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Researchers in the United States have found a link between HIV transmission and the popular classified advertisement website Craigslist, with research spanning a decade revealing a 16% increase in transmission of the infection after Craigslist entered a new area’s market.
The study was originally published in the journal MIS Quarterly, titled: “Internet’s Dirty Secret: Assessing the Impact of Online Intermediaries on HIV Transmission”. It was carried out by researchers from the University of Minnesota who analyzed data from 33 American states between 1999 and 2008.
Conducted by Jason Chan, assistant professor of information and decision sciences at the University of Minnesota and professor Anindya Ghose from NYU’s Stern School of Business, the study revealed a surprising increase in cases of HIV when a city adopted the intermediary service provider.
“The entry of Craigslist was correlated with an average increase of 15.9% per year in the number of HIV infections compared with what would have been expected had it not been launched,” Ghose said.
While conducting research about online marketplaces for selling used goods, Ghose and Chan became interested in the prevalence of ads soliciting personal hookups and one night stands.
“Initially we thought that they may be for one or two U.S. sporadic locations,” Ghose said. “But when we looked extensively we found these personal ads were ubiquitous across the USA.”
The finding sparked the theory that the increased prevalence of these ads was likely to lead to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, since not everyone is likely to practice safe sex.
See all of the best photos of the week in these slideshows
“Specifically, we found that the listing website was associated with between 6,130 and 6,455 extra infections a year throughout the country,” Ghose said. The cost of treating these increased numbers of HIV infections was estimated to be between $62 million (£41 million) and $65.3 million (£43 million).
Conducting a variety of tests that used statistical models and sub samples of data, Ghose and Chan repeatedly came to the same conclusion: “Our results were true even after controlling for national and local HIV trends (which were often in decline) the level of urbanization and changing rates of people getting tested for the virus.”
According to AVERT, an international HIV charity based in the UK, around 1.1 million people in the United States are HIV positive, 16% of whom are unaware that they live with the infection.
The charity’s programme and information manager Ilona Sips said that it’s not just Craigslist that may be spiking HIV cases: “Applications like Tinder and Grindr [also] make it easier for the public to get in touch with people and arrange casual sex-dates,” Sips said, adding that because young people are often unaware of their HIV or STD status it can potentially lead to an increase in new HIV infections.
Craigslist could not be reached for a comment.
Correction: A previous version of the article referred to people living with HIV in outdated language. ||||| Craigslist’s entry into a market results in a 15.9 percent increase in reported HIV cases, according to research from the University of Minnesota published in the December issue of MIS Quarterly. When mapped at the national level, more than 6,000 HIV cases annually and treatment costs estimated between $62 million and $65.3 million can be linked to the popular website.
“I actually think that the creators of Craigslist had no intent of harming society. They came in with good intentions,” says Jason Chan, Assistant Professor of Information and Decision Sciences at the Carlson School of Management. “At the same time, they did not anticipate that users could use the features in an unexpected way with unintended consequences.”
Chan and Professor Anindya Ghose of NYU’s Stern School of Business based their claims after analyzing data in 33 states from 1999 to 2008. Because Craigslist randomly enters individual markets with respect to HIV trends, it provided a unique natural experiment setup from which the researchers could uncover the connection.
After conducting a series of tests to eliminate other possible causes that might be driving the HIV trends such as increased testing in a community, the researchers discovered that the upward shift was influenced by ads in Craigslist’s personals sections, not the site’s escort service ads. This finding was in line with existing research that shows internet-facilitated sex workers are less likely to participate in risky sexual practices with clients.
“Our study results suggest that there is a new social route of HIV transmission that is taking place in this digital era,” says Chan. “Health care practitioners and policymakers have to look more closely at online platforms to assess how its usage may facilitate the spread of HIV and STDs across the country.”
According to Chan, the paper provides practitioners with insights on how they can effectively target their efforts to reduce disease transmission facilitated through classified ad sites. The Center for Disease Control has taken note of the findings and posted an early version of the paper its website.
