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Pak-Afghan officials replay the Great Game
Posted on March 15, 2006 by actr7928
Gulf News, March 15, 2006
Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan are in a downward spiral. First came the war of words between President Hamid Karzai and General Pervez Musharraf over who was to blame for the resurgence of the Taliban along the mountainous Afghan-Pakistan border. Then, the Afghan parliament condemned Musharraf’s use of undiplomatic language about Karzai.
Now, the head of Afghanistan’s Senate, Hazrat Sibghatullah Mujaddedi, has accused Musharraf and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of instigating a suicide assassination attempt on Mujaddedi’s life. In between, Afghanistan demanded that Pakistan stop naming its missiles after Afghan heroes and Pakistan claimed that it was planning to build a fence along their complex and long border.
Musharraf and most Pakistani officials blame India for the deterioration in Islamabad’s ties with Kabul. But Karzai, Mujaddedi and the majority of Afghan parliamentarians now criticising Pakistani policy do not have a history of close ties with India.
They lived as refugees in Pakistan between 1979 and 1988 when the country served, with US help, as the staging ground for the guerrilla war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
India, on the other hand, maintained cordial relations with the pro-communist Kabul regime during that period.
How did Pakistan manage to lose the goodwill generated by its support of Afghan refugees and Mujahideen during their anti-Soviet struggle?
The answer to this question can be found in the near-obsession of Pakistan’s establishment with extending its influence into Afghanistan.
Pakistan should have been content with having friends in power in Kabul after the fall of the pro-communist regime in 1992. Instead, Pakistan’s intelligence community adopted the attitude of British officers of the 19th century when Britain and Russia competed for influence in Central Asia in the “Great Game” of espionage and proxy wars.
Afghanistan’s frontier with British India was drawn by a British civil servant, Sir Mortimer Durand, in 1893 and agreed upon by representatives of both governments. After Pakistan’s independence from Britain in 1947, Pakistani leaders assumed that Pakistan would inherit the functions of India’s British government in guiding Afghan policy.
But soon after Pakistan’s independence, Afghanistan voted against Pakistan’s admission to the United Nations, arguing that Afghanistan’s treaties with British India relating to Afghan borders were no longer valid because a new country was being created where none existed at the time of these treaties.
Although India publicly did not support the Afghan demand for “Pashtunistan”, Pakistan’s early leaders could not separate the Afghan questioning of Pakistani borders from their perception of an Indian grand design against Pakistan.
Forward policy
Pakistan’s response was a forward policy of encouraging Afghan Islamists that would subordinate ethnic nationalism to Islamic religious sentiment.
Pakistan’s concern about the lack of depth in Pakistan’s land defences led to the Pakistani generals’ strategic belief about the fusion of the defence of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan’s complicated role in Afghanistan beginning well before the Soviet invasion of 1979 and through the rise and fall of the Taliban can best be understood in light of this desire.
Karzai and other Afghan nationalists remain unwilling to accept Pakistan’s vision of Afghanistan as a subordinate state.
Pakistan has offended Afghans in the past with attempting to dictate their policies and by positioning itself as a major player in a contemporary version of the “Great Game”. Now, however, it also runs the risk of upsetting the US, which is militarily present in Afghanistan.
The Taliban insurgency is weak and not yet as threatening as the challenge in Iraq. But Afghan insurgents are clearly getting arms, money and training. The Taliban are also recruiting new members and undertaking bolder attacks such as the one against Mujaddedi.
Intelligence-led covert operations invariably have unexpected consequences, often described as “blowback”.
Pakistan and Afghanistan must defuse current tensions and build an open, diplomatic relationship in place of the “Great Game” legacy of intrigue and violence. A fence between Afghanistan and Pakistan is unrealistic, as is the complete separation of the two countries’ shared history.
An American-brokered accord between Pakistan and Afghanistan to end the latent dispute over the Durand Line, coupled with international guarantees to end Pakistan’s meddling in Afghanistan, might be the basis for durable peace and friendship between the two Muslim states.
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Marc Chagall Frontispiece from the Jerusalem Windows series
Artist: Marc Chagall
Medium: Original lithograph
Title: Frontispiece, from the Jerusalem Windows series
Portfolio: The Jerusalem Windows
Edition: Unnumbered
Framed Size: 18" x 22"
Image Size: 9 5/8" x 12 3/4" (24.5 x 32.4 cm)
Sheet Size: 9 5/8" x 12 3/4" (24.5 x 32.4 cm)
Reference: Mourlot 365, Cramer 49
Signed: Unsigned
Marc Chagall was born in Vitebsk, Byelorussia, in 1887 to a poor Hasidic family. The eldest of nine children, Marc Chagall studied first in a heder before moving to a secular Russian school, where he began to display his artistic talent. With his mother's support, and despite his father's disapproval, Chagall pursued his interest in art, going to St. Petersburg in 1907 to study art with Leon Bakst. Influenced by contemporary Russian painting, Chagall's distinctive, child-like style, often centering on images from his childhood, began to emerge. From 1910 to 1914, Marc Chagall lived in Paris, and there absorbed the works of the leading cubist, surrealist, and fauvist painters. It was during this period that Chagall painted some of his most famous paintings of the Jewish shtetl or village, and developed the features that became recognizable trademarks of his art. Strong and often bright colors portray the world with a dreamlike, non-realistic simplicity, and the fusion of fantasy, religion, and nostalgia infuses his work with a joyous quality. Animals, workmen, lovers, and musicians populate his figures; the "fiddler on the roof" recurs frequently, often hovering within another scene. Chagall's work of this period displays the influence of contemporary French painting, but his style remains independent of any one school of art. He exhibited regularly in the Salon des Independants.
In 1914, before the outbreak of World War I, Marc Chagall held a one-man show in Berlin, exhibiting work dominated by Jewish images and personages. During the war, he resided in Russia, and in 1917, endorsing the revolution, he was appointed Commissar for Fine Arts in Vitebsk and then director of the newly established Free Academy of Art. The Bolshevik authorities, however, frowned upon Chagall's style of art as too modern, and in 1922, Marc Chagall left Russia, settling in France one year later. He lived there permanently except for the years 1941 - 1948 when, fleeing France during World War II, he resided in the United States. Chagall's horror over the Nazi rise to power is expressed in works depicting Jewish martyrs and Jewish refugees.
In addition to images of the Hassidic world, Chagall's paintings are inspired by themes from the Bible. His fascination with the Bible culminated in a series of over 100 etchings illustrating the Bible, many of which incorporate elements from Jewish folklore and from religious life in Vitebsk. Chagall's other illustrations include works by Gogol, La Fontaine, Y. L. Peretz, and his autobiographical Ma Vie (1931; My Life 1960) and Chagall by Chagall (1979) Marc Chagall painted with a variety of media, such as oils, water colors, and gouaches. His work also expanded to other forms of art, including ceramics, mosaics, and stained glass. Among his most famous building decorations are the ceiling of the Opera House in Paris, murals at the New York Metropolitan Opera, a glass window at the United Nations, and decorations at the Vatican Israel, which Marc Chagall first visited in 1931 for the opening of the Tel Aviv Art Museum, is likewise endowed with some of Chagall's work, most notably the twelve stained glass windows at Hadassah Hospital and wall decorations at the Knesset.
Marc Chagall received many prizes and much recognition for his work. He was also one of very few artists to exhibit work at the Louvre in their lifetime.
Marc Chagall's involvement with printmaking dates to 1922 and his return to Berlin after World War I. In the course of trying to recover the paintings he had left behind with Sturm Gallery's director Herwarth Walden in 1914, Walter Feilchenfeldt, the director of the Cassirer Gallery, offered to publish Chagall's then recently completed autobiography Mein Leben (My Life) to be illustrated with etchings. Although the book was never published due to translation problems, a suite of 20 etchings was created by the artist in the medium of dry-point etching depicting scenes and figures in Chagall's newly evolved naïve-realistic style. Chagall had never before been introduced to printmaking techniques and became very enamored with them, trying his hand with woodcuts and lithography, too. He felt that in these mediums his narrative flair had found its proper expression. Chagall wrote in 1960, "Since I started using a pencil, I have sought for this certain something that could spread like a stream toward unknown and alluring shores." And again, "When I held a lithographic stone or a copperplate in my hand I thought I was touching a talisman. It seemed to me that I could put all my joys and sorrows in it....Everything that touched my life through the years, births, deaths, weddings, flowers, animals, birds, the poor workers, my parents, lovers in the night, the biblical prophets, on the street, at home, in the temple and in heaven. And as I grew older, the tragedy of life within us and around us."1 It is in this sense that Chagall did lithographs, and they have become the stream that carries the message of his painting into the wide world.
Fortuitously, it was a printmaking commission that brought Marc Chagall back to Paris in 1923. The famous dealer and editor, Ambroise Vollard, invited him to do some book illustrations and the artist requested the book be the Russian author Gogol's Dead Souls. So it was that Marc Chagall engraved 107 etchings on this theme in the course of only two years. Although in style they are related to the Mein Leben dry-points, their technique is obviously more elaborate and refined. Indicative of how the various creative mediums are related, the artist found that in the process of developing engraved imagery to illustrate Gogol he was able to revive his own Russian themes. As he had been longing to surround himself with the paintings he had lost in the course of WWI and his sojourn in Russia, he seized upon this inspiration to reconstruct many of his earlier missing canvasses. Other themes also evolved that were connected to his more recent Moscow theatre and mural experience. After his return Chagall viewed Paris and the French countryside with fresh eyes and this too was reflected in his paintings. His colors, moderated by the special light of Provence, became more delicate although still laid on richly and spontaneously. He began to paint both the French landscape and floral bouquets accompanied by loving couples, musicians and animals often depicted around the edges of the composition like poetic interpolations. These themes would continue to pervade his mature work through the end of his career.
In 1928-31, Marc Chagall produced a series of black and white etchings inspired by the La Fontaine's Fables, also published by Vollard, who became Chagall's mentor and source of inspiration with his concepts for print projects. In these works the artist employed every conceivable etching technique in an effort to bestow upon them a painterly quality. At roughly the same time, Vollard had the vision to commission from Chagall a series of gouache paintings based on circus imagery. These two projects stirred the fertile imagination of Marc Chagall and he spawned amazing imagery that influenced many of his later works. This was a happy, busy time for Chagall. He was able to enjoy the lifestyle of a successful artist in the French City of Light and this was reflected in festive, elegant and romantic compositions he painted often portraying his wife, Bella and himself. In the early 1930s the economic and political crisis that beset Europe also had its effect upon Chagall. Nazi persecution of the Jews made the artist more aware of his own Jewish roots and caused him to long for a more serious type of artistic expression of deeper significance to the human condition. Vollard's 1931 commission of 100 etchings depicting the Bible coincided perfectly with the artist's mood and he responded immediately by travelling to the Holy Land to absorb the setting of the Old Testament. There he was moved by the solemn beauty of the area and its splendid light as he began work on a project and a body of images that would continue to play a major role in his future work. This commission marked the beginning of the religious side of the artist's work. At the outset of WWII which nearly coincided with Ambroise Vollard's death in an automobile accident, two-thirds of the plates were completed with most of the balance already started. In this same period of time Chagall had traveled to Spain in 1934 to study the works of Velazquez, Goya and El Greco, and in 1937 he journeyed to Italy to contemplate the works of Titian. From these pilgrimages he derived the concept of painting on a larger scale, with a more diverse color palette and a greater depth of meaning.
During WWII Marc Chagall was reluctant to leave his adopted home of France. In 1940 he moved to Gordes in Provence in the hope of simply being left alone to paint. That winter he was contacted by Varian Fry of the American Aid Committee and received the invitation of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to come to the United States.
At first he declined but as news reached him of the arrests and disappearance of friends he decided to accept this invitation. With Bella, their daughter Ida and as many of his paintings as possible they made their way to Marseilles then Lisbon finally embarking for the U.S. They arrived in New York on June 23, 1941 one day after Nazi troops marched into Russia the home of Chagall's childhood. Cut off from his normal routine Chagall devoted himself to his painting at first in New York City, but as soon as possible he and his family relocated to the countryside. There tragically his beloved wife Bella took ill with pneumonia and died leaving Marc and Ida alone and brokenhearted.
After Bella's death, in an effort to proceed with his work, Chagall began to produce his first color lithographs Four Tales from The Arabian Nights. From the 1,001 stories in The Arabian Nights, Chagall chose just a few which deal with themes of lost love, reunion and death creating a total of 13 compositions. The combination of these exotic tales of fantasy and the vivid color and imagery of Marc Chagall proved to be an intoxicating blend. Although he had created black and white lithographs earlier in France, Chagall, who is widely considered to be among the greatest colorists of all time, had never tried his hand at color lithography. The spectacular results published in 1948 confirm the artist's affinity for the medium. Chagall's Four Tales from The Arabian Nights are considered to be the finest examples of color lithography produced in the United States prior to 1950, and he was honored in 1948 by being awarded the graphic prize of the Venice Biennial.
Following a comprehensive exhibition of his work at the Musee National d'Art Moderne, Paris in the spring of 1946, Chagall moved permanently back to France in 1948 settling in Vence near Nice and the Cote d'Azur by 1950. Soon after his return Chagall met with Teriade (1897-1983) the editor of Verve and heir to Vollard, who began to publish in rapid succession the Chagall projects remaining in Vollard's estate: Dead Souls in 1948, La Fontaine's Fables in 1952, The Bible (the balance of which had been completed between 1952-56) in 1957. Most significantly of all in 1952 as the artist was about to remarry, Teriade commissioned Chagall to illustrate the ancient pastoral romance Daphnis and Chloe. With Daphnis and Chloe (M. 308-349) Marc Chagall embarked upon a new cycle of life and work. Together with his new bride, Vava, and literally on their honeymoon, he traveled for the first time in his life to Greece to seek inspiration for this adventurous tale. In Delphi, Athens and on the island of Poros, Marc and Vava fell in love with Greece and the story of Daphnis and Chloe. At that time and in a series of later visits to Greece, Chagall created a series of drawings and gouaches which formed the basis for the 42 color lithographs which comprise the Daphnis and Chloe suite. As published by Teriade in 1961 in the deluxe edition of only 60 they are universally accepted as the artist's most important original prints (it should be noted that an unsigned book state of 250 also exists). These remarkable works were engraved by Marc Chagall under the watchful eye of the master printer Charles Sorlier and printed on the presses of the incomparable Mourlot workshop in Paris between 1957 and 1960. Chagall's color lithographs for Daphnis and Chloe set a new standard for excellence in this medium that may never be equaled. Abandoning the traditional practice of first producing a black stone or drawing stone which outlines most of the composition and reduces the subsequent color plates to merely adding detail, Chagall chose to create lithograph compositions completely from pure color just as he would a painting. In 1958 Chagall was commissioned by the Paris Opera to create set designs and costumes for the ballet Daphnis and Chloe by Ravel, thereby bringing to life this classic story and paralleling his original prints on the same theme. His work with the ballet and its dancers clearly influenced the grace and beauty of the movement of the figures portrayed in the lithographs as well.
Henceforth, Chagall continued to be fascinated with color lithography as a printmaking medium and retained the Mourlot atelier and especially Charles Sorlier as his creative collaborators. Sorlier advised him on all his future color lithograph projects and supervised their printing at Mourlot. "Marc Chagall fabricated a mystical world of lovers, musicians and artists in his work. He chose lithography as a print medium that could offer him almost unlimited painterly freedom to explore this world. Since lithography is a technique where the artist can work directly on the printing plate or lithostone, the resultant prints convey the spontaneity of his brushstrokes and drawn lines. Lithography also allowed Chagall to work in lush color, which he viewed as his métier, and for which he has become renowned. Chagall's lithographs are now among the most collected art works of the 20th century."
Following his triumphant Daphnis and Chloe suite, Chagall produced such individual masterpieces in color lithography as The Bay of Angels (M. 350) and Quai de la Tournelle (M. 351). In 1962, encouraged by Teriade, he began work on another project that was first conceived by Ambroise Vollard, The Circus suite (M. 490-527). Vollard had been an enthusiastic fan of the circus and realized the potential of its lights, costumes and performers as stimulus for Chagall imagery. He had therefore, as we have already noted, commissioned the artist to paint a series of circus gouaches in the late 1920s. Employing these gouaches as a point of departure, Chagall now engraved 23 masterful color lithographs and 15 lyrical black and white lithographs on the circus theme. The color examples alone were published in 1967 by Teriade in a deluxe edition of only 24 and three artist's proofs, and rank with the Daphnis and Chloe color lithographs as the artist's finest and most collectable. Chagall composed his own text for the book state of these works which were published along with the black and white examples as a true artist's book in an unsigned edition of 250. Chagall's colorful circus imagery is pure delight and speaks to the child within us all, but upon closer examination the viewer discovers in addition to the clowns, acrobats and equestrians unexpected but typical Chagall iconography such as his bridal couples, musicians and his ubiquitous chickens and goats which add to the fun. Yet for the artist the circus was a somewhat melancholy visual metaphor for life. "For me the circus is a magic spectacle which passes by like the affairs of the world and melts. There is an unsettling and a profound circus."
Even with the enormous success of the color lithography he had already achieved Marc Chagall was still eager to experiment with the possibilities and limitations of this printmaking medium. Unusual formatted tableaux such as the oval shaped The Golden Age (M. 542) and grand scale subjects like The Magician of Paris II of the late 1960s viewed in this exhibition are superb examples that added new excitement to is printmaking oeuvre. For his final body of lithography base upon a single theme Chagall chose Homer's Odyssey (M. 749-830) executing 82 lithographs, 43 of them in color based upon this epic. The Odyssey was published by Mourlot in two volumes in the mid-1970s. Marc Chagall's enthusiasm for color lithography was such that in 1980 Aime Maeght was able to induce the artist, then 93 years old, to engrave his largest color lithographs ever (M. 971-984) simply by informing him that he had obtained some large sized lithostones. Maeght had hoped that the artist would be sufficiently interested to engrave one or two new compositions; instead Chagall summoned his energy and talent to engrave 13 outstanding color lithographs including: Couple at Dusk (M. 972), In the Sky of the Opera (M. 973), The Parade (M. 981) and Red Maternity (M. 984) each measuring on average 95 x 60 cm. (37 5/8 x 23 7/8 inches). Together they constitute a complete compendium of his most recognizable imagery including loving couples, floral bouquets, floating figures, circus performers and the familiar landscapes of Paris, St. Paul de Vence and Vitebsk all presented in a monumental size.
Marc Chagall was 63 years old when he first came to Mourlot in 1950 to study in earnest the technique of color lithography with Charles Sorlier. Already a world famous artist with nothing to prove, Chagall nevertheless worked tirelessly to master the many nuances and subtleties of this demanding medium for his own satisfaction. As the majority of his works in lithography were created late in his career the character of the work produced took on that of a dialogue between the artist and his earlier inventions, giving his lithographs the advantage of drawing upon a rich and personal iconography developed over a lifetime. It is not surprising therefore that these color lithographs are so endearing to those of us whose heart and soul are touched by the message of Marc Chagall. Marc Chagall died on March 28th, 1985, in Saint-Paul Russia.
James Healy, San Francisco 2002
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IIMSAM holds peace conference in UAE to exemplify model of peaceful co-existence
UAE – Under the patronage and presence of Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Musallam Bin Ham Al Ameri, Deputy Secretary General of IIMSAM, the intergovernmental observer to UN ECOSOC, and in cooperation with the Gandhi Global Family (GGF), a peace conference was hosted at the Royal Rose Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE, under the theme ‘The UAE is a Model for Peaceful Coexistence’.
The conference was attended by Padmashri Dr. S. P. Varma, Vice President of GGF, and Ashok Kapoor, GGF Spokesperson.
In his speech, Dr. Mohammed Bin Ham praised the UAE’s unique experience in establishing peace as a true value in human life, supporting development in various fields, and creating a model of peaceful coexistence among societies that transcends race, colour or religion.
These values have been rooted by our wise leaders since the foundation of the UAE. His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah have mercy on him, who laid the foundations for a country of peace, security, and coexistence, is famously quoted as saying, “We seek peace, respect the right of neighborliness and protect the friend”. Still firmly believed, these values remain the light for our relations with other nations, and help with the process of development.
His Excellency also said, “Peace and coexistence in the UAE are a reality, by all measures. In our country, there are citizens of more than 200 nationalities, and they live in peace and harmony, benefiting from the overall development witnessed by the nation. This, in turn, reflects on safety and security – the UAE is ranked as the fourth safest country in the world – proof that our leadership works hard to consolidate and develop through laws and regulations aimed at ensuring the UAE remains one of the most successful models of peaceful coexistence”.
“The UAE government’s decision last year to establish a Ministry of Tolerance further encourages the principles of tolerance, moderation, stability, peaceful coexistence and respect for diversity, which demonstrates the leadership’s keenness to promote the value of peace in society” Bin Ham said.
Sheikh Dr. Bin Ham continued: “At IIMSAM, we are also working on the United Nations sustainable development goals 2015-2030. The most important goals remain eradicating poverty and hunger, but we also focus on spreading peace in the developing and least-developed countries of the world. Our centres are spread across Africa, Asia, Mexico and Haiti. We continue to focus on humanitarian needs in various parts of the world, including humanitarian relief and the response to natural disasters.”
GGF Vice President, Padmashri Dr. S. P. Varma, while addressing the gathering, reached out to the people of the UAE to exemplify the peaceful coexistence in the nation as a model for the world. “It is our duty to spread these values of peace propagated by Mahatma Gandhi, as seeds to flower into harmony even if they are trampled by conflict or war” He quotes the words of Gandhi, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony”. He also appreciated the efforts of Sheikh Dr. Bin Ham for contributing to the peaceful development of Abu Dhabi under the guidelines of the late ruler His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and UAE leaders today.
While speaking on peace being a must for economic development globally, GGF Spokesperson Ashok Kapoor notes the welfare and growth of the diverse people of the UAE as an example to learn from, to achieve peaceful development and happiness across the globe.
Company Name: IIMSAM
Contact Person: Samir El Neel (Director of Media)
Email: samir@iimsam.org
Website: http://www.iimsam.org/
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Home Digital IT & Telecom
in IT & Telecom
The vision of making Qatar a ‘smart country’ is now coming to life through Tasmu Smart Qatar, a flagship program by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), which merges digital innovation and advanced technology to serve residents and visitors in Qatar as set forward by the country’s National Vision 2030.
“We’re working with government and private sector partners to promote cooperation between large multinational, SMEs, and emerging companies. Our vision, which is one of co-creation and collaboration aims to make Qatar a digital industry hub in the world, attracting local and international players”, Reem Mohamed Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society Development at MoTC has said.
She was addressing the first Qatar-Korea Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Roadshow 2019 which was organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in Doha.
Tasmu is Qatar’s national digital transformation program seeking to revolutionize the way transportation, logistics, healthcare, environment, and sports projects are implemented. This will include autonomous driving, digital workplace, drone product delivery services, virtual health consultations, smart buildings, and augmented game experience projects among many others a reality in Qatar.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event, Korea Expressway Corporation’s (KEC) Director of Overseas Project Team Jae-Uoong Kim, said the company is in the middle of serious discussions with Qatari officials on a possible partnership related to the Tasmu Smart Qatar project. “We’re just waiting, and are ready to provide our support whether through operation management or capacity building program of a government to government partnership,” he said.
KEC is a semi-governmental company responsible for the planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of expressways in South Korea and a network of expressways internationally. With a $30m budget, the company plans to commercialize fully automated driving in South Korea by 2030 and complete the construction of its smart highway by 2022.
Speaking during the event, Sung Seup Kang, Director of ITS & Road Safety Division at the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, who called Doha as the ‘high-tech city of the future’, expressed his hope for Qatar and Korea to establish a solid ITS partnership. He went on to share how the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018 had become possible with mass transportation infrastructure built through ITS.
South Korea’s Ambassador to Qatar Chang-mo Kim, who reiterated the strong bilateral cooperation between the two countries, added that Korea’s experience of rapid industrialization and know-how of eco-friendly transportation system can help Qatar find solutions to make the 2022 FIFA World Cup a success and achieve the country’s National Vision.
During the forum, Qatari officials showcased the various ITS opportunities in the country. Presentations were made on the MoTC’s ‘Smart Qatar Platform’ and ‘Qatar Digital Valley’, as well as the Public Works Authority’s (Ashgal) ITS program.
Meanwhile, the Korean ITS delegation, which consisted of large multinational corporations and SMEs, expressed their interest to share their latest technologies and expertise through partnerships with their Qatari counterparts during the event.
Hyundai Motors also expressed its interest to participate in Qatar’s smart country project. A representative from the company presented Hyundai’s Smart City Mobility project and highlighted the company’s recent shift from focusing on car sales to focusing on mobility services.
LG CNS also highlighted its fare collection system, a transportation card system used in South Korea, which consolidates all public transit fare payments into a single card. The system is now also being used in Colombia, New Zealand, and Malaysia.
Other companies which also showcased their technologies include the Korea Telecom, Dot Incorporation, Novacos, RexGen, SignTelecom, S-Traffic, and Thinkware.
KOTRA Doha Director General Rakgon Kim said that KOTRA, which functions as the commercial section of the Korean Embassy in Qatar, serves as the gateway between Qatar and South Korea. He said the center supports Qatari industries which are looking for suppliers and business partners from Korea.
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Egypt, EAEU can sign free trade zone agreement in 2020: Russian minister
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Home Congressional US Senate Passes First Major Re-Write of Tax Code in 31 Years,...
US Senate Passes First Major Re-Write of Tax Code in 31 Years, US House Votes (Again) Wednesday
Washington — For the first time since 1986, the US Congress is passing a bill that brings major reforms to the US tax code. It also brings a much needed legislative victory for Repubicans in the House and Senate, and for President Trump, after they had failed several times this year to repeal Obamacare.
On a vote of 51-48, the US Senate passed the tax reform bill. The vote came shortly after midnight in Washington. The vote followed one that had earlier passed the US House Tuesday afternoon. The vote in the Senate was along party lines, and Vice President Pence was presiding in case his vote was needed to break a tie — it wasn’t.
Illinois senators, Durbin and Duckworth each voted against passage.
This vote should have been the final touch, before sending the bill to the President for his signature, but a procedural glitch, where the Senate’s version was not quite the same as the House had passed, means the House will have to vote again on passage — but that is a formality as the House leaders now know they have enough votes.
Earlier on Tuesday, the House voted 227-203. A vote that was also along party lines. The House will take up the Senate version of the bill, and pass it on Wednesday and then send it to the President for his signature. It’s not known just yet when the President will sign the bill. Some reports say he may wait until after the start of the new year.
The divide in the parties was also heard by protesters who were in both the House and Senate chambers during the debate. While Senators took to the floor to speak, protesters interupted the debate several times, with the Vice President ordering the Sargent-at-Arms to restore order, several times over the course of the evening.
After Republicans tried several times, and failed, over the course of the year to repeal Obamacare, which they had promised voters they would do if elected, the passage of the Tax Reform bill, gives Republicans in the Congress both an accomplishment to offer their supporters, and gives the President a major first year legislative victory.
For Democrats, it gives them a major campaign issue upon which to raise campaign funds. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters earlier, that this was the worst bill to every come to the House floor.
Republicans say they are confident that this will become popular with voters in time, as workers begin to see more money in their take-home pay, as the tax cuts on families goes into effect.
Among the provisions of the bill, is a doubling of the standard deduction, with single wage earners deduction going from the previoius $6000 to $12,000. For a working couple, the standard, non-itemized deduction goes from $12,000 to $24,000.
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Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Lloyd Karmeier on the Costs of...
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Open Society Foundation for Albania
The Open Society Foundation for Albania (OSFA) is a nonprofit organization established in December 1991 as part of the Network of Foundations created and established all over the world by the investor and philanthropist George Soros. The Network of 30 Foundations operates in 70 different countries. The Network of Foundations works to build strong, vibrant, democratic and tolerant states, whose governments respond to the needs of their citizens. The mission of the Network of Foundations is to support the justice system and human rights, the freedom of expression, the right of education and health care
Since then, OSFA has helped to promote democratic reform, support efforts to resolve conflicts, develop the rule of law, build institutional capacity, and create transparent and efficient public institutions in Albania. Both a donor and an implementer, the Foundation addresses the negative consequences of economic and political change such as decreasing poverty, diminishing social status for groups of citizens, and threats to individual rights. OSFA’s education and training programs assist some of the excluded and marginalized groups, and the foundation helps communities cope with economic and social distress by developing local, nongovernmental associations and other organizations.
The OSF Scholarship Program has operated within the Local Foundation since 1993, and it is composed of various scholarship schemes, with several donors: OSF, University of Oxford, Staffordshire University, Sussex University, DAAD, Roma Education Fund, American University of Albania and OSFA. The administration, facilitation, promotion and coordination of these schemes have been the main activities of the OSFA Scholarships Program for the last 20 years. These Scholarship Schemes have represented one of the best opportunities offered to Albanian students for undergraduate and postgraduate studies abroad, and has made it possible for at least 400 Albanian students to study abroad: full time studies, exchanges, fellowships, research, etc. Based on the data of the OSFA Alumni, many of them are placed today in key positions within academia, government, civil society and international organization. OSFA has a specific program supporting Roma inclusion with a strong focus on community empowerment and education.
OSF Albania - General Websitewww.soros.al
Mr Dritan Nelajdnelaj@osfa.soros.al
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Home » Opinion » Amer Al Sabaileh » Priorities of Jordan, even after ‘Manama’
Priorities of Jordan, even after ‘Manama’
The Bahraini capital of Manama will be the centre of attention for most of the region this week. The US-led workshop is the first of a series of possible upcoming events to build a framework for a long-term regional peace deal based on economic development.
Pulling together this economic workshop in Manama as an indirect effort to kick-start the peace process is something the region desperately needs. The political components of a peace deal are not at the centre of discussions and limiting the discussion to economic issues has sparked further disputes over the political issues, as well as whether the economic prioritisation is a smokescreen for a deal with no political incentives.
History has proven that political issues are not easily resolved, but that does not necessarily mean that economic incentives can offer long-term sustainable solutions. Economic factors are clearly top-of-mind today, especially given the deteriorating economic situation as a result of failed development processes that have negatively impacted the financial situation and day-to-day lives of people in the region. However, any successful plan must satisfy the people, who need to be protagonists rather than antagonists in the process.
Regardless of the workshop in Manama, Jordan must find effective approaches to solve its issues around development, transport, energy, resources, agriculture and even tourism. These problems cannot be effectively addressed and progressed without a broader approach that connects Jordan to the rest of the region and from there to the rest of the world. Jordan needs regional and global solutions to its local issues.
This requires a long-term strategy, based on realistic policies that consider the need to capitalise on Jordan’s geostrategic advantages, while highlighting what Jordan really needs in order to address its economic problems. These structural economic issues cannot be addressed without large cross-border projects for foreign investors to bring their money to Jordan. One of the key projects must include transportation that connects the region, while enabling a rebalancing of Jordan’s demographic distribution by enabling access and creating development possibilities in areas that are currently isolated.
Jordan must undertake a reform approach to foreign and domestic policy. Jordan continues to have a massive geostrategic asset, it just needs to be leveraged differently. Based on recent developments, Jordan should be seeking a complete change in attitude, strategy and political approach. And while an economy-focused peace process provides opportunities for Jordan, it is not the only source of opportunity, and broader socioeconomic development should be at the top the Jordanian agenda.
Jordan must start an agenda to reengage with its neighbours, and it must ensure that it is part of any international initiative that aims to create new opportunities in the region.
Amer Al Sabaileh
Jordan’s regional reengagement strategy
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Political flexibility or rigidity in facing Middle East peace plan?
Institutional reform should not be stopped halfway
Systematic approach to build national solidarity
Gaza’s continuous escalation and possibilities of settlement
Rethinking and reshaping Jordan’s foreign policy
Never too late to make a change
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One year, 21 convictions in Harvey Hustlers gang prosecution in Jefferson Parish
Less than a year after a Jefferson Parish grand jury handed up an indictment charging 21 people in connection with the murderous Harvey Hustlers street gang, the last two defendants accused of racketeering and narcotics-related offenses pleaded guilty as charged Tuesday (Feb. 16).
Kerry J. Reynard and Charles D. Gumms face 20 years in prison in connection their roles in the Harvey Hustlers, a gang that trafficked cocaine and heroin from Texas into West Jefferson for resale on area streets.
The gang traces its roots to Harvey’s Scotsdale neighborhood in the 1980s. Its members and affiliated soldiers protected their drug-dealing activities through the gang’s enforcer arm known as the “Murder Squad,” which is linked to numerous homicides.
Federal and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors joined forces in arresting and convicting 82 people related to the gang since 2009. Of them, 29 were prosecuted in Jefferson Parish’s 24th Judicial District Court, while the remainder were handled in U.S. District Court in New Orleans. The investigation into the Harvey Hustlers is ongoing.
Reynard, 26, of Marrero, pleaded guilty Tuesday to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute heroin and marijuana. Judge Henry Sullivan, in accepting the guilty plea, sentenced Reynard to 20 years in prison.
Charles D. Gumms, 22, of Terrytown, pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute heroin and marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute Tramadol.
His plea agreement calls for a 20-year prison sentence, a punishment that was postponed to March 14.
At the time of his arrest in the Harvey Hustler’s case last year, Gumms was serving three years of probation in connection with his Jan. 17, 2013 plea in New Orleans’ Criminal District Court to possession of a firearm with obliterated serial number, theft of a motor vehicle and resisting an officer, records show.
His probation will be revoked because of his Jefferson Parish charges, and his attorney Steven Lemoine said Tuesday he wants to ensure that his New Orleans sentence is run concurrently with his Jefferson Parish punishment. Judge Sullivan agreed to hold off on the sentencing until after the New Orleans case is resolved.
Two months before Gumms was indicted in the Harvey Hustler case, he was shot several times in December 2014, while in his car in the 2100 block of Esplanade Place in Terrytown. His passenger, Shamyra Plummer, 18, also was shot and died from her injuries, authorities said.
Gumms drove to a convenience store at Terry Parkway and Carol Sue Avenue, ran inside and collapsed. Deputies found Plummer’s body in the back seat.
Gumms and Reynard were among the 21 defendants named in a 30-count indictment prosecutors filed in state court in Gretna on Feb. 26, 2015.
“In all my years in law enforcement, I can safely say the Harvey Hustlers gang was by far one of the most violent, vile criminal organizations that this organization has dealt with,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said during a press conference last year after the indictment was filed.
In the indictment, prosecutors asserted that in addition to narcotics trafficking, gang members were responsible for numerous homicides and saw internal strife in which members even targeted each other. It’s unclear whether Gumms’ 2014 shooting was tied to his involvement in the Harvey Hustlers.
The other 19 people charged in the case were:
Charlie Gumms, 20, of Terrytown, pleaded guilty Feb. 12 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute heroin and five counts of attempted second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 25 years on each count, and Sullivan ran the sentences concurrently for a total of 25 years. He is Charles Gumms’ younger brother.
Richard Chess, 24, of Harvey, pleaded guilty Feb. 12 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribution of heroin and cruelty to juveniles. He received a 20-year prison sentence.
Carnell Pierce, 35, of Harvey, pleaded guilty Feb. 12 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribute of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Bryant Gumms, 24, of Harvey, pleaded guilty Thursday (Jan. 28), to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute heroin. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Derrick Gumms, 27, of Harvey, pleaded guilty Thursday (Jan. 28), to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute heroin. He, too, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Bryant and Derrick are siblings.
Robert C. Williams, 24, of Avondale, was convicted by a Jefferson Parish jury as charged on Nov. 11 of racketeering, two counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, two counts of convicted felon in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a stolen firearm and distribution of cocaine. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison.
Alcus Smith, 29, of Harvey, stood trial with Williams and was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics and distribution of cocaine. He was sentenced to 65 years in prison on Nov. 17. The jury that handed up the verdict was unable to decide Smith’s charge of second-degree murder, leading to a mistrial on that count only. Smith faces retrial on the murder charge.
Willie Thornton, 31, of Harvey, pleaded guilty Jan. 13 to racketeering, two counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and two counts of distribution of cocaine. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Jan. 13.
Lashawn Davis, 22, of Gretna, pleaded guilty as charged on Nov. 30 to racketeering, five counts of attempted second-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Davante D. Robertson, 21, of Gretna, pleaded guilty on Dec. 15 to racketeering and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors dismissed five counts of attempted second-degree murder.
Ellis C. Landix, 30, of Marrero, pleaded guilty on Jan. 13 to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison as a multiple offender.
Paul Smith, 26, of Avondale, pleaded guilty Sept. 28, to racketeering, two counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute oxycodone. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Brandon J. Motton, 29, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on Jan. 199, to racketeering, two counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, marijuana and heroin, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Keitrel B. Gumms, 25, of Harvey, pleaded guilty Jan. 13 to racketeering, two counts conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana, respectively, distribution of cocaine, distribution of marijuana and cruelty to juveniles. His sentencing is set for Feb. 29.
Stephanie J. Bradley, 44, of Harvey, pleaded guilty to racketeering on Oct. 19. She has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Corey H. Trent, 26, of Marrero, pleaded guilty on Aug 17, to racketeering, two counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, marijuana and cocaine, distribution of cocaine and cruelty to juveniles. He was sentenced to eight years on prison.
Kentaz R. Gayden, 28, of Harahan, pleaded guilty on Dec. 11 to racketeering and two counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, marijuana and heroin. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Rasheed Smith, 25, of Westwego, pleaded guilty on Jan. 4 to racketeering and two counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, marijuana and heroin. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Nathan Carter, 31, of Gretna, pleaded guilty on Oct. 8 to racketeering and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Jefferson Parish Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese and Seth Shute prosecuted them. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the cases.
harvey hustlers
Discarded cigarette butts and DNA lead to armed robbery conviction
Marrero men who shot out car windows with pellet pistols to pay $31,700 in restitution
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SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Can Make Asteroid Mining A Reality
Falcon Heavy is the flagship rocket from SpaceX that is sending Elon Musk’s cherry red Tesla Model 3 to Mars. Falcon Heavy is not just the most powerful rocket by SpaceX, but it is also the most powerful rocket in production right now, which also is reusable and is designed to carry people. That is, once it has deployed its payload into the orbit, Falcon Heavy can land back on its designated landing pads and can be used once again.
NASA is currently developing the Space Launch System (SLS), which is set to be more powerful than Falcon Heavy and just as capable of ferrying passengers. Current estimates suggest that it will be ready in 2022, but delays are common where massive rockets are concerned.
What is interesting is how Falcon heavy can be used to mine asteroids in future. If you are unaware of the asteroid mining business, then here’s a basic guide.
What is asteroid mining?
Asteroid mining is the exploitation of raw materials from asteroid and other minor planets. These include the asteroids in the asteroid belt and the ones that fly past earth – often called near earth objects.
The idea came from a 1981 story, called “Edison’s Conquest of Mars” written by Garret Serviss that describes how space explorers on their way to Mars discover an asteroid outpost that is rich in minerals. Then again, in Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, US Vice President Lyndon Johnson brought up the perspective of Asteroid mining. Again in 1981, an article in Canada’s Globe and Mail as well as in 1984, NASA’s moon base concept brought forward the concept of asteroid mining.
There are different kinds of the asteroid. Mostly, they can be classified as type C, type M and Type S asteroids. Type C asteroids are small and contain an abundance of water and organic elements such as carbon and phosphorus.
Type S carries little water. They are larger than Type C asteroids. These contain numerous metals such as iron, cobalt, nickel and even more valuable items such as gold, platinum and rhodium.
Type S is the largest asteroids and can contain more than 10 times the metal than the S types.
The types of metals that can be mined from asteroids include gold, iridium, silver, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, and tungsten. These are the elements that can be used in the earth. We can also get iron, cobalt, manganese, nickel, molybdenum, nickel, aluminium, and titanium for construction. Besides, we can also get water, oxygen, hydrogen and ammonia. These are essential in keeping astronauts alive in deep space as well as power rockets.
A small, 10 meters across S type asteroid can contain 650,000 kg of metals with 50kg of rare metals. Some as large as Ceres can have billions of tones of metals. Almost 13,000 asteroids pass earth yearly. Trillions are there in Kuiper Belt and Oort cloud.
We already have the legal framework laid down by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. With the signature of nearly 100 nations, the Outer Space Treaty was established on October 10, 1967. Obama also legalized commercial space exploration and utilization of resources from asteroids.
An M type asteroid which is a mile across can have 20 trillion USD worth of metals and nonmetals. As of now, three private companies – Planetary Resources, Deep Space Industries and Kepler Energy and Space Engineering are interested in mining asteroids. NASA and ESA, along with other private companies are in the forefront of the asteroid mining business.
The potential value of the minerals in these asteroids is staggering.
The iron found in the asteroid 16 Psyche alone is worth an estimated $10 quintillion, and according to NASA, if we could extract all of the minerals in the asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, the total value would be enough to give every person on Earth about $100 billion. Asteroid mining has the potential to not only make millionaires or even billionaires out of successful miners, it could also facilitate humanity’s colonization of the cosmos.
The first step — landing on an asteroid — requires a craft that is powerful enough to switch between low-Earth orbit and orbit around the asteroid. According to Martin Elvis, an astronomer from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Falcon Heavy could be that craft. If Elvis is right and Falcon Heavy can help us tap into these off-world resources, SpaceX’s $90 million per launch cost will seem like peanuts to the modern miners with their eyes on asteroids.
He told an audience at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Austin, Texas, that he believes Falcon Heavy has the potential to make asteroid mining a reality by increasing the number of asteroids we could potentially land on by a factor of 15. “Instead of a few hundred, we may have thousands of ore-bearing asteroids available,” said Elvis, according to Gizmodo.
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2 Country Stars Featured on Forbes’ List of the “Top 100 World’s Highest-Paid Celebrities”
by Jim Casey | @TheJimCasey | July 10, 2019
Two country stars are featured on Forbes’ 2019 list of the Top 100 World’s Highest-Paid Celebrities.
No. 78: Luke Bryan, $42.5 million
No. 95: Zac Brown Band, $38.5 million
With that kind of earning power, don’t let your parents talk you out of pursuing your country music dreams—or any kind of music for that matter. Taylor Swift topped the list with $185 million, while Kanye West (#3, $150 million), Ed Sheeran (#5, $110 million) and The Eagles (#8, $100 million) rounded out the Top 10.
Luke, the top earner in the country genre, raked in the majority of his income via his headlining What Makes You Country Tour—which routinely grossed seven figures nighty—as well as his role as a judge on American Idol and his endorsement deal with Chevy.
ZBB netted most of its $38.5 million from its touring schedule, grossing roughly $1 million per stop.
Forbes‘ 2018 list featured three country artists:
No. 45: Luke Bryan, $52 million
No. 59: Garth Brooks, $45.5 million
No. 87: Kenny Chesney, $37 million
Forbes’ 2017 list featured seven country artists.
No. 26: Garth Brooks, $60 million
No. 53: Kenny Chesney, $42.5 million
No. 71: Dolly Parton, $37 million
No. 83: Toby Keith, $34.5 million
No. 83: Florida Georgia Line, $34.5 million
No. 98: Jason Aldean, $32.5 million
photos by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
written by Jim Casey | @TheJimCasey | published July 10, 2019 4:29 pm
category: NCD News | related posts: Forbes Top 100 World's Highest-Paid Celebrities, Luke Bryan, zac brown band
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ExclusiveInterviews
Interview with Louis Vuitton Jewelry Designer Lorenz Bäumer
Interviews, Watches & Jewelry
“I would love to be seen as an artist who creates sculptures to be worn,” states Lorenz Bäumer, the creator behind Louis Vuitton fine jewelry.
In fact, he has been the creator of many fine jewelry pieces for other eminent names such as Chanel, Guerlain and Baccarat. These most reputable houses would only enlist a most proficient jeweler to uphold their reputation, bien sûr! But Lorenz Bäumer has his own great name and salon also, where he describes to me in a recent interview the commonality he shares with Louis Vuitton as well as his most poetically expressed inspirations, and the one “erotic object” he finds amusing.
Located on the prestigious Place Vendôme, Paris, Bäumer chose this location for his jewelry salon “because Paris is one of the only cities where exceptional jewelry can be made.” He elaborates, “here are the greatest artisans, whose savoir faire is transmitted from generation to generation, and the latest techniques are the fruit of an ancestral culture.” Bäumer is a worldly man, a well-traveled and charismatic gentleman, who poetically speaks as if in serenade. “I have always loved jewelry,” he begins, “it is the heart of life, at the crossroads of art and technique, of desire and pleasure.” Go on, I tell him so as not to deter him from thought. “All the elements, even those that are hardly visible or deliberately hidden, are worked to the point of obsession.”
His jewelry is so beautifully crafted and creatively perceived that words alone do not do it justice, as these exceptional rings, necklaces and timepieces are a treasure. Ironically, Bäumer is educated in engineering yet chose this profession immediately upon graduation because of the passion he had for jewelry. “I was able to master the many techniques in fine jewelry making because of the very strenuous and unrelenting work, efforts that were nourished by the energy that comes from realizing my dreams.” Lucky man, yet luckier I would say is his wife. “Geraldine, my wife is my muse,” he adds.
Colorful gold and gemstones, intricate design, and a delicate femininity encompass my favorite Bäumer designs for Louis Vuitton. “As Art Director with Louis Vuitton, I became soaked with the identity of the brand while bringing it my personal sensibility,” he describes. “We share the same love of the beautiful, the mix of past, present and future, and the need to take risks to surpass ourselves in excellence.”
But how is this achieved, I ask? “To be an Art Director of the jewelry for Louis Vuitton is a very stimulating challenge.” This is where my heart started to pound a bit harder. “My driving force is passion. Passion is essential. Without it, nothing is possible; one does not have the courage to learn, or the courage to dare.”
Bäumer classifies his own fine jewelry line under the two universes of poet and architect. “In fact, I have sources of inspiration in very different domains because for me, the important thing is to fall in love with an idea.” He continues, “You also find my passion for nature and for indulgence in my creations.” His life aside from his career is what still influences his work. Bäumer enjoys art exhibits, fine wine, surfing and “a sunset,” and admits, “I like everything that makes me dream.”
His passion for nature and adventure lies partially in his love of the ocean and surfing. Of the sea, Bäumer describes, “This liquid material, carried along by its unending waves, adorns itself of colors in perpetual movement.” In fact, he claims this was a bond he shared with Princess Charlene of Monaco when he created for her the Foam of Diamonds tiara as a wedding gift. “This tiara is one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve created. With it, I realized that Charlene and I had something in common: the water,” he says of the former Olympic swimmer. “Through this tiara, I represent what unites us and what I prefer: the breaking wave.” This one piece required “incredible know-how on which the best craftsmen worked during thousands of hours.” This stunning tiara truly fit for a princess is created “in grey gold, paved by round and calibrated diamonds, and sublimated by eleven pear-shaped diamonds.”
Pushing the envelope for unique creativity is a constant for the designer/artist, whose pieces can take anywhere from a couple of months to a few years to complete. Bäumer explains that while some designs quickly come to mind, the intricate production of some piece, or stone sourcing, for instance, can take several years. “Spontaneity is primordial. I design by instinct, almost without thinking.” Bäumer’s use of non-conventional elements in fine jewelry is innovative. “With this desire to always break away from codes, I like mixing materials while breathing some humor, stories or surprises into my creations,” he says of some pieces. “That’s why I like to use tiger’s eye, meteorites or even pebbles taken from a sandy beach, for example.” When it comes to the custom pieces commissioned for a specific client, Bäumer says that they request something very individualized for the person it is intended for. “I choose to design a piece of jewelry that will eternally express the essence of that individual.” The reaction he often receives from his international clients, Bäumer states, is that they all want, “to be blown away.”
I, too, was blown away by many pieces, including a brooch designed in a way to emit the perfume of your choice. The colorful Scarab Brooch “has bejeweled wings that open to reveal a porous black aluminum body that can absorb and release perfume.” And then there is the watch he created for himself with the utmost personal touch of the image of his own skull as part of the design.
Another original piece Bäumer created is also a bit humorous, he admits. “Representational, abstract, or symbolic, the erotic object amuses me,” he laughs of the engraved condom container he created for a charity event for AIDS awareness. Oui, oui, tis an elegant way of protecting the family jewels, and the perfect compliment to the Louis Vuitton condoms. The elegant case ensures you can be fashionable from head to head. Ok, I’ll stop slipping in the phallic commentary.
Bäumer concludes by explaining how “having a jewel can be a symbol of a love for life.” His new salon will still be at Place Vendôme, yet he would not divulge any more information than that stating, “it will be a surprise.”
Sage Advice – Collecting Signed Jewels with Yafa’s Maurice Moradof
Gumuchian | Designed by Women for Women
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Contributing Organisations
ICT the future
Andy Green, Chief Executive Officer, BT Global Services talks to InterComms about ongoing change in the ICT sector.
Andy has been CEO of BT Global Services, BT’s services and solutions division, since November 2001. The division has a workforce of over 17,000, capability and assets that span the globe, and generated a turnover of £5.3bn in the financial year ending March ’03. In addition, Andy is responsible for BT’s internal information systems (IS) strategy and operations. Prior to his current position, Andy was CEO of BTopenworld, BT’s mass market Internet services company. He has also been a BT Group board member since November 2001 and a member of BT’s Executive Committee since March 1995.
As CEO of BT Global Services Andy has driven the transformation of the division into a sharply focused operation meeting the complex commitments and IT needs of major corporate customers across the world. With its extensive global network, strong strategic partnerships, 18 years of experience in global account management, and more than 50 per cent of its people based outside the UK, BT Global Services serves customers in all the key commercial centres of Europe, North America and Asia.
BT Global Services is focused on the provision of managed services and solutions for multi-site organisations with European operations. The portfolio ranges from desktop and network equipment and software, transport and connectivity, IP-based e-business solutions and managed network services, through to systems integration and consultancy for complex global requirements.
Previously at BTopenworld, Andy led the business towards a track of gaining market share and set it on the path to profitability. As Group Director of Strategy and Development for BT during the late 1990s, Andy was responsible for the huge expansion of BT’s Mobility, Internet and Multimedia businesses and also for engineering the development of BT’s global alliance strategies.
Andy began his career with Shell, achieving a solid foundation in sales and operational effectiveness in the global marketplace. Later joining Deloitte Haskins & Sells, he applied his expertise across a number of key sectors including communications, manufacturing and banking.
Q: What do you see as the main trends in ICT provision for large companies?
A: The main trend is the “networking” of customers internally and to customers and suppliers. That is where the value is being created as we move into a “digital networked economy”. This is leading to more affordable and more creative ways of linking people and offices together, providing comprehensive access wherever people are located and richer functionality. People want to have an “office experience” no matter where they are. This is also bringing economies in that people need to travel less and there is less demand for office space.
Q: Are these changes evolutions or revolutions reflecting changing mindsets?
A: More evolution than revolution; there is natural evolution in changing/dynamic markets. But it is gathering pace as the “digital networked economy” really kicks in. Some companies like Ryanair for example are utilising ICT to actually revolutionise their industry.
Q: What is driving productivity in ICT?
A: IP networks and the use of them to get customers and employees to self-serve, to consolidate back offices where labour is cheapest and to improve productivity of computing and storage estate.
Q: What do you see as valid criticism of the ICT sector and what misses the point?
A: In a networked world it is Metcalfe’s law that counts. We are all too closed in our mind-set. We need to invest to allow our products to interwork and collaborate with others and to be more “open” to wholesale markets and to open interfaces.
Q: The sheer cost of IT projects is bringing the issues up to the Board Room. How is this affecting what is done with ICT?
A: That is a very engaging subject especially where savings drive through to the bottom line in balance with upfront investment. This means lots of people have views/opinions from CFO, to CTO to CEO; it takes time for people to understand and appreciate and also realise the benefits of ICT implementation. It is not just about a few quick wins, but more about building partnerships for the long term. Some get it, some don’t. But if a company doesn’t have an ICT strategy to remake its business in the Digital Networked Economy, it needs to worry.
Q: How is BT changing its strategy to exploit these changes?
A: BT is already one of the biggest suppliers of ICT services to large organisations in the UK and across the globe. It has already established credibility within the finance, manufacturing and public sectors. This is demonstrated by large outsourcing contracts with Unilever, Honeywell, the German Ministry of Finance, the European Central Bank, the Bavarian State Government and the NHS in the UK. BT's strategy is to build on its strong relationships with large customers and bridge from its traditional core to growth sectors via adjacent products and services.
Q: You have said that you are concerned by what you have called ‘a post-dot.com lethargy’ in the telecoms sector regarding ICT. Can you explain what you mean by this and why this is a problem? In short why does ICT matter?
A: After the dot.com crash there is a certain nervousness to invest. There is a need to rebuild confidence with many customers after they got burned last time around. Any decision now involves a number of people around the board. There are more checks and balances in place and more people to influence and shape the decision. Any investment calls for more robust analysis, but also as a consequence some people are feeling that perhaps due to their previous experience ICT is no longer so important to their business. This is a horrible worry now. The critical point is to work out how ICT and business strategy will work together to re-invest in the value chain in almost every sector.
Q: Are we now in a digital networked economy? Do many people share your views that we are and what should companies be doing to exploit this change?
A: Absolutely – this is a major topic of discussion in ITC. It also came up in Davos at WEF; it is important to understand the rationale behind a digital networked economy, and how this can benefit companies, governments and countries. Think of the changes to the music industry, book retailing, airlines, employment in India etc. It’s here, it’s today.
Q: Where are you seeing the biggest cost reductions in ICT and why?
A: The largest reductions are in connectivity bandwidth, making the sharing of information among teams so much more cost effective; outsourcing of core/non-core activities to other specialists who can do them more effectively at greater scale is also a great consideration. The cost of effectively managing the supply chain is simpler and cheaper with an effective ICT policy; and ICT enables scarce skills to be shared more widely throughout an organisation.
Q: Should our understanding of what is meant by the digital divide also change?
A: For over two decades, technology vendors have been supplying businesses with information technology (IT) systems and services that have had a huge impact on the way people do business all over the globe. In the last five years however, new technologies have emerged that have changed the way people need to think about how they run their companies. Information communications technology, or ICT, has become a vital part of the armoury of any organisation. The distinction between this and ordinary IT is huge. ICT is not just about computing power and systems; it is about helping organisations to communicate effectively with all their business partners, and turning data into useful information, rather then simply processing it.
Inevitably, some companies have taken longer than others to understand the benefits of ICT. For every company that recognises that it can make their interaction with business partners faster and more effective, improve customer relations, and cut costs and save money, there are others that are still enslaved to old-style IT and its inflexible nature. A gap is opening between companies that use ICT effectively and those that don’t; and a bigger, more worrying divide is emerging as America and Asia outstrip Europe in productivity and profitability. Research published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in December 2003 showed that the US in particular is using technology to boost economic growth more effectively than any other country in the world – and that other governments and companies need to keep investing in IT if they want their economies to flourish. But if anything, intelligent deployment of technology is decreasing in Europe, rather than increasing, with some potentially disastrous consequences.
Q: Has there been progress on eliminating the divide, however you see it?
A: Unfortunately, the true digital divide as I see it is widening. And why is this? Some people say that ICT is a way that they can strategically enhance their business, while others see it merely as a commodity, a standard part of business expenditure that is available to anyone with the money to spend on it; and that the real challenge now is to improve productivity by reducing associated risks such as security and ill-considered investment. Others know that ICT is as important as ever, but don't know how to knit it into the business model more effectively. Either way, the fact is that the failure to take it seriously is costing European businesses dearly. American and Asian companies are embracing ICT and, as a result, are more productive and efficient, growing faster than their European counterparts. Unless Europe takes the same approach, it risks being left behind in the race to keep its businesses competitive.
Q: What do you see as the role of a CIO? In a networked architecture would it be a misnomer to give someone a hierarchical title?
A: ICT has become an organisation-wide issue, not just one for the CIO; The role of the CIO will be different in future – very much in partnership with the CEO; perhaps more commercial than technology focused.
Q: In ICT provision enterprise is often synonymous with Corporates. How does your view or model differ if at all when it comes to non-Corporates, particular national, regional and local government?
A: For us the same issues apply with national, regional and local government; I talk regularly to government bodies and the same issues are being discussed – how to use ICT to make information more widely available; how to reduce the cost of access to government; how to share scarce resources and skills. In 2001 BT and Liverpool City Council announced a unique partnership designed to slash town hall red tape, improve customer services and at the same time safeguard hundreds of jobs. The partnership marked a first for local government in Europe and saw the first large-scale secondment of employees from the public to the private sector. The undertaking was made up of all of the Council’s ICT services and its call centre – Liverpool Direct. The deal paved the way for continuous investment in modernising long-neglected services and achieving the Council's ambition of putting the citizen at the heart of everything it does.
Q: Does simply having a network generate collaboration? What else do you need? Is it wrong to think – ‘Build it and they will come’?
A: You need much more than a network. We are now entering the concept of partnership – we can offer our customers global reach by partnering with people who have the depth and reach in that area. BT itself has a broad and deep pan-European network which we can use for our own customers and which we can also offer on a wholesale basis to other companies - not only carriers, but systems integrators, IT services suppliers etc. Having a network offers the chip to bargain; for multi-site corporate customers we need much more than just a basic network, so we are always looking for a quality network that can provide organisations with the value-add that they are seeking. We also need strong customer relationships – we need to earn their trust and to demonstrate that we have an appreciation of their business and business needs going forward, and that we have an innovative approach to technology. For our customers and people you need a culture change, an “openness of mind” and a desire to collaborate that will deliver value.
Q: How is the move to greater mobility of personnel changing the model?
A: It means we need to think more flexibly, and to incorporate elements like PDA/3g etc within solutions; people are becoming more demanding at home and at work, people need an office-like experience from wherever they are working. ICT needs to take account of this and companies need to understand that work is something you do, not somewhere you go.
Please contact: Hayley Ormrod, hayley.ormrod@bt.com
Or visit: www.bt.com
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BB 2012-07-03 Lamy: Multilateralism is at a crossroads
Lamy: Multilateralism is at a crossroads
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech at the Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance in Berlin on 26 June 2012, said that “multilateralism is at a crossroads. Either it advances in the spirit of shared values and enhanced co-operation, or we will face a retreat from multilateralism, at our own peril. Without global cooperation on finance, security, trade, the environment and poverty reduction, the risks of division, strife and war will remain dangerously real.”
Is multilateralism in crisis?
This is a valid question for environmental and sustainability matters, as we have seen in the recent Rio+20 Summit. It is true for trade and other economic issues. The G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, focused precisely on improving our collective response to the current economic turbulences. It is also among the central questions at the heart of developments in the European Union.
Before turning my attention to the specific challenges facing multilateralism in today’s international architecture, let me first briefly set out the economic environment in which we are operating.
More than three years have passed since the beginning of the 2008-09 crisis and the world economy remains very fragile. World growth remains below its potential. WTO projections indicate that trade growth will further decelerate this year to 3.7 per cent, down from 5 per cent in 2011. Moreover, WTO economists believe that downside risks to an even sharper slowdown in trade growth remain high. Unemployment remains unacceptably high in many of our societies. Many of the achievements in poverty reduction over the past decade run the risk of unravelling.
And the impact of the crisis is being felt not just in developed countries but also in the developing world. The contribution of trade to growth in emerging and developing countries is decreasing. China’s dynamic economy is expected to grow more slowly in 2012. India’s growth is decelerating. Many poor countries are seeing their exports to major markets such as the EU and the US slow down.
This sluggish pace of recovery raises concerns that a steady trickle of restrictive trade measures could gradually undermine the benefits of trade openness. Although the WTO has so far deterred large-scale economic nationalism, we have to redouble vigilance on this front. History tells us that protectionist pressures will linger as long as unemployment rates remain unacceptably high. Recent history also tells us that protectionism does not protect. Given that one country’s exports are another country’ imports, such behaviour is only likely to lead to a downward spiral for all — losers and no-winners.
While the crisis continues to loom, the world has not remained static. New economic players and new patterns of trade have emerged, dramatically changing the nature of trade and larger economic inter-dependence. The map of world greenhouse gases emissions has significantly changed. The internationalization of production processes has led to increased dependency.
In the past decade, the share of developing and emerging economies has risen from one-third to half of global GDP. The value of South-South trade has increased from about one-tenth of total trade to some two-fifths. Developing countries’ share of global exports has jumped from 33 per cent to 43 per cent over the last decade, with China’s exports growing annually at a staggering 20 per cent. A similar picture of shifting composition arises with respect to foreign direct investment. While global FDI inflows have stagnated over the last decade, emerging and developing countries’ share has risen from around 20 per cent to over 50 per cent.
Global trade patterns are also changing rapidly and dramatically. Not too long ago, goods were referred to as “made in China” or “made in Germany”. Today, the expansion of global value chains means that most products are assembled with inputs from many countries. In other words, today’s goods are “made in the world”. At a growth rate of 6 per cent a year, trade in intermediate goods now comprises close to 60 per cent of total trade in goods and has become the most dynamic sector in international trade. Importantly, this trade takes place in high-technology sectors which generate well-paying jobs.
It is clear that this expansion of global value chains is impacting trade policies and politics and requires a new trade narrative. If a significant share of trade involves intermediate goods, it becomes even more important for countries to keep markets open.
An important consequence of the integration of production networks is that imports matter as much as exports and both contribute to job creation and to growth. Value addition along global production chains requires taking a fresher look at the way we measure trade. It also requires reflection about the value of interpreting, as has been done traditionally, bilateral trade balances which in this new pattern become much less relevant, at least for policy and action.
The map of global greenhouse gas emissions has also changed and today it does not look a single bit the way it did yesterday. Emissions of the developing world are rising fast, and China’s emissions are said to be either equal to, or to have actually overtaken, those of the United States. The International Energy Agency tells us that even if OECD countries were to bring their emissions down to zero, the world would still be likely to miss the temperature containment target of an extra 2 degrees Celsius at which the international community is aiming. In such a rapidly changing world, international cooperation is vital to address climate change.
The same can be said of macroeconomic cooperation. As subsequent G20 summits have demonstrated, whether monetary policies, fiscal policies, currencies, the fight against tax havens or regulation of financial activities, a virtuous path requires global cooperation.
However, while new economic and political trends have emerged, the rules governing multilateral cooperation have not kept pace with these changes. In fact, we are to a large extent living on the global rules created in the 90s, the last period of active global governance.
In 2001, governments launched a new round of multilateral trade negotiations, thus acknowledging the need for international trade rules to better reflect the fast-changing pace of trade. More than ten years down the road, despite tough negotiations, Ministers conceded last December that the Doha Round, in its current configuration, was at an impasse.
The same can be said of climate change and more broadly of cooperation over sustainability issues. The Rio Summit in 1992 was a peak in global cooperation with the birth of new conventions on Climate Change, on Biodiversity and on Desertification. Twenty years later, the family of the United Nations gathered in Rio last week had trouble pointing at concrete achievements in what some have dubbed the Rio-20 Summit.
Some days earlier, faced with markets in need of confidence and reassuring, the G20 Summit gathered in Los Cabos and worked hard to send a united message of collaborative actions to address the challenges of growth, fiscal consolidation and financial regulation among other things. But it is only fair to say that progress is slow and there remains a need to provide greater precision, starting with the eurozone.
In fact, the difficulties we are observing in the EU mirror the troubles of the multilateral system, since Europe remains a microcosm of the cosmos. Global governance, the legal and institutional framework to manage the ever-growing interdependence and interconnectedness at the world level, much like the European edifice, is built on a thin balance between disciplines, solidarity and legitimacy. And while the depth of integration is shallower at the global level, the mechanism and dynamics of this balance is not different.
Let me give you two examples. The first draws on my own experience with the Doha Round of trade negotiations; the second relates to the multilateral action to address climate change.
The GATT, the predecessor of the WTO, relied on the notion of “special and differential treatment” of developing countries. In broad terms, this implied that, while developed countries agreed to open their markets, developing countries were not expected to fully reciprocate. This arrangement reflected the balance between disciplines, solidarity and legitimacy in the pre-WTO multilateral trading system.
In recent years, however, the impressive growth rate of certain developing countries has caused a big shift in the global economy and has moved the trading system out of its equilibrium. For some, emerging economies have attained a level of development that warrants greater reciprocity of obligations; while for others, the income gap with the advanced countries renders equality of disciplines unfair. The inability to find a new balance in the multilateral trading system has so far made it impossible to conclude the Doha Round.
In many ways, reaching a meaningful agreement on a global response to climate change faces similar challenges. The 1992 Earth Summit Declaration in Rio recognized that, even though all countries bear a responsibility to address climate change, countries have not all contributed equally to causing the problem, nor are they all equally equipped to address it.
The principle of “common but differential responsibility” was introduced in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol that established specific and binding emission reduction commitments for developed countries. Developing countries had no binding obligation. The challenge now facing climate change negotiators is to agree on a multilateral response after the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period has expired in a world where developing-country growth has outstripped developed-country growth.
In the last couple of years, a worrying attitude has emerged towards multilateralism. In stark contrast to the calls for greater and improved international regulatory coherence that dominated the headlines during the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008, international cooperation has slumped to an ever more precarious state.
Cynical observers of international relations would say that over the past decade, international efforts to forge legally binding agreements have continued to set the threshold of expectations so low that even an agreement to continue to talk is considered a successful outcome.
By this standard, the fact that last year’s climate change talks in South Africa, the 8th Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Geneva, the recent UNCTAD XIII Conference, the G20 summit in Mexico and the Rio+20 summit did not collapse in acrimony can be considered an important achievement for multilateralism.
In my view, such cynicism ignores the fundamental lessons about international cooperation which we have learned over the past century. Most of all, it disregards the fact that for most countries more multilateralism and more international cooperation remain the only sustainable way forward.
Certainly, the changes of the past few years dictate a re-configuration, rethink and adjustment of traditional multilateral cooperation, including in the WTO. The proliferation of different informal coalitions and groups of countries and civil society, such as the G8+, G8+5, G20, B20 and L20, to name but a few, are symptomatic of the constantly evolving nature of international relations today.
However, I believe that their effectiveness will depend on whether they are representative enough to address the increasingly complex challenges on our agenda. A stable global economy cannot be built without including all key stakeholders in the decision-making process. The architecture of global governance needs to adjust and the international institutions that represent it need to become more inclusive and agile so as to ensure enhanced and coherent multilateral cooperation.
More fundamentally, I believe that while the crisis continues to hit national systems hard, it will be very difficult to achieve high-standard multilateralism. Indeed, in what remains a Westphalian system, a strong multilateral system requires first and foremost strong national systems, since the essence of the consensus building remains within the nation state.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, international agreements necessitate a high quantum of political energy at home. They require strong political leadership because they are about bringing domestic constituencies on board. They are about crafting compromises which benefit some but also hurt others. This will remain true as long as the legitimacy of international systems remains weak as compared to national systems.
This situation is a dangerous one, as it risks turning into a vicious circle: exiting the crisis sooner rather than later implies strong leadership to craft the necessary international cooperation agreements. But governments’ legitimacy is weakened by popular discontent generated by the economic and social hardship. This erodes the ability to act together, which in turn further prolongs the crisis, leading to a syndrome of “too little, too late”. Such is very much the case today with the European situation.
I believe that multilateralism is at a crossroads. Either it advances in the spirit of shared values and enhanced cooperation, or we will face a retreat from multilateralism, at our own peril. Without global cooperation on finance, security, trade, the environment and poverty reduction, the risks of division, strife and war will remain dangerously real. Waiting for better times will simply not suffice. A consensus for inaction would simply mean a consensus for more pain for all. We must, together, be bolder to cope with growing risks.
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BB 2013-05-04 Lamy: Africa is the growth continent for the 21st century
Lamy: Africa is the growth continent for the 21st century
Director-General Pascal Lamy, in a speech at the University of Nairobi on 22 May 2013, said: “Africans today are more confident and hopeful in the future than ever before. This is also the great transformation that I have seen in the attitude of African negotiators in WTO: confident that trade, if coupled with domestic policies and Aid for Trade can be an engine for growth.”
“Africa: the Growth Continent for the 21st Century”
The world we live in today is one characterized by profound change. The old theories governing the way that countries produce and trade are being replaced. The pattern of trade is being transformed by increasingly sophisticated technology and innovations in transportation; and the topography of actors is shifting to reflect new poles of growth. This is no longer the clearly delineated North-South order of the 20th century. A large number of developing countries have now emerged. And Africa, both as a continent and as the sum of individual sovereign states, is poised to lead the new patterns of growth for the foreseeable future.
There is no shortage of growth stories on Africa. I have been travelling extensively in Africa in the last 20 years. But what is spectacular about the debate on Africa today is the shift in perception. Africa has changed from the land of pessimism to the land of opportunity. We see this renewed focus in the reporting from the mainstream media which has increasingly widened its traditional narrow reporting to spotlight the innovation and optimism of people on the continent and the growth trajectories of its countries.
Six of the world’s ten fastest growing economies over the past decade were in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Kenya, in particular, has continued to be a leader on the continent and in the East Africa region, with projected growth this year of around 6 per cent and with recent reports from TradeMark East Africa highlighting the impressive track record of Kenya’s investment within East Africa. Five years into the global financial crisis, Africa as a region has shown great resilience, with an average growth rate of over 5 per cent over the last decade. This is in contrast with the advanced economies, most of which are yet to fully recover from the economic downtown.
The WTO recently published the trade figures for 2012 and the outlook for 2013. World trade grew by just 2.0 per cent in 2012. And this slow growth should continue into 2013 where we are projecting trade growth of only 3.3 per cent, which is below the previous 20-year average of around 5 per cent.
With structural flaws in some economies remaining for the foreseeable future, I expect the global economy will unfold at three speeds — flat growth in the euro zone; slightly better outlook in the United States and Japan; and faster growth in most developing countries, especially in Africa. Prospects for economic growth are thus greater in developing and low-income countries. This creates an environment of opportunity for Africa.
Africa: a continent of opportunity
Several factors have contributed to Africa’s rebound in growth. These include higher investment and savings, stronger export growth particularly resulting from the higher commodity prices, an improved legal, regulatory environment and overall macroeconomic stability. Consumer demand by its growing middle class is also an engine for growth. According to a recent World Bank report, consumer spending accounted for more than 60 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s recent economic growth, which it forecast to accelerate to more than 5 per cent over the next three years, outpacing the global average.
Africa has also made remarkable progress in the area of political stability and governance, all of which are fundamental in enabling growth. Moreover, the peacefully conducted general elections in Kenya and a number of other African countries are a sign of maturity in political democracy in Africa.
But if I had to name one single factor, I would say it is “confidence”. Africans today are more confident and hopeful about the future than ever before. This is also the great transformation that I have seen in the attitude of African negotiators in the WTO: confident that trade, if coupled with domestic policies and Aid for Trade, can be an engine for growth.
The real challenge for Africa lies in sustaining the growth process, enabling it to reach its full potential and ensuring the growth is inclusive. Widespread and sustained poverty reduction — which is in effect the ultimate aim of growth and development — is only possible if the domestic policies are in place to ensure that the deliverables from this success story translate into real impact on the ground.
Trade is one of the strategies that can be exploited to solidify and enhance the growth prospects. The recent African Union decision on boosting intra-African trade and moving forward on the Continental Free Trade Area are testaments to the political attention being given to trade as a real engine of growth in the continent.
Africa has a number of regional trade agreements, all of which aim to expand trade among its members. These regional agreements can be complementary to multilateral trade opening, provided they are crafted in a coherent manner. Here, I must specifically applaud the East African Community (EAC) for its progressive regional integration efforts. The creation of a customs union and a common market, and the on-going discussions on a possible monetary union, are smart and economically robust decisions. One only has to look at the 49 per cent increase in intra-regional trade since the launch of the EAC customs union to appreciate the impact.
The EAC continues to be ahead of other integration processes in Africa and one clear reason for this is the continued and sustained political support, guidance and engagement from the leaders in the participating countries. I fully expect that my good friends President Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Amina Mohammed, with their solid trade credentials, will continue supporting an agenda of closer regional integration.
