traveled to the Church where reconciliation would be gained and unity reinforced, Paul and Barnabas preached to all who would listen and many of the gentiles were converted to faith and trust in the Slaughtered and Resurrected Lamb of God. At that Church meeting, Peter and the others decided that Paul and Barnabas were correct and praised God for the work that God was doing among the gentiles through Paul. In that moment, the Church trusted its leaders and placed its faith in the saving grace and mercy of their forgiving Lord and in doing so came back together again as one Body devoted to their one Lord.
So, the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem decided to choose men from among themselves to go to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to deliver a letter of blessing and encouragement. They did this with the reconciled and united consent of the whole congregation--none abstained because of hurt feelings but, instead, even those who had resisted placed greater faith in the ability of the whole Body of Christ to interpret the movements of the Holy Spirit than in their own individual abilities to sense God's movement among them. They sent Judas (the one they called Barsabbas) and Silas with the letter because these two were leaders among their brothers and sisters in the faith and would capably represent the whole body. The letter they carried with them read:
"To our Gentile brothers and sisters,
We've heard that some have left our congregation and have said things that disturbed and unsettled you--suggesting that you must first become a Jew to become a follower of Jesus the Crucified. Know that they did so not as representative of us but, instead, as representatives of themselves. The men who bring you this letter are our representatives and they come alongside Barnabas and Paul whom we love and who have risked their lives for the sake of our common Lord. These men are Judas and Silas and they will tell you all of what we have discussed and decided and you should understand them to represent each and every one of us. The Holy Spirit has taught us not to impose a further burden of faith upon you but only to ask you to abstain from a few things: food that has supported idolatry, consuming blood, consuming what has been strangled, and from illicit sex. If you will avoid these things then you will be fine. Farewell."
The congregations received the letter with much jubilation and were heartily encouraged by the unity and reconciliation that continued to sweep through Christ's Church like a mighty wind. Silas (and Judas) spoke not only for the congregation of Jerusalem but, also, for God and said much to edify, teach, and encourage the gentile believers who they encountered. There with Paul and Barnabas they taught and engaged in the ministry of the Church among both the converted and unconverted.
Paul and Barnabas split after a few more days over a dispute about whether or not John Mark should be brought along in their missionary journeys. Paul was unwilling to travel with him because he felt that John Mark had abandoned them in Pamphylia. So, Paul and Barnabas split. Silas joined Paul and began traveling alongside him as a missionary to the early Church in its many diverse and distant cities. He was arrested alongside Paul, he was beaten alongside Paul, and he sang hymns of praise while he sat in prison alongside Paul. They strengthened the Church wherever they traveled and encouraged the Body of Christ always to seek God's will and to be reconciled one to another. Silas had been selected to represent a congregation to a people they had been desperate to be reconciled to and had, in the process, become a missionary who worked with Paul to reconcile the world to God.
July 31 - Joseph of Arimathea, Disciple, Citizen o...
July 30 - Peter of Ravenna, Chrysologus, Doctor of...
July 28 - Stanley Rother, Martyr, Priest, Shepherd...
July 27 - Panteleimon, Martyr, Physician, Opponent...
July 26 - Titus Brandsma, Martyr, Priest, Opponent...
July 21 - Victor of Marseilles, Martyr, Opponent o...
July 17 - Bartolome de las Casas, Priest, Bishop, ...
July 14 - Camillus de Lellis, Neglected Child, Con...
July 13 - Silas, Missionary, Leader Among the Brot...
July 12 - Anne Askew, Martyr, Reformer, Victim of ...
July 11 - Benedict of Nursia, Monastic, Abbot, Dis...
July 10 - Felicitas and her Seven Sons, Martyrs
July 9 - Augustine Tolton, Ex-Slave, Priest
July 8 - Elizabeth of Portugal, Mother, Queen, Pea...
July 7 - Acacius of Sinai, Monastic, Humble, Obedi...
July 6 - Jan Hus, Martyr, Eager to be Corrected, U...
July 5 - Zoe and Nicostratus of Rome, Martyrs, Com...
July 4 - Theodore of Cyrene, Martyr, Bishop, Scrib...
July 3 - Hyacinthus of Caesarea, Martyr, Servant o...
July 2 - Rufina and Secunda, Martyrs
July 1 - Moses the Black, Martyr, Peacemaker, Conv...