###
“Internet’s Dirty Secret: Assessing the Impact of Online Intermediaries on HIV Transmission,” Chan, J. and Ghose, A., MIS Quarterly (December 2014)
About MIS Quarterly
The editorial objective of the MIS Quarterly is the enhancement and communication of knowledge concerning the development of IT-based services, the management of IT resources, and the use, impact, and economics of IT with managerial, organizational, and societal implications. Professional issues affecting the IS field as a whole are also in the purview of the journal.
|
– Those "personals" ads on Craigslist are bringing more than hot dates to a neighborhood near you. When Craigslist enters a new market, the rate of reported HIV cases in the area jumps 16%, according to new research out of the University of Minnesota and published in the journal MIS Quarterly. "I actually think that the creators of Craigslist had no intent of harming society," one researcher said. "At the same time, they did not anticipate that users could use the features in an unexpected way with unintended consequences." Interestingly, the site's escort services ads had no effect on the HIV rate. Researchers looked at data from 33 states between 1999 and 2008. They estimate that the service is responsible for between 6,130 and 6,455 extra infections a year in the US, with the annual cost of treatment somewhere in the ballpark of $62 million to $65.3 million. But Craigslist isn't the only platform at play. International HIV/AIDS charity AVERT tells Newsweek that apps like Tinder and Grindr also "make it easier for the public to get in touch with people and arrange casual sex-dates." The group estimates that out of the 1.1 million people living with the disease in the US, 16% don't know they're positive. (Can you get HIV from a manicure?)
|
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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: "Nobody can deny the seriousness of these plots"
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has blamed a foreign conspiracy for trying to destabilise Syria, as a mass uprising against his rule continues.
The "external conspiracy is clear to everybody", Mr Assad said in his first public remarks in months.
He said elections could be held later this year but "terrorism", he added, would be met with an "iron fist".
Meanwhile the Arab League said it held the government "totally responsible" for attacks against its observers.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi denounced "irresponsible action and acts of violence against the league's observers" in Syria.
Mr Arabi said some monitors had been wounded in attacks by both pro-regime elements and by opposition supporters.
Analysis We have heard much of this script before from Bashar al-Assad. The crisis in his country has been caused by a foreign conspiracy; the protesters are terrorists; he still has the support of the Syrian people; and his government alone will implement reform. It was a rambling speech to a sympathetic audience. The president appeared relaxed, even managing a few jokes. But there was no flexibility in his view of the uprising, which is blamed entirely on other countries and internal enemies - not even the smallest acknowledgement that the protesters may have legitimate demands. It is possible he really believes this Orwellian narrative. Or it is possible he was shoring up his base, sticking to his guns to show them he intends to stay at the helm. He offered a timetable for reform, stating that a new constitution could be put to a referendum by March this year, with multiparty elections following two or three months after that. Given the turmoil in Syria, this is an impossibly tight schedule. Either the president is making a promise he knows he cannot honour or he has lost his grip on reality.
Earlier, Kuwait's state news agency said two Kuwaiti members of the mission had been slightly injured on Monday in the city of Latakia by "unidentified protesters".
They were discharged from hospital and have now returned to their duties, Kuna news agency said.
'No order to fire'
President Assad's speech, broadcast live from Damascus University, was his third televised address since protests against his rule began in March, and lasted nearly two hours.
"Regional and international sides have tried to destabilise the country," he said.
"Our priority now is to regain the security in which we basked in for decades, and this can only be achieved by hitting the terrorists with an iron fist.
"We will not be lenient with those who work with outsiders against the country."
BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs says the speech was a riposte to those who are asking questions about the pressure under which Mr Assad is operating.
It was a message that there will be no concessions and its main theme was that nothing is going to change as far as the Syrian response is concerned, our correspondent says.
I rule with the will of the people. If I give up power, I will do so with the will of the people too President Bashar al-Assad
Syrian authorities say they are fighting armed groups, and that about 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed so far.
In recent months, army deserters have joined the opposition and targeted government forces.
A team of 165 monitors from the Arab League has been in Syria since December to monitor implementation of a peace plan that calls for an end to all violence, the removal of heavy weapons from cities and the release of all political prisoners.