I also believe that the formation of a tripartite among the EAC, COMESA and SADC should help address the complexity of the tariff regimes imposed by the different regional trade agreements and facilitate freer and less costly trade amongst members. But the fact remains that inter and intra trade in Africa is still constrained by non-tariff barriers and poor connectivity. Cumbersome border procedures increase trade costs and the likelihood of inaccurate documentation and raise the chances of malpractices such as corruption.
According to a recent study by the OECD, reducing global trade costs by 1 per cent would increase worldwide income by more than USD 40 billion, most of which would accrue to developing countries. Furthermore, trimming border procedures could lead to more than a 5 per cent increase in GDP in many African countries.
African countries, in particular, stand to benefit substantially from the on-going negotiations at the WTO for a multilateral Trade Facilitation Agreement which, with its focus on reducing the thickness of borders and removing customs-related red tape, will ease access to markets and boost trade flows including agricultural commodity trade and time-sensitive products such as horticulture and other highly perishable goods. This is why I am convinced that it is in the interest of all WTO members to deliver a Trade Facilitation Agreement at the WTO Ministerial Conference in December. It will not only be an injection of confidence into the multilateral trading system — and to the notion of multilateralism — but it would lead to concrete economic deliverables on the ground.
Connecting to value chains
Trade opening, coupled with advances in technology and transport, has created opportunities for firms to reorganize their production and distribution systems around “value chains”. Through regional and global value chains, developing countries have found avenues to increase the scope and depth of their involvement in international production and distribution links. However, effective participation in these regional and global value chains requires investment in human capital (skills), transparent regulatory and business environments and effective hard and soft infrastructure including a steady source of reliable energy generation, transportation systems and information and communication technologies (ICT).
Aid for Trade, an initiative that we launched in the WTO in 2005 focused on building capacity to trade, is an important element in supporting these efforts. In these eight years, we have managed to mobilize important resources. Commitments reached USD 48 billion in 2010, an increase of 82 per cent from the 2002-05 baselines. And even if the global financial crisis started to take its toll on resources in 2011, resources are still up by 56 per cent on the 2002-05 baselines, with Africa and Asia accounting for approximately 75 per cent of total Aid for Trade flows.
I note that the Central Corridor, the Northern Corridor and the Lamu-Juba and Addis Ababa corridors have been earmarked by the EAC for Aid for Trade financing. This is a positive development. One only has to look at the interest and pledges shown when the North-South Corridor project was launched to know that Aid for Trade can be a powerful tool to mobilize development resources, and of equal importance, leveraging additional investment from the private sector — both domestic and foreign.
For Africa, and for Kenya, its people are in fact its greatest resources. With a rapidly expanding middle class creating new streams of demand but with the growing challenge of youth unemployment, population growth will remain a double edged sword. But with the right support and domestic policies in place, the changing nature of trade offers Africa a unique opportunity.
Services are a particular part of this story. The WTO-led initiative on measuring trade in value-added has confirmed the rising role of services in total trade, now representing more than 50 per cent of exports. With the right policies in place — development of skills, national and regional regulatory frameworks and electronic and financial infrastructure, such as payment systems and delivery of trade finance — services offer many African countries an untapped potential beyond agriculture and the industrial sector.
A particular challenge for Africa will be to ensure that smaller firms, which make up the vast majority of the private sector in Africa, can also join in value chains. In recognition of the important role that Aid for Trade can play in this respect, the focus of the WTO’s 4th Global Review of Aid for Trade, to be held in July, will emphasize ways developing countries can best connect to these value chains. The Review will be an occasion to look at results so far but also an opportunity to anchor this initiative firmly in the WTO.
Building an inclusive growth model
Africa is a diverse continent and this diversity should be harnessed in its development agenda. Learn and build on each other’s positive experiences in crafting models of development. Kenya has already distinguished itself in the area of the delivery of financial services, particularly the mobile money transfer and mobile banking. Rwanda has become a learning centre for institution building and public management. The emergence of a robust information technology industry has made Ghana one of the region’s attractive investment centres and Angola has made remarkable progress in rebuilding infrastructure to emerge top in the rankings of growth performance in SSA.
When African leaders gather in Addis Ababa later in the week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the African Union, they will have a lot to celebrate. Poverty is down, opportunities are up and stability has improved. Confidence is back. The challenge ahead is clear: sustaining the poverty reduction efforts and ensuring a more inclusive growth. One that delivers for the African people.
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Facts You Didn’t Know About the Joker
If you have watched the Batman movies and/or have read the comics, you are familiar with the Joker, a supervillain and archenemy of Batman.
Since its apparition in the first Batman movie (1940), his popularity remained consistent over time and generated an entire culture around it. As we all know, he is a master criminal, actually considered one of the most infamous from the Gotham City. He is described as a calculated, violent sociopath with a trickster nature, who has a habit to kill people for his own amusement.
There are many stories with a lot of unforgettable appearances of this character. And despite this, do we know enough about him? We have made some research and discovered some not-so-well-known facts about the Joker:
The Inspiration For the Creation of Joker Was Disputed
Although now the origins of Joker’s inspiration have been verified, for a long time it was unclear who had the initial idea about the character. There was a dispute between Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and Bill Finger about this. What we know is that the Joker character’s inspiration comes partially from the playing card The Joker, and partially from the card similarity (or vice versa, depending on the version) with Conrad Veidt, who played a man with a freakish perma-grin in a German Expressionist movie from 1928 The Man Who Laughs. Robinson is the one that says he presented the card first, although Kane says that the card was only similar to the original idea of Finger who pointed out to Veidt.
What is clear for us is that the creation of the famous villain was a team effort, regardless of who had the first glimpse of idea about this.
He Hates Nazis
Joker can be a lot of things, but he is surely not a Nazi. This was emphasized in a 1997 DC/Marvel crossover special Batman/Captain America, where the Joker was hired to steal an atomic bomb and found out in the end that he has been working for a Nazi. When he found out the truth, he said: “I may be a criminal lunatic, but I’m an American criminal lunatic!” Well, it seems that even a villain has his own standards.
He Was Killed by Nightwing
The Joker had a lot of trouble with superheroes. One of them was Dick Grayson aka Nightwing. In Joker: Last Laugh, Nightwing does something he never thought he will do. Believing that The Joker has killed Tim Drake and goaded by the Joker, Nightwing beats him to death. But the Joker didn’t stay dead for long, as his heart was restarted in the end and he was put in prison.
Joker’s Look Changed Over Time
A lot of people try nowadays to imitate Joker’s appearance: they try to paint their faces like his, they acquire his iconic Joker costume, but a few know that at the start of the series, the character’s appearance in the movies was quite different from the original and imitating the movie character was not truly accurate . However, with time, they producers began making the Joker more similar to the original idea, until they got to what we know today as his image. You can see more about the villain’s evolution of look here. But regardless of how Joker was planned to look like or looked like, we think that in all his appearances, the villain was impressive.
Hope you have enjoyed this facts about the Joker. We focused only on a few. There are many more without doubts, because, as we all know- there is a lot of mystery around this character and probably we will never have all the questions about him fully answered.
Megan is a mother of 2 beautiful kids. She is a wonderful cook. Apart from cooking she loves to write about anything that comes to her mind.
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Recent News (Morrisania, NY) - Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains a $1,000,000 structured settlement for the wrongful death of a man crushed in a bailer
Recent News (Morrisania, NY): Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains a $1,000,000 structured settlement for the wrongful death of a man crushed in a bailer (2007-Nov)
Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a $1,000,000.00 structured settlement for the wrongful death of a 30 year old man who was crushed in a cardboard bailer while at work. Video of the incident revealed that the man had put cardboard into the bailer and was crushed when the compressor came down on him. Despite the fact that the video footage appeared to show that the accident was caused by the victim's own negligence, Mr. Kiley conducted an investigation into the accident, met with OSHA officials and retained a consulting engineer who determined that the bailer had been damaged during installation and that its electrical wiring and safety switches had been bypassed. Mr. Kiley brought causes of action for product liability and negligence against the manufacturer and distributor of the bailer in Federal Court. After depositions were held, a structured settlement was reached which will pay the decedent's infant son over $1,000,000.
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(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2012- August) - James D. Kiley settled the claim of a retired Nassau County woman who sustained multiple foot fractures in a motor vehicle accident. Mr. Kiley argued that the defendant driver was negligent in making (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley wins summary judgement dismissing plaintiff's action
(Morrisania, NY - Real Estate, 2011-Feb) - James D. Kiley represented Shore Haven Apartments in the defense of a bodily injury action brought by an employee of the defendant's sister company. Mr. Kiley moved for summary judgment arguing that t (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains 1.5 Million dollar settlement for the wrongful death of a construction worker
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2010-Jun) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. reached a $1.5 million settlement for a Queens construction worker who fell nine floors from a Manhattan skyscraper. Kiley, Kiley & Kiley, PLLC took over the case from a large Ne (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains 1.4 Million dollar estate litigation award for an heir who was written out of a will and living trust
(Morrisania, NY - Trusts and Estate Planning, 2010-Jul) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a 1.4 million dollar award for a Nassau woman who was disinherited from her father's estate by the execution of a codicil to a living trust. Mr. Kiley successfully argue (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains liability verdict for Suffolk man injured on a retaining wall
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2010-Mar) - James D. Kiley obtained a jury verdict on liability for a Suffolk man who was injured when a piece of his neighbor's retaining wall broke off causing him to fall seven feet onto the neighbor's propert (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $85,000 settlement for airport worker who sustained a herniated disc
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2009-Oct) - James D. Kiley settled a lawsuit brought by an injured airport worker struck by a vehicle at Kennedy Airport. The plaintiff alleged an L5 S1 herniated disc. The defendant argued that the herniated dis (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley wins another appeal in the Appellate Division Second Department
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2009-Jan) - James D. Kiley successfully argued before the Appellate Division Second Department and obtained a reversal of a Suffolk Supreme Court order which granted summary judgment to defendant dismissing plain (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $375,000 settlement in medical malpractice case
(Morrisania, NY - Medical Malpractice, 2009-May) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a $375,000 settlement in a medical malpractice action for a Queens women who suffered a re-fracture of her elbow while undergoing physical therapy. Mr. Kiley obtained evi (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $170,000 judgment for Queens woman who claimed property damage to her home as a result of neighbor's construction project
(Morrisania, NY - Real Estate, 2009-Apr) - James D. Kiley obtained a judgement of $170,000 in the case of a Queens woman who sued the owner and contractor of an attached home that was undergoing renovation. The Building Department of the City (Read more...)
(Morrisania, NY - Misc, 2009-Jan) - Kiley, Kiley & Kiley, PLLC is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2009. Originally formed in 1974 by our father and mentor, Donald T. Kiley, Sr., we are proud to be entering our 35th year as a full se (Read more...)
(Morrisania, NY - Misc, 2008-Oct) - The Church of St. Aidan, Williston Park, New York will honor Kevin J. Kiley with the Jack Zwiebel Community Service Award for outstanding service to the community on Friday, October 3, 2008. Mr. Kiley (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley wins Summary Judgement for Trump Management, Inc, dismissing Queens Action
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2008-Aug) - James D. Kiley successfully argued for Summary Judgment before the Hon. Marguerite Grays, Justice Supreme Court, dismissing the claims of a Queens woman against Trump Management, Inc. for alleged inju (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains a $550,000.00 medical malpractice settlement for woman who sustained loss of vision
(Morrisania, NY - Medical Malpractice, 2008-Mar) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a $550,000.00 settlement for a 78 year old woman who sustained loss of vision in one eye as a result of the failure of her opthamolgist to properly monitor her intra-ocul (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains a $1,000,000 structured settlement for the wrongful death of a man crushed in a bailer
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2007-Nov) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a $1,000,000.00 structured settlement for the wrongful death of a 30 year old man who was crushed in a cardboard bailer while at work. Video of the incident revealed that (Read more...)
Donald T. Kiley, Jr. and Kevin J. Kiley give estate planning seminar on behalf of the Catholic Brooklyn/Queens Dioceses
(Morrisania, NY - Trusts and Estate Planning, 2007-Oct) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. and Kevin J. Kiley gave a seminar on estate and elder law planning before a group people at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church, Bayside, New York. The event was sponsored by (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains a $150,000.00 settlement for a car accident victim
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2007-Feb) - James D. Kiley obtained a $150,000.00 settlement for a car accident victim who sustained a fractured vertebra in her spine. Mr. Kiley successfully argued the case in which the defendant claimed to hav (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains a $425,000.00 settlement for a truck driver who sustained nerve damage to his hand after a fall over a dangerous step
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2006-Dec) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a $425,000.00 settlement for a bus driver who tripped over a step that violated the local building code. Mr. Kiley successfully defeated a motion for summary judgement an (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $175,000.00 settlement for a bus passenger injured in a sudden stop
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2006-Oct) - James D. Kiley obtained a $175,000.00 settlement for a bus passenger who sustained a torn rotator cuff when the bus driver suddenly hit the brakes on a rural highway. Mr. Kiley successfully argued tha (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $300,000.00 settlement for Brooklyn man
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2006-Jul) - In a case of first impression after recent Federal legislation eliminated the vicarious liability of leased and rental vehicle owners in New York State, Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a $300,000.00 set (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $75,000.00 arbitration award for car accident victim
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2006-Jun) - The Hon. Joseph Giamboi rendered a $75,000.00 arbitration award for a Queens car accident victim who sustained a herniated disc to her neck. Donald T. Kiley, Jr. argued the case successfully after rej (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley wins summary judgment dismissing Staten Island action
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2006-Apr) - A Richmond County Supreme Court Judge recently awarded Trump Management, Inc, Summary Judgement in an action brought by a tenant who claimed serious bodily injuries as a result of a fall on snow and i (Read more...)
(Morrisania, NY - Misc, 2006-Apr) - Kevin J. Kiley was recently appointed the Prosecutor for the Village of Williston Park. The Village Court sits every other Wednesday and hears disputes related to violations of the New York State Vehi (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $210,000.00 settlement for elderly accident victim
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2006-Mar) - Kevin J. Kiley obtained a $210,000.00 settlement for an 87 year old woman who fractured her humerus in a fall on a city sidewalk. Mr. Kiley successfully argued that the adjoining landowner and contrac (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $150,000.00 settlement in medical malpractice action
(Morrisania, NY - Medical Malpractice, 2006-Feb) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. achieved a $150,000.00 settlement for an elderly woman in a malpractice claim against her Internist for neglecting to diagnose kidney failure. After jury selection and a trial con (Read more...)
Flatbush Federal Savings & Loan represented by Kiley, Kiley & Kiley in purchase of new Brooklyn branch
(Morrisania, NY - Real Estate, 2005-Dec) - Flatbush Federal Bancorp, Inc, the holding company of Flatbush Federal Savings and Loan Association ("the Association"), announced the purchase of the building of its Bensonhurst branch at 6410 18th A (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley represents Trump Management in the sale of Brooklyn properties valued at over $10 Million
(Morrisania, NY - Real Estate, 2005-Dec) - Trump Management retained Kiley, Kiley & Kiley as counsel in the sale of several parcels of vacant land in the Coney Island and Gravesend sections of Brooklyn valued at approximately $10 million. Jame (Read more...)
(Morrisania, NY - Misc, 2005-Nov) - The 50th Anniversary of Holy Cross High School, Flushing New York was celebrated on November 11, 2005 at Russo's on the Bay, Howard Beach. Many dignitaries were in attendance, including Queens Borough (Read more...)
(Morrisania, NY - Misc, 2005-Jul) - New York Law Journal, July 21, 2005 "No Liability for Pile of Wet Leaves"
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley settles $400,000.00 malpractice claim against Mt. Sinai Hospital
(Morrisania, NY - Medical Malpractice, 2005-May) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. successfully obtained a $400,000 settlement with Mt. Sinai Hospital in a malpractice claim brought by the Estate of a Queens man who claimed injuries caused by the negligent admin (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley wins appeal again in the Appellate Division Second Department
(Morrisania, NY - Real Estate, 2005-Feb) - James D. Kiley recently argued the case of Murphy v. Lawrence Towers Apartments, LLC 15 A.D.3d 371 before the Appellate Division Second Department. As counsel for the defendant, Mr. Kiley successfully (Read more...)
(Morrisania, NY - Real Estate, 2004-Jun) - James D. Kiley recently argued the case of Mallik v. Trump Management, Inc. 777 N.Y.S. 2d 732 before the Appellate Division Second Department. Representing the defendant, Trump Management, Inc. Mr. Ki (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley wins appeal in the Appellate Division Second Department
(Morrisania, NY - Real Estate, 2004-May) - James D. Kiley recently argued the case of Rosario v. Trump Management, Inc. 7 A.D. 3d 504 before the Appellate Division Second Department. Representing the defendant, Trump Management, Inc, Mr. Kiley (Read more...)
Kiley, Kiley & Kiley obtains $650,000.00 settlement for a Bronx man who sustained a broken leg at the Hunts Point Market
(Morrisania, NY - Personal Injury Litigation, 2004-Feb) - Donald T. Kiley, Jr. obtained a $675,000.00 settlement for a car accident victim who sustained a fractured tibia. Mr. Kiley successfully argued that the client, an employee of the Hunts Point Market, (Read more...)
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Interfaith service held to pray for healing in the Gulf of Mexico
June 29, 2010 • 0 Comments
Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 8:34 PM Updated: Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 9:34 PM
Suzanne McLaughlin, The Republican
SPRINGFIELD – The sun shone beautifully Tuesday evening on the interfaith service, “Oil in the Gulf: A Service for Healing Our Earth.”
The service was organized by Rabbi Mark Shapiro of Sinai Temple in Springfield along with members of the Interfaith Council of Western Massachusetts which included the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, the Council of Churches of Greater Springfield, Al Baqi Mosque and new England Peace Pagoda of Leverett.
Judy Ruland of Holy Cross Church on Plumtree Road said she came to the service which was conducted on the lawn in front of Trinity United Methodist Church on Sumner Avenue because she cares about “stewardship of the earth.”
“I thought this was a positive thing to do,” she said.
Juscrea Giammarino came to the service with her four and a half month old son, Kinabe Dana and her mother, Barbara Giammarino.
“The oil in the Gulf of Mexico is devastating,” she said. Barbara Giammarino said she and her family are American Indian and members of the Penobscot nation.
“Our tradition says we need to care for the earth for the seventh generation,” she said.
Rev. Gyoway Kato and Sister Clare Carter of the New England Peace Pagoda in Leverett sang a Buddhist chant for peace.
The people and the earth must take the same path if they are to be as one, Sister Clare Carter said.
Verne McArthur of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield started the service by singing, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”
At the start of the service a bell was rung 71 times for the 71 days the spill has continued.
The names were read of the 11 workers who died in the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon and of the sea life which is now jeopardized in the Gulf.
At the end of the service Shapiro said, “As we mourn the loss of Eden, we also pray for better times. We hope to be stronger. We promise to be wiser, we affirm that we will not go back to business as usual.”
Tags: imam interfaith ISWM mexico
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Online Reader
Stories Blogs Comments Photos Classifieds Everything Archive since 1992
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McCook Gazette
Stories from Thursday, September 3, 2009
Bison go on the road to play Alliance (High School Sports ~ 09/03/09)
The Alliance Bulldogs are coming off a 34-9 loss to class C1 Chadron to host the McCook Bison Friday. Chadron 34, Alliance 9 The Bulldogs recovered two Chadron fumbles in the fourth quarter for both of their scores. The Bulldogs made the first recovery on the Chadron four-yard line...
Nathaniel R. 'Nate' Trask (Obituary ~ 09/03/09)
Feb. 22, 1976 - Aug. 30, 2009 DEARBORN, Ill -- Nathaniel R. "Nate" Trask, 33, of Dearborn, Ill., died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, after a courageous fight with melanoma cancer. He was born to Robert and Margaret Trask on Feb. 22, 1976, in Newburyport, Mass. On Dec. 18, 1999,...
Nellie N. Ervin (Obituary ~ 09/03/09)
Jan. 9, 1910 - Sept. 1, 2009 Nellie N. Ervin, died Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009, at Wedgewood Care Center in Grand Island at the age of 99. She was born Jan. 9, 1910, in Grant County, the daughter of the late Selbi "Dude" and Cora (Shoemaker) Roth. Nellie grew up in Hayes County and graduated from the University of Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis in 1930. For three years she taught rural school...
So this buffalo wanders into a taxidermist's yard ... (Local News ~ 09/03/09)
CULBERTSON -- When you're a buffalo, and you're lost, be really careful whose yard you wander into ... Clint Collicott's known as the family jokester, so when he discovered a buffalo in his parents' front yard at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night, he really had to do some talking to convince them he wasn't joking...
Rabies: Officials urge vaccination (Local News ~ 09/03/09)
The puppies never had a chance, and the family did only what they could do. "In all our years on the farm, we've never seen so many skunks," said the warp-speed, always-on-the-go rural woman whose family of five was forced this summer to undergo vaccinations for rabies after a rabid skunk attacked newborn puppies...
Two survive chopper crash (Local News ~ 09/03/09)
A Hughes 300C helicopter lays on its side after being involved in a crash shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, about three-fourths of a mile east of the Arapahoe (Neb.) Municipal Airport, about two miles north of Arapahoe. According to the Furnas County Sheriff's Office, Anthony Cavalea, 55, of Lockport, Ill., and Adam Bulme, 25, of Westminster, Colo., were flying from York, Neb., to Pueblo, Colo., when an unknown mechanical malfunction caused the helicopter to lose power and altitude. ...
Tri Valley Health Systems plans groundbreaking (Local News ~ 09/03/09)
CAMBRIDGE -- Tri Valley Health System, headquarted in Cambridge will host a community groundbreaking ceremony for their new hospital facility on Sunday Sept. 13. The event will take place on the south side of Cambridge Memorial Hospital, located on U.S. Highway 6-34. A picnic-style lunch will start the event, with the serving line opening at noon, followed by a short program at 1 p.m., an opportunity to view an architectural drawing of a new patient room, and a walking tour of the building site...
Benefit planned for recovering trooper (Local News ~ 09/03/09)
NORFOLK -- The Glen Waddle Benefit Committee is planning an event to help defray medical expenses and rehabilitation cost for recovering Trooper Glen Waddle. In March 2009, Trooper Waddle, a 25-year veteran of the Patrol suffered a stroke following surgery to remove a tumor from his pituitary gland. ...
Electrical fault blamed for house fire (Local News ~ 09/03/09)
City of McCook firefighter/paramedic Steve Renner, right, pokes at a charred fuse, and he and fellow firefighters inspect the door of an electrical panel that burned Wednesday about 9:40 p.m., and smoked up the home of Paul and Fauna Kinne at 912 West L. Renner said the fire was confined to the electrical box, and there was some smoke damage throughout the house...
Innovation in Nebraska agriculture (Column ~ 09/03/09)
Nebraska has a strong history as one of our nation's leading agricultural producing states. Nebraska agriculture plays an important role in the research that fosters ag innovation and is making our state a premiere place for new developments in bioscience and conservation...
© 2019 McCook Gazette · McCook, Nebraska
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Imaginative concepts, a proven ability for problem solving, and intense account service orientation have contributed to Cary Hatch’s success. With more than 30 years of experience in advertising and direct marketing, Cary has a formidable track record in business and consumer communications, both domestic and international. Her hands-on approach to marketing “accountability” has fueled the agency’s growth and helped MDB earn a spot on the Inc. 500, the annual list of the fastest-growing companies in America. Cary’s broad-based client experience includes Sprint, Fannie Mae, Global One, National Geographic, the D.C. Lottery, Loral Skynet, The U.S. Mint and many others.
Cary currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Greater Washington Board of Trade and has served on the Board of Directors for the Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington, which in 2004 bestowed on her its highest honor, the Silver Medal Award. She served on the Board of Directors for Women in Advertising and Marketing for four years after fulfilling two terms as president, and she also received the organization’s first-ever Founder’s Award. She currently serves as the Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Board of Governors for the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Advisory Board for the Washington Business Journal.
Cary also devotes significant hours giving back to the community. She has served as the Washington, DC Key Market Coordinator for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America since 1990, and serves on the Women’s Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Washington. She is a graduate of Leadership Washington and a noted lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown and her alma mater, the University of Maryland, and is a regularly featured industry expert on radio and tv outlets.
Richard Coad
Interested in big ideas? You’ve come to the right place. Richard Coad is the Chief Creative Officer at MDB. He brings a history of big ideas, including one of the biggest ever hatched. Richard was the brains behind the concept of “Jared” for the Subway Restaurant chain. That’s the story of the 425 pound college student who went on a diet of Subway sandwiches and lost 235 pounds in one year. That one idea resulted in a 40% increase in same store sales the first week it aired, and served as the catalyst that tripled the size of Subway.
Richard has been a creative leader for some of the most well known creative powerhouses in the advertising industry-Hal Riney & Partners, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis, Y&R and others. His work has brought insight, humor, emotion and success to such brands as Tylenol, Gallo Wines, Cheerios, John Deere, Nuveen Investments, The Principal Financial Group, Whirlpool, ATA Airlines and The Chicago Tribune.
“Most advertising is invisible. It passes by today’s cynical and time challenged consumer unnoticed. Advertising that doesn’t get noticed is a poor investment. We give our clients ideas that are visceral in nature. People engage with them. Could you use a big idea?”
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Home » Timelines by Topic » Regions » Asia » Afghanistan » Complete 911 Timeline
Complete 911 Timeline
Project: Complete 911 Timeline
Open-Content project managed by matt, Derek, Paul, KJF, mtuck, paxvector
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1998: 9/11 Hijacker Atta Possibly Trains at Base Conducting Pilotless Aircraft Exercises
A military report released this year describes the “Joint Vision 2010” program, a series of “analyses, war games, studies, experiments, and exercises” which are “investigating new operational concepts, doctrines, and organizational approaches that will enable US forces to maintain full spectrum dominance of the battlespace well into the 21st century.” “The Air Force has begun a series of war games entitled Global Engagement at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.” The same report mentions that the military is working on a “variety of new imaging and signals intelligence sensors, currently in advanced stages of development, deployed aboard the Global Hawk, DarkStar, and Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)…” [US Department of Defense, 1998] Global Hawk is a technology that enables pilotless flight and has been functioning since at least early 1997. [US Department of Defense, 2/20/1997] While it may be mere coincidence, “Air Force spokesman Colonel Ken McClellan said a man named Mohamed Atta—which the FBI has identified as one of the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11—had once attended the International Officer’s School at Maxwell/Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.” But he adds that “there [was] discrepancies in the biographical data” (mainly the birth date) and that “it may just be a case of mistaken identity” (see also 1996-August 2000 and September 15-17, 2001) [Gannett News Service, 9/17/2001; Gannett News Service, 9/20/2001]
Entity Tags: US Department of the Air Force, Ken McClellan, Mohamed Atta
Timeline Tags: 9/11 Timeline
Category Tags: Mohamed Atta, Alleged Hijackers' Flight Training
Late 1990s: CIA Director Tenet Has Direct, Private Channels to Saudi Leaders
George Tenet, appointed as CIA director in 1997 (see July 11, 1997), develops close personal relationships with top Saudi officials, especially Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the US. Tenet develops a habit of meeting with Bandar at his home near Washington about once a month. But CIA officers handling Saudi issues complain that Tenet doesn’t tell them what he discusses with Bandar. Often they are only able to learn about Tenet’s deals with the Saudis later and through Saudi contacts, not from their own boss. Tenet also makes one of his closest aides the chief of the CIA station in Saudi Arabia. This aide often communicates directly with Tenet, avoiding the usual chain of command. Apparently as a favor to the Saudis, CIA analysts are discouraged from writing reports raising questions about the Saudi relationship to Islamic extremists. [Risen, 2006, pp. 185]
Entity Tags: George J. Tenet, Bandar bin Sultan, Central Intelligence Agency
Category Tags: Saudi Arabia
Between 1998 and 2000: US Intelligence Reportedly Doesn’t Want Informant Who Could Pinpoint Bin Laden’s Location
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), who claims to have made many secret trips into Afghanistan and to have fought with the mujaheddin, later describes to Congress a missed opportunity to capture bin Laden. He claims that “a few years” before 9/11, he is contacted by someone he knows and trusts from the 1980s Afghan war, who claims he could pinpoint bin Laden’s location. Rohrabacher passes this information to the CIA, but the informant isn’t contacted. After some weeks, Rohrabacher uses his influence to set up a meeting with agents in the CIA, NSA, and FBI. Yet even then, the informant is not contacted, until weeks later, and then only in a “disinterested” way. Rohrabacher concludes, “that our intelligence services knew about the location of bin Laden several times but were not permitted to attack him… because of decisions made by people higher up.” [US Congress, 9/17/2001]
Entity Tags: US Congress, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, Dana Rohrabacher, National Security Agency, Osama bin Laden
Category Tags: Hunt for Bin Laden
1998: Monitored Al-Qaeda Operative Zammar Probably Recruits 9/11 Hijacker Atta and Others in Hamburg Cell
Al-Qaeda operative Mohammed Haydar Zammar probably recruits future 9/11 hijacker Mohamed and other key members of the Hamburg cell into al-Qaeda this year. According to Time magazine, “US investigators believe [Zammar] may have persuaded Atta’s Islamic study group to offer its services to al-Qaeda around 1998.” Zammar was frequently seen by neighbors with Atta starting in 1997 (see 1997). [Time, 7/1/2002]
Zammar Being Monitored by US and German Intelligence - German intelligence began heavily monitoring Zammar in early 1997 and this continues until at least early 2000 (see March 1997-Early 2000). The CIA also appears to be monitoring Zammar by this time. Author Terry McDermott will later comment: “[T]he CIA told the [9/11 Congressional Inquiry] it had a long-standing interest in Zammar that pre-dated [a wiretap done in March 1999 (see March 1999)]. In other words, the CIA appears to have been investigating the man who recruited the hijackers at the time he was recruiting them.” [McDermott, 2005, pp. 73, 278-279]
Entity Tags: Mohammed Haydar Zammar, Mohamed Atta, Terry McDermott
Category Tags: Mohammed Haydar Zammar, Al-Qaeda in Germany
1998: Radicals Arrested in Italy, but Prosecution Flounders
Following an investigation of extremists linked to the Islamic Cultural Institute mosque in Milan, Italy, arrests are made, but most of the suspects are eventually released. The mosque was a logistics base for radical Muslims fighting in Bosnia (see Late 1993-December 14, 1995 and Late 1993-1994) and has been under investigation for some time. However, according to the Chicago Tribune: “[T]he criminal case appears to [founder] on the vagaries of the Italian justice system. Because of limitations on jailing people charged with crimes committed outside Italy, most of the suspects [will be] released and [vanish].” [Chicago Tribune, 10/22/2001] People connected to the mosque will go on to be connected to numerous plots, such as the failed millennium attacks and 9/11 (see Late 1998-September 11, 2001).
Entity Tags: Islamic Cultural Institute
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda in Italy
1998: FBI Agent Starts First Investigation into Arizona Flight Students
Ken Williams. [Source: FBI]The FBI field office in Phoenix, Arizona, investigates a possible Middle Eastern extremist taking flight lessons at a Phoenix airport. FBI agent Ken Williams initiates an investigation into the possibility of Islamic militants learning to fly aircraft, but he has no easy way to query a central FBI database about similar cases. Because of this and other FBI communication problems, he remains unaware of most US intelligence reports about the potential use of airplanes as weapons, as well as other, specific FBI warnings issued in 1998 and 1999 concerning Islamic militants training at US flight schools (see May 15, 1998; September 1999). Williams will write the “Phoenix memo” in July 2001 (see July 10, 2001). He had been alerted about some suspicious flight school students in 1996, but it is not clear if this person was mentioned in that previous alert or not (see October 1996). [US Congress, 7/24/2003 ]
Entity Tags: Ken Williams, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Phoenix Memo, Hani Hanjour, Alleged Hijackers' Flight Training
Late 1990s-Early 2001: FBI Investigation Discovers Turkish Nationals Attempting to Bribe Members of Congress
An FBI investigation finds that Turkish nationals are involved in efforts to bribe members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. Targets of the FBI’s investigation include individuals at Chicago’s Turkish Consulate and the American-Turkish Consulate, as well as members of the American-Turkish Council (ATC) and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA). Wiretaps obtained by investigators also contain what appears to be references to large scale drug shipments and other crimes. In 1999 some FBI investigators call for the appointment of a special prosecutor to continue the investigation. But after the Bush administration comes to office, higher-ups in the Department of State pressure the bureau to shift the attention of its investigation away from elected politicians and instead focus on appointed officials. [Anti-War (.com), 8/15/2005; Vanity Fair, 9/2005]
Entity Tags: US Department of State, US Congress, Turkish Consulate of Chicago, Federal Bureau of Investigation, American-Turkish Consulate, American-Turkish Council, Assembly of Turkish American Associations
Category Tags: Sibel Edmonds
(1998-September 10, 2001): NORAD Operations Center Runs Five ‘Hijack Training Events’ Each Month
At its operations center in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) practices dealing with hijackings five times per month, on average, during training exercises. A NORAD document produced a month after 9/11 will state that the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center (CMOC) “routinely conducts the Amazon Arizona series of internal exercises that include hijack scenarios.” Prior to September 11, 2001, the document continues, “CMOC averaged five hijack training events each month.” Further details of these “Amazon Arizona” exercises are unstated in the document. [North American Aerospace Defense Command, 10/13/2001] But other sources provide additional information about what they might entail.
Exercises Are 'One of the Busiest Times' in Operations Center - According to a 1989 NORAD document, “Arizona” exercises are a “Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base internal system training mission.” [North American Aerospace Defense Command, 8/25/1989] And in 2004, NORAD will state that its exercises before 9/11 that include hijacking scenarios test “track detection and identification; scramble and interception; hijack procedures; internal and external agency coordination; and operational security and communications security procedures.” [CNN, 4/19/2004] According to Stacey Knott, a technician at the CMOC, “One of the busiest times” in the operations center “is during exercises.… We have the battle staff and CAT [Crisis Action Team] in here; generals and admirals are running in and out.” Knott has said that exercises at the CMOC give her “an idea what things would be like if something were to go down,” and so, “[i]f something actually did happen, we’d be ready for it.” [Airman, 1/1996]
Operations Center Is 'Focal Point for Air Defense Operations' - It is unclear over what period up to 9/11 the CMOC averages five hijack training events per month. It appears to be at least going back to 1998: In 2003, Ken Merchant, NORAD’s joint exercise design manager, will tell the 9/11 Commission that his office keeps computer hard drive information about NORAD exercises “roughly” back to that year. Merchant will add that he “did not believe that his office retained other exercise information, such as after-action reviews, for exercises prior to 1998.” [9/11 Commission, 11/14/2003 ] According to NORAD’s website, “the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center provides warning of ballistic missile or air attacks against North America, assists the air sovereignty mission for the United States and Canada, and, if necessary, is the focal point for air defense operations to counter enemy bombers or cruise missiles.” [North American Aerospace Defense Command, 11/27/1999] On the morning of 9/11, members of the battle staff at the CMOC will be participating in the exercise Vigilant Guardian (see (6:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Airman, 3/2002; 9/11 Commission, 3/1/2004 ]
Entity Tags: Stacey Knott, Amazon Arizona, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Ken Merchant
Category Tags: Military Exercises
1998: Hani Hanjour Attends Two More Arizona Flight Schools
Sawyer Aviation logo. [Source: Sawyer Aviation]In January 1998, future 9/11 hijacker Hani Hanjour and his friend Bandar Al Hazmi, who are now renting an apartment together in Phoenix, Arizona, train together at Arizona Aviation flight school. Hanjour supposedly receives his commercial pilot rating while there. [US Congress, 9/26/2002] Later in 1998, Hanjour joins the simulator club at Sawyer School of Aviation in Phoenix. According to the Washington Post, Sawyer is “known locally as a flight school of last resort.” Wes Fults, the manager of the flight simulator, says Hanjour has “only the barest understanding what the instruments were there to do.” After using the simulator four or five times, Hanjour disappears from the school. [Washington Post, 10/15/2001]
Entity Tags: Wes Fults, Sawyer School of Aviation, Bandar Al Hazmi, Arizona Aviation flight school, Hani Hanjour
Category Tags: Hani Hanjour, Alleged Hijackers' Flight Training
1998: Training Exercise Held at the White House, Based Around Militants Using a Plane as a Weapon
Counterterrorism “tsar” Richard Clarke chairs a tabletop exercise at the White House, involving a scenario where anti-American militants fill a Learjet with explosives, and then fly it on a suicide mission toward a target in Washington, DC. Officials from the Pentagon, Secret Service, and FAA attend, and are asked how they would stop such a threat. Pentagon officials say they could launch fighters from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, but would need authorization from the president to shoot the plane down, and currently there is no system to do this. The 9/11 Commission later states: “There was no clear resolution of the problem at the exercise.” [Slate, 7/22/2004; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 345, 457-458]
Entity Tags: Langley Air Force Base, US Secret Service, US Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, Richard A. Clarke
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Military Exercises, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics, US Air Security
1998: Britain Refuses to Extradite Member of Al-Qaeda’s Fatwa Committee over Car Bombings, Gives Him Asylum Instead
Jordan requests the extradition from Britain of Abu Qatada, a cleric who sits on al-Qaeda’s fatwa committee (see June 1996-1997) and who is wanted in connection with a series of car bombings in Jordan. However, Britain, where Abu Qatada lives, declines the request and grants him asylum. Authors Sean O’Niell and Daniel McGrory will comment: “Britain had given shelter to one of the fiercest advocates of the global jihad. Abu Qatada lived and breathed the al-Qaeda ideology, issued religious decrees… allowing Algerian terrorists to commit mass murder in the name of God, and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Islamists to carry on the war against Russia in Chechnya.” [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 29] Abu Qatada is working as an informant with Britain’s security services at this time (see June 1996-February 1997).
Entity Tags: Abu Qatada, Jordan
Category Tags: Abu Qatada, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
1998: Information on Hijacker Hanjour Apparently Ignored by FBI
Aukai Collins in Chechnya. [Source: Lyons Press publicity photo]An American Caucasian Muslim named Aukai Collins later says he reports to the FBI on hijacker Hani Hanjour for six months this year. [Associated Press, 5/24/2002] The FBI later acknowledges they paid Collins to monitor the Islamic and Arab communities in Phoenix between 1996 and 1999. He also was an informant overseas and once had an invitation to meet bin Laden (see Mid-1998). [ABC News, 5/23/2002; Associated Press, 5/24/2002] Collins claims that he is a casual acquaintance of Hanjour while Hanjour is taking flying lessons. [Associated Press, 5/24/2002] Collins sees nothing suspicious about Hanjour as an individual, but he tells the FBI about him because Hanjour appears to be part of a larger, organized group of Arabs taking flying lessons. [The Big Story with John Gibson, 5/24/2002] He says the FBI “knew everything about the guy,” including his exact address, phone number, and even what car he drove. The FBI denies Collins told them anything about Hanjour, and denies knowing about Hanjour before 9/11. [ABC News, 5/23/2002] Collins later calls Hanjour a “hanky panky” hijacker: “He wasn’t even moderately religious, let alone fanatically religious. And I knew for a fact that he wasn’t part of al-Qaeda or any other Islamic organization; he couldn’t even spell jihad in Arabic.” [Collins, 2003, pp. 248] Collins tells the New York Times that he worked with FBI agent Ken Williams, who will write a July 2001 memo expressing concerns about radical militants attending Arizona flight schools (see July 10, 2001). He says that he quarrels with Williams and quits helping him. It is unknown if Williams ever learns about Hanjour before 9/11. [New York Times, 5/24/2002] Collins closely matches the description of the informant who first alerted Williams to Zacaria Soubra, a flight student who will be the main focus of Williams’ memo (see April 2000). If this is so, it bolsters Collins’ claims that he knew Hanjour, because many of Soubra’s friends, including his roommate (and al-Qaeda operative) Ghassan al-Sharbi do know Hanjour (see July 10, 2001). After 9/11, Collins will claim that based on his experience with the FBI and CIA, he is 100 percent sure that some people in those agencies knew about the 9/11 attack in advance and let it happen. “Just think about it—how could a group of people plan such a big operation full of so many logistics and probably countless e-mails, encrypted or not, and phone calls and messengers? And you’re telling me that, through all of that, that the CIA never caught wind of it?” [Salon, 10/17/2002]
Entity Tags: Aukai Collins, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ken Williams, Hani Hanjour
Category Tags: Hani Hanjour, Phoenix Memo, Key Hijacker Events, Other Possible Moles or Informants, Possible Hijacker Associates in US
1998: Hijacking Proposed to Obtain Release of ‘Blind Sheikh’
A son of Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman, the al-Qaeda leader convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up tunnels and other New York City landmarks, is heard to say that the best way to free his father from a US prison might be to hijack an American plane and exchange the hostages. This will be mentioned in President Bush’s August 2001 briefing titled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US” (see August 6, 2001). [Washington Post, 5/18/2002] It may be the warning was discovered by reporters at bin Laden’s press conference this month, since two of Abdul-Rahman’s sons are there and speak in belligerent tones (see May 26, 1998 and May 1998). A similar warning will be discovered in May 2001, but will not be mentioned in Bush’s briefing (see May 23, 2001).
Entity Tags: George W. Bush, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, Al-Qaeda, Omar Abdul-Rahman, Mohammed Omar Abdul-Rahman
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Bush's Aug. 6, 2001 PDB, Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman
1998: Future Would-Be Suicide Bomber Attends Extremist London Mosque
Nizar Trabelsi, who will later be found guilty of planning to bomb a NATO base (see September 30, 2003), attends the radical Islamist Finsbury Park mosque in London. The mosque is run by extremist imam Abu Hamza al-Masri, an informer for the British intelligence services (see Early 1997). Trabelsi is a former professional sportsman, but had drifted into drug dealing before being radicalized. Trabelsi will later go to Afghanistan, meeting Osama bin Laden there. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 226]
Entity Tags: Finsbury Park Mosque, Nizar Trabelsi
Category Tags: Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism, 2001 Attempted Shoe Bombing
1998: FAA Testing Reveals Frightening Airport Security Lapses; Little Done in Response Except Small Penalties
The FAA creates “Red Teams” —small, secretive teams traveling to airports and attempting to foil their security systems—in response to the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am 747 over Scotland. According to later reports, the Red Teams conduct extensive testing of screening checkpoints at a large number of domestic airports in 1998. The results were frightening: “We were successful in getting major weapons—guns and bombs—through screening checkpoints with relative ease, at least 85 percent of the time in most cases. At one airport, we had a 97 percent success rate in breaching the screening checkpoint.… The individuals who occupied the highest seats of authority in the FAA were fully aware of this highly vulnerable state of aviation security and did nothing.” [New York Times, 2/27/2002] In 1999, the New York Port Authority and major airlines at Boston’s Logan Airport will be “fined a total of $178,000 for at least 136 security violations [between 1999-2001]. In the majority of incidents, screeners hired by the airlines for checkpoints in terminals routinely [fail] to detect test items, such as pipe bombs and guns.” [Associated Press, 9/12/2001]
Entity Tags: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Federal Aviation Administration
Category Tags: US Air Security
1998: Indonesia Gives US Warning of 9/11 Attack?
Hendropriyono, the Indonesian chief of intelligence, will later claim that, “[we] had intelligence predicting the September 11 attacks three years before it happened but nobody believed us.” He says Indonesian intelligence agents identify bin Laden as the leader of the group plotting the attack and that the US disregards the warning, but otherwise offers no additional details. The Associated Press notes, “Indonesia’s intelligence services are not renowned for their accuracy.” [Associated Press, 7/9/2003]
Entity Tags: Hendropriyono, Osama bin Laden
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Foreign Intelligence Warnings
1998: German Police Investigate Hamburg Hijacker Associate Linked to Milan Cell
Cabdullah Ciise. [Source: The Sun]Police raid the apartment of Cabdullah Ciise, an extremist based in Germany who is linked to hijacker Mohamed Atta and some of his associates in the Hamburg al-Qaeda cell. The police find forged Italian documents in the apartment, proving a link between Ciise in Germany and Italian cells that specialize in document forgery, especially one in Milan that is under investigation (see 1998 and October 2, 1998). Ciise lives in Germany from 1991 until October 1999, during which time he becomes friendly with Mohamed Atta as well as cell member Ramzi bin al-Shibh, with whom he often watches videos about the war in Chechyna and talks about religion. Ciise is also linked to other cell members such as Mohamed Daki and his associates Said Bahaji and Mounir El Motassadeq, as well as a Yemeni named Mohammed Rajih whom German authorities will investigate for terrorist ties at some point before 2005. It is unclear what impact the link to the important Milan cell has on surveillance of the cell in Hamburg. Ciise will allegedly be involved in a bombing in Mombasa, Kenya (see November 28, 2002), will help send fighters to Iraq, and will be arrested in Milan in 2003. [Vidino, 2006, pp. 256]
Entity Tags: Mohammed Rajih, Mounir El Motassadeq, Cabdullah Ciise, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Mohamed Atta
Category Tags: Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh, Al-Qaeda in Germany, Al-Qaeda in Italy
(1998): In Friday Sermon, Radical London Imam Abu Hamza Celebrates Suicide Bombers
At a Friday sermon, radical imam Abu Hamza al-Masri curses King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and praises suicide bombers who recently attacked a rush-hour bus in Jerusalem. The sermon is delivered at the Finsbury Park mosque in London, which was actually paid for in part by King Fahd. A moderate Muslim who attends the sermon is angry at the praise for suicide bombings and goes to see Abu Hamza, an informer for the British security services (see Early 1997), asking, “How dare you celebrate other people’s misery?” However, he is intimidated by Abu Hamza’s minders and receives no reply. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 46-47]
Entity Tags: Abu Hamza al-Masri
Category Tags: Abu Hamza Al-Masri, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
(1998): Police Intercept Sons of Radical London Imam Abu Hamza on Way Back from Training Course, Indicating Courses Are under Surveillance
Police stop a car carrying supporters of Abu Hamza al-Masri on their way back from a paramilitary training camp in Wales. The supporters include Mohsin Ghalain, Abu Hamza’s stepson, and Mohammed Kamel Mostafa, his son. Abu Hamza, an informer for the British security services (see Early 1997), began setting up training camps and courses in Britain the previous year to prepare his supporters to fight for Muslim causes abroad (see (Mid-1997)). Authors Sean O’Neill and Daniel McGrory will point out that the police followed the men’s car for some time before it was stopped and, “The authorities clearly had this group on a watch-list.” The police search the car, making remarks indicating they expect to find firearms. However, none are found, as the weapons were given to the men’s trainers, ex-soldiers in the British army, after the end of the course. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 84] Ghalain and Mostafa will later attempt to carry out terrorist attacks in Yemen, but will be thwarted (see December 23, 1998).
Entity Tags: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Mohammed Kamel Mostafa, Mohsin Ghalain
1998-1999: Israeli Spy Operation in US Reportedly Discovered, Said to Cause ‘Incredible Damage’ for US Security
In 2004, it will be reported, “A former very senior CIA counterintelligence official told UPI that in 1998-99, the CIA discovered an Israeli couple, who were subcontracted to a US phone company, were working for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. ‘They did incredible damage—they got incredibly sensitive data, including key words identifying individuals or projects,’” this source said, adding he himself gave the case to the FBI. Additional details are not known. [United Press International, 12/9/2004] In 2005, a US criminal indictment will reveal that the FBI began monitoring some Israeli diplomatic officials in the US by April 1999 (see April 13, 1999-2004), but is it not known if there is any connection between that and this case.
Entity Tags: Israel Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks (Mossad), Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United Press International
Category Tags: Israel
1998-2001: Pakistani ISI Allegedly Protects Al-Qaeda Leader Zubaida from Capture
By 1997, al-Qaeda leader Abu Zubaida is living in Peshawar, Pakistan, near the border to Afghanistan. He runs an al-Qaeda guest house there called the House of Martyrs, where all foreign recruits are interviewed before being sent to Afghanistan. As a result, Zubaida soon knows the names of thousands of al-Qaeda recruits. [Rashid, 2008, pp. 224-225] In 2006, author Gerald Posner will write that beginning in 1998, Pakistan receives several requests from US intelligence to track down Zubaida. Beginning by October 1998, the US and other countries have been monitoring Zubaida’s phone calls (see October 1998 and After), and will continue to do so through the 9/11 attacks (see Early September 2001 and October 8, 2001). But according to Posner, “Pakistan’s agency, the ISI, had claimed to have made several failed attempts, but few in the US believe they did more before September 11 than file away the request and possibly at times even warn Zubaida of the Americans’ interest.” [Posner, 2003, pp. 184] In 2008, Pakistani journalist and regional expert Ahmed Rashid will repeat the gist of Posner’s allegations, and further explain that Zubaida directly worked with the ISI. Some of the militants he directs to al-Qaeda camps are militants sent by the ISI to fight in Kashmir, a region disputed between India and Pakistan. Presumably, handing Zubaida to the US could hinder Pakistan’s covert war against India in Kashmir. [Rashid, 2008, pp. 224-225] After Zubaida is arrested in 2002, he allegedly will divulge that he has personal contacts with high-ranking officials in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (see Early April 2002).
Entity Tags: Pakistan Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, Abu Zubaida
Category Tags: Abu Zubaida, Pakistan and the ISI
1998-2000: Al-Marabh Bank Transfers Are Flagged as Suspicious
Nabil al-Marabh makes “several large deposits, withdrawals and overseas wire transfers” that a Boston bank flags as suspicious. [Associated Press, 6/3/2004] Presumably some of these transfers go to al-Qaeda operative Raed Hijazi, as it will later be known he frequently sends money to Hijazi during this period (see October 2000). Some of these funds may even go to several of the 9/11 hijackers (see September 2000; Spring 2001). As al-Marabh holds nothing but a low wage taxi driving job, it is unclear where this money is coming from. [Associated Press, 6/3/2004]
Entity Tags: Nabil al-Marabh, Raed Hijazi
Category Tags: Nabil Al-Marabh, Millennium Bomb Plots
1998 and After: Al-Qaeda Leader Heads Suspect US Charity’s Chechnya Office; Supports Chechen Rebels
In 1998, Saif al-Islam al-Masri, a member of al-Qaeda’s ruling military council, is appointed Benevolence International Foundation’s (BIF) officer in Grozny, Chechnya. BIF is a US-based charity with numerous ties to al-Qaeda that is being investigated by the FBI at this time (see 1998). It will be shut down in late 2001 (see December 14, 2001). From 1995 to 2001, BIF provides money, anti-mine boots, camouflage military uniforms, and other supplies to the Chechen rebels who are fighting the Russian army. BIF is particularly close to Ibn Khattab, the Chechen warlord linked to Osama bin Laden, and BIF is even mentioned on Khattab’s website at the time, as a charity to use to give to the Chechen cause. The BIF office in Baku, Azerbaijan, which serves as support to nearby Chechnya, is manned by a member of a militant group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Afghan warlord closely linked to al-Qaeda. In 1999, Enaam Arnaout, head of BIF’s US office, tours Chechnya and reports on the roles al-Islam, Khattab, and others are playing there. US intelligence is aware of al-Islam’s al-Qaeda role at this time, and recovered his passport photo in a raid on the house of al-Qaeda leader Wadih El-Hage in Kenya in 1997 (see August 21, 1997). [USA v. Enaam M. Arnaout, 10/6/2003 ] El-Hage was monitored talking on the phone to al-Islam in 1996 and 1997. [United States of America v. Usama Bin Laden, et al., Day 37, 5/1/2001] However, either US intelligence failed to notice al-Islam’s link to BIF at the time, or failed to do anything about it. It is not known when he stops working for BIF. He will not be captured until 2002, when US forces help catch him just outside of Chechnya (see Early October 2002).
Entity Tags: Ibn Khattab, Benevolence International Foundation, Enaam Arnaout, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Wadih El-Hage, Saif al-Islam al-Masri
Category Tags: Islamist Militancy in Chechnya, Terrorism Financing, BIF
1997 or After: Responsibility for KSM Transferred to Renditions Branch at CIA
After a renditions branch is established at the CIA in 1997, responsibility at the agency for dealing with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is transferred there. This is because he is wanted in connection with the Bojinka plot (see January 8, 1998). The 9/11 Commission will say that this both improves the CIA’s coverage of KSM—because it gives them a “man-to-man” focus—and also degrades it—as less analysis is performed related to rendition targets. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 276-7] The CIA’s inspector general will say that at this time the agency’s Counterterrorist Center considers KSM a “high-priority target for apprehension and rendition,” but will fail to recognize the importance of reporting from “credible sources” before 9/11 that shows he is a top al-Qaeda leader and is sending other terrorists to the US to work for Osama bin Laden (see June 12, 2001 and August 28, 2001). The inspector general will recommend that an accountability board review the performance of at least four officers for these failures. [Central Intelligence Agency, 6/2005, pp. xii-xiii ]
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Category Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
1998 and After: CIA Instigates Co-operation with Uzbekistan against Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Beginning in 1998, if not before, Uzbekistan and the CIA secretly create a joint counterterrorist strike force, funded and trained by the CIA. This force conducts joint covert operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. [Times of India, 10/14/2001; Washington Post, 10/14/2001; Vanity Fair, 11/2004] In February 1999, radical Muslims fail in an attempt to assassinate Islam Karimov, the leader of Uzbekistan, leading to a crackdown on Uzbek militants. CIA counterterrorism head Cofer Black and bin Laden unit chief Richard Blee see this as an opportunity to increase co-operation with Uzbekistan, and fly to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent to seal an agreement with Karimov. One hope is that a strike force will be established to snatch Osama bin Laden or one of his lieutenants. Karimov also allows CIA transit and helicopter operations at Uzbek air bases, as well as the installation of CIA and NSA monitoring equipment to intercept Taliban and al-Qaeda communications. The CIA is pleased with the new allies, thinking them better than Pakistan’s ISI, but at the White House some National Security Council members are skeptical. One will comment, “Uzbek motivations were highly suspect to say the least.” There are also worries about Uzbek corruption, human rights abuses, and scandal. [Coll, 2004, pp. 456-460]
Entity Tags: Taliban, Richard Blee, Uzbekistan, United States, Cofer Black, Islam Karimov, Alec Station, Osama bin Laden, Central Intelligence Agency
Category Tags: Remote Surveillance, Hunt for Bin Laden, US Dominance
Early 1998: Prosecutors Turn Down Deal That Could Reveal Bojinka Third Plot
Dietrich Snell. [Source: Morris Mac Matzen/ Associated Press]Abdul Hakim Murad, a conspirator in the 1995 Bojinka plot with Ramzi Yousef, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM), and others, was convicted in 1996 of his role in the Bojinka plot (see January 6, 1995). He is about to be sentenced for that crime. He offers to cooperate with federal prosecutors in return for a reduction in his sentence, but prosecutors turn down his offer. Dietrich Snell, the prosecutor who convicted Murad, will say after 9/11 that he does not remember any such offer. But court papers and others familiar with the case later confirm that Murad does offer to cooperate at this time. Snell will claim he only remembers hearing that Murad had described an intention to hijack a plane and fly it into CIA headquarters. However, in 1995 Murad had confessed to Philippine investigators that this would have been only one part of a larger plot to crash a number of airplanes into prominent US buildings, including the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a plot that KSM later will adjust and turn into the 9/11 plot (see January 20, 1995) (see February-Early May 1995). While Philippine investigators claim this information was passed on to US intelligence, it’s not clear just which US officials may have learned this information and what they did with it, if anything. [New York Daily News, 9/25/2001] Murad is sentenced in May 1998 and given life in prison plus 60 years. [Albany Times-Union, 9/22/2002] After 9/11, Snell will go on to become Senior Counsel and a team leader for the 9/11 Commission. Author Peter Lance later calls Snell “one of the fixers, hired early on to sanitize the Commission’s final report.” Lance says Snell ignored evidence presented to the Commission that shows direct ties between the Bojinka plot and 9/11, and in so doing covers up Snell’s own role in the failure to make more use of evidence learned from Murad and other Bojinka plotters. [FrontPage Magazine, 1/27/2005]
Entity Tags: Ramzi Yousef, World Trade Center, Dietrich Snell, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, 9/11 Congressional Inquiry, Abdul Hakim Murad, Operation Bojinka, Pentagon
Category Tags: Warning Signs, 1995 Bojinka Plot, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Early 1998: CIA Ignores Ex-Agent’s Warning KSM Is ‘Going to Hijack Some Planes,’ Visiting Germany
Robert Baer. [Source: Publicity photo]In December 1997, former CIA agent Robert Baer, newly retired from the CIA and working as a terrorism consultant, meets Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad al Thani, who was Qatar’s minister of the economy and chief of police until he was deposed and exiled the year before, and whom he calls the “black prince.” Al Thani tells Baer that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) was being sheltered by then Qatari Interior Minister Abdallah bin Khalid al-Thani in 1996 (see January-May 1996). However, the black prince knows other details, based on what Qatari police and intelligence learned when KSM was in the country. He says that KSM is chief of al-Qaeda’s terrorist operations (see Early 1998). KSM was leading an al-Qaeda cell in Qatar together with Mohammed Shawqui Islambouli, the brother of the Egyptian who had killed Anwar Sadat. They also were linked to bomber Ramzi Yousef. But what worries the black prince is that KSM and Islambouli are experts in hijacking commercial planes. He tells Baer that KSM “is going to hijack some planes.” Further, he says that KSM has moved to the Czech Republic, and has also traveled to Germany to meet bin Laden associates there. In early 1998 Baer sends this information to a friend in the CIA Counterterrorist Center, who forwards the information to his superiors. Baer doesn’t hear back from the CIA. He says, “There was no interest.” [Baer, 2002, pp. 270-71; Vanity Fair, 2/2002; United Press International, 9/30/2002; Baer, 2003, pp. 190-198] Later in 1998, President Clinton will be briefed about a hijacking threat in the US involving Islambouli, but it is unclear if Islambouli was actually involved in the 9/11 plot or any other hijacking plots targeting the US (see December 4, 1998). He will not have been captured by March 2008. Baer tries to interest reporter Daniel Pearl in a story about KSM before 9/11, but Pearl will still be working on it when he is kidnapped and later murdered in early 2002. [United Press International, 4/9/2004] Baer also tries to interest New York Times reporter James Risen in the information about KSM. But just before Risen can come to the Middle East to meet the black prince, the black prince is kidnapped in Lebanon and sent to prison in Qatar. There will be speculation that the CIA turned on the source to protect its relationship with the Qatari government. Risen will publish an article in July 1999 about KSM, but it will not include most of the information from the black prince, since Risen will not be able to confirm it. [New York Times, 7/8/1999; BBC, 7/25/1999; Gertz, 2002, pp. 55-58; Baer, 2003, pp. 190-198] Al-Thani will continue to support al-Qaeda, even hosting visits by bin Laden between 1996 and 2000 (see 1996-2000). [ABC News, 2/7/2003] Yet the US will not have frozen al-Thani’s assets or taken other action by March 2008.
Entity Tags: James Risen, Robert Baer, Ramzi Yousef, Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad al Thani, Mohammed Shawqui Islambouli, Daniel Pearl, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Al-Qaeda, Counterterrorist Center, Abdallah bin Khalid al-Thani
Category Tags: Key Warnings, Warning Signs, Counterterrorism Action Before 9/11, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Early 1998: CIA Ignores Warning that KSM Is Heading Al-Qaeda’s Terrorist Operations
The CIA apparently ignores a warning from a recently retired CIA agent that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is heading al-Qaeda’s terrorist operations. Robert Baer left the CIA in late 1997 and began private consulting in the Middle East. Baer soon meets Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad al Thani, who was Qatar’s minister of the economy and chief of police until he was deposed and exiled the year before. Al Thani tells Baer that KSM is now bin Laden’s chief of terrorist operations, and gives Baer other details about KSM, including how some Qatari royals helped KSM escape Qatar the year before after the CIA tracked him there (see January-May 1996 and Early 1998). In early 1998, Baer passes all this information on to a friend still in the CIA, who then passes it on to the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center. But the friend writes back a week later, saying the CIA showed no interest. [Baer, 2003, pp. 190-198] The 9/11 Commission, by contrast, will later claim that, in 1997 and 1998, KSM has some links with al-Qaeda, but mostly helps them collect newspaper articles and update computer equipment. Supposedly, not until after the August 1998 embassy bombings does he begin working directly with al-Qaeda on plotting attacks. This account appears entirely based on KSM’s testimony taken while in US custody. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 149-150] It will later be reported that up to 90 percent of KSM’s testimony could be inaccurate, mostly due to the use of torture (see Late August 1998). Further, the CIA gained evidence shortly after the embassy bombings that KSM was one of the masterminds of those bombings, which would strongly support Baer’s information over the 9/11 Commission version (see August 6, 2007).
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Robert Baer, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Central Intelligence Agency, Al-Qaeda, 9/11 Commission, Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad al Thani
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action Before 9/11, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
January 1998: Radical London Imam Abu Hamza Says He Wants to Inspire a ‘Generation of Jihadis’
Abu Hamza al-Masri, a leading London radical and informer for the security services (see Early 1997), tells his inner circle of his plans for the future. According to authors Sean O’Niell and Daniel McGrory, he “confide[s] to his inner circle at a meeting in his office in January 1998 that he [is] convinced it [is] his destiny to inspire a generation of jihadis [holy warriors]. It [does] not matter how young they [are]; he [is] convinced that the sooner he [has] the chance to influence juvenile minds, the better.” The authors will attribute this to the fact that he “yearn[s] to run [al-Qaeda’s] British franchise.” Numerous intelligence services have informers inside the mosque, and may learn of Abu Hamza’s intentions. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 79, 84]
Entity Tags: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Sean O’Niell, Daniel McGrory
January 1998: US Begins Preparing Indictment of Bin Laden
In January 1998, the FBI and a New York US Attorney begins preparing charges against him for murdering US citizens in Somalia in 1993 (see October 3-4, 1993), Saudi Arabia in 1995 (see November 13, 1995), and other attacks. A grand jury will approve a secret and sealed indictment charging him with involvement in these attacks in June 1998 (see June 8, 1998). [New York Times, 9/6/1998; Miniter, 2003, pp. 168-169] It is not known why an indictment was not prepared earlier. The indictment is based on information from al-Qaeda informant Jamal al-Fadl, who defected to the US in mid-1996 (see June 1996-April 1997).
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Jamal al-Fadl
Category Tags: Hunt for Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden, 1993 Somalia Fighting
January 1998: CIA Aware of Al-Qaeda Meeting Planning Future Attacks
Bin Laden holds a meeting with other top al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan this month to prepare for a new wave of attacks. CIA analysts are able to learn some about this meeting, apparently largely due to NSA communications intercepts. On US official will say later in 1998, “There were reams of intel documenting bin Laden before” the African embassy bombings later in the year (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). Another official will say, “We’ve had the book on this guy for a long time.” But it is not known which attacks may have been discussed at this meeting or how much US intelligence knew about what was said there. [New York Times, 9/6/1998]
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, National Security Agency, Osama bin Laden, Central Intelligence Agency
Category Tags: 1998 US Embassy Bombings, Remote Surveillance
January 1998: US Intercepts Communications between 3 Al-Qaeda Agents in US, but Fails to Stop Their Plot
Ali Mohamed, the al-Qaeda double agent living in California, receives a letter from Ihab Ali Nawawi (an apparent al-Qaeda sleeper cell operative living in Orlando, Florida, at the time (see September 1999)). Nawawi tells Mohamed that Wadih El-Hage, a key member of the al-Qaeda cell in Kenya, has been interviewed by the FBI (see August 21, 1997). Mohamed is given a new contact number for El-Hage. Mohamed calls El-Hage and speaks to him about this, then calls other operatives who pass on the warning of the FBI’s interest in El-Hage to bin Laden. US intelligence is monitoring Mohamed’s phone calls at this time, so presumably they are aware of these connections. [New York Times, 10/24/2000; Raleigh News and Observer, 10/21/2001; Chicago Tribune, 12/11/2001] Yet, despite all of these monitored communications, neither Mohamed, nor Nawawi, nor El-Hage, are apprehended at this time, even though all three are living in the US. Their plot to blow up two US embassies in Africa succeeds in August 1998 (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998).
Entity Tags: Wadih El-Hage, Ihab Ali Nawawi, Ali Mohamed
Category Tags: 1998 US Embassy Bombings, Ali Mohamed, Wadih El-Hage, Remote Surveillance
(January 1998-2001): Movie about Cyber-Terrorism Being Produced that Will Include Boeing 767 Crashing in New York
Luc Besson. [Source: Publicity photo]Hollywood film studio 20th Century Fox works on producing WW3.com, a movie about cyber-terrorists declaring war on the United States, which will include a 9/11-like scene where a Boeing 767 crashes into New York’s Central Park. [Variety, 1/26/1998; Fox News, 6/3/2002] The storyline of WW3.com is rooted in a 1997 article in Wired magazine, which described the potential for the US becoming engaged in a cataclysmic and nation-crippling “information war.” [Wired, 5/1997; Variety, 8/24/2000; New York Times, 6/27/2007] 20th Century Fox acquires the rights to this article in January 1998, as source material for the movie. Screenwriter David Marconi, who previously wrote the action movie Enemy of the State, works on the script.
Idea behind Movie Is a 'Blueprint for Disaster' - WW3.com will “blend the tensions of a Cold War thriller with a high-concept, special effects-laden storyline involving cyber-terrorists who have declared war on the United States,” according to Variety magazine. [Variety, 1/26/1998] The idea of the movie, according to Marconi, is “about basically turning the US into Kuwait. It was a blueprint for disaster.” The climax of the story features a Boeing 767 crashing into a Simon and Garfunkel concert in Central Park, just a few miles from the World Trade Center. [Fox News, 6/3/2002] The two planes that crash into the WTC on September 11 are also Boeing 767s. [Fox News, 9/11/2003] Marconi will later comment that the screenplay for WW3.com “was incredibly prescient about the events of September 11.”
NSA Employees Suggest 9/11-Like Scenarios - Experts from the National Security Agency (NSA) assist Marconi while he is working on the screenplay. These experts, Marconi will recall, are “more than helpful in laying out situations not dissimilar from what happened at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon” on September 11, although he will provide no details of these situations. Marconi will add: “One of my experts [at the NSA] told Boeing they had trouble with their avionics. He came up with scenarios. One was that a guy disguises himself as someone who works in food service in order to get on the plane. It’s much more low-tech than you think.” On the day of the 9/11 attacks, one of the people at the NSA who has been assisting Marconi calls the screenwriter and says to him, “Turn on the TV, it’s happening.” [Fox News, 6/3/2002]
Movie 'in Limbo' by 2002 - In August 2000, Variety reports that the well-known French film writer, director, and producer Luc Besson will produce WW3.com, although at this time the movie is still without a director. [Variety, 8/24/2000] But in June 2002, Fox News will report that the movie has been “lost in limbo.” [Fox News, 6/3/2002] The script will eventually be rewritten and made into the fourth Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard, which is released in 2007. [Variety, 7/6/2004; New York Times, 6/27/2007] WW3.com is one of a number of movies and television dramas featuring storylines about terrorism that are canceled or rewritten after the 9/11 attacks (see February 1999-September 11, 2001; June-September 11, 2001; Before Before September 11, 2001; September 13, 2001; September 27, 2001; November 17, 2001). [Denver Post, 9/17/2001; Village Voice, 12/4/2001; Washington Times, 3/7/2002]
Entity Tags: David Marconi, Luc Besson, 20th Century Fox, National Security Agency
Category Tags: Other Pre-9/11 Events
January-August 1998: Saudi Businessman Pays Money to Al-Qaeda Front
Sheikh Abdul Mejid al-Zindani. [Source: Al Jazeera]Saudi Arabian businessman Yassin al-Qadi pays US$1.25 million from an account in Geneva to a company called Maram, an Istanbul-based terrorism front founded by al-Qaeda chief financial officer Mamdouh Mahmud Salim (see November 1996-September 1998). The transfer is not direct, but is made through an unidentified person the US later says is an al-Qaeda operative. Writing in 2004, the Wall Street Journal will call this “the strongest documented link to date between the terror organization and Saudi financiers.” However, lawyers for al-Qadi, who the US will designate a terrorism financier after 9/11 (see October 12, 2001), will say that the money is not used to buy arms, but is spent on low-cost housing at a religious education facility. The final recipient is said to be the Al Imam University in Sana’a, Yemen, whose alumni include, for example, “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh. The university’s rector is Sheikh Abdul Mejid al-Zindani, who fought alongside Osama bin Laden in the anti-Soviet jihad, heads the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen, and, according to a memo obtained by the US Justice Department, discussed with bin Laden the use of charities in Pakistan as a front for terrorist attacks. [Wall Street Journal, 4/2/2004]
Entity Tags: Maram, Al Imam University, Abdul Mejid al-Zindani, Al-Qaeda, Yassin al-Qadi
Category Tags: Terrorism Financing
January 1998-April 2001: Arms Dealer Victor Bout Sells Airplanes to Taliban
Arms dealer Victor Bout secretly sells twelve heavy-duty cargo planes to the Taliban. They are given false registries as civilian aircraft belonging to Ariana Airlines, Afghanistan’s national airline. The planes enable the Taliban to buy and transport more weapons and move al-Qaeda and Taliban figures more easily. The Taliban usually purchase the additional weapons from Bout as well. When US forces take control of Afghanistan in late 2001, they will discover huge caches of munitions that had been flown into the Kandahar airport before 9/11 and generally hidden in storerooms near the airport. Al-Qaeda and Taliban share the caches, and likely use remnants of them in fighting the US in late 2001, 2002 and beyond. Apparently, US intelligence does not notice the airplane purchases until after 9/11. [Farah and Braun, 2007, pp. 126-129, 279]
Entity Tags: Taliban, Ariana Airlines, Al-Qaeda, Victor Bout
Category Tags: Victor Bout
1998-September 2001: New Lobbying Group Connects Bush to Some Muslim Activists with Alleged Terrorist Sympathies
Khaled Saffuri. [Source: Paul Sperry]Grover Norquist, one of the most politically-connected Republican lobbyists, founds a group to build Republican support among Muslim Americans. Norquist cofounds the Islamic Institute, sometimes called the Islamic Free Market Institute, with Khaled Saffuri. Saffuri is executive director and Norquist is chairman of the board. The institute operates out of the headquarters of Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist’s main lobbying group. [New Republic, 11/1/2001] The start-up money largely comes from Middle Eastern sources. Saffuri’s former boss at the American Muslim Council, Abdurahman Alamoudi, gives at least $35,000. Alamoudi has been suspected of ties to bin Laden and other Islamic radicals (see Shortly After March 1994) since at least 1994 and will later be sentenced to 23 years in prison (see October 15, 2004). The Safa Trust donates at least $35,000, and the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) contributes $11,000. Both organizations are part of the SAAR group and are among the organizations raided in early 2002 (see March 20, 2002). [St. Petersburg Times, 3/11/2003] Norquist is very close to future President Bush. The Washington Post will later comment that “even before President Bush’s election, [Norquist] positioned himself as a gatekeeper for supplicants seeking access to Bush’s inner circle.” [Washington Post, 7/9/2006] The St. Petersburg Times will later note that after the founding of the Islamic Institute, “then-candidate Bush began popping up in photographs with various politically connected Muslims (see March 12, 2000). The only problem was, many of these same prominent Muslims were also under scrutiny by federal investigators for links to terrorism.” [St. Petersburg Times, 3/11/2003] The Islamic Institute becomes a key power center for Muslim activists currying favor with Bush and other Republicans, and these alliances lead to more Muslim American votes for Bush. Norquist will later claim, “George W. Bush was elected President of the United States of America because of the Muslim vote.” [New Republic, 11/1/2001] After Bush is elected president, Saffuri regularly appears at the White House with imams and heads of Islamic organizations to lobby for policy changes. Suhail Khan, who was a director of the Islamic Institute, is the point person arranging the Muslim groups’ access to Bush. Khan’s late father was imam at a mosque in Santa Clara, California, which once hosted a visit by Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s number two leader. Norquist apparently boasted that he got Khan his White House post. [New Republic, 11/1/2001; St. Petersburg Times, 3/11/2003] It will later be alleged that Norquist’s ties to people openly sympathetic to Islamist militant groups stifled investigations before 9/11 (see March 20, 2002). Shortly after 9/11, one recently retired intelligence official will claim that a number of counterterrorism agents at the FBI and CIA are “pissed as hell about the situation and pissed as hell about Grover [Norquist].” [New Republic, 11/1/2001]
Entity Tags: Khaled Saffuri, Islamic Institute, Grover Norquist, American Muslim Council, International Institute of Islamic Thought, Abdurahman Alamoudi, Safa Trust, Suhail Khan
Late 1990s: Many Hijackers Attend University in Saudi Arabia and Elsewhere
Wail Alshehri graduated from teacher training college. [Source: FBI]At least ten of the alleged hijackers attend various universities in Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Egypt. However, most of them drop out, and apparently only three, Mohamed Atta, Abdulaziz Alomari, and Wail Alshehri, graduate. The 9/11 Commission will comment, “Several of the muscle hijackers seem to have been recruited through contacts at local universities and mosques.”