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March 3 - John Wesley, Preacher, Evangelist, Brand Plucked from the Fire
John Wesley was the fifteenth child in his large English family. Their family was heavily influenced by the faith of the past and the present. John's grandfather has been a Puritan minister and his own father was rector in Epworth when John was born. It was important to the Wesley family to be involved in the life of the Church and it was in the stories and words of the Body of Christ that they found meaning and direction. The profound impact of John's early years in the Church cannot be fully understood or charted. In many ways, it would have been unsurprising years later to find John Wesley among the cultured and refined members whose faith has become little more than adherence to habits of attendance and patterns of speech. Yet, there was a particular moment when he was five years old that seems to have started him along a path away from bored and inherited faith and toward a life of discipline and spiritual formation. The rectory where they lived caught fire while John was in the home. As the walls were consumed in flame and smoke began to choke the life from his young body, he was saved from the fire by some family member who picked him up and carried him out of fiery death. He would remark years later that he felt he had been like a brand plucked from the fire for some special purpose and that he was continually provoked to question why it was he had not been burned to death on that night.
As he grew older his faith was challenged and tested as all faith is and he began to drift away from the faith of family and into the reluctant agnosticism of cynical adolescence.He was bullied and abused by many of his peers and this left a painful mark on him for the rest of his life--even causing him to tremble as a grown man when he about the adolescent savagery of which he had been the victim. As pain and depression further marked his life's attentions he stopped practicing the faith he had been taught and given and instead hoped--like so many did and still often do--that it would be enough only to think his faith. After all this was when he first encountered the Moravians who met in Aldersgate Street in London. He had shown up at their meeting because he had been impressed at the peace of mind of a handful of Moravians on a previous sea voyage when a storm had buffeted and rocked the ship he was on. Perhaps seeking a renewal of his faith or perhaps simply homesick for a simpler time he attended one of their services on Aldersgate and something incredible happened. Looking back, he would write that he felt his heart strangely warmed as he listened to the scripture being read. It was here that he would be renewed in his faith and learn to claim it as his own.
For years he worked with Moravians and helped craft a way of doing Church that emphasized regular small group participation, living out the faith while learning about it, and mutual accountability and vulnerability within the walls of the Church. Abandoning the tendency of the Church to become an institution instead of a movement, John insisted that the spiritual life was something that deserved and required special attention. Instead of simply hoping that right doctrine and thought would be enough John called for all Christians to join right practice with right thought. From that moment with the Moravians he personally worked to effect salvation and redemption in his own life and in the lives of those close to him. And there were many who were close to John Wesley since he spent so much time riding his horse and preaching to any who would listen whether in the pulpit of a church or in a field for all interested ears. John felt strongly that God has plucked him from the fire so that he might bring about revival in the Church which he was so certain was in desperate need of new life. He went out into the world and, in his own words, he "set himself on fire and the world has come to watch me burn." The brand that had been plucked from the fire became a great preacher of the gospel bringing hundreds of thousands of people to a faith that changed their lives and redeemed their souls.
As John lay dying on March 2, 1791, he called for his friends and family and they were all too willing to come be near to him as he passed on from this life into another that he had preached and anticipated for many years. The people that drew near to him on his deathbed had had their lives changed by this man and it must have been hard to watch him die even though the too anticipated heavenly redemption for him. He held the hands of those near to him and repeated the word "Farewell" to each of them in turn. Having said his goodbyes, he drew a deep breath and proclaimed like the preacher he was: "The best of all is, God is with us." He repeated this phrase one more time in a weaker voice and passed from this life to the next.
March 31 - Holy Saturday
March 30 - Good Friday
March 29 - Maundy Thursday
March 28 - Maria Skobtsova, Martyr, Twice Divorced...
March 27 - Eckhart von Hochheim, Theologian, Domin...
March 26 - Larissa and Companions, Martyrs, Victim...
March 25 - Dismas, Guilty Criminal, Victim of Capi...
March 24 - Oscar Romero, Martyr, Friend of the Poo...
March 23 - Peter O'Higgins, Martyr, Lifesaver, Tho...
March 22 - Jonathan Edwards, Preacher, Theologian,...
March 21 - Nicodemus, Pharisee, Member of the Sanh...
March 20 - Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Monk, Bishop, ...
March 19 - Joseph, Descendant of David, Husband of...
March 18 - Cyril of Jerusalem, Theologian, Bishop,...