Opposition groups have accused the Arab League mission of serving to cover up the crackdown on the protests, which has continued despite the presence of the observers.
Mr Assad said that there were no orders for security forces to fire on protesters.
"There is no order from any level about opening fire on any citizen. According to the law, nobody should open fire - only in self-defence or during a clash with an armed person."
Reacting to the speech, the head of the opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, said Mr Assad's emphasis on restoring order "means he is backing away from his own pledge to the Arab League plan".
Image caption Anti-government protests have continued despite a heavy crackdown against them
Mr Ghalioun said the anti-terrorist measures announced by Mr Assad "undercut any Arab or non-Arab initiative to find a political solution to the crisis".
The Local Co-ordination Committees, a network of anti-government activists, said 35 protesters had been killed on Tuesday, including 17 in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour.
The UN says 400 people have been killed by security forces since the start of the observer mission. Last month the UN put the death toll since March at 5,000.
'No snap reforms'
In his speech, Mr Assad lashed out at the Arab League, which suspended Syria in November and imposed sanctions, saying: "We were surprised Arabs did not stand with Syria".
He said Arab countries that opposed Syria were under outside pressure, which was undermining their sovereignty.
But, he added, Syria would not "close its doors" to an Arab solution as long as "it respects Syria's sovereignty".
There were no obstacles to a multi-party system, he said, adding that it was a question of time.
Mr Assad said he welcomed the idea of expanding the government to include "all political forces".
A referendum on a new constitution could be held in March, he said, paving the way for elections in May or June.
Syria is ruled by the Baath party, dominated by President Assad's family and the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
He took power in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for 40 years.
"I rule with the will of the people," he said. "If I give up power, I will do so with the will of the people too." ||||| The Syrian president has made a defiant speech blaming foreign interference for the anti-government uprising in his country which began last March.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, he accused the Arab League of hypocrisy for lecturing Syria on democracy and reform. However, he said his country would not "close the doors" to an Arab-brokered solution to the crisis as long as it respected Syria's sovereignty.
Assad claimed he never ordered anyone to open fire on anti-government protesters. However, opposition activists said at least 28 people were killed across the country on Tuesday alone as part of the government's security crackdown.
Live Box 20117693233259422
Assad asked what right other Arab governments, including the absolute monarchies of the Gulf, had to lecture Syria about democracy or reform.
"The first parliament in Syria was in 1917. Where were they then?" he said.
"Their situation is like a doctor who smokes and recommends to his patient to give up smoking while he, the doctor, has a cigarette in his mouth."
The Arab League suspended Syria and sent a team of monitors in late December to assess whether the government is abiding by its peace plan agreed to by Assad last month.
At a Security Council meeting in New York on Syria on Tuesday, delegates were informed by a UN official that up to 400 people had been killed since the regional body's monitoring mission began - on top of an earlier UN estimate of more than 5,000 dead since March.
'No orders to open fire'
Assad's address at Damascus University was his first public speech since he agreed last month to the deployment of the Arab League monitors.
He said the unrest had inflicted a "heavy cost" and accused "foreign conspirators" of working to destabilise the country.
He also said that no orders had been given to security forces to open fire on civilians.
Live Box 2011421105226899357
"There is no cover for anyone. There are no orders for anyone to open fire on any citizen," Assad said, adding that "by law, nobody can open fire, except in self-defence".
Assad said it had been his idea to send observers to Syria "to find out the truth".
He also said he would not step down, claiming he still had the Syrian people's support, despite months of anti-government protests across the country against his rule.
"When I leave office it will be by the will of the people," he said.
Assad defended the government's ban on most reporting by foreign media inside the country, saying that at the beginning of the unrest all media had been allowed to work freely.
"But fabrications from inside convinced us to put some control on this," he said.
Al Jazeera is among many media organisations banned from reporting without restrictions from inside Syria.
Opposition reacts
Reacting to Assad's speech, the Syrian National Council (SNC), the largest opposition umbrella group, called it an "incitement to violence" indicating "more criminal behaviour" by the government.