Wail Alshehri attends a teacher-training college in Abha, Asir Province. He graduates and gets a job as a teacher in his hometown of Khamis Mushayt before joining the plot. [Arab News, 9/18/2001; MSNBC, 8/25/2002; Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 232-3] Some sources will state he teaches physical education. [Arab News, 9/18/2001; New York Times, 9/21/2001; Sunday Times (London), 1/27/2002; Boston Globe, 3/3/2002; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 526] Other sources will state he teaches art. [ABC News, 3/15/2002; MSNBC, 8/25/2002]
Waleed Alshehri also attends the same college, but does not complete his studies. [Arab News, 9/18/2001; Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 232]
Abdulaziz Alomari graduates from the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University in Buraidah, Qassim Province. [Sunday Times (London), 1/27/2002; Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002; Burke, 2004, pp. 247; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 232-3]
Ahmed Alhaznawi reportedly studies at the Umm Al-Qura University in Mecca for two months before dropping out. [Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002]
Mohand Alshehri attends the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University in Abha for a time before transferring to its main campus in Riyadh. He fails his exams, apparently because he spends too much time in Qassim Province. [Arab News, 9/20/2001; Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 233]
According to author Jason Burke, Majed Moqed attends the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University in Buraidah, Qassim Province. [Burke, 2004, pp. 247] Alternatively, the Saudi Information Agency and Arab News will say he attended the Administration and Economics faculty at the King Saud University in Riyadh. [Arab News, 9/20/2001; Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002] He drops out before completing his studies. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 232]
Saeed Alghamdi transfers to a university in Qassim Province, but soon stops talking to his family and drops out of school without telling them. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 233]
According to most sources, Ahmed Alnami attends the King Khaled School of Islamic Law in Abha. [Arab News, 9/20/2001; Boston Globe, 3/3/2002; Daily Telegraph, 9/15/2002; Burke, 2004, pp. 247; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 232] However, the Saudi Information Agency will say he attended the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud University there. [Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002]
According to the 9/11 Commission, Satam Al Suqami has little education. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 232] However, the Saudi Information Agency will say he attends the King Saud University in Riyadh with Majed Moqed. [Saudi Information Agency, 9/11/2002]
One report will also say that Fayez Ahmed Banihammad attends the King Khalid University in Abha, Asir Province (despite being a citizen of the United Arab Emirates). [Daily Telegraph, 9/15/2002]
Mohamed Atta attends university in Egypt, and he, Marwan Alshehhi, and Ziad Jarrah also attend university in Germany (see Spring 1996-December 23, 2000). [McDermott, 2005, pp. 49-53]
Entity Tags: Majed Moqed, Abdulaziz Alomari, Ahmed Alhaznawi, Mohand Alshehri, Saeed Alghamdi, Satam Al Suqami, Ahmed Alnami, Waleed Alshehri, Sulayman al-Alwan, Fayez Ahmed Banihammad, Wail Alshehri
Category Tags: Other 9/11 Hijackers
Between 1998 and 2001: Pentagon Official Concerned about Plane Being Used as a Weapon
Joseph Eash. [Source: Department of Defense]A Defense Department official expresses concern about the possibility of an aircraft being used as a weapon to cause massive damage. At some point during his tenure as commander of the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), Major General Larry Arnold briefs Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Technology Joseph Eash about proposed cruise missile defense initiatives. Arnold suggests to Eash the scenario of a cruise missile with a weapon of mass destruction being launched into the US. But Eash is concerned about an attack carried out using a plane that takes off within the US. As Arnold will later recount, Eash tells him, “I’m worried about someone taking an airplane off from within the US and using it as a weapon of mass destruction.” Arnold will comment, “I don’t think he envisioned someone hijacking an airliner and crashing it into the World Trade Center, but I think he envisioned a light airplane or business jet that had been stolen, either to drop some chemicals or biological agents, or maybe even to crash it.” [Filson, 2002]
Entity Tags: Joseph Eash, Larry Arnold
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Other Pre-9/11 Events
(1998): Two Saudi 9/11 Hijackers Nonreligious and Drink Alcohol
Salem Alhazmi. [Source: US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division]According to the 9/11 Commission, two of the alleged Saudi 9/11 hijackers, Satam Al Suqami and Salem Alhazmi, appear “unconcerned with religion and, contrary to Islamic law, [are] known to drink alcohol.” In addition, they both have minor criminal offence records. However, Salem Alhazmi’s father will later remember that Salem “stopped drinking and started attending mosque regularly three months before he disappeared.” [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 232-3, 524]
Entity Tags: Satam Al Suqami, Salem Alhazmi
1998-December 11, 1999: Key Al-Qaeda Operative Working with Zubaida Allegedly Monitored in Pakistan
Khalil Deek, an al-Qaeda operative living in California for most of the 1990s, moves to Peshawar, Pakistan, around this time. Al-Qaeda leader Abu Zubaida is also operating from the same town and is a close associate of Deek. In fact, US intelligence have been investigating the two of them since the late 1980s (see Late 1980s). It appears Deek is under surveillance by this time. The Wall Street Journal will claim, “US intelligence officials had tracked the onetime California resident for years before they had tied him, [in December 1999], to [an] alleged Jordanian plot.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/2000] A 2005 book by counterterrorism expert Jean-Charles Brisard will similarly relate that by the spring of 1999, “For several months the Jordanian government, with the help of the American FBI, had been stepping up pressure on [Pakistan] to arrest [Deek].” [Brisard, 2005, pp. 65] Deek lives in a rented villa surrounded by high walls. He runs a small computer school and repair shop. He helps encrypt al-Qaeda’s Internet communications. He exports drums of local honey to the Middle East. Deek and Zubaida apparently use the honey to hide the shipment of drugs and weapons (see May 2000). [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/2000; Orange County Weekly, 6/15/2006] Deek also creates an electronic version of an al-Qaeda terrorist manual known as the Encyclopedia of Afghan Jihad. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004] “US authorities say his house near the Afghan border also served as a way station for recruits heading in and out of terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/8/2000] Zubaida also screens recruits and directs them to training camps in Afghanistan. Deek and Zubaida share a Peshawar bank account. [Orange County Weekly, 6/15/2006] It appears that Western intelligence agencies are monitoring Zubaida’s phone calls from 1998, if not earlier (see October 1998 and After and (Mid-1996)). Deek will be arrested on December 11, 1999, quickly deported to Jordan, and then released in 2001 (see December 11, 1999). It will later be alleged that Deek was a mole for the Jordanian government all along (see Shortly After December 11, 1999).
Entity Tags: Khalil Deek, Abu Zubaida, Jordan
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action Before 9/11, Khalil Deek, Remote Surveillance, Abu Zubaida
January 8, 1998: KSM Revealed as Major Al-Qaeda Operative at Yousef Sentencing
FBI reward notice for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. [Source: FBI]Islamic militant Ramzi Yousef is sentenced to 240 years for his role in the 1993 WTC bombing. At the same time, prosecutors unseal an indictment against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) for participating with Yousef in the 1995 Operation Bojinka plot (see January 6, 1995). In unsealing this, US Attorney Mary Jo White calls KSM a “major player” and says he is believed to be a relative of Yousef. [Washington Post, 1/9/1998] The US announces a $2 million reward for his capture in 1998 and wanted posters with his picture are distributed. [New York Times, 6/5/2002] This contradicts the FBI’s claim after 9/11 that they did not realize he was a major terrorist before 9/11. [US Congress, 12/11/2002] For instance, a senior FBI official later says, “He was under everybody’s radar. We don’t know how he did it. We wish we knew.… He’s the guy nobody ever heard of.” [Los Angeles Times, 12/22/2002] However, another official says, “We have been after him for years, and to say that we weren’t is just wrong. We had identified him as a major al-Qaeda operative before September 11.” [New York Times, 9/22/2002] Yet strangely, despite knowing KSM is a major al-Qaeda operations planner and putting out a large reward for his capture at this time, there is no worldwide public manhunt for him as there successfully was for his nephew Ramzi Yousef. KSM’s name remains obscure and he isn’t even put on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list until one month after 9/11. [Lance, 2003, pp. 327-30]
Entity Tags: Ramzi Yousef, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Mary Jo White, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda Malaysia Summit, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Ramzi Yousef
January 15, 1998: Former National Security Adviser Has No Regrets Giving ‘Arms and Advice to Future Terrorists’
In an interview, Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s National Security Adviser, admits that it was US policy to support radical Islamists to undermine Russia. He admits that US covert action drew Russia into starting the Afghan war in 1979 (see July 3, 1979). Asked if he has regrets about this, he responds, “Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter: We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war.” Then he is asked if he regrets “having given arms and advice to future terrorists,” and he responds, “What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?” The interviewer then says, “Islamic fundamentalism represents a world menace today.” But Brzezinski responds, “Nonsense! It is said that the West had a global policy in regard to Islam. That is stupid. There isn’t a global Islam….” [Le Nouvel Observateur (Paris), 1/15/1998] Even after 9/11, Brzezinski will maintain that the covert action program remains justified. [Nation, 10/25/2001]
Entity Tags: Zbigniew Brzezinski
Timeline Tags: War in Afghanistan
Category Tags: Soviet-Afghan War, Pakistan and the ISI, US Dominance, Counterterrorism Policy/Politics
January 26, 1998: Neoconservative Think Tank Urges US to Attack Iraq
PNAC logo. [Source: Project for the New American Century]The Project for the New American Century (PNAC), an influential neoconservative think tank, publishes a letter to President Clinton urging war against Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein because he is a “hazard” to “a significant portion of the world’s supply of oil.” In a foretaste of what eventually happens, the letter calls for the US to go to war alone, attacks the United Nations, and says the US should not be “crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council.” The letter is signed by many who will later lead the 2003 Iraq war. 10 of the 18 signatories later join the Bush Administration, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Assistant Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretaries of State Richard Armitage and Robert Zoellick, Undersecretaries of State John Bolton and Paula Dobriansky, presidential adviser for the Middle East Elliott Abrams, Defense Policy Board chairman Richard Perle, and George W. Bush’s special Iraq envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. Other signatories include William Bennett, Jeffrey Bergner, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kagan, William Kristol, Peter Rodman, William Schneider, Vin Weber, and James Woolsey. [Project for the New American Century, 1/26/1998; Sunday Herald (Glasgow), 3/16/2003; Unger, 2007, pp. 158] Clinton does heavily bomb Iraq in late 1998, but the bombing doesn’t last long and its long term effect is the break off of United Nations weapons inspections. [New York Times, 3/23/2003] The PNAC neoconservatives do not seriously expect Clinton to attack Iraq in any meaningful sense, author Craig Unger will observe in 2007. Instead, they are positioning themselves for the future. “This was a key moment,” one State Department official will recall. “The neocons were maneuvering to put this issue in play and box Clinton in. Now, they could draw a dichotomy. They could argue to their next candidate, ‘Clinton was weak. You must be strong.’” [Unger, 2007, pp. 158]
Entity Tags: Robert B. Zoellick, Vin Weber, William Kristol, William Jefferson (“Bill”) Clinton, Zalmay M. Khalilzad, William Schneider Jr., Richard Perle, William J. Bennett, Richard Armitage, Robert Kagan, Paula J. Dobriansky, Donald Rumsfeld, Craig Unger, Peter Rodman, Elliott Abrams, John R. Bolton, James Woolsey, Francis Fukuyama, Jeffrey T. Bergner, Paul Wolfowitz
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion, Neoconservative Influence
Category Tags: Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links
February 1998: State Department Removes KLA from Terrorism List
Having already entered into its controversial relationship with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), the US gives in to the organization’s demands that it be removed from the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. [Wall Street Journal (Europe), 11/1/2001] Near the end of that same month, Robert Gelbard, America’s special envoy to Bosnia, says the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is an Islamic terrorist organization. [BBC, 6/28/1998] “We condemn very strongly terrorist actions in Kosovo. The UCK [KLA] is, without any question, a terrorist group.” [Agence France-Presse, 4/1999] “I know a terrorist when I see one and these men are terrorists,” he says. [BBC, 6/28/1998]
Entity Tags: Kosovo Liberation Army, Robert Gelbard
Timeline Tags: Kosovar Albanian Struggle
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda in Balkans
February 1998: Canadian Intelligence Begins Monitoring Al-Zawahiri’s Satellite Phone
Mahmoud Jaballah. [Source: Darren Ell]Mahmoud Jaballah is an Islamic Jihad operative living in Canada and being closely monitored by Canadian intelligence (see May 11, 1996-August 2001). On April 1997, Islamic Jihad top leader (and al-Qaeda number two leader) Ayman al-Zawahiri contacts Jaballah, and the phone call is monitored by Canadian intelligence, which later mentions that Jaballah tells al-Zawahiri about his status in Canada. In February 1998, Jaballah is given al-Zawahiri’s satellite phone number. Canadian intelligence later claims the number is “subsequently contacted many times by Jaballah.” [Canadian Security Intelligence Service, 2/22/2008 ] Presumably Canadian intelligence begins monitoring al-Zawahiri’s phone number by this time, but details about what they do, how long they are able to monitor the number, and how much they learn remain unknown.
Entity Tags: Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mahmoud Jaballah, Islamic Jihad
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action Before 9/11, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Remote Surveillance
Shortly Before February 1998 and After: KLA Receives Arms and Training from US and NATO
The US and NATO provide the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) with arms and training. [Wall Street Journal (Europe), 11/1/2001]
Entity Tags: Kosovo Liberation Army
February 5, 1998: US Rejects Sudanese Al-Qaeda Files that Could Stop Embassy Bombings
A photocopy of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed’s Comoros passport in Sudan’s intelligence files. [Source: Richard Miniter]Gutbi al-Mahdi, head of Sudan’s intelligence agency, sends a letter to David Williams, an FBI station chief. It reads, “I would like to express my sincere desire to start contacts and cooperation between our service and the FBI. I would like to take this opportunity with pleasure to invite you to visit our country. Otherwise, we could meet somewhere else.” Apparently the FBI is very eager to accept the offer and gain access to Sudan’s files on bin Laden and his associates. The US had been offered the files before (see March 8, 1996-April 1996; April 5, 1997), but the US position was that Sudan’s offers were not serious since Sudanese leader Hassan al-Turabi was ideologically close to bin Laden. But al-Turabi has lost power to moderates by this time, and in fact he is placed under arrest in 1998. There is a political battle between US agencies over the Sudanese offer, and in the end the State Department forbids any contact with al-Mahdi. On June 24, 1998, Williams is obliged to reply, “I am not currently in a position to accept your kind invitation.” Al-Madhi later will complain, “If they had taken up my offer in February 1998, they could have prevented the [US embassy] bombings.” Tim Carney, US ambassador to Sudan until 1997, will say, “The US failed to reciprocate Sudan’s willingness to engage us on serious questions of terrorism. We can speculate that this failure had serious implications - at the least for what happened at the US Embassies in 1998. In any case, the US lost access to a mine of material on bin Laden and his organization.” One of the plotters in the bombings is Fazul Abdullah Mohammed (a.k.a. Haroun Fazul), who is living in Sudan but making trips to Kenya to participate in the bombing preparations. Sudan has files on him and continues to monitor him. Sudan also has files on Saif al-Adel, another embassy bomber who has yet to be captured. Sudan also has files on Wadih El-Hage and Mamdouh Mahmoud Salim, both of whom have contact with members of the Hamburg al-Qaeda cell (see September 16, 1998; Late 1998; 1993). Salim even attends the same small Hamburg mosque as 9/11 hijackers Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi. Vanity Fair magazine will suggest that if al-Madhi’s offer had been properly followed up, both the embassy bombings and the 9/11 attacks could have been foiled. [Vanity Fair, 1/2002] It is later revealed that the US was wiretapping bin Laden in Sudan on their own (see Early 1990s).
Entity Tags: Wadih El-Hage, Saif al-Adel, Tim Carney, US Department of State, Gutbi Al-Mahdi, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, David Williams, Al-Qaeda, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sudan, Osama bin Laden, Hassan al-Turabi, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim
Category Tags: Hunt for Bin Laden, 1998 US Embassy Bombings, Wadih El-Hage
February 12, 1998: Unocal VP Advocates Afghan Pipeline Before Congress
Unocal Vice President John J. Maresca—later to become a Special Ambassador to Afghanistan—testifies before the House of Representatives that until a single, unified, friendly government is in place in Afghanistan, the trans-Afghan pipeline will not be built. He suggests that with a pipeline through Afghanistan, the Caspian basin could produce 20 percent of all the non-OPEC oil in the world by 2010. [US Congress, 2/12/1998]
Entity Tags: US Congress, Unocal, John J. Maresca
Category Tags: Pipeline Politics
February 22, 1998: Bin Laden Expands Religious Edict against US and Allies
Osama bin Laden (right), Mohammed Atef (center), and an unidentified militant at the press conference publicizing the expanded fatwa in May 1998. Ayman al-Zawahiri is out of the picture, sitting on the other side of bin Laden. [Source: BBC]Osama bin Laden issues a fatwa (religious edict), declaring it the religious duty of all Muslims “to kill the Americans and their allies—civilians and military… in any country in which it is possible.” [Al-Quds al-Arabi (London), 2/23/1998; PBS Frontline, 2001; Sunday Herald (Glasgow), 9/16/2001] This is an expansion of an earlier fatwa issued in August 1996, which called for attacks in the Arabian Peninsula only (see August 1996). Ayman al-Zawahiri, the head of the Egyptian militant group Islamic Jihad, is one of many militant leaders who sign the fatwa. This reveals to the public an alliance between al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad that has long been in effect. According to journalist Lawrence Wright, the fatwa was actually mostly written by al-Zawahiri the month before, even though it is released in bin Laden’s name only. (Some members of Islamic Jihad are upset by it and quit the group.) [Wright, 2006, pp. 259-261] Also signing the fatwa are representatives from militant groups in Afghanistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Pakistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, the Philippines, Tajikistan, Chechnya, Bangladesh, Kashmir, Azerbaijan, and Palestine. All these representatives call themselves allied to the “International Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders” (the name al-Qaeda has not been widely popularized yet). New York magazine will note, “The [fatwa gives] the West its first glimpse of the worldwide conspiracy that [is] beginning to form.” [New Yorker, 9/9/2002] The fatwa is published by Khalid al-Fawwaz, who runs bin Laden’s European headquarters in London, and its publication is preceded by what authors Sean O’Neill and Daniel McGrory term a “barrage of calls” from bin Laden’s monitored satellite phone to al-Fawwaz. However, this does not motivate British authorities to take any action against al-Fawwaz. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 111] In March 1998, 40 Afghan clerics issue a fatwa calling for a jihad against the US. A group of Pakistani clerics issues a similar fatwa in April. These fatwas give much more religious authority to bin Laden’s fatwa. It is suspected that bin Laden “discreetly prompted these two bodies to issue the ordinances.” [Gunaratna, 2003, pp. 62-63] Bin Laden then will hold a press conference in May 1998 to publicize the fatwa (see May 26, 1998).
Entity Tags: Islamic Jihad, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden, Khalid al-Fawwaz, Al-Qaeda
Category Tags: Key Warnings, Warning Signs, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin Laden, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements
February 23, 1998: American Special Envoy to Bosnia Says KLA Is a Terrorist Organization
Robert Gelbard, America’s special envoy to Bosnia, says the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is an Islamic terrorist organization. [BBC, 6/28/1998] “We condemn very strongly terrorist actions in Kosovo. The UCK [KLA] is, without any question, a terrorist group.” [Agence France-Presse, 4/1999] “I know a terrorist when I see one and these men are terrorists,” he says. [BBC, 6/28/1998]
Spring 1998: Bin Laden’s Stepmother Visits Afghanistan
Sources who know bin Laden claim his stepmother, Al-Khalifa bin Laden, has the first of two meetings with her stepson in Afghanistan during this period. This trip was arranged by Prince Turki al-Faisal, then the head of Saudi intelligence. Turki was in charge of the “Afghanistan file” for Saudi Arabia, and had long-standing ties to bin Laden and the Taliban since 1980. [New Yorker, 11/5/2001]
Entity Tags: Turki al-Faisal, Al-Khalifa bin Laden
Category Tags: Osama Bin Laden, Saudi Arabia, Bin Laden Family
Spring 1998: Experts Warn FAA of Potential Massive Kamikaze Attack
Three terrorism specialists present an analysis of security threats to FAA security officials. Their analysis describes two scenarios involving planes as weapons. In one, hijacked planes are flown into nuclear power plants along the East Coast. In the other, hijackers commandeer Federal Express cargo planes and simultaneously crash them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the White House, the Capitol, the Sears Tower, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Stephen Gale, one of the specialists, later says the analysis is based in part upon attempts that had been made in 1994 to crash airplanes in the Eiffel Tower and the White House (see September 11, 1994) (see December 24, 1994). Gale later recalls that one FAA official responds to the presentation by saying, “You can’t protect yourself from meteorites.” [Washington Post, 5/19/2002]
Entity Tags: Pentagon, Federal Aviation Administration, World Trade Center, James L. Jones, Golden Gate Bridge, Federal Express, Sears Tower
Category Tags: Warning Signs, US Air Security
Spring 1998: French Intelligence Considers Kidnapping British Informer Abu Hamza in London
The French intelligence service Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE) considers kidnapping Abu Hamza al-Masri, a leading radical imam who is an informer for two British security services in London (see Early 1997). The plan, which is never implemented, is communicated to a French informer named Reda Hassaine by a handling agent known only as “Jerome.”
Concern about World Cup - Jerome tells Hassaine: “Something has to be done. [French Interior Minister Jean Pierre] Chevenement says he cannot sleep on Thursday nights wondering what threat is going to emerge from London Algerians the next morning or what Abu Hamza is going to say in his Friday sermon. Paris is very anxious that they will threaten France again.” The French are particularly worried that there will be an attack during the 1998 World Cup in France (see Late 1997-Early 1998).
Kidnap Plan - The plan is essentially to kidnap Abu Hamza in front of his home while he is only protected by his sons, bundle him into a van, and then race for a French ferry docked at one of the Channel ports. Hassaine’s role in the plan is not well-defined; he may be required as a lookout or to create a distraction.
Assistance from British Authorities - Jerome says that the British intelligence services MI5 and MI6 might be prepared to turn a blind eye to the operation, but the regular British police will not help with it: “In short, if anything went wrong, all hell would break lose.” Authors Sean O’Niell and Daniel McGrory will comment: “The scandal could be bigger than the blowing up of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in 1985 in New Zealand. But such was the level of French frustration—from the minister of the interior downwards—with the British that all options were being counternanced.”
Many Other Intelligence Services Share Concerns - The French are not the only non-British intelligence service to be concerned about Abu Hamza’s activities. Agencies from Spain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands all tell their British counterparts that Abu Hamza is a terror leader, but the British take no action. Egypt even offers to swap a British prisoner for Abu Hamza, but to no avail. [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 123, 125-126, 288]
Entity Tags: Jean Pierre Chevenement, Abu Hamza al-Masri, Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, Reda Hassaine
Category Tags: Abu Hamza Al-Masri, Reda Hassaine, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
Spring 1998: Yemeni Government Asks Tribal Elders to Muzzle Al-Qaeda-Linked Militant Group
The Islamic Army of Aden (IAA) begins issuing what authors Sean O’Neill and Daniel McGrory will describe as “provocative political statements.” The IAA is headed by Zein al-Abidine Almihdhar, who claims to have fought in Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden, and the organization will go on to have links with al-Qaeda (see Early 2000 and October 12, 2000). The Yemeni government had previously ignored the group, but is now irked by the statements and asks the elders of Almihdhar’s tribe to muzzle him. However, this strategy does not work, so the government offers a reward for his capture, dead or alive. Despite this, the IAA will plot a series of attacks later in the year (see Before December 23, 1998). [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 163]
Entity Tags: Islamic Army of Aden, Zein al-Abidine Almihdhar
Category Tags: Yemeni Militant Collusion
Spring-Summer 1998: Yemeni Officials Help Al-Qaeda with Knowledgeable Defector
Zein al-Abidine Almihdhar. [Source: Associated Press]Ahmed Nasrallah, a veteran al-Qaeda operative who has been in Yemen for several years, decides to defect and turn himself in to the Yemeni government. He discloses the location of al-Qaeda strongholds in Yemen and even gives away the location of al-Qaeda’s deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a southern Yemeni town. He describes al-Qaeda’s weaponry, security, and violent plans for the future. He offers to spy on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan or on a militant Yemeni group led by Zein al-Abidine Almihdhar, a relative of hijacker Khalid Almihdhar. (In 1999 Zein will be caught and executed in Yemen for kidnappings and killings.) However, two officials in the Political Security Organization (Yemen’s equivalent of the FBI) have radical militant ties and hand over Nasrallah to al-Qaeda operatives. These operatives plan to kill him for betraying their group, but he escapes to Egypt before they can do so. The Egyptian government then interrogates him for more than a year. However, it is not known what he told them before 9/11, or what they might have passed to the US. One of the two Yemeni officers helping al-Qaeda on this matter, Abdulsalam Ali Abdulrahman, will be recorded by Italian intelligence in 2000 apparently mentioning the upcoming 9/11 attacks (see August 12, 2000). The other officer, Mohammed al-Surmi, is Deputy Chief of the PSO. [Wall Street Journal, 12/20/2002]
Entity Tags: Ahmed Nasrallah, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abdulsalam Ali Abdulrahman, Mohammed al-Surmi
Category Tags: Ayman Al-Zawahiri, 2000 USS Cole Bombing, Yemeni Militant Collusion
Early 1998: Richard Clarke Updates Continuity of Government Plan to Prepare for Terrorist Threat
Richard Clarke, the chair of the White House’s Counterterrorism Security Group, updates the US Continuity of Government (COG) program. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger has become aware that terrorism and domestic preparedness are now major issues. He suggests the idea of a “national coordinator” for counterterrorism, and that this post should be codified by a new Presidential Decision Directive (PDD). Clarke therefore drafts three new directives. The third, tentatively titled “PDD-Z,” updates the COG program. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 166-167] This program, which dates back to the cold war, was originally designed to ensure the US government would continue to function in the event of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004] Clarke will later say it “had been allowed to fall apart when the threat of a Soviet nuclear attack had gone away.” [Clarke, 2004, pp. 167] He will explain: “We thought that individual buildings in Washington, and indeed perhaps all of Washington, could still come under attack, only it might not be from the former Soviet Union.… It might be with a terrorist walking a weapon into our city.” [CBS, 9/11/2001] Therefore, “If terrorists could attack Washington, particularly with weapons of mass destruction, we needed to have a robust system of command and control, with plans to devolve authority and capabilities to officials outside Washington.” [Clarke, 2004, pp. 167] President Clinton will sign “PDD-Z” on October 21, 1998, as PDD-67, “Enduring Constitutional Government and Continuity of Government Operations” (see October 21, 1998). The two other directives drafted by Clarke will become PDD-62 (see May 22, 1998) and PDD-63. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 170; Washington Post, 6/4/2006] By February 1999, according to the New York Times, Clarke will have written at least four classified presidential directives on terrorism, which “expand the government’s counterterrorism cadres into the $11 billion-a-year enterprise he now coordinates.” [New York Times, 2/1/1999] Clarke is a regular participant in secret COG exercises (see (1984-2004)), and will activate the COG plan for the first time on the day of 9/11 (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001).
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke, Sandy Berger
Timeline Tags: 9/11 Timeline, Civil Liberties
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Policy/Politics
Between March and August 1998: Al-Qaeda Explosives Trainer Visits Kosovo
Essam Marzouk, an explosives expert and training camp instructor, goes to Kosovo to support the Muslim cause there. He is there at some time between March and August 1998, though how long he stays exactly is unknown. During this same time, he also goes to Afghanistan and trains the men who will bomb two US embassies in Africa in August (see June 16, 1993-February 1998). He is closely linked to both al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad. [Globe and Mail, 11/15/2001; Globe and Mail, 9/7/2002] He will be arrested in Azerbaijan in late August 1998 (see Late August 1998). It has not been reported who he met in Kosovo or what he did there exactly.
Entity Tags: Essam Marzouk, Islamic Jihad
March-June 1998: Al-Qaeda Leader Attempts to Meet Hussein, but Is Turned Away
In 2006, a bipartisan Senate report will conclude that al-Qaeda leader Mahfouz Walad Al-Walid (a.k.a. Abu Hafs the Mauritanian) travels to Iraq this year in an attempt to meet with Saddam Hussein. This is according to debriefings and documentation found after the 2003 Iraq war. But Hussein refuses to meet him and directs that he should leave Iraq because he could cause a problem for the country. Different documents suggest Al-Walid travels in March or June, or makes two trips. He will make a similar attempt to meet with Hussein in 2002, and will be similarly rebuffed (see 2002). The Senate report will conclude that, despite many alleged meetings, these two attempted meetings by Al-Walid and an actual meeting between bin Laden and an Iraqi agent in 1995 (see Early 1995) were the only attempted contacts between the Iraqi government and al-Qaeda before the Iraq war. [US Senate and Intelligence Committee, 9/8/2006, pp. 73-75 ]
Entity Tags: Saddam Hussein, Mahfouz Walad Al-Walid
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion
Spring 1998: Future Shoe Bomber Meets Top Al-Qaeda Recruiter at Radical London Mosque
While at the radical Finsbury Park mosque in London, future shoe bomber Richard Reid, at this time an angry young Muslim, meets an Algerian named Djamel Beghal, known as a top militant Islamist. Beghal’s task at Finsbury Park, run by British intelligence informer Abu Hamza al-Masri (see Early 1997), is that of a “talent spotter”—he tells impressionable young men about jihad in places like Algeria and gets them to talk about their frustrations. If Beghal thinks a person has the potential to do more than just talk, he can arrange for the person to travel to a training camp in Afghanistan. Reid travels to Afghanistan after being selected by Beghal, although he will later fail to carry out his suicide mission (see December 22, 2001). [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 225]
Entity Tags: Richard C. Reid, Finsbury Park Mosque, Djamel Beghal
Category Tags: 2001 Attempted Shoe Bombing, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
March 9, 1998: Pakistan Admits It Is Giving Weapons to Taliban
According to a later declassified US government cable, a Pakistani foreign ministry official admits to a US official that Pakistan has been giving the Taliban weapons. He says Pakistan “had not provided arms and ammunition to the Taliban since three or four months.” [US Embassy (Islamabad), 3/9/1998 ] But Pakistan does not stop giving weapons. In fact, in July 1998, another US government cable indicates Pakistani support for the Taliban “appears to be getting stronger.” Another Pakistani official admits Pakistan is giving the Taliban about $1 million a month to pay the salaries of Taliban officials and commanders, but claims this is merely “humanitarian” assistance. [US Embassy (Islamabad), 7/1/1998 ]
Entity Tags: Pakistan, Taliban
Category Tags: Pakistan and the ISI
Late Spring 1998: Kenyan Intelligence Tries to Warn CIA about Embassy Attack
“Just months before” the US embassy bombings (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998), Kenyan intelligence warns the CIA about an imminent plot to attack the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Paul Muite, a prominent lawyer and legislator in Kenya, later says he was told the CIA showed the Kenyan warning to the Mossad, who was dismissive about its reliability. The CIA then chose to ignore it. [Miller, Stone, and Mitchell, 2002, pp. 206]
Entity Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Kenya, Paul Muite, Israel Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks (Mossad)
Category Tags: 1998 US Embassy Bombings
April 1998: Alleged Hijacker Associate Receives Money from Saudi Embassy
Osama Basnan, a Saudi living in California, claims to write a letter to Saudi Arabian Prince Bandar bin Sultan and his wife, Princess Haifa bint Faisal, asking for financial help because his wife needs thyroid surgery. The Saudi embassy sends Basnan $15,000 and pays the surgical bill. However, according to University of California at San Diego hospital records, Basnan’s wife, Majeda Dweikat, is not treated until April 2000. [Los Angeles Times, 11/24/2002] Basnan will later come under investigation for possibly using some of this money to support two of the 9/11 hijackers who arrive in San Diego (see November 22, 2002), although the 9/11 Commission will conclude that evidence does not support these charges. [9/11 Commission, 6/16/2004]
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabia, Osama Basnan, Haifa bint Faisal, Majeda Dweikat, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bandar bin Sultan, 9/11 Commission, Omar Abdul-Rahman
Category Tags: Alhazmi and Almihdhar, Bayoumi and Basnan Saudi Connection, Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman, Saudi Arabia
April 1998: FBI Agent Stifles Investigation into Ptech Figures
John Vincent. [Source: Patriot TV]FBI agent Robert Wright will later recall that at this time, he is pleasantly surprised when FBI management provides his Vulgar Betrayal investigation with a 10 year veteran agent to assist with his efforts. According to Wright, the unnamed agent is assigned to “investigate a company and its 20-plus subsidiaries which were linked to a major financer of international terrorism.” However, Wright and fellow agent John Vincent will soon become dismayed when they realize the agent is not actually doing any work. He merely shuffles papers to look busy when people walk by. He will continue to do no work on this important assignment until the Vulgar Betrayal investigation is effectively shut down one year later (see August 3, 1999). Wright will claim in 2003, “The important assignment he was given involved both the founder and the financier of Ptech.” Presumably these could be references to Oussama Ziade, the president and chief founder of Ptech, and Yassin al-Qadi, apparently Ptech’s largest investor. [Federal News Service, 6/2/2003]
Entity Tags: Oussama Ziade, Yassin al-Qadi, Robert G. Wright, Jr., Vulgar Betrayal, Ptech Inc., Federal Bureau of Investigation, John Vincent
Category Tags: Robert Wright and Vulgar Betrayal, Terrorism Financing, BMI and Ptech
April-May 1998: CIA’s Bin Laden Unit Almost Disbanded
The CIA’s bin Laden unit, first created in early 1996 (see February 1996), is ordered disbanded. It is unclear who gave the order. The unit appears to have been the most vocal section of the US government pushing for action against bin Laden. Apparently CIA Director George Tenet is unaware of the plans to disband the unit. He intervenes in mid-May and preserves the unit. Michael Scheuer, the head of the unit, later will comment that by doing so, Tenet “dodged the bullet of having to explain to the American people why the [CIA] thought bin Laden was so little of a threat that it had destroyed the bin Laden unit weeks before two US embassies were demolished.” Scheuer also will comment, “the on-again, off-again signals about the unit’s future status made for confusion, distraction, and much job-hunting in the last few weeks” before the embassy attacks. [Atlantic Monthly, 12/2004]
Entity Tags: Michael Scheuer, Central Intelligence Agency, George J. Tenet, Alec Station
April 15, 1998: Libya Issues First Arrest Warrant for Bin Laden
Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi. [Source: European Community]The first Interpol (international police) arrest warrant for bin Laden is issued—by Libya. [Observer, 11/10/2002] According to the authors of the controversial book The Forbidden Truth, British and US intelligence agencies play down the arrest warrant, and have the public version of the warrant stripped of important information, such as the summary of charges and the fact that Libya requested the warrant. The arrest warrant is issued for the 1994 murder of two German intelligence agents in Libya by the al-Qaeda affiliate in Libya, al-Muqatila (see March 10, 1994). Allegedly, the warrant is downplayed and virtually ignored because of the hostility of Britain towards the Libyan government. British intelligence collaborated with al-Muqatila in an attempt to assassinate Libyan leader Colonel Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi in 1996 (see 1996). [Brisard and Dasquie, 2002, pp. 97-98]
Entity Tags: Al-Muqatila, United States, United Kingdom, UK Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Central Intelligence Agency, Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi, Osama bin Laden
Category Tags: Hunt for Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden
April 17, 1998: US Official Meets with Taliban; Promote Afghan Pipeline
Bill Richardson. [Source: BBC]Bill Richardson, the US Ambassador to the UN, meets Taliban officials in Kabul. (All such meetings are illegal, because the US still officially recognizes the government the Taliban ousted as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.) US officials at the time call the oil and gas pipeline project a “fabulous opportunity” and are especially motivated by the “prospect of circumventing Iran, which offers another route for the pipeline.” [Boston Globe, 9/20/2001] Richardson tries to persuade the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden to the US, promising to end the international isolation of the Taliban if they cooperate. [Reeve, 1999, pp. 195; US Department of State, 1/30/2004]
Entity Tags: Taliban, Osama bin Laden, Bill Richardson
Category Tags: Pipeline Politics, Hunt for Bin Laden
April 26, 1998: Columbine Gunmen Consider Hijacking Plane and Crashing It into New York
Eric Harris. [Source: CNN]Eric Harris, one of the teenage gunmen who will be involved in the Columbine High School massacre, writes in his diary about a plot to hijack a plane and crash it into New York City. Harris and Dylan Klebold are two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, who on April 20, 1999, will kill 12 of their peers and then themselves in the school’s library. After the shooting, investigators will discover Harris’s journals. An entry written about a year before the massacre reads in part: “If by some wierd as s—t luck my and V survive and escape we will move to some island somewhere or maybe mexico, new zelend or some exotic place where americans cant get us. if there isnt such a place, then we will hijack a hell of a lot of bombs and crash a plane into NYC with us inside iring away as we go down.” [CNN, 12/6/2001] CNN will first report on the diary entry April 26, 1999, a week after the shootings, but will not quote from it until the December 6, 2001 report. [CNN, 4/26/1998]
Entity Tags: Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold
Category Tags: Warning Signs
Late April 1998 and Shortly After: Tenet Unhappy over Saudi Information Sharing, Suggests Al-Qaeda Leader Wants to Assassinate Vice President
When Saudi authorities foil a plot by al-Qaeda manager Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri to smuggle missiles into the kingdom (see 1997), CIA director George Tenet becomes so concerned they are withholding information about the plot from the US that he flies to Saudi Arabia to meet Interior Minister Prince Nayef. Tenet is concerned because he believes that the four antitank missiles smuggled in from Yemen by al-Nashiri, head of al-Qaeda operations in the Arabian peninsula, may be intended for an assassination attempt on Vice President Albert Gore, who is to visit Saudi Arabia shortly. Tenet and another CIA manager are unhappy about the information being withheld and Tenet flies to Riyadh “to underscore the importance of sharing such information.” Tenet obtains “a comprehensive report on the entire Sagger missile episode” from Interior Minister Prince Nayef by making a not-so-veiled threat about negative publicity for Saudi Arabia in the US press. [Tenet, 2007, pp. 105-6] It will later be reported that the militants’ plan is apparently to use the armor-piercing missiles to attack the armored limousines of members of the Saudi royal family. [New York Times, 12/23/2002] There are no reports of the planned attack being carried out, so it appears to fail due to the confiscation of the missiles. However, al-Nashiri will later be identified as a facilitator of the East African embassy bombings (see August 22-25 1998) and will attend a summit of al-Qaeda operatives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is monitored by local authorities and the CIA (see January 5-8, 2000).
Entity Tags: Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Saudi Arabia, George J. Tenet, Central Intelligence Agency, Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz
May 1998: CIA Director Prefers Saudi Plan to Bribe Taliban over Direct Action against Bin Laden
According to author James Risen, CIA Director George Tenet and other top CIA officials travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, the de facto ruler of the country. Tenet wants Abdullah to address the problem of bin Laden. He requests that bin Laden not be given to the US to be put on trial but that he be given to the Saudis instead. Abdullah agrees as long as it can be a secret arrangement. Tenet sends a memo to National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, recommending that the CIA allow the Saudis to essentially bribe the Taliban to turn him over. Around the same time, Tenet cancels the CIA’s own operation to get bin Laden (see 1997-May 29, 1998). [Risen, 2006, pp. 183-184] That same month, Wyche Fowler, the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, tells Berger to let the Saudis take the lead against bin Laden. [Scheuer, 2008, pp. 274] Prince Turki al-Faisal, the head of Saudi intelligence, does go to Afghanistan in June and/or July of 1998 to make a secret deal, though with whom he meets and what is agreed upon is highly disputed (see June 1998 and July 1998). But it becomes clear after the failed US missile attack on bin Laden in August 1998 (see August 20, 1998) that the Taliban has no intention of turning bin Laden over to anyone. Risen later comments, “By then, the CIA’s capture plan was dead, and the CIA had no other serious alternatives in the works.… It is possible that the crown prince’s offer of assistance simply provided Tenet and other top CIA officials an easy way out of a covert action plan that they had come to believe represented far too big of a gamble.” [Risen, 2006, pp. 183-184]
Entity Tags: Turki al-Faisal, Wyche Fowler, Central Intelligence Agency, George J. Tenet, Sandy Berger, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, James Risen
Category Tags: Hunt for Bin Laden, Saudi Arabia
May 1998: US Intelligence Resumes Monitoring Al-Qaeda Cell in Kenya
US intelligence resumes monitoring the al-Qaeda cell in Kenya, and continues to listen in all the way through the US embassy attacks that the cell implements in August 1998 (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). US intelligence had begun wiretapping five phones used by the cell by late 1996, including the phones of cell leader Wadih El-Hage and two phones belonging to Mercy International, a charity believed to have been used as a front by the Kenya cell. The monitoring stopped in October 1997, though it is not clear why. The New York Times will report that “after a break, [monitoring] began again in May 1998, just months before the bombing and precisely during the time the government now asserts the attack was being planned.” It is not known what caused the monitoring to resume nor has it been explained how the cell was able to succeed in the embassy attacks while being monitored. [New York Times, 1/13/2001]
Entity Tags: Mercy International, Al-Qaeda, Wadih El-Hage
Category Tags: 1998 US Embassy Bombings, Remote Surveillance, Wadih El-Hage
May 1998: FBI Gives Counterterrorism Top Priority but No Extra Resources
The FBI issues a strategic, five-year plan that designates national and economic security, including counterterrorism, as its top priority for the first time. However, it is later determined that neither personnel nor resources are shifted accordingly. FBI counterterrorism spending remains constant from this point until 9/11. Only about six percent of the FBI’s agent work force is assigned to counterterrorism on 9/11. [9/11 Commission, 4/13/2004; New York Times, 4/18/2004]
Entity Tags: Federal Bureau of Investigation
May 1998: Yemeni Government Official Purchases Passport Forgery Equipment for Islamist Militants
Yemeni security officer Abdulsalam Ali Abdulrahman travels to Switzerland to purchase passport forgery equipment for Islamist extremists. Abdulsalam is a section chief in Yemen’s Political Security Organization (PSO), the Yemeni equivalent of the FBI (see August 12, 2000). Abdulrahman purchases tools to forge Schengen visas, which allow their holder to travel without border controls in some European Union countries. Italian authorities investigating Abdulrahman and his associates will learn this by 2002. They will speculate that Abdulrahman is an expert forger and that he trains a militant named Mahmoud Es Sayed, a close associate of al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri (see Before Spring 2000), in forgery. Es Sayed will travel to Italy in 2000 from Yemen, where he will begin forging documents (see Summer 2000). Abdulrahman has close ties to radical organizations and provides false documents and airline tickets to al-Qaeda members to facilitate their travels to Europe. [Vidino, 2006, pp. 223-4]
Entity Tags: Abdulsalam Ali Abdulrahman
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda in Italy, Yemeni Militant Collusion, Hijacker Visas and Immigration
May 1998: ’Blind Sheikh’ Message Urges Islamists to Seek ‘Violent Revenge’ on Infidels
The card containing Abdul-Rahman’s message. [Source: Peter Bergen]Pakistani journalist Ismail Khan is given a copy of ‘Blind Sheikh’ Omar Abdul-Rahman’s purported will by one of his sons, while attending bin Laden’s first and only press conference in May 1998 (see May 26, 1998). Abdul-Rahman is serving life in prison in the US but his will anticipates that he will die soon from mistreatment. He says, “Extract the most violent revenge… Cut off all relations with [the Americans, Christians, and Jews], tear them to pieces, destroy their economies, burn their corporations, destroy their peace, sink their ships, shoot down their planes, and kill them on air, sea, and land. And kill them wherever you may find them, ambush them, take them hostage, and destroy their observatories. Kill these infidels.” Whether this will really was smuggled out of a US prison or not, the words will have a big impact for bin Laden’s followers and mark a dramatic increase in the violent rhetoric used by al-Qaeda. Ahmed Ressam, who will later be arrested for trying to bomb the Los Angeles airport, trains at the Khaldan training camp in mid-1998. He will later testify that this statement from Abdul-Rahman was widely distributed at the training camp. [Bergen, 2006, pp. 204-205] US intelligence is presumably aware of the purported will, since CNN will report about it later in 1998. [CNN, 11/8/1998] Journalist Peter Bergen, who is given a copy of the message around this time, will later comment that the message to “attack the US economy and American aviation was an important factor in the 9/11 attacks.… [His] fatwas are the nearest equivalent al-Qaeda has to an ex cathedra statement by the Pope.… [He] was able for the first time in al-Qaeda’s history to rule that it was legally permissible, and even desirable, to carry out attacks against American planes and corporations, exactly the type of attacks that took place on 9/11.” Bergen notes that while one cannot be certain if Abdul-Rahman actually wrote the message, in other cases his imprisonment did not prevent him from getting messages out through his family or lawyers. [Bergen, 2006, pp. 208-209]
Entity Tags: Mohammed Omar Abdul-Rahman, Ismail Khan, Omar Abdul-Rahman, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, Ahmed Ressam, Peter Bergen
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman
May 1998-May 1999: Ten Opportunities to Strike Bin Laden in One Year
Michael Scheuer, head of the CIA’s bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999, later will claim that in a one-year period starting in May 1998, the CIA gives the US government “about ten chances to capture bin Laden or kill him with military means. In all instances, the decision was made that the ‘intelligence was not good enough.’ This assertion cannot be debated publicly without compromising sources and methods. What can be said, however, is that in all these cases there was more concern expressed by senior bureaucrats and policymakers about how international opinion would react to a US action than there was concern about what might happen to Americans if they failed to act. Indeed, on one occasion these senior leaders decided it was more important to avoid hitting a structure near bin Laden’s location with shrapnel, than it was to protect Americans.” He will later list six of the attempts in a book:
May 1998: a plan to capture bin Laden at his compound south of Kandahar, canceled at the last minute (see 1997-May 29, 1998).
September 1998: a capture opportunity north of Kandahar, presumably by Afghan tribals working for the CIA (see September-October 1998).
December 1998: canceled US missile strike on the governor’s palace in Kandahar (see December 18-20, 1998).
February 1999: Military attack opportunity on governor’s residence in Herat (see February 1999).
February 1999: Multiple military attack opportunities at a hunting camp near Kandahar attended by United Arab Emirates royals (see February 11, 1999).
May 1999: Military attack opportunities on five consecutive nights in Kandahar (see May 1999).
Also in late August 1998, there is one failed attempt to kill bin Laden.(see August 20, 1998) [Atlantic Monthly, 12/2004; Scheuer, 2008, pp. 284]
Counterterrorism “tsar” Richard Clarke later will strongly disagree with Scheuer’s assessment, claiming that the intelligence needed for such an attack on bin Laden was never very good. But he will also point out that the National Security Council and White House never killed any of the operations Scheuer wanted. It was always CIA Director George Tenet and other top CIA leaders who rejected the proposals. Scheuer will agree that it was always Tenet who turned down the operations. [Vanity Fair, 11/2004]
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Michael Scheuer, George J. Tenet, Alec Station, Central Intelligence Agency, Clinton administration, National Security Council, Richard A. Clarke
May 7, 1998: Al-Qaeda Leader Visits Bosnia; US Charity Is Funding Al-Qaeda There
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim (a.k.a. Abu Hajer), a high-ranking al-Qaeda leader, visits Bosnia for unknown reasons and connects with a charity suspected of financing bin Laden’s organization. Salim was one of the founders of al-Qaeda and will be arrested in Germany later in the year (see September 16, 1998) and charged in connection with the 1998 embassy bombings (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). Records show that the Bosnia branch of the US-based Benevolence International Foundation (BIF) sponsored Salim’s visa, reserved him an apartment, and identified him as one of its directors. A BIF mole in Bosnian intelligence is able to tip off Salim that investigators are onto him, so he is not caught (see September 1996-June 2000). Intelligence officials will question BIF officers about Salim’s trip in early 2000, but the reason for the trip remains a mystery. [New York Times, 6/14/2002]
Entity Tags: Benevolence International Foundation, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim
Category Tags: Al-Qaeda in Balkans, Terrorism Financing, BIF
May 8, 1998: FBI Announces Its Highest Goal Is to Prevent, Detect and Deter Terrorism
FBI Director Louis Freeh announces a strategic plan for his agency. He notes that domestic counterterrorism falls “almost exclusively within the jurisdiction of the FBI.” He summarizes the FBI’s policy on terrorism established in 1998: “Some terrorism now comes from abroad. Some terrorism is home-grown. But whatever its origin, terrorism is deadly and the FBI has no higher priority than to combat terrorism, to prevent it where possible. Our goal is to prevent, detect and deter.” [US Congress, 10/8/2002]
Entity Tags: Louis J. Freeh, Federal Bureau of Investigation
May 15, 1998: Oklahoma FBI Memo Warns of Potential Terrorist-Related Flight Training; No Investigation Ensues
An FBI pilot sends his supervisor in the Oklahoma City FBI office a memo warning that he has observed “large numbers of Middle Eastern males receiving flight training at Oklahoma airports in recent months.” The memo, titled “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” further states this “may be related to planned terrorist activity” and “light planes would be an ideal means of spreading chemicals or biological agents.” The memo does not call for an investigation, and none occurs. [NewsOK (Oklahoma City), 5/29/2002; US Congress, 7/24/2003] The memo is “sent to the bureau’s Weapons of Mass Destruction unit and forgotten.” [New York Daily News, 9/25/2002] In 1999, it will be learned that an al-Qaeda agent has studied flight training in Norman, Oklahoma (see May 18, 1999). Hijackers Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi will briefly visit the same school in 2000; Zacarias Moussaoui will train at the school in 2001 (see February 23-June 2001).
Entity Tags: Marwan Alshehhi, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mohamed Atta, Zacarias Moussaoui, Al-Qaeda
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Phoenix Memo
After May 15, 1998: FBI Again Ignores Warnings About Islamic Militants Planning to Obtain US Pilot Training
The FBI receives reports that a militant Islamic organization might be planning to bring students to the US for flight training, at some point in 1998 after the May 15 memo (see May 15, 1998) warns about Middle Eastern men training at US flight schools. [New York Daily News, 9/25/2002] The FBI is aware that people connected to this unnamed organization have performed surveillance and security tests at airports in the US and made comments suggesting an intention to target civil aviation. Apparently, this warning is not shared with other FBI offices or the FAA, and a connection with the Oklahoma warning is not made; a similar warning will follow in 1999 (see 1999). [US Congress, 7/24/2003]
May 22, 1998: Presidential Directive Puts Secret Service In Charge of Security for Major Public Events
President Clinton issues Presidential Decision Directive 62 (PDD-62), which gives the National Security Council authority to designate any important upcoming public event as a National Special Security Event (NSSE). [Journal of Homeland Defense, 10/27/2000; United States Secret Service, 2002] Once an event has been designated as an NSSE, the FBI becomes the lead agency for crisis management, FEMA becomes lead agency for consequence management, and the Secret Service becomes lead agency for designing and implementing security operations. [US Department of Defense, 8/3/2001; US Department of Homeland Security, 7/9/2003; CSO Magazine, 9/2004] Approximately four or five events per year will subsequently be designated as NSSEs, such as the 2000 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and the 2001 Presidential Inauguration. [US Department of Homeland Security, 7/9/2003; US Department of Homeland Security, 11/8/2004] On 9/11, one or possibly both the cities targeted—Washington and New York—will be less than three weeks from major events that have been designated as NSSEs (see 8:30 a.m. September 11, 2001)(see 8:30 a.m. September 11, 2001). This is particularly interesting considering that once the Secret Service is put in charge of security for an NSSE, it becomes involved in providing air defense over that event. As then Director of the Secret Service Brian Stafford will point out in March 2000: “PDD-62 mandates the Secret Service to create additional capabilities that ‘achieve airspace security’ for designated ‘National Special Security Events (NSSE).’ This air security program utilizes air interdiction teams to detect, identify, and assess any aircraft that violates, or attempts to violate, an established Temporary Flight Restricted Area (TFR) airspace above an NSSE.” [US Congress, 3/30/2000 ; Security Management, 2/2002] Whether the Secret Service will have such capabilities already in place in New York and Washington on 9/11 is unknown.
Category Tags: Counterterrorism Action Before 9/11
May 22, 1998: Clinton Creates Counterterrorism ‘Tsar’ Post; Selects Richard Clarke
President Clinton creates the new post of National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure, Protection, and Counterterrorism. He names Richard Clarke for the job, and due to the length of the title, Clarke soon becomes known as the counterterrorism “tsar.” [New York Times, 5/23/1998; Washington Post, 4/2/2000] This position is outlined in a new presidential directive on counterterrorism, Presidential Decision Directive 62 (PDD-62), which also outlines goals of fighting terrorism and attempts to strengthen interagency coordination of counterterrorism efforts. [9/11 Commission, 3/24/2004] Clarke, who had been working on terrorism issues since the start of the Clinton administration, has more symbolic than actual power in the new position. For instance, he only has a staff of 12, compared to a staff of hundreds for the drug “tsar,” and by law he is not allowed to order law enforcement agents, soldiers, or spies to do anything. He does not have any control over budgets. But he is allowed to sit on Cabinet level meetings that involve terrorism. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 170; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 101] Clarke has a long record of prior government service, beginning in 1973 as a nuclear weapons analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. [CBS News, 3/30/2004] He came to prominence in the Reagan administration as the deputy assistant secretary of state for intelligence from 1985 to 1989. Having left the State Department in 1992, he has spent the past six years on the National Security Council staff. [Washington Post, 3/13/2003; BBC, 3/22/2004; Associated Press, 3/27/2004] After 9/11 Clarke will become well known for his criticisms of the George W. Bush administration (see March 21, 2004 and March 24, 2004), but some who know him consider him to be politically conservative. [Boston Globe, 3/29/2004] According to the Washington Post, many within the Clinton administration view Clarke as a hawk. [Washington Post, 3/23/2004] Robert Gelbard, who worked with him at the State Department in the early 1990s, says he is “no liberal. He is very hawkish.” [US News and World Report, 4/5/2004] Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA official who worked with Clarke in the 1980s, says, “You can’t accuse him of being passive or too liberal on foreign policy.” [Washington Post, 3/23/2004] At the time of the 2000 election he will be a registered Republican, and he votes that year for John McCain in the Republican presidential primary. [New York Times, 3/23/2004; Salon, 3/24/2004; Time, 4/5/2004] Larry DiCara, the former president of the Boston City Council who knew Clarke when he was younger, later recalls: “He was fiercely conservative at a time when just about everyone in Boston was a Democrat.… I’m amazed he worked for [President] Clinton.” Clarke, however, will later praise Clinton, and in an interview in 2002 will describe himself as “not a partisan figure.” [Boston Globe, 3/29/2004]
Entity Tags: Vincent Cannistraro, Larry DiCara, Robert Gelbard, Richard A. Clarke, William Jefferson (“Bill”) Clinton
Shortly Before May 26, 1998: US Fails to Exploit Advance Notice of Bin Laden’s Only Press Conference
Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden shortly after 9/11. [Source: Corbis]In early May 1998, Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir interviews bin Laden in Kandahar, Afghanistan. During the interview, bin Laden tells Mir that he will be holding a press conference soon and invites Mir to attend. Mir will later recall that bin Laden showed him a list of journalists invited. More than 22 names are on the list, including CNN reporters Peter Bergen and Peter Arnett, and an unnamed reporter from the BBC. Mir says he will not attend, explaining that he is worried the press conference will be bombed. “I think that you are inviting a lot of Pakistani journalists. No doubt I have contacts with the intelligence guys, but I am not their informer. They will go back; they will help the intelligence agencies to bomb your compound.” [Bergen, 2006, pp. 200-202] The press conference will take place later in the month and while al-Qaeda’s three top leaders bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Mohammed Atef attend, only three journalists show up (see May 26, 1998). Presumably the press conference presents a rare opportunity to take out al-Qaeda’s top leadership in one fell swoop, perhaps as they are coming or going to it, but there is no known debate by US officials or officials in other countries about ways to take advantage of this gathering. The 9/11 Commission’s final report will not mention the press conference at all.
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Hamid Mir, Peter Bergen, Peter Arnett
May 26, 1998: Future Embassy Bomber Photographed at Bin Laden Press Conference
During Osama bin Laden’s one and only press conference, which takes place in Khost, Afghanistan (see May 26, 1998), Mohamed al-Owhali is photographed. Presumably his picture is taken by one of the journalists in attendance there. Al-Owhali will go on to be directly involved in the African embassy bombings several months later (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998), and will be convicted in the US for a role in those bombings (see October 21, 2001). It is not known who takes al-Owhali’s picture or if US intelligence has access to the picture before the embassy bombings. [Jacquard, 2002, pp. 283]
Entity Tags: Mohamed al-Owhali, Osama bin Laden
May 26, 1998: Bin Laden Promises to Bring Jihad to US
Top: Bin Laden, surrounded by security, walking to the press conference. Bottom: the three journalists attending the press conference sit next to bin Laden. [Source: CNN]Bin Laden discusses “bringing the war home to America,” in a press conference from Khost, Afghanistan. [US Congress, 9/18/2002] Bin Laden holds his first and only press conference to help publicize the fatwa he published several months before. Referring to the group that signed the fatwa, he says, “By God’s grace, we have formed with many other Islamic groups and organizations in the Islamic world a front called the International Islamic Front to do jihad against the crusaders and Jews.” He adds later, “And by God’s grace, the men… are going to have a successful result in killing Americans and getting rid of them.” [CNN, 8/20/2002] He also indicates the results of his jihad will be “visible” within weeks. [US Congress, 7/24/2003] Two US embassies will be bombed in August (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). Bin Laden sits next to Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mohammed Atef during the press conference. Two Pakistani journalists and one Chinese journalist attends. But event never gets wide exposure because no independent videotaping is allowed (however, in 2002 CNN will obtain video footage of the press conference seized after the US conquered Afghanistan in late 2001). Pakistani journalist Ismail Khan attends and will later recall, “We were given a few instructions, you know, on how to photograph and only take a picture of Osama and the two leaders who were going to sit close by him. Nobody else.” Two sons of Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman attend and distribute what they claim is the will or fatwa of their father (see May 1998), who has been sentenced to life in prison in the US. Journalist Peter Bergen will later comment that the significance of the sons’ presence at the press conference “can’t be underestimated” because it allows bin Laden to benefit from Abdul-Rahman’s high reputation amongst radical militants. Bergen also later says the press conference is a pivotal moment for al-Qaeda. “They’re going public. They’re saying, ‘We’re having this war against the United States.’” [CNN, 8/20/2002] The specific comment by bin Laden about “bringing the war home to America” will be mentioned in the August 2001 memo given to President Bush entitled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US” (see August 6, 2001).
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Ismail Khan, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, Mohammed Atef, Mohammed Omar Abdul-Rahman
Category Tags: Warning Signs, 1998 US Embassy Bombings, Bush's Aug. 6, 2001 PDB, Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman, Osama Bin Laden, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements
May 28, 1998: Pakistan Tests Nuclear Bomb
Pakistan’s first nuclear test take place underground but shakes the mountains above it. [Source: Associated Press]Pakistan conducts a successful nuclear test. Former Clinton administration official Karl Inderfurth later notes that concerns about an Indian-Pakistani conflict, or even nuclear confrontation, compete with efforts to press Pakistan on terrorism. [US Congress, 7/24/2003] Pakistan actually built its first nuclear weapon in 1987 but kept it a secret and did not test it until this time for political reasons (see 1987). In announcing the tests, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declares, “Today, we have settled the score.” [New York Times, 5/4/2003]
Entity Tags: Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan, Karl Inderfurth
Timeline Tags: US International Relations, A. Q. Khan's Nuclear Network
Category Tags: Pakistan and the ISI, Pakistani Nukes & Islamic Militancy
May 28, 1998: Bin Laden Wants to Use Missiles against US Aircraft; Possibly Given Doctored Phone Battery
During his interview with John Miller, bin Laden is positioned in front of East Africa on a map, and US embassies will be bombed in East Africa several months later. Bin Laden has considered it his religious duty to give warning before attacks and thus has left clues like this. [Source: CNN]In an interview with ABC News reporter John Miller, Osama bin Laden indicates he may attack a US military passenger aircraft using antiaircraft missiles. Bin Laden says: “We are sure of our victory. Our battle with the Americans is larger than our battle with the Russians.… We predict a black day for America and the end of the United States as United States, and will be separate states, and will retreat from our land and collect the bodies of its sons back to America.” In the subsequent media coverage, Miller will repeatedly refer to bin Laden as “the world’s most dangerous terrorist,” and “the most dangerous man in the world.” [ABC News, 5/28/1998; ABC News, 6/12/1998; Esquire, 2/1999; US Congress, 7/24/2003] The book The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright will later note, “Looming behind his head was a large map of Africa, an unremarked clue.” [Wright, 2006, pp. 264] Bin Laden admits to knowing Wali Khan Amin Shah, one of the Bojinka plotters (see June 1996), but denies having met Bojinka plotter Ramzi Yousef or knowing about the plot itself. [PBS Frontline, 10/3/2002] A Virginia man named Tarik Hamdi (see March 20, 2002) helped set up Miller’s interview. He goes with Miller to Afghanistan and gives bin Laden a new battery for his satellite phone (see November 1996-Late August 1998). Vincent Cannistraro, former head of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center, will later claim that this battery was somehow bugged to help the US monitor bin Laden. [Newsweek, 8/10/2005] In 2005, Miller will become the FBI’s assistant director of the Office of Public Affairs. [All Headline News, 8/24/2005]
Entity Tags: John Miller, Operation Bojinka, Osama bin Laden, Vincent Cannistraro, Wali Khan Amin Shah, Tarik Hamdi, Ramzi Yousef
Category Tags: Remote Surveillance, Warning Signs, Hunt for Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden, Ramzi Yousef, 1998 US Embassy Bombings, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements
May 29, 1998: PNAC Calls on Republican Congressional Leaders to Assert US Interests in Persian Gulf
The Project for a New American Century (PNAC) publishes a letter addressed to Congressman Newt Gingrich and Senator Trent Lott. The letter argues that the Clinton administration has capitulated to Saddam Hussein and calls on the two legislators to lead Congress to “establish and maintain a strong US military presence in the region, and be prepared to use that force to protect [US] vital interests in the Gulf—and, if necessary, to help removed Saddam from power.” [Century, 5/29/1998]
Entity Tags: Saddam Hussein, Newt Gingrich, US Congress, Project for the New American Century, Trent Lott, Clinton administration
May 30, 1998: Exercise Is Held Based around Terrorists with Chemical Weapons Attacking the Pentagon
Military medical personnel tend to simulated victims during the exercise ‘Cloudy Office.’ [Source: Renee Sitler / US Air Force]A training exercises is held in which hundreds of personnel from the military and other government agencies practice their response to a terrorist attack at the Pentagon involving chemical weapons. The exercise, which lasts about 10 hours, is called “Cloudy Office,” and is run by the Defense Protective Service (DPS)—the law enforcement agency that guards the Pentagon—and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Over 500 people from federal, state, and local agencies take part. [BBC, 5/31/1998; American Forces Press Service, 6/9/1998; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 151]
Scenario Involves Terrorists Taking Pentagon Staffers Hostage - Cloudy Office is based around a scenario in which nine pro-Iraqi terrorists, armed with pistols and shotguns, split off from a group of tourists at the Pentagon, burst into Secretary of Defense William Cohen’s office, and take Cohen’s staff hostage. The mock terrorists have with them a gallon jug of liquid simulating sarin, a liter bottle of diluted sarin, and an explosive device. They threaten to release the sarin—a lethal nerve gas—if their demands are not met. Someone accidentally knocks over the jug in the confusion, thereby releasing lethal fumes throughout the Pentagon. Hazardous material teams from local fire departments arrive at the scene and set up decontamination facilities, and military medical personnel set up triage units to treat potential sarin victims. Meanwhile, members of the DPS go into the Pentagon to negotiate with the mock terrorists. Eventually the mock terrorists release the hostages and surrender. [Tulsa World, 5/31/1998; Washington Post, 5/31/1998; American Forces Press Service, 6/9/1998] Twenty-six people are killed and 100 contaminated by the sarin gas in the scenario, with the mock victims being played by military employees. [CNN, 5/30/1998; American Forces Press Service, 6/9/1998; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 151]
Pentagon Is Seen as a Potential Terrorist Target - Cloudy Office has been four months in the planning and is by far the largest exercise of its kind to be held in metropolitan Washington, DC. [Washington Post, 5/31/1998; American Forces Press Service, 6/9/1998] It was prompted partly by the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system by the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult, which killed 12 commuters. [CNN, 5/30/1998; Washington Post, 5/31/1998; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 151] It is part of an effort to improve America’s ability to respond to incidents involving chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. The Pentagon was selected as the location for the exercise because, as an international symbol of the United States military, it is considered a plausible terrorist target, according to John Jester, chief of the DPS. Agencies that participate include the Office of the Secretary of Defense; the Army Pentagon Medical Facility; the Washington Metropolitan Strike Force; the FBI; Arlington County, Virginia, fire and rescue departments; hazardous material teams; and the Virginia Office of Public Health. [Tulsa World, 5/31/1998; American Forces Press Service, 6/9/1998]
Entity Tags: Defense Protective Service, Cloudy Office, Washington Metropolitan Strike Force, Virginia Office of Public Health, Arlington County Fire Department, US Department of the Army, John Jester, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Summer 1998: CIA Breaks up Islamic Jihad Cell in Albania
A joint surveillance operation conducted by the CIA and Albanian intelligence identifies an Islamic Jihad cell that is allegedly planning to bomb the US Embassy in Tirana, Albania’s capital. The cell was created in the early 1990s by Mohammed al-Zawahiri, brother of Islamic Jihad and al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The operation intercepts lengthy discussions between the cell and Ayman. [New Yorker, 2/8/2005; Wright, 2006, pp. 269] At the behest of the US government, Egypt, which is co-operating with the US over renditions (see Summer 1995), issues an arrest warrant for Shawki Salama Attiya, one of the militants in the cell. Albanian forces then arrest Attiya and four of the other suspected militants. A sixth suspect is killed, but two more escape. The men are taken to an abandoned airbase, where they are interrogated by the CIA, and then flown by a CIA-chartered plane to Cairo, Egypt, for further interrogation. The men are tortured after arriving in Egypt:
Ahmed Saleh is suspended from the ceiling and given electric shocks; he is later hanged for a conviction resulting from a trial held in his absence;
Mohamed Hassan Tita is hung from his wrists and given electric shocks to his feet and back;
Attiya is given electric shocks to his genitals, suspended by his limbs and made to stand for hours in filthy water up to his knees;
Ahmed al-Naggar is kept in a room for 35 days with water up to his knees, and has electric shocks to his nipples and penis; he is later hanged for an offence for which he was convicted in absentia;
Essam Abdel-Tawwab will also describe more torture for which prosecutors later find “recovered wounds.”
On August 5, 1998, a letter by Ayman al-Zawahiri will be published that threatens retaliation for the Albanian abductions (see August 5, 1998). Two US embassies in Africa will be bombed two days later (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). [Washington Post, 3/11/2002, pp. A01; New Yorker, 2/8/2005; Grey, 2007, pp. 128] The US State Department will later speculate that the timing of the embassy bombings was in fact in retaliation for these arrests. [Ottawa Citizen, 12/15/2001]
Entity Tags: Mohamed Hassan Tita, Shawki Salama Attiya, Mohammed al-Zawahiri, Albania, Central Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Saleh, Ahmed al-Naggar, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Essam Abdel-Tawwab, Islamic Jihad
Timeline Tags: Torture of US Captives, Kosovar Albanian Struggle
Summer 1998: El-Hage Asks Associate for Advice on His Status with FBI
Wadih El-Hage asks an associate, Essam al Ridi, for advice on his status with the FBI. El-Hage, who helps al-Qaeda bomb US embassies in Africa not long after this (see September 15, 1998), is under investigation by the FBI and his home in Nairobi, Kenya, was searched the previous year (see August 21, 1997). El-Hage is meeting al Ridi to act as a mediator between al Ridi and a mutual acquaintance, with whom al Ridi is arguing over a business deal in which he made money on a plane he sold to Osama bin Laden (see Early 1993). According to al Ridi, El-Hage solicits his advice “on the status that he had with the FBI.” It is unclear why El-Hage would think al Ridi might know his status with the FBI. Al Ridi asks El-Hage if there is anything that he should be concerned about, and El-Hage replies, “No, absolutely.” Al Ridi then advises El-Hage to tell the FBI everything he knows, “Be very forthcoming and very honest and clear with them and just carry it out until it’s over.” El-Hage also says that items were seized from his home indicating he was linked to al Ridi (see Shortly After August 21, 1997), but the two do not discuss the possibility that al Ridi might be contacted by the US government, although he will later testify for the prosecution at the embassy bombers’ US trial. [United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1/14/2001]
Entity Tags: Essam al Ridi, Wadih El-Hage, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Category Tags: Wadih El-Hage, 1998 US Embassy Bombings
Summer 1998: KSM Travels to the US until at Least This Time
In June 2001, a CIA cable describing background information on bin Laden’s associates will mention that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is regularly traveling to the US. The CIA’s Renditions Branch had been looking for KSM since at least 1997. In July 2001, the source of this information will positively identify KSM’s photo from a line up and clarify that the last known time KSM went to the US was in the summer of 1998 (see June 12, 2001). Presumably, KSM may have been more reluctant to travel to the US after the crackdown on al-Qaeda in the wake of the August 1998 embassy bombings (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 277, 533] In May 1995, the FBI learned that KSM had been in the US, had a current and valid US visa, and was planning to come back to the US, possibly to take flying lessons (see April-May 1995). Additionally, KSM will receive a new US visa on July 23, 2001, though it isn’t known if he ever uses it (see July 23, 2001).