March 17 - Patrick of Ireland, Slave, Bishop, Miss...
March 16 - Sebastian Castellio, Preacher, Theologi...
March 15 - Louise de Marillac, Motherless Daughter...
March 14 - Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights Activist...
March 13 - Rutilio Grande, Martyr, Priest, Friend ...
March 12 - Maximilian of Tebessa, Martyr, Conscien...
March 11 - Balthasar Hubmaier, Martyr, Reformer, A...
March 10 - Harriet Tubman, Escaped Slave, Abolitio...
March 9 - Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
March 8 - John of God, Monastic, Friend of the Poo...
March 7 - Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs, Mothers...
March 6 - Katharine Drexel, Missionary, Educator, ...
March 5 - Martin Niemoller, Pacifist, Converted fr...
March 4 - Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia, Husband...
March 3 - John Wesley, Preacher, Evangelist, Brand...
March 2 - Engelmar Unzeitig, Martyr of Brotherly L...
March 1 - Agnes of Bohemia, Princess, Not Content ...
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2016 Wayne County Middle School Art Exhibit is now showing!
Artwork done by Emma Acobe in colored pencil -
Emma is from the T. C. Armstrong
Middle School – 6th grade
Wayne County Council for the Arts is pleased to present the 2016 Wayne County Middle School Art Exhibit from March 31st through the April 23rd. This exhibit highlights the artistic talent of some of our younger artists in Wayne County. (The attached photo is a piece of art done by Emma Acobe in colored pencil - Emma is from the T. C. Armstrong Middle School – 6th grade)
In the Chris Fayad Members Gallery, there will be an exhibit by WILL BOYDELL and JESSICA KANALEY.
WILL BOYDELL was born in Paterson, New Jersey because he wanted to be near his mother. At an early age, he was fast-tracked into the music curriculum, having been found to be unsuited for anything else. He graduated as a trumpet major with a B. A. in music. Will was immediately drafted into the U. S. Army and served three years in the West Point Band.
Following his time in the service, Will returned to his calling as a classical musician. He performed with many of the best orchestras in New York City and New Jersey, under the leadership of fine conductor/composers including Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Oscar Shumsky, Aaron Copeland and Alan Hovhaness.
Will later played bass guitar and sang as a member of the Last Chance Band and spent three years as a PGA apprentice working as a golf pro. Will moved to Huron, New York and built a log home where he now resides with his wife Carol Stevens and his hound, Maverick (neither of whom listen to a word he says). He decided to study drawing in 2006 after doing some artwork for his wife’s third grade class.
Will found that he enjoyed it and wanted to see what else he could do with it. In 2008, two of his drawings were selected to be show in the Professional Wildlife Art Exhibit at the New York State Fair. This past year his drawing of “The Odd Couple” won first place at the Sterling Art Festival.
Will has taught art for the North Rose-Wolcott school district as part of both their adult continuing education program and the after-school elementary Advantage program. He also teaches art as part of the adult continuing education program and at the wonderful public library in Williamson and at the Fair Haven Hardware Café. Will has been happy to be associated with the Humane Society of Wayne County, contributing art to help their necessary and fine work (if you have room in your home and heart, please seek out their fine animals and able and courteous staff). Will is an artist member of the Wayne County Council for the Arts as well as an associate artist with the South Shore Artisans in Fair Haven.
JESSICA KANALEY is a ceramic artist who celebrates her American roots with pottery inspired by the garden. She was raised in Rochester, New York where she graduated with a bachelors of science from Nazareth College. After working in special education she completed an apprenticeship at the Rochester Folk Art Guild and founded the business, Old Soul Clay. Jessica is currently participating in residencies and seeking adventure through her travels. You may find more of her work by checking on her website: www.oldsoulclay.com
Plan to join us at the Opening Reception to be held on Sunday, April 10th, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Parents, friends and public are welcome. W
ayne Art Gallery hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 12:00 to 3:00 pm and by appointment. Admission is free. Visit these exciting exhibits and stop by our great Gallery Gift Store. Gift certificates are available for classes and gift store items. Wayne County Council for the Arts is located at 108 W. Miller Street, Newark. For more information, call (315) 331-4593, email us at info@wayne-arts.com or check out our website at www.waynearts.wordpress.com
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HollyShorts - Maxwell and the Irritating Buzz of Irritability
Maxwell is trying to study for his history test, but a buzzing fly keeps distracting him.