"There is incitement to violence, incitement to civil strife, some talks about sectarian divisions which the regime itself has fomented and encouraged," Basma Qadmani, an SNC member, said in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
"Our concern today is that such a speech is quite indicative of the total dismissal by the regime of the international community.
"And that is an indication that we are going in the direction of more irresponsible and more criminal behaviour by the regime in the coming days and weeks."
Journalist Nir Rosen discusses the situation in Syria
Qadmani also said Assad's speech indicates that the government "is breaking up with the Arab League".
"This is a turning point, a rupture with its Arab environment," she said.
For his part, Assad, who has made repeated promises of reforms, said a new constitution would soon be put to a referendum, with a vote possible by March, followed by multi-party parliamentary elections within months.
"After legislation has been drawn up and a constitution... we will call a referendum... [maybe] in the first week of March." he said. "Elections must be linked to a new constitution. They could be at the start of May."
Assad urged Syrians to remain steadfast, telling them that "victory is near" and that outside forces had been unable to "find a foothold in the revolution that they had hoped for".
He also pledged to hit back at so-called terrorists following a pair of deadly bombings in Damascus and spreading violence blamed on anti-government forces.
"There can be no let-up for terrorism - it must be hit with an iron fist," Assad said. "The battle with terrorism is a battle for everyone, a national battle, not only the government's battle."
Not 'totally uncompromising'
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Patrick Seale, author of several books on Syria, said that while Assad's speech was tough, it was not "totally uncompromising".
"He spoke of a new constitution, and putting it to a referendum, fresh elections, and that a new government would be formed," Seale said.
"I would say that he remains very much in control. I wouldn't say he was frightened, because the opposition is not in a position to topple him."
Seale said that there was still a slice of the population who seemed to favour Assad. "It is not as if the whole country is against him," he said. "The opposition, as brave as it is, hasn't come up with a clear project or a clear leader.
"The problems are how to stop the killings, and how are the Syrians going to be able to live together after this blood-letting."
|
– Bashar al-Assad gave a rare speech on state-run TV today, in which he lashed out at the Arab League and vowed to deal harshly with violent unrest. The Syrian president asked what right the Arab League, which includes absolute monarchies, had to preach about democracy and reform. "Their situation is like a doctor who smokes and recommends to his patient to give up smoking while he, the doctor, has a cigarette in his mouth," he said, according to al-Jazeera. He insisted that the military had no orders to open fire on protesters or other civilians, and said he had personally recommended the League's observer mission. But he vowed to combat the "terrorists" opposing him, whom he said were part of a foreign conspiracy. "We will not be lenient with those who work with outsiders," he said, according to the BBC. "Our priority now is to regain security … and this can only be achieved by hitting the terrorists with an iron fist."
|
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CLOSE These women include Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Video provided by Newsy Newslook
Mayim Bialik arrives at the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in January 2017. (Photo: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY)
The Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik is responding to a Twitter storm swirling around her.
She became subject to social media backlash, accused by some of victim-blaming, after an op-ed she wrote for The New York Times was published Friday.
The essay titled "Mayim Bialik: Being a feminist in Harvey Weinstein’s world," offers her perspective on the scandal involving accusations of sexual assault by Weinstein going back decades. The allegations, which surfaced more than a week ago, have resulted in the influential Hollywood producer being fired from his executive position at The Weinstein Company. On Saturday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences dismissed him from its membership.
Late Saturday night, Bialik posted a response to her critics via Twitter. It reads: "I'm being told my N.Y. Times piece resonated with so many and I am grateful for all the feedback. I also see a bunch of people have taken my words out of context of the Hollywood machine and twisted them to imply that God forbid I would blame a woman for her assault based on clothing or behavior."
She adds, "Anyone who knows me and my feminism knows that's absurd and not at all what this piece was about."
In the op-ed piece, she writes that "I still make choices every day as a 41-year-old actress that I think of as self-protecting and wise. ... I dress modestly. I don’t act flirtatiously with men as a policy."
CLOSE Donna Karan has apologized for suggesting that women were asking for "trouble." USA TODAY
In the essay, she acknowledges that "in a perfect world, women should be free to act however they want. ... But we can’t be naïve about the culture we live in."