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Hijacker Visas and Immigration
Summer 1998: Al-Qaeda 9/11 Cell Coalesces in Hamburg
The apartment building in Wilhelmsburg where Atta and his associates live in 1998. [Source: Associated Press]Future 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta and a group of his radical Islamist friends move into an apartment in Wilhelmsburg, an island on the Elbe River in the middle of Hamburg, Germany. The area is a run-down industrial zone. It is unclear who all the members of the group living in the apartment are, but Marwan Alshehhi and Ramzi bin al-Shibh live there. For the first time, this group becomes very closely tied together. They live an extremely simple life, with nothing but mattresses for furniture and no electrical devices except for lights. Neighbors will later say the men in the apartment talk long into the night nearly every night, with the blinds on the windows permanently closed. The group moves to a nicer apartment on November 1, 1998 (see November 1, 1998-February 2001). [McDermott, 2005, pp. 58-60]
Entity Tags: Marwan Alshehhi, Mohamed Atta, Ramzi bin al-Shibh
Category Tags: Marwan Alshehhi, Mohamed Atta, Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh
Summer 1998: One of Bin Laden’s Four Holy War Goals Is to Bring Down US Airliners
Bin Laden sends a fax from Afghanistan to Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, a London-based Muslim imam who dubs himself the “mouth, eyes, and ears of Osama bin Laden.” Bakri publicly releases what he calls bin Laden’s four specific objectives for a holy war against the US. The instruction reads, “Bring down their airliners. Prevent the safe passage of their ships. Occupy their embassies. Force the closure of their companies and banks.” Noting this, the Los Angeles Times will wryly comment that “Bin Laden hasn’t been shy about sharing his game plan.” [Los Angeles Times, 10/14/2001] In 2001, FBI agent Ken Williams will grow concerned about some Middle Eastern students training in Arizona flight schools. He will link several of them to Al-Muhajiroun, an extremist group founded by Bakri. Williams will quote several fatwas (calls to action) from Bakri in his later-famous July 2001 memo (see July 10, 2001). However, he apparently will not be aware of this particular call to action. These students linked to Bakri’s group apparently have no connection to any of the 9/11 hijackers. In another interview before 9/11, Bakri will boast of recruiting “kamikaze bombers ready to die for Palestine.” (see Early September 2001) [Associated Press, 5/23/2002]
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Ken Williams, Al-Muhajiroun, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Phoenix Memo, Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements, Omar Bakri & Al-Muhajiroun, Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism
Summer-Winter 1998: Bin Al-Shibh and Alshehhi Not in Hamburg, Possibly Visiting Afghanistan
Two members of the Hamburg cell comprising some of the lead 9/11 hijackers and their associates are absent from the city for periods. Ramzi bin al-Shibh vanishes from Germany over the summer, it is unclear where he goes. Marwan Alshehhi is unaccounted for over a period of three months. Before disappearing he withdraws over $5,000 from his bank and, while he is gone, his normally active credit card accounts are dormant. He makes no charges on them or withdrawals from ATM machines between September 3 and early December. Bin al-Shibh is again absent in the winter. Mohamed Atta is also absent from Hamburg around the same time (see Late 1997-Early 1998). Commenting on the disappearances, author Terry McDermott will say, “Practically, there is only one place they likely would have gone—Afghanistan.” [McDermott, 2005, pp. 57]
Entity Tags: Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Marwan Alshehhi
Category Tags: Marwan Alshehhi, Al-Qaeda in Germany, Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh
Summer 1998 and After: British Intelligence Informer Abu Hamza Runs ‘Al-Qaeda Guest House in London’
The radical Finsbury Park mosque becomes what one informer will call “an al-Qaeda guest house in London.” The informer, Reda Hassaine, works for two British intelligence services (see (November 11, 1998) and (May 1999)), and one of his tasks is to monitor the mosque’s leader Abu Hamza al-Masri, himself an informer for the British (see Early 1997).
Experienced Fighters - Authors Sean O’Neill and Daniel McGrory will later write: “For some visitors, the mosque was a secure retreat for rest and recreation after a tour of duty in the holy war. Such was Finsbury Park’s reputation that an international brigade of Islamic militants used it as a safe haven for a spot of leave before they returned to the jihad front line and undertook terror operations.”
Raw Recruits - Hassaine will say the mosque was especially important to al-Qaeda because the experienced fighters on leave could mix with potential recruits: “The mosque was secure. It offered money, tickets, and names of people to meet in Pakistan. It was an al-Qaeda guest house in London. The boys could come back from the jihad and find a place to stay, to talk about war, to be with their own kind of people, to make plans and to recruit other people. These people, if they thought you were willing to do the jihad, they paid special attention to you. If they thought you were willing, that is when Abu Hamza would step in to do the brainwashing. Once he started, you wouldn’t recover. You would become a ‘special guest’ of the mosque until they could measure your level of commitment and they could organize your trip to Afghanistan.”
Numbers - O’Neill and McGrory will say that the exact number of recruits who pass through Finsbury Park and the Afghan camps is unclear, although “hundreds and hundreds of suspects” from around the world are linked to the mosque. London Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens will say two thousand recruits from the mosque undergo terror training, whereas one of his successors, Sir Ian Blair, will say it was closer to a tenth of that number. O’Neill and McGrory will add: “MI5 has never revealed its tally. However many it was, not a single recruit who attended these camps was ever arrested when he got home.” The CIA will later be surprised by the “sizable number” of al-Qaeda recruits who both train in the camps in Afghanistan and attend Finsbury Park. After the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, the FBI will find questionnaires completed by the recruits, and some of these will specify Abu Hamza as the person who referred them to the camps, also giving “jihad” as their ambition after completing their training. O’Neill and McGrory will point out, “Such was Abu Hamza’s stature that having his name as a reference would guarantee his nominees acceptance at Khaldan,” an al-Qaeda camp.
'The World Capital of Political Islam' - O’Neill and McGrory will conclude, “The result of Abu Hamza’s recruitment regime—and that pursued by the other fundamentalist groups which had made London the world capital of political Islam—was that more young men from Britain embarked on suicide missions than from all the other countries of Europe combined.” [O'Neill and McGrory, 2006, pp. 86, 97-98, 101-102]
Entity Tags: Sean O’Neill, John Stevens, Daniel McGrory, Abu Hamza al-Masri, Ian Blair, Reda Hassaine
June 1998: KSM Almost Caught in Brazil; Using Exposed Bojinka Front Company as Cover
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM) is almost caught in Brazil. Apparently, the Malaysian government discovers that KSM is in the country using an alias and an Egyptian passport, and that he has obtained a Brazilian visa. So on June 25, 1998, the US asks Brazil to help capture him. A former US official will later say, “We were fairly convinced… that he was there” in the town of Foz de Iguazu, a criminal haven that he had visited at least once before (see December 1995). [Los Angeles Times, 12/22/2002; Knight Ridder, 3/13/2003] However, KSM gets away. Time magazine reporter Tim McGirk will later claim, “They almost nailed him in Brazil. They knew that he’d left from Malaysia to Brazil….” [National Public Radio, 3/3/2003] “He had supposedly gone there to promote Konsonjaya, a Malaysian company that secretly funded Muslim rebels in Southeast Asia.” [Playboy, 6/1/2005] Konsonjaya was the front company used for the Bojinka plot in 1995 (see January 6, 1995 and June 1994), and it supposedly dealt in Sudanese honey and palm oil. [Los Angeles Times, 2/7/2002; Financial Times, 2/15/2003] The Telegraph, in an apparent reference to Konsonjaya, will later report that KSM “acted as financier and coordinator, through another [Malaysian company] which traded Sudanese honey. He traveled widely, including at least one trip to Brazil….” [Daily Telegraph, 3/2/2003] The honey distribution business had a base in Karachi, Pakistan, and employed KSM’s nephew Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (a.k.a. Ammar al-Baluchi). [US Department of Defense, 4/12/2007, pp. 17 ] It is remarkable that KSM would be connected to this company in 1998, considering that the company’s records were introduced as evidence in a public trial of some Bojinka plotters in 1996. [Los Angeles Times, 2/7/2002]
Entity Tags: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Konsonjaya, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali
Category Tags: 1995 Bojinka Plot, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
June 1998: Taliban and Saudis Discuss Bin Laden
Relations between Taliban head Mullah Omar and bin Laden grow tense, and Omar discusses a secret deal with the Saudis, who have urged the Taliban to expel bin Laden from Afghanistan. Head of Saudi intelligence Prince Turki al-Faisal travels to Kandahar, Afghanistan, and brokers the deal. According to Turki, he seeks to have the Taliban turn bin Laden over to Saudi custody. Omar agrees in principle, but requests that the parties establish a joint commission to work out how bin Laden would be dealt with in accordance with Islamic law. [Coll, 2004, pp. 400-02] Note that some reports of a meeting around this time—and the deal discussed—vary dramtically from Turki’s version (see May 1996 and July 1998). If this version is correct, before a deal can be reached, the US strikes Afghanistan in August in retaliation for the US African embassy bombings (see August 20, 1998), driving Omar and bin Laden back together. Turki later states that “the Taliban attitude changed 180 degrees,” and that Omar is “absolutely rude” to him when he visits again in September (see Mid-September 1998). [Guardian, 11/5/2001; London Times, 8/3/2002]
Entity Tags: Saudi Arabia, Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar, Turki al-Faisal
June 1998: Top Clinton Official Calls Bin Laden ‘Most Dangerous’ Terrorist
In an interview on the television program Nightline, National Security Adviser Sandy Berger says “Osama bin Laden may be the most dangerous non-state terrorist in the world.” This is one of only a very few public warnings by top Clinton administration officials about bin Laden before the African embassy bombings later in the year. [Miller, Stone, and Mitchell, 2002, pp. 215]
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Sandy Berger
June 1998: Saudi Benefactor Offers Funding for Mosque If Suspected Hijacker Associate Al-Bayoumi Is Retained as Building Manager
An unknown Saudi benefactor pays a Saudi, Saad Al-Habeeb, to buy a building in San Diego, California, for a new Kurdish community mosque, the Kurdish Community Islamic Center. However, the approximately $500,000 will only be given on the condition that Omar al-Bayoumi be installed as the building’s maintenance manager with a private office at the mosque. After taking the job, al-Bayoumi rarely shows up for work. [Newsweek, 11/24/2002; San Diego Magazine, 9/2003] This means he has two jobs at once. The people in the mosque eventually begin a move to replace al-Bayoumi, but he moves to Britain in July 2001 before this can happen. [Newsweek, 11/24/2002] An anonymous federal investigator states, “Al-Bayoumi came here, set everything up financially, set up the San Diego [al-Qaeda] cell and set up the mosque.” An international tax attorney notes that anyone handling business for a mosque or a church could set it up as a tax-exempt charitable organization “and it can easily be used for money laundering.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/27/2001; San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/22/2002]
Entity Tags: Omar al-Bayoumi, Saad Al-Habeeb
Category Tags: Alhazmi and Almihdhar, Bayoumi and Basnan Saudi Connection, Saudi Arabia
June 1998: Enron Shuts Down Uzbekistan Pipeline Project
Enron’s agreement from 1996 (see June 24, 1996) to develop natural gas with Uzbekistan is not renewed. Enron closes its office there. The reason for the “failure of Enron’s flagship project” is an inability to get the natural gas out of the region. Uzbekistan’s production is “well below capacity” and only 10 percent of its production is being exported, all to other countries in the region. The hope was to use a pipeline through Afghanistan, but “Uzbekistan is extremely concerned at the growing strength of the Taliban and its potential impact on stability in Uzbekistan, making any future cooperation on a pipeline project which benefits the Taliban unlikely.” A $12 billion pipeline through China is being considered as one solution, but that wouldn’t be completed until the end of the next decade at the earliest. [Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections, 10/12/1998]
Entity Tags: Taliban, China, Uzbekistan, Enron Corporation
June 1998: State Department Warns that Bin Laden Might Target Civilian Aircraft
The State Department warns Saudi officials that bin Laden might target civilian aircraft. Three State Department officials meet Saudi officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and pass along a warning based on an interview bin Laden had just given to ABC News . In the interview, bin Laden threatened to strike in the next “few weeks” against “military passenger aircraft” and mentioned surface-to-air missiles. The State Department warns the Saudis that bin Laden does “not differentiate between those dressed in military uniforms and civilians” and there is “no specific information that indicates bin Laden is targeting civilian aircraft.” However, they add, “We could not rule out that a terrorist might take the course of least resistance and turn to a civilian [aircraft] target.” NBC News will note that the 9/11 Commission “made no mention of the memo in any of its reports… It is unknown why the [Commission] did not address the warning.” [New York Times, 12/9/2005; MSNBC, 12/9/2005]
Entity Tags: US Department of State, Saudi Arabia, Osama bin Laden
Category Tags: Warning Signs, Counterterrorism Action Before 9/11
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
1993 WTC Bombing (73)1993 Somalia Fighting (13)1995 Bojinka Plot (78)1998 US Embassy Bombings (121)Millennium Bomb Plots (43)2000 USS Cole Bombing (114)2001 Attempted Shoe Bombing (23)2002 Bali Bombings (36)2004 Madrid Train Bombings (82)2005 7/7 London Bombings (87)
Miscellaneous Al-Qaeda Issues
Alleged Al-Qaeda Linked Attacks (89)Alleged Al-Qaeda Media Statements (102)Key Captures and Deaths (124)
Geopolitics and Islamic Militancy
US Dominance (112)Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links (255)Iraq War Impact on Counterterrorism (83)Israel (61)Pakistan and the ISI (470)Saudi Arabia (249)Terrorism Financing (312)Londonistan - UK Counterterrorism (322)US Intel Links to Islamic Militancy (69)Algerian Militant Collusion (41)Indonesian Militant Collusion (20)Philippine Militant Collusion (74)Yemeni Militant Collusion (47)Other Government-Militant Collusion (23)
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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A True Songbird – Eva Cassidy
Written on December 21, 2015 by ER at 2:29 PM | 0
In Memoriam, Music
“You left in autumn, the leaves were turning
I walk down roads [of] orange and gold
I see your sweet smile, I hear your laughter
You’re still here beside me every day . . .
‘Cause I know you by heart . . . “
In November of 1996 the world said goodbye to the great talent that was Eva Cassidy. At the age of just 33, after a short battle with cancer, she passed away in her family home in Maryland US. Eva’s fame would only continue to grow after her death, as new generations discovered her beautiful, soulful voice, and effortless harmonies.
Born in Washington, on February 2nd 1963, Eva Marie Cassidy, was the 3rd child of Hugh and Barbara. Both her Father and her younger brother Danny shared her love of music, with Danny taking up the fiddle around the same time as Eva started singing and playing the guitar. The two were in a band together from a young age, although originally Eva struggled with her shyness, and felt uncomfortable performing in front of strangers. During high school she joined a local band named Stonehenge, and in 1986 she attended Black Pond Studios as a favour to fellow band member, and friend David Lourim, in order to record some vocals for his musical project, it was this which led to her introduction to Al Dale, who would go on to become her manager. Eva first found work as a session singer, singing back up vocals for various bands. However she soon formed The Eva Cassidy band, and began to perform around the Washington area.
The major breakthrough for Eva came in 1992, when she was asked to record a duet album with Chuck Brown, the album named The Other Side turned out to be the only studio album she would ever release during her lifetime. With it came the cover of a song which would go on to be one of Eva’s most famous Over the Rainbow. The Washington Area Music Association honoured her in 1993 with a WAMMIE award, in the Vocalist/Jazz Traditional music category. The following year she was presented with another 2 awards. A live album recorded at The Blue’s Alley in Washington was released in 1996, although Eva had originally been reluctant to release the recording, a technical glitch had meant that out of 2 nights worth of recordings, only 1 was useable, and Eva felt she hadn’t sounded her best due to suffering with a cold at the time. She need not have worried, the album was very well received by both critics and the public, and propelled her musical talent far beyond Washington.
Unfortunately Eva was unable to enjoy her success. She had been plagued with ill health, and various physical problems for some time. In 1993 she’d had a malignant mole removed from her back, and in the months running up to and during the recording of the live album she’d noticed a persistent aching in her hips, she had even taken to using a cane to aid her during gigs. Xrays revealed a hip fracture and surgery was scheduled for August 21st 1996. Pre op tests revealed cancer in a lung, and further investigations carried out at John Hopkins University confirmed that the cancer had spread throughout Eva’s bones. It was at this point she was told her cancer was terminal; she had just months to live. Eva started an intensive course of chemotherapy, determined to fight, and to ride her bike again, and take trips to the countryside with her beloved mom, with whom she’d shared a tradition of taking Sunday trips out surrounded by nature. However it simply wasn’t meant to be.
In the early autumn of 1996 Eva gave her last public appearance at a benefit concert at The Bayou, she closed her set with “What a Wonderful World”. A month before her death she finally recorded a song which she’d previously attempted to record in 1993, it was called “I know you by Heart”, and she sang it alongside her brother Danny playing his violin.
On November 2nd 1996 Eva passed away, her wish was to be cremated and for her ashes to be scattered by the lake in St Mary’s River Watershed Nature Reserve in Maryland.
Eva Cassidy has released 10 albums posthumously, and even bagged herself a number 1 in the UK with a duet of What a Wonderful World with Katie Melua, 11 years after her death. Her voice continues to enchant the hearts of those who listen to her singing.
Below is a link to the recording of “I know you by Heart”
Quetzalcóatl Meso-American God
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Jamie Kennedy's favorite movie review site
David Cornelius's Reviews
[ascending | descending]
David Cornelius's
Christmas with the Kranks 12/23/04
Resident Evil 12/29/04
War of the Planets 11/14/05
American Pie Presents Band Camp 12/30/05
Dracula 3000 12/04/04
Surviving Christmas 12/20/04
SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 12/14/04
Benji: Off the Leash! 12/14/04
Highwaymen 12/14/04
Saw 12/14/04
Blade 12/14/04
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid 12/20/04
Napoleon Dynamite 12/20/04
Village, The 1/10/05
Lil' Pimp 1/12/05
Touch of Pink 1/12/05
Without a Paddle 1/12/05
Stella Street 1/14/05
Catwoman 1/17/05
Alien vs. Predator 1/24/05
September Tapes 1/24/05
Back By Midnight 1/27/05
Guess Who 8/02/05
Notebook, The (2004) 2/10/05
Taxi (2004) 2/17/05
Torque 2/25/05
White Chicks 2/25/05
My Baby's Daddy 2/25/05
Van Helsing 2/25/05
DC 9/11: Time of Crisis 2/25/05
You Got Served 2/25/05
New York Minute 2/25/05
Never Die Alone 2/25/05
Ned Kelly (2004) 2/25/05
Garfield: The Movie 2/25/05
What the Bleep Do We Know!? 3/10/05
Pirate Movie, The 3/22/05
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers 3/29/05
Breakin' 4/03/05
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo 4/03/05
Ice Princess 4/05/05
Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker! 4/08/05
Go Further 5/04/05
House of Wax (2005) 5/12/05
Are We There Yet? 5/24/05
D.E.B.S. 6/05/05
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace 6/17/05
Steel 6/17/05
Amazing Spider-Man, The (1977) 6/18/05
Diary of a Mad Black Woman 6/29/05
War of the Worlds (pendragon) 7/01/05
Fantastic Four (2005) 7/16/05
Man of the House (2005) 7/19/05
Bride & Prejudice 7/20/05
King's Ransom 7/23/05
XXX: State of the Union 7/23/05
Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls 7/25/05
Muppets' Wizard of Oz, The 8/06/05
Monster-in-Law 8/30/05
Sound of Thunder, A 9/10/05
Palindromes 9/10/05
See Arnold Run 9/20/05
Paper Clips 10/27/05
Ringers: Lord of the Fans 11/21/05
Kong: King of Atlantis 11/21/05
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo 11/28/05
Dirty Love 11/28/05
King of the Lost World 12/01/05
Red Eye 1/05/06
Transporter 2 1/07/06
Hoodwinked 1/19/06
Underworld 1/19/06
Underworld: Evolution 1/19/06
Waiting... 1/30/06
Pink Panther, The (2006) 2/10/06
Naked in the 21st Century 3/01/06
Dark September Rain 3/02/06
Crash (2005) 3/04/06
Shaggy Dog, The (2006) 3/10/06
Spymate 3/30/06
Benchwarmers, The 4/06/06
Dr. Dolittle 3 4/22/06
RV 4/27/06
Grandma's Boy 5/06/06
American Soldiers 5/10/06
Jake's Booty Call 5/10/06
Da Vinci Treasure, The 5/19/06
Bloodrayne 5/21/06
X-Men: The Last Stand 5/31/06
Nacho Libre 6/17/06
Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic 6/22/06
Queer Duck: The Movie 7/14/06
She's the Man 7/18/06
Lady in the Water 7/21/06
Clerks II 7/25/06
Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector 7/31/06
Barnyard 8/03/06
Bring It On: All or Nothing 8/09/06
Date Movie 8/09/06
Zoom 8/14/06
Karate Dog 8/21/06
Crossover 9/01/06
Just My Luck 9/11/06
Stick It 9/18/06
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties 10/07/06
Click 10/08/06
Behind Enemy Lines 2: Axis of Evil 10/17/06
Rest Stop 10/17/06
Keeping Up with the Steins 10/31/06
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan 11/07/06
American Pie Presents The Naked Mile 12/20/06
National Lampoon's Pledge This! 12/27/06
Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold, The 12/31/06
Like Mike 2: Streetball 12/31/06
Happily N'Ever After 1/04/07
Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon 1/12/07
Farce of the Penguins 1/26/07
Incubus (2007) 1/30/07
Prey 2/06/07
Disaster! 2/06/07
Gathering, The 2/06/07
One Night With the King 2/13/07
Vulgar 2/14/07
Failure to Launch 2/24/07
Bridge to Terabithia 2/27/07
Before the Music Dies 3/02/07
State's Evidence 3/05/07
Flight of Fury 3/09/07
Machine 3/14/07
300 3/16/07
Last Mimzy, The 3/27/07
Funny Money (2007) 4/08/07
Next 4/27/07
Condemned, The 4/27/07
Illegal Aliens 4/30/07
Wasabi Tuna 5/07/07
Creepshow 3 5/15/07
Astro-Zombies 5/27/07
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer 6/18/07
Transmorphers 7/06/07
Bridge, The (2006) 7/14/07
Ghost Gate 7/18/07
Demon Hunting 7/18/07
Bratz: The Movie 8/03/07
Reef, The (2006) 10/16/07
Return to House on Haunted Hill 10/23/07
Troll 11/14/07
Troll 2 11/14/07
Juno 12/10/07
American Pie Presents Beta House 12/27/07
Die You Zombie Bastards! 12/28/07
Bunny Whipped 12/28/07
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry 1/14/08
All In (2006) 1/22/08
Knowing 3/20/09
Speed Racer (2008) 5/09/08
April Fool's Day (2008) 5/12/08
Hottie & the Nottie, The 5/19/08
Big Heart City 6/19/08
Vantage Point 7/17/08
Mamma Mia! 7/21/08
Onion Movie, The 7/28/08
Asian Stories 9/23/08
Interception 2/15/09
Miss March 3/13/09
Last House on the Left, The (2009) 3/14/09
Hangover, The 6/19/09
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 6/26/09
Planet 51 11/25/09
Spy Next Door, The 1/20/10
Last Song, The 3/31/10
Clash of the Titans (2010) 4/02/10
Death at a Funeral (2010) 4/16/10
Nature of Existence, The 6/26/10
Last Airbender, The 7/13/10
Rock Slyde 8/25/10
Interview with the Assassin 12/04/04
Alexander 12/02/04
Curious George 2/11/06
Polar Express, The 12/02/04
I, Robot 12/14/04
Blade: Trinity 12/14/04
Blade II 12/14/04
King Arthur (2004) 12/20/04
Manchurian Candidate, The (2004) 12/20/04
Troy 1/06/05
Mulan 2 1/29/05
Mr. 3000 2/01/05
Balto 3: Wings of Change 2/01/05
Glass Trap 8/02/05
2 Fast 2 Furious 2/27/05
6th Day, The 2/27/05
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) 3/01/05
Elvis Has Left the Building 8/02/05
Mickey 3/07/05
Passion of the Christ, The 3/10/05
Mansquito 3/14/05
Malevolence 4/16/05
Cat and Mouse 4/29/05
White Noise 5/17/05
Transporter, The 5/31/05
Mean Machine 6/04/05
Longest Yard, The (2005) 6/05/05
Madagascar 6/05/05
Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D, The 6/10/05
Man-Thing 6/18/05
Immortal (Ad Vitam) 6/19/05
Blast (2005) 7/19/05
Beauty Shop 8/20/05
Stitch: The Movie! 8/24/05
Bingo (2005) 8/27/05
Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch 8/27/05
Frankenstein (2004) 9/10/05
Corpse Bride 9/27/05
Dracula's Daughter 10/12/05
Fog, The (2005) 10/14/05
Defender, The 11/14/05
Son of Kong 11/22/05
Kronk's New Groove 12/08/05
Godzilla: Final Wars 12/10/05
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The 12/10/05
Land of College Prophets, The 12/16/05
King Kong (2005) 12/16/05
Brokeback Mountain 1/04/06
Hustle & Flow 1/05/06
Annapolis 1/27/06
Firewall 2/09/06
Ultimate Avengers: The Movie 2/20/06
I Love Your Work 3/23/06
Lincoln and Lee at Antietam: The Cost of Freedom 3/24/06
Ice Age: The Meltdown 4/03/06
Last Drop, The 4/17/06
Wild, The 4/20/06
Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children 4/24/06
Awakening, The (2006) 4/29/06
Da Vinci Code, The 5/19/06
Over the Hedge 5/19/06
Dave Barry's Complete Guide To Guys 5/27/06
Big White, The 6/05/06
Bloodsuckers 6/24/06
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School 7/03/06
Road House 2 7/13/06
Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! 7/15/06
Edison Force 7/17/06
Ant Bully, The 7/27/06
Ultimate Avengers 2 7/31/06
Night Listener, The 8/03/06
CSA: The Confederate States of America 8/08/06
Snakes on a Train 8/14/06
Gridiron Gang 9/14/06
Open Season 9/28/06
Shadowboxer 11/04/06
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Thief Lord, The 12/31/06
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Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms 2/06/07
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Always Will 2/24/07
Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road 2/25/07
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GamerZ 3/05/07
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After the Wedding (2007) 4/24/07
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Shark Is Still Working, The 5/31/07
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42 Story House 6/19/07
Live Free or Die Hard 6/27/07
Big Nothing 6/28/07
Never Say Macbeth 7/06/07
In Search of Mozart 7/17/07
Hairspray (2007) 7/20/07
Yo-Yo Girl Cop 7/21/07
Ever Since the World Ended 7/25/07
Shredderman Rules 9/07/07
Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas 9/11/07
I'm Reed Fish 9/24/07
Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy 10/23/07
Myth, The 11/13/07
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Futurama: Bender's Big Score! 11/29/07
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story 12/27/07
Wool 100 1/03/08
Charlie Wilson's War 1/05/08
Rambo 1/26/08
Spiderwick Chronicles, The 2/28/08
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Ruins, The 4/17/08
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Women in Boxes 6/16/08
She Unfolds by Day 6/19/08
Hancock 7/07/08
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl 7/07/08
Hellboy II: The Golden Army 7/11/08
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Detective School Dropouts 7/30/08
Batman: Gotham Knight 8/15/08
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I Think We're Alone Now (2010) 8/27/08
Able Danger 11/25/08
Happy Holidays 12/01/08
Milk 12/22/08
Tale of Despereaux, The 1/29/09
Coraline 2/28/09
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Observe and Report 4/17/09
17 Again 4/17/09
In Love We Trust 6/03/09
Window, The (2009) 8/11/09
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Longest Day, The 12/04/04
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Home TOP STORIES FEATURES House Hunters
August 2, 2006 Maria Muro 4
Investors continue to look for deals in neighborhoods they expect to revive the fastest
When residents in most flooded neighborhoods were just beginning to gut their homes last fall, the signs dotting the neighborhood were tempting: “We Buy Flooded Homes–Any Condition.”
Real estate speculators like Ted Davis blanketed Broadmoor, Lakeview and Mid-City with the fliers, hoping to snap up properties at fire sale prices, fix them and sell them at a premium. “It doesn’t have to be flooded,” Davis said in January. “We just want to buy them at 50 cents on the dollar. That’s our goal, flooded or unflooded, whether it needs work or not. It doesn’t matter as long as we get a decent deal.”
Fast-forward eight months and Davis is still looking for deals among the ruins, but now they’re tougher to find in hot spots that are clearly coming back to life.
“Properties have been going up and up,” said Davis, chief executive officer of Solid Rock Investments LLC. “It is harder to get something cheap. Something that you bought for $100,000 five or six months ago, that same property would be between $150,000 and $200,000 now.”
That’s just one of several surprises in the city’s perplexing new real estate market. Sales volumes and home prices for the metro area spiked dramatically during the first half of the year despite the massive destruction following Hurricane Katrina. The average cost of a home in the metro area surged almost 15 percent to $221,244, compared with $193,097 in the same period in 2005, according to statistics compiled by the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors.
Speculators or investors?
There are several reasons for the increase, real estate experts say. The lack of housing overall is driving up demand for move-in ready homes. Displaced residents are buying in unflooded areas where properties are commanding a premium.
The average price for a home in dry neighborhoods of Orleans Parish has skyrocketed 26 percent since the storm, according to a published report compiled by researcher Wade Ragas. Prices for homes in damaged areas fell by 48 percent compared with pre-Katrina sales.
Speculators are buoying prices for damaged homes, but industry watchers say it’s too soon to gauge their impact. For one, bargain hunters typically buy directly from owners so the transactions don’t show up on industry listing databases. Yet, some brokers are fielding calls from out-of-state investors, but they say these are rare. Paul Gilmore, president of Paul Gilmore & Associates Inc., says he represents three out-of-state companies and three individuals who have a total of $25 million in damaged properties purchased or under contract since the storm.
“Several of the investors or investor representatives will move to New Orleans…live in one of the renovated properties while they supervise construction and possibly acquire more,” Gilmore says. Latter & Blum Realtor Kelli Wright represents a Washington firm looking to sell 11 properties under renovation. The company bought nine in Broadmoor where flooded homes are selling at 50 cents to 60 cents on the dollar. Wright, who is also the repopulation chairwoman for the Broadmoor Improvement Association, says that company is by far the exception. Most buyers are residents tempted by deals in their own neighborhood. “Broadmoor people are snapping them up,” she says.
Joe Ory, broker for RE/MAX New Orleans Properties, also sees the city’s rebirth in the hands of local investors who are buying few houses–less than five at a time–in neighborhoods where they already own damaged homes.
“It is the small-time investors who are really cleaning the clock here,” says Ory, who singles out Broadmoor as a particularly active area.
Arthur Sterbcow, president of Latter & Blum, agrees but bristles at the term “speculator.”
“They are people that are local. To them it’s not speculation. They feel like they are buying a heck of a deal,” he says. “I’d call it someone who is extremely confident about the future valuation of that neighborhood as opposed to someone who is speculating or rolling the dice and hoping that they are going to come up lucky.”
Davis of Solid Rock Investments has purchased 20 homes since the storm. He is buying close to the Uptown area between South Claiborne Avenue and Fontainebleau Drive; he has also bought properties in Slidell and Oak Harbor on the North Shore.
He thought he could repair and flip houses in a matter of months, but demand for workers and materials slowed progress and drove up costs. A house on Vincennes Place that had two feet of water for almost two weeks cost $70,000 to repair instead of initial estimates closer to $40,000. Davis bought the 2,200-square-foot house for $180,000. It recently appraised for $390,000. He expects to put it on the market for $340,000. There is little data for sales of repaired homes.
Few are ready for market because of the slow pace of the recovery and increasing pressure on the construction industry. And many investors aren’t selling because they can make more money renting them out.
Local real estate investor George Ruckman says he is much pickier about buying residential property since the storm. He used to buy two to three homes per month before Katrina. He has only bought three this year.
“I think there are people investing cautiously, not heavily. My purchasing is down quite a bit,” Ruckman says.
Part of the reason is that many investors are trying to repair property they already own. Ruckman owns 44 houses and is working to repair 30 to sell or lease. He chose to repair properties in areas he thinks will recover the quickest–Broadmoor, Mid-City and Lakeview.
He recently purchased two houses in Lakeview and one in Mid-City, where he continues to pursue deals. He sees the area along Canal Street from Jefferson Davis Parkway to the cemetery as ripe for investment.
“That’s where I would place money. I think Lakeview will take a while, and I think prices will be down there for at least a year,” he says.
Like many, Ruckman is waiting to see if repaired homes fetch prices close to their pre-Katrina values. “We don’t kno where that is going to end up,” he says. “If something is worth $200,000 before the storm, will it be worth that again at the end of the day?”
Sterbcow, of Latter & Blum, says the rental market is so strong that monthly rates should more than cover any risk in sales prices. A smart investor can afford to hold a property as it appreciates and charge premium rent in the interim.
He sees Mid-City as a smart buy for rental property. The area has been slower to recover because many residents there depended on the tourism, convention and service industries, which are still struggling. He predicts the tourism sector will begin to improve by first quarter 2007, giving owners enough time to make repairs for future tenants.
“Areas that you might not have ever considered before are phenomenal buying opportunities,” he says.
Mervin Jefferson thinks eastern New Orleans is being overlooked by most small investors.
While some are paying as much as $250,000 for gutted homes in premium sections of Lakeview, he says he could buy five for that sum in rebounding subdivisions in the east. He owns 15 homes that were damaged in the storm and has purchased two since Katrina. He is on the hunt for three-bedrooms in the $30,000 to $35,000 range. His goal is to find the cheapest houses in the most expensive neighborhoods before the storm.
“I’m just taking the chance that it is going to pay off in three to five years,” he says. “New Orleans will come back, why not get in on the ground floor?”
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Home HEALTH DOCTOR PROFILES Javier Perez, M.D.
June 22, 2011 Jamie Lober 0
Javier Perez, M.D.
Dr. Javier Perez places great value on his family both at home and in the office.
In his personal life, he became the proud father of twins four months ago. Since his wife is a doctor as well, they dedicate the weekends to their babies and make time to walk and jog in the park. Perez’s office family consists of a mix of pregnant and non-pregnant patients. “I like both and I try to be there for them, help them and teach them as much as I can,” said Perez.
For many patients, Perez is a one-stop shop. “A lot of times I serve as a counselor and even though I am the gynecologist, patients see me for everything,” said Perez. Young patients inquire about birth control and Perez talks about the risks and benefits of each method to help them make the best decision. The Gardasil vaccine, which was created for the human papilloma virus to lower the risk of cervical cancer and warts in females, is another hot topic. “In menopause, patients ask about technique to improve their sex life, and I also see a lot of patients with menstrual irregularities, which is heavy cycles,” said Perez. Women are not afraid to ask questions, a development Perez views positively. “The patient nowadays knows a lot more than 30 years ago, which I think is an amazing, big advance.”
Perez stresses the importance of having a strong relationship with an obstetrician/gynecologist and engaging in preconception counseling to prevent birth defects. “Having a baby is not easy,” said Perez. Perez helps women take charge of their health by teaching them how to do a breast exam and how to recognize signs of problems, such as breast lesions or sexually transmitted infections. “Try to use condoms and stay away from high risk behavior,” said Perez. Patients who stay healthy come in for an annual exam. “They are the ones who do the pelvic exam, the Pap smear every one to two years and know what is happening in their body better,” he said.
Women’s bodies undergo changes in time. “As a woman ages and gets closer to menopause, her cycles can be irregular because of the hormonal changes,” said Perez. Bothersome symptoms like night sweats and insomnia can be improved. Advances in the field have helped women live with greater ease. “For heavy cycles, there are new techniques like endometrial ablation, intrauterine devices, robotic surgery and uterine artery embolization,” said Perez. There are also improvements in surgeries for stress incontinence and pelvic prolapse. “Before, usually the doctor was the one who decided and patients had no opinion but nowadays we want the patient to be involved in her treatment and in the decisions.”
Patients should refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy diet and try to exercise three times a week. They should also do their research. “Be careful with the television commercials, especially with drugs for losing weight, because those medications are not FDA-approved and have not been studied in the proper way,” said Perez.
As a busy man himself, Perez practices what he preaches and is thankful he can help people every day. “My grandfather, my mom’s dad, was a veterinarian and since I was young I liked science classes, so I was always between being an obstetrician/gynecologist or a veterinarian,” he said. After his rotation in obstetrics/gynecology, Perez fell in love with the diversity of being able to do office visits, surgeries and ultrasounds all in one week. “Patients are being honest, and I really appreciate that. My job is rewarding.”
-Jamie Lober
4000 Bienville Street, Unit B
www.crescentcityphysicians.com
BOARD CERTIFICATION:
Universidad Central del Caribe, Puerto Rico
PHILOSPHY:
“I try to help people and try to be happy and try to disperse happiness to my patients, and the most important thing to me is to be responsible with my patients.”
General obstetrics/gynecology
next Jill Lindberg, M.D.
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Young Dem Challenging Sen. Flanagan For 2nd District Seat
June 02, 2016 / James Kelly
By Jano Tantongco
jtantongco@longislandergroup.com
Peter Magistrale
Peter Magistrale, a 24-year-old accountant and Democrat who says he’s ready to tackle corruption in Albany while closing tax loopholes that could translate to relief for middle class taxpayers, is challenging incumbent Sen. John Flanagan for his seat in the state’s 2nd District.
Flanagan, of East Northport, a Republican and majority leader of the senate, was first elected to the seat in 2002.
His challenger, Magistrale, of St. James, announced his campaign last week, filing nominating petitions with New York State Board of Elections on May 17. The Hofstra University graduate earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2012, and a master’s degree in taxation the next year.
While he said experience is, no doubt, important, Magistrale said he values “political courage” more.
“It’s more important in an environment where corruption is so systemic,” he said. “I’m going to bring the courage of ending what is quite simply just an unacceptable condition.”
Rich Schaffer, chairman of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee, said on Wednesday that the committee endorses Magistrale for the 2nd District.
Schaffer said he told Magistrale that the race would be “daunting” since Flanagan has long held the seat and is now majority leader, but Magistrale was undeterred.
“He’s a very bright energetic young man,” Schaffer said. “I’m excited about him as a candidate and as a future leader on the island.”
Magistrale’s platform is based on four primary points.
Magistrale aims to close a “carried interest loophole” that he claims allows investment firm managers to pay half the taxes they should be. He claims that, by closing the loophole, it could raise $3.7 billion each year, which, he estimates, would be enough to fund a tax cut of about $1,000 for middle-class families in the state earning between $75,000 and $220,000.
Second, he hopes to establish a publicly-financed campaign system that provides public funding based on a 6-1 ratio -- $6 in public money for every $1 in private contributions -- similar to New York City’s Matching Funds Program.
“The whole point of this is to combat the influence of big money donors, which is a real problem in the state government,” Magistrale said.
Third, he seeks to eliminate the controversial Common Core Curriculum, which he said is both “highly flawed” and forced upon taxpayers. Common Core, a national curriculum was first adopted by the state in 2010. Magistrale said he would support a new method of testing if it was grounded in “evidence.”
“Common Core was never tested,” he said. “It was the first time for everybody, instead of having a pilot program.”
Fourth, he wants to go after “severe amounts of fraud and waste,” specifically citing Medicaid. He claims up to 15 percent of Medicaid payments are fraudulent or wasteful.
“If we were to make a concerted effort to find 10 or 12 percent, we could raise close to $2 billion that’s being lost,” Magistrale said.
With half of those funds, he said the state could cut SUNY tuition for every undergraduate by $2,000, adding that he would channel the remaining billion into public schools.
“We can take common sense action,” he said. “We can reduce taxes by $1,000 for the vast majority of the residents of Northport, Greenlawn and Melville.”
To unseat the incumbent, Magistrale said he plans to rally a coalition that includes local democrats; Stony Brook University and Farmingdale State College students; those who oppose the Common Core Curriculum; and Republicans who oppose corruption and are willing to cross party lines.
June 02, 2016 / James Kelly/ Comment
No Tax Breaks For Planned Elwood ...
State: Town’s Del Vino Ruling ...
Check out the newest issue, published july 11, 2019.
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Morris faces tough challenge vs. Crete-Monee
Redskins hope to improve to 2-1 on season
The Morris football team will take on Crete-Monee on Friday night at home. Morris enters the game with a 1-1 record and Crete-Monee is 0-2.
The Morris defense has been a bright spot so far this season, but it will be tested Friday against Crete-Monee.
MORRIS — The Morris football team is hoping rinse the bad taste of last week's 28-7 loss to Class 5A No. 1 Washington out of its mouth Friday, but it won't be easy.
The Redskins (1-1) take on Crete-Monee, which enters the game with an 0-2 record. However, Morris coach Alan Thorson knows that the Warriors' record is misleading. They have lost to Lincoln-Way East and Brother Rice.
"They're 0-2, but we aren't lookng at that at all," Thorson said. "Look at the two teams they have played already. Lincoln-Way East is the defending Class 8A champ and they are ranked nationally, and Brother Rice is a top-15 team in Illinois, regarless of class.
"From what we have seen on film, Crete-Monee is a good team. They have some big boys and lots of speed."
One of the big boys Thorson mentioned is Deion Harry, who is 6-foot-6 and listed at 260 pounds. Harry will see time at defensive end, middle linebacker and tight end, and has several Division I offers, including Oregon State.
But Harry is hardly a one-man show.
"The hardest thing for us is to simulate their speed in practice," Thorson said. "We always do a good job of preparing and we have had a good week of practice, but until you get on the field with them, it's hard to know exactly how fast they are. We know their defense is going to fly to the ball, and we have to be as quick as we can."
What is more important to Thorson than what Crete-Monee brings to the table is how his own team performs, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
"Even though we have had good practices this week, the true test will be how we respond Friday under the lights," he said. "No one is happy coming off a loss. But, we have to learn from it and move forward.
"We have to focus on everything, but the target is on our offense to see if they can get back on track after last week. Washington is a good team, and they had something to do with us not moving the ball well, but we still need to perform better. And, even though our defense has been pretty good the first two weeks, we can't get lazy on defense or special teams. They do a lot of things on special teams that we need to prepare for, and their offensive guys are very fast."
Although it is just the third game of a nine-game season, Thorson knows that this game is big for the Redskins, especially with a grueling Northern Illinois Big 12 East schedule coming up.
"This game is big for both teams," he said. "There's a big difference for us being 2-1 and being 1-2 heading into conference play. And, Crete definitely doesn't want to start out 0-3. We both need a win this week and they are going to give us everything they've got. We have to be prepared to answer that.
"The biggest thing is that we need to be consistent. We have to carry over what we do in practice to game night. We can't have the mistakes we had last week. We aren't going to change our scheme, but we have to execute what we do a lot better."
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Institution: NYU Steinhardt - Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions
Position: Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Non-Tenure Track
The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development invites applications for a full-time, non-tenure track Visiting Music Assistant Professor position in Music Theory to begin September 2019. The appointed faculty member will join the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions. We are committed to substantially increasing the proportion of our faculty from historically underrepresented groups as we strive to create the most intellectually diverse, inclusive, and equitable institution that we can, and we highly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply.
A master’s degree in music theory pedagogy or a doctoral degree in music theory are required, but applicants with ABD status in a music theory PhD program will also be considered. Candidates must possess strong musicianship skills, demonstrate effective pedagogical skill in the classroom, and be willing to collaborate with faculty on ongoing curricular development and program initiatives. Candidates with a combination of professional experience and a proven record of research and publications in the field of music theory will be considered.
Steinhardt seeks candidates who are music theorists and who have a strong interest in music theory pedagogy. Special consideration will be given to candidates who have a record of particularly creative, innovative, and effective classroom teaching in music theory and aural skills, and those who have experience working with diverse populations. NYU's Steinhardt Music and Performing Arts Professions functions as NYU's “school” of music and has developed into a major research and practice center in music technology, music business, music composition, film scoring, music performance practices, performing arts therapies, and the performing arts-in-education (music, dance, and drama). Our degree programs—baccalaureate through doctorate—integrate performance, research, technology, and practice in an environment that fosters creative cross-program collaborations. The music theory program serves this diverse department by providing a wide array of core and elective courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, is actively involved in mentoring and supervision of graduate studies, and plays an important role in the department’s research agenda.
Teaching responsibilities may include undergraduate core courses in music theory and aural skills, and graduate seminars in the area of the candidate’s research specialization. Administrative and service responsibilities include contributing to the program in areas reflective of applicant’s strength; participate in the advancement and administration of the program and department, and engage in faculty meetings, committees, and other services relative to the University.
Salary Range: unspecified
Please apply online with a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching statement, diversity statement (describing how you address diversity and inclusion in the scope of your teaching and broader work), and names and contact information for three referees to upload confidential letters. Optionally, it is highly recommended that you include a teaching video with your application materials, if available.
APPLICATION FORM: https://apply.interfolio.com/62814
Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For best consideration, materials should be submitted no later than May 10th, 2019
Additional information about the position can be obtained from Panayotis Mavromatis, search committee chair, pm68@nyu.edu.
Steinhardt: Our mission is to advance knowledge, creativity, and innovation at the crossroads of culture, education, and human development. We have award-winning faculty and alumni engaged in ground-breaking research and artistic creation, at the cutting edge of their professions. The Department of Music and Performing Arts and Professions is part of an urban university concerned with the multiethnic, multicultural issues and challenges that characterize New York City and other urban environments around the world.
NYU is an EOE/AA/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disabled/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Employer.
NYU's dynamic Global Network University includes NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU Shanghai, and international programs and academic centers around the world. NYU Steinhardt faculty may have the opportunity to engage in research and teaching at these global study and research sites.
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Images of Civil Conflict: One Early Muslim Historian’s Representation of the Umayyad Civil War Caliphs
By Kathryn Ann Rose
Master’s Thesis, Miami University, 2011
The Middle East depicted in a 16th century map by Abraham Ortelius
Abstract: This thesis examines the ninth-century Baghdadi scholar al-Tabari and his narrative representation of the three civil war caliphs of the Umayyad era (661-750 CE). It explores this important early Muslim historian’s methodological approach to writing narrative history as a way of understanding his own religio-political world rather than a factual recounting. It argues that al-Tabari’s narrative discussion of the first and last Umayyad civil war caliphs differ from that of the second.
This study reveals that al-Tabari was less concerned with generating caliphal histories as he was with pointing out the lack of stability within the Islamic Empire and associating that instability with the reigning caliph of the time. This study contributes to a more systemized model of source analysis by which modern scholars fruitfully use the historiography of early Arabic/Islamic sources.
Introduction: This thesis is a source-critical study of the ninth-century Baghdadi scholar Abu Ja`far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (d. 923 CE) and his representation of the three rulers, all members of the Umayyad Dynasty, responsible for the first, second, and third fitan of early Islamic history – Mu`awiya b. Abi Sufyan (r. 661 – 680 CE), `Abd al-Malik b. Marwan (r. 685 – 705 CE), and Marwan b. Muhammad b. Marwan (r. 744 – 750 CE), also known as Marwan II or Marwan al-Himaar. It utilizes Khalid Keshk’s narrative-based analysis of three distinct time periods in the life of the caliph Mu`awiya b. Abi Sufyan (r. 661-680 CE). By applying Keshk’s technique to the final two, yet equally important, civil war caliphs of the Umayyad era, this thesis will contribute to a more systemized model of source analysis by which modern scholars can overcome the historiographical concerns of using early Arabic/Islamic sources to discuss a period as early as the Umayyad Dynasty and its involvement in periods of great civil conflict.
Early Islamic history is typically categorized into three periods – pre-Islam, also known as the Jahiliya period or the time of ignorance (before c. 620 CE), formative (c. 600-949 CE) and classical (c. 950-1500 CE). To obtain information regarding these three periods, historically, modern scholars of Islamic history have had to rely heavily on early Muslim historiographical sources. The majority of the commentaries that survive today were generated in the aftermath of the turbulent and controversial period known as the Umayyad era (r. 661 – 750 CE).
Click here to read this thesis from OhioLink
TagsIslam in the Middle Ages • Medieval Historiography • Medieval Middle East • Medieval Military History • Medieval Politics • Ninth Century • Syria • Umayyads
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Who lies in the mortuary chests at Winchester Cathedral?
The remains of several kings of Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, including Edmund Ironside, Cnut and William II Rufus are believed to be in Winchester Cathedral. A new project hopes to uncover their remains after they were scattered about nearly 400 years ago.
Officials at Winchester Cathedral have announced that they will begin a project to analyze the contents of their six mortuary chests. It is believed that the bones of 11 or 12 people are in these chests, including the kings Cynegils (d.643), Cynewulf (d.786), Ecbert (d.839), Æthelwulf (d.858), Eadred (d.955), Edmund Ironside (d.1016), Cnut (d.1035) and William Rufus (d.1100). Also thought to be buried in the chests are Cnut’s wife Emma (d.1052), Bishop Wini (d.670), Bishop Alfwyn (d.1047) and Archbishop Stigand (d.1072).
Historical records indicate that their bones were placed in the mortuary chests around the high altar of the cathedral in the twelfth-century. However, in 1642, at the beginning of the English Civil War, Parliamentarian troops entered the cathedral and toppled the chests in an act of sacrilege. The church officials, who had no way of knowing which bones belonged to who, simply placed them back in six chests.
The officials at Winchester have announced the preliminary findings from the Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit at the University of Oxford. It showed that these bones come from the late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman periods, which is consistent with the historical burial records of the named individuals. More research on these bones will now be carried out by the University of Bristol.
Speaking of this discovery, and the coming project, The Dean of Winchester, The Very Revd James Atwell, said, “This is an exciting moment for the Cathedral when we seem poised to discover that history has indeed safeguarded the mortal remains of some of the early Saxon Kings who became the first monarchs of a united England. Winchester holds the secrets of the birth of the English nation and it does seem that some of those secrets are about to be revealed as future research continues. The presence of the bones in the Cathedral, where they would have been placed near the High Altar and the relics of St Swithun, remind us just how significant the inspiration of the Christian faith was for the foundation of our national life.”
The cathedral notes that recent developments in forensic archaeology means that it is now possible to examine the contents of the mortuary chests with a minimum level of disturbance to the remains. They now hope the new research will record the contents of each chest, determine how many people have remains buried within them, the dates in which they lived, and their physical characteristics, including sex, statute and age at death. They also hope to uncover what else besides mortal remains is inside the chests and why they may have been placed there.
The Project Director is the Cathedral’s Receiver General, Canon Annabelle Boyes. She explains, “This welcome news marks a further stage towards achieving our aspirations to tell the stories of the people who have inspired and been inspired by the Cathedral.”
TagsChurches in the Middle Ages • Medieval Archaeology • Medieval England
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NavyMetalMan
Hell Within - Biography
Band info | Discography | Timeline | Bio and logos | Videos | Trivia | Edit biography | Add logos
Combining the best elements of European death metal, American hardcore, and old school thrash, hailing from Massachusetts, Hell Within are one of the few bands to successfully blend this lethal mix. Add in one of the most versatile vocalists in metal, some of the most intense instrumentalists, and you have yourself one state of the art metal band. Hailed by Metal Hammer magazine and countless e-zines such as The PRP.com, Blabbermouth.net, Hit the Pit.com as the future of thrash metal, Hell Within's time has arrived.
Their debut album "Asylum of the Human Predator," which was released in April of 2005, was received with masses of critical and fan acclaim. A brutal assault on the senses, Asylum is an unrelenting album of furious aggression. Hell Within enlisted Zeuss (Shadow's Fall, Hatebreed, 100 Demons) to mix the affair, making the album twice as deadly. Recorded with longtime producer John Ellis, "Asylum of the Human Predator" is as complete a debut album as one can find. Machine gun intense drums, twin shredding/melodic guitars and vocals that go from blood curdling screams to intricate, lush harmonies complete this recording.
The band filmed a video for "Bleeding Me Black" with directors Ian McFarland and Anthony Moreschi of Killswitch Productions (Since The Flood, Agnostic Front, The Unseen, Cannae, All That Remains), which they released in the fall of 2005.
In support their freshman album "Asylum Of The Human Predator", Hell Within embarked on numerous tours to spread the word. The band toured with such acts as God Dethroned, Nightrange, Manntis, Byzantine and The Autumn Offering.
The band released their second album on May 15th 07 "Shadows Of Vanity" through Lifeforce records. This time around Hell Within tracked yet again with producer John Ellis at Prism Sound Studio Acton, Ma. After searching for the right sound for this album Hell Within recruited Mark Lewis (Devil Driver, Trivium, God Forbid) of Audio Hammer Studios to mix the new album. Then to wrap up the album mastering engineer Tom Morris added the final touches to "Shadows Of Vanity". This team of engineers brought "Shadows of Vanity' to the highest level sonically and helped the band achieve their vision for this album. The album "Shadows of Vanity" takes this bands musicianship and song writing to the next level. Between the highly technical musical structures to song writing that anyone can grab on to. "Shadows Of Vanity" will surely stand apart from the mass of similar albums being released and then break through the current trends.
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The Second Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Nominations Open Now!
The deadline has been extended. New Deadline: July 31, 2012
The Prize consists of two categories:
Purpose of the prize -click here-
NOMINATION GUIDELINES (for both categories: Medical Research and Medical Services) -Click here (pdf)-
SUBMISSION OF NOMINATIONS (for both categories: Medical Research and Medical Services)
Following the Nomination Guidelines, please email or mail your nomination form with attachments to the below address.
The nomination form may be downloaded.
The same form is used for both categories:
Medical Research and Medical Services.
Email and Mailing addresses
Medical Research nominationsHideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Medical Research Selection Committee
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
8 Ichibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8472
E-mail: nh-africa@jsps.go.jp
Medical Services nominationsHideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Medical
Services Selection Committee
Regional Office for Africa, World Health Organization
Cité du Djoué, P.O.Box 06 Brazzaville, Congo
Tel: + (47 241) 39100 / + (242) 665 65 00
E-mail: noguchiprize@afro.who.int
PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIZE
The spread of infectious diseases presents a common threat to all humankind. Mindful that Africa faces this scourge most acutely, the Government of Japan established the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize in July 2006 in memory of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi (1876-1928) whose belief in medical advancement and self-sacrificing activities in Africa remain a beacon of inspiration to all. Guided by these ideals and mindful of the ominous human suffering persisting in Africa, the region facing the most serious health challenge on the globe, the Prize aims to honour individuals with outstanding achievements in the fields of medical research and medical services to combat infectious and other diseases in Africa, thus contributing to the health and welfare of the African people and of all humankind.
The Prize consists of two categories: Medical Research honouring individual(s) andMedical Services honouring individual(s) or organization(s)
The Prize is awarded every five years and the second award will be presented in June 2013. (The first award was presented in 2008.)
Each category of the Prize consists of a citation, a medal and an honorarium of 100 million yen (≒1.18 million dollars).
The selection process comprises two stages, namely: (a) recommendation of a maximum of three candidates by two sub-Committees, one established under the auspices of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the other established under the auspices of the African Regional Office of the World Health Organization (AFRO), which are responsible for the above-mentioned two categories respectively; and (b) finalization of the candidates(s) by the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Committee to be referred to the Prime Minister for final decision.
For General information about the Prize:
Please contact the Office of Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, Cabinet Office
Tel: +81-3-5501-1742, Fax: +81-3-3502-6255
E-mail:g.noguchi-prize@cao.go.jp
Posted by Thripthi Krishna Mohan at 10:52 AM
Labels: Announcements
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Home > The Right to Basic Education and Vuwani
The Right to Basic Education and Vuwani [1]
Thursday 12 May, 2016 - 10:55
According to media, police and government reports, as of Sunday, 8 May 2016, 24 schools had been burnt and/or vandalised in Vuwani, Limpopo. This was allegedly done in protest of a High Court decision that threw out the community’s bid not to be moved into the new Malamulele municipality. These actions have been strongly condemned by most commentators, including political parties, trade unions, civil society, the State and on social media.
Included in the destructive fires that decimated school buildings were toilets, textbooks and furniture. All these things can be rebuilt and replaced in time using a large amount of money, but most critically the (immediate) futures of children and their families have been placed on hold and possibly damaged. This in a province that has been struggling to ensure that black pupils from historically (and currently) marginalised, rural and poor communities have an education that is on par with those in historically more advantaged areas. These schools are mainly located in the Bungeni, Vuwani, Vreboom, Masia and Mashau areas. According to the Department of Basic Education (DBE), 42 664 pupils have been affected by the forced closure of schools in the district. That is 42 664 pupils’ rights to basic education infringed.
On Friday, 6 May 2016, a team from SECTION27 and Basic Education For All (BEFA) set off to Vuwani. We have been working in the province and district for several years trying to ensure that the right to education is realised through the provision of safe toilets, textbooks, furniture and better infrastructure to schools, so were anxious to see for ourselves how bad the damage was and to meet with community members, pupils and educators.
Particularly jarring at one of the first schools, Frank Mukhaswakule Primary School, was the sight of children playing in a playground full of torn textbooks. Behind them silently stood the smouldering edifices of what was once their school.
Estimated costs for the reconstruction of the schools is north of a staggering R400 million, excluding contents, in other words this involves buildings only. To put this in perspective, the Limpopo Department of Education’s (LDoE) 2016/2017 budget that caters for the province’s 4 062 schools is R930 million. The rebuilding of these 24 schools would account for almost half (43 percent) of the budget if the LDoE does not get it from other line items.
Our visit confirmed that some schools that have historically worked with our organisations were among those burnt. This is particularly harrowing given the long and arduous journey some had been through to win the gains, often small, they had achieved.
Work with affected schools
While the plight of Limpopo schools has been met with pessimism in some quarters, our experience has been that there is some hope and lots to fight for. Over the past few years our organisations have worked with Tshinavhe Secondary School, among others. Tshinavhe, with 382 pupils (182 boys and 200 girls), represented everything that is possible when stakeholders work together. The lack of coverage about this is an indictment on all the stakeholders involved. This was a good news story. Through engagement with the DBE and the LDoE, the once dilapidated school, which had overcrowded classrooms, substandard toilets and faced a severe shortage of furniture, gradually improved.
In the past three years, 16 classes, an administration block and a nutrition centre had been built. Its problems with furniture, water and infrastructure became a thing of the past. While challenges still existed in relation to sanitation (some toilets had been built at the bottom of a slope and are negatively affected during the rainy season), the school is on the province’s sanitation plan.
Last week, protestors vandalised the school and burnt a building to the ground. Years of work towards realising quality basic education for pupils, who were already playing catch-up, went up in smoke in an instant.
(Really) compounding already existing problems
However, it is important to note that not all the problems of the LDoE can be placed at the feet of protesting community members in Vuwani. According to Statistics South Africa [2], only about one in 10 (10.8 percent) of schools in Limpopo had access to a library, a quarter (25 percent) had an administration block, less than one in 10 (7.8 percent) had a laboratory and less than three-quarters (67.4 percent) have access to piped water prior to this tragedy. The LDoE further stated that the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) social audit on schools infrastructure in Limpopo found that there was a shortage of 6 217 classrooms in the province.
Furthermore, according to the LDoE budget speech [3], the interim CSIR report highlighted that there was a shortage of 40 448 toilets, the vast majority (33 669) of which were pit latrines that need to be replaced.
The Regulations Relating to the Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure [4] stipulate that schools that do not have power, sanitation and/or a safe water supply should be prioritised by the end of 2016. That’s this year. Vuwani has happened. God knows when this will be possible now.
In addition, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court of Appeal’s December 2015 judgment in the Limpopo textbooks case, which found that every pupil has the right to their full complement of textbooks before the start of the school year, SECTION27 and BEFA have been monitoring textbooks delivery and sending reported shortages to the LDoE. Four years after the first textbooks case and three weeks into the second term of 2016, we have received over 17 000 reported textbooks shortages from three of the five districts in the province we have monitored. We will be visiting the remaining districts in the next couple of weeks.
Another case of a client school
The case of Vhafamadzi Secondary School illustrates the point that problems did exist in Limpopo education. BEFA and SECTION27 have been working with the School Governing Body of the school to improve the infrastructure and sanitation since 2014. The school caters for 844 learners (416 boys and 428 girls). All 24 classrooms were dilapidated prior to the protests. There were dangerous cracks in classroom walls that were placing pupils and educators alike in danger and there was an urgent need for new classrooms. Only three of the classrooms survived the fire(s).
The school had seven new blocks of enviro-loos, which was a major step forward in ensuring the dignity of pupils and teachers but the school’s past is reflective of the challenges that numerous other schools face in the province.
The counter-narrative
While the dominant media narrative about Vuwani has focused on the destruction of state property, it is important to emphasise that the Vuwani community is not homogenous and the BEFA/SECTION27 team in Limpopo came across many concerned parents, teachers and community members that guarded [5] their schools day and night, determined to protect pupils’ right to quality basic education.
Two cases immediately come to mind. Educators, civil society members and community members in Tshipakoni Secondary, a school that had been vandalised and had the staff room partly set alight (it would have been much worse if it weren’t for the heroics of a teacher and a community member who reportedly doused the flames) constantly stood watch over the school and made sure that it wasn’t vandalised any further.
Parents and community members also protected Avhatondwi Primary School. Sadly, arsonists burnt parts of it in the early hours of Saturday morning. It wasn’t because of a lack of trying on the part of the community.
Leaders, including the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, visited parts of Vuwani, highlighting the importance of quick, decisive, collective action. Similarly, throughout our visit, the South African Police Service was heavily present and very helpful.
During his budget speech [3] last month, the MEC for Education in Limpopo, Ishmael Kgetjepe, stated:
“We have in our midst those who for whatever reason decide that the burning and destruction of school facilities is an acceptable way of venting their frustrations. Such people are an enemy to the people and the State itself. They are destroying the future of a generation...”
He stated further:
“Whatever gains, if any, which the perpetrators of these acts might have realised can never be compared with the loss that those learners have suffered. A year lost can never be regained and has set back for a number of years the whole community, the province and the nation.”
Reading these poignant words after the events of Vuwani is heartbreaking.
MEC Kgetjepe, however, goes even further to say:
“We would like to reiterate our position that while we will try our best to prioritise storm-damaged schools, we will however not do the same for schools that are deliberately vandalised and destroyed. We will not be seen to be rewarding anarchy and lawlessness.”
What is clear is that after the dust has settled and the media vans have left, the community of Vuwani and surrounding areas, the State and other stakeholders will have to work together to find sustainable solutions by doing the heavy lifting to get back to zero.
The mother of a Grade 9 pupil, who has been frantically but unsuccessfully searching for an alternative school for her son after Vhafamadzi was burnt, or the parent of a pupil at Avhatondwi Primary School who stood outside, huddled around a fire to try protect the school, do not represent ‘anarchy and lawlessness”, but active citizenry. It is important that a sustainable solution is reached as soon as possible.
Ngqabutho N. Mpofu is the Communications Officer of SECTION27 [6], a legal advocacy organization. This article first appeared in the Daily Maverick [7].
Photo Courtesy: IOL [8]
Source URL: http://www.ngopulse.org/article/2016/05/12/right-basic-education-and-vuwani
[1] http://www.ngopulse.org/article/2016/05/12/right-basic-education-and-vuwani
[2] http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report-92-01-01/Report-92-01-012013.pdf
[3] http://www.limpopo.gov.za/webDocs/Speeches/Education_Budget_Speech.pdf
[4] http://www.equaleducation.org.za/content/2015/02/12/RegsMinimumNormsandStandardsforSchoolInfrastructure.pdf
[5] http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/limpopo/vuwani-residents-form-patrol-groups-for-schools-2018105
[6] http://section27.org.za/
[7] http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/
[8] http://classic.iol.co.za/polopoly_fs/inlpicscopy-of-st-s-vuwanichester2-1.2018148!/image/2977136240.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_600/2977136240.jpg
[9] http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300
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Porch Awnings Experts in Maine
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Featured as one of “India’s Hottest 40 under 40 Business Leaders” in 2014, Ananth has deep expertise in driving performance improvement and product development. He started his career with Mckinsey & Company where he worked for 15 years across four offices (Chicago, Shanghai, Taipei and Chennai). In his most recent role as Director in the company, he was responsible for leading the Product Development practice in Asia and worked with several companies on strategy, operations and organizational models. Ananth Narayanan is the Chief Executive Officer at Myntra and Jabong, the country’s largest online platforms for fashion and lifestyle products. He leads the team with a dedicated mission to disrupt and transform the way fashion is sold and consumed in the country. His aim is to make Myntra the first profitable ecommerce company in India. Under his leadership, Myntra has made two strategic acquisitions – Cubeit, a Bangalore based start-up that facilitates content aggregation on mobile devices and Jabong from Global Fashion Group; making it India’s biggest fashion shopping destination. Ananth leverages his vast experience and knowledge from years in consultancy and managing operations to mentor start-ups. With his financial acumen and marketing insights, he has helped start ups create systems and processes, build stakeholder communities, effectively reach out to markets and scale up their business. A person with a strong commitment to building an entrepreneurial environment in the country, Ananth has helped shape many a new enterprise from seed stage to commercial success. He is also a speaker at various summits organized by premier institutes such as The Economist, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, University of Michigan among others. Ananth has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from University of Madras and a Masters from the University of Michigan, in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. He is on the Industry Advisory Board of University of Michigan’s Tauber Institute.
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Realtors Declare Victory Against Onerous Tax Proposals
ALBANY—Chief officials of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, while not specifically citing the old axiom, did in fact embrace the tried and true sports strategy uttered by many a head coach that “Sometimes a good offense is a good defense.” The recently passed $168.3-billion Fiscal Year 2019 New York State budget did not include…
Falling Residential Inventory Continues to Put Downward Pressure on Home Sales in Hudson Valley
WHITE PLAINS—Sales of residential housing during the first quarter of 2018 in the lower Hudson Valley market served by the Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service, while still strong when compared to the last several years, were flat to somewhat lower as compared to the first quarter of 2017. Sale prices continued to strengthen in all…
Urstadt Biddle Acquires Tanglewood Shopping Center in Yonkers
YONKERS—Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. has acquired the Tanglewood Shopping Center complex on Central Park Avenue here. The Greenwich, CT-based equity REIT acquired the complex from a group of families that were descendants from the original developer of the property, according to James M. Aries, senior vice president, director of acquisitions for Urstadt Biddle. No financial…
Debt, Smaller Down Payments Leave Millennials Vulnerable to Already Challenging Market
SANTA CLARA, CA—Rising interest rates and home prices will cause a resounding majority of millennials to modify their home search, perhaps prompting them to seek a smaller or less expensive home or even consider different neighborhoods, according to a survey released on April 4 by realtor.com. Two factors are contributing to market sensitivity from millennials—their…
‘Elvis’ to Rock the House at ‘Viva Las Vegas’ Event on May 8
NEW ROCHELLE—In a few weeks, “Elvis” will grace the stage at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle when the Hudson Gateway Realtor Foundation presents “Viva Las Vegas,” Tuesday, May 8 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The fundraiser will support charities and non-profit organizations throughout the Hudson Valley and will feature “Elvis” tribute artist…
Latimer Administration, Legislators Reviewing Privatization Deals
TARRYTOWN—While not saying that he intends to scrap any of the public-private partnerships between the county and vendors for the management of Rye Playland and Westchester County Airport, Westchester County Executive George Latimer told a business group gathering recently that both deals are being reviewed by his administration. Latimer, in a speech before trades groups…
Survey: Housing, Economic Sentiment on Divergent Paths
WASHINGTON— New consumer findings from the National Association of Realtors surprisingly show that while a growing share of households in the first three months of the year feel more confident about the economy and their financial situation, those positive feelings are not translating to positive views that now is a good time to buy a…
Passage of Omnibus Spending Bill Critical for Affordable Housing Funding, Flood Reauthorization
WASHINGTON—With six months remaining in the 2018 federal fiscal year the National Association of Realtors supported the passage of the $1.3-billion omnibus appropriations bill that was approved by the U.S. House and Senate on March 22, and signed by President Donald Trump, despite some misgivings, the next day. The measure funds the federal government through…
Former Westchester Deputy County Executive Joins Simone Development
NEW YORK—Former Westchester Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett left his office at the Westchester County Office Building in White Plains in January and has re-surfaced in the executive suite at Bronx-based Simone Development Companies. Simone Development announced on March 28 that Plunkett, who served as Deputy County Executive for two terms in Republican Robert Astorino’s…
HGAR Contingent Presses State Lawmakers On Key Real Estate Legislative Agenda Items
ALBANY—A record number of members of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors traveled to the state capital on March 20 and joined Realtors from across the state to press the industry’s legislative agenda that includes advancing the implementation of a first-time home buyer’s savings account and transparency and disclosure in cooperative housing sales transactions statewide.…
New York City’s Chelsea Market Trades for $2.4 Billion
NEW YORK—Goggle Inc., a major tenant at the property, has acquired the Chelsea Market here from Atlanta-based Jamestown for $2.4 billion. Jamestown announced the closing of the transaction for the nearly 1.2 million square-foot complex on Tuesday. The former Nabisco factory occupies a full block bound by Ninth and Tenth avenues between 15th and 16th…
Lack of Inventory Continues to Dog U.S. and New York State Housing Markets
WASHINGTON—Chief officials with the National Association of Realtors and the New York State Association of Realtors continue to point to low inventory levels as a continuing headwind for the residential sales market. The National Association of Realtors released home sales statistics for the month of February that showed a 3% sales volume increase nationally, however,…
Key State Approval Secured for $40M Hospital Project in Port Jervis
PORT JERVIS—The New York State Department of Health has approved a Certificate of Need for a more than $40-million project at the Bon Secours Community Hospital here. Bon Secours parent Westchester Medical Center Health Network announced the state Department of Health approval on Wednesday. The new project at the border of Orange County and Pennsylvania…
Corruption Conviction Prompts Neuhaus to Call for Power Plant’s Permits
WAWAYANDA—The fallout from the corruption conviction of former Gov. Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco on Tuesday includes some officials from Orange County seeking an investigation or the outright revocation of permits granted for the $900-million CPV Valley Energy Center project here. Joseph Percoco, a former executive deputy secretary to Gov. Cuomo, was found guilty on Tuesday…
Coast Guard Sinks Controversial Hudson River Anchorage Plan for Now
NEW YORK—A coalition of business, political and environmental interests’ lobbying efforts to have the Coast Guard abandon a controversial plan to significantly expand anchorages up and down the Hudson River have borne fruit. The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Tuesday that the establishment of the anchorages was not one of the recommendations in its Hudson…
HGAR, HVEDC Look to ‘Visionaries’ On Future of Region’s CRE Markets
POUGHKEEPSIE—The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, Inc. is co-sponsoring a groundbreaking conference with the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. entitled “Hudson Valley Visionaries: A Look into the Future of Commercial Real Estate” on Thursday, April 12th at the campus of Marist College in Poughkeepsie. The program will feature a panel of commercial real estate investors,…
HGAR to Lobby State Lawmakers On Key Consumer, Industry Bills
ALBANY—A contingent of more than 40 members of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors are expected to travel to the state capital later this month to meet with state lawmakers and advocate for consumer and real estate industry reform legislation. The contingent will be led by Leah Caro and John Olivero, co-chairs of the HGAR…
UPDATE: New Rochelle Mayor Reveals New Downtown High-Rise Tower Projects; City Hall Move
NEW ROCHELLE—In his State of the City address on March 1, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson announced that one $200-million downtown high-rise project is moving forward, and also revealed for the first time another three major high-rise mixed-use high-rise developments for the downtown district. The four developments, when completed, will add well in excess of…
New Rochelle Mayor, RXR Realty Reveal $200M Project Will Move Forward
NEW ROCHELLE—Another major mixed-use high-rise residential project is moving forward here. New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson announced at a business conference on Wednesday that RXR Realty will soon be presenting plans to the city for the long-anticipated development at Church and Division streets. Mayor Bramson and officials with RXR Realty, the master developer for the…
Rockland Co-Op Purchase Reform to Become Law This Summer
NEW CITY—Rockland County Executive Ed Day is allowing the recently passed co-op purchase reform bill to become law, but has requested the County Legislature go further and enact a provision that would require cooperative boards provide a reason for an applicant’s denial. County Executive Day announced that he would leave the bill, sponsored by County…
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CPC Launches Agency Mortgage Lending Subsidiary
Real Estate In-Depth | February 2019
Rafael E. Cestero, president and CEO of Community Preservation Corp.
NEW YORK—The Community Preservation Corporation, a leading non-profit affordable housing and community revitalization finance company, announced on Feb. 12th the launch of CPC Mortgage Company LLC, a subsidiary created solely to focus on the company’s rapidly growing Agency lending business.
CPC Mortgage Company LLC was officially introduced at a reception on Feb. 11th during the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo 2019 in San Diego, CA.
CPC Mortgage Company LLC will offer a suite of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) products for acquisition, refinance, rehabilitation and construction for multifamily properties. This new one-stop shop provides borrowers with a team of experts with deep experience in all aspects of the agency business to ensure that borrowers receive unmatched technical assistance and deal execution, CPC officials stated.
While offering products for a broad range of capital needs including flexible bridge loans, with strong ties to the parent company and its mission, CPC Mortgage Company LLC offers institutional expertise in affordable, stabilized housing and small buildings/small balance loans.
“It was important to us that CPC Mortgage Company not just be successful, but that it helps to further the non-profit mission of CPC and that it’s true to our core values,” said Rafael E. Cestero, president and CEO of CPC. “Having products that target affordable housing and small buildings is a perfect fit. Those are areas where our decades of experience put us in a position to provide unmatched value to our customers and communities.”