Interview with Co-Director and Co-writer Max Iacovelli
Thank you! This film was actually a class project for one of my film classes at Stevenson University this past fall. The goal of the project was to make a short film that used sound as a storytelling device, whether that be through narration, using a specific sound as an important part of the story, etc.
So, my partner for this project, Destani, and I wrote this film, which has a narrator telling the story to the audience as it unfolds, but he is telling it in a poetic rhyming style. We also used the sound of a buzzing fly to push the story forward, since it serves as the central conflict for the protagonist, Maxwell.
This film is a lighthearted and fun comedy, and that's the type of film that I think people need to watch every once in a while. A lot of films strive to be really deep and thoughtful pieces, which isn't a bad thing. But, having a film where you can just sit down and laugh and enjoy watching it without having to think about a deeper meaning is an important part of the moviegoing experience. It puts you at ease, and, assuming the film does it job, puts you in a good mood, almost like a pallet cleanser.
To be honest, there aren't really any themes at work in this short. Having an annoying fly in your room that keeps buzzing around your head is a relatable situation, but otherwise Destani and I chose to make a comedy that was silly and fun and that's it, and that's what I hope people expect and appreciate about it when viewing.
Maxwell and the Irritating Buzz of Irritability - Maxwell attacking the fly.
As part of the guidelines of the project, we received two weeks to create the film in its entirety, start to finish. We initially had an idea to make a horror film where a young woman hears a man screaming and banging on a door, seemingly trapped in a room and in danger. The woman would then run down a long hall of doors trying to find him. His scream would be the storytelling device, and the only non-music sound in the film.
We shot this idea and I began the post-production, but the film just wasn't working. So we scrapped it and instead I came up with the concept that became Maxwell and the Irritating Buzz of Irritability. We wrote the script one night in under 90 minutes, and shot and edited the whole thing in just a few days.
Well, we got an A on it, if that says anything. But from my friends and family who have watched it, they have all said that they enjoy it. Also, my school this past April had a mini film fest called the Stevenson Film Festival, and this film placed third overall out of about 15 films from other film students. I haven't heard any feedback yet from those attending Hollyshorts, but I hope their response is just as positive!
One of the judges of the Stevenson Film Festival talked to me after the festival ended and she complimented the writing and how clever and well written the film was. I expected that people would say that the writing was one of the stronger points of the film, but I did not expect such an extremely positive reaction towards the writing, especially from a judge. Since then I have been considering taking more of the writing courses offered within the film program.
I hope that by getting my name out there to a larger audience I can make more connections with other filmmakers, and hopefully be able to work with as many of them as possible on projects in the near future.
Maxwell and the Irritating Buzz of Irritability - Maxwell on the ground, defeated.
All of the above. I'm still a student, attempting to squeeze my way into the film business. The film doesn't have an important message that the world needs to hear, but sharing my work with as many people as possible is the main objective.
I hope that those who watch this film laugh and enjoy it. I'm proud of how this film turned out and I hope others like it as much as I do.
I think a question that would help begin a conversation about this film would be something like "Aren't flies and mosquitoes the worst?". This being the central conflict of the movie, I think it's a very relatable issue that almost everyone deals with: pests.
I'd like to give shoutouts to Destani Gross for working with me on this project, to Maxwell Collins for lending us your exquisite acting abilities, and to Dina Fiasconaro for giving me an A on this.
Both Destani and I are still in school for film, so most of the projects we create will be for class as an assignment. I personally have a couple of side projects I plan to make, including an adaptation of the comic book Skate Man, and an original feature length dark comedy.
Maxwell and the Irritating Buzz of Irritability
Director: Max Iacovelli & Destani Gross
Producer: Max Iacovelli & Destani Gross
Writer: Max Iacovelli & Destani Gross
Max Iacovelli is a young filmmaker from Manahawkin, NJ. He is a sophomore attending Stevenson University for film.
Key cast: Maxwell Collins, Max Iacovelli
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Yes to all of these
Release date: November 2nd, 2015
Where can I watch it in the next month?
The film can be found on youtube on my channel, Popper Films, as well as on Bitpix as part of Hollyshorts through August 20th, 2016.