Among those objecting publicly to Bialik: Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette, whose sister Rosanna is among Weinstein's accusers. She wrote, "I have to say I was dressed non provocatively as a 12 year old when men on the street masturbated at me. It's not clothing."
@missmayim229 I have to say I was dressed non provocatively as a 12 year old when men on the street masturbated at me. It's not clothing. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) October 14, 2017
In a subsequent tweet, she said, "It is also not outrageous for anyone to expected to be treated in a professional matter by anyone in a professional relationship."
It is also not outrageous for anyone to expected to be treated in a professional matter by anyone in a professional relationship. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) October 14, 2017
Irin Carmon, author of best-selling book Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, tweeted: "Sad it still needs to be said: people who look, dress all kinds of ways are also sexually assaulted or harassed."
Sad it still needs to be said: people who look, dress all kinds of ways are also sexually assaulted or harassed. https://t.co/KR074UPKS6 — Irin Carmon (@irin) October 14, 2017
Writer Danielle Campoamor tweeted: "Read Mayim Bialik's @nytimes op-ed & OMG I'm so glad I did. Heaven forbid I go 24 hrs w/out hearing my sexual assault was, in fact, my fault."
Read Mayim Bialik's @nytimes op-ed & OMG I'm so glad I did. Heaven forbid I go 24 hrs w/out hearing my sexual assault was, in fact, my fault — Danielle Campoamor (@DCampoamor) October 15, 2017
Bialik was a child actress when she broke into Hollywood. A role as the younger version of Bette Midler's character in the movie Beaches led to the title role in the comedy Blossom. She left Hollywood and received a doctorate in neuroscience. She eventually returned to acting "largely because I had no health insurance and missed performing and making people laugh," she writes.
Her essay says that she has "experienced the upside of not being a 'perfect ten.'... I have almost no personal experience with men asking me to meetings in their hotel rooms."
She writes that as Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, "I am honored to depict a feminist who speaks her mind, who loves science and her friends and who sometimes wishes she were the hot girl."
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2wY6gxm ||||| I still make choices every day as a 41-year-old actress that I think of as self-protecting and wise. I have decided that my sexual self is best reserved for private situations with those I am most intimate with. I dress modestly. I don’t act flirtatiously with men as a policy.
I am entirely aware that these types of choices might feel oppressive to many young feminists. Women should be able to wear whatever they want. They should be able to flirt however they want with whomever they want. Why are we the ones who have to police our behavior?
In a perfect world, women should be free to act however they want. But our world isn’t perfect. Nothing — absolutely nothing — excuses men for assaulting or abusing women. But we can’t be naïve about the culture we live in.
I believe that we can change our culture, but it won’t be something that happens overnight. We live in a society that has treated women as disposable playmates for far longer than Mr. Weinstein has been meeting ingénues in luxury hotel rooms.
One major bright spot: We are seeing more women taking on prominent roles behind the camera. Women like Jenji Kohan and Jill Soloway are showing the kinds of female characters on their shows that we all know in real life but never got to see on TV. And more women and men are waking up to the fact that it is on us all to sound the alarm on unacceptable behavior.
In the meantime, I plan to continue to work hard to encourage young women to cultivate the parts of themselves that may not garner them money and fame. If you are beautiful and sexy, terrific. But having others celebrate your physical beauty is not the way to lead a meaningful life.
And if — like me — you’re not a perfect 10, know that there are people out there who will find you stunning, irresistible and worthy of attention, respect and love. The best part is you don’t have to go to a hotel room or a casting couch to find them. ||||| Presenter apologises for gags about disgraced producer after angry criticism from Rose McGowan and Asia Argento
James Corden has been forced to apologise for making jokes about Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual assault at a black-tie charity event in Los Angeles after being condemned by two of the women who have accused Weinstein of rape.
Actor Rose McGowan, who alleges that Weinstein raped her, tweeted a clip of Corden’s speech and wrote: “You motherfucking piglet.”