CPC is a leader in the multifamily finance industry since its founding in 1974, focusing on the needs of underserved communities and the unique capital challenges faced by owners and managers. CPC started its relationship with Freddie Mac in 1994 as a conventional lender. To help meet the needs of its core constituency of small building owners, the company became a Small Balance Loan seller/servicer in 2015, and soon added both Fannie Mae and FHA licenses.
“The launch of CPC Mortgage Company LLC, brings our trademark dedication and ability to execute to borrowers looking for the opportunities that agency products offer,” said Sadie McKeown, EVP and COO at CPC. “It’s not just about originating—we’re here to build relationships and put our borrowers in the best position to be successful for the long-term.”
For the last two fiscal years, the agency team operated under the CPC umbrella, posted originations in Fiscal Year 2018 at nearly $500 million over a portfolio of 154 loans, it was time to officially launch CPC Mortgage Company LLC as a stand-alone subsidiary, company officials stated.
Since its inception in 1974, CPC has leveraged approximately $10.5 billion in private and public investment to finance more than 193,000 units of multifamily housing. CPC’s work with its partners has helped revitalize numerous neighborhoods and provided quality housing for families, senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities.
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31 Quotes Every 'Baby-Sitters Club' Fan Probably Still Lives By
HPMG
Hit Backspace for a regular dose of pop culture nostalgia.
Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey. Dawn, Mallory, Jessica and Shannon. Abby. Logan!
If these 10 names don't immediately evoke images of sleeping bags, coiled telephone cords, side ponytails and so. much. denim, you are clearly not a literary child of the '90s. Because no young man, woman or child with a library card between 1986 and 2000 was unaware of the girl gang known as The Baby-Sitters Club.
Thanks to a Facebook post from the "BSC" creator herself, author Ann M. Martin, we were alerted to the fact that the very first "Baby-Sitter's Club" book, Kristy's Great Idea, just turned 30 years old.
That means the entire series, with even greater titles like Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls and Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery and Dawn's Wicked Stepsister, is roughly the age of the millennial ladies who grew up with lettered-block cartoons dotting the margins of their super-secret diaries.
To avid fans, the "BSC" series was not just about a group of friends (between 11 and 13 years old) who decided to start a local baby-sitting service in the fictional suburb of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Instead, the books served as textbooks for teenagedom, stuffed with first-hand experiences with friendship, school woes, sibling rivalry, first crushes, parental conflict, death, and so much more. Where would a now 20-something be without the mistakes and life lessons of Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey and co.?
In honor of this blessed day, here are 31 quotes ― because we couldn't quite stop poring over "BSC" gems ― to help true fans celebrate the beauty that is baby-sitting.
-Kristy, Kristy's Great Idea
#1: "I'm like that. I think of something to say, and I say it. I think of something to do, and I do it. Mom calls it impulsive. Sometimes she calls it trouble. But she doesn't just mean trouble. She means trouble."
#2: "Well, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not up to trigonomulus, or whatever it is she does. We can't all be scholars."
-Claudia, Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls
#3: "So, was I ever glad when Claudia told me Kristy wanted to start the club! Friends at last, I thought. And that's just what I found ... They're my friends and I belong with them."
-Stacey, The Truth About Stacey
#4: "Just once I'd like to go to school wearing skintight turquoise pants, Stacey's 'island' shirt with the flamingos and toucans all over it, and maybe bright red, high-top sneakers. I'd like to create a sensation. (Well, half of me would. The other half would be too shy to want to attract any attention.)"
-Mary Anne,
#5: "I loved the beach, I loved the sunshine, I loved the eighty-degree Christmases. Why, I wondered, would anyone want to interrupt all that warmth with three other seasons?"
-Dawn, Dawn and the Impossible Three
#6: "Things could get pretty messy." [Editor's Note: They do.]
-Kristy, Kristy's Big Day
#7 "I have many interests: reading mysteries, baby-sitting, painting, and drawing."
-Claudia, Claudia and Mean Janine
#8: "My parents have let me get away with a lot of things fashion-wise, but they draw the line at two earrings in each ear. They said I would look like a pirate, although I, personally, have never seen a pirate with more than exactly one earring."
-Stacey, Boy-Crazy Stacey
#9: "We're very official and responsible."
-Dawn, The Ghost at Dawn's House
#10: "I started talking to this nice-looking boy who was hanging around on the beach ... We really hit if off ... I don't know if we'll really write to each other (as we promised), but it's nice to know boys aren't aliens from Snorzak or something."
-Mary Anne, Logan Likes Mary Anne!
#11: "Anyway, to get back to the snobs ― I'm surrounded. They're everywhere..."
-Kristy,
#12: "I wondered whether the fly was a boy or a girl. I wondered whether flies have families. I wondered whether flies have family reunions, because family reunions are almost always picnics, and at a flies' picnic, how could you tell the guest flies from the regular, uninvited flies who just want to land on the food for a while?" [Editor's Note: This is, obviously, a metaphor for life.]
-Claudia,
#13: "It's kind of nice to be somebody's favorite person. (But it's scary, too.)"
-Stacey,
#14: "Being eleven is a real trial."
-Mallory, Hello, Mallory
#15: "I like hot weather, not cold, and health food, not junk. And I dress with style, but it's my own style. I'm very independent."
-Dawn,
#16: "If you think about it, ballet is just another kind of language, except that you talk with your body instead of with your mouth."
-Jessi,
#17: "It's a little hard to explain him because I like him so much. Do you know what I mean? I mean that I think everything about him is incredible and handsome and wonderful, and that probably isn't entirely true. So I'll have to try hard to be realistic."
#18: "It is not a nice life." [Editor's Note: "BSC" gets dark, too.]
-Stacey, Stacey's Mistake
#19: "My friends and I, by the way, are more than just friends."
-Claudia, Claudia and the Bad Joke
#20: "Once she's your friend, you've got a friend for life."
-Kristy, Kristy and the Walking Disaster
#21: "I swear, the mall is another world."
-Mallory, Mallory and the Trouble with Twins
#22: "It's funny that us six club members work so well together, because boy, are we different. We have different personalities, different tastes, different looks, and different kinds of families."
-Jessi, Jessi Ramsey, Pet-Sitter
#23: "In my head I understand all the reasons why things are the way they are."
-Dawn, Dawn on the Coast
#24: "Sometimes I think of my friends as family, too. Is that weird? I don't know. But my friends do feel like family."
-Kristy, Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise
#25: "It's just so weird to see your own parents dating."
-Mary Anne, Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger
#26: "My room is only messy because I have to keep so many art materials stored in it."
-Claudia, Claudia and the Sad Good-Bye
#27: "Probably my best feature is my legs."
-Jessi, Jessi and the Superbrat
#28: "I adore Henry and Grace. There's just something wonderful about them ... They look out for each other, they stick up for their friends, and they try very hard never to hurt anybody's feelings."
-Stacey, Welcome Back, Stacey!
#29: "I only write when I feel an urgency, which is often."
-Mallory, Mallory and the Mystery Diary
#30: "Honestly, living with my mother is like living with a very tall child."
-Dawn, Mary Anne and the Great Romance
#31: "Why did we want to catch [the bride's bouquet] so badly? Because there's this belief that if an unmarried woman catches the bride's bouquet after the bride has tossed it, that woman will be the next to get married. Now Mary Anne and I are only thirteen, so we didn't have any plans to get married, but I still thought I should have caught [it.]"
-Dawn, Dawn's Wicked Stepsister
Remembering Robin Williams
https://sites.google.com/site/zetablankenship/book...
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31 Quotes Every 'Baby-Sitters Club' Fan Probably S...
J.K. Rowlingâs 10 Most Inspiring Quotes
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Pennsylvania Receives First Sports Betting Application
B. Solomon, August 23, 2018 8:50 am
Penn National, which operates the Hollywood Casino Penn National Race Course in Grantville, submitted a 107-page application for a Pennsylvania sports betting certificate on Friday, August 17. In the process, the company also became the first applicant for legally licensed sports wagering in the state since the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) began accepting applications on May 31.
Penn National will be required to hand over a one-time fee of $10 million assuming it’s approved for a sports betting license, after which it will have to pay state and local taxes amounting to 36 percent of gross sports revenue. The firm will be allowed to run both a brick-and-mortar and online sportsbook, although the internet-based sports wagering part will have to be conducted through a single “skin.” This means that Penn National won’t be able to create multiple websites with different branding to appeal to various market segments.
According to rules in effect in the state, firms must submit their applications at least 90 days before they intend to open their sportsbook operations. This would put Penn National’s sports betting launch date in the middle of November. However, in the paperwork it submitted, the organization claimed that it will be ready to start taking bets on September 30. The PGCB can waive the 90-day requirement and grant early approval if it wishes to, but there are thus far no indications that it will take this step. Therefore, it will likely be well into the middle of the NFL season, which begins September 6, before Penn begins accepting sports wagers from its customers.
Other news: New Mexico Becomes Sixth State to Launch Sports Betting
Even without a fixed day known for its first bet, however, Penn National’s application marks a milestone in the history of gambling in Pennsylvania, as well as a major development for sports betting across the United States.
Partnership With William Hill
Penn National is partnering with British bookmaker William Hill for its sports betting endeavors. This enterprise has decades of experience not just with its international online sportsbook website but also with running thousands of “High Street” betting shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Through its U.S.A.-facing division, William Hill US, the company also has an extensive presence in the States. It’s the largest sportsbook operator in Nevada with dozens of physical locations and a well-rounded mobile app. It also runs the recently-opened sportsbooks at Monmouth Park Racetrack and Ocean Casino Resort in New Jersey.
In a statement, Penn National’s VP of Marketing Fred Lipkin said:
“Our plan is to locate our sports book in a newly renovated simulcast theater area at Hollywood Casino and the operations will managed by William Hill US, the largest sports betting operator in the United States. Operations are expected to begin later this fall upon final approval by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.”
PA Sports Betting Background
In October 2017, Pennsylvania enacted into law a comprehensive gambling expansion bill. While the legislation did call for more brick-and-mortar gambling, its main focus was online gaming. Casino table games, slots and poker were included. So was sports betting, both live and online, but this portion of the bill was suspended because of the federal prohibition on this form of betting.
Other news: Casino Re-Tendering Process Set to Reshape Macau’s Future
That changed in May with the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the federal ban on new state-licensed sports betting in its Murphy v. NCAA decision. The PGCB hastened to adopt new rules for this activity, and it opened the license application process at the end of the month. Each of Pennsylvania’s 13 casino operators has the right to apply for a sports betting license.
Why No Other Takers?
The online gaming landscape is complex, and there are any number of reasons that could be preventing other corporations from pursuing Pennsylvania sports betting, from the fear of too much competition to difficulties in negotiating with software suppliers. However, one element appears to be most relevant in dissuading would-be sportsbook operators: high taxes and fees.
You see, the Quaker State’s 36% tax rate on gross gaming revenue is much more than in other jurisdictions with sports betting. Nevada’s tax on sports gaming revenue, for instance, is just 6.75%, while taxes on sportsbooks in New Jersey start at 8.5% for land-based betting and rise to 13% for online bookies. A federal excise tax of about 5% is added on top of all these state taxes, so the effective total tax rate on Pennsylvania sportsbook gross revenue is a whopping 41%. The upfront licensing fee of $10 million is also much greater in Pennsylvania than in competing jurisdictions.
A Few Companies Willing to Take the Plunge
Despite the costs of doing business in the regulated Pennsylvania sportsbetting economy, there are a couple of other entities that have expressed their intention to start up sportsbooks in the state. In July, Parx Casino in Bensalem revealed that it had signed an agreement with gaming software house GAN to eventually bring sports betting to the casino’s patrons. In August, Mount Airy Casino in Pocono announced a deal with The Stars Group to achieve similar ends.
Other news: Brazilian Regulated Sports Betting and Online Gambling Makes Progress
Nevertheless, these two enterprises have yet to submit their applications for PA sports betting, perhaps because they both wish to prioritize their other online gaming sites, which they have already completed the application process for. Because it will be virtually impossible to begin to offer betting on sports by the start of 2018’s NFL season, they may be waiting untill 2019 to get their sportsbooks all set up.
Full Speed Ahead for Penn National
Pennsylvania is only one of the states in which Penn National, in conjunction with William Hill US, is deploying new sportsbooks. On Friday, August 17, its Mississippi properties Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast and Boomtown Casino in Biloxi began accepting sporting wagers, while Penn National has also signaled its intention to open sportsbooks at three more of its Mississippi locations by the end of the month. In addition, Hollywood Casino Charles Town in West Virginia is set to debut a new sportsbook at the beginning of September. Needless to say, with more than 30 gaming and racing facilities spread across 15 states, Penn National is well positioned to take advantage of the current boom in state-licensed sports betting.
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St. John's family reacts to closing
By Tim UnruhSpecial to the Salina Journal
Wind pierced the heart of St. John’s Military School’s campus Thursday morning in the wake of bitter news that wafted through one day prior.
Cadets at the private north Salina school quietly conversed among themselves Thursday morning while tromping through skiffs of new-fallen snow on their way to classes and appointments.
Indoors, St. John’s staff fielded phone calls from around Kansas, the nation and world, many of them from families and alumni responding to news that the nearly 131-year-old institution is closing.
The final graduation is May 11.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Ginger Wooten, St. John’s vice president.
“I’m not sure I have words to explain what the last 24 hours has been like,” she said. “There were lots of tears and hugs.”
Money, love, support and encouragement were offered by the extended SJMS family, and some pleaded for reconsideration.
But as shared Wednesday, the St. John’s board of trustees' decision is final, according to Col. William Clark, school president.
Money problems, brought on in part by costly legal issues, and media reports school officials believe damaged the school’s reputation and lowered enrollment, all contributed, they said during interviews over the past week.
The colonel emerged from a long meeting Wednesday impressed and proud of his cadets and others at St. John’s. Clark and others counseled many cadets and employees during the day, and he spoke at an evening service in the campus chapel. He shared written letters from some who put thoughts in writing.
“What we got was an outpouring of love and support,” Clark said of his St. John’s family. “They know this place loves them, but our kids are struggling right now.”
While the planning to unveil the terrible news came off without a hitch, the colonel said he “found no solace” in that success. However, he was impressed by the people in his midst.
“The evening helped me understand the significant impact this school has on these young men,” Clark said.
Options for cadets
Staff members were reaching out to other schools Thursday, most of them military, and also consultants, to provide cadets and their families with educational options for next year, Wooten said.
“We want to finish the year with dignity,” she said.
School officials requested that reporters not seek comment from cadets. Present and former faculty, along with alumni and others flooded the St. John’s Facebook page and used other forms of electronic communication, to express their views.
“The good memories I have of the cadets, faculty and staff will remain, but it’s a shame that greed and hate have caused St. John’s to close,” wrote Paul Sommers, of Salina.
He was a counselor from 1969 to 1979 at the military school, followed by 21 years in Salina public schools.
Sommers said he missed witnessing the brotherhood of those cadets in the sixth through 12th grades.
“They would help each other, encourage and prod each other. They were interested in everybody on their squad succeeding,” he said. “I saw a lot of kids who didn’t want to be there, and later they said ‘thank you so much. I’m ready for life.’ And parents would say, ‘you’ve given me my son back.’ ”
Sommers placed blame on “ambulance-chasing lawyers and media that got their kicks and vented their hate by reporting only one side of a story.
“This school is so desperately needed in a society that has become so confused and upside down that we can't put the sex of an infant on the birth certificate because the child may feel like changing it some day. Much of what Americans once thought to be honorable, morally right and worthy of emulation is quickly being destroyed and replaced by bitterness and revenge.”
Recent grad talks
Reece Turner said he was “surprised and heartbroken” with the news. He graduated SJMS in 2017.
“It’s as much a part of me as anything in my life,” the 19-year-old said Thursday evening after a day of classes at North Greenville University, Tigerville, S.C.
Turner is a sophomore majoring in political science and minoring in English, with a goal of going to law school at the University of South Carolina and becoming a medical malpractice attorney.
Thoughts have been with St. John’s this week. His brother, Ryan Turner, attended the military school as a freshman.
“When I broke the news to my mother (Shirley Turner), she cried a good bit,” Reece Turner said. “It’s such a big loss for my family and for countless other families. I would not be talking to you and attending a university if it wasn’t for St. John’s.”
Asked about legal problems at the school, the former cadet corrected the question.
“I would say alleged problems,” he said. “We knew a lot of the allegations that were brought forth. I personally say it was hearsay. I attended that school for six years and (behavior) was what you would typically see at a public school. I honestly feel St. John’s was singled out because we are a private school.”
At 5-foot-6 and 155 pounds, and a “troubled kid” who grew up mostly in Texas, Turner said he was never bullied, harassed or hazed at SJMS.
“We were a bunch of guys who lived together 24-7, and we gave a lot of crap to each other,” Turner said. “I value the education that I got at St. John’s to the highest. Unfortunately, there is a double standard. I feel like certain media outlets care only about getting the story. This crap happens at high schools all over the country. It happened less at St. John’s with a small body of students.”
He’s concerned that the disciplined style of military school is no longer desired by enough people.
“It’s really a troubling time in the U.S. The type of education that St. John’s provides is not a priority these days,” Turner said.
After his college semester wraps in late April, the young man said he’s driving 17 hours to Kansas to spend some time with friends in Salina and on campus. He will attend the St. John’s commencement on May 11.
“I can think of no other place I’d rather be,” he said.
Staff member reacts
News of the closing was “gut wrenching” to Roy Lawrence, St. John’s director of development and advancement. In his 32nd year at SJMS, Lawrence was a longtime football and basketball coach and athletic director.
“It was almost like you have something yanked away from you, like taking my heart out of my chest,” he said from his office desk Thursday night.
“I tried not to display any reaction (Wednesday), but as the day went on, it hit me,” Lawrence said.
He took calls from alumni and friends, “shared tears” with some Wednesday night, and is looking forward to seeing them at commencement.
One caller wondered if news of the closing was a hoax.
“I said ‘no, it’s for real,’ ” Lawrence said.
Moving from St. Louis, he came to Salina to play basketball at Kansas Wesleyan University, but a car crash ended his athletic career. KWU’s Coach Jerry Jones encouraged Lawrence to apply at St. John’s.
During interviews, he said Col. Keith Duckers, then SJMS president, posed a tough question.
“He said, ‘You’re three years older than my oldest cadet. Why should I hire you?’ I said ‘I will be the best you ever had,’ and I was hired that day back in 1987. Been here ever since.”
At 53, Lawrence is unsure about his future, although he’s already been offered jobs.
“I am so in love with Salina, Kansas,” he said. “I just don’t want to move away. This has been home for me.”
Merchant saddened
Learning of the school’s planned closing was difficult for Margaret Neaderhiser, owner The Tangled Thread, an alterations shop at 106 S. Santa Fe.
The business does tailoring for St. John’s.
“It saddens us for the boys and the employees,” she said.
Tangled Thread has been serving the school some 14 years, handling chores such as taking in and letting out uniforms, and sewing on patches.
“it’s our largest account,” Neaderhiser said. “It has lessoned through the years, but that’s only because of the decline in the number of boys.”
Her company also does work for the Kansas National Guard, Kansas Highway Patrol, Salina Police Department, Salina Fire Department, and other clients with uniforms, including football teams.
“This closing affects so many other businesses, from dry cleaners, the hotels parents stay in, to the mall and retail outlets. You name it,” Neaderhiser said. “We’ll be fine, but we’ll miss them, not just financially, but a big part of our day is working with them. We’ve always had such a good relationship with St. John’s.
“We’ve met several cadets. They’re always so nice and polite.”
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NORMA DENZER CUGINI
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 9:39am
Norma Jean Denzer was born on December 23, 1928 in Renton, Washington, to James E. Denzer and Ethel MacDonald Denzer. She died peacefully on July 10, 2017, attended by friends and family, in the Renton home that she shared with her husband Alex for over 60 years. Norma leaves behind a loving family in her brother, James M. Denzer; three children, Robert (Mary), Crissa, Cathy (Sean); and two grandchildren, Alexander Anthony Cugini O’Neill and Isabel Josephine Cugini O’Neill. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Alex, in 2016.
Norma Jean Denzer attended Renton High School, where she met her future husband as a freshman in the Camera Club. After her graduation in 1946, Norma joined Alex at the University of Washington in Seattle. They were married at St. Anthony’s church in Renton on September 10, 1955, after his return from service in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. They moved into their first and only home, on Renton Hill, in July of 1956.
Before her marriage, Norma worked at Peoples Bank in Renton. She was an expert in the disappearing art of Gregg shorthand, which remained useful to her throughout her life. Although after her marriage she focused primarily on home and community life, she never lost her interest in banking. Together with other Renton community leaders, she was a founding board member of Community Bank of Renton, and later served for a period of time as its President. When Community Bank of Renton was acquired by West One Bank, she then joined the board of West One, serving as one of its first women board members.
Norma was known for her steady leadership of and dedicated service to a wide range of civic and community groups, like Renton Rotary’s annual C.A.P.E.R. auctions, the Renton Civil Service Commission, Renton Technical College Foundation (where she launched the “Celebrity Chefs Series” to raise funds for student scholarships), the Renton Community Foundation (of which she was a founding board member), the Downtown Renton Association, and the Renton Piazza Committee. She was an expert at raising funds and gathering support for organizations and causes that she believed in.
A longtime supporter of the performing arts throughout the region, Norma served on the Board of Directors of Seattle Opera, as a President of the Seattle Opera Guild, as one of the founding Trustees of Pacific Northwest Ballet, and later as a Trustee Emeritus of PNB. In 2003, she and Alex worked to raise funds for the opening of the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, near the high school campus where they first met. She was also a strong supporter of the visual arts: Norma co-founded the Renton Annual Art Show (now part of Renton River Days) and served on the Renton Municipal Arts Commission. In 2013, her family established the “Norma Denzer Cugini Emerging Artist Award,” to be given to a promising young artist as part of the Renton Annual Art Show, to honor her encouragement of new talent.
Beyond the arts, Norma remained a fierce advocate for local charitable organizations throughout her life: she helped to raise funds to build and sustain the Mt. Rainier Kidney Center (for local dialysis patients); she was a dedicated supporter of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center; and she co-chaired the capital campaign that made possible the Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank. Many may recall seeing her at The Landing in recent years, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at Christmas.
Norma was grateful for the honor of being named “Renton Citizen of the Year” in 2008 and a Distinguished Alumna of Renton High School in 2013. Together with Alex, she was recognized by the Renton Community Foundation in 2015 with a Lifetime of Giving Award.
Norma and Alex loved to travel and shared a gift and an enthusiasm for maintaining active friendships throughout the world. In the 1970’s, Norma traveled with a group of businesswomen from Washington State as one of the first American groups to visit the People’s Republic of China after the thawing of relations. Even in her later years, when travel became more challenging, she never passed up an opportunity to visit family and friends in Italy or to cruise to a new and exotic location.
Norma entertained often at home, enjoying food, wine and lively conversation with her family and a diverse group of friends, many of whom she and Alex had remained devoted to since childhood. She was a wonderful cook who loved spending social time at the table. Those who knew Norma will have their own stories: about her generosity, her drive, her wit, her elegance, her strength, her kindness, her sharp sense of humor, and her fierce love of life. She will be deeply missed by her family, her friends, and the community she loved, in ways yet to be realized.
Norma was laid to rest beside Alex, in a private ceremony at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton, near the graves of so many of her family and friends. Norma’s family has planned a celebration to honor her life on Tuesday, September 12th, 2017 at 3:00 p.m., in the Lake Washington Ballroom and Terrace at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Southport, 1053 Lake Washington Blvd N in Renton. All are welcome to attend.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the “Norma Denzer Cugini Arts Fund” held at the Renton Community Foundation, P.O. Box 820, Renton, WA, 98057, which supports the Renton Annual Art Show. Donations may also be made online by selecting “Norma Denzer Cugini Arts Fund” from the drop-down list at www.rentonfoundation.org.
VICTOR PAUL GIULIANI
ED COOKS
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Home / United States / US fashion icon Gloria Vanderbilt dies
New YORK: American heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, a designer and artist who became one of the most chronicled socialites of her era, died on Monday after a battle with stomach cancer, her son announced. She was 95 years old. “Gloria Vanderbilt was an extraordinary woman, who loved life, and lived it on her own terms,” her son, the CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, said in a tribute read on air. “She was a painter, a writer, and designer but also a remarkable mother, wife, and friend. She was 95 years old, but ask anyone close to her, and they’d tell you, she was the youngest person they knew, the coolest, and most modern.” (AFP)
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Copenhagen Day 1: Scandal! Bullying!
Joshua Kahn Russell
Well it was opening day of the madness that is COP15: the meeting of the UNFCCC that is supposedly going to decide the fate of the entire world. And what better way to open it than with broad civil society outrage at the egregious lack of democracy in the process.
Here's the inside scoop: the Danish presidency is desperate for a positive spin on any outcome of the climate negotiations here. That means forcing an outcome by bringing together the rich and powerful nations to broker a deal in private and then to announce it to the rest of the world. There is widespread concern of U.S.-friendly text being "parachuted" into the negotiating documents, at the expense of G77 countries (everyone else).
We all know that international agreements involve quite a lot of back-room deals and often intimidation. We just usually don't expect it to come from the facilitators. Obviously this is both antithetical to the UN process but also to the duties of the Danish Government in playing a neutral convening role at the Conference of Parties. It's not just an attack on democracy, but it amounts to an attack on the rest of the world on behalf of a few powerful interests. It¹s the sort of "green room" behaviour one would expect from the World Trade Organization, not the United Nations, which has a consensus process designed to make global decisions.
The logic is this -- the U.S. needs to be on board to get any deal, so therefore let's force a watering-down of the process to get the U.S. to sign. Déjà vu? It's eerily like we're replaying the Kyoto meeting in 1997. Remember how the world watered down the treaty (giving birth to the concept of offsets and the Clean Development Mechanism) so that the U.S. would sign? And the U.S. never even signed anyway.
Will COP15 be a race to the bottom, hijacked to pander to the United States? Today Raman Mehta from Action Aid India said, "The global community trusted the Danish government to host a fair and transparent process but they have betrayed that trust. Most importantly, they are betraying those who are disproportionately impacted by climate change and whose voices are not being heard. This unfair behavior strikes a blow to all efforts to achieve justice and equity in the climate change negotiations process."
Civil Society has brought foreward a number of specific concerns:
- Undemocratic practices that have been adopted by the Danish Prime Minister who has been convening small and exclusive groups of countries before the Copenhagen meeting, excluding the vast majority of countries (everyone but the G20) whose futures are at stake in the negotiations.
- The Danish Prime Minister's decision to produce draft "Copenhagen Accords" before the meeting has even started. These have been circulated to a select few governments, excluding others. They have been produced in spite of on-going negotiations under the UNFCCC and prejudiced the outcome of good-faith negotiations among all Parties.
- Systematic disregard for the demands of developing countries in order to privilege the position of Denmark and other developed countries on key issues.
- Danish Prime Minister's consistent disregard for the concerns of developing countries by downgrading expectations for Copenhagen to a "political agreement" and by falsely stating that the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.
What does this mean?:
The Danish Government's self serving actions reinforce efforts led by the U.S. and Canada to subvert the Kyoto Protocol to move towards a treaty under the only other negotiating track of the LCA. This moves us closer to the U.S. "pledge and review" process proposal -- which would mean that instead of setting a total international science-based target, each country would choose a target based on domestic consultation with industry, leaving the world with whatever the aggregate total is. This will in no way bring us close to the targets that science demands, but it is easier to justify the U.S.'s weak commitments.
While efforts to seal a global deal on climate change are laudable, we can't get caught in the mindset of settling for a dirty deal. When we sacrifice democracy in the interests of getting something we can call "politically successful," we get the lowest common denominator -- and it has nothing to do with actually stopping climate change.
As Meena Raman from the Third World Network put it, "The Danish government's biased actions threaten the trust that is the very foundation of a fair and effective deal in Copenhagen and, left unchecked, these actions will cause the collapse of the Copenhagen process."
The world is watching.
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Antisocial woes
I just happened onto the ASBO debate on the Late Late on Friday night, and couldn't help but smile at the 2 folks who were trying to argue against the proposals. Somebody very rightfully pointed out that John Waters won't be experiencing the kind of antisocial behaviour in Dalkey that folks in ordinary areas have to endure. The young lady speaking with him came across as well-intentioned, but incredibly naive and quite oblivious to the reality of living with antisocial behaviour. The young man ffrom Belfast who had received an ASBO was portrayed as an innocent and I felt a real sense that we were not getting the full story about his case.
I have to admit that I have lived around antisocial behavious (sometimes extreme) for a lot of my life and I think this young lady needs to experience the torment of living with an extreme annoyance (and sometimes downright harassment) for a week or two before making judgements about the effectiveness of various remedies. She kept saying that we have effecient processes in place to sort out antisocial behaviour, when it is clearly obvious that these measures are making no impact whatsoever.
One example of antisocial behaviour I experienced was a middle aged man who lived downstairs for me in one flat I lived in. Looking back there were measures I had taken at the time which saved the event from becoming very ugly and dangerous for me. I was living in a top floor flat in Cork city on my own, when a neighbour downstairs threw not only a loud party, but decided to kick in the two doors (well kicked them to bits actually) of his flat, and two of his "guests" came right up to the top floor and tried to open the door to my flat. As it so happened I had an old friend from Dublin staying, had locked the front door (occasionally I wouldn't have locked it immediately after coming home so I was fortunate) and was on the other side with a plank of wood with a nail going through it. Had I been on my own I would have been terrified and only god knows what the intention was, of the two men who were trying to invade my flat. The neighbour was evicted within 24 hours, which I am sorry to say was necessary for the safety of other tenants (albeit technically an illegal eviction). And the landlord put in a high security fire door for me.
Another case was a tenant upstairs in a flat I lived in on Dunville Avenue in Ranelagh where the couple upstairs proceeded to loud and violent arguements on a weekly basis, including major domestic violence. It got so bad one night that 5 different neighbours called the Gardai. (Who could do nothing). The landlord would do nothing about this problem.
Lastly, and probably the worst, was a tenant who lived downstairs from me in Windsor Road in Rathmines for about a year. This little tart threw extremely loud parties (and the occasional loud arguement) at least twice a week from 1am until anything from 6am to 10am the following day. Despite ringing the Gardai several times and numerous complaints to the landlord, nothing was done until her dole was cut off (apparently 5 interviews were arranged for her that she didn't show up to) and the landlord evicted her for non-payment of rent. The experience was like living over the POD. These days I'm always very careful to find out about other tenants in any place I live.
Back home in Swords, my parents have been on the receiving end of antisocial behaviour which in many cases was blatant harassment from a series of young people in the area. There is a green area where underage drinkers congregate at night. The stupid and ignorant parents of these teenagers systematically ignore complaints and try to undermine the credibility of those who plain, to the extent of one Italian slapper whose bastard offspring was stealing my folk's bins and burning them out on the green threatening to spread rumours to the effect that my father was abusing his youngest daughter! Again, numerous complaints to the police in this case of obvious and very serious harassment (arguably by both mother and son - and I apologise for use of the B-word, but no term of abuse is low enough for this whore) ended in nothing. An ABSO would be particularly useful in this case if the young man was banned from being in the green area at all times (or from the estate altogether to be honest).
Devious parents often work hard to undermine neighbour watch committees and local groups to ensure that their own out-of-control offspring don't get punished for their behaviour. This makes it impossible to stop the cycle. However ASBOs don't need the body of evidence of a court, and are not a criminal record, so they may be a useful tool. Blair's latest notion, using US-style "uniforms" for "visibile community service" may also serve to highlight and shame those who abuse others right to a peaceful life. It is only fair on those who have put up with so much over the years, to find any possible way of discouraging and if necessary, punishing the ignorant little thugs who make other peoples lives less comfortable.
Good and Bad career moves
Congratulations, Mr Blair
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Milestones on a long road to equality | Women in Business
Fri Oct 24th, 2014 7:30pm
Cherie Sarrett
By Cherie Sarrett
Journal sales manager
From 1964 to 2014, the changes for women in business have been significant.
When I first started working in 1967, women made up a very small part of the total workforce. Although the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was in place at that time, women only made 66 percent of the income that their male counterparts made—yet we were happy to be working.
Who were we? Were we the ladies from “Mad Men?” Were we the beautiful wife who could survive on her looks, the voluptuous secretary with benefits, or the naïve, well educated, driven woman who wanted to work in a man’s world and be treated as an equal?
We were all of these women. We wanted to bring home the bacon and still be the best mother and wife possible. Now that we had the chance, we wanted to do it all.
My experiences in the workforce in the 1960s were much like you see on TV. The term “being hit on” was evident daily.
We were attractive, we wore skirts, therefore we were free game. There was no lack of dodging the hands that lingered a little too long or the ever present sexual remarks and innuendos. I remember making $1.89 an hour and being told I was lucky to be making that “as a woman.”
In part, we believed it. But in our hearts we knew our value, and we were willing to wait it out and prove our worth as productive employees, no matter how long it took.
We instilled in our daughters the need to have a career, to be able to take care of ourselves and our families. My father died when I was eight years old, and I watched my 8th-grade-educated mother struggle to support two children while working two jobs: grocery clerk and cook at the school cafeteria.
I didn’t want that for me or for my daughters. I couldn’t see taking the chance at being blindsided by the loss of the bread-winner and not be able to recover.
By 2008, 56 percent of women were in the work force, up from 42 percent in 1975. But the pay for full-time working women in 2008 was still only 82 percent of a man’s income. Statistics show that it will be 2085 before we actually make the same as our male equivalents.
Even today the glass ceiling is hard to break through. Women comprise only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs.
We have made strides, but not great strides. I believe part of this is still the “good ‘ole boy network,” along with the ever present “work-life” struggle that women contend with.
It has been a struggle. But from someone who has been part of this struggle for almost 50 years, we are still “strong” and we are still women of substance and passion.
Women-run businesses will create over half of the 10 million new small-business jobs in the next five years
• Women make .77 cents to every dollar men make in the corporate world
• 57 percent of college graduates and 63 percent of masters holders are women
• Women make up 14 percent of executive officers
• Women make up 18 percent of Congress
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Carsten Bender
CARSTEN Bender has been appointed as Brand Director of Audi Middle East effective as of June 3, 2018.
With over 18 years’ experience with AUDI AG, Carsten Bender joins Audi Middle East as the Brand Director in the region. His career with the Four Rings has included international achievements as Sales Manager for Australia, New Zealand and Japan and as the Director of After Sales for the European Markets based at the Company headquarters in Ingolstadt. His most recent roles were as the Sales Director for both Eastern and Western European regions. He returns to the Middle East, where he held the position of Audi Middle East Sales Director from 2009-2011, to lead the Audi brand in the region.
As Audi Middle East Brand Director, operating from the AVME regional office in Dubai, Carsten Bender will be responsible for driving the growth across 11 countries in the GCC and Levant for the Audi brand. Key to this will be to focus on enhancing the customer experience through the long term goals of digitalization, sustainability and urbanization throughout the dealer network.
Carsten Bender, Brand Director of Audi Middle East, said: “I am taking over the responsibility of Audi Middle East at a time of great change, both globally and regionally. Audi has a strong portfolio of innovative new models to bring to the market over the next few years and I am looking forward to a period of growth and opportunity upon which we can further develop our business. We have excellent business partners to work with in our region and I look forward to utilizing my experience, in the Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific, to continue to build our Brand image in the region and to enhance the customer experience.”
Carsten Bender’s move to the Audi Middle East organization will see him operate from the regional headquarters of AVME FZE in Dubai Airport Free Zone. His role will be to lead a team of over 36 staff representing Audi, and to support growth of the Audi brand across 11 countries, 12 importers and 24 dealer facilities in the GCC and Levant.
In addition to his mother tongue German, he is fluent in English and Spanish. — SG
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FL- Megachurch founder resigns, SNAP responds
For immediate release: Monday, April 07, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com)
A Florida megachurch leader has resigned due to “moral failings.” We are glad that he will not be in ministry anymore, but believe he should be investigated.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-04-06/news/fl-calvary-chapel-resignation-20140406_1_church-members-senior-pastor-pastor-chuck-smith
http://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-pastor-bob-coy-of-calvary-chapel-fort-lauderdale-resigns-over-moral-failing-117469/
Bob Coy, who founded the Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale 30 years ago, admitted to having a problem with pornography and to multiple "affairs."
In many states, it is illegal for ministers to have any kind of sexual contact with or to sexually exploit their congregants in any way. (We believe it should be illegal in every state.)
We hope that church leaders and parishioners will be diligent and reach out to anyone who may have been hurt by Coy.
With his resignation, we hope anyone who saw, suspected, or suffered abuse will find the courage to speak up and report to law enforcement.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 23 years and have more than 10,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, peterisely@yahoo.com), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)
James Leboeuf commented 2014-04-08 15:00:25 -0500
Heaven vs. Hell; Rich vs. Poor: symbiotic bi-polarity – none of this is accidental
John and Ann Heydt commented 2014-04-07 14:09:19 -0500
So tired of routine expressions (excuses) of congregants in these cases like ’he’s human and made errors, a mistake, etc’. Of course these idiots make ‘errors’…but it’s the crazy BOLD hypocrisy of looking out at the crowd telling them how to live their lives or god won’t like you and you’ll end up in the fires of hell FOREVER!!…and other things that harm people’s hearts and minds. Makes me so mad. Amen…
I wonder if he molested any children. Investigating that should be the first order of biz for the cops.
Megachurch founder resigns, SNAP responds http://www.snapnetwork.org/fl_megachurch_founder_resigns_snap_responds?recruiter_id=21019
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Guild Time: 07/18/2019 - 08:36 pm
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Transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity
Development of a new transparent solar cell, an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside
Based on a report by Yang Yang, Ph.D.; Rui Zhu, Ph.D.; and Paul S. Weiss, Ph.D.; in ACS Nano, a new research of a new transparent solar cell, an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside.
Yang and Weiss explain that there has been intense world-wide interest in so-called polymer solar cells (PSCs), which are made from plastic-like materials, to generate energy. The advantages of PSCs are that they are lightweight and flexible and can be produced in high volume at low cost. Researchers also have been interested in making the PSCs transparent. However, previous versions of transparent PSCs have had many disadvantages, which the team set out to correct.
The scientists describe a new kind of PSC that they’ve developed that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells 66 percent transparent to the human eye. They made the device from a photoactive plastic that converts infrared light into an electrical current. Another breakthrough is the transparent conductor, which replaces the opaque metal electrode used in the past. The authors suggest the panels could be used in smart windows or portable electronics.
05 november 2012, Technical Area > Science News
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Steve Gunn - Find Me There
Jenna Romaine
311—The Constant Voyagers
Dan Alleva
I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME—Dallon Weekes Goes Back to the Future
Vinny Cecolini
Lavender Disaster—The Chaos of Angels
Arts Weekly
The 15th Annual New Year's Hank-O-Rama
Everynight Charley Crespo
Concerts, Reviews
The Rolling Stones — ‘Bridges to Bremen’
Manhattan Beat: Khruangbin, Perry Farrell, The End of America, Tatiana DeMaria
METZ — ‘Automat’
Gregg McQueen
Makin Waves Record of the Week: Vextion "Vindictive"
Bob Makin
Makin' Waves
North Jersey Notes
Tim Louie
Reality Check – POWER TO THE JERSEY PEOPLE: Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Will Be on Us
James Campion
North Jersey Notes: Sonic Blume
Shoreworld
Manhattan Beat
Rant ‘N’ Roll
Kam On Film
Makin’ Waves
Queued Up
The Rolling Stones — 'Bridges to Bremen'
Spotlights: Kyle Craft, Conor Oberst, Great South Bay Music Festival, and the Liza Colby Sound
Interview with Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden: Crossing The Final Frontier
Giorgio Mustica
As one of heavy metal’s most successful bands of all-time, Iron Maiden has been packing a punch for more than 30 years. Consisting of singer Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, Iron Maiden has pounded out memorable hits for decades. With close to 100 million albums sold across the world, it’s not shocking that a band full of legends is still going strong after all these years.
In 2010, Iron Maiden released their 15th studio album, The Final Frontier. You’d have to wonder about the band slowing down at some point but wouldn’t you know that these English stars wound up achieving arguably their greatest feat yet. Not only has the full-length been given laudatory reviews every which way, but it debuted at number one in roughly 30 countries! Fans have remained loyal to the band ever since their inception in 1975 and without question will follow them wherever they go.
Known for their larger-than-life live shows, Iron Maiden recorded their April 10, 2011, performance in Santiago, Chile. Released on March 27, En Vivo! is available on CD, Blu-ray and DVD. If you’re thinking about catching one of their extraordinary concerts, you’re in luck, as Iron Maiden will be at Jones Beach on June 27, the Susquehanna Bank Center on June 29, and the Prudential Center on July 2.
I recently had the privilege of speaking with one of the world’s finest guitarists, Adrian Smith, a few weeks before their North American trek began. Below, Adrian and I discussed the upcoming tour, the band’s illustrious history, and his new side-project, Primal Rock Rebellion.
First off, I heard that your notorious aircraft, Ed Force One, isn’t going to be making this trip. How are you guys planning to get to America?
We’re here already, actually (laughs). We only use the big plane when we’re going down to Australia, New Zealand or, you know, South America, where there’s really big distances. In America, the distances aren’t that big, so we just have a little plane, we don’t have the big plane. We just do it normally with trucks and it’s like a normal tour.
Some of the songs you’re planning on playing on your upcoming tour include “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son,” “Can I Play With Madness,” “Aces High,” etc. What was the reason behind choosing a setlist like that of the famous 1988 excursion, 7th Tour Of A 7th Tour?
Well, we just thought it’d be fun to revisit that period in time—there were some good songs there. It’s just great revisiting some of the songs we haven’t played for a long while. It keeps us fresh and it’s just, you know, we got a lot of new fans coming on board now, a lot of younger fans who probably never saw or were around when we did that tour. That’s one factor of it for us revisiting that time and I think there’s some good songs from that period, so it’s fun to do.
Is there any song that you may not have played in a while that you’re looking forward to playing?
Yeah, I mean, the song “Seventh Son [Of A Seventh Son],” we’ve been rehearsing that all week and it sounds really amazing but it’s taking quite a bit of getting together, you know, because it’s quite intricate and quite proggy, but yeah, stuff like “Seventh Son.” “The Prisoner,” we’ve been playing that, which is great. So that’s two right there.
Do you think you’re going to see primarily older fans or do you think that there are going to be many younger fans in the audience?
Well, I know we do have younger fans, I mean, hopefully we’ll see some younger ones. I think just because of the nature of the way things are set up in America with the amphitheatres [being] quite far out of town and maybe the younger fans might have problems getting to them, but I certainly hope not. We’ll see. I think it tends to be mainly the older fans in America. I think the younger fans are mainly in Europe.
Are you going to play any songs off of your latest album, The Final Frontier, and if so, do you know which ones?
No, I don’t think—I mean, we did The Final Frontier tour last year or the year before that in America, we played a couple—but no, we’re concentrating on kinda the Seventh Son period so we won’t be playing anything off of The Final Frontier, no.
Actually, most of the songs, along with “The Prisoner” and “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son” and all that sort of stuff is the older, sort of hits, for lack of a better a word, not that we’ve ever had any hits, but a lot of the well-known songs.
I happen to think that the band has had quite a few hits…
Well, you know, not in the sense of having Billboard number one singles, but yeah, I mean, songs that a lot of people know. We’ll be playing all those ones that people know really well.
Iron Maiden has been together for more than 35 years and yet The Final Frontier hit the number one spot in almost 30 countries. What are your thoughts about this and how does it feel to still be on top of the game?
Well, I think that we’ve always toured our music and brought our music to people—we’ve never relied on media and radio play. I think in that way, we’ve built up a really strong following. And like I said, we’ve got new fans on board that are rediscovering all the old stuff as well, so I mean, I don’t know if there’s any secret, I just think the band does it for the right reasons and we’re in it because we love the music and I think people get that and they come along for the ride, so that’s great.
While The Final Frontier didn’t hit the number one spot here in the U.S., it did reach an all-time high for Iron Maiden at number four. What do you think this says about the fans in the States?
Like I say, we built up a fanbase the hard way by doing a lot of touring and I think that those fans kind of stay with you and god bless ‘em. We love to keep moving forward. I mean, we’re playing a lot of the old stuff on this tour but, you know, we’ve done tours in the past where we’ve played a lot of new stuff. It’s a lot [like] the band to keep writing and being creative as well and not just recreating the past. This is a celebration if you like, this is a fun thing of playing a lot of old stuff, but that’s just a part of what the band’s about. The band’s about always moving forward as well.
Are you looking forward to anything in particular on the upcoming tour, such as a certain city or a certain venue?
Well we’re doing a lot of places we’ve never done before, which is kind of unusual because sometimes, I look at a map of America and I think I’ve been everywhere, you know, I’ve played everywhere—it’s quite amazing really. I mean, we’re playing places like Sarnia, Ontario. Cadott, Wisconsin—the Chippewa Valley Rock Festival, I mean, all these places we’ve never played before so that’ll be quite interesting to go to and see what that’s about.
What do you think it’s going to be like working with not only Alice Cooper on the tour, but Coheed And Cambria for select shows as well?
Well, Alice Cooper is great, I know he was a bit of an influence on us all when we were growing up—his showmanship and also, he had great songs and he still does, so that will be fun to play with him. I always like to watch him and he’s got a great band as well. Coheed And Cambria I don’t know much about so that’ll be interesting to see them doing their stuff, so that should be great.
I saw a little while back that Nicko said that he wasn’t sure when there will be a new album. Is the band working on anything new at the moment or are you just focusing on touring right now?
No, we’re just focusing on this tour. We tend to put all our energy in what we’re doing at the time. We don’t really get together and rehearse songs or anything on the road. We tend to take a bit of time off it and see maybe next year. We haven’t got any plans at the moment but more than likely we’ll be doing something.
Speaking of new releases, you just put out your debut CD with Primal Rock Rebellion, Awoken Broken, earlier this year. How different was this than recording a Maiden album and do you think this is just the tip of the iceberg for the group?
Well, Primal Rock Rebellion was a project really, it was me and the singer called Mikee Goodman who used to be in a band called SikTh—who had a bit of a cult following in Europe and a bit more of a nü-style metal from his point of view. He’s a younger guy—and I just met up with him, we started hanging out and doing a bit of variety. It was pretty casual, we just did it over a period of years really when we weren’t doing anything with our respective bands, just as a bit of a fun side thing and it turned out really cool and I thought it was really different and it sounded good and it was a lot of fun to do, I just did it in my home studio.
It’s completely different than doing a Maiden album with a band. Like I say, Primal Rock is just me and Mikee, but I enjoy working with him so it’s more of a studio thing though. But it certainly got me into using new studio techniques and stuff like that, so it’s cool. I certainly don’t think there’s anything out there like it. I think we came out with something quite original, which is really, really quite difficult to do but it wasn’t something we tried to do. It’s just Mikee’s very kind of an original type of singer so it was interesting working with him.
How do you think the upcoming U.S. tour is going to differ from in years past?
Well this is a new set, we haven’t taken the stage set out, for example, so it’s a new stage set, we got new effects. I think it’s going to be actually more spectacular than the original tour and probably, technically, you got more stuff now to put into a live show in terms of lighting and that, which will make it quite spectacular, so I think this is going to be pretty special, this tour. What with the songs, we love playing these songs, and with the stage set and effects and of course we got Eddie, he’s back, so it should be fun.
Iron Maiden will be at Jones Beach on June 27, the Susquehanna Bank Center on June 29, and the Prudential Center on July 2. For more information, check out ironmaiden.com.
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IRON MAIDEN Guitarist: No Plans For New Studio Album « Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) June 21, 2012
[…] Giorgio Mustica of The Aquarian Weekly recently conducted an interview with guitarist Adrian Smith of British heavy metal legends IRON […]
IRON MAIDEN Guitarist: No Plans For New Studio Album • Metal4ALL.com June 21, 2012
[…] AlbumJune 21, 2012 | Tags: Iron Maiden Article Source: blabbermouth.net Giorgio Mustica of The Aquarian Weekly recently conducted an interview with guitarist Adrian Smith of British heavy metal legends IRON […]
Iron Maiden Guitarist Adrian Smith Talks ‘Maiden England’ Tour + Progress on New Album June 21, 2012
[…] an interview with the Aquarian, Smith revealed the reason why Maiden decided to revisit their classic ‘Seventh Son’ […]
Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith Offers Update On Possible New Album | June 21, 2012
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Adrian Smith: No hay planes para el nuevo álbum de Iron Maiden. | werebloodbrothers June 21, 2012
[…] Fuente: The Weekly Aquário. Compartir en:Me gusta:Me gustaBe the first to like this. By bloodbrotherschile 0 […]
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[…] Odwiedzaj nas codziennie i zasubskrybuj nasz kanał RSS, aby zawsze być na bieżąco! Serwis The Aquarian Weekly przeprowadził ostatnio wywiad z Adrianem Smithem z Iron Maiden. Mzyk wyznał między innymi, że […]
Singer Nick Hexum discusses 311's latest voyage, while Dallon Weekes talks about going back to the future with I DONT KNOW HOW BUY THEY FOUND ME. Plus more with August Burns Red, Blink-182, METZ, Tacocat, Silverstein, and the Rolling Stones!
Debra Kate Schafer
Print Listings
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The modern tennis court owes its design to Major Walter Clopton Wingfield. In 1873, Wingfield patented a court much the same as the current one for his stické tennis (sphairistike). This template was modified in 1875 to the court design that exists today, with markings similar to Wingfield's version, but with the hourglass shape of his court changed to a rectangle.[50]
The new, extremely thin high-tech carbon fibre is a very interesting material for tennis rackets: as used in Prince’s TXT Warrior rackets, for example, in the shaft and heart area, it brings the typical advantages of a rigid frame (stability, control, power). Unlike a conventional stiff racquet, the Textreme racquets are comfortable and playable without the slightest compromises!
In some tournaments, line judges who would be calling the serve, were assisted by electronic sensors that beeped to indicate the serve was out. This system was called "Cyclops".[60] Cyclops has since largely been replaced by the Hawk-Eye system.[61][62] In professional tournaments using this system, players are allowed three unsuccessful appeals per set, plus one additional appeal in the tie-break to challenge close line calls by means of an electronic review. The US Open, Miami Masters, US Open Series, and World Team Tennis started using this challenge system in 2006 and the Australian Open and Wimbledon introduced the system in 2007.[63] In clay-court matches, such as at the French Open, a call may be questioned by reference to the mark left by the ball's impact on the court surface.
A frequent topic of discussion among tennis fans and commentators is who was the greatest male singles player of all time. By a large margin, an Associated Press poll in 1950 named Bill Tilden as the greatest player of the first half of the 20th century.[95] From 1920 to 1930, Tilden won singles titles at Wimbledon three times and the U.S. Championships seven times. In 1938, however, Donald Budge became the first person to win all four major singles titles during the same calendar year, the Grand Slam, and won six consecutive major titles in 1937 and 1938. Tilden called Budge "the finest player 365 days a year that ever lived."[96] In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer said that, based on consistent play, Budge was the greatest player ever.[97] Some observers, however, also felt that Kramer deserved consideration for the title. Kramer was among the few who dominated amateur and professional tennis during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Tony Trabert has said that of the players he saw before the start of the open era, Kramer was the best male champion.[98]
A volley is a shot returned to the opponent in mid-air before the ball bounces, generally performed near the net, and is usually made with a stiff-wristed punching motion to hit the ball into an open area of the opponent's court. The half volley is made by hitting the ball on the rise just after it has bounced, also generally in the vicinity of the net, and played with the racket close to the ground.[78] The swinging volley is hit out of the air as the player approaches the net. It is an offensive shot used to take preparation time away from the opponent, as it returns the ball into the opponent's court much faster than a standard volley.
For sure you can never go wrong purchasing any of the models we did tennis racquet reviews on in this article. They feature such things as excellent racquet grip size, large sweet spots and they also have many advanced technologies used in their construction. If you don’t like any of those models, then you should refer to the handy buying guide to help you in your new tennis racquet selection process.
Balls wear out quickly in serious play and, therefore, in ATP and WTA tournaments, they are changed after every nine games with the first change occurring after only seven games, because the first set of balls is also used for the pre-match warm-up.[45] As a courtesy to the receiver, the server will often signal to the receiver before the first serve of the game in which new balls are used as a reminder that they are using new balls. However, in ITF tournaments like Fed Cup, the balls are changed in a 9–11 style. Continuity of the balls' condition is considered part of the game, so if a re-warm-up is required after an extended break in play (usually due to rain), then the re-warm-up is done using a separate set of balls, and use of the match balls is resumed only when play resumes.
Even your choice of shoes, socks, and other clothing are important considerations when you learn to play tennis. As opposed to running shoes, tennis shoes are made to withstand side-to-side movement. They should have a herringbone tread for longer lasting protection and grip. Socks should be thick and able to absorb sweat, thereby preventing infections such as athlete’s foot. Generally, tennis clothing is white, a color chosen to best reflect the sun and keep the player cooler. (Wear the appropriate gear even when just beginning to learn to play tennis!)
Flash Cookies (also called Local Shared Objects or "LSOs") are similar to cookies, except that they can store more complex data. They are used to provide greater website functionality and to remember your settings, preferences and usage, and other similar services. Flash cookies operate differently than regular browser cookies, and cannot be removed or blocked via regular web browser settings. To learn more about how to manage flash cookies, you can visit the Adobe website and follow the directions provided by Adobe with respect to the Flash Settings Manager and make changes as directed therein. For information on managing Flash cookies see https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/disable-local-shared-objects-flash.html. Please note that setting the Flash Player to restrict or limit acceptance of Flash LSOs may reduce or impede the functionality of some Flash applications.
A well-constructed, properly maintained concrete court can provide decades of recreational enjoyment. But you'll have to pay to play. The cost of a regulation-size post-tensioned concrete tennis court with a cushioned surface can be double that of an equivalent asphalt court. "The basic asphalt court starts at about $40,000 to $45,000, with the average price probably in the mid $50s to low $60s. For a post-tensioned court, you'll pay in the low $100,000 range," says Kolkmann.
Tennis is played by millions of recreational players and is also a popular worldwide spectator sport. The four Grand Slam tournaments (also referred to as the Majors) are especially popular: the Australian Open played on hard courts, the French Open played on red clay courts, Wimbledon played on grass courts, and the US Open also played on hard courts.
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Review – Doctor Who: Series 11, Episode 2: The Ghost Monument
With a modern variation on the classic regeneration story now behind her, and with a trio of new companions in tow, Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor hits the ground running in her first post-regenerative adventure. To a large degree The Ghost Monument, written by new showrunner Chris Chibnall, is the first time we really get to see what this new era of the show has to offer in full force, outside the context of a special event episode. We get the Thirteenth Doctor's first alien planet, the first look at her revamped TARDIS, and the reveal of her new opening credits sequence and theme music. The balance revealed by all of the above factors is excellent: a very effective and enjoyable mix of old and new, as Chibnall clearly draws from various eras of the show's past, but also rejuvenates it and makes it feel fresh, in keeping with Whittaker's decidedly different Doctor.
Each showrunner's tenure on Doctor Who has a pretty distinctive attitude and personality, and after six seasons (and some specials) of Steven Moffat's distinctive style, Chibnall's feels like a welcome change of pace. The attitude of both this episode and the season premiere is a whole lot less dark, angsty, and horror-tinged, and a lot more adventure-serial. It certainly feels like a modern take on Doctor Who, but one that is heavily inspired by the show's history. The central premise of the episode, about a sadistic Mad Mad Mad Mad World-type chase across the galaxy for a high-stakes prize, feels like one that would have been right at home in the excellent and too-often-overlooked Sylvester McCoy or Peter Davison eras, or the Paul McGann audio adventures that kept the show alive in the late-1990s and early-2000s. The same can be said for the classic-sci-fi/adventure sensibility of the storytelling, which feels very much like a modern revisitation of the genre's roots. This also extends to the excellent new version of the theme song, which sounds heavily inspired by the iconic version from the Tom Baker years. Stylistically, though, this Doctor Who feels quite modern, with its super-widescreen cinematography making a very cinematic impression, while its visuals create their own unique overhaul of the show's classic aesthetics. Just as modern are the themes, with the series' trademark humanism, optimism, and philosophy of non-violence feeling very much in tune with the struggles of the world in 2018. These are the same beliefs that the Doctor and the show have always had, but against the backdrop of current events they feel very timely in their execution, particularly coming from the powerful voice of the first female Doctor, who again feels right on time in an era when we need as many feminist heroes as we can get.
Whittaker is excellent in the role, as she settles into it after her regeneration. Her Doctor is certainly still finding herself, so it will likely take a few more episodes to fully get a handle on her characterization (it took much of Capaldi's first season, after all), but thus far she is doing a great job. Especially after the endearingly abrasive and alien Capaldi it is striking how much more empathetic and human her Doctor is, recalling elements of probably the most human (for lack of a better term) Doctors, Peter Davison and Paul McGann. But as with so much about this episode, her performance is an excellent mix of drawing from the past while looking forward, and her Doctor is very much her own: a unique take on the character with a unique brand of eccentricity, wanderlust, and need for knowledge who thoroughly embodies the Doctor's ideals and philosophy in her own way. She is off to an extremely promising start and I cannot wait to get to know her Doctor further. With the unusually large number of new companions, it is not surprising that they have not yet gotten much opportunity for characterization. All three of them get some strong moments in this episode, but with the focus still so strongly being on introducing this new era as a whole and its new Doctor in particular, there is only so much time to go around. As it is, the verdict is still out on just how good of companions these three ultimately will be, but there is plenty of time for them to develop into more well-rounded characters over the coming weeks.
The Ghost Monument solidifies The Woman Who Fell To Earth's strong introduction to the Jodie Whittaker/Chris Chibnall era of Doctor Who, and instills plenty of confidence that this is going to be a great era for the show. With its mix of classic-sci-fi and classic-Who roots and modern style and sensibilities, this era has a thoroughly enjoyable voice which feels refreshingly different, while still very familiar. New and classic Doctor Who fans will find a lot to like here.
- Christopher S. Jordan
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Tags: bbc, chris chibnall, christopher s. jordan, doctor who, episode 2, jodie whittaker, review, season 11, season premiere, series 11, spoiler, spoilers, the ghost monument, the movie sleuth at 10/16/2018
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Home / News / Destinations
This exotic destination is just a five-hour flight from many U.S. cities.
by Cheryl-Anne Sturken | January 01, 2019
(Pictured) The new Costa Rica Convention Center is a welcome addition.
ESSENTIAL TOOL BOX
Costa Rica Convention Center (43,057 sf)
13% VAT (often written as IVA in Costa Rica) is added to all goods and services; restaurants also add a 10% service charge
CVB
Visit Costa Rica
Getting here and there
Juan Santamaría International Airport is about five miles from the convention center. By taxi to downtown, $15 (the colón is the Costa Rican currency, at press time about $0.0017)
Sloths might be Costa Rica's most endearing attraction, but this Central American country also is a wonderland of volcanoes and surfing beaches, cloud forests and rainforests. In the past two years, this environmentally forward nation, whose president recently announced a plan to be the first carbon-neutral nation in the world by 2021, has made significant strides in the MICE market.
The long-awaited, $35 million Costa Rica Convention Center, with 168,000 square feet of space, opened this past April in the country's capital of San José.
Several meetings properties debuted in 2018. In December, the 150-room W Costa Rica-Reserva Conchal, the first W hotel in the country, opened within a 2,300-acre nature reserve in Guanacaste. Part of W Escape, the brand's spin on the traditional resort, it features 10,225 square feet of meeting space and six dining outlets.
In the same month, the 126-room AC Marriott Escazú, that brand's first in the nation, opened in San José with 2,142 square feet of event space.
Two properties underwent upgrades. The redesigned 79-room Gran Hotel Costa Rica, which became part of the Curio Collection by Hilton in July, has about 1,000 square feet of event space, indoor gardens and a rooftop piano bar. In December 2017, the 182-room Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo completed a $32 million renovation, giving the lobby a striking open-air gathering space.
Outside the Meeting Room
Endless opportunities cater to attendees' wilder sides, like zip-lining, rafting and rappelling waterfalls. For culture, the colonial city of San José offers several museums, such as the Costa Rican National Museum inside the Bellavista Fortress.
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Christopher Guest comedy gets green light
Christopher Guest (director of Best In Show and For Your Consideration) is heading to TV, to work on his new comedy series. It’s called Family Tree, and will follow a 30-year-old man who receives a mysterious box from his great aunt, and then embarks on a journey to find his family’s roots. Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) will star in the show, but Guest will also make an appearance.
Fringe star back to work after sleep disorder
Fringe star John Noble is back working on the set of Fringe, after recovering from his sleep disorder. “I couldn’t even think, mate,” Noble told EW. “I was working and going: ‘This is really hard.’” Noble took 10 days off to seek treatment in Los Angeles.
Glee season 4 sneak peak!
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Home / Bizarre / “Little Men” on a Mystery-Filled Mountain
“Little Men” on a Mystery-Filled Mountain
As a follow-on to my recent article, “The Berwyn Mountains’ UFO: A Case That Never Dies,” I thought I would share with you the account of a woman named Anne Owen. She has an interesting story to relate, which may have some connection to the alleged crash of a UFO on the aforementioned mountains in North Wales on the night of January 23, 1974. Anne begins: “We had bought two, derelict, four-hundred-year-old cottages which we were converting. This was on a mountain above Trefriw and Llanrwst near the River Conwy. We’d taken a caravan up and a horse, as well, and our two children. We had a friend of ours visiting us at the time – a lecturer and mathematician from Toronto University – and we converted a small barn into a bit of a house with a window for him. We were in the caravan with the children, as we couldn’t move into the cottages yet. That night – January twenty-three – the horse was very restless, so we put him near our caravan. But later in the night he started rocking the caravan and was in a terrible state.”
Anne continues: “Then we suddenly saw this thing outside the window. It was like a white ball, very slow-moving. It was difficult to know how far away from us it was as it was pitch black outside, but it looked about two or three feet wide. Then suddenly there was an enormous bang, absolutely colossal. At first, we thought it had hit the place where our friend was. Luckily it didn’t hit him, so we weren’t actually sure where it had hit. But in the morning, our friend was outside looking at a rowan tree that had been forced out of the ground. What was strangest of all was that the tree had been stripped of all its bark and had been up-rooted and thrown four hundred feet.”
River Conwy
Things proceeded to get very weird: “The only other person who was local to us was an old lady who was staring at it too. Well, she came up to me and said that she’d been woken by the bang. She also lived on the mountain and had gone to her bedroom window and had seen these ‘little men’ that were very small and all dressed in black – about three to four foot tall. She thought, because she’d seen the military on the mountain before that this was something to do with them. But she found it rather odd that they were so small. She described a ‘little gathering’ of them, about four or five, very, very early in the morning and near where the tree was. But she said that they didn’t look too different, only smaller. When she went down to the village to tell the story, everyone thought that she was mad and then when we asked her again she wouldn’t talk about it anymore. Although we did know of people in Trefriw who had had their windows broken by this thing.”
Anne expands further: “We had a group of people come from Cardiff University and they started to photograph the tree and all around it. They said they had had some instances of UFOs in the area and had been ‘sent to investigate’ what had taken place. This happened within one day of this taking place. They sent us a photograph that showed a white cylinder where the tree had stood and that wasn’t there when the picture was taken – you couldn’t see it with the naked eye. They asked us if we knew what it was, but we had no idea.”
Anne closes her account: “The oddest thing of all, though, was how the people from the university knew what had happened. They were in their forties and fifties then; so they weren’t students. But the day before and the day after this happened a weird mist came down out of nowhere. This was nothing like a normal mist and I still remember it now. I wish I had the answers to it all, but all I can do is tell you what I remember.”
And there will still be more to come on the controversial issue of what did – or didn’t – happen on the night of January 23, 1974.
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US Says Talks Progress as Palestinians Threaten Walkout
The United States said Israeli and Palestinian leaders moved on Wednesday toward resolving their row over settlements but the Palestinians kept up the threat to walk out of the new peace talks.
In negotiations brokered by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas were having a “serious and substantive” discussion, US envoy George Mitchell said.
The three met in Jerusalem after similar discussions in Egypt on Tuesday, which also focused on the core issues of the conflict as well as the expiry of a partial settlement moratorium at the end of this month.
“We continue to, in our efforts, to make progress in that regard and believe that we are doing so,” Mitchell told reporters when asked about the issue of settlements, but he did not elaborate.
Abbas has warned that if the partial settlement freeze is not extended he will walk out of the negotiations, which were relaunched earlier this month after a 20-month hiatus.
Netanyahu has refused to renew the moratorium, which concludes at the end of the month, but hinted he would rein in settlement construction after US President Barack Obama urged him to renew the restrictions.
And a senior Palestinian official who asked not to be named said Netanyahu told Abbas Wednesday that settlements “will continue,” causing Abbas to respond: “If settlement construction continues, I will stop negotiations.”
Mitchell said the two leaders again tackled the issues at the heart of their decades-old conflict: Israel’s security, the borders of a future Palestinian state, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.
“The two leaders are not leaving the tough issues to the end of the process,” Mitchell told reporters as Netanyahu and Abbas held hours of talks at the prime minister’s residence.
“They are tackling up front the issues that are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said.
“We take this as a strong indicator that peace is possible and of their desire to conclude an agreement,” he added.
Clinton expressed a similar view after a morning meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres.
“I believe they are serious about reaching an agreement…. This is the time and these are the leaders, and the United States will stand by them as they make difficult decisions,” the chief US diplomat said.
In opening the three-way meeting, Netanyahu said: “It’s a lot of work. I’m glad to have the opportunity to welcome President Abbas and Secretary Clinton here pursuing peace, and I think we should get on with it.”
Throughout the day, Clinton held a series of closed-door meetings with senior officials including Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who strongly opposes any continuation of the settlement freeze, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad.
Following the Jerusalem talks, Mitchell said he will fly to Syria for a meeting Thursday with President Bashar al-Assad aimed at reviving Syrian-Israeli peace talks.
Mitchell also said the two sides agreed on Wednesday to have their negotiators meet again next week to pave the way for another meeting of the leaders.
Hours after Clinton arrived in Israel late on Tuesday, Palestinian militants fired a rocket at the southern port city of Ashkelon, followed by mortar fire. The attacks, which caused no casualties, were claimed by the Popular Resistance Committees, a small militant group opposed to the talks.
In response, the Israeli air force bombed targets in southern Gaza, killing one Palestinian and wounding another two.
The violence underscored the potential for an explosive confrontation with Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza who vehemently oppose the peace talks.
Hamas was the target of Israel’s devastating 22-day offensive over the Gaza Strip in December 2008 and January 2009 that cost the lives of 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
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T&T PM Sacks Attorney General Minister Of National Security
T&T PM Sacks Attorney General, Minister Of National Security by R. Wilson
Rowley says government on the verge of collapse As Trinidad and Tobago approaches a September general election, Prime Minister Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar has once again reshuffled her Cabinet after firing her Minister of National Security and Attorney General. Since being sworn in as Prime Minister in 2010, the leader of the political coalition People’s Partnership has been heavily criticized for firing numerous ministers and top government officials. On Monday (Feb 2) she announced via national address that she had asked for and received resignations from her Attorney General, Anand Ramlogan, and National Security Minister, Gary Griffith. “Over the past four years, as I ensured that the public interest was paramount, sometimes changes in government were required to protect the public interest. “…There have been allegations being made by the current Director of the [ Police Complaints Authority] PCA, regarding the Attorney General. The Director of the PCA has signed a statement in which he claims that the Attorney General had asked the Director of the PCA to withdraw his witness statement in a defamation matter against the Opposition Leader,” she said. Persad-Bissessar said Ramlogan had denied the allegation, however the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is investigating the matter. Griffith is accused of getting involved, allegedly telephoning the Director of the PCA, upon the AG’s request, to query whether he had withdrawn a statement. The Prime Minister said Griffith admitted to making the call and that he did so without consulting or informing her. She said she requested and received statements from the Minister, the AG and the PCS Director and discerned that the material facts in the documents “are in conflict with each other”. Persad-Bissessar said while she is not in a position to determine guilt nor innocence in the matter, it was serious enough to warrant immediate action. “I cannot and will not sit idly by while the Office of the Attorney General and that of the Minister of National Security and the head of the Police Complaints Authority are being compromised and brought into disrepute by such allegations that have warranted a police enquiry. “Those office holders preside over the administration of justice, law and order and so cannot remain in those positions while these investigations into allegations are made. I cast no aspersions on the capacity or performance of those that hold these positions but cannot have these offices be so embroiled in conflict and controversy eroding public confidence in the institutions which they lead,” she stated. The Director of the PCA, David West, has also been compromised, the PM said, and thus he should immediately resign and/ or his appointment be revoked. “The PCA is an independent institution and public confidence must remain strong if that body is to carry out its duties without fear or favour and be perceived by all to so do. Justice must only be done seen to be done. It would be impossible, given the present issue that the current head can continue to hold this position without the very institution he leads also being called into question.” The role of Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley in the matter raises additional questions, the PM said. “Did the Opposition Leader not have a moral if not legal obligation to inform me as Prime Minister and His Excellency the President about the personal involvement of a witness in a defamatory statement involving himself, the Leader of the Opposition…Had there been a disclosure by the Opposition Leader of the personal interest in a legal matter involving himself and the Director of the PCA at the point of his nomination to be head of the PCA, the conflict of interest would have been declared.” Persad-Bissessar advised the President to revoke and make several appointments. Carlton Alfred Alfonso has been appointed as Minister of National Security and Garvin Nicholas, as Attorney General. Dr. Rowley called the PM’s dismissals and accusations a “distraction” and accused her of being “guilty of dereliction of duty, of obfuscation, and she stands accused of consistently hiding and defending wrong doing in her government”. He told Trinidad Express that the government is in meltdown towards total collapse and its citizens should demand elections now.
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iPhone 5C & iPhone 5S Sale in India via RCOM from Nov 1st – Pricing Details
The Apple iPhone 5S and 5C launch dates for the various countries around the world are already known now, and in India these smartphones are going to be available from November 1st, where the various network providers and the resellers are planning to sell the new iPhones with some offers, or at least giving an option for the buyers to purchase it from their store, as the Apple devices are not so easily available everywhere in India.
RCOM, i.e. Reliance Communications has today announced that they would be making the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S available for sale from 1st November, but the pricing has not totally been confirmed as of now, though we got to know through one of the sources as these would be prices for which the phones would sell:
iPhone 5c Price in India via RCOM – Rs 41,900
iPhone 5s Price in India via RCOM – Rs 53,500
Considering the pricing for which the unlocked version is available in the U.S. market and the dollar rates, the pricing comes with no surprise and Apple isn’t the only brand which has come up with some aggressive pricing because HTC is already selling one of its Android devices, the HTC Butterfly for a price tag of over Rs. 50,000 and even Samsung had launched the Galaxy Note 3 with the price of Rs. 49,900 although right now the prices are revised to a little less.
Interestingly, a good news for the Apple fans in India would be that Reliance is not going to launch these devices with the CDMA network but we would be seeing it with the 3G network of the provider. Reliance has got a total of 19 iStore retail stores across the country, and these being one of the biggest Apple-authorized resellers in India, the pricing would be a main thing to look at.
The Apple iPhone 5S is the actual successor to the iPhone 5, and it came in with the 64-bit A7 Chip, M7 co-processor and some excellent new additions which includes the Touch ID fingerprint scanner in the home button which is going to enhance a lot of functionality to the device, while the Apple iPhone 5C is a device which has most of its specifications similar to the iPhone 5, while the panel gets different colors and it’s the first time Apple has brought in an iPhone with several color options for the buyers to choose from. Both these devices are going to come with the new iOS 7 out of the box.
Tags: Apple iPhone 5C, Apple iPhone 5S
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The US May Soon Finalize a Trade Deal With China
Category: Economy Tags: China / trade war resolution / U.S.