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HomeSocial and Welfare Schemes Backward Classes Schemes
Backward Classes Schemes
National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) (2001-2019)
Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF)
National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) (1992-2018)
National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) (1989-2018)
Target and Achievement for SC Families Assisted under SCA to SCSP and NSFDC in West Bengal (2016-2017-upto June 2016)
Central Assistance for Projects Approved in West Bengal (2012-2013)
Funds Allocation and Released under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) Programme in West Bengal (2012-2013-Upto 31.07.2012)
Funds Released and Utilisation under Backward Regions Grant Fund Scheme (BRGF) of Ministry of Panchayati Raj in West Bengal (2008-2009 to 2011-2012-Upto 29.02.2012)
Number of Rural Business Hub (RBH) Projects Sanctioned and Funds Released/Expenditure under Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) in West Bengal (2008-2009 to 2011-2012)
Funds Allocation and Released under Backward Regions Grant Fund (Development Grant) and Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (Infrastructure Development) in West Bengal (2010-2011-Utpo 17.02.2011)
Number of Students Benefited and Financial Assistance Provided for Education Loan (Akansha Scheme) by National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation in West Bengal (2008-2009 to 2010-2011)
Annual Allocation and Funds Released under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) in West Bengal (2010-2011-upto 02.12.2010)
Financial Targets Set by Government and Achievement under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) in West Bengal (2007-2008 to 2009-2010)
Number of Beneficiaries and Financial Assistance for Upgradation of Technical and Entrepreneurial Skills by National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation in West Bengal (2009-2010)
Annual Entitlement, Releases and Utilisation of Funds under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) in West Bengal (2006-2007 to 2009-2010-As on 18.11.2009)
State-wise Disbursement, Number of Beneficiaries under National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) in Eastern India (2000-2001 to 2006-2007)
State-wise Funds Disbursed under Term Loan Scheme by National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation in Eastern India (2001-2002 to 2004-2005)
Allocation made and Fund Released under RSVY in West Bengal (2003-2004)
Districts Covered and Amount Allocated for Backward Districts under RSVY in West Bengal (2002-03)
State-wise Grant-in-aid Released to Voluntary Organisation for Welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Beneficiaries Covered in Eastern India (2000-2001 to 2002-2003)
Number of Applications Received by the National Commission for Backward Classes for Fresh inclusion under the Category of Backward Classes in West Bengal (As on Feb. 2002)
Number of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Benefited from NSFDC in West Bengal (1999-2000 to 2001-2002)
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Burge to still get pension
According the the Chicago Tribune, former CPD commander Jon Burge will still be able to get his pension... while he serves four years for perjury. It was a narrow vote with board members elected by members of the police force voting to let him keep his pension. Those appointed by the city government, who may have had an idea about the message sent, voted to deny him the pension.
Kenneth Hauser, president of the pension board and one of the four who voted to let him keep it, told the Trib this:
Burge's federal conviction "had nothing to do with things he did when he was on the job. He was retired 10 years when they convicted him. . .It wasn't on charges of what he did when he was a police officer. It was on a lie that he made in front of a civil jury."
Shields added, "This question all comes down to one issue: Did Jon Burge have any law enforcement duties when he was accused of this perjury? In 2003, he did not."
Burge was accused of torturing suspects for years to get confessions for crimes. He was fired for that suspicion the Trib said. By the time suspicions were proved 2006, the statute of limitations has passed. In other words, even if he had done it, no charges could be brought.
Flint Taylor, who represented one of those tortured had this to say to the Trib.
“To say that he should still be paid is mind boggling,” said Taylor when reached by phone. “It is a total slap in the face to the entire city and particularly the African American community.”
Burge will get $3,039.03 per month, according to the Trib. The paper also reported that police officers convicted of a felony "relating to or arising out of or in connection with" their service as an officer are not eligible to collect their pensions. Unless of course the board votes otherwise.
Labels: Chicago, civil rights, commentary, news
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Restrictions and Responsibilities
This is an Agreement for Services, and Customer is not granted a license to any software by this Agreement. Customer will not, directly or indirectly: reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code, object code, or underlying structure, ideas, or algorithms of or included in the Services or any software, documentation or data related to the Services (" Software"); modify, translate or create derivative works based on the Services or any Software; or copy (except for archival purposes), distribute, pledge, assign or otherwise transfer or encumber rights to the Services or any Software; use the Services or any Software for timesharing or service bureau purposes or otherwise for the benefit of a third party; or remove any proprietary notices or labels.