She said in an another tweet: “Hearing the audience’s vile roars [and] laughs show exactly what kind of Hollywood you really are.”
The Italian actor Asia Argento, who alleges that Weinstein raped her when she was 21, tweeted a video of Corden’s jokes. She added the caption: “Shame on this pig and everyone who grunted with him.”
Asia Argento (@AsiaArgento) Shame on this pig and everyone who grunted with him #amfARLosAngeles https://t.co/0SujRNCzd9
Corden has since apologised for causing offence, and says his jokes were intended to shame Weinstein, not his victims.
In a statement released on Twitter, the British star said: “To be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter. I was not trying to make light of Harvey’s inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, the abuser, not his victims. I am truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention.”
In footage of the event, loud groans can be heard after Corden told his audience it was a beautiful night in LA – “so beautiful, Harvey Weinstein has already asked tonight up to his hotel to give him a massage”.
Corden said: “I don’t know whether that groan was that you liked that joke or you don’t like that joke. If you don’t like that joke you should probably leave now.”
Emboldened, he continued: “It has been weird this week hasn’t it, watching Harvey Weinstein in hot water. Ask any of the women who watched him take a bath … it’s weird watching Harvey Weinstein in hot water.
“Harvey Weinstein wanted to come tonight but he’ll settle for whatever potted plant is closest.”
That joke prompted more groans. “Oh come on!” said Corden.
McGowan also said that CBS, who broadcast Corden’s Late Late Show should donate to a women’s charity, or they too “support rape culture”.
Corden, the host of The Late Late Show, was master of ceremonies at the gala for amfAR, a foundation for Aids research, on Friday evening. The footage of his jokes was posted on Twitter by a Hollywood Reporter journalist, Chris Gardner.
Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) Straight out gate, host @JKCorden with Harvey Weinstein jokes. Too soon? Some laughs, some groans #amfARLosAngeles pic.twitter.com/nx88w5UwUe
Julia Roberts was given a special award for courage during the event while the guests included Tom Hanks, Goldie Hawn, Melanie Griffith, Sean Penn and Coldplay’s Chris Martin as a surprise guest performer.
For many on Twitter, Corden’s jokes were far too soon. “James Corden’s ‘jokes’ about the Weinstein situation are disgusting. Sexual harassment is never funny. Ever,” wrote one user.
“James Corden just embarrassed every #Brit in #LA. Whack jokes about #Weinstein & #sexualassault are no joke,” wrote another.
Harvey Weinstein: Scotland Yard investigates further sexual assault claims Read more
Weinstein was executive producer of the 2013 film One Chance, a biopic in which Corden played the Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts. It was Corden who suggested Take That’s Gary Barlow to Weinstein when he needed to change the music on his stage musical project Finding Neverland.
The condemnation of Corden for making jokes followed the condemnation of Saturday Night Live over a week ago for not making jokes and for ignoring the story altogether. But on Saturday Weinstein did feature. The show included a sketch featuring a “women’s roundtable” of actors at a film festival. On the subject of whisper networks, one said: “We had a secret code among us actresses to warn each other about creeps. The code was: ‘He raped me.’ And if the men were listening, they tuned us right out.”
In the regular “weekend update” section, the comedian Michael Che said: “It’s so easy to make jokes about a guy who looks like this,” pointing to a photo. “He looks like chewed bubble gum rolled in cat hair.”
Weinstein said he has made a mistake, Che continued, but Weinstein’s actions were not a mistake. “You assaulted dozens of women. That’s not a mistake, that’s a full season of Law & Order.”
||||| John Oliver Criticizes Academy for Keeping Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski After Expelling Harvey Weinstein
"Yes, finally, the group that counts among its current members Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby and Mel Gibson has found the one guy who treated women badly and kicked him out."
John Oliver says it's not enough for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to expel Harvey Weinstein from its ranks.
The Academy's 54-member board of governors — which includes such Hollywood luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg and Kathleen Kennedy — held an emergency meeting Saturday at the organization's Beverly Hills headquarters and voted to strip away Weinstein’s lifetime membership.
Following the meeting, the Academy issued a