A U.S.-China trade deal is expected soon. (Image: via pixabay / CC0 1.0)
By VISION TIMES, March 20, 2019
Over the past several past months, the U.S. has been facing a trade conflict with China that has created confusion and fear in the global business arena. New reports suggest that we might be close to a U.S.-China trade deal soon that would end uncertainty in the markets and put the world economy back on track.
A new deal
In trade talks in Washington, both countries expressed their keen desire to arrive at an agreement. The Chinese side was said to be more willing to reach a deal, possibly due to the fact that the country is experiencing an economic slowdown. Latest export and manufacturing data show that the Chinese economy is reeling under the Trump sanctions. There are also talks about a prolonged economic contraction that has made businesses and investors nervous. Beijing obviously does not want the situation to continue, as it risks triggering civil unrest, which is what communists fear most.
“History shows cooperation is the best choice for the world’s two largest economies… Economic and trade ties between China and the United States are mutually beneficial, win-win by the nature, and we hope that both sides can continue to step up consultations, to reach a mutually beneficial, win-win agreement,” Zhang Yesui, a former Chinese ambassador in Washington and now spokesman for China’s legislature, said in a statement (Al Jazeera).
In trade talks in Washington, both countries expressed their keen desire to arrive at an agreement. (Image: via pixabay / CC0 1.0)
The Chinese side has apparently agreed to lower tariffs on U.S. products like chemicals, cars, agricultural goods, and so on. In exchange, Washington is said to have agreed to relax trade sanctions and cut back tariffs on Chinese imports. Beijing has also agreed to enforce new laws to protect American intellectual property rights and end the practice of forced technology transfer. However, the US side has to come up with a monitoring mechanism to ensure that Beijing upholds its part of the agreement.
Meanwhile, President Trump is upbeat about reaching a trade deal with China. In fact, he has repeatedly stated he would walk away from any agreement if it did not produce enough benefits to the U.S. He has also indicated that the American economy would still do well even if there is no deal with China. Both Xi and Trump are expected to meet on March 27 and finalize the new agreement. However, this could extend into next month until the Trump administration is satisfied with the conditions of the deal.
“It could go into April … We made a lot of agreements here in Washington two weeks ago … Now it has to go back and clear the top level of President Xi and the politburo in Beijing … That’s the key — not the timing, not even the place — we have to get it right so it’s in America’s interest,” Larry Kudlow, White House economic adviser, said in a statement (Reuters).
Moving out manufacturing
Even if the trade war were to end immediately, the long-term damage to China has been done. Manufacturers used to set up shop in China to supply products to the United States. The conflict has made businesses realize that they cannot continue to rely on manufacturing centers in China.
The mere possibility that both nations enter into another war in the future has spooked enough companies that they are shifting production centers out of China. Countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India are prime targets for setting up new industrial bases.
Several businesses are already moving out manufacturing centers from China. (Image: pixabay / CC0 1.0)
The decision to move manufacturing centers from China has not been triggered by the trade conflict alone. China’s tightening regulations, government interference, and rising labor costs have added to the belief that the country is no longer the lucrative manufacturing hub it used to be.
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Ontario Unsolved Murders & Missing People »
Burlington »
Marianne SCHUETT (10) - Missing (27 April 1967)
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 5
Author Topic: Marianne SCHUETT (10) - Missing (27 April 1967) (Read 41293 times)
Re: Marianne SCHUETT (10) - Missing (27 April 1967)
It may have been the suspect killed himself, but the police would like to settle the mystery anyway, since a child is missing. So the case may be solved, but the issue of where the girl is not. There is still a chance, someone out there can help solve that by tellig the police what they may know that could result in her being found even if she is not alive anymore.
trustme
There was an article earlier in August about this case in the Burlington Post. You can read it on their website. Hopefully it will generate more information so there can finally be some answers.
What really happened to Marianne Schuett?
Schoolgirl's unsolved disappearance still haunts Kilbride area
http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/195966
was just a short walk from Kilbride Public School to the modest brick house up the tree-lined street -- about 400 yards.
But on Thursday, April 27, 1967, 10-year-old Marianne Schuett never made that five-minute stroll home. To this day, the mystery of her disappearance still haunts the picturesque village in the city's north end. Indeed, the little girl's abduction was the partial impetus for a folk song by popular Canadian songwriter Ian Thomas.
The mild-mannered, 4-foot-6 youngster, with brown hair cut in the style of the day, was wearing a red reversible jacket when last seen near the school driveway.
The time was 4 p.m. She was talking to a thin-faced, 40ish man wearing glasses, who was sitting in a dark-coloured European model car. Despite massive air and land searches and the discovery of a key suspect in the '90s, Marianne's whereabouts remain a mystery 41 years later.
A longtime Kilbride resident remembered participating in one of the searches organized by police after the little girl vanished.
Fred Arnold was a scout leader who searched with about 18-20 youngsters from the 1st Kilbride Scout Troop. The group of 12-14-year-old scouts included Marianne's older brother, Dave.
"We went through the back bushes and through Campbellville and all the rocks, it was quite an ordeal," recalled Arnold. "I couldn't believe it was happening. You hear about this all the time, but you never believe it could happen.
"She was so close to being home."
He said while her brother remained in scouts, the family went into seclusion. (Members of the Schuett family declined to be interviewed for this story.)
"They sort of stayed home. They were hoping to hear phone calls," said Arnold. "The sad part is her not being found and not knowing. It's just assumed that she's dead, but who really knows? That's got to be worse. That's got to be tough."
He said the Schuetts were just an ordinary family, whom he knew mainly through scouts.
The family eventually moved to Guelph, remembered Arnold.
"It's really too bad," he said. "It's got to be heartbreaking for anybody."
Arnold, the former volunteer fire chief in Kilbride, said everyone knew each other back then, but the mood in the village changed after Marianne's disappearance.
"The kids were taken to school, then picked up at school, they didn't take anything for chance," he said. "It got everybody back on guard."
A strange car travelling through Kilbride would also arouse suspicion, said Arnold.
He recalled hearing a man was considered a prime suspect in the case, but adds police never said the case was closed.
"As far as I know, there was never a conclusion or a definite person," said Arnold.
The child's disappearance often still comes up in conversation.
"We wonder what happened to Marianne," he said. "It seems to be such a mystery. I can't believe something wouldn't come up."
The likelihood that Marianne is still alive is remote, say officers with Halton police's Major Crimes/Homicide Bureau.
Det. Keith Woudstra said a 'person of interest' took his own life in January 1991, several months after Halton police investigated his possible involvement in Marianne's abduction.
"At the time of this person's death, there were insufficient grounds to proceed with a viable prosecution against him," said Woudstra. "We need reasonable, probable grounds to lay a charge against anyone and the information didn't break that threshold. There was a certain amount of evidence. The information certainly points to this individual being responsible."
Woudstra said the suspect was living in Burlington with his wife and children when Marianne disappeared and he moved to Hamilton in the early '90s.
While the detective did not have details about the man's family, he said they haven't volunteered any information about Marianne's disappearance. "Maybe they don't know the details."
Woudstra also confirmed the suspect was jailed in 1972 for the attempted abduction of a 17-year-old girl on Hampton Heath Road in Burlington.
"He tried to get her into a vehicle, but the victim screamed for help, broke free and ran to a nearby house," he said.
He said the suspect was originally charged with kidnapping, forcible seizure and assault causing bodily harm. However, those charges were withdrawn at the Crown attorney's request and the accused pleaded guilty to common assault. The man was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years probation.
"The defence and Crown came to the conclusion that a plea to common assault was the most appropriate resolution," said Woudstra.
The same suspect was also investigated for alleged sexual assaults of two Ancaster girls aged 3 and 9 between 1971-78.
According to Woudstra, one of the alleged victims came forward in December 1990 to report the incidents to police. That prompted a second accuser to come forward with allegations of assault against the same individual, the detective said. Before any resolution of the complaints, the suspect committed suicide.
Woudstra said since there were insufficient grounds to lay charges in Marianne's disappearance, it could be possible that someone else was involved.
"Since the individual was investigated in the early '90s no other names have surfaced to date that would warrant us to actively pursue them," he added.
Walking from the rambling brick Kilbride school to where Marianne once lived -- a tidy, welcoming home with colourful flower boxes and pale yellow wicker chairs outside -- it's hard to believe a child could disappear along such a short route.
The school is located at 6611 Panton St., named for William Panton who, along with Francis Baker laid out the village of Kilbride around 1850. It's named after a town in County Wicklow, Ireland.
From Kilbride P.S., it's about 100 yards south to Kilbride Street, then west to where the Schuett's lived. Every minute or two a vehicle, often an SUV, goes by as it's the main east-west route through the village.
There's a mix of older and newer brick, mainly bungalows or split level, and the occasional huge, stately home.
About halfway to the Schuett residence, ironically enough, is the Kilbride Fire Station and Community Police Office. But it was not built until 1978, well after Marianne disappeared.
Woudstra said witnesses recalled the girl stopped to talk to someone in a vehicle described as a Renault station wagon. They said Marianne spoke briefly with the driver and then got into the car, which went straight past her home. She was reported missing several hours later.
The original investigation was criticized in media reports for missing key evidence, such as the sighting of a man cleaning out a vehicle fitting the suspect car's description.
Woudstra noted the prime suspect was one of several who owned a vehicle matching the description provided by witnesses.
"There was an enormous amount of information versus the resources to address it," he said. "The OPP and Burlington Police Department created a task force to manage the workload that was being generated. One of the largest searches in Canadian history was organized in an effort to find Marianne and to identify her abductor. This was a monumental task, given the fact that there were few concrete leads to follow up."
Woudstra said police have little tangible evidence from the case. He said a blue sneaker was found in the Speyside area near Hwy. 25 in Milton, similar in size and colour to sneakers worn by Marianne.
He said different investigators who worked on the case might have different theories.
"We don't know whether or not he had an accomplice," said Woudstra. "Information from witnesses indicates the individual was acting alone. From the review of the case and witnesses, we do know the station wagon had only one person."
He added to date, police have no evidence that more than one individual was involved or has knowledge of Marianne's disappearance.
The disappearance partially inspired the 1976 song Mary Jane, by popular recording artist Ian Thomas.
The song's lyrics include:
It's been a year or so since anybody's seen her
Mary Jane was on her way from school
They say a big red car pulled up and she got in.
Thomas did not respond to a request for an interview. However, in an e-mail to the Post, he said the idea for the song initially came in the early '70s when he lived in Burlington.
He recalled the disappearance of a young boy named Cameron March and, looking at his own kids, he imagined the pain felt by the boy's parents. Thomas said when Marianne vanished, the anguish in him felt like it was going to explode and it bubbled up into the tune several years later. Looking back, he wishes he'd never released such a dark song.
"I should have just recorded it to get it out of my system and filed it away," wrote Thomas. "There was already enough darkness in the world without songs to pull at the scabs of those trying to heal wounds that may never heal."
Today, the village is a pleasant place on a warm summer afternoon, with quaint homes and the folksy-looking Kilbride Country Store. The sprawling yellow siding building has old-fashioned touches like a cork notice board, outdoor deck and a phone booth. At the counter, a young woman says the store has operated for seven years. She is not familiar with the Schuett case.
Near the school, a woman walking a large black dog said she's heard of Marianne's disappearance, but has only lived in the village since 1994. She said many homeowners near the school are new, but mentioned longtime residents who live just south on Panton Street.
Ruth and Frank Pellow, built a home there in 1972.
"Different people said, 'You're going up to Kilbride where the girl disappeared?'" recalled Ruth.
She remembered search parties looking for Marianne in the back of their previous residence, a 10-acre property on No. 1 Sideroad. "Everybody was very apprehensive," said Pellow. "They were upset about the fact that it happened to a little girl."
She said she was always careful with her children. "My son said 'Mom, your so protective.'"
But Pellow said Kilbride has always been a friendly village.
"We still know our neighbours and everybody helps one another," she said. "When my next door neighbour sees me up a ladder he says it's not safe and helps me out."
Frank Pellow said all their old neighbours have moved out but all the new ones that moved in are still nice.
He was a volunteer firefighter in Kilbride for 20 years and the Pellows are good friends with former chief Arnold and his wife.
They recalled having quite a social life with other firefighters, although there was a drawback.
"You'd have a bunch of people over for dinner and then the fire siren would go," said Frank. "If you were committed to it, you'd have to go."
A current firefighter and his family have lived at the former Schuett residence since purchasing it 23 years ago.
Jeff Swance and his wife, Linda, moved into the brick bungalow at 2291 Kilbride St. about 1 1/2 years after they married.
They've had two children and raised them in Kilbride.
Swance said there has never been any concern about living in the former Schuett residence.
He said once in awhile he thinks about Marianne and wonders what happened to her.
"It's unsolved, so you get curious about it," said Swance.
Halton Det.-Sgt. Kevin Britton said the individual police learned about in the '90s was the most logical suspect.
"Clearly, it was thought by investigators he was the most viable person of interest or suspect," he said. "No one was (a) better (suspect) than him."
Woudstra said police contacted the suspect several times.
"Certainly, the Halton Police Service would be interested in hearing from anyone who may have information relevant to this case," he added. "This includes the person responsible for Marianne's abduction."
The officers noted cold cases were reviewed prior to the '90s, but forensic science has been improving since then.
"It's an ongoing process. We're always looking to see if something was missed," said Woudstra. "With the development of DNA profiles, it's now possible to get strong evidence from exhibits."
Britton said anyone with information about Marianne or the case can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit www.haltoncrimestoppers.com.
"There could be other people who have indirect knowledge or who are potential witnesses," he said. "They could have some knowledge that's dated, but still relevant."
Meanwhile life goes on in Kilbride, but for people like Arnold, a village resident since 1965, the little girl who went missing so many years ago will never be forgotten.
The "person of interest" in this case sure does sound like a viable suspect. The fact that he killed himself just after other allegations started surfacing makes me wonder how many more victims he had. I highly doubt that those would have been isolated incidences. Cowardly bastard took the easy way out, so I guess there's no way of knowing for sure.
Yeah those pedophiles are so cowarldly. I am not a big death penality fan at all, but if there was one, it would be for pedophiles and serial killers only. These pedophiles live to offend and nothing more.
Marianne is/was my cousin. I was only 5 or 6 when she went missing but i remember it really clearly, the search parties and the chaos. She has never been found. The suspect did not kill himself 18 yrs ago, it was only a few years ago after the dig under the building. He was from the hamilton/Niagara area. The coward was being questioned and did commit suicide. She is still remembered and her family still misses her very much.
RIP Adrian (1953 - 2009)
Welcome jmm, It is good to have you here. Since she was your cousin, it must have been really chaotic at the time, of Mariannes disappearance.
She may have been taken and killed elsewhere, totally away from the scene she was last seen. I wonder if she knew him? Looked at him, like a good guy? Once snatched, she met the other side of him.
I hope this is fully solved.
(((((((hugs)))))))) to all family members, and friends.
I notice this poi never even had his name mentioned - figures - protect the geeks right till the end and after.
How much does anyone want to bet that these pedo/s have a particular gene or chemical make-up in their brain that comes to light some day.
How much does anyone also want to bet that these same geeks could have become judges? ... they have/had the ability and share whatever it is?
A gues left this message:
HE HAS NOT BBEN FOUND BUT AND NO UNCLE WAS EVER SUSPECTED , BUT WE STILL HAVE HOPE THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME CLOSURE
esyle
DSchuett
Marianne is a relative of mine. She has not and will never be forgotten by our family. Many of us still hold onto hope she will be found alive and well even after all these years. The worst part is not knowing and not having any closure. I live near Woodstock, with the Tori Stafford case all the memories , questions and unanswered questions all came flooding back. We only hope Victoria or her body is brought back to her family so they may have the closure we never received. I wish the people that have done this to Tori get their just desserts. The person that abducted Marianne chickened out before justice could be served. There is hope other people may know information to bring her home to us one way or another. Thanks for keeping her memory alive with this forum maybe someday we will know where she is.
Quote from: DSchuett on May 26, 2009, 10:45:36 PM
Thanks for posting. Sorry about your relative, it is so sad that the likely killer was such a coward and took the easy way out. I'm glad y'all have not forgotten and I hope you get your answers one day.
I too have wondered about Marianne I was a young teen , bit of a kid back then, it has always haunted me that she was never found. I recall the military searching and private citizens, we was amongst the many that looked for her. horse back and on foot looking down old blind roads off the beaten paths to no avail.
I was however mixed up on the year i thought it was '64 or '65 but many years have passed and memory a little foggy on some details.
yes to be alive would be the dream. but even a body at least there would be closure.
every time i hear of a child missing brings Marianne's memory back.
Hi Lynda, thanks for posting.
It sure would be nice to have closure that is for sure. At least we'd know what happened.
female in halton
I recall the disappearance of Marianne more often than I would like. I am a female living in the Halton area who would have been a few years younger than Marianne at that time. All the parents were terrified warning their children to not talk to strangers or ever get in a car no matter what! What I can't figure out is why when I myself was kidnapped(even though it was only for about an hour and a half) at around the same age did the Halton Police not look seriously at the two people responsible. They could be the abductors/murderer"s of Marianne Shuett. I'm not suprised to learn that her shoe was found around Speyside because it's very well possible those responsible could be from Milton. Any of you reading this be sure to warn your children that a kidnapper could very well be a woman and a man if you didn't already learn that from Karla Holmoka. I was lured in by a woman. Yes the Police did attend my home. Nobody asked me any questions that early evening but I do remember being afraid to talk. I thought I was the one in trouble! I've seen these people recently in the last few years and strange as it may seem, I felt they recognized me even though I am almost 50 years old. I'll never forget it. I was let go because the man was not sure that anyone had not seen the woman.
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Yoko Sekino-Bové was born in Osaka, Japan. She graduated from Musashino Art University in Tokyo, Japan, with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in graphic design before moving to the United States. She worked as a commercial designer in Los Angeles before her passion for ceramic art took her onto a new path.
She received a Master of Fine Art degree in Ceramics from the University of Oklahoma, and served as an artist-in-residence in the ceramic department of the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida for a year.
In 2005 Yoko moved to Washington, Pennsylvania, and she started working from the home studio while teaching at local colleges and art centers. Her porcelain work has been included in prestigious exhibitions nationally and internationally. She was selected as one of the “emerging artists 2011” by the Ceramic Arts Daily Council in the United States. She presented a solo exhibition at the Red Stars Studios in Missouri, Plinth Gallery in Denver, Colorado, be Galleries in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee, Charlie Cummings Gallery in Florida, and The Clay Studio in Pennsylvania. Her work was included in “Push Play” NCECA Invitational Exhibition in 2012. Her work has also been shown in Canada, Japan, Latvia, Turkey, Portugal, Dominican Republic, and she participated to Icheon World Ceramic Biennale 2013, in Icheon, South Korea, and served as an artist-in-residence at Cerdeira Village of Art and Craft in Portugal in 2016. Yoko completed the Arts/Industry residency at John Michael Kohler Art Center in Wisconsin in 2014 and served as a fall residency artist at Archie Bray Foundation in Montana in 2015. In March 2017, in conjunction with NCECA Pittsburgh conference, her solo show “Mixed Signals” was presented at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
Her ceramic works are featured in “500 cups”, “500 platters and chargers”, “500 teapot volume 2”, “Humor in Craft”, “Surface decoration techniques for potters” and “Cast: Art and Objects” as well as other craft books and a variety of periodicals including “American Craft” and “Ceramics Monthly” magazines. Her technical articles were featured on “Ceramics Monthly” and “The Pottery Making Illustrated” magazines occasionally.
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John Bernard Perkins
John Bernard Perkins was born in 1895 in Kingsbury, Leicestershire, son of Walter Perkins, heel builder in boot factory, born in Tamworth, Warwickshire, and Eliza Ann nee Bott born in Burbage. In 1901 the family were living in Burbage, but by 1911 Eliza Ann and three of their children, including Bernard, were enumerated on High Street, Wheatley - Eliza Ann described as mother-in-law of Edward Charles Sheldon, 27, coal merchant. The father continued in 1911 to work in the footwear industry in Burbage, three others of the children living with him.
The Oxford Chronicle reported that Bernard had enlisted with Kitchener's New Army on 18 September 1914. He had joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a Private, Regimental number 14766, with A Coy, 8th Battalion OBLI, Pioneer Detachment. The address given when he joined was Lutterworth Row, Burbage, Leicester: his trade was carter and his previous employer E. C. Sheldon of High Street, Wheatley. He served in France for two months and in the Balkans for three years and four months. He had malaria three times. He earned the three medals, ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred'. He was living in the High Street in 1921. On 3 August 1927 he married Freda Veronica Esme Heath, born 1900 in Wheatley, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Heath of the King and Queen public house on High Street: she was a sister of Charles Heath junior. Bernard died on 26 December 1961 at the King and Queen, where he had been the landlord.
Charles Heath
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My Way is the second studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on September 16, 1997 by LaFace Records, in North America. The album features guest appearances from Monica, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil' Kim. The album was supported by three singles; including these platinum-selling singles with "Nice & Slow", "My Way", and "You Make Me ... More @Wikipedia
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Beyonce, Katy Perry star at packed inauguration
Audience tunes out American Music Awards
Election officials defend special voting for Usher
Usher and Shakira to coach 'The Voice' season 4
Report: Usher's Stepson Declared Brain Dead - Seattle Post Intelligencer
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Usher ft. Lil Jon, Ludacris - Yeah! (Official Music Video)Category Music; Song Yeah! Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris; Artist Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz; Album Crunkest Hits (Clean) Licensed to YouTube by
Usher | Definition of Usher by Merriam-WebsterUsher definition is - an officer or servant who has the care of the door of a court, hall, or chamber. How to use usher in a sentence.
Usher | News, Music Performances and Show Video Clips | MTVRead news updates about Usher. Discover video clips of recent music performances and more on MTV.
Usher (musician) - WikipediaUsher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. He was born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee until moving to Atlanta, Georgia.At the age of 12, his mother put him in local singing competitions, before catching the attention of a music A&R from LaFace Records.He released his self-titled debut album, Usher (1994) but rose to fame in ...
Usher music, videos, stats, and photos | Last.fmUsher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978 in Chattanooga, Tennessee), known simply as Usher, is a Grammy Award winning American R&B singer-songwriter, producer and actor.
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Elisheva and Amaris: An Army of Two
Elisheva and Amaris, mother and daughter, know a thing or two about uphill battles where every inch of gained ground costs dearly. Each in her way ...
WRIR Fund Raiser: Prelude to Summer
Today’s show is called Prelude to Summer. We end up on a parking lot late at night on the first day of summer, sprawled out on sleeping bags and lo...
Slipping Away: An Alzheimer's Story, Part 2
For the longest while I would think of my mother as a husk like the shell left behind by a cicada, all the internal meat gone, just a crisp skin re...
As a boy I always thought it would be terrifying to be a tree rooted in the ground when developers arrived with backhoes and chainsaws. How you cou...
Live Art Sounds of the Human Soul Part 6
Live Art, sponsored for the past three years by the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC), is the only program of its kin...
City Singers
Basil Smith considers music an essential ingredient of life, as necessary as water and air for the well-being of spirit, body and mind. As vice-pre...
Jay Ipson: The Original Survior, Part 1
Jay Ipson is a survivor of the first magnitude. He learned his survival skills under the most harrowing conditions known to man. As a young boy, he...
Jay Ipson: The Original Survivor, Part 3
New Year's Day in South Philly with the Mummers
The Mummers Day Parade is as quintessentially South Philadelphia as Ben Franklin or Willy Penn, a Philly cheese steak or Italian water ice. It’s u...
An Incident on Grace Street
A Nativity story on Suitcase Alley.
Christmas Stories Part 2: A Christmas Carol on Wheels
A hundred years before Frank Kapra ever dreamed up It's a Wonderful Life, Charles Dickens had already penned the seminal Christmas classic, a story...
Steve Moore: Tears of a Clown, Part 2
Charmed lives lack for something. If you’re born in a state of nirvana or somehow privileged as a member of the elect, what’s the point? It’s only ...
Steve Moore: Tears of a Clown Part 1
Live Art,sponsored by the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC), is the only program of its kind in the country. It’s the...
Thanksgiving in Virginia: People Without a Nation
In Virginia, there are eight Indian tribes, some several thousand people in all. Yet the United States doesn’t believe they exist. The seeds of thi...
Melvin Major Fathers and Children
Aristotle said it best: “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Whenever there is a void in our lives we fill it, consciously or otherwise. Too often, people tr...
Live Art: Sound of the Human Soul, Part 3
Live Art,sponsored the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community, is the only program of its kind in the country, or the world for t...
Live Art is the only program of its kind in the country, if not the world. It’s the brainchild of Erin Thomas Foley and what it manages to do is as...
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Hem/Vendors/Armaghangiah/گل ها و گیاهان زینتی/COMMON IVY - HEDERA HELIX
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Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Apiales Family: Araliaceae Genus: Hedera Species: H. helix Binomial name Hedera helix Hedera helix (common ivy, English ivy, European ivy, or just ivy) is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to most of Europe and western Asia. A rampant, clinging evergreen vine, it is a familiar sight in gardens, waste spaces, on house walls, tree trunks and in wild areas across its native habitat. It is labeled as an invasive species in a number of areas where it has been introduced. Hedera helix is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20–30 m (66–98 ft) high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available, and also growing as groundcover where no vertical surfaces occur. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets with matted pads which cling strongly to the substrate. The ability to climb on surfaces varies with the plants variety and other factors: Hedera helix prefers non-reflective, darker and rough surfaces with near-neutral pH. It generally thrives in a wide range of soil-pH with 6.5 being ideal, prefers moist, shady locations and avoids exposure to direct sunlight, the latter promoting drying out in winter. The leaves are alternate, 50–100 mm (2–4 in) long, with a 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) petiole; they are of two types, with palmately five-lobed juvenile leaves on creeping and climbing stems, and unlobed cordate adult leaves on fertile flowering stems exposed to full sun, usually high in the crowns of trees or the top of rock faces. The flowers are produced from late summer until late autumn, individually small, in 3-to-5 cm-diameter (1.2-to-2.0 in) umbels, greenish-yellow, and very rich in nectar, an important late autumn food source for bees and other insects. The fruit are purple-black to orange-yellow berries 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) in diameter, ripening in late winter, and are an important food for many birds, though somewhat poisonous to humans. One to five seeds are in each berry, which are dispersed after being eaten by birds. The three subspecies are:[6][9] H. h. helix central, northern and western Europe, plants without rhizomes, purple-black ripe fruit H. h. poetarum Nyman (syn. Hedera chrysocarpa Walsh) southeast Europe and southwest Asia (Italy, Balkans, Turkey), plants without rhizomes, orange-yellow ripe fruit H. h. rhizomatifera McAllister southeast Spain, plants rhizomatiferous, purple-black ripe fruit The closely related species Hedera canariensis and Hedera hibernica are also often treated as subspecies of H. helix, though they differ in chromosome number so do not hybridise readily. H. helix can be best distinguished by the shape and colour of its leaf trichomes, usually smaller and slightly more deeply lobed leaves and somewhat less vigorous growth, though identification is often not easy.
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Tag Archives: National Emblem
“What…Am…I?”
~The National Animal of Bhutan
If you’re an independent nation, there’s a good chance you have a national animal of some sort. In fact, of all the official countries in the world, almost ¾ of them do. We don’t have a really good reason why that’s the case. In fact it’s kind of weird that a bunch of countries randomly decided to give themselves mascots without anyone questioning as to…what’s the point? We’re sure some country started doing it like thousands of years ago (honestly, probably China?) and a few other independently decided to go the same route, and eventually most countries just got peer pressured into it, but it’s kind of weird that we take national animals as just like, a normal thing for countries to have.
Now America has a few national animals, and we’re not alone in being countries that double down. Naturally we have the bald eagle, but did you know that we also named the American bison our “national mammal”? Yeah that’s right, we have a national mammal. Now, that’s only been the case since it was signed into law in 2016, but still, we do now have two animals. And that being said, neither of these options are bad. Bald eagles are badass, and look badass, while bison have long played a historically significant role in many cultures throughout American history.
But as you might surmise, not every country can really lock in a good national animal like America. In fact, a lot of countries are represented by animals that are not only weird, they straight up don’t fucking exist. And not a single one of these fake animals is a warthog in an army uniform firing a bazooka, which is what we would have come up with if asked to make up a mythical creature to represent America.
You know the deal at this point. We found out that some countries are weird about an arbitrary thing, and we’re going to tell you all about the weirdness. And folks? There are a lot of official animals that straight up do not exist. So many that we’re going to split this sucker into two articles. Keep in mind, most of these creatures were invented about 300 years before we as a species really started getting good at “imagination” and it shows.
Tagged America, Austria, Austrian Bundesadler, Belgium, Bhutan, Bundesadler, Czech Republic, Druk, Germany, Leo Belgicus, National Animals, National Emblem, Scotland, Two-Tailed Lion, Unicorns, United Kingdom, Wales, Weirdest National Animals, Y Ddraig Goch
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Jam City Opens Google Play Pre-Registration and Releases New Gameplay Trailer for Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Mobile Game
-Thursday, March 1st 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Jam City:
Who: Jam City, a Los Angeles based mobile games studio, in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
What: Google pre-registration for Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is now open. Fans can pre-register on Google Play to be the first to be notified when the game launches. Jam City also unveiled Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery’s second official trailer. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, developed by Jam City and will be released this spring for mobile devices under Portkey Games™, the new label for gaming experiences inspired by the magic and adventures of the Wizarding World™. The title will be available on the App Store and Google Play.
Where: Los Angeles, California
Quote: "We are grateful to the fans who have made Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery one of the most anticipated mobile games of ... Read more »
GSMA and ICANN Sign Memorandum of Understanding at GSMA Mobile World Congress
BARCELONA, Spain-Thursday, March 1st 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, the GSMA and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Mobile World Congress being held this week in Barcelona. The MoU aims to enhance collaboration and raise awareness about Internet governance issues that are of common interest to both organizations and their communities. The agreement was signed by GSMA Director General Mats Granryd and ICANN President and CEO Göran Marby.
Over the years, mobile networks have evolved to become a critical infrastructure for Internet services, especially in developing countries. The goal of the MoU is to advance the organizations’ shared objective of fostering the continuous expansion of interoperable networks and the deployment of information and communication technology. The document highlights cooperation on capacity building and policy exchanges. Joint activities includ ... Read more »
Airspan and Sprint Selected as the Winner of "Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough" at GLOMO 2018 Awards
(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Airspan and Sprint are proud to have been selected as the winner of the Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough award in recognition of the ground breaking and successful mass deployment of the first all-wireless indoor small cell, the Magic Box, specifically designed to improve network efficiency, increase data speeds and enhance user experience.
“We are delighted to have our innovative Magic Box recognized by the GSMA and judges in a highly competitive category with some of the largest companies in the world,” said Robert Kingsley, Director of Small Cell and WiFi Development at Sprint. “The simplicity of installation and built-in intelligence of the Magic Box is making our customers’ network experience better every day.”
“Our partnership with Sprint makes real the long-promised abilities of small cells to improve network efficiency and cost-effectivel ... Read more »
BOARD International Delivers Another Year of Record Results in 2017
BOARD International, the world’s leading supplier of Decision Making software for enterprises, has announced its 2017 results, which mark worldwide revenue hyper-growth (+46%) for the 9th consecutive year in the company’s history.
CHIASSO, Switzerland & BOSTON-Monday, March 5th 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BOARD recorded total worldwide revenues of CHF 72,8 million (USD 78,8 million), an increase of more than 46% from its worldwide revenues of CHF 50,0 million (USD 54,1 million) in 2016.
“These results show that our continued efforts to bring groundbreaking innovation to the world’s Enterprise Performance Management, Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics software market have been a success,” said BOARD Co-Founder and CEO, Giovanni Grossi.
Thanks to the Best-in-Class capabilities of BOARD Cloud, the SaaS version of the company’s original on-premise platform, BOARD International has continued its p ... Read more »
Omada Positioned in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Identity Governance and Administration with Strong Ability to Execute
COPENHAGEN, Denmark-Thursday, March 1st 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Omada, a leading provider of identity management and access governance solutions with offices in Europe and North America, has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. – the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company – in the Challengers quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for Identity Governance and Administration 2018.
“We see this as a confirmation of our ability to offer a solution with strong out of the box features and processes, solid reporting capabilities, ease of use and maintenance, and a strong best practices framework, meeting customers’ needs such as a customer identity and access governance module,“ says Morten Boel Sigurdsson, CEO, Omada. "The end-user experience is well-adopted and appreciated in organizations, benefiting both our customers and their partners. Our solution enables businesses to share resources and asset ... Read more »
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Meet The 4-Door Bugatti 16C Galibier That May Soon Join The League Of Hypercars
Posted by Mr Ejump on September 3, 2018, Under: Techs
The Bugatti 16C Galibier is a luxury 5-door fastback concept car based on the Veyron supercar.
It was unveiled at an invitation-only show in September 12, 2009.
The 986hp 16C Galibier has modified version of Veyron’s 8.0-liter W-16 engine that delivers power through a permanent all-wheel drive and a top speed that exceedes 235 mph.
The Galibier uses 2 turbos rather than the 4 fitted to the 268-mph Veyron Super Sport for improved torque characteristics.
The 16C Galibier name is a reference to the Bugatti Type 57 Galibier that was made from 1934 to 1940 .
The Galibier refers to the most difficult mountain passes used in the annual Tour deFrance bicycle race, Col du Galibier while the “16C” refers to the engine’s 16 cylinders.
The interior of the sedan features an analog timepiece which can be mounted in the dash as a clock or on a wristband as a watch.
Bugatti initially planned to produce 3000 production versions of the 16C Galibier concept, which was expected to be named the Royale, before pulling out in favour of the Veyron’s successor, the Chiron.
Bugatti later revealed that it will never manufacture 16C Galibier or a SuperVeyron because it will confuse their customers.
But last year during an autoshow, Bugatti’s then-president revealed the four-door sedan was not dead and that a final decision would be made before the end of 2018.
So let’s wait and see maybe Bugatti will unveil an upgraded version of the 4-door 16C Galibier at the Paris Motor Show in October.
Volkswagen has owned Bugatti brand since 1998 when it also purchased Lamborghini and Bentley.
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Monterey Park crash: Firetrucks collide in Los Angeles suburb, injuring 15
April 16, 2014 (MONTEREY PARK, Calif.)
A Monterey Park Fire Department engine truck crashed into a building at the intersection of Emerson and Garfield avenues shortly after 3 p.m.
Monterey Park Police said an Alhambra Fire Dept. truck collided with a Monterey Park fire engine, sending the fire engine into the Lu Dumpling House restaurant on the southeast corner. Both trucks were responding to a house fire.
Monterey Park Fire and CHP authorities said there were 14 patients in total. Firefighters, pedestrians and restaurant patrons were among the injured. Some patients were transported to Garfield Medical Center.
A Los Angeles County USC Medical Center spokeswoman said nine patients were admitted at the hospital: five firefighters and four civilians. One of the civilians was in critical condition. The other injuries were listed as minor to moderate.
There were no fatalities.
Multiple fire department vehicles, paramedics and police units were on scene to treat the injured and begin an investigation. A command post was sent up on Emerson just west of Garfield. The trucks were expected to remain at the scene for several hours during the investigation.
It was earlier reported that six people were transported to L.A. County USC Medical Center in critical condition.
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Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/b655d624f32e47c79c9910d51f12f8c5
Iran nuclear
Michael Pence
Pompeo visits Iceland as US-EU rift on Iran grows
By MATTHEW LEE and LORNE COOKFebruary 15, 2019
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with European Union Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini ahead of their meeting in Brussels, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. (Olivier Hoslet/ Pool Photo via AP)
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up a five-nation tour of Europe in Iceland on Friday after the Trump administration launched a scathing attack on the European Union over its approach to Iran.
Pompeo was in the Icelandic capital for talks with officials on enhancing trade, Arctic policy, threats posed by Russia and other NATO security issues. Pompeo noted that he was the first secretary of state to visit Reykjavik since 2008 and, as he did at previous stops in Hungary and Slovakia, said the U.S. was re-engaging with allies that it had neglected over the past decade.
“No more we will take our friends, our true allies, our partners for granted,” he said. “We simply can’t afford to neglect them.”
The brief visit to Iceland on his way back to Washington came after a short stop earlier Friday in Brussels, where he met with the EU’s top diplomat.
The breakfast meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini came just a day after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused Britain, France, Germany and the EU as a whole of trying to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Pence also called on the EU to join the Trump administration in withdrawing from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
Pence launched his offensive Thursday at a Middle East conference in Poland that underscored a stark two-year trans-Atlantic divide over Iran. Mogherini did not attend the conference and France and Germany did not send Cabinet-level officials to the meeting.
EU diplomats said before the Warsaw conference that it appeared aimed at driving a wedge between the Europeans and Iran, as the 28-nation bloc struggles to keep alive the Iran nuclear deal after the United States reneged on it last year.
Mogherini smiled, shook her head and waved away a question about Pence’s speech as she sat down with Pompeo and aides at EU headquarters. Neither spoke to reporters.
A senior EU official, who was not present but was briefed on the meeting, said the pair “did not specifically discuss Iran.” The official, who is not permitted to speak publicly about the talks, said Iran did come up in the context of a discussion about the Middle East.
“Iran was in the discussion but it was not a discussion about Iran,” he said.
Pence’s harsh criticism threatened to further chill U.S.-European ties, which are already badly strained on many issues, including trade and defense spending.
Britain, France and Germany, along with the rest of the EU, continue to support the nuclear deal as the best way to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons.
The senior EU official said Mogherini and Pompeo also discussed the possible use of sanctions against Russia after it confiscated Ukrainian ships and imprisoned 24 sailors near the Sea of Azov off Ukraine.
The EU is working on a travel ban and asset freeze for about half a dozen mid-ranking Russian officials.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the move on Monday, but it’s unlikely any sanctions will be announced then.
Mogherini and Pompeo also discussed the crisis in Venezuela, the conflict in Syria, Afghan peace efforts, the upcoming North Korea summit, the EU official said. No details were provided.
Cook reported from Brussels.
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Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim praises the role played by His Excellency President Jalal Talabani in limiting the scope of disputes
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), has stressed that the role played by His Excellency the President of the Republic is necessary to get the country to reach the shores of safety. This came up during the meeting which was attended by these honorable men: Fadhil Mirani, secretary of the political office of the Kurdish Democratic Party and Dr. Barham Salih, when a discussion went on of the overall ongoing developments and the problems facing the political understandings in addition to transcending the chockes that block the path of the political process in the country.
Both sides stressed the importance of urgent work and sincere effort by leaders of the political blocs to ensure an area of national dialogue distantly from tension and media hype and to resort to understandings based on commitment to the constitution and the national agreements. Both sides also stressed the necessity of keenness about democracy and the high sense of responsibility towards the challenges that face the country and the political process during this critical circumstance.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Baqir Jabr al-Zubaidi, head of the parliament's Citizen Bloc and by Shaikh Hameed Mu`allah al-Sa`idi.
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US couples follow Australian civil celebrant tradition
Thanks to Lionel Murphy US couples can now choose how to marry
JULIE POWER February 22, 2014
Decades of services: Three of the 6000 weddings Dally Messenger has presided over since Lionel Murphy launched the civil celebrant program in 1973.
Australian couples tying the knot at close to 90,000 civil ceremonies every year have former attorney-general Lionel Murphy to thank. And now so can American couples wanting a secular marriage.
More than 50 years after Australian legislation providing for civil marriages, and 40 years after the first celebrant was appointed by Murphy, two American jurisdictions have finally followed suit – thanking the Labor stalwart as the father of secular weddings.
Last month New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed legislation allowing properly certified civil celebrants to solemnise marriages and civil unions. The District of Columbia introduced a similar law late last year.
Civil celebrants officiated at nearly 72 per cent of Australian weddings in 2012. In contrast, US weddings can be conducted only by a member of the clergy in half of America’s 50 states. In the other half, they must be solemnised by either ministers of religion or holders of public office, such as judges.
To get around these restriction, US civil celebrants have to be licensed as clergy. These ”civil celebrants” must become a minister of religion, which they can do online through numerous unusual religious organisations for as little as $25, or they can take out a one-day licence as a government officer.
Australia’s Dally Messenger, now 76 and semi-retired, has presided over about 6000 weddings since he was appointed the 17th civil celebrant in the 1970s.
In 2002, when he was in New Jersey training American celebrants he was required to become a minister of religion to marry couples.
”I became clergy of universal brotherhood, a registered religion, whose only belief was service to fellow man,” Mr Messenger said.
The executive director of Centre for Inquiry Indiana, Reba Boyd Wooden said opposition to secular weddings was so great that she could not even get a member of her state’s legislature to introduce legislation.
Her organisation, which fights for secular rights, has taken legal action against the state. In court, a judge asked: ”What’s the big deal? Just declare yourselves a religion. Anyone can go online and do that.”
”We won’t do that because we are fighting for a principle,” Ms Wooden said. ”The big deal is you shouldn’t have to pretend to be religious.”
The civil celebrant program, which began in Australia, was almost entirely the result of one man’s vision, Mr Messenger writes in his book Murphy’s Law and the Pursuit of Happiness.
”Murphy was opposed by his own staff, the public service, his fellow members of parliament and officials of the Labor Party. He defied all, and on July 19, 1973, in the dead of night, typed the first appointment himself, found the envelope and stamp, walked to a post box and posted it himself,” Mr Messenger writes.
Murphy had been appalled by the assembly line civil weddings offered at registered offices.
The first weddings performed by Mr Messenger were shotgun weddings. Since then, the average age of brides has risen from 19 to 29, and ceremonies have expanded to include poetry, music and other meaningful rituals.
Mr Messenger said civil marriages had contributed to Australia’s recent drop in the divorce rate because they prompted couples to examine their relationship and commitment.
Although he has been married three times, and has married 6000 couples, Mr Messenger is not cynical.
”I’ve seen mothers of three or four in white wedding dresses face the partners they’ve been living with for eight or nine years, and repeat their vows with tears streaming down their faces,” he said. ”You don’t get too cynical when you see a lot of that stuff. My experience has been from day one that people are so grateful to have had a meaningful event.”
Posted on February 23, 2014 Posted in ceremony suggestionsTagged civil celebrants By sassyweddingcelebrantmelbourne
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mandag 1. juni 2015
TO SNARE A WOLF
A new full-size replica of the AIRWOLF helicopter was created but Steven J. Full for display in a short-lived helicopter headquarters museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee that opened in August, 2006, using a non-flying bell 222 with molds taken directly from the originals used in the show. Due to lack of money the chain guns were never finished.
The museum was unsuccessful, and offered the replica through Ebay. Then it was sold and made a new home at the Tennessee Museum of Avation in Sevierville, Tennessee.
Latest news is that it was sold to a private owner who sent it to Westcoast custom for a paint touch up on a couple of parts that unfortunately had some issues due to a rushed job by a mechanic. The mechanic didn't use hardener or sealers that made the nose and the pilot door bubble and look different from the rest..
It's gonna be excited to see what Westcoast will do to the replica, either it's just to finish the parts or to paint the whole helicopter..
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Royale Reveal: Official pictures of James Bond's Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin has just released the first official photos of its latest car to co-star with James Bond.
Called the DBS, the car will be featured in the upcoming 007 film Casino Royale. Daniel Craig, the latest in a long line of actors to play James Bond, will pilot the vehicle that is sure to pack an explosive Hollywood punch.
Details are scarce so far on the DBS, but the English automaker tells us it features styling cues that will likely make their way to future Aston models.
We do know the DBS is linked with the DB9 road car and the DBR9 race car. So far, no details have been released about the gadgets Q will customize the DBS with to aid Britain's legendary on-screen spy.
Aston Martin and 007 have shared the spotlight in several films. Pierce Brosnan piloted a Vanquish in 2002s Die Another Day, the last Bond adventure. The first Aston driven by Bond was in 1964, a DB5 in Goldfinger. If you look closely at the movie trailer, you'l notice a DB5 also plays a role in Casino Royale.
Casino Royale is scheduled for release in November of this year.
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Ahmer
Ahmer is a prolific rapper and producer from Srinagar, Kashmir. Since a young age, Ahmer has been acutely aware of the violence that plagues that valley, and his lyrics reflect a self-critical and self-aware artist that is trying to make sense of one of the most complex issues of our time. By diving deep into his and his family’s history in the valley,
Ahmer manages to introduce to people to the complexities of the Kashmiri people and provides a more holistic view of their society
No upcoming event scheduled
Kashmir State Of Mind
Kashmir’s finest MC Ahmer hopes to provide a nuanced and emotionally charged narrative of the valley.
Kashmir, India
Rap/Hip-Hop, Trap
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Previous DJ Uri
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Fallen by the wayside
Literally! And this blog has too. But I do hope to continue soon. I've become what I used to hate (ain't it just the way): being far too busy.
Top 5 Bruce Willis sci-fi films
With the recent release of Looper (above), Bruce Willis' numerous sci-fi roles are almost enough to qualify for a sub-genre.
1. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
2. The Fifth Element (1997)
3. Sin City (2005)
4. Looper (2012)
5. Armageddon (1998)
See also: Planet Terror (2007), Unbreakable (2000), Surrogates (2009) and The Twilight Zone TV series (1985)
Lookalikes #32: Syriana and Argo
Syriana is a 2005 political thriller set in the Middle East starring George Clooney as a CIA guy with a beard*. Clooney also produced it. Argo is a 2012 political thriller set in the Middle East starring Ben Affleck as a CIA guy with a beard*. George Clooney co-produced it.
It's taken me years not to hate Ben Affleck (and Matt Damon, his 10th-removed cousin, who had a role in Syriana). Then I had years of apathy. Now, I don't even mind either of them. Ben Affleck has proved himself more competent behind the camera than he ever was in front of it, directing Gone Baby Gone and The Town. Affleck and Matt Damon won an Oscar back in 1997 for their screenplay Good Will Hunting (though they did get help from Rob Reiner and William Goldman). They both have funny middle names: Ben's is Geza; Matt's is Paige. They both like to play poker, Ben being better; Matt never was very convincing in Rounders.
*Meaning they want to be taken seriously. And make people think of great 1970s American films directed by the kids with beards: Coppola, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman, Malick.
Argo: Not to be confused with Argo, the ship Jason and the Argonauts sailed on; Argos, the largest general-goods retailer in the UK.
Syriana: Not to be confused with Syria, a country in western Asia.
Top ten most boring bands – EVER!
1. R.E.M.
2. Oasis
3. Manic Street Preachers
4. Primal Scream
5. Snow Patrol
6. Radiohead
7. Bruce Hornsby and the Range
8. Counting Crows
9. Stereophonics
10. Pearl Jam
Bond books
With the Bond franchise celebrating its 50th anniversary today, the imminent arrival of the new dull Bond film, Skyfall, and Adele's new Bond theme being declared a classic before anyone's heard it, 007 seems to be everywhere.
I've never been a big Bond fan but I'd obviously buy a first edition hardback Bond book with dust jacket from Oxfam for couple of quid, which I actually did do a few years ago. It was this one, above, which I sold immediately. I like the covers, but not the books or the films.
Firebox, a website which sells completely pointless tat, has released Bond Kindle Cases, reproducing a bunch of early Bond covers so you can keep "your delicate reading matter top secret". Presumably meaning 50 Shades of Grey. It's funny, I was just thinking on the tube the other day how private the Kindle is, you can't see what people are reading. I used to like seeing what book people were reading and judging them. Perhaps every book bought on a Kindle should come with a printed cover to wrap around it.
The early Bond covers were all illustrated by Richard Chopping, a writer and illustrator whose paintings were seen by chance by Ian Fleming's wife, Ann, at a London art exhibition in the 1950s also featuring Francis Bacon. Later, Ann took her husband to see Chopping's paintings, and said he should commission Chopping to do the next Bond jacket. He went on to illustrate nine Bond covers.
In 1965, Topping wrote as well as illustrated his first novel, The Fly.
A recent rewatching of Patrick Keiller's excellent (but flawed) 1994 film London reminded me of the Ernö Goldfinger-designed Alexander Fleming House (now called Metro Central Heights) at Elephant and Castle, quite near where I currently work in London Bridge. I've managed to do the four charity shops in Walworth Road in a lunch hour, so I'll check out the Goldfinger building sometime.
Ian Fleming famously named his Bond villain Goldfinger after the humourless Hungarian architect. Fleming, a near neighbour of Goldfinger's, had apparently objected to the pre-war cottages in Hampstead being knocked down to make way for Goldfinger's modernist house at 2 Willow Road.
Better read over shoulder (5, 7, 4)*
No matter if it's the Guardian, the Sun or a freebie like Metro or the Evening Standard, newspapers are always more interesting read over someone's shoulder or on someone's lap sitting next to me on public transport. Even if I have the same newspaper as the person beside me, I'll find myself glancing over at the page they're reading – and it's always more interesting than the page I'm on. But even if we're on the very same page on the same newspaper, their copy will always be more captivating than mine.
*Other people's news
Cadbury wins ownership of Pantone 2685C purple
We're used to brands owning their logos and slogans but now Cadbury has gone a step further and patented the colour purple on their wrappers, officially known as Pantone 2685C. There's no real cause to panic, however, as the patent only applies to chocolate bars and drinks. You're still allowed to wear your purple trousers. For the time being. In 49 BC only Julius Caesar was allowed to wear a purple toga in Rome; if an ordinary citizen wore one, they'd be executed.
Purple has long had connotations with power and royalty, something Cadbury always wanted to exploit, claiming eating their chocolate was a 'rich and indulgent experience'. Though it's often scoffed at by chocolate aficionados as not being real chocolate, Cadbury has always been my choice of chocolate bar.
Update: A year later in October 2013, Cadbury lost its right to trademark the colour.
Fake Tintins
The morning my brother and I were leaving St. Malo to head back to England (one of the most depressing boat journeys in the world – leaving St. Malo and arriving in ugly Portsmouth), we happened across an antiques market opening up, not unlike the one featured at the start of The Secret of the Unicorn. Wandering through it, I glanced at a book stall unpacking its books. A book seemed to jump out at me: Tintin et les Blues Oranges, one of only two rare Tintin books I didn't own (the other being the book of the film Tintin and the Golden Fleece). I picked it up immediately and almost put it down again after looking at the 16€ price tag: not only was it tatty but it was in French. But before I could put it back a voice boomed out: 'dix'. Ten euros. I examined the book some more and said 'cinq'. The man gave a typically French shrug and held up eight fingers. I held up seven and he said 'okay'.
My brother mocked me afterwards, pointing out that the price went down from 16€ to 10€ in the time I'd merely picked up the book; he was obviously keen to get rid of it. I thought I'd gotten a bargain, however; it's pretty hard to find. The live action films Tintin et les Blues Oranges (1964) and Tintin and the Golden Fleece (1961) were both released on DVD by the BFI last year, but their accompanying book versions have been out of print since the 1960s.
I still reread my complete set of 24 Tintin books. But with the last one being published in 1976 and Hergé dying in 1983, there hasn't been a huge amount of new Tintin material since. There's been loads of merchandise produced by Moulinsart, but it's hardly essential, though I am guilty of owning some of it. No, the only real surprises in Tintin world since Hergé's death has been the publication of Tintin and Alph Art, the final unfinished Tintin story, consisting of sketches and notes; and the English translation published a few years ago of the controversial Tintin in the Congo (first published 1931). Also interesting was Tintin and I, the 2003 documentary about Hergé; and books about Tintin including Tintin in the New World (A Romance) by Frederic Tuten (a friend of Hergé's) in 1993, a novel with Tintin finally discovering women; and the academic, post modern Tintin and the Secret of Literature by Tom McCarthy (2007). Of course, there's also been last year's horrendous Spielberg film.
The main facet of Tintin which has been growing since Hergé's death and rise of the internet is fake Tintins. Mostly these are just fake covers; sometimes they're whole books (the most bizarre being Tintin au Congo a Poil; which is, er, Tintin in the Congo, nude). Fans are mixed about them; fakes are, strictly speaking, illegal, and a good percentage of them are sexual (Tom McCarthy identified three types of parody: the sexual, the political and the artistic), so they're not really as Hergé would have envisaged them. However, a lot are drawn by true fans who are obviously passionate about Tintin. The best ones continue the legacy of Tintin and are a tribute to Hergé, showing great imagination and technique. Canadian Yves Rodier is one such artist producing Tintin parodies; he is perhaps most famous for unofficially completing Tintin and Alph-Art.
Tintin's iconic look, his innocence and Hergé's crisp, clear lines make him ripe for parody. Fakes seem to be all the world. I remember seeing Tintin T-shirts and posters in South-East Asia: Tintin in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia. He only had twenty-four adventures in the books; the parodies let him keep on travelling.
Hergé's favourite Tintin panels
Eponymous heroes 'largely dull'
Tintin never went to Cambodia
Relative Relatives
There's a saying that goes we choose our friends but not our family, but is this strictly true? The idea first occurred to me when my uncle divorced my auntie, and suddenly my auntie wasn't my auntie any more. I had a new auntie, my uncle's new wife, and my old auntie was no more. She wasn't even the ex-auntie. Aside from parents and siblings, this can happen with other members of one's extended family: husbands and wives, aunts and uncles, cousins and all the in-laws.
As for friends, do we even choose these? What if I wanted Brian Eno or Martin Amis as friends? Would this be possible? It's doubtful. No, friends, unfortunately, are just as much a product of environment and chance as family is.
Daisy Meadows' Rainbow Magic books
Having a pseudonym is a common practice for many writers, from George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) to George Orwell (Eric Blair). More recently, bestselling crime writing duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French have been writing together as Nicci French; and Swedish crime writers Alexander and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril are known collectively as Lars Kepler. I've blogged previously about the books of Lambert M Surhone and his team, who 'write' books by copying and pasting from Wikipedia.
Now I feel compelled to write about a series of children's books about fairies called Rainbow Magic, written by Daisy Meadows and published by Orchard Books. Daisy Meadows, it turns out, is also a pseudonym for a group of writers who seem to work from one story template, only changing names and places for different books. There are now over a hundred fairy books in the series, all based around best friends Kirsty Tate and Rachel Walker and their encounters with good fairies and bad goblins.
Dreadfully written books that are huge best sellers are a pretty common phenomenon, with Dan Brown's novels, JK Rowling's Harry Potter series and 50 Shades of Grey being three recent examples. The Rainbow Magic books are no exception, with their cut and paste story lines and terrible illustrations, so it comes as no surprise that over 20 million copies have been sold worldwide.
There's a seemingly inexhaustible range of Rainbow Magic books, with each series of seven books consisting of a different kind of fairy, be it Weather Fairies, Sporty Fairies, Dance Fairies, Music Fairies or Pet Fairies. Bland and dull, with predictable, repetitious storylines and characters, it's looking like the series could continue ad infinitum.
Baby Books and TV Programmes
Veet for Men Hair Removal Gel Creme (200ml) has 539 reviews on Amazon, with one review by Andrew, entitled DO NOT PUT ON KNOB AND BOLLOCKS, amassing 1,083 comments (with 23,386 people finding it helpful). An article last month in the Guardian entitled Pubic Hair Has a Job To Do – Stop Shaving and Leave it Alone, informing readers of the health implications of removing hair down there, received over 1,000 comments. Another Guardian article from last year, called Pubic Hair Removal: The Naked Truth, looked at women who shave down below. Elle and Vogue also had articles about the phenomenon.
Body hair – or rather, lack of it, is a hot topic. If the 1970s were the decade of hair excess – where sexiness in a woman included having a bushy bush and in a man, a hairy chest, bouffant hair and a beard, then this last decade or so has seen hair gradually disappearing from our bodies and from our nether regions in particular.
It's now not unusual for, say, male cyclists and athletes to shave their legs, for gay couples to give each other a sack, crack and back wax, and for heterosexual metrosexuals to give their pubes a trim (though, worryingly, many metrosexuals and hipsters seem keen to grow beards, the results usually being somewhat scraggy). And a shaved head on a man has (thankfully) become more acceptable than the dreaded comb over.
The sex Bible of the 1970s, The Joy of Sex, with its hand-drawn illustrations depicting the man with beard and pubic hair and the woman with bush too, is a quaint anachronism. A hairy chest is no longer the sign of manliness. The phrase 'to put hair on your chest', meaning a food or drink will make you strong and healthy (or drunk), is rarely used nowadays. It seems real men have all but vanished, being replaced by hairless Peter Pan-like boys.
Obviously, men and women have been removing hair from parts of their bodies for centuries (and in different cultures, say Islam, removing pubic hair has long been seen as a sign of cleanliness; in prudish Victorian society pubic hair was never seen on naked women in paintings until Courbet's still-provocative Origin of the World); women – their legs and underarms, mainly, and around their bikini line; men – their faces. Now the whole body is game for that pre-pubescent look: backs, heads, genitals, legs. But who's to blame? Is it just the fickle fancy of fashion, or pornography (or Barbie, or Carrie Bradshaw)?
The widespread availability of internet porn has meant many of us have seen porn stars without pubic hair, admired it (apparently) and emulated it. Men apparently think their penises look bigger uncluttered by hair. As pornography, by its nature, is degrading towards women, whether women want their pubic hair removed or whether men have implemented the notion is a controversial point (in the same way as it was a man who invented the high heel). Women have gone from American waxing to French waxing to Brazillian waxing to 'The Sphinx' (full removal, named after a hairless breed of cat) in a relatively short period of time.
In pornography, women's lack of pubic hair allows for their vaginas to be explored in almost gynecological detail, whilst giving them a prepubescent, childlike appearance; a paedophile's delight. So completely has pubic hair been removed from mainstream pornography that female models with pubic hair are tarnished with the term 'hairy', a niche porn subject heading, along with 'mature', 'retro', 'anal' etc. Degrading terms for women's genitals such as 'gash' or 'car accident' sort of make sense on the hairless, open-legged woman; it's like a raw wound.
A history of female pubic hair fashions can best be seen in Playboy magazine, where pubic hair wasn't actually shown in the magazines until the early 1970s and a full bush (or at least a French) was on display from the mid-70s until the 1990s, when the Brazilian took over. By 2007, women were mainly sans hair down there.
I'm old fashioned about it all and prefer a hairy bush. Like a burka, it's the mystery of hidden delights contained inside.
Pet hates #1,287: the rucksack
I try to look objectively at the ubiquitous rucksack (also known as a backpack) but can only come up with one conclusion: I hate them. Rucksacks are ugly, impractical and uncomfortable. Someone wearing one knocks it into me at least once a day on the tube, not seemingly factoring in that they are twice the size whilst carrying one. And looking like a hunchback. The few times I have donned one, my shoulders ache, my back sweats and I'm always paranoid someone's going through the pockets. And I have to take it off to get something from it. Really can't believe they're so popular.
Rucksack is a German word mean back and pack; the term backpack comes from the States.
Lookalikes #31: arms on album covers
Clockwise from top left: The Hold Steady, Heaven is Whenever (2010); Spoon, Kill the Moonlight (2002); Spiritualized, Amazing Grace (2003) and Trust by Low (2002).
Three of these came out within a year of each other. It (sort of) reminds me of films with similar subjects coming out within a few months of each other, such as:
Dangerous Liasons and Valmont
The Prestige and The Illusionist
Twister and Tornado
Antz and A Bugs Life
Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line
Capote and Infamous
Tombstone and Wyatt Earp
Deep Impact and Armageddon
Dante's Peak and Volcano
The Truman Show and EdTV
Robin Hood and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
But like identical twin brothers or sisters, where one is usually more attractive than the other, one film is always a lot better than the other, and performs a lot better (though not necessarily the same one, of course.)
'Having a job makes you sick'
Last week's London Evening Standard featured a hard-hitting 'Special report' regarding youth employment. Apparently, the hidden cost of youth employment is depression and poor physical health. For thousands of young people the brutal reality of life with a job is the start of a spiral into depression, anxiety and ill health. They start work with high expectations but their dreams come to nothing.
Having a job can lead to depression, inertia and a sense of worthlessness, the report continues. A random cardiologist stated that "there's strong evidence that the employed are more likely, through boredom and low self-esteem, to indulge in excessive alcohol consumption and smoke."
A random professor then virtually repeats this by saying how "employment has an impact on health behaviours. It is associated with increased smoking, alcohol consumption and decreased physical activity, contributing to an increased risk of serious illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and cancer."
This will strike a chord with most office workers, who sit down and stare at a screen for eight hours a day, with regular after work drinks in the pub and possibly smoking and even doing drugs. On top of that, the "unhealthy atmosphere" of many offices, combined with being crammed like sardines on public transport, mean diseases, from man flu to Ebola, can "spread like wildfire".
Controversially, the professor goes on to say that unemployment is "good for health. London boroughs should seek to stimulate unemployment opportunities, particularly those that help young people stay out of work."
H for Horrific*
I'd been meaning to go to the Cinema Museum in Lambeth for years, so it was great to see it as part of Open House weekend, as it's usually open by appointment only. A registered charity, the museum houses a huge collection of cinema memorabilia, artefacts and equipment, mainly concerned with (what used to be, anyway) the pleasure of actually going to the cinema. This includes old cinema fittings, like some fine art deco looking doors, as well as carpets, banisters, signs, seats, lobby cards, posters, signs and usher uniforms. The museum also has a large collection of projectors and a massive archive of printed publications and documents, including over a million photographic images. The place is a truly fascinating hotchpotch of memorabilia and a national treasure.
For over a decade its home has been the fine Master's House in Kennington. This fine Victorian Gothic building (whose chapel is now Grade II listed), the former Lambeth workhouse, was where Charlie Chaplin spent time as a child.
*This comes from an early and rare, pre-X certification board on display at the museum, where 'U' is universal, 'A' is for adults and 'H' meant the film is horrific.
As part of the Open House weekend, my boon companion and I also went to:
18 Stafford Terrace, 'remarkably well-preserved' former home of Punch illustrator Edward Linley Sambourne (1844-1910).
Leighton House, former home and studio of painter Lord Leighton (1830-96); 'one of the most remarkable buildings of the 19th century'.
The Library Space, former library in Battersea converted into an art gallery.
The De Morgan Centre, museum housing Evelyn's Pre-Raphaelite paintings and William's tiles and pottery; 'one of the most beautiful small museums in London'.
These can all be visited outside of Open House (as can most of the buildings in the booklet), the main advantage of seeing them during Open House weekend is not having to pay. And having architectural chats to people whilst queueing up to see the buildings.
Open House: St Annes, Soho
Safe as Castles
Lookalikes #30: Stonehenge & Sacrilege
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument constructed around 3100 BC and situated in the county of Wiltshire.
Sacrilege is a life-size replica of Stonehenge, made as a fully operational bouncy castle. It's lots of fun. It's been doing a tour of the UK since June and is now in its last week. Try to catch it if you can. Sacrilege is by Turner prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, who has also done all kinds of other interesting and fun things, such as a documentary about Depeche Mode fans and a reenactment of The Battle of Orgreave, the confrontation between miners and police during the 1984 miners' strike.
sacrilege2012.co.uk
Notes on Rhodia notebooks
When I used to go on family holidays to France as a child, I'd always get a Rhodia notepad or two to doodle in. I used to love French stationery in general and the iconic orange Rhodia notepads in particular. The square graph paper pads came in a variety of sizes and were held together by nothing more than a staple or two at the top. There were score marks towards the top for easy folding over. Over the years I stopped using them for one reason or another, migrating to other alternatives, from Filofax to the rather pretentious Moleskine with its Chatwin and Hemingway lineage.
But on a recent visit to France, my love for Rhodia was reignited, mainly perhaps because this time round I couldn't actually find any Rhodia notebooks. In place of Rhodia were generic, supermarket brands such as Bloc, Oxford and Casino*. It took me searching in dozens of tabacs and Hyper U supermarkets to track a genuine Rhodia pad down. Rhodia now do other types of notebooks, including, inevitably, the Moleskine kind, but my favourite remains their simple orange pad, which they've been producing since the 1930s.
Next time, though, ahem, I think I'll get my Rhodia online from Ryman.
Related: I so want this gorgeous French stationery kit.
*Supermarkets do this all the time, don't they? They copy the packaging of popular brands – 'parasite packaging', according to the Mail – apparently in the hope that shoppers will mistake them for the real thing. They must take us for idiots. We buy them because they're a fraction of the price, not because we think they're the real thing. And as much as I hate most brands, it must make them awfully pissed off, spending millions on branding, advertising and packaging, just to see Sainsbury's replicate their packaging for next to nothing. Apparently there's no law against it. The supermarkets have all the power.
Scala Beyond
After the success of London's Scala Forever season last year, which celebrated the long defunct sleazy cinema club in King's Cross, we now have the nationwide Scala Beyond, which has already been going for a couple of weeks but also runs throughout September. The season celebrates all forms of cinema, but mainly, thankfully, the weird and wonderful. But if this season lacks such Scala fodder as Jodorowsky, Meyer and Argento, it makes up for it by focusing on independent cinema, apparently thriving in the UK, and having film workshops and showings in clubs, festivals, pop-up venues and even schools and homes.
The many highlights include The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein on 19 September at London's Horse Hospital, where my boon companion and I finally got to watch the extraordinary Thundercrack at last year's Scala Forever; and a rare screening of Alan Clarke's visionary Penda's Fen on 25 September.
scalabeyond.com
Scala Forever!
Double Bill Me
Mr Brainwash: art for the brain dead
Good news for some, perhaps, that Mr Brainwash's first solo UK art show at The Old Sorting Office on Oxford Street has now been extended for an extra week until 7th September.
Mr Brainwash is familiar to many via Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy's 2010 'documentary' about Frenchman Thierry Guetta, who adopts the name Mr Brainwash during the course of the film and puts on his own art show in L.A. The film seemed like a hoax, things not adding up, just another Banksy trick. Yet here still is Mr Brainwash, designing covers for Madonna CDs, having huge solo exhibitions, his 'art' selling for thousands.
I'm not hugely bothered if Mr Brainwash is or isn't Banksy; I'm not even bothered that Mr Brainwash has no artistic ability and employs a team (not of artists, note, this is not art; but of graphic designers) to carry out his work (after all, everyone from Michelangelo to Jeff Koons has done the same); if I'm bothered at all it's that his work is so completely derivative, endlessly recycling Warhol and Banksy until it is devoid of any meaning or originality.
Still, the exhibition is good fun in a trashy and kitsch kind of way; presumably aimed towards people who don't normally go to art exhibitions because they don't get modern art. With Mr Brainwash's work there's nothing to get. I wish I'd taken my six year old daughter; she would have appreciated it more than me.
I can't complain (much), though, there are numerous freebies at the (free to get in) exhibition: a Mr Brainwash spray can, three posters, three postcards and a bottle of Coke and water.
[The same day I'd gone to Mr Brainwash's exhibition, I went to see Grayson Perry's series of tapestries at the Victoria Miro gallery (above). Examining notions of taste and class in the UK, the six tapestries were based on the Channel 4 series All in the Best Possible Taste, which was presented by Perry. It was a worthy contrast to Mr Brainwash. Here was art with meaning; original and thought-provoking, it even told a story, you know, like all art used to do. Perry states that he's 'interested in the politics of consumerism' and shows us how we attach emotional importance to objects. With Mr Brainwash all we get is the objects.
mrbrainwash.com
Banksy vs Bristol Museum
Top ten best smells
1. Freshly cut grass
2. Rain on hot concrete
3. Frying bacon
4. Cigarette smoke
5. Bonfire
6. Fresh pine
7. Petrol
8. Coffee brewing
9. Freshly baked bread
10. Suntan lotion
Vertigo knocks Kane off top spot
Saul Bass' poster for Vertigo
1. Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958)
2. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)
3. Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953)
4. La Regle du jeu (Renoir, 1939)
5. Sunrise: a Song for Two Humans (Murnau, 1927)
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968)
7. The Searchers (Ford, 1956)
8. Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929)
9. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer, 1927)
10. 8 ½ (Fellini, 1963)
BFI's top ten films 2012. See the full fifty here.
If Chris Marker had lived a few days past his 91st birthday he would have been pleased to see one of his favourite films, Vertigo, knock Citizen Kane off number one place in the BFI's influential list of the top fifty greatest films, which they compile once a decade and has just been published in Sight & Sound magazine. A decent, if dull list, with Ozu, Coppola and Kubrick featuring too heavily for my liking, but a good dose of Tarkovsky and Dreyer, Vigo's L'Atalante at No. 12 and Lynch's Mulholland Dr. the most recent film (2001) in at No. 28. Chris Marker's own La Jetée just makes the list at No. 50. La Jetée and Sans Soleil both make reference to Hitchcock's classic, and are, like Vertigo, concerned with the power of memory, both real and imagined.
RIP Chris Marker, 1921-2012
Experimental French filmmaker Chris Marker died a few days ago on his 91st birthday, 29 July. Though he made dozens of films – or film essays – he is most famous for his influential post-apocalyptic time travel cinepoem, La Jetée* (made in 1962), loosely remade by Terry Gilliam as 12 Monkeys (and films such as Inception sharing some common themes). Composed mainly of black and white still images, I remember watching La Jetée at the cinema for the first time many years ago and being mesmerized by it; in particular the only few seconds of moving footage: a woman waking up in bed, opening her eyes (apparently Marker could only borrow a moving film camera for one afternoon). The sudden few seconds of moving footage after all the still images struck me as the art house equivalent of the universe exploding in a blockbuster sci-fi film.
Notoriously private, where he was born remains a mystery and only a few photos of him exist; for publications requesting a picture of him he would supply a photo of a cat. Other notable films by Marker include Sans Soleil (which comes with La Jetée on DVD, a nice introduction to the man's work), AK, Les Astronautes (made with Walerian Borowczyk) and A Grin with a Cat.
*The film has been partly ruined by an ex, who tends to hold no reverence for art house films. She breezed past whilst I was watching it on DVD, and asked why the man (pictured above) had a bra over his eyes. She's also made similar insensitive – but quite amusing – comments about other art house films.
The Three Mills
The fabulous Three Mills are situated on the River Lea, near Bromley-by-Bow station. Though its conical towers recall the oast houses of Kent, the mills are tidal and were originally used to ground flour (oast houses were designed for drying hops). Grade I listed and built in 1776, it is apparently the largest tidal mill in the world.
How to get there: from Bromley-by-Bow tube station cross the hideous A12 (there is an underpass), past the ugly, derelict office blocks and burnt out car, and venture through the horrible, massive Tesco's. It's a painful but rewarding journey.
South London Windmills
Windmills used to be a familiar site in London but now only nine remain intact, including two fine, Grade II* listed examples in South London, one in Brixton and one on Wimbledon common, built within a year of each other.
The Brixton windmill is the only inner London windmill remaining with sails intact. Built in 1817, by 1862 the surrounding area had become too built up by new houses for the sails to function. The sails were removed a few years later and the building used for storage. It was restored last year with Lottery funds and looks magnificent, tucked away in a small, unassuming park off Brixton Hill. In fact, it's almost impossible to see from a distance, being obscured by trees and buildings, so it's quite a surprise when it suddenly appears. My boon companion asked if it was painted black because it's in Brixton. I had to set him straight and say no. Though it was originally brick, it was painted with black tar to make it weatherproof.
Wimbledon windmill was built a year later than the Brixton one, in 1817, and remained operational until 1864, when it was converted into a house. The sails have been restored to their former glory and the building itself is now a museum.
Top ten Dire Straits songs
Mark Knopfler is not an ugly man but Dire Straits were never exactly the best looking or coolest band around. Even so, they were huge in the 1980s, with their 1985 album Brothers in Arms album shifting some 30 million copies. Looking back at Knofler in those days, no, not an ugly man, but kinda average, with bad hair and a bit weedy, and when seen sporting a red suit with a pastel T-shirt and a head sweatband, it's like he committed some of the worst crimes against fashion ever.
In fact, he's looking the best he's ever looked right now, judging by the recent BBC4 documentary about the man, which got me digging out my old Dire Straits records. I was kinda into them as a young teenager when Brothers in Arms came out. Then I didn't listen to them for years; but they're good, a bit pub rock but low-key and melancholic with Knopfler's vocals sometimes just a whisper. He plays the guitar pretty good too.
1. Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits, 1978)
Apparently the perfect song length to boil a hard boiled egg to (5:34).
2. Romeo and Juliet (Making Movies, 1980)
3. Brothers in Arms (Brothers in Arms, 1985)
4. Tunnel of Love (Making Movies, 1980)
5. Walk of Life (Brothers in Arms, 1985)
6. Money for Nothing (Brothers in Arms, 1985)
7. Why Worry? (Brothers in Arms, 1985)
8. Where Do You Think You're Going? (Comminique, 1979)
9. Your Latest Trick (Brothers in Arms, 1985)
10. Telegraph Road (Love Over Gold, 1982)
The Landlord’s daughter
With the landlord’s daughter
Should you oughta?
Large, she moves in slow motion–
No commotion or emotion
‘Cause she ain't going
Nowhere.
The fat, freckled arms,
Mouth open sleeping, many chins...
Yes, she’s American.
But that's okay
In a laconic kind of way.
She shaved my chest, then the rest.
Lionel Richie Tea
When enjoying a nice cup of tea from this lovely Lionel Ritchie teapot and tea cup (via Etsy), it would only seem right to play some classic songs from his back catalogue, such as: Typhoo, Say Me; (Chai) Endless Love; All Night Oolong; Dancing on Darjeeling; My Endless Mug; Three Cups of Lady Grey; Hello (Is It Tea You're Looking For?); My Des-Tea-ny and Brew It To Me One More Time.*
Whilst drinking your tea and listening to the music, why not complete the occasion with a Lionel Rich Tea biscuit?
The New Shape
Postmodern teapots
Not for all the tea in China
Tagalog for Tea
* I can't take credit for most of these dreadful puns – that dubious honour goes to my work colleagues.
‘What percentage of the world do you think has been photographed?’ he asked.
There was a pause.
‘That’s an interesting question,’ she said, thoughtfully, sincerely.
Then they both burst out laughing. As if.
A butterfly strolled by. A leaf broke out in a cold sweat. Life sure ain’t what it used to be, old bean.
(Ronda, Spain, 1999)
See also: The Stowaway
Three free female exhibitions
Three free retrospectives by three iconic female artists have opened recently, two in London and one in Oxford. All are worth a look.
Yoko Ono: To The Light (Serpentine Gallery)
The 79-year-old conceptual artist has never been much liked by critics or public. Critics call her work either too facile (her anti-war pieces) or too obtuse (everything else) and the public hate her because John Lennon fell in love with her. Go figure. Me, I quite like her. Controversially, I find her music more exciting than Lennon's ever was. I love her last album, 2009's Between My Head And The Sky. Oko was actually an established artist before she ever met John, so she's been producing art and music for some fifty years now. She's had an amazing life and is now a cultural institution more than anything else. See it and smile.
Madge Gill (The Nunnery)
Outsider artist Gill was born in East Ham in 1882 and grew up in an orphanage before spending her teens in Canada. She married her cousin and got very ill after giving birth to a stillborn baby, losing the sight of her left eye. During her return to health Madge became increasingly interested in spiritualism and became possessed by Myrinerest, her spirit-guide. Under the spirit's guidance she produced all kind of art, including drawing, knitting and weaving. In the 1930s she became a medium, conducting seances in her living room. She never sold any drawings in her lifetime (though she did exhibit), fearing it would anger Myrinerest. After her death in 1961, thousands of drawings were discovered in her home.
The small retrospective at the Nunnery, near Bromley-by-Bow tube, shows a selection of her intense, intricate pen and ink drawings.
Jenny Saville (Modern Art Oxford)
Jenny Saville's unflinching large scale paintings will be familiar to most via two Manic Street Preachers' album covers, 1994's The Holy Bible and 2009's Journal for Plague Lovers.
Even though she's been a professional artist since the early 1990s when her entire degree show was bought by Charles Saatchi, and she had her work exhibited with the YBAs (Young British Artists) at the controversial 1997 Sensation exhibition, amazingly this is the first time Saville has had a solo UK exhibition. If you're wondering why it's in Oxford, it's because she lives there (or, as the publicity blurb says, she's 'based' in Oxford. People don't 'live' in places any more, they're 'based', implying some detachment, a lack of commitment, the possibility of uprooting at a moment's notice. Maybe it just sounds cooler. Either way, it comes across as poncy and I don't like it).
Anyway, I love her paintings. Though obviously a figurative painter, in the documentary which accompanies the show, Saville surprisingly describes herself as an abstract and landscape painter. But standing in front of the paintings, it's not so surprising. They're monumental in size (a nipple the size of my head), the folds of female flesh evoking hills and dales. Up close, the large paint strokes appear blotchy, splattered and abstract.
Saville also has two large drawings in the nearby Ashmolean. Almost doing a Banksy in Bristol, where the graffiti artist planted artworks amongst the other – more traditional – exhibits in the gallery, Saville has likewise placed her drawings alongside traditional Italian Renaissance paintings. The comparison doesn't really work, as Saville's are drawings and the rest paintings but her technique is brilliant – one drawing is based on Leonardo's cartoon in the National Gallery and Saville's looks as good as the master's.
Recent Barngain LPs
Often I'll buy a record in a charity shop if it has a nice – or bizarre – cover. Though you shouldn't judge a book by its (usually bad) cover, perhaps one should judge a record by its cover if it's a good'un. All the above, none of which I'd heard of, turned out to be great.
Clockwise from top left: Fargo, I See it Now (1969): religious pop psych from Salt Lake City, Utah; The Butterfield Blues Band, The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw (1967); Sharks, Jab It in Yore Eye (1974) and the self-titled debut by Upp (1975), a British rock/jazz fusion band, featuring guitar by Jeff Beck, who also produced the record.
Top 10 Roman Polanski films
1. Chinatown (1974)
2. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
3. Repulsion (1965)
4. Knife in the Water (1962)
5. The Tenant (1976)
6. Cul-de-Sac (1966)
7. Tess (1979)
8. The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
9. Bitter Moon (1992)
10. Macbeth (1971)
Whilst discussing Rosemary's Baby with a girlfriend at film school some twenty years ago, we were both amazed to discover our favourite shot in the film was exactly the same one. It wasn't a scary or dramatic scene; it wasn't a particularly arresting or amazing shot (which makes the coincidence more incredible – in case you're wondering, in case you think one of us was making it up – say, to impress the other, we literally both said it at the same time); it occurs approximately 24 minutes into the film, when Rosemary and Guy are having a vodka blush at the Castevet's home – there's a shot of Roman holding the tray and spilling some liquid on the floor; Minnie bends down to wipe it up (a shot echoed at the end when Minnie picks the knife Rosemary has dropped off the floor and rubs the mark made by it). That's it. But there's something innately cinematic and graceful about it; perhaps the shine off the silver tray, the movement of Minnie; I – we – didn't know; there was something unexplained and mysterious, beautiful yet ordinary about it. (I also remember seeing most of the Fearless Vampire Killers for the first time with the same girlfriend on a black & white fuzzy TV in Wales; I was drunk and watched most of it upside down. And loved it.)
This is perhaps what I like about Polanski's films: they may be horrific or surreal, but it's all in the detail and there's always that elegance, no matter what the subject matter. It's fair to say, like Woody Allen, I love all Polanski's films, the good, the bad and the ugly. Also like Allen, I don't really have a huge problem with his sexual shenanigans. These guys are geniuses; let's give them a bit of latitude.
Roman Polanski's personal life is famously as eventful as his cinematic career: he born in 1933 in Paris but soon moved back to Poland with his parents. By the start of World War II his family had been moved into the Krakow Ghetto. His mother was killed at Auschwitz; he saw his father being taken to Mauthausen. Roman himself witnessed many horrors and endured starvation and beatings, surviving the war by remaining in hiding. He was reunited with his father after the war and eventually went to the famous Lotz film school. His first feature film, Knife in the Water (1962), his only film made in Poland and nominated for an Oscar, already shows themes that would feature in all his films: that is, a claustrophobic location; a pessimistic, dark view of life as well as sexual jealousy and psychological games. Three films made in Britain followed: Repulsion (1965), Cul-de-Sac (1966) and The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). Polanski moved to the States to make Rosemary's Baby a year later. It was in 1969 when his second wife, the actress Sharon Tate, was amongst the guests murdered by the Manson Family at Polanski's house in L.A. (while he was in Europe filming).
Controversy would continue to dog Polanski's life. In 1977 he was arrested for sexually assaulting a 13 year-old girl. Polanski fled the States, never to return. There's a theory that Polanski's cinema mirrors his personal life. Indeed, after the murder of Sharon Tate, Polanski directed a bloody version of Macbeth. After the sexual abuse scandal he directed Tess, starring the 15 year old Nastassja Kinski, with whom he had an affair at the time. Both The Pianist (2002) and Oliver Twist (2005) mirror Polanski's experiences in wartime Poland.
Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion and The Tenant make up the loose 'apartment trilogy', presumably because they are largely set in apartments. His most recent film, Carnage, recently released on DVD, is wholly set in an apartment. The premise is vaguely reminiscent of Bunuel's The Exterminating Angel, in which a group of middle class dinner guests find themselves unable to leave the room for no apparent reason (according to Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, this idea was given to Bunuel by Owen Wilson in 1920s Paris), it's also similar to Christos Tsiolkas's novel and TV series The Slap – the catalyst for Carnage is a boy being hit with a stick. The parents of both boys meet up to discuss the incident. The result? Carnage.
Even Carnage – adapted from a play and set in an apartment – has the same innately cinematic feel as all Polanski's films. His films seem to work best when limited to a particular place: the boat in Knife in the water; a west London apartment in Repulsion; the island of Lindisfarne in Cul-de-Sac; the prime minister's isolated house in Ghost Writer.
Polanski's latest film goes one step further than Damon Albarn's album Dr Dee by calling it simply D. It's based on Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish artillery officer falsely accused of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment. He eventually had his name cleared by the french writer Emile Zola. Comparisons to Polanski's own life are already inevitably being drawn.
Children of the 1970s
It's partly because kids in the 1970s are now adults waxing lyrical about their now-idealised childhoods; it's partly because modern TV is crap; it's partly because teenagers now are more likely to watch adult TV than specific teenage TV; it's also because we are living in a time of Retromania (thanks in large part to the internet) – Simon Reynolds coined the word and wrote a book about the phenomena.
Whatever the reason (though it's mainly because I never watched any of them first time round, being too young, and have only recently heard of them), I've found myself watching four cult 1970s children's TV programmes/series over the last few months: The Owl Service (1969-1970), Penda's Fen (1974), The Changes (1975) and Children of the Stones (1977). Exploring notions of old England, known as Albion, in a supernatural and lyrical way, together they represent the pinnacle of challenging, thought-provoking and cutting edge children's drama – though to appreciate them fully it helps to be an adult.
Two of the four were adapted from then-recently published books: The Owl Service (1967) by Alan Garner and a trilogy of books (1968-70) by Peter Dickinson became The Changes. Penda's Fen was written by David Rudkin as a TV play and shown as part of BBC's Play for Today series. Children of the Stones was written for TV by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray.
Though the programmes were written and made for children/teenagers and broadcast in the late afternoon/early evening children's time slot, they all deal with fairly heavy, traditionally adult themes such as identity, myth, magic, sexuality, ecology and class (to name just a few!) in an original and often experimental way. (NB: this may be another reason why these now-cult programmes are being rewatched by adults – none of them as kids knew what they were watching at the time; now in their 40s, they can fully understand them). Landscape is paramount in all the programmes: they all have a distinct sense of place, and show the British countryside in an often lyrical way. In Children of the Stones it is Avebury in Wiltshire (called Milbury in the series); in The Owl Service it's rural Wales; Penda's Fen is set in the Malvern Hills and The Changes in Bristol, the Forest of Dean and Sharpness.
The Owl Service, the book, was enigmatic, elliptical, obscure and opaque, whilst dealing pretty realistically with questions of myth, class, national identity and teenage love. The TV series is, well, pretty much the same. In fact, it was only the rather prosaic-sounding recap at the start of each episode which helped me understand the book and the TV series. Beautifully filmed in 16mm colour, it featured the attractive Gillian Hills (who a few years before was in Blowup and a few years later would be in A Clockwork Orange – now she's married to the manager of AC/DC, working as an illustrator) as Alison and the dark, brooding Michael Holden (who would be randomly murdered in a London bar in 1977. I made the mistake of Googling the actors midway through watching it; it cast a dark shadow over the rest of the series) plays Gwyn, the insecure Welsh boy trying to escape his upbringing. The whole series is unsettling and creepy, exploring as it does the story of the mythical Welsh figure of Blodeuwedd and a girl seemingly possessed by owls. I can understand children watching it at the time to be freaked out and confused by it.
Its music (a traditional folk piece) and imagery has been hijacked in recent years by the Hauntological mob, in particular the record label Ghost Box (who I've written about here): above left, still from The Owl Service credits; right, cover for the Ghost Box release by The Advisory Circle, As the Crow Flies.
Penda's Fen is described by Rob Young in his book Electric Eden as a 'complex meditation on the matter of Britain'. The film, directed by an Alan Clarke more famous for his social realist films (such as Scum and Made in Britain) than elegies to lost England, and though still unavailable on DVD (though it can be watched on YouTube), has had a resurgence in recent years, with Time Out last year featuring it in their 100 best British films, calling it a 'unique and important statement' and numerous blogs attesting to its brilliance.
The film centres around teenager Stephen, a somewhat wimpy middle-class pastor's son, as he comes to question his beliefs after a series of visionary encounters with an angel, the composer Elgar and the pagan King Penda. Along the way Stephen finds out he's adopted, is gay, and that England has a religion much older than Christianity, visualising itself in the pagan king. The landscape of the Malvern hills, birthplace of Elgar, is used to dramatic effect, like a character in its own right.
The Changes (also unavailable on DVD) sees England revert to the dark ages when freak weather conditions seem to cause people to turn into Luddites and inexplicably destroy all modern technology. The brilliant first episode features people throwing TVs and fridges out the window, attacking toasters and kettles in their kitchens, bashing cars and bikes in the streets, with cranes and trains ablaze, intercut with schizophrenic, global-warming-style weather: floods, earthquakes, landslides and snowstorms.
The series features Nicky, a teenage girl, who gets separated from her parents in the confusion, as she attempts to find them by walking to the south coast to try and get to France. Along the way she encounters Sikhs, bandits and witch finders. Indeed, it seems to take a matter of days before people resort to barbarism, racism and witch hunting. Any mention of technology is punishable as heresy. It makes Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker, set a few thousand years in the future, seem rather logical and inevitable. The ending, like with Penda's Fen, lies in ancient Albion and another mythical figure: this time, Merlin.
Judging by YouTube comments on The Changes, this one really got to children at the time (and as adults now), especially the fear of pylons, which in the series are referred to as the 'bad wires'. One comment seems to sum up the feeling of most: 'Childhood in the seventies was pretty exciting, then the internet came along and it could all be retrieved.'
Both Penda's Fen and The Changes feature the eerie, atmospheric music of Paddy Kingsland, who worked at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop throughout the 1970s. he was also responsible for music and effects for Doctor Who, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and other BBC TV and radio science fiction programmes of the time. The power of Penda's Fen and The Changes is partly down to Kingsland, employing spooky electronic effects and memorable theme tunes.
Like The Owl Service, Children of the Stones features the idea of actions played out again and again, ad infinitum. In The Owl Service it was the three children re-enacting the story of the ancient legend of Blodeuwedd; in Children of the Stones it's a time rift within the Avebury (called Milbury in the series) stone circle. The series opens with astrophysicist Adam and his precocious son Matthew arriving in Milbury to research the magnetism of the stones. They soon discover that they hold an ancient power, and the villagers are all held captive by the strange forces of the stones. Raphael Hendrick, played by Iain Cuthbertson (who also starred in two other great 1970s productions: BBC's spooky The Stone Tape, with Jane Asher, and The Railway Children, starring Jenny Agutter), plans to unleash this power.
Again, this was hardly suitable fodder for children (or most adults), featuring as it does temporal paradoxes, black holes and psychic bubbles. Still, it can be viewed on several levels (I saw it being about the difficulty of outsiders fitting into Wiltshire village life), and it's highly atmospheric and riveting TV on any level. Again, music is a key ingredient, with scary wailing and chanting sounding like it's coming from the stones themselves. Again, countless YouTube comments from adults testify to the series having affected them as children.
On another YouTube clip, comedian Stewart Lee reminisces about 1970s children's TV in general (taken from Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe on BBC4), and Children of the Stones and The Changes in particular, remarking how he feels lucky to have been a teenager in the 1970s, as there "there was something really comforting for nerds and weirdos about programmes like Children of the Stones and The Changes." Lee compares them with teenage TV shows today, such as the shallow Skins, which seems mainly to be about sex and drugs.
Who knows, maybe something like The Sparticle Mystery, a CBBC post-apocalyptic TV series filmed in Bristol last year (even I know the city well enough to notice the continuity error in the first episode when they drive past Fopp, then drive past it again a few minutes later. Also, wouldn't the kids naturally stop to nick CDs and DVDs? I certainly would.) is as good as The Changes. I was discussing this sort of thing with a work colleague a while ago. When we were younger, our minds were like sponges and we absorbed all kinds of films, TV shows and music. It was in our teens and twenties when we saw the best films and TV shows and listened to the best music ever. Now we're old, grey and cynical, we don't have the time, energy or inclination to be that impressed by new art – even if it is the best thing ever. Even so, I can't imagine children today in thirty years time waxing lyrical about the currently ubiquitous Tracey Beaker or Justin Fletcher TV shows.
The 1970s were a great time for many, a time when living and interacting with the British landscape on a more fundamental level seemed possible. Music, cinema and TV all seemed to align towards this: Paul McCartney was living in on farm, films such as The Wicker Man (1973) explored pagan religion and even more traditional children's TV adaptations such as 1975's The Secret Garden managed to explore notions of class, friendship, magic and nature in a lyrical way. Then in 1979 Margaret Thatcher got into power, the countryside has been raped and pillaged, and all hope has been lost.
Top ten male singers
"I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice"
– Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song
1. Bob Dylan
2. Rod Stewart
3. Leonard Cohen
5. Al Green
6. Otis Redding
7. Roy Orbison
8. Serge Gainsbourg
9. Bryan Ferry
10. Lou Reed
Notes on Charters and Caldicott
You know, in public, I tell people my favourite Hitchcock films are Vertigo, Rear Window, Psycho and North by Northwest. In private, I mean the ones I enjoy most and can watch again and again, and in fact do on a regular basis when I haven't watched, say, Vertigo for over a decade, would include The Birds, Notorious, The 39 Steps, The Trouble with Harry and, my favourite of all, The Lady Vanishes. What I love about it is nothing happening for the first half hour, by which I mean no plot. We forget we are even watching a thriller and become engrossed in the characters. The whole film unfolds into a great mix of suspense and humour, with splendid performances, great characters and sparkling dialogue.
Set in Bandrika, a fictional European country, a group of travellers eager to get back to England are stuck in the only hotel in town after an avalanche has rendered travelling by train impossible until the morning. Amongst them is musicologist Michael Redgrave, spoilt yet sparky socialite Margaret Lockwood and governess May Whitty. Best of all are the two Cricket-obsessed, uptight, stiff-upper lipped Brits Caldicott and Charters, played deadpan by Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford. Permanently unimpressed at everything in general, and flabbergasted that no one seems to speak English, the feckless couple seem to get the short end of every stick. Though this was the first time Wayne and Radford had acting together, their repartee made them look like a comedy double act (the not too distant cousins of Laurel and Hardy) who'd known each other all their lives (or at least since Oxford).
The success of The Lady Vanishes meant the winning formula was reproduced for Night Train to Munich (1940), a comedy thriller directed by Carol Reed. Though not a sequel as such, it felt like a loose one if only because so many elements from The Lady Vanishes were repeated. It was written by the same duo, Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, starred the same actress, Margaret Lockwood, as well as Wayne and Radford who actually keep their same names from the Lady Vanishes, Charters and Caldicott. It's like they've been typecast after one film together. Indeed, the poster for Night Train to Munich features them in the bottom corner: 'Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! Laugh with the comedy pair of Lady Vanishes'.
They were Charters and Caldicott again in Crook's Tour (1941) and Millions Like Us (1943). A falling out with the BBC in 1945 meant they were contractually unable to portray the characters Charters and Caldicott any more. This didn't stop them from playing essentially the same characters under different names though: Parratt and Potter in Dead of Night (1945), Woolcot and Spencer in Double Bedlam (1946), Stalker and Gregg in Passport to Pimlico (1949) and Fanshaw and Fothergill in That's my Baby (1950), amongst many others.
Though Radford died in 1955 and Wayne in 1970, this didn't stop their characters Charters and Caldicott being used again: in the 1979 remake of The Lady Vanishes and a 1985 BBC TV series called Charters and Caldicott.
Hansel and Gretel dream
I was in a small cinema with metal frame chairs watching an art house film version of Hansel and Gretel, being distributed by Artificial Eye. Filmed in Eastern Europe somewhere, it was startling, dark and scary. Suddenly I found myself in the film. I was a prisoner in the basement of the witch's house. Hansel and Gretel had decided to stay in the witch's house after murdering her. They were now middle-aged, fat and rich, living on the witch's precious jewels and continually having to renovate the house after eating it. The basement was patrolled by an evil old man. One day, whilst he was frying some eggs and had the small basement window open, I saw my chance. I ran towards the old miser and threw the frying pan in his face. He screamed; Hansel was alerted but was too fat to run. I quickly climbed through the small window. And started running through the forest. I saw a stunned-looking Gretel who merely dropped the logs she was carrying and stared at me. Whilst running I noticed, in a clearing, a large block of flats being constructed out of cakes, gingerbread and sweets.
Fruity albums of the week: Apple & Cherry
LEFT: Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do If you think that title's long, it's nothing compared to her 1999 album, called When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You'll Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You Know That You're Right. Otherwise known as When the Pawn Hits...
RIGHT: Neneh Cherry and The Thing: The Cherry Thing The Thing, a Scandinavian jazz band named after a Don Cherry tune, were destined to team up with the Swedish Neneh Cherry at some point. Born Neneh Karlsson, she was raised by her stepfather Don Cherry and took his surname. Playing in several punk bands in her teens, it was 1989's Raw Like Sushi, featuring the huge hit Buffalo Stance, which bought her fame. Two less successful solo albums followed but throughout her career Cherry has always collaborated with other artists including Youssou N'Dour, Michael Stipe, Matt Johnson of The The, Pulp, Tricky, Peter Gabriel and Gorillaz, amongst others.
RIP Kaneto Shindô, 1912-2012
A late RIP this, for Japanese film director Kaneto Shindô who died a few weeks ago (May 29), a month after his 100th birthday (on April 22). Born 1912, he directed some 48 films and wrote 238 scripts in a career lasting sixty years (his final film as director was last year's Postcard). He directed films in all genres throughout his long career. When asked in an interview last year by actor Benicio Del Toro what was the most important thing he had learnt from his mentor, the Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi, Shindô replied 'never give up'.
Shindô's most famous film and one of my all-time favourites is Onibaba, made in 1964, the same year as the similarly-themed and just as extraordinary The Woman of the Dunes. In equal parts chilling and erotic, Onibaba is a tale of sexual jealousy with two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law, who make a living by killing passing samurai warriors and selling their armour and weapons. When the mother uses a demon mask to scare her daughter-in-law from her lover, she finds the mask stuck to her face. Set in medieval, rural Japan, and based on a Buddhist parable, the film is notable for its sumptuous black and white photography, constant rustling sounds of the reeds and symbolism – holes, masks – Freud could have written a book about.
• The BFI are currently showing a season of films by Kaneto Shindô and his close collaborator Kozaburo Yoshimura.
Lookalikes #29: wonky album covers
The Enemy's Music for the People (2009) and Orbital's Wonky (2012).
The Metros
The Metros is a dreary new weekly BBC3 drama about a group of young, professional metrosexuals working together near London Bridge, at an unspecified yet obviously badly-paid and poorly run financial company with horrendous toilets.
The young men – all aged between 23 and 33 – see no contradiction between starting a sentence talking about football and finishing it talking about face cream.
We follow them week by week in the office, in the pub and in the gym as they pretend they're tough men by endlessly discussing football and drinking and finishing every sentence with the word 'mate'. However, the laddish artifice is eroded by their simultaneous debates about diets, hot lunches, tea, fashion, lotions, haircuts and jogging.
The series culminates with the metros discovering they are all, in fact, homosexual. After an out-of-office-orgy, and feeling guilt-ridden, sticky and dirty, they commit mass suicide.
But seriously, folks, in my day, anyone with an asymmetrical haircut and tight trousers was either weird or gay or both. Getting in touch with your feminine side was a way to get chicks into bed. But times and fashions have changed and trimming ones pubes is simply taking care of oneself.
Metrosexuals, once a nasty rumour in the 1990s, are now ubiquitous. And they're looking good (if gay) – well, they would, seeing that they've emulated homosexuals in just about every department. In fact, if anything, females have started to let their side down a bit. Men generally are looking better than women nowadays; they're making more of an effort and the results are paying off.
Although people generally like looking at those of the opposite sex, there's a theory that heterosexuals actually prefer looking at those of the same sex. We like to see how our own kind dress and act, possibly getting fashion tips and the like, and generally checking out the competition.
Mike Mills album covers
Clockwise from top left: Beastie Boys' Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011); Wild Flag (2011); Sonic Youth's Washing Machine (1995) and Moon Safari by Air (1998)
I'm glad I finally bought the Beastie Boys' latest (last?) album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, on vinyl. It arrived yesterday and I was delighted to discover it containing two white vinyl records, a bonus 7", an iron-on T-shirt transfer and digital download. As well as a nice cover designed by Mike Mills, who, like with many designers, I find myself liking their work before knowing who they are.
Mike Mills (b. 1966) is a film & music video director and graphic designer. He directed indie flicks Thumbsucker (2005) and Beginners (2010), which was based on Mills' father who came out as gay aged 75 after his wife (i.e. Mike's mother) died of brain cancer.
Mike Mills' website and book.
No durian, durian
Of all the signs in all the world, No Durians Allowed seems the most excessive. The king of tropical fruit tastes pretty nice but smells like 'pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock' (according to food and travel writer Richard Sterling). You either love it or hate it. Most seem to hate it. Throughout South East Asia durians are banned on public transport and public places like airports and hotels. I love the sign which, without the description 'No durians', would look more like a 'No Spiky Bombs'.
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In order to explain ourselves clearly as to the conception of method and method of action which play such an important part in war, we must be allowed to cast a hasty glance at the logical hierarchy, through which, as through regularly constituted official functionaries, the world of action is governed.
Law, in the widest sense strictly applying to perception as well as action, has plainly something subjective and arbitrary in its literal meaning, and still expresses just that on which we and those things external to us are dependent. As a subject of cognition, Law is the relation of things and their effects to one another; as a subject of the will it is a motive of action, and is then equivalent to command or prohibition.
Principle is likewise such a law for action, except that it has not the formal definite meaning, but is only the spirit and sense of law in order to leave the judgment more freedom of application when the diversity of the real world cannot be laid hold of under the definite form of a Law. As the judgment must of itself suggest the cases in which the principle is not applicable, the latter therefore becomes in that way a real aid or guiding star for the person acting.
Principle is objective when it is the result of objective truth, and consequently of equal value for all men; it is subjective, and then generally called Maxim if there are subjective relations in it, and if it therefore has a certain value only for the person himself who makes it.
Rule is frequently taken in the sense of Law, and then means the same as Principle, for we say “no Rule without exceptions,” but we do not say “no Law without exceptions,” a sign that with Rule we retain to ourselves more freedom of application.
In another meaning Rule is the means used of discerning a recondite truth in a particular sign lying close at hand, in order to attach to this particular sign the law of action directed upon the whole truth. Of this kind are all the rules of games of play, all abridged processes in mathematics, &c.
Directions and instructions are determinations of action which have an influence upon a number of minor circumstances too numerous and unimportant for general laws.
Lastly, Method, mode of acting, is an always recurring proceeding selected out of several possible ones; and Methodicism (Methodismus) is that which is determined by Methods instead of by general principles or particular prescriptions. By this the cases which are placed under such methods must necessarily be supposed alike in their essential parts. As they cannot all be this, then the point is that at least as many as possible should be; in other words that Method should be calculated on the most probable cases. Methodicism is therefore not founded on determined particular premises, but on the average probability of cases one with another; and its ultimate tendency is to set up an average truth, the constant and uniform application of which soon acquires something of the nature of a mechanical appliance, which in the end does that which is right almost unwittingly.
The conception of Law in relation to perception, is not necessary for the conduct of war, because the complex phenomena of war are not so regular and the regular are not so complex that we should gain anything more by this conception than by the simple truth. And where a simple conception and language is sufficient, to resort to the complex becomes affected and pedantic. The conception of law in relation to action cannot be used in the theory of the conduct of war, because owing to the variableness and diversity of the phenomena there is in it no determination of such a general nature as to deserve the name of law.
But principles, rules, prescriptions, and methods are conceptions indispensable to a theory of the conduct of war, in so far as that theory leads to positive doctrines; because in doctrines the truth can only crystallize itself in such forms.
As tactics is the branch of the conduct of war in which theory can attain the nearest to positive doctrine, therefore in it these conceptions will appear most frequently.
Not to use cavalry against unbroken infantry except in some case of special emergency; only to use firearms within effective range in the combat; to spare the forces as much as possible for the final struggle, these are tactical principles. None of them can be applied absolutely in every case, but they must always be present to the mind of the chief, in order that the benefit of the truth contained in them may not be lost in cases where that truth can be of advantage.
If from the unusual cooking by an enemy’s corps his movement is inferred, if the intentional exposure of troops in a combat indicates a false attack, then this way of discerning the truth is called rule, because from a single visible circumstance that conclusion is drawn which corresponds with the same.
If it is a rule to attack the enemy with renewed vigor, as soon as he begins to limber up his artillery in the combat, then on this particular fact depends a course of action which is aimed at the general situation of the enemy as inferred from the above fact, namely, that he is about to give up the fight, that he is commencing to draw off his troops, and is neither capable of making a serious stand while thus drawing off, nor of making his retreat gradually in good order.
Regulations and methods bring preparatory theories into the conduct of war, in so far that disciplined troops are inoculated with them as active principles. The whole body of instructions, for formations, exercise, and field service, are regulations and methods; in the exercise instructions the first predominate, in the field service instructions the latter. To these things the real conduct of war attaches itself; it takes them over, therefore, as given modes of proceeding, and as such they must appear in the theory of the conduct of war.
But for those activities retaining freedom in the employment of these forces, there cannot be regulations, that is, definite instructions, because they would do away with freedom of action. Methods, on the other hand, as a general way of executing duties as they arise, calculated, as we have said, on an average of probability, or as a dominating influence of principles and rules carried through to application, may certainly appear in the theory of the conduct of war, provided only they are not represented as something different to what they are, not represented as the absolute and necessary modes of action (systems), but as the best of general forms which may be used as shorter ways in place of a particular disposition for the occasion at discretion.
But the frequent application of methods will be seen to be most essential and unavoidable in the conduct of war, if we reflect how much action proceeds on mere conjecture, or in complete uncertainty, because one side is prevented from learning all the circumstances which influence the dispositions of the other, or because, even if these circumstances which influence the decisions of the one were really known, there is not, owing to their extent and the dispositions they would entail, sufficient time for the other to carry out all necessary counteracting measures—that therefore measures in war must always be calculated on a certain number of possibilities. If we reflect how numberless are the trifling things belonging to any single event, and which therefore should be taken into account along with it, and that therefore there is no other means but to suppose the one counteracted by the other, and to base our arrangements only upon what is of a general nature and probable; if we reflect lastly that, owing to the increasing number of officers as we descend the scale of rank, less must be left to the true discernment and ripe judgment of individuals the lower the sphere of action; and that when we reach those ranks where we can look for no other notions but those which the regulations of the service and experience afford, we must help them with the methodic forms bordering on those regulations. This will serve both as a support to their judgment and a barrier against those extravagant and erroneous views which are so especially to be dreaded in a sphere where experience is so costly.
Besides this absolute need of method in action, we must also acknowledge that it has a positive advantage, which is that, through the constant repetition of a formal exercise, a readiness, precision, and firmness is attained in the movement of troops, which diminishes the natural friction, and makes the machine move easier.
Method will therefore be the more generally used, become the more indispensable, the further down the scale of rank the position of the active agent; and on the other hand, its use will diminish upwards, until in the highest position it quite disappears. For this reason it is more in its place in tactics than in strategy.
War in its highest aspects consists not of an infinite number of little events, the diversities in which compensate each other, and which, therefore, by a better or worse method are better or worse governed, but of separate great decisive events which must be dealt with separately. It is not a field of stalks which, without any regard to the particular form of each stalk, will be mowed better or worse, according as the mowing instrument is good or bad; but large trees, to which the axe must be laid with judgment, according to the particular form and inclination of each separate trunk.
How high up in military activity the admissibility of method in action reaches naturally determines itself, not according to actual rank, but according to things; and it affects the highest positions in a less degree, only because these positions have the most comprehensive subjects of activity. A constant order of battle, a constant formation of advanced guards and outposts, are methods by which a general ties not only his subordinates’ hands, but also his own in certain cases. Certainly, they may have been devised by himself, and may be applied by him according to circumstances; but they may also be a subject of theory, in so far as they are based on the general properties of troops and weapons. On the other hand, any method by which definite plans for wars or campaigns are to be given out all ready made as if from a machine are absolutely worthless.
As long as there exists no theory which can be sustained, that is no enlightened treatise on the conduct of war, method in action cannot but encroach beyond its proper limits in high places, for men employed in these spheres of activity have not always had the opportunity of educating themselves, through study and through contact with the higher interests: in the impracticable and inconsistent disquisitions of theorists and critics they cannot find their way, their sound common sense rejects them, and as they bring with them no knowledge but that derived from experience; therefore, in those cases which admit of, and require a free individual treatment, they readily make use of the means which experience gives them, that is an imitation of the particular methods practiced by great Generals, by which a method of action then takes place of itself. If we see Frederick the Great’s Generals always making their appearance in the so-called oblique order of battle, the Generals of the French Revolution always using turning movements with a long extended line of battle, and Bonaparte’s Lieutenants rushing to the attack with the bloody energy of concentrated masses, then we recognize in the recurrence of the mode of proceeding evidently an adopted method, and see therefore that method of action can reach up to regions bordering on the highest. Should an improved theory facilitate the study of the conduct of war, form the mind and judgment of men who are rising to the highest commands, then also Method in action will no longer reach so far, and so much of it as is to be considered indispensable will then at least be formed from theory itself, and not take place out of mere imitation. However preeminently a great Commander does things, there is always something subjective in the way he does them; and if he has a certain manner, a large share of his individuality is contained in it, which does not always accord with the individuality of the person who copies his manner.
At the same time it would neither be possible nor right to banish subjective methodicism or manner completely from the conduct of war: it is rather to be regarded as a manifestation of that influence which the general character of a war has upon its separate events, and to which satisfaction can only be done in that way if theory is not able to foresee this general character, and include it in its considerations. What is more natural than that the war of the French Revolution had its own way of doing things? and what theory could ever have included that peculiar method? The evil is only that such a manner originating in a special case, easily outlives itself, because it continues whilst circumstances imperceptibly change. This is what theory should prevent by lucid and rational criticism. When in the year 1806 the Prussian Generals, Prince Louis at Saalfeld, Tauentzien on the Dornberg near Jena, Grawert before and Ruchel behind Kappeldorf, all together threw themselves into the open jaws of destruction, with the oblique order of Frederick the Great, and managed to ruin Hohenlohe’s army in a way that no army was ever ruined, even on the field of battle. All this was done through a manner which had outlived its day, together with the most downright stupidity to which methodicism ever led.
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Featured 1989 - 2017
Design Excellence Since 1986
Unconventional architect Jean-mic Perrine. Jennie Fitzhardinge talks to the larger-than-life thinker.
Jennie Fitzhardinge – January 28, 2007
The sign in the lobby says Perrine Architecture, Level 1.
Step out of the lift and it’s not clear where to go next. Directly opposite is a trendy office furniture showroom and to the left, down the corridor is a simple, frosted glass door devoid of any clue as to what is behind it. Try the door and you finda typically stylish, minimalistic architects’ studio. The lack of signage is not a yet-to-be-done job.
“Oh, it’s deliberate,” architect Jean-mic Perrine says with a grin. “We don’t want just anyone walking in.”
Perrine is a big man who talks with expansive gestures and loves nothing more than to assemble a group of friends – artists, theatrical people and other movers and shakers – around a lunch table and talk about the world as it could be. When he talks about his own projects he does so with an enthusiasm that is infectious.
So it is surprising that his office – in a new building he designed to sit above the historic property that houses Nine Mary’s restaurant on the corner of Hay and Milligan streets in the city – is so low-ke. But working under the radar is where Perrine appears to be most comfortable. He doesn’t tend to associate with other architects in Perth, and doesn’t enter awards despite designing the kind of striking, innovative projects that usually please judges. He also gets financially involved in his projects – giving him a level of control other architects would envy and a level of risk they may not be prepared to take on.
Perrine is probably best known in Perth for the Box Building, the first truly trendy inner-city apartment complex in the Perth CBD that combined residences with a sophisticated bar and deli at its base. Its signature combination of stainless steel, red feature walls and terrazzo floors has been copied many times since.
He also designed The Colonnade in Subiaco and its founder Wayne Teo’s ultra-modern house in Dalkeith. Perrine now lives in the Box building with his wife, Mercedes, and two children, but his previous house was a factory conversion in Subiaco that anticipated the high-density, small-block living of Subi Centro by about five years.
On a meagre 180sq m he designed a house that could house four people comfortably in a light, airy environment without resorting to a second storey. He has also designed a residential project in Russia, shopping centers, a mixed-use development in Queensland and a $150 million urban renewal project in Mauritius, where he was born.
Perrine came to Australia with his parents when he was 13, but he has maintained a connection with the island nation. As well as designing and building a holiday house there, his design work for the Ruisseau Creole – the revitalisation of a former fishing village – is particularly close to his heart.
“Ruisseau Creole was a beautiful place but low on opportunity,” Perrine says. “Everything needed to be created – a series of village squares, offices, shops and restaurants. We gave a modern urban landscape to the village, but very low scale and completely sustainable.”
Even with such a portfolio, getting Perrine to talk about any of these past projects, or even himself, is like pulling teeth – he only wants to talk about the future…
© Jean-mic Perrine 2017
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← 40 Facts That Prove That America’s Moral Collapse Is Spinning Wildly Out Of Control
Rumors of War: Washington Is Looking for a Fight →
The Triumph of Evil
Posted on April 18, 2019 by Ben
By Paul Craig Roberts – 4 – 18-2019
April 18, 2019 “Information Clearing House” – Today (April 17) I heard a NPR “news” report that described the democratically elected president of Venezuela as “the Venezuelan dictator Maduro.” By repeating over and over that a democratically elected president is a dictator, the presstitutes create that image of Maduro in the minds of vast numbers of peoples who know nothing about Venezuela and had never heard of Maduro until he is dropped on them as “dictator.”
Maduro was elected president of Venezuela in 2013 and again in 2018. Previously he served as vice president and foreign minister, and he was elected to the National Assembly in 2000. Despite Washington’s propaganda campaign against him and Washington’s attempt to instigate violent street protests and Maduro’s overthrow by the Venezuelan military, whose leaders have been offered large sums of money, Maduro has the overwhelming support of the people, and the military has not moved against him.
What is going on is that American oil companies want to recover their control over the revenue streams from Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Under the Bolivarian Revolution of Chavez, continued by Maduro, the oil revenues instead of departing the country have been used to reduce poverty and raise literacy inside Venezuela.
The opposition to Maduro inside Venezuela comes from the elites who have been traditionally allied with Washington in the looting of the country. These corrupt elites, with the CIA’s help, temporarily overthrew Chavez, but the people and the Venezuelan military secured his release and return to the presidency.
Washington has a long record of refusing to accept any reformist governments in Latin America. Reformers get in the way of North America’s exploitation of Latin American countries and are overthrown.
With the exceptions of Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, and Nicaragua, Latin America consists of Washington’s vassal states. In recent years Washington destroyed reform governments in Honduras, Argentina and Brazil and put gangsters in charge.
According to US national security adviser John Bolton, a neoconservative war monger, the governments in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua will soon be overthrown. New sanctions have now been placed on the three countries. Washington in typical display of its pettiness targeted sanctions against the son of the Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega. https://www.rt.com/news/456841-bolton-russia-venezuela-threat/
Ortega has been the leader of Nicaragua since for 40 years. He was president 1985-1990 and has been elected and reelected as president since 2006.
Ortega was the opponent of Somoza, Washington’s dictator in Nicaragua. Consequently he and his movement were attacked by the neoconservative operation known as Iran-Contra during the Reagan years. Ortega was a reformer. His government focused on literacy, land reform, and nationalization, which was at the expense of the wealthy ruling class. He was labeled a “Marxist-Leninist,” and Washington attempted to discredit his reforms as controversial leftist policies.
Somehow Castro and Ortega survived Washington’s plots against them. By the skin of his teeth so did Chavez unless you believe it was the CIA that gave him cancer. Castro and Chavez are dead. Ortega is 74. Maduro is in trouble, because Washington has stolen Venezuela’s bank deposits and cut Venezuela off the international financial system, and the British have stolen Venezuela’s gold. This makes it hard for Venezuela to pay its debts.
The Trump regime has branded the democratically twice-elected Maduro an “illegitimate” president. Washington has found a willing puppet, Juan Guaido, to take Maduro’s place and has announced that the puppet is now the president of Venezuela. No one among the Western presstitutes or among the vassals of Washington’s empire finds it strange that an elected president is illegitimate but one picked by Washington is not.
Russia and China have given Maduro diplomatic support. Both have substantial investments in Venezuela that would be lost if Washington seizes the country. Russia’s support for Maduro was declared by Bolton today to be a provocation that is a threat to international peace and security. Bolton said his sanctions should be seen by Russia as a warning against providing any help for the Venezuelan government.
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and vice president Pence have added their big mouths to the propaganda against the few independent governments in Latin America. Where is the shame when the highest American government officials stand up in front of the world and openly proclaim that it is official US government policy to overthrow democratically elected governments simply because those governments don’t let Americans plunder their countries?
How is it possible that Pompeo can announce that the “days are numbered” of the elected president of Nicaragua, who has been elected president 3 or 4 times, and the world not see the US as a rogue state that must be isolated and shunned? How can Pompeo describe Washington’s overthrow of an elected government as “setting the Nicaraguan people free?”
The top officials of the US government have announced that they intend to overthrow the governments of 3 countries and this is not seen as “a threat to international peace and security?”
How much peace and security did Washington’s overthrow of governments in Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, and the attempted overthrow of Syria bring?
Washington is once again openly violating international law and the rest of the world has nothing to say?
There is only one way to describe this: The Triumph of Evil.
Threats and Sanctions Everywhere – Trump’s Vision Of Greatness
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Aemetis celebrates ethanol, biodiesel milestones in Q1 2019
Credit: Aemetis
Advanced renewable fuels and biochemicals company Aemetis has announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2019.
According to the company, significant milestones took place during Q1, including entry into the biomethane industry with a project in California, expansion of Aemetis’ India plant pretreatment capacity to 50 million gallons and the opening of a new customer base in India.
Aemetis also announced the completion of funding milestones for its ultra-low carbon California cellulosic ethanol biorefinery, which is anticipated to add $80 million (€71.2 million) of revenue. The biorefinery is expected to produce the lowest carbon ethanol fuel in California.
Revenues for the first quarter were $41.9 million, down from $43 million for the same period in 2018.
In the US, ethanol volumes sold increased from 16.1 million gallons to 16.2 million gallons, which was offset by a drop in ethanol prices from $1.76 per gallon to $1.68 per gallon.
In India, biodiesel prices stood at $851 per metric ton during the quarter, compared to $839 per metric ton for Q1 2018. The company sold 5,286 tons of biodiesel, up from 5,182 during the previous year period.
Aemetis reported a $0.4 million loss for the quarter, compared to a gross profit of $1.9 million during the first quarter of 2018.
The company’s full Q1 2019 results can be downloaded here.
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Star-Studded Shakespeare Biopic ‘All Is True’ Headed for Oscar Glory
by Yaritza Sencion
Just in time for Oscar season, a star-studded film about the life of William Shakespeare, All Is True, will hit cinemas. It’s title was an alternate name for Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII.
The Guardian reports that Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench will star in a film about the life of William Shakespeare , All Is True, which will also be directed by Branagh. The film is cutting it close, releasing just one week before the cut-off for Oscar season. It has pretty strong competition from contenders like Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, Mary Queen of Scots and many more.
Image via Giphy
The script is by esteemed writer, Ben Elton, and the film focuses on the deteriorating relationship between Shakespeare played by Kenneth Branagh and his wife, Anne Hathaway played by Judi Dench. After the death of their only son, Hammet, the couple struggles to compose their failing marriage.
Branagh has previously been involved in multiple on screen adaptations of Shakespeare’s work such as Henry V (1989), Hamlet (1996) and As You Like It (2006), just to name a few. He knows what he’s doing, his latest work was the reboot to Murder on the Orient Express in which he also starred and directed.
Featured Image via Variety
#adaption #classic #television
The Losers Club Kids Finish Filming ‘IT: Chapter Two’
‘Peter Rabbit’ and Other Titles Release on Augmented Reality
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Canadian Privacy Law Blog
The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Developments in privacy law and writings of a Canadian privacy lawyer, containing information related to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) and other Canadian and international laws.
Ontario court to hear telcos' challenge of police request for "tower dumps" including info on 40,000+ customers
An Ontario court has agreed to hear a Charter challenge brought by Rogers and Telus in response to a police request for "tower dumps" with records on over 40,000 calls or customers. The police subsequently withdrew its request, but the judge has agreed to hear the case in any event, given the important privacy interests at stake.
The short recital of the facts is very interesting and suggests the initial production order is staggeringly broad, requiring the production of personal information about tens of thousands of people who had nothing to do with the crime being investigated: [8] Mobile telephones check into wireless networks by connecting to antennas that are frequently mounted on towers. A record is created whenever the telephone attempts or completes a communication which could be a phone call, text message or e-mail. The record identifies the particular tower at which the phone connected to the system. Each tower serves a geographical area ranging from a 10-25 km radius in the country and 1-2 km, radius (or even less) in the city. [9] The production orders against Rogers and Telus are in similar form. The orders require cell phone records for all phones activated, transmitting and receiving data through 21 specified Telus towers and 16 Rogers towers. The orders require the name and address of every subscriber making or attempting a communication and the particular cell tower being utilized. The orders are framed such that if both the person initiating and receiving the communication are Rogers (or Telus) subscribers, then information regarding the recipient must also be provided and the cell tower the recipient used must also be provided. The orders also require billing information which may include bank and credit card information.
[10] Telus and Rogers are both contractually obliged, subject to narrow exceptions, to keep customer personal information private and confidential.
[11] The existing order will require Telus to disclose the personal information of at least 9,000 individuals. Rogers estimates that it will be required to conduct 378 separate searches and retrieve approximately 200,000 records related to 34,000 subscribers.
[12] The existing orders do not specify how the customer information is to be safeguarded and does not restrict the purposes for which the PRP may use the information. For example the PRP is not restricted from retaining the information and using it with respect to unrelated investigations.
[13] The Telus affidavit indicates that since 2004 it has dealt with thousands of court orders requiring cell records. In 2013 alone, it responded to approximately 2,500 production orders and general warrants. To the knowledge of the Telus deponent, the order that it now challenges is the most extensive to date in terms of the number of cell tower locations, and length of time periods, for which customer information is required.
[14] The Rogers affidavit indicates that from 1985 to 2014 it has complied with many thousands of production orders. In 2013, alone it produced 13,800 “files” in response to production orders and search warrants.
The court also highlights that the privacy of millions of Canadians is implicated by the decision:
[41] With respect to the third criterion, sensitivity to the count’s proper law making function, there is effectively an ongoing dispute between the police and telecommunications providers. The fact the “tower dumps” are frequently used by police as an investigative tool is reflected in the material before me and is evident as a matter of judicial experience. The Rogers-Telus applications directly concern 40-50,000 individuals, it is safe to infer that the number of individuals affected across Canada would be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, every year.
See: R. v. Rogers Communications Partnership, 2014 ONSC 3853 and Telecoms’ charter case to be heard | The Chronicle Herald.
Posted by privacylawyer at 7/27/2014 10:13:00 pm 0 comments
Labels: charter, lawful access, production order, Rogers, surveillance, Telus
Privacy Commissioner cautions insurers about the use of genetic testing
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has today released a policy statement on genetic testing and the insurance industry. Essentially, the document says to tread carefully, but the subtext clearly is much more negative towards the practice.
From the media release:
News Release: Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada issues statement on the use of genetic test results by life and health insurance companies - July 10, 2014
OTTAWA, July 10, 2014 – The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is urging the life and health insurance industry to call on its members to refrain from asking applicants for access to existing genetic test results for the purposes of underwriting an insurance policy at this time.
“As science and technologies advance, protecting genetic privacy will become increasingly important and challenging,” says Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien.
“We are calling on the industry to refrain from asking for existing test results to assess insurance risk until the industry can clearly show that these tests are necessary and effective in assessing risk. This would allow people to undergo genetic testing for various purposes without fear that the results may have a negative impact if they apply for insurance.”
The step called for in the policy statement issued today would effectively expand the industry’s current voluntary moratorium on asking applicants to undergo genetic testing. The statement outlines the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s position with respect to the application of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) to this practice.
The statement says: “It is not clear that the collection and use of genetic test results by insurance companies is demonstrably necessary, effective, proportionate or the least intrusive means of achieving the industry’s objectives at this time.”
The statement reflects the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s ongoing work on the privacy implications associated with genetic information.
The issue has prompted the introduction of private members’ bills at both the federal and provincial levels, and the issue was mentioned in the most recent Speech from the Throne.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has provided the statement to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association.
The Commissioners of Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec – all provinces with substantially similar private-sector legislation – support the work done by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Insurance companies in those provinces will need to consider provincial legislation in addressing these issues.
For more information about the two research papers that contributed to this statement and the OPC’s strategic priorities, please see:
Genetic Information, the Life and Health Insurance Industry and the Protection of Personal Information: Framing the Debate
New report highlights achievements of the OPC’s strategic priorities initiative
Catherine Tully appointed new FOIPOP Review Officer of Nova Scotia
The Nova Scotia government has just announced the appointment of the new FOIPOP Review Officer for Nova Scotia, Catherine Tully.
Here's the media release:
New FOIPOP Review Officer Appointed | novascotia.ca
New FOIPOP Review Officer Appointed
Catherine Tully of Ottawa has been appointed Nova Scotia's new freedom of information and protection of privacy review officer.
Ms. Tully will oversee how provincial and municipal governments, school boards, universities, community colleges and hospitals protect the privacy of Nova Scotians and respond to requests for access to information.
"This is an important oversight role," said acting Justice Minister Mark Furey. "Nova Scotians have a right to information held by government and they expect us to protect their private information. I'm very pleased we have a strong leader to fulfill this responsibility. Ms. Tully has tremendous leadership and practical experience to bring to this role."
Ms. Tully has over 10 years of senior experience with government agencies and Crown corporations dedicated to access to information and privacy law. She's been the assistant information and privacy commissioner for British Columbia and, most recently, was the director of privacy and access to information for Canada Post. Although she spent much of her work and educational career in Ontario and British Columbia, Ms. Tully completed a master's degree in international law and human rights at Dalhousie University.
"I look forward to working with public bodies and health custodians to help them find practical solutions to the tough access and privacy issues," said Ms. Tully. "For citizens, I will continue the work of ensuring that Nova Scotians have meaningful access to government information and real protection of their personal information.
"I am honoured by this appointment and look forward to my return to Nova Scotia to tackle the opportunities and challenges of review officer."
The review officer is an independent ombudsman appointed by the Governor in Council for a term of five to seven years. The review officer accepts appeals from people and organizations who are not satisfied with the response they received from provincial government departments, most provincial agencies, boards and commissions, municipal government organizations and public bodies including community colleges, hospitals, universities, and school boards.
The review officer may make recommendations to the public body. The public body must respond in writing to the report. If the applicant, or a third party, is not satisfied with the outcome of a review, an appeal may be made to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
Ms. Tully will begin Sept. 8.
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About this site and the author
The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who is a partner with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.
For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.
Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients of my firm. If you have a privacy matter, please contact me about becoming a client. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser may not be protected by solicitor-client privilege.
The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Due to professional ethics, the author may not be able to comment on matters in which a client has an interest. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.
This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to
Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.
Ontario court to hear telcos' challenge of police ...
Privacy Commissioner cautions insurers about the u...
Catherine Tully appointed new FOIPOP Review Office...
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Steve Martin partners with American Banjo Museum
Posted on April 22, 2019 by Pamm Tucker
Actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician, Steve Martin, has played the banjo since 17 years of age, and John McEuen of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fame played an important role in Martin success with the instrument. The two were friends in their youth, and John helped Steve become a serious picker at that time.
McEuen say that, “Steve and I used to work together at Disneyland.” There, McEuen was a magician, while Martin sold guidebooks and twirled lassos in Frontierland, as well as demonstrated his hand at magic tricks and balloon animals at Merlin’s Magic Shop. When Steve began his career as a stand-up comedian, he used the banjo as something of a stage prop, and would pick a bit during the show. However, it wasn’t until the 2000s that the banjo became a constant career companion for Martin, as he put his instrument at the forefront.
The year of 2001 was a huge year for Martin, as he recorded a remake of Foggy Mountain Breakdown, the standard from Earl Scruggs – with Earl joining in! Just one year later, Steve Martin won a Grammy for Best Country Musical Performance. In 2009 Martin once again brought home a Grammy with his first solo music album, The Crow – New Songs for the Five String Banjo, which was produced by McEuen.
Then in 2010, Martin created the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. This award of achievement was conceived with the thought of bringing recognition to an individual or group for outstanding accomplishment with the five string banjo or in bluegrass music. The recipient of the award is given $50,000 (funded by Steve Martin Charitable Foundation), and a bronze sculpture created by Eric Fischl. The award has its own name…Banjo Hand. To be selected, the prize winner must show excellence in artistry, compositions, innovation, or preservation in banjo music. Up until 2015, the award was presented on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Martin was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, in 2015, for his playing and his promotion of the banjo.
In September 2019, the live presentation of the Steve Martin Prize will be resurrected. The American Banjo Museum has partnered with Martin, who will produce a live concert which will be the “apple” around the core of the presentation of the 2019 award winner. Martin has been quoted as saying…“We are so excited to be joining with the American Banjo Museum for the next era of the Banjo Prize.”
On September 19, 2019 at the Town Hall Theater in New York City (promoted by Live Nation), Martin will host a concert with live performances by past and present recipients, as well as Martin himself. Also on hand will be Martin’s Board of Directors who actually select the prize winner each year.
Previous winners of this prestigious award are : Noam Pikelny (2010), Sammy Shelor (2011), Mark Johnson (2012), Jens Kruger (2013), Eddie Adcock (2014), Danny Barnes (2015), Rhiannon Giddons (2016), Scott Vesal (2017), and in 2018, Kristen Scott Benson.
While the finishing touches are yet to be unveiled, you need to save the date… September 19th, the day the American Banjo Museum hands over the 2019 “banjo hand” and the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. Tickets go on sale Memorial Day weekend.
Pamm Tucker
Growing up in Oklahoma, music runs throughout Pamm Tucker's veins. Her earliest memory of music is standing beside her Grandma's upright, singing. "Trust in The Lord". Little did the 5 year old realize that this was the foundation of things to come. Being very active in 4-H, Pamm was elected as reporter at the age of 9 and held this position for many years. Taking extensive journalism marketing and free-lance writing classes while attending college helped to spark her interest in being a journalist. Her skills helped her acquire the position of journalist for the Northern Oklahoma college school newspaper. An Oklahoma native and no stranger to music, she has performed with the likes of Lulu Roman, Jean Shepherd, Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker (no relation) Gene Watson and Charlie McClain just to name a few. Even today you can find her tapping her foot to every genre of music.
Del and Jim to host the 2019 IBMA Awards show
Roanoke Fiddle & Banjo Club celebrates 50 years
IBMA announces new Board members and Executive Committee
Jay Armsworthy wins 2019 Maryland Traditions Heritage Award
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Debra Messing wins back Twitter account
By Jordan Graber on March 23, 2012 at 7:00 AM
Debra Messing (Chris Pizzello/AP)
Actress Debra Messing is celebrating after winning back her Twitter.com tag from an Internet impostor.
The Will and Grace star has been slow in adapting to the social networking craze, but Messing was recently forced to sign up for the microblogging site in a bid to protect fans from misleading fraudsters.
She says, “I knew nothing about Twitter and I had a girlfriend of mine email me and say, ‘I have been talking to you for three weeks over Twitter andI didn’t know it wasn’t you! It’s somebody posing as you.’ And I thought, ‘What?'”And it turned out there were six people posing as me! And I thought, ‘OK, this is insanity, I don’t like this, I want to get my name back!’ And so I started doing some digging and it turns out that one of the people posing as me was a male firefighter from Los Angeles… (The law has) a fine line – you can spoof or satire somebody but you can’t present yourself as speaking their words… So I got it back.”
The actress, who recently got her Twitter account verified, now has over 25,000 followers.
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NYC restaurant pulls out Beyonce-themed menu for Valentine’s Day
By John-Henry Perera on February 5, 2014 at 2:44 PM
New York City foodies are going to get “Drunk in Love” with these dishes.
Brucie, an Italian restaurant, is gearing up for Valentines Day by offering a Beyonce-themed menu for the occasion.
Sink your teeth into Blue Ivy. No, not the baby. This “Blue Ive” is an offering of smoked blue potatoes, chiriboga blue, trout roe and watercress for $16.
Or perhaps you would like to “Put a Ring on It” with a serving of anelli, calamari, broccoli and saffron for $20.
Personally, I just want to tell my waiter “I am Pasta Fierce.” I still have no idea what a jalapeno pappardelle, puttanesca and gold leaf for $24 looks like.
Below is a gallery of Beyonce through the years.
Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP / Getty Images
Beyonce poses with her three Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance as well as for the more technical Best Surround Sound Album.
Beyoncé performs at the 2015 Grammys finale.
Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Singer Beyonce attends The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Photo: Jason Merritt / Getty Images
Photo: Larry Busacca / Getty Images for NARAS
Beyonce walks off the court after the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets at the Barclays Center on January 12, 2015.
Photo: Elsa / Getty Images
Beyonce and JAY Z perform on the On The Run Tour at the Minute Maid Park.
Photo: Aaron M. Sprecher/PictureGroup / Aaron M. Sprecher/PictureGroup
Beyonce, left, and Jay Z performing "Drunk in Love" at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
Photo: Matt Sayles / Associated Press
Beyonce onstage.
Photo: Mason Poole / Associated Press
Photo: Jeff Daly / Associated Press
Beyonce in a scene from "Haunted." Photo by Nick Farrell.
Photo: Photo by Nick Farrell
Beyonce performs onstage at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.
Photo: Jason LaVeris / FilmMagic
Beyonce in her new documentary, "Beyonce: Life Is But a Dream."
Beyonce performs in the United Nations Assembly Hall on Friday, Aug. 10, 2012.
Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey attend the New York premiere for Beyonce's new documentary on Feb. 12 (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty)
Photo: 2013 Getty Images
Beyonce and Ellen DeGeneres speak onstage at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 10. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty)
Beyonce performs during the halftime of Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunday, February 3, 2013. (Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/MCT)
Houston recording artist, Beyonce, works with Rudy Rasmus, pastor of St. John's Downtown Church putting non-perishable food items in a box for the Houston Food Bank that will be given to those in need in the Houston area, before Beyonce's concert at the Toyota Center Saturday, July 14, 2007, in Houston. less
Houston recording artist, Beyonce, works with Rudy Rasmus, pastor of St. John's Downtown Church putting non-perishable food items in a box for the Houston Food Bank that will be given to those in need in the ... more
Beyonce's five 2003 Grammy awards on display during program featuring her mother, Tina Knowles, at the University of Houston MD Anderson Library, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, in Houston. Tina Knowles was featured at the University of Houston's Friends of Women's Studies Living Archives program, which honors the achievements of local women. Beyonce's debut solo album Dangerously in Love in 2003, became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. less
Beyonce's five 2003 Grammy awards on display during program featuring her mother, Tina Knowles, at the University of Houston MD Anderson Library, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, in Houston. Tina Knowles was featured at ... more
Beyonce Knowles, left, poses for photos with her mother, Tina Knowles, right, at the University of Houston MD Anderson Library, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, in Houston. Tina Knowles was featured at the University of Houston's Friends of Women's Studies Living Archives program, which honors the achievements of local women. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle) less
Beyonce Knowles, left, poses for photos with her mother, Tina Knowles, right, at the University of Houston MD Anderson Library, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, in Houston. Tina Knowles was featured at the University of ... more
In this cover image released by People, singer Beyonce graces the cover of People magazine's special issue naming her the World's Most Beautiful Woman for 2012. The 30-year-old singer tops the magazine's annual list of the "World's Most Beautiful" in a special double issue. less
In this cover image released by People, singer Beyonce graces the cover of People magazine's special issue naming her the World's Most Beautiful Woman for 2012. The 30-year-old singer tops the magazine's ... more
Beyoncé and Jay-Z enjoyed a concert by R&B singer The-Dream Sunday March 11, 2012 in New York.
The star surprises "Today" show co-host Hoda Kotb while modeling one of Tina Knowles' designs. (AP Photo/NBC, Peter Kramer)
At an inauguration ball in 2009, Beyoncé serenaded the president and first lady with Etta James' "At Last." (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Beyoncé has been called gracious. And she proved it when, after winning her own award, she let Taylor Swift finish her acceptance speech after the country star was interrupted by Kanye West at the MTV VMAs in 2009. (Getty Images) less
Beyoncé has been called gracious. And she proved it when, after winning her own award, she let Taylor Swift finish her acceptance speech after the country star was interrupted by Kanye West at the MTV VMAs in ... more
She's reportedly won more than a dozen Grammys in her career. (Getty Images)
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2007. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle)
Her derrière is just as famous as she is (take that, Pippa Middleton). Shown in New York in November 2010. (Getty Images)
Glamour in full effect. (Photo by Tony Duran.)
The final (so far) Destiny's Child album, released in 2004. (Handout photo)
Glastonbury, England, in 2011.
She expanded her empire with a fragrance collection. (Coty Inc.)
Here, children embrace Beyoncé at a New York City Target event in June, two months before she announced her pregnancy. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
With sister Solange, a singer and DJ. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images)
The singer's alter ego, Sasha Fierce, takes over in this shot. (AP Photo/Music World Entertainment/Columbia Records)
The entertainment world was all abuzz, and Twitter broke a record, when Beyoncé unveiled her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2011.
Houston girl group Destiny's Child put Beyoncé on the map.
She drew some Oscar buzz for her role in the 2006 movie "Dreamgirls." But co-star Jennifer Hudson got the trophy. (Paramount Pictures)
Wowing the hometown crowd at Toyota Center in 2007. (Billy Smith II Chronicle)
Giving back and making a young fan's day with an autograph at the Houston Food Bank in February. (Johnny Hanson / For the Chronicle)
Beyoncé's parents Mathew and Tina Knowles, who divorced after news broke of Mathew Knowles' extramarital affair that produced a son. Shortly after that scandal, Beyoncé fired her father as her manager. (AP photo) less
Beyoncé's parents Mathew and Tina Knowles, who divorced after news broke of Mathew Knowles' extramarital affair that produced a son. Shortly after that scandal, Beyoncé fired her father as her manager. (AP ... more
Her enviable beauty has graced the covers of countless magazines.
Beyoncé shows off fashionable girl power while performing in England. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
The singer doesn't seem happy that fans chanting her name try to steal the show at a UH event honoring her mother, fashion designer Tina Knowles, in 2011. (Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )
Early in their relationship, Beyoncé and rap mogul Jay-Z raised eyebrows. The couple married in 2008, in secret of course. (Getty Images)
Baby-bump style at a screening of her "Live at Roseland: The Elements of 4" DVD, which chronicled her latest tour at the time. (Getty Images)
NYC restaurant pulls out Beyonce-themed menu for Valentine's Day
John-Henry Perera
The Murder Capitals of America
Places Where Home Prices Have Gone Up the Most
What Are the Most Caloric Items at Dairy Queen?
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Dallas County Commissioners Fail the Probate Courts
As we discussed last time, most Probate Courts around the state have adopted somewhat of a “customer service” approach to administering the work that takes place in the Probate Courts. This approach is a logical result of the fact that the majority of the work that happens in these courts is brought about from people having to come to court following the death or incapacity of a friend or family member.
Because of the level of administrative work that happens in Probate Courts, most of these courts have several staff members who help facilitate the work that takes place in those Courts. For instance, each Probate Court in Houston has a Judge, an Associate Judge, and 10-12 other staff members, including at least one staff attorney. In Ft. Worth, the Probate Courts have a Judge, and 10-12 additional staff members, including at least one staff attorney. In Austin, the Probate Court has a Judge, an Associate Judge, and several other staff members, including multiple staff attorneys. In all 3 of these counties, each Probate Court has a Court Investigator assigned to the Court to conduct thorough investigations in guardianship cases, and each of the Courts has a Guardianship Coordinator to monitor the guardianship cases pending in the Court.
By contrast, the Dallas County Probate Courts have very small staffs who are ill-equipped to efficiently handle the work entrusted to them. For instance, each of these courts has a Judge and only 4-5 additional staff people. They do not have any staff attorneys, associate judges, an adequate number of staff, a Court Investigator assigned to the Court, or a Guardianship Coordinator. As a result, the Dallas Probate Courts are almost incapable of providing the residents of Dallas County with the same level of service that the residents of most other counties enjoy.
One of the most disturbing consequences of the inadequate staffing of the Dallas County Probate Courts is the lack of Court Investigators and Guardianship Coordinators in each Court. At the outset of a guardianship case, each Probate Court around Texas sends their Court Investigator out to conduct an investigation related to the Guardianship case. Once the Investigator submits his report, the Court will then allow the case to proceed. In most counties, the Court Investigator’s report is generally filed with the court within a week or two following the initiation of the guardianship case, thereby allowing the case to proceed in a timely fashion.
In Dallas County, however, there is not a Court Investigator assigned to any of the Courts. Rather, the Courts draw from an investigator “pool.” Although the local Dallas County rules say that the investigators should strive to have their Reports submitted within 30 days, the reports are routinely not filed for 3 to 4 months after the initiation of the Guardianship. Inasmuch as the case cannot proceed without the filing of the Court Investigator’s Report, these Courts are routinely allowing incapacitated people to wait for months before they can receive the care that they require.
To compound the problems of inadequate staffing, the Dallas County Probate Courts also lack the basic technology to function in today’s society. Unbelievably, none of the Dallas County Probate Courts has a copy machine, a modern laser printer, a fax machine, or even the ability to make a long-distance phone call. These Courts are still using antiquated dot-matrix printers to print much of their correspondence. To make a photocopy of a document, they are required to go to the main county clerk’s office because none of the Courts has a copy machine. When trying to call an attorney on a case who has a long-distance phone number, the Court staff mails a letter to the attorney asking that they call the Court.
By contrast, the other Probate Courts around the state have modern technology, and in some cases, those courts have the most up-to-date technology. For instance, in one county, every member of the Court staff has a 4-in-1 copier/fax/printer/scanner machine on their desks, making it possible for each staff member to make high-quality laser copies, send/receive faxes directly at their desks, etc. Most other Probate Courts across the state have the ability to make long-distance phone calls, have photocopy machines in the Court staff offices, have fax machines, etc.
When questioned why the Dallas County Probate Courts are so under-staffed and under-equipped, the response given routinely is, “The (Dallas County) Commissioners won’t provide enough money to hire the appropriate levels of staff and won’t provide the necessary technology.”
If the goal of most Probate Courts across the state is to provide a friendly, customer-service atmosphere to serve the general public in the difficult times following the death or incapacity of a friend or family member, then the question that most of you are asking yourselves is, “How can the Dallas Probate Courts provide the customer service that other Courts around Texas provide if the Dallas County Commissioners refuse to give them the money necessary to adequately staff the Courts and to provide even the most basic modern technology?”
The answer is, “They can’t!”
Implicit in the ability of a Court, or any other business, to be able to adequately meet its “customers’” needs in 2008 is the ability of the Court or business to maintain adequate staff levels and to utilize technology to its advantage. The lack of appropriate staff and technology paralyzes the Dallas Probate Courts and prevents them from being able to timely address the needs of the public that they serve.
Can anyone imagine someone in one major city sending a letter by snail-mail to someone in another major city that says, “Please call me,” simply because they don’t have the ability to make a long distance phone call? Such a scenario seems almost barbaric!
The residents of Dallas County should demand that the Dallas County Commissioners take steps to afford the Dallas County Probate Courts the appropriate funding to be able to “upgrade” their technological capabilities to the most basic 2008 technology and to hire adequate staff levels to provide the Courts the ability to better serve Dallas County.
April 25, 2008 by fordbergner Categories: Probate
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Judge Austin Called To Serve Higher Court →
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Catalogue Search for "collection:"Non Fiction""
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Concise Oxford English dictionary
Published Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011
12th ed. / edited by Angus Stevenson, Maurice Waite
This edition contains over 240,000 words and has been updated with hundreds of new words, phrases, and definitions drawn from the ongoing research of...
By Lipstadt, Deborah E
Published Ecco, 2017
A chronicle of the author's five-year legal battle with writer David Irving, a prolific supporter of Holocaust denial, describes how the author and a...
Blowing the bloody doors off: and other lessons in life
By Caine, Michael, author
Published London: Hodder, 2019
With over 100 movies to his credit over six decades, Hollywood legend and British national treasure Michael Caine shares the wisdom, stories, insight...
L'heritage
By Grisham, John
Published Laffont, 2003
Brecon Beacons National Park
Map. English.
Published Southampton: Ordnance Survey, 2015
OS Explorer is the Ordnance Survey's most detailed map and is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities such as walking, horse riding and off...
Vale of White Horse, Abingdon-on-Thames, Wantage, Wallingford & Faringdon
By Eger, Edith Eva, author
Published London: Rider, 2018
In 1944, 16-year-old Edith Eger was sent to Auschwitz. There she endured unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef...
Published DK Eyewitness Travel, 2019
Sylvia Plath: a biography
By Kirk, Connie Ann
Published Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2004
Sylvia Plath was one of the most significant poets of the 20th century, and her work played a major role in the development of women's rights during this...
By Lee, Laurie
Published Penguin, 1985
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My country has become a scare tactic...
How embarrassing. In the final few days before the Brazilian presidential election, the doomed right-wing candidate has started likening Lula, the lefty front-runner, with Chavez, all in a final desperate ploy to win some last minute votes. "Elect this lunatic and we'll end up as screwed up as Venezuela is," seems to be the crux of Serra's campaign these days. Sad...Venezuela has become a scare tactic in foreign elections.
What's really telling, though, is Lula's reaction. An old-time lefty with two decades of experience in politics and four presidential elections behind him, Lula's seasoned enough to realize how lethal the association is and has decided to run full speed in the opposite direction. He called Serra's statement "electoral terrorism"...yikes! And to think chavistas of all sorts had been licking their lips over a supposed Fidel-Chavez-Lula axis. Doesn't look likely, does it?
Of course, it's just an international iteration of a trend that's been evident here for a long time. Serious Venezuelan left-wingers have been horrified by Chavez for years. Responsible people of the left are alarmed by the way Chavez is blackening the progressive movement's name here. We're talking people with unimpeachable credentials as social activists, people who risked their lives as guerrillas in the 60s, who've been working for radical reform since Chavez was at his mother's teat...we're talking Americo Martin, the old Revolutionary Left Movement leader, we're talking Teodoro Petkoff, who spent years in jail after organizing an incredibly daring raid for the Communist Party's guerrilla movement. We're talking Pompeyo Marquez and Douglas Bravo and Luis Manuel Esculpi and Pablo Medina and Andres Velasquez and even Jorge Olavarria; leaders who've devoted their lives to actually improving the lives of the poor, rather than talking crap about it. These people realize that, in the long-term, Chavez is doing incredible damage to the movement by convincing the middle-class that leftists really are the deranged lunatics they'd always feared they might be. The irony is that with this grotesque charade of a people's government, Chavez is actually making it harder and harder for any serious leftist to be taken seriously in the future. It's pretty sad. Ask Lula.