Customer represents, covenants, and warrants that Customer will use the Services only in compliance with these Terms, xinyuanxy's published privacy policies or otherwise furnished to Customer (the " Privacy Policy ") and all applicable laws (including but not limited to policies and laws related to spamming, privacy, obscenity, or defamation). Customer may not access or otherwise use third party mailing lists in connection with preparing or distributing unsolicited email to any third party. Customer hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless xinyuanxy and its Content Providers and the respective directors, officers, employees and agents of each against any damages, losses, liabilities, settlements, and expenses (including without limitation costs and reasonable attorneys' fees) in connection with any claim or action that arises from an alleged violation of the foregoing. Although xinyuanxy has no obligation to monitor the content provided by Customer or Customers use of the Services, xinyuanxy may do so and may remove any such content or prohibit any use of the Services it believes may be (or alleged to be) in violation of the foregoing.
For every email message sent in connection with the Services, Customer acknowledges and agrees that the recipient has agreed to receive such communication and that Customer will not engage in the act of sending unsolicited emails.
In using the varied features of the Services, Customer may provide information (such as name, contact information, or other registration information) to xinyuanxy. xinyuanxy may use this information and any technical information about Customer's use of this website to tailor its presentations to Customer, facilitate Customer's movement through this website, or communicate separately with Customer. xinyuanxy will not provide information to companies Customer has not authorized, and xinyuanxy will not authorize the companies that get such information to sell and redistribute it without Customers prior consent.
Customer acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Services including without limitation, any modifications, enhancements and updates, and any originals and copies thereof, in whole or in part, and all intellectual property rights therein (collectively, " Proprietary Information") are owned by xinyuanxy and/or its third party sponsors, partners, and other co-branders (collectively, " Content Providers"), (b) the Proprietary Information contains valuable copyrighted material and is protected by U.S. and international copyright and other intellectual property laws, (c) the Proprietary Information is licensed, rather than sold, to Customer pursuant to these Terms, and (d) Customer has no rights in the Proprietary Information, other than the rights and licenses granted to Customer herein.
xinyuanxy Trademarks. "xinyuanxy" and our logos (both words and design) either are trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of xinyuanxy or its Content Providers, and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part without xinyuanxy's prior express written consent or that of our Content Providers. In addition, all page headers, custom graphics, design and user interface elements, and scripts are service marks, trademarks, and/or trade dress of xinyuanxy and may not be copied, imitated, or used, in whole or in part without our prior written permission, which consent may be withheld in our sole discretion. All other marks or logos not owned by xinyuanxy are the property of their respective owners.
Reservation of Rights. Except for the rights expressly granted to Customer pursuant to these Services, Customer acknowledges that it has no right, title or interest in or to this website, the Services or Proprietary Information. All rights not expressly granted by xinyuanxy in these Terms are hereby reserved by xinyuanxy. There are no implied rights.
Customer may terminate this Agreement at any time. See also Section 7 below (Fees and Payment; Upgrade, Downgrade and Cancellation of Services) for more information regarding termination of this Agreement or related Services.
xinyuanxy may terminate this Agreement or the Services at any time with or without cause, and with or without notice. xinyuanxy will have no liability to Customer or any third party because of such termination.
Upon termination or expiration of this Agreement by either party for any reason, (a) xinyuanxy will cease providing the Services, (b) you will not be entitled to any refunds of any usage fees or any other fees, pro rata or otherwise and (c) any outstanding balance owed to xinyuanxy for your usage of the Services through the effective date of such termination or expiration will immediately become due and payable in full. All sections of this Agreement which by their nature should survive termination will survive termination, including, without limitation, warranty disclaimers and limitations of liability.
Upon termination or expiration of this Agreement by either party for any reason, xinyuanxy may delete any Customer archived data within 30 days after the date of termination.
Disputes Regarding Account or Site Ownership
The entity or person creating a xinyuanxy account and designated as the owner will be deemed the account owner. For security reasons, only the account owner or the point of contact designated by the account owner will be allowed to make changes, cancellations, or designate a new point of contact. Disputes sometimes arise between or among multiple persons claiming ownership of or rights in a site, store or account. xinyuanxy is not obligated to, and will not, resolve any such disputes.