This riot is brought to you by...your government!
It's hard to contain the seething anger I feel when watching the TV footage from yesterday's riot downtown. I've written again and again about the need to de-escalate the crisis here, to chill out, to negotiate, to take chavistas seriously, to take their hopes and fears into account, to include them in a democratic solution. But then I watch the Lina Ron sponsored little affair downtown yesterday, I can't help but fall into despair. How, how is it possible to de-escalate a confrontation with a government that condones this shit? How is it possible to trust a government whose supporters have tacit permission to shoot guns at their political opponents in the streets?
Takes two to tango. Takes two to de-escalate. And yesterday made it, once again, totally obvious that the government has no interest at all in de-escalating.
It depresses me to no end that Lina Ron now sets the national agenda in this country. A full time provocateur, professional riot-organizer who coined the hideous phrase "a shut shop is a looted shop" to intimidate shop-keepers into staying open next monday, she's the incarnation of the basest, the vilest in the chavista regime. In any halfway serious country she would've been locked away months ago: she's been captured on camera inciting her underlings to violence so often it's become a journalistic cliché here. How can we be sure her little acts are government-backed? It's not just her evident immunity from prosecution, her constant hyper-heated pro-government rhetoric. It's that she's so assured of the official backing she enjoys that yesterday she even took a short break from the riot to pop over next door into the National Assembly to consult strategy with the government's congressional delegation. All in full view of the cameras. So how do you trust a government that operates this way enough to negotiate with it? How do you de-escalate with people that are this deeply committed to violence?
I mean, my God, at this point we've just gotten used to the phrase "disturbances generated by backers of the government" as a standard journalistic phrase...it doesn't even strike us as odd anymore, it's just...routine...
If moderate chavistas (are there any left?) had any sense at all - or any power at all - they'd realize that it's precisely this kind of crap that's pushing this country towards violence. The grotesque scenes last night marginalize doves like me, making us look like fools for calling for an accomodation with these people. It incites the non-chavistas in the army, who have it rubbed in their faces one more time that government-supporters can do anything they want downtown and the law just doesn't apply to them. It raises tensions across the whole society, pushes it towards a coup, towards a confrontation, towards a war. It's insane...
In the end, it was just Lina and a few dozen hot-heads making trouble downtown. The hotheads are not the problem. The problem, what's totally unacceptable about these episodes, is their evident coziness with the government, the obvious fact that nobody in power is willing to move against them, that they're protected. Whatever it takes, the government must be made to understand that this is not an acceptable way to do politics, not to 90% of Venezuelans. We can't accept it.
Anatomy of (yet another) downtown riot …
(sigh…these are getting predictable…)
At first, people weren’t sure what to make of the protests at the Metropolitan Police. A pretty good number of PMs (as the cops are known) started protesting about back-pay, which seemed reasonable. The Greater Caracas Mayor answered that he sympathized, but that the money to pay them had not been handed down to him by the National Government, where all of the Mayor’s money originates. That seemed reasonable too. But as the protests got more drawn out and militant, people started to get suspicious. There was a definite whiff of the political about this protest – the Metropolitan Mayor is a fierce Chávez critic, after all, and the Metropolitan Police has been a key to the big anti-government protests over the last 10-months. Without a big PM presence, a lot of opposition activists would’ve been too scared to protest in public. So the idea that the protest was a ploy to undermine, maybe even destroy the PM began to take shape. And those suspicions were born out when Channel 8, the doctrinally chavista State-run channel, started devoting more and more air time to the protests.
So today, when the dispute finally got out of hand, when the dissident cops tried to set fire to the Metropolitan Mayor’s Offices, when other PMs had to disperse them with tear gas, when groups of masked trouble-makers joined them and fired gunshots at the PM lines, and when no one in the National Government lifted a finger to stop the whole sorry exercise in Avenida Urdaneta, we weren’t surprised. We’ve come to expect this madness from the government. Time and time again they've shown that this is how they deal with opponents: round up some street thugs, set them on your enemies. Preserves plausible deniability.
Frankly, we're scared. We're scared that when they manage to provoke an incident that gives the government an excuse to take over the Metropolitan Police our right to protest in the streets will be truly in peril. Without a well-armed PM presence standing guard, marching would just be too scary. And these days, marching is one of the last means of protest we have left.
[it occurs to me that, especially for non-Venezuelans, the column above might not make that much sense without an…]
Explicative note on how this crazy city is organized
The municipal structure of Caracas is a daunting tangle. When my grandmother was born 90 years ago, Caracas was a town of maybe 200,000 confined to what is now known as el centro, downtown, over on the west side of the valley, in what was known as the Distrito Federal – a DC type federal entity. With the advent of oil and modernity, it grew incredibly quickly, like many third world capitals, to its current 4 million inhabittants. In the process, it spilled out of the central core, growing eastward along the valley into areas that laid outside the D.F., in Miranda State. Many towns that for centuries had been quite separate from the city were swallowed up in the sprawl – Chacao, Petare, El Hatillo. But each of those had their own municipal governments. By the 1990s, these had become neighborhoods of Caracas rather than towns of their own, leaving the broader city without a unified municipal government.
When the Constituent Assembly was convened in 1999, many proposals surfaced to bring chaos to the madness by consolidating these into a single administrative entity. But the Miranda State government didn’t like the idea one bit: the wealthy East-side Caracas neighborhoods held a huge proportion of its population and its tax base, and the governor realized it would be a disaster for the state if those were taken out of its jurisdiction. So the proposals faced serious resistance, and a compromise was eventually reached: a new Metropolitan Mayorship would be created, encompassing the East-side neighborhoods, but without dismembering Miranda State. Each of the East-side neighborhoods would retain its own municipal government, which would coexist with a Greater Caracas mayorship. The result was a municipal structure even more complicated than before: the city now has both a Metropolitan Mayor with jurisdiction over both the East and West-sides of the city, stradling both the D.F. (which, just to make things even more convoluted, had its name changed – it’s now the Distrito Capital, D.C.) and parts of Miranda State AND five local mayors. In the Eastern Districts, there are three levels of regional government: the municipal, the greater-caracas municipal, and then the state governor, whereas the Distrito Capital has no governor, so in that part, the metropolitan mayor acts as de facto governor. Confused? So’s everyone else.
The point is that whenever you hear someone say “the mayor of Caracas” you have to ask “which one?”
The thing is that unlike normal municipal governments, the Greater Caracas mayorship has no autonomous tax-raising powers at all. It relies completely on the National Government for its funding. And the Greater Caracas mayor, Alfredo Peña, is now an ardent antichavista (though, once upon a time, he sat on Chávez’ cabinet,) and has become a major bete noire for Chávez’s followers. So, not surprisingly, the National Government nickel-and-dimes Peña’s bureaucracy to no end. The municipal workers get paid verrry irregularly, if at all, and that includes Peña’s Metropolitan Police officers.
Yes, yes, I've been delinquent about posting. In my defense, I've been battling a dreadful cold and sinking under a pile of work. And really, it's been an eventful few days. The government held a big counter-march on Sunday, 3 days after ours, and the scene soon descended into an infantile "mine was bigger - no, no, mine was bigger" affair. I think the numbers game is quite silly, frankly, but more or less unavoidable.
Then, yesterday, OAS finally noticed that the country is about to implode. Peru's president Toledo, bless his heart, called for a meeting of Andean-region foreign ministers to at least talk about it, within the framework of OAS's Democratic Charter. This is significant because it suggests that Toledo now thinks that the government might be in violation of the charter - though he hasn't quite said that, yet. The government threw a hissy-fit: until Toledo's speech, its attempts to throw up a facade of "absolute normalcy" - at least in international circles - had held. Yesterday, it started to crack. Not that OAS can really do much about our problems here, but it's just nice that the outside world has finally picked up on the idea that all is not sweetness'n'light here.
And into this already complicated stew you throw in the threat of a General Work Stoppage starting next Monday. Oh dear...
OK, below, VenEc's weekly editorial, penned by me.
From the government’s point of view, it was a propaganda triumph. Through fair means or foul, Sunday’s pro-government march managed to create the appearance of roughly equaling Thursday’s opposition march. As usual, Hugo Chávez insulted common sense by claiming no less than three million people were in attendance, when in fact 100,000 might have been closer to the mark. Presidential hyperbole aside, though, the government turned out enough people to manipulate the resulting TV images into a media triumph.
In fact, there’s little doubt that the opposition march from last week was substantially larger. Experts speculate the ratio might have been anywhere from 4:1 to 12:1, though getting an accurate count of the opposition marchers was much more difficult, since they tended to dissipate upon arrival at their Avenida Bolívar endpoint, unlike the government marchers, who stayed to wait for the president’s speech there. The two marches bear out what pollsters have been saying for months: that the opposition now enjoys the support of a clear majority of Venezuelans – some two-thirds, according to most polls. But that hardly means that the government has been left in the lurch: it retains the impassioned support of a significant minority of the population, perhaps as much as a third of the Venezuelan public.
This overall breakdown has remained substantially unchanged since the second half of last year. What makes the situation so volatile is the fact that both sides insist on acting as though they enjoy near-unanimous popular support. The government stubbornly refuses to accept the drastic drop in its popularity, continuing to govern as though four-fifths of the electorate still supported it, as in March 1999. Angered by the government’s pigheaded refusal to accept the obvious, the opposition has fallen into an equally dangerous trap: acting as though support for the government had collapsed entirely, which is also a gross misrepresentation of reality. With each side unwilling to concede that the other has significant support, with neither side accepting the need to play by rules that are seen as acceptable by the other, and with each side overestimating its strength, the stage for miscalculation and violence is set.
It’s against this backdrop that the opposition has called for a 12-hour “general stoppage” to demand the president either resign or call early elections. This is a high-risk operation, one that faces many pitfalls. For one, the government has implemented a fierce campaign of intimidation to cow business owners into staying open. Companies that depend on the public sector for contracts are especially easy targets, but given Venezuela’s business climate, almost every company can be pressured one way or another – bureaucratic permits can be withheld, tax inspectors can become suddenly much more conscientious, labor disputes can tilt the way of the workers, etc. As though all of that were not enough, the government has recently published a draft of its much-feared “co-management” amendments to the Labor Law’s regulations, and government spokesmen have issued repeated threats to use those amendments to summarily take over any private companies that join a strike. In such circumstances, it will take real courage to buck the intimidation and join the stoppage.
So Carlos Ortega certainly has his work cut out for him. At this stage, it’s impossible to say whether such key sectors as the oil industry and Caracas’ transport workers will join the action. The CTV is taking a big risk on this mobilization, and it’s not yet possible to say whether it will pay off.
Overall, though, two points are obvious: as far as the government is concerned, its broad, Marxist vision for Venezuela’s future is not up for debate, and that vision is simply unacceptable to a broad majority of Venezuelans. The only resource the opposition has left is sustained, ongoing street pressure. Even if results are not immediately evident, even if individual actions do not lead to a same-day solution, democratically-minded Venezuelans have a historic duty to register their revulsion at the government’s plans at every possible juncture.
At the same time, it bears remembering that even if the Chávez regime were to collapse next week, the 20-33% of Venezuelans who believe passionately in the president’s message would still be there the next day. The real challenge for any transition government will be to incorporate those people into the post-chavista political process, reassuring them that their concerns are taken seriously and overcoming the urge towards facile triumphalism. Failure to do so would imperil the nation’s stability for years to come.
▼ October 13 - October 20 (5)
My country has become a scare tactic... How emb...
This riot is brought to you by...your government! ...
Anatomy of (yet another) downtown riot … (sigh…th...
[it occurs to me that, especially for non-Venezuel...
Yes, yes, I've been delinquent about posting. In m...
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Manager, Strategic Communications
Communications/Editorial, Public Relations
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is recruiting for a Manager, Strategic Communications reporting to the Sr. Director, Content Strategy.
CASE is a global not-for-profit and membership association whose vision is to advance education to transform lives and society. Its mission is to inspire, challenge and equip communities of professionals to act effectively and with integrity to champion the success of their institutions. Advancing education in over 3,600 member institutions, CASE has 85,000 members in 82 countries.
Broad and growing communities of professional practice gather under the global CASE umbrella. Currently these include advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, government relations, institutional leadership and marketing. Individual members are at all stages of their career and may be working in universities, schools, colleges, cultural organizations or other not-for-profits. CASE membership also includes many corporate partners. CASE uses the intellectual capital and professional talents of an army of volunteers to advance its work.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, CASE works across all continents from its regional offices in London, Singapore and Mexico City. CASE works to achieve a seamless experience for all its stakeholders: particularly its members, volunteers and staff. Working together across time zones and borders, CASE staff in all offices seek to make the ambitious OneCASE aspiration a reality.
Reporting to the Senior Director, Content Strategy, the Manager, Strategic Communications is centered around supporting the OneCASE agenda and strategic plan as well as providing internal communications for a dispersed workforce and oversees the planning, organization, and delivery of integrated communications and PR initiatives that raise public awareness of CASE programs, initiatives and mission. The incumbent will be responsible for effectively informing and promoting CASE, its work, expertise and impact in the advancement and educational philanthropy sector.
The primary responsibilities of this position include the coordination, leveraging, planning, and execution of comprehensive communication strategies, including public affairs, internal and executive communications, media relations, publications, multi-media and Web. This position assists with the development of CASE’s communication strategy and positioning, including the design and oversight of innovative communications strategies and infrastructure to support the mission and strategic objectives of CASE and its affiliates.
The core functions of this position include but are not limited to the following:
Program/Project Management
Create communication strategies and messages that highlight CASE work and mission
Assist in the promotion of CASE as expert sources; respond to media requests and facilitate interviews.
Update experts guide and media distribution lists.
Develop creative ideas to strengthen CASE’s public brands among diverse audiences.
Write a variety of content including media advisories, statements and press releases, newsletters, blogs, Annual reports, video scripts, etc.
Serve as a consultant to various teams and committees to develop and execute communications.
Build relationships with key stakeholders; develop and maintain strong working relationships with departments to ensure consistent content, messaging and timing of communications plans.
Assist in the response to crisis situations to develop messages to communicate with employees in crisis/emergency situations.
Provide media relations support, with a focus on researching media contacts, developing news media relationships, and pitching stories that publicize organizational impact
Monitor, assess and manage CASE-wide media reputational risks.
Provide support for the CASE senior leadership across print, digital and broadcast media. Prepare talking points and media briefing notes for interviews that support our strategic goals and are on-message
Conduct training sessions and provide guidance on media engagement to staff. Stay ahead of media trends to identify emerging technologies that can create story opportunities relevant to CASE.
Fiscal Management/Budget Responsibilities/Judicious Use of Resources
Exercise fiscal responsibility in the use of all CASE resources.
Liaison Responsibilities
Exhibit appropriate leadership toward and work cooperatively and supportively with all volunteer groups for which this position is responsible.
Ensure that CASE is well represented to the outside world by exercising a high degree of professionalism in all activities.
Collaborate with CASE colleagues in other parts of the world to ensure the best sharing of effective practices.
Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Supervisor.
Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, Marketing or a related discipline. Master’s degree preferred.
Five (5) to seven (7) years of increasingly higher-level leadership experience in the field of communications in the public or private sector is required, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and education/training required.
Demonstrated in-depth professional knowledge and experience in strategic and organizational communications, non-profit communications, media relations, and/or or a communications/public relations agency. Knowledge of higher education and philanthropy sector are a plus.
A demonstrated interest in advancing education in the not-for-profit sector.
A strong commitment to contributing to an organizational culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion.
An understanding of and interest in engaging with a broad range of cultures and countries.
Familiarity with communications approaches, tools and methodologies for planning, executing, and monitoring communications strategies, e.g., media monitoring, events planning, campaign management, social marketing, opinion research, outreach tactics, message targeting, etc.
Exceptional writing and editing with the ability to develop content for a variety of audiences and purposes, including press releases, news articles, scripts, Op-Eds, etc.
Experience pitching stories of all types to a wide selection of media outlets, and working with reporters/editors/producers, including as a spokesperson.
Proven ability to assess and identify reputational risk issues.
Working knowledge of online media tracking tools and with managing information through a content management system.
Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, that allow engagement with levels of all stakeholders within an organization.
Ability to effectively interact with internal and external clients at all levels, and to exercise judgment, tact and discretion in dealing with sensitive and/or confidential matters.
Must have technical proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
Good interpersonal skills and proven ability to work independently and collaboratively. Ability to lead and/or participate on teams.
Strong project management and detail-orientation skills that provide the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
A pro-active and can-do attitude, even when working under pressure and with all levels of staff.
Qualified applicants should CLICK HERE to upload their résumé and paste their cover letter with salary requirements. Applications without the required skills and experience or salary requirements may not be considered. Preference may be given to applications received before July 22, 2019. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
CASE offers a competitive benefits package that includes comprehensive health insurance, to include a high-deductible medical plan option with a health savings account, a PPO medical plan option, dental insurance, a generous 10% retirement contribution, an employee assistance plan, employer-paid life and disability insurance with voluntary supplemental life insurance, voluntary vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuting benefits, as well as legal and identity theft protection plans. After one year of service, staff are also eligible for tuition reimbursement.
We offer a collegial and collaborative work environment with many work-life balance programs, such as a 35-hour work week, regular weekly telecommuting for most exempt-level roles, paid parental leave after one year of service and generous accrued leave policies.
About Council for Advancement and Support of Education
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas. CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with their alumni and donors, raise funds for campus projects, produce recruitment materials, market their institutions to prospective students, diversify the profession, and foster public support of education. Key facts about CASE: Founded in 1974 as the result of a merger between the American Alumni Council and the American College Public Relations Association Maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE Latina America, 2011) Is one of the world's largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership Includes more than 3,670 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in more than 82 countries around the globe Serves nearly 81,000 advancement professio...nals on the staffs of member institutions Led by volunteers with more than 4,850 advancement professionals serving as board members, speakers, authors, conferences planners and more
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Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR)
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health
Government, Public Health, Research Facility
Are you a top-level Scientific Researcher or Scientific Administrator seeking a career at one of the preeminent biomedical research institutes in the world? The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking exceptional candidates for the position of Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR). NHLBI is a national and international leader in heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. The NCSDR Director position offers an exciting opportunity for scientific and managerial leadership in basic, clinical, translational, and implementation sleep and circadian research, sleep research training, and sleep public health; the coordination across multiple specialties, agencies, and public interest organizations; and communication of complex clinical issues to a broad audience. Responsibilities will include: transferring knowledge generated from basic and clinical research to the public health activities within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Federal agencies, and the private sector; coordinating the Federal Government's efforts in research, health education, and research training related to sleep-disordered breathing and the fundamental function of sleep and circadian rhythms; supporting extramural research, training, education, and dissemination of health information to health care professionals and the public and other activities related to sleep, circadian biology and sleep disorders; coordinating sleep research activities with related activities of other Federal agencies, other NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), and public and professional profit and nonprofit organizations; preparing a comprehensive plan for conducting and supporting research on sleep, circadian biology, and sleep disorders and working to facilitate implementation; and providing leadership and coordination over the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board for the recommendations made to the Director, NIH, the Director, NHLBI, and executive leaders within other NIH ICs, as well as other Federal agencies. The NCSDR Director must have a remarkably broad range of skills and experience and superior managerial and leadership qualifications, as well as expert understanding of sleep and its widespread ramifications across all ages.
SALARY/BENEFITS: The successful candidate for this position will be appointed at a salary commensurate with his/her qualifications. Full Federal benefits will be provided including leave, health and life insurance, long-term care insurance, retirement, and savings plan (401k equivalent). This position will be filled under a Title 42(f) excepted service appointment.
HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must submit a current curriculum vitae, bibliography, and full contact details for three references. In addition, applicants are asked to prepare two statements: a vision statement and a statement that addresses the specific qualification requirements (please limit both statements to not more than two pages each). Applications should be sent to nhlbi_careers@mail.nih.gov. Information about the NHLBI can be found at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
HHS and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have an established reputation as a professional with leadership in the sleep and/or circadian research community and demonstrated broad visionary capabilities in sleep and circadian biology research. The ideal candidate must also have the ability to foster far-reaching multi-disciplinary basic, clinical, translational, and implementation research as well as senior-level research experience, management experience, interpersonal skills, and the ability to engage stakeholders. Applicants must possess an M.D., Ph.D. or doctoral level degree in health or allied sciences. The successful candidate will be a respected, accomplished individual with maturity, integrity, and outstanding communication skills.
Internal Number: NCSDR 2019
About National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides global leadership for a research, training, and education program to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, and blood disorders and enhance the health of all individuals so that they can live longer and more fulfilling lives. NHLBI invests approximately $3 billion annually in medical research related to heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. More than 89 percent of NHLBI's annual budget supports researchers at more than 520 research institutions across the country and in other parts of the world.
Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) Bethesda, Maryland
Sleep Disorder Research 6 Days Ago
Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), DLD, NHLBI,NIH Bethesda, Maryland
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health 6 Days Ago
Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders (NCSDR) Bethesda, Maryland
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You are here: Home / News / A Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma Chronicle – A Prelude to the Disaster
A Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma Chronicle – A Prelude to the Disaster
On Wednesday, September 6 2017, Puerto Rico received a glancing blow from Hurricane Irma that caused destruction on half the island. The category five storm passed just north of Puerto Rico. Even with the storm not making a direct hit, the island was hammered with rain and wind.
Hurricane Irma had already barreled through the Caribbean, leaving destruction in its wake. Florida residents anxiously waited to see whether the storm would turn before making landfall. And not far behind Irma, Maria loomed. If Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma was bad, things got worse when Hurricane Maria struck the island on September 20.
The following article looks closely at the first part of the Puerto Rico hurricane damage. It’s the first part of our coverage of the combo of natural disasters that struck the island.
Image credits: TIME.
What Happened to Puerto Rico
The residents of Puerto Rico were warned by the government that the Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma storm could be devastating to the island, and were told to evacuate if they were able. Prior to the storm making landfall, the Puerto Rican government began to evacuate residents who lived in the northern and eastern parts of the island. The storm was expected to cause significant flooding in those areas.
Despite the warnings, many families choose to ride out the storm, since it was not expected to cause major damage throughout the island. Churches opened their doors to welcome the residents that were evacuated from their homes both prior and after the storm. Grocery store shelves were described as being bare as residents prepared for the worst-case scenario.
The government had already stated that the airport would be closed for several days following the storm, and that affected residents could expect to not have power for four to six months. Hurricane Irma center passed fifty miles north of the island. The majority of damage to the island was caused by the storm surge. Even without a direct hit to Puerto Rico, the sustained wind speeds of 185 mph caused power outages to approximately one million residents. Area hospitals were forced to utilize generators, and many roads were washed away in the flooding.
The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, attributed three deaths due to the Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma storm. Aid groups were unable to land at the airport in order to bring supplies, and give assistance to the people of Puerto Rico following the storm. The US Coast Guard started to assess the damage that Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma had caused. Captain Eric King stated that “Our first priority is ensuring the safety of lives and helping anyone in distress.”
Worst Affected Areas
While Puerto Rico had significant damage following Hurricane Irma, other islands were more substantially impacted. The Virgin Islands was the most severely impacted of the islands. It is located just east of Puerto Rico and was reported as having extensive damage. The major hospital on the US side of the island was completely destroyed by the strong winds. The flooding and rain on Puerto Rico, which continued through Saturday following the storm, cut off parts of the island. Downed power lines and blocked roadways were commonplace. The majority of the damage was located in the northeastern part of the island.
Impact in Numbers
Over one million residents were without power following the storm. Roughly half of the island’s hospitals were forced to rely on generators in order to keep the lights on. Three deaths were attributed to Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma. The economic impact to Puerto Rico is devastating. Even before the storm, the island had a multi-billion dollar debt that it was unable to pay. With an extended period of not having power anticipated, many businesses on Puerto Rico will not be able to operate. This will only generate more debt that the island cannot pay back. The economic future is dire.
What Made Puerto Rico Unique as a Touristic Destination
Puerto Rico is referred to as “The Land of a Thousand Blessings.” There are two general types of activities in Puerto Rico that appeal to tourists. Some tourists come to visit the island to see the city sights and relax on the beach. Other tourists are looking to explore the outdoor adventures that are offered by the island. The coastline has several beach coves that are all unique. There is also snorkeling and scuba diving activities available on the island. Puerto Rico has several coral reefs just off the coastline to explore. Whereas the center of the island has lush mountains that offer hikers scenic views of the landscape. The island also offers tourists the opportunity to explore underground caves. The capital, San Juan, has several tourist attractions. The city offers historic attractions in the Old City. There are many family-friendly events and attractions available in the New City.
Puerto Rico is facing an uphill battle recovering from both a natural disaster and an economic disaster. While 80% of the residents have drinking water, 70% of the island is still without power following Hurricane Irma and then Hurricane Maria. It is estimated that 10% to 15% of the residents may have already left the island due to the monumental nature of this disaster. This means that the tax revenue is expected to be half of what was originally forecasted for the year. This would mean that the government would be forced to make cuts to its budget. There is an estimated $780 million lost in crops due to the hurricanes. This means that to feed the residents, food will have to be transported to the island. The future of Puerto Rico is uncertain and a solid plan will have to be implemented by the government to ensure its survival.
Puerto Rico received a devastating blow and needs assistance to recover. As of now, government officials are working on a plan to get the island back up and running. The future of Puerto Rico is far from certain. Repairing the infrastructure on the island needs to be the priority. The economic issues will not be resolved until the residents are able to return to their normal lives. The damage from Hurricane Irma may have been minimal, but Hurricane Maria wiped out the chance of a quick recovery. Puerto Rico can be repaired, but the efforts will take time and money.
Hey Buddy!, I found this information for you: "A Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma Chronicle – A Prelude to the Disaster". Here is the website link: https://caribbeansbest.org/puerto-rico-hurricane-irma/. Thank you.
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Carmanah Announces Annual Financial Results for 2006
March 12, 2007 -
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada – Monday, March 12, 2007 – Carmanah Technologies Corporation (TSX: CMH) is pleased to announce its results for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005.
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR
Record 2006 annual revenues of $62,446,000, representing a 61% increase over 2005;
Outstanding orders of $4,170,000 at 2006 year end;
2006 EBITA of $2,299,000, representing a 26% increase over 2005;
2006 Earnings before tax of $1,339,000, representing a 7% increase over 2005;
2006 Net earnings of $134,000;
Net working capital of $27,315,000 at 2006 year end, up from $26,332,000 at 2005 year end.
Click here for full release including financials.
For Carmanah, the overall theme for 2006 was continued market penetration and operational development. During the year, the Company laid the groundwork for future growth by (1) finalizing the integration of its Solar Power Systems Group (obtained via the acquisition of Soltek Powersource Ltd. in 2005), (2) completing major facilities expansion at its Victoria, BC, Calgary, AB and Santa Cruz, CA locations, and (3) investing record R&D resources in the development of new technologies, such as the Company’s general illumination products and next generation wirelessly-controlled solar LED aviation lighting systems. Meanwhile, Carmanah achieved record annual revenues of approximately $62.4M, on track with Management’s revenue expectations, and the Company continued to operate profitably.
Sales performance of the core Solar LED Lighting Group realized annual revenues of $26,951,000, representing an increase of 46% over 2005 at $18,413,000. Revenues in all primary solar LED lighting markets grew year over year with an average gross margin of 45% in 2006.
Revenues from the LED Sign Group were $4,442,000 in 2006, down from $4,736,000 in 2005. These revenues do not include the growth in outdoor LED edge-lit sign sales that are reported in the roadway and transit divisions of the Solar LED Lighting Group.
The revenues from the Solar Power Systems Group increased to $31,053,000 in 2006 from $15,580,000 in 2005, reflecting the impact of its first full year of contribution versus six months of contribution in 2005. With the integration of people and systems complete, the operations of the Solar Power Systems Group have normalized and they are trending in line with the Company’s forecasts.
“Overall, we are pleased with the results of 2006 and the platform we have established as part of our five year strategic plan”, states Carmanah’s CEO, Art Aylesworth. “In 2006, we made significant changes to the Company, its product mix and its infrastructure, and we are confident that the Company is poised to enjoy the resulting benefits over the course of the coming year and beyond.”
OVERVIEW OF OPERATIONS
The growth in Carmanah’s operations, both organically and through acquisition, has resulted in business activities which include the design, manufacture and/or distribution of three technology groups: solar-powered LED lighting, solar power systems and LED-illuminated signage.
Carmanah’s Solar LED Lighting Group provides a variety of energy-efficient LED lighting products for marine, aviation, transit, roadway and industrial worksite applications. The Company’s Solar Power Systems Group offers a wide range of renewable energy system solutions for industrial, residential and recreational power applications. Its LED Sign Group designs and manufactures energy-efficient LED edge-lit signs for corporate identity, point-of-purchase and architectural applications.
Carmanah’s headquarters and primary manufacturing and distribution facilities continue to be located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The Company also operates additional manufacturing and distribution facilities in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as well as regional distribution and sub-assembly facilities in Barrie, ON; Santa Cruz, CA; and London, England.
Carmanah currently has more than 250,000 installations in 110 countries. Carmanah’s customer list includes a wide range of government, commercial and private users worldwide, who are serviced directly by the Company or one of its regional authorized distributors and/or sales agents.
Carmanah’s sales for the year ended December 31, 2006 was $62,446,000, representing an increase of 61% over the same period in 2005 at $38,730,000. Carmanah’s increase in revenues is attributed to ongoing organic growth as well as to the full-year sales contribution from the Company’s Solar Power Systems Group acquired July 1, 2005.
Sales Summary (CAD1,000’s)
Solar LED Lighting $6,860 $5,645
Solar Power Systems 8,235 8,687
LED Sign Group 1,303 810
Solar LED Lighting $26,951 $18,413
Solar Power Systems 31,053 15,580
LED Sign Group 4,442 4,736
Solar LED Lighting Group
Organic sales achieved in 2006 from Carmanah’s Solar LED Lighting Group were $26,951,000, representing a 46% increase over the same period in 2005 at $18,413,000. This group ended the year with a total sales backlog of $1,722,000.
Sales from the Solar LED Lighting Group were achieved through growth in all vertical markets, as well a number of new product releases. The Company is seeing an increase in the number of larger orders, signaling more mainstream implementation of its products and technology.
Solar Power Systems Group
Revenues from the Solar Power Systems Group were $31,053,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006, compared to $15,580,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005, which represented six months of consolidated results.
During 2006, Carmanah invested considerable effort into the integration of business processes and personnel, and undertook the implementation of two warehouse relocations. With these integration and expansion activities completed, this group’s performance is expected to trend positively through 2007, in step with Carmanah’s business plan.
LED Sign Group
Annual revenues from the LED Sign Group were $4,442,000 for 2006, compared to $4,736,000 for 2005. In late 2006, the Company commenced activities to expand its range of LED sign products to include EVENLIT™ Acrylic Light Sheets and LED backlit boxes. These new technologies enable Carmanah to offer a more complete set of solutions to its existing customer base.
Cost of Sales and Gross Profit Margin
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2006 was $41,148,000 (65.9% of sales), resulting in a gross profit margin of 34.1%. In comparison, for the year ended December 31, 2005, the cost of sales was $24,311,000 (62.8% of sales), resulting in a a gross profit margin of 37.2%. This shift in overall gross margin from 2005 to 2006 is primarily due to the full-year contribution from the Solar Power Systems Group at a gross margin of 27%, compared to its six-month contribution in 2005.
Carmanah offers product solutions to a variety of market sectors at various gross profit margins. The blended gross profit margin is significantly affected by the ratio of sales contributed by the various technological groups, by the product mix sold, as well as the related market sector.
For the year ended December 31, 2006, wages and benefit expense was $9,996,000, compared with $6,843,000 for the same period in 2005. Approximately one half of this increase was due to the full-year impact of the acquisition of Soltek Powersource Ltd. Other contributing factors were additional commissions due to increase in sales, increased stock-based compensation expense and an overall increase in sales, marketing, finance and administration staff to support corporate growth.
As a percentage of sales, total wages and benefits for the year ended December 31, 2006 were 16%, down from 17.7% for the same period in 2005.
Office and Administration
Office and administration expenses for the year ended December 31, 2006, were $4,136,000 compared to $2,787,000 for the same period in 2005. This increase is the result of additional public company costs for professional fees, as well as regulatory and listing fees as a result of a transfer from TSX Venture Exchange to TSX Toronto Stock Exchange. Other contributors to the increase in 2006 were primarily overall growth in facilities and related resources, namely:
The full year costs of the four sub-assembly and warehouse operations of the Solar Power Systems Group (compared to six months in 2005);
The expansion into Carmanah’s new 25,185 square foot Victoria-based warehouse facility in late 2005, and subsequent 5,200 square foot addition in September, 2006;
The expansion of its Calgary warehouse facility for Solar Power products in June 2006 from 5,800 square feet to 11,729 square feet.
The facility expansions have increased rent, general office, administration and information technology expenses. However, as a percentage of sales, office and administration expenses for the year ended December 31, 2006 were 6.6%, down from 7.2% for the same period in 2005.
Sales and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2006 were $2,365,000, compared to $1,775,000 for the same period in 2005.. This increase is due to additional sales and marketing activities for new and existing product lines, including full year costs of expanding its sales and marketing efforts in support of the Solar Power Systems Group’s customers and verticals.
Sales and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2006 were 3.8% of total sales, down from 4.6% for the same period in 2005.
For the year ended December 31, 2006, research and development expenses were $2,164,000 (net of $1,255,000 SR&ED investment tax credits), compared with $904,000 (net of $621,000 SR&ED investment tax credits) for the same period in 2005. The SR&ED investment tax credits were the result of credits generated from scientific research and experimental development expenses, and they are recoverable as an offset to income taxes payable on taxable income.
Carmanah’s gross research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2006 were $3,419,000, a significant increase of $1,894,000 over the same period in 2005 at $1,525,000. Approximately one-half of this increase is due to development of the new “long range” solar LED Lighting products for both the Marine and Aviation vertical markets. This investment included expanded LED optics and ultra low power consumption radio communications systems that will provide benefits for all solar LED Lighting products in the future. These developments are significant advances for the Company and will form clear competitive advantages for its products in the future. This investment in development is targeting market opportunities of greater significance than any previously pursued. The balance of the increase in research and development expenses is due to initiation of additional new product development and enhancements for the Solar LED Group, the full year impact of the Solar Power Systems Group acquisition, as well as research and development towards cost reduction initiatives and outsourcing.
While all other sales, administrative and general expenses declined as a percentage of sales in 2006 compared to 2005, net research and development expenses increased to 3.5% compared with 2.3% in 2005.
Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2006 was $1,204,000. This amount is comprised of current tax expense of $1,720,000 less future income tax recovery of $516,000.
Approximately $1.3 million of the current tax expense is offset by tax credits that were used during the year, usage of which is a reduction against gross research and development expense. The balance of differences relative to the statutory rate is primarily related to non-deductible stock-based compensation. The future income tax recovery of $516,000 reflects the increase in net future tax assets resulting primarily from the deferral of the available SR&ED deductions. Cash taxes for 2006 are approximately $465,000 and relate to Carmanah’s U.S operations.
Non-GAAP measures – the Company uses certain non-GAAP measures to assist in assessing its financial performance. Non-GAAP measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. One such non-GAAP measure used for assessing financial performance is earnings before interest, taxes and amortization (EBITA).
EBITA Reconciliation
(CAD1,000’s) Three months ended
EBITA $336 $412 $2,299 $1,824
Net earnings – as reported $(302) $(206) $134 $681
Add back (deduct):
Interest Income (23) (29) (183) (158)
Income taxes 307 348 1,204 576
Amortization of equipment
and leaseholds 277 215 877 575
Amortization of intangibles 77 84 267 150
EBITA was $2,299,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006, representing an increase of 26% over the same period in 2005 at $1,824,000.
Earnings before tax (EBT) was $1,339,000 in 2006, representing an increase of 7% over the same period in 2005 at $1,257,000. Despite an increase in pre-tax income, net income for 2006 declined to $134,000, as compared to $681,000 for the same period in 2005. This decrease is due to the high rate of income tax expense applied to the pre-tax income described above.
BALANCE SHEET HIGHLIGHTS
Carmanah’s net cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments at December 31, 2006 were $2,335,000, compared to $11,662,000 at December 31, 2005.
The Company reported net working capital of $27,315,000 (current ratio of 3.6:1) at December 31, 2006 compared with $26,332,000 (current ratio of 5.4:1) at December 31, 2005.
Net cash usage from operations for the year ended December 31, 2006 was $8,449,000. This is due primarily to increases in inventory levels through 2006, specifically:
Approximately $4 million in solar panel inventory as a result of aggressive purchasing to manage short term supply risk in the module market in 2006;
An additional $2.5 million in component inventory as a result of new product introductions in 2006;
Increases resulting from overall sales growth.
Management made the decision in 2006 to invest in inventory to support short term supply problems and to support a wide range of new product introductions. Management is now focused on returning inventory to more normalized levels.
During the year ended December 31, 2006, Carmanah also invested $1,920,000 in leasehold improvements and equipment related to setup and completion of the Company’s new production and warehousing facility, as well as to improvements to its head office facility. These projects were effectively completed by the end of Q2 2006. These improvements have prepared Carmanah’s facilities for the anticipated growth over the next two years.
As per the December 2005 financing, Management advised that funds raised would be primarily used for significant infrastructure improvements, as well as pro-active inventory investment related to potential supply-side challenges in the photovoltaics market. With the availability of dollars to invest in inventory, Management was able to negotiate favorable supply contracts, providing benefits through to the end of 2007.
Carmanah has credit facilities with the Royal Bank of Canada, which include demand operating loans and revolving term loans to a combined maximum of $12,500,000 (2005 – $9,800,000). Interest on operating and term loan facilities are at prime plus 0.125%. These credit facilities are secured by general security agreements. At December 31, 2006, the Company had drawn $1,915,000 on these facilities.
ABOUT CARMANAH TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Carmanah is an award-winning manufacturer specializing in renewable and energy-efficient technology solutions. The Company is currently focused on three technology groups: solar power systems & equipment, solar-powered LED lighting and LED illuminated signage.
Carmanah is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and has branch offices and/or sales representation in 11 cities across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. With more than 250,000 installations worldwide, Carmanah is one of the world’s premier suppliers of energy-efficient products.
The shares of Carmanah Technologies Corporation are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “CMH” and on the Berlin and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges under the symbol “QCX”. For more information, please visit www.carmanah.com.
Carmanah Technologies Corporation
“Praveen Varshney”
Praveen Varshney, Director
Mr. Mark Komonoski, Director
mkomonoski@carmanah.com
Mr. David Davies
ddavies@carmanah.com
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described under the caption “Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements” and “Key Information – Risk Factors” and elsewhere in Carmanah’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and which are incorporated herein by reference. Carmanah does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.
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Trim the Fat: ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’
Trim the Fat is where we look into an album of a certain length and quality, and ask the hardest question of all: Would this record be any better if it were shorter? Our first case study will be that of 1995's massive 2LP effort by the Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, a Grammy-winning, diamond-certified opus that clocks in at a massive 120+ minutes.
Before founding frontman Billy Corgan fell down the conspiracy theorist / wrestling promoter rabbit hole, he led one of the greatest bands of the '90s. At the height of the Pumpkins' career, in a decade where many bands fought against the spotlight, Corgan wanted to ascend. After releasing 1993's breakout Siamese Dream, the band made the ultimate excess move by unveiling Mellon Collie as a double album. Clocking in at a hefty two hours, the album exhibited an emotional take on existentialism, unbridled teen angst and an unyielding belief in love. Though the record contains some of the band's most accomplished and memorable work to date, its size lends itself to more than a little indulgence. With love and respect to Mellon Collie, we went down the track list, cut down the non-essentials and came up with a revised LP we stand behind.
"IN THE ARMS OF SLEEP"
What drags down Mellon Collie the most is that all of the filler songs sound nice, but nothing leads anywhere interesting. "In the Arms of Sleep" is indicative of this, feeling like Corgan and crew are just jamming along in a coffee shop. It resembles a meandering dream about cats — you're not going to remember anything specific.
"TAKE ME DOWN"
James Iha's two contributions on the record are solid, working as bookends for the CD track list. It's a dreamy and sweet song, albeit ultimately weaker than his other contribution, "Farewell and Goodnight."
"TO FORGIVE"
Part of me is convinced that Corgan forming Zwan with David Pajo was predicted by "To Forgive." The low energy imitates the darkest corners of Spiderland while also missing the mark on what made that record so moving. Some of the Pumpkins' most memorable moments result from their use of space to create quiet poignancy, but this one misses the mark.
"BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS"
Move past your gut reaction thinking that this is an iconic or classic song. Of all the singles on the record, it's the weakest both musically and lyrically, evidence of how goofy and ridiculous Corgan's writing can get. The song's chorus is hard to recognize as anything more than an eternally regenerating meme at this point. But even taking its cultural impact out of the question, "Bullet" just sucks. It did earn them a Grammy in 1997 for Best Hard Rock Performance, a fitting award for the track.
"THRU THE EYES OF RUBY"
Ruby should probably get her vision checked. Another long-in-the-tooth Pumpkins song that has some moderately interesting dreamy interludes. Unfortunately, they settle on a weird guitar autopilot that sounds like it should be a part of another song. It brings up another frustrating aspect about the record as a whole: When there's a spark of something interesting or different, it's often never seen through to the end. Thus, we're left with too many half-ideas hanging.
"MUZZLE"
Aside from "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," this is probably the closest the Pumpkins get to unabashed cock rock. Corgan's jackassery is at its worst where he yells for no real reason. Probably not even good enough for Pisces Iscariot.
"TALES OF A SCORCHED EARTH"
This just sounds like they wrote "Bodies" twice, but it doesn't go anywhere more compelling the second time around. The highlight is that Corgan sounds authentically manic, augmented by gnarly compression on his voice. Still, the song sounds like the band could've banged it out in the span of an hour.
"BEAUTIFUL"
While the song does incorporate some interesting electronics that probably paved the way for Machina, there's not enough to really latch onto. It's a little too saccharine with all the starry twinkles, sounding closer to a lullaby than a real song.
"CUPID DE LOCKE"
Total interlude of a track. Not much going; might actually be more effective if Corgan's voice wasn't present. The flowery sounds are neat and all, but get nullified when the overly dramatic sweeping comes down. It's just sort of ... there.
"BY STARLIGHT"
Maybe the closest the Pumpkins come to channeling My Bloody Valentine, featuring a wavy outro. It sounds like maybe Corgan wanted to end the album on this song, but Iha's "Farewell and Goodnight" was better suited to the task. This might have stood out more if not for the extended comedown of the previous two or three songs (depending on your track list).
"WE ONLY COME OUT AT NIGHT"
The chorus points out how fine a line the band treads, varying between incredibly beautiful and utterly corny. This falls into the latter, the sing-along moments almost sounding like what you'd hear on some kids show. It’s almost a good idea, but executed poorly.
Another retread along the lines of “Zero” and “Bodies,” with a different layer of production over everything. It’s emblematic of a lot of the album’s filler: "Love" takes similar sounds and expands on them in shallow ways instead of doing anything deeper.
"STUMBELINE"
Another interlude — just Corgan and an acoustic guitar. It’s nice enough, but ultimately pretty boring.
"LILY (MY ONE AND ONLY)"
This song is pretty rough. The band fucks around with a piano and some other instruments, so this comes across like a slice of Americana more than a rock song. Which would be fine, but it feels totally out of place not only compared to the rest of the record, but their catalog as a whole. Ultimately, another Corgan love song that pales in comparison to his more effective efforts.
PRIME CUTS
"MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS"
Since the record was released in the '90s, using the title track as a gimmicky pre-gap song seems like a perfect move. The instrumental sets the tone for the rest of the album, its string section and piano both spacey and grandiose, like an overture for the rest of a play. It’s exemplifies why the band is so highly regarded, showcasing their ability to create lush, emotional soundscapes.
"TONIGHT, TONIGHT"
“Tonight, Tonight” is essentially the Pumpkins’ love of grandeur at its best. Corgan’s nasal held note is the definitive example of the band’s music being “almost beautiful.” The orchestral string sections and emotional intensity capture all the power of the band’s best work. It speaks to holding out hope despite the inevitability of death, forcing ourselves not to be afraid of exuberance and being ever-present in the now.
"THIRTY-THREE"
The original vinyl pressing’s sequencing from “Tonight, Tonight” to “Thirty-Three” is arguably more effective than the former leading to “Jellybelly” on the CD pressing “Thirty-Three” is the perfect comedown from the emotions of “Tonight, Tonight,” juxtaposing the former’s complexity with the latter’s blissful simplicity. It’s Corgan at his most romantic, and “And you can make it last forever” is a totally beautiful chorus.
"JELLYBELLY"
The album’s duality between softer, romantic moments and unrestrained heaviness explains why so many fell in love with it in the first place. “Jellybelly” is our first taste of that heaviness, the verse riff dizzying and crushing, yet somehow still dreamy in approach.
"BODIES"
An often unfairly overlooked track, featuring near-black metal riffing and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin at his best. The T-shirt-worthy refrain “Love is suicide” pops up in different contexts of a metallic chorus. And the breath of fresh air midway through cements this as one of the album's finest cuts.
"PORCELINA OF THE VAST OCEANS"
Starting off from a point so quiet you can barely hear it, "Porcelina" is Pumpkins excess at its sweetest. It's the track that comes closest to capturing the feeling of the album cover — esoteric figures floating in endless, dreamy space — making for one of Mellon Collie's most memorable journeys.
"HERE IS NO WHY"
This song was always a great bumper from its heavier predecessors, settling into a slightly softer melody, but winding up just as anthemic. It’s full of some of Corgan's best writing, about surviving both teen love and the apocalypse, which is the most Smashing Pumpkins juxtaposition imaginable.
"GALAPOGOS"
What the band missed on so many of the filler tracks, they knock out of the park here. Quiet and delicate guitar work slowly builds up as the track goes on, creating a perfect slow dance. Corgan's voice is soft and sweet, but louder guitars and fiercer vocals rage to the forefront before a long exhalation.
Is there anything more to be said about “1979”? It’s become a part of the public rock consciousness, summing up a band’s entire body of work into four minutes and 24 seconds of perfection. It expands upon the record's earlier themes, a whirlwind of angst and love and pain creating a pristine atmosphere. Their most successful and popular song is a wonderful self-fulfilling prophecy — it's explicitly about acknowledging the great uncertainty of what comes after death, then laughing it off as a huge cosmic joke while you keep on living.
"WHERE BOYS FEAR TO TREAD"
This is a nice snap back into the band’s heavier leanings, the song sounding like a downtuned Sonic Youth in some places. It’s methodically tuned, hinting that the band isn’t afraid to get sludgy when necessary. “Boys” sets the tone for the fifth side of the vinyl sequencing, the band at their most deranged, heavy and apocalyptic.
"ZERO"
“Zero” ups the pace a bit from “Where Boys Fear to Tread,” and is one of the band’s coolest singles. It’s hard not to like its simple, catchy main riff. The Pumpkins let themselves to go a little nuts in the bridge, the guitars sounding like a dying computer behind Corgan's screams. One of the band’s most memorable tracks of all time.
"FUCK YOU (AN ODE TO NO ONE)"
A perfect part-three to the sequence, “Fuck You (An Ode to No One)” raises the stakes even higher for the band’s heavier approach, allowing them to hit breakneck speeds before taking a brief (and thankfully temporary) detour into quiet.
"X.Y.U."
The one long track we’ve included in our sequencing brings the previous trilogy of tracks to a logical conclusion. A common criticism of the band nowadays is that nothing’s as heavy as it used to be, but this song leads one to think that maybe Corgan's done all he needs to when it comes to flirting with heavy metal. In its lead-up to the end, the instrumentation nods to the likes of Melvins and Black Sabbath, a chaotic wreck that keeps escalating. “X.Y.U.” hits a climax when the band shifts to top speed, Chamberlin drumming harder than anywhere else on the album and Corgan totally possessed, yelling, “There is no going back” before launching into a sludgy breakdown and off-the-rails solo. The entire band playing at the same time (in just one take) is captured perfectly, an authoritative fuck-you to anyone who doubts their abilities.
"FAREWELL AND GOOD NIGHT"
The perfect closer for the record, a final wave goodbye. D’arcy Wretzky’s voice joins Iha's, a pristine union of underutilized talent. It sees Mellon Collie to a close, reflecting its beginning in a wonderful way, and punctuating the end of one of the best records of the '90s.
FINAL RUN TIME: 1:03:09
Aye Nako Dream of Taco Bell, Blondie, Alien Abduction
Filed Under: The Smashing Pumpkins, Trim the Fat
Categories: Features
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Upcoming UN-backed summit to focus on sustainable management of rainforests
UN News - April 13, 2011
Top officials from more than 35 nations covering the world’s three major rainforest regions will gather at a United Nations-backed conference next month to discuss the common challenges faced by these vital ecosystems that support more than a billion people.
The aim of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Amazon, Congo, and Borneo-Mekong Forest Basins is to achieve a plan for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in the three basins.
The four-day meeting, which will be held in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, beginning on 31 May, is also part of celebrations of the International Year of Forests (2011).
The Amazon Basin of South America, the Congo Basin in Central Africa, and the Borneo-Mekong Basin in South-East Asia make up 80 per cent of the world’s rainforests and contain two thirds of its biodiversity.
“Every one of us, all 7 billion people on Earth, has our physical, economic and spiritual health tied to the health of our forest ecosystems,” said Jan McAlpine, Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat. “Throughout Forests 2011, we will celebrate this intricate, interdependent relationship between forests and people.”
Forest loss is accelerating at a rapid pace across much of the three basins, and forest degradation and destruction now account for 20 per cent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
Ms. McAlpine noted at a news conference in New York that the discussions and outcomes of the summit will also feed into the preparations for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012.
Also addressing the briefing, Henri Djombo, Minister of Sustainable Development, Forestry and Environment of the Republic of the Congo, said it was hoped that the summit will achieve “a treaty or an agreement” for the sustainable management of the ecosystems of the three regions.
Jean-Pierre Bemba named MLC presidential candidate (July 13, 2018)
Claims that threat to Congo Basin forest is waning are misleading (July 22, 2013)
Deforestation Slows in Congo Basin (July 22, 2013)
Widespread abuse of logging permits opens up Congo's forests to more destruction (October 25, 2012)
DR Congo, IMF to Co-Host Conference on the Management of Natural Resources (March 13, 2012)
Congo Brazzaville munitions dump blasts 'kill scores' (March 4, 2012)
African Rainforests Continue to Face Challenges (January 6, 2012)
UN advises prudent use of abundant resources to spur development (October 10, 2011)
Kabila Makes Re-Election Pitch in Speech to the Nation (September 15, 2011)
Global Witness welcomes DR Congo's decision to publish resource contracts (June 3, 2011)
Kabila, Sassou meet in Kinshasa over security (April 16, 2011)
DR Congo Recalls Ambassador to Brazzaville (March 26, 2011)
DR Congo blocks oil search in Virunga National Park (March 18, 2011)
Great Lakes Regional Summit to Focus on Congo Resource Exploitation (December 15, 2010)
2010 Human Development Report analyses long-term development trends (November 4, 2010)
Congo Catholic Bishops Praise U.S. Law on 'Conflict Minerals' (August 3, 2010)
Congo Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Independence (June 30, 2010)
African leaders arrive in Luanda for CAN2010 opening ceremony (January 10, 2010)
UNEP, PUMA in joint strategic deal to support biodiversity worldwide (January 7, 2010)
CEEAC Summit Ends in Kinshasa (October 24, 2009)
DR Congo to host CEEAC summit on peace, integration, environment (October 23, 2009)
Sarkozy Praises Congolese, Rwandan, Ugandan Military Cooperation (March 26, 2009)
Logging firms 'avoid Congo tax' (July 30, 2008)
Fueling World Ivory Trade Spells New Threat to Africa's Elephant Population (May 2, 2008)
Plan to Harness Congo River Could Double Electricity Production in Africa (April 21, 2008)
Africa plans biggest dam project (April 21, 2008)
Visit of UK representatives to Mbandaka (January 29, 2008)
Climate change in the DRC and future challenges (December 21, 2007)
Ten millionth tree planted in Congo's gorilla habitat (November 26, 2007)
Congo arrests after toxic dumping (November 10, 2007)
Load older related articles
• Brazzaville
• Congo Basin
• Environment
• Rainforest
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Eugenics Holocaust Medicine Nazi Science Nazism
“Deadly Medicine – Creating the Master Race”: National Archives Exhibition to Explore Eugenics Movement of Early 20th Century
By BRIAN BURNES | The Kansas City Star | Mar. 13, 2010
An exhibition on the eugenics movement of the early 20th century opens Tuesday at the National Archives Kansas City. Renee Kaplan, who works with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, led a training session last week to teach guides how to deal with the topic.
Teenagers will be descending upon a new exhibition that opens Tuesday in Kansas City. But viewer discretion is advised. The sensitive material in “Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race” at the National Archives in Kansas City has prompted presenters to recommend that only those who are high school age or older visit the exhibit.
“This is very complex history, and much of the material is upsetting for adults,” said Jean Zeldin, executive director of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education in Overland Park. The center is sponsoring the traveling exhibition, organized by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
The teachers of 1,000 area high school students already have booked visits.
The display details how elite members of German society, among them physicians and scientists, helped legitimize an emerging Nazi racial ideology in the 1930s and 1940s. That included public health policies that authorized the forced sterilization of those deemed unfit, as well as the “euthanasia,” or murder, of those considered unproductive or a drain on national resources.
Such policies represented initial steps in what became the subsequent genocide of European Jews.
Renee Kaplan, a member of the Holocaust museum’s regional education corps, led training sessions for volunteer guides last week. Among her suggestions: Be alert to terminology. Words that some considered appropriate at the time — “imbecile” or “feeble-minded” — can represent charged language today.
“You should be sensitive to terms of labeling and name-calling,” Kaplan said. …
Kaplan instructed volunteers in how some aspects of the eugenics movement — which championed the selection of desirable human characteristics in an effort to improve future generations — enjoyed international support in the early 20th century.
One photograph, placed near the exhibit’s entrance, depicts a eugenics display at a Topeka fairground in the 1920s. But as Kaplan led volunteers through the rest of the exhibit, she pointed out photographs, propaganda posters and artifacts that illustrated how the Nazis took that concept and redirected it to serve their own anti-Semitic ends. Some photos or film clips depict children, as well as mentally or emotionally impaired adults, upon whom the attention of the Nazi regime once was focused.
Although parents are free to bring their children to the exhibition, organizers are asking that they exercise discretion. Kaplan believes the recommendation that those younger than high school age not visit is wise.
“This is a very challenging concept to understand,” said Kaplan, who teaches eighth-grade students in Marietta, Ga.
High school students, she said, can be baffled about how such practices could have been kept from or tolerated by the German public. But visitors should be reminded, Kaplan added, that members of pre-World War II German society had no access to the vast digital grid of information that contemporary teenagers take for granted.
“Seventy years ago was a long time ago for a 14-year-old,” she said.
One volunteer agreed that his task will be challenging.
“A lot of this will involve encouraging people to think about what is in front of them,” said Tom Larson, deputy U.S. attorney with the Kansas City U.S. attorney’s office, who will serve as an occasional volunteer.
“How do human beings get to this point? But that is why we study history.”
“Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race” opens Tuesday at the National Archives in Kansas City, 400 W. Pershing Road. A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Admission to the exhibit, which runs through June 10, is free.
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/13/1810962/exhibition-at-national-archives.html#ixzz0iSIUNDGz
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Déjà Vu All Over Again? Human Genome Project has Lessons to Learn, Suggests Anthropologist
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Breast Density May Be Leading Indicator of Cancer Risk
Study suggests it outweighs obesity and family history, but oncologists say more research is needed
By E.J. Mundell
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Women whose breasts are predominantly made up of more dense, glandular tissue face higher odds for breast cancer, a new study finds.
The researchers added that, based on their study of 200,000 women, breast density may be the most important gauge of breast cancer risk, eclipsing family history of the disease and other risk factors.
"The most significant finding in this study is the impact of breast density on development of breast cancer in the population," said study senior author Dr. Karla Kerlikowske. She is a researcher in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Still, not everyone is convinced that breast tissue density is the preeminent risk factor for breast cancer.
Dr. Kristin Byrne is chief of breast imaging at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She believes that the numbers in the study attributed to risk based on tissue density seem "incredibly high, especially when other risk factors were not taken into consideration."
Byrne said, "Before these patients are placed on drugs such as tamoxifen, which have significant side effects and are intolerable for many people, more studies are necessary."
As the UCSF researchers explained, glandular tissue appears dense on a standard mammogram, while fatty tissue is less so. And many factors can influence the composition of breast tissue.
Overweight or obese women typically "have lower breast density, though age is a strong determinant of breast density as well," study first author Natalie Engmann, a Ph.D. candidate in UCSF's department of epidemiology and biostatistics, said in a university news release.
"Dense breasts are more common in younger women, and most women experience a sharp decline [in breast density] during menopause that continues in the postmenopausal period," she added. "However, postmenopausal estrogen and progestin [hormone] therapy can reverse the decline of breast density with age."
Denser breasts have been thought to be more prone to tumors because of cellular factors, and also because smaller tumors in dense tissue are tougher to pick up on mammograms. The new study sought to quantify the risk.
To do so, Kerlikowske's team tracked outcomes for about 200,000 U.S. women in the national Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, a database aimed at assessing breast cancer screening. About 18,000 of the women had varying stages of breast cancer, while the remaining 184,000 did not.
The study participants had their breast densities recorded and were split into four categories: category A, breasts made up almost entirely of fat; category B, breasts scattered with dense tissue but mostly fat; category C, those with moderately dense tissue; and category D, breasts where dense tissue makes up at least 75 percent of the breast.
The research team then looked over a range of known breast cancer risk factors -- a family history of disease, a woman's prior history of benign breast lesions, her breast density and having a first baby after the age of 30 -- to determine the effect of each on cancer risk.
Overall, breast density was the most prevalent risk factor for breast cancer, the UCSF team reported.
Based on its calculations, Kerlikowske's team estimated that about 39 percent of breast cancers in younger, premenopausal women could have been prevented if those in the two higher tissue density categories had been shifted to a lower density category. About a 26 percent reduction in breast cancers for older, postmenopausal women was also estimated, using the same calculations.
Unfortunately, there's not much a woman can do about the density of her breast tissue, the researchers noted.
"Treatment with tamoxifen, an estrogen hormone blocker, is the only intervention currently known that substantially reduces breast density, and thus reduces breast cancer risk," Engmann explained.
"However, tamoxifen can have serious side effects and is generally only recommended for women at high risk of breast cancer, with guidance from their physician. Our study highlights the need for new interventions to reduce breast density for women at average risk," she added.
Simply gaining excess weight -- even though it tends to add fatty tissue to breasts -- would not lower a woman's risk for breast cancer. That's because the UCSF study, along with prior research, found that obesity also raises breast cancer risk in older, postmenopausal women.
Other factors added less to overall breast cancer risk than many have previously supposed, the study found. For example, prior family history of the disease accounted for less than 10 percent of cases.
And a prior patient history of benign breast lesions accounted for only about 7 percent of cases in premenopausal women and less than 9 percent of cases for postmenopausal women, the researchers reported.
Finally, waiting to have a first child until after the age of 30 was linked with a nearly 9 percent added risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women and a 5 percent increased risk for postmenopausal women, the study team said.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and is published in the Feb. 2 issue of the journal JAMA Oncology.
For her part, Byrne said women with dense breasts shouldn't panic at these results.
"It is not clear if reducing breast density will decrease breast cancer risk," she said. "Older age and gaining weight after menopause are both related to lower breast density -- but are also related to an increase in breast cancer risk," Byrne said.
The reasons behind the development of any one breast cancer remain complex, she added.
"There are other contributing risk factors such as alcohol use, sedentary lifestyle, use of birth control, postmenopausal hormonal therapy, menstrual history, radiation exposure, as well as family history of breast cancer," she said. "I think that assessing all of these risk factors is necessary to decide what a person's actual risk is."
Dr. Cynara Coomer is chief of breast surgery at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. She agreed with Byrne that any attempt to alter breast density comes with its own hazards.
While gaining excess weight can lower tissue density, "obesity has been implicated in many diseases, including breast cancer, in postmenopausal women," Coomer said.
On the other hand, "tamoxifen is the only medication that can decrease breast density," she said, but, "like much of medicine, the risks must be weighed against the benefits."
Some of those risks include a higher chance of developing uterine cancer or deep vein thrombosis, which are blood clots in the legs, Coomer said.
There's more on breast density at the American Cancer Society.
SOURCES: Kristin Byrne, M.D., chief, breast imaging, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Cynara Coomer, M.D., chief, breast surgery, and director, Florina Rusi-Marke Comprehensive Breast Center, Staten Island University Hospital, New York City; Feb. 2, 2017, news release, University of California, San Francisco
Last Updated: Feb 2, 2017
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Blood Test to Diagnose Heart Attacks May Not Be Foolproof
THURSDAY, March 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A blood test used to detect a heart attack may often provide some misleading results, British researchers report.
In a new study of patients undergoing blood tests at a hospital in England, one in 20 people had high blood levels of troponin, a protein released into the bloodstream during a heart attack. But most of them had no clinical signs of a heart attack.
"This common blood test is now used to assess whether a patient has had a heart attack or not," said lead researcher Dr. Nick Curzen.
"These results are important because they highlight to doctors that they need to be very careful that they only use the troponin test when the patient presents in a way that is classical for a heart attack, and that they interpret an abnormal result accordingly," he explained.
It could be harmful if patients get treated for a heart attack when they are not having one, he added. Curzen is a professor of interventional cardiology at University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust.
As an observational study, however, the researchers can't say what caused these findings. In addition, they relied on patient records, which didn't include outcomes.
Troponin levels differed according to factors such as age, sex and between hospitalized patients and outpatients, the researchers said.
"The study results have important implications for the importance of educating staff in many areas of our hospitals in order to use this test appropriately," Curzen said. "It may well be that the test needs to be different for different patient groups."
For the study, Curzen and colleagues collected data on 20,000 patients who had their troponin levels tested in June, July and August of 2017.
Although slightly more than 5 percent had troponin levels higher than the test manufacturer's recommended upper limit, most of these patients were being seen for other conditions and did not have clinical signs or symptoms of a heart attack, Curzen said.
Guidelines recommend using troponin levels to exclude or diagnose a heart attack. The makers of these tests have recommended a level based on the test results of a few hundred healthy people. Results that exceed this level are said to be abnormal and indicate a heart attack.
In the new study, patients with higher than normal troponin levels included 39 percent of those in critical care units, 14 percent of those admitted for a medical condition, and 6 percent of patients in the emergency department.
Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that troponin levels shouldn't be used as a sole determinant of whether a patient is having a heart attack.
"It is very well established that troponin levels may be elevated in conditions other than heart attack, and an elevated troponin level alone is not sufficient to make a diagnosis or guide therapy," according to Fonarow, who was not involved with the new study.
Many other studies have shown that troponin tests detect small levels of cardiac injury in patients with a broad range of medical conditions other than heart attack, he added.
Doctors need to be educated about what to expect with high troponin levels so they don't misinterpret results without considering other factors, Fonarow said.
"Individuals with elevated troponin levels, even in the absence of acute myocardial infarction [heart attack], have been shown to be at higher risk for subsequent cardiovascular events," Fonarow noted. "It is important to consider further evaluation of these patients to modify this potential risk and prevent future events."
The report was published online March 13 in the BMJ.
For more on heart attacks, visit the American Heart Association.
SOURCES: Nick Curzen, B.M., Ph.D., professor, interventional cardiology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton, U.K.; Gregg Fonarow, M.D., professor, cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles; March 13, 2019, BMJ, online
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£1.05m Kent riverside pub seeks new owner
The George, a well established pub situated on the River Beult in the affluent village of Yalding, near Maidstone in Kent, has come to market via Christie & Co, with an asking price of £1.05m.
Occupying a 16th century property, The George features two main trading areas, with seating for 64 guests altogether.
The George’s impressive riverside garden can accommodate for over 200 covers, ideal for hosting private parties and live music events, and a separate courtyard garden provides the ideal setting for more intimate gatherings, accommodating for approximately 40 covers.
The site also benefits from a large car park with spaces for 60 vehicles.
Owner’s accommodation, comprising seven double bedrooms, kitchen, large lounge and a rooftop terrace, is situated across the first and second floors, which could be converted into a bed & breakfast, subject to planning permission, to provide an additional income stream.
Having acquired the pub when it was closed four years ago, current owners, the Chalker family, have built The George into a well established and family friendly business which has become a part of the local and wider community. Following the decision to sell in order exit the sector, the Chalker family will focus on another project abroad.
James Hughes, Senior Business Agent at Christie & Co, who is handling the sale, commented, “The George is a lovely family pub at the centre of the village and plays a large part within the local community.
'Demand for freehold pubs in Kent remains high, especially for pubs which have the potential for letting rooms plus a significant amount of land, and as such, we anticipate The George will generate interest from a wide variety of buyers.”
With the Rivers Teise and Beult joining the River Medway in the village, Yalding has become known for its three bridges, one of which is the Twyford Bridge, which is recognised as one of the finest medieval bridges in South East England. Benefitting from good transport links, Yalding attracts visitors looking to enjoy the village’s idyllic setting and rich history.
THE GEORGE, MAIDSTONE
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Archbishop's Messages
Questions on Faith
Vocation Booklets
A desire to preach God’s love to the deaf led him to the priesthood
Deaf Friar Rowland Yeo shares the challenges he faced in his journey with Jared Ng
Friar Rowland Yeo blessing a member of the deaf community.
Recounting his time in secondary school, Friar Rowland Yeo, 58, shared about the difficulties he faced when he “strained to lip-read teachers whose faces he could not always see as they turned to the chalkboard or walked around the classroom.”
Born deaf, Friar Rowland said that when he was finally, after four years, transferred to the Vocational Institute for the Handicapped where he could learn sign language, he felt “a new world opening to him”.
Friar Rowland graduated from the institute in 1975 with a furniture-making certificate.
Speaking to CatholicNews through email and an interpreter, Friar Rowland, who was ordained a priest on Nov 28, shared that being born into a Buddhist family, his first encounter with the Catholic faith was when he was 11.
His aunt who was a Catholic, brought him to the Church of Our Lady Perpetual Succour to attend Mass, and he recalled how “comfortable” he felt despite the service not being in sign language.
It was in 1976, when Friar Rowland was introduced to Redemptorist Fr Gasper by a friend, that he began to take interest in the faith.
He was baptised two years later at the age of 21. Friar Rowland Yeo, with his godparents, Mr and Mrs Tok Boon Chin, after his ordination at the Church of St Mary of the Angels.
Friar Rowland shared that he developed a love for the rosary and would often ask “Who am I?” as he prayed it. “You are a child of God” was the prompting he received.
During this time, Friar Rowland was working in a furniture company as a carpenter.
After spending seven years there, he went on to work as an assistant clerk at Community Chest for a further two years before leaving for the United States to pursue his studies in 1986.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy in 1992.
He later spent two years in Peru as a lay missionary helping deaf children.
On his return to Singapore, Friar Rowland felt the call to a Religious life getting stronger and soon applied to three different missionary orders, the Jesuits, Redemptorists, and the Franciscans.
Receiving a positive reply from the Franciscans, Friar Rowland felt that “that was what God wanted for me”.
He joined the Franciscan order in 1997 and made his solemn profession in 2003.
However, his formation period had its challenges. When he was in the US and Philippines studying Theology, he had to have one person interprete the lesson in sign language for him, while another would help write down the information.
The communication barrier was a tough challenge to overcome but Friar Rowland credits St Francis of Assisi as a major influence in his life, sharing that the saint teaches him to remain “happy, smiling and patient even during the most difficult times”.
Fr Rowland shared that he later decided to become a priest as he wanted to be of greater service to the deaf community in Singapore and the region by celebrating the sacraments for them.
“God’s calling made me decide to become a priest to preach God’s love to the deaf,” he signed.
Friar Rowland was ordained a deacon in 2014, and began ministering to the deaf community at the Church of St Mary of the Angels.
His duties included signing for the deaf parishioners at the 11am Sunday Mass.
He also gave homilies in sign language, which were then interpreted, to his Franciscan confreres and Infant Jesus Sisters at Mass every Tuesday and Thursday at the Greccio Friary at Chestnut Drive.
Friar Rowland ordained, celebrates 1st Mass
“Please pray for me that I will always... give everything I have, everything I am to the service of God’s people,” signed Friar Rowland Yeo in his speech during his ordination Mass on Nov 28.
Friar Rowland Yeo celebrating his first Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart.Speaking through an interpreter, Franciscan Fr Hozo Sato who serves the deaf community in the Philippines, Friar Rowland also extended his thanks to those who helped him along his journey to the priesthood.
About 600 people gathered at the Church of St Mary of the Angels to join Friar Rowland in the Mass celebrated by Archbishop William Goh.
Members of the deaf community were also present and many queued to receive a special blessing from him after the Mass.
Archbishop Goh, speaking before the Rite of Ordination, had a few words of advice for Friar Rowland: “Remain in the love of the Lord, you need to be intimate with Him, otherwise along the way you will suffer burnout... there will be problems, there will be trials and difficulties.”
The following day, Friar Rowland celebrated his first Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart.
He urged the 120 people present, mostly from the deaf community, to prepare for the coming of Jesus.
“In a few weeks, we will greet him in the Christmas of Bethlehem,” signed Friar Rowland, who appeared somewhat nervous celebrating his first Mass.
“One day, we will be with Him in the never ending Christmas of heaven,” said Friar Rowland, speaking through Fr Hozo Sato, who is Japanese.
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Category: DECEMBER 13, 2015, Vol 65, No 25
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'Avengers: Endgame': Domino's Offers to Deliver Pizza to Starving Tony Stark
By Jenna Anderson - December 17, 2018 06:34 pm EST
The first trailer for Avengers: Endgame showed Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in some very dire circumstances, and it looks like yet another real world organization is stepping in to help.
The official Twitter account for Domino's Pizza India recently caught wind of Tony being lost in space, after NASA digitally offered their assistance last week. In a reply, Domino's asked to be notified as soon as Tony is located, because they can still manage to deliver a pizza to him in 30 minutes or less.
@NASA and @Marvel The moment you locate Tony, please let us know. We’ll deliver his favourite pizzas to him in 30 minutes or less, wherever he is.
— Domino's Pizza India (@dominos_india) December 12, 2018
As with NASA's tweet that started it all, the notion that Domino's would offer their help to the starving superhero is pretty endearing. And hey, most Marvel fans probably didn't have "a Domino's pizza guy" on their list of theories of who could potentially save Tony.
With or without hot pizza, Endgame will see Tony and the rest of the remaining Avengers thrust into a new situation, as they try a last-ditch effort to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin).
“[Endgame] doesn’t do what you think it does,” co-writer Christopher Markus explained earlier this year. “It is a different movie than you think it is...Also…[the deaths are] real. I just want to tell you it’s real, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to move on to the next stage of grief.”
"Put it this way," co-writer Stephen McFeely added. “I think [Infinity War] is a fairly mature movie for a blockbuster. It’s got a lot of fun in it, obviously, but boy, it gets very mature. The second one is also mature. We’re going to own these choices, and hopefully surprise and delight you and get you invested. It’s by the same studio, the same filmmaking team. They were written at the same time, shot at the same time. They’re clearly connected, but they are definitely two different movies, one of which is dependent on what happened previous.”
“We broke your heart,” added Markus. “Now we're going to blow your mind!”
What do you think of Domino's response to Tony Stark? Does it make you want a pizza now? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Avengers: Endgame will be released on April 26, 2019. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019.
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