If multiple persons are claiming ownership of or rights in a site, store or account, and, in xinyuanxy's sole judgment, there is uncertainty as to the ownership of or rights in such site, store or account, then xinyuanxy will, to the extent of its knowledge and ability, notify such persons of the dispute and demand that such persons promptly, conclusively, and finally resolve the dispute in a manner which makes clear who the owner(s) and/or interest holder(s) is/are and in a manner which relieves xinyuanxy of all liability and obligations concerning the dispute and such site, store or account. If the disputing persons fail to resolve the dispute within what xinyuanxy, in its sole judgment, deems to be a reasonable time, then xinyuanxy, at its sole option and without any obligation to do so, may suspend or terminate the account until such persons resolve such dispute and reach certainty regarding ownership of or rights in such website, store and/or account. The person or persons conclusively and finally determined by court order, binding arbitration or settlement agreement to be the rightful owner(s) or interest holder(s) of such website, store and/or account will be obligated to pay all amounts due and comply with the then current xinyuanxy policy regarding transfers of accounts, if required, to transfer ownership of the site, store and/or account to the rightful owner. Failure of the rightful owner of such site, store and/or account to timely pay in full all of such amounts will be deemed a breach of these Terms and will subject the account to immediate termination.
Customer's Name and Trademarks; Customer Feedback; Customer Submissions
Name and Trademarks. Customer hereby grants xinyuanxy a non-exclusive right and license to use Customers name and such of Customers trade names, trademarks, service marks and logos ("Customer's Marks") as are used by Customer on Customers hosted sites in connection with this Agreement, and images and publically-facing information about Customer on Customers hosted sites including, but not limited to, screenshots of Customer's hosted sites and associated photographs appearing on Customers hosted sites ("Customer Public Information and Images"): (a) on xinyuanxy's own websites describing and promoting xinyuanxy's Services, (b) in printed and online advertising, publicity, directories, newsletters and updates describing and promoting xinyuanxy's Services, and (c) in applications reasonably necessary and ancillary to the foregoing. Customer (i) represents and warrants to xinyuanxy that Customer has all necessary rights to grant xinyuanxy the foregoing rights, and (ii) agrees that neither Customer nor anyone else will be entitled to any compensation for xinyuanxy's exercise of the foregoing rights.
Customer Voluntary Suggestions. Some of the features of this website or the Services found at this website may allow Customer to view, post, publish, share, store, or manage (a) ideas, opinions, recommendations, feedback or advice (" Customer Feedback"), or (b) literary, artistic or other content, including but not limited to photos and videos (" Customer Submissions") (Customer Feedback together with Customer Submissions, " Customer Voluntary Suggestions"). By providing Customer Voluntary Suggestions to xinyuanxy via any method (e.g. site submission, email, survey responses, etc.), Customer represents and warrants to xinyuanxy that (i) Customer has all necessary rights to distribute Customer Voluntary Suggestions via this website or via the Services found at this website, either because Customer is the author of the Customer Voluntary Suggestions and has the right to distribute the same, or because Customer has the appropriate distribution rights, licenses and/or permissions to use, in writing, from the copyright or other owner of the Customer Voluntary Suggestions, and (ii) Customer does not violate the rights of any third party by providing the Customer Voluntary Suggestions.
License to xinyuanxy. xinyuanxy will have the right to use and disclose any Customer Voluntary Suggestions posted to xinyuanxy's corporate websites or submitted directly to xinyuanxy for any lawful purpose. In no event will Customer or anyone else be entitled to any compensation or acknowledgement for xinyuanxy's use of any Customer Voluntary Suggestions. Customer's provision of Customer Voluntary Suggestions is entirely voluntary and will not create any confidentiality obligation for xinyuanxy. By submitting Customer Voluntary Suggestions, Customer hereby grants xinyuanxy an irrevocable, perpetual, transferable, non-exclusive, fully-paid-up, royalty-free, worldwide license (sublicensable through multiple tiers) to: (a) use, copy, distribute, reproduce, modify, create derivative works of, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform, and publicly display Customer Voluntary Suggestions (or any modification thereto), in whole or in part, in any format, medium or application now known or later developed, and (b) use (and permit others to use) Customer Voluntary Suggestions in any manner and for any purpose (including, but not limited to, commercial purposes) that xinyuanxy deems appropriate in its sole discretion (including, but not limited to, to incorporating Customer Voluntary Suggestions (or any modification thereto), in whole or in part, into any technology, product or service. The provisions in this Section apply specifically to xinyuanxy's use of Customer Voluntary Suggestions posted to xinyuanxy's corporate websites or submitted directly to xinyuanxy, and not to Customer's hosted sites. Customer will be solely responsible for any and all of the Customer Voluntary Suggestions that are submitted through Customer's account, and the consequences of, and requirements for, distributing it.
Discussion Areas. xinyuanxy makes no representations or warranties with respect to any forums, blogs, private messages, emails, or other electronic discussion mediums made available on or via the Services (collectively, " Discussion Areas") or with respect to any messages, information, or materials contained in the Discussion Areas. Customer's use of, or reliance upon, any such messages, information, or materials is at Customer's sole risk and expense. xinyuanxy does not, and cannot, review all of the information and materials provided in the Discussion Areas and has no responsibility or liability for any such information or materials or their use. If xinyuanxy becomes aware of any information or materials that it determines violate these Terms or the Discussion Areas' policies promulgated by xinyuanxy from time to time or that xinyuanxy otherwise deems inappropriate in its sole discretion, xinyuanxy reserves the right to delete, move, or edit any such information or materials.
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About Us Customer Services Term & Conditions
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Yeltz In The Cups - FA Trophy History
FA Trophy Third Round Proper: 1994/95, 1999/2000, 2002/03
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The competition was instigated in 1969 to cater for those non-league clubs which paid their players and were therefore not eligible to enter the FA Amateur Cup. Eligibility rules have changed over time, but from 2008 onwards the competition has been open to clubs playing in Steps 1–4 of the National League System, equivalent to tiers 5–8 of the overall English football league system. This covers the Football Conference, the Southern League, Isthmian League, and Northern Premier League.
1,157 (1990/91)
115 (2012/13)
BIGGEST WIN : 1999/00 Bromsgrove Rovers 2-5 Halesowen Town
BIGGEST LOSS : 1994/95 Rushden & Diamonds 6-1 Halesowen Town
BIGGEST DRAW : 2008/09 Durham City 4-4 Halesowen Town
HIGHEST AGGREGATE : 2008/09 Durham City 4-4 Halesowen Town
Top 10 Goalscorers
Top 10 Appearances
Ben HASELEY 12 TBC
Evran WRIGHT
Jason ASHBY
Simon FORSDICK
Richard CRISP
Luke CORBETT
Mark DANKS
Kevin HARRISON
Paul JOINSON
Nathan LAMEY
FA Trophy Wiki : FA Trophy Website
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The Power Trip Morning ShowThe Power Trip Morning Show
Reports; Timberwolves Fire Thibodeau
Multiple reports indicate the Timberwolves have fired team President and head coach Tom Thibodeau. The decision happened just hours after the Wolves won at home against the L.A. Lakers to improve to 19-21. Thibodeau's record in Minnesota was 97-107.
Scott Layden stays on as the team's General Manager. Assistant coach Ryan Saunders will take over as the team's head coach on an interim basis. Ryan Saunders is the son for former Wolves head coach and General Manager Flip Saunders. The Wolves play at Oklahoma City Tuesday night at 7 p.m, pregame on WJON at 6:30 p.m..
Filed Under: Timberwolves, Tom Thibodeau
Categories: Minnesota Timberwolves, nba basketball, Sports, Sports News
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Princeton University built a complex of laboratories, offices, lecture spaces, courtyards, and gardens to house the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. The project, totaling 129,000 square feet, was designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and was completed in 2016.
The University created the center in 2008 following a $100 million gift from international business leader Gerhard Andlinger ’52.
Meandering paths, sunken courtyards, trees, flowers and shrubs weave through the sculptural complex of gray brick and glass that has risen at the eastern edge of the Princeton University campus.
Laboratories, finely tuned for atomic-level investigations, hum with the collaborative work of researchers from across the University as well as industrial collaborators. Specialized spaces will fill with faculty, students, postdoctoral researchers, and visitors creating materials that help power cities, fuels that propel vehicles, and technologies that prevent and repair environmental damage caused by energy consumption.
The project was designed to meet the equivalent of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards.
Take a look at an article about the Andlinger Center building when it first opened its doors to visitors. Also, read a fact sheet about the building and the many press mentions the structure has garnered.
In addition to the building, the Princeton University Art Museum unveiled on the Andlinger Center grounds a new sculpture made by artist Ursula von Rydingsvard. To learn more about the art piece, read this article, watch a video featuring the making of the sculpture, and see pictures of the installation.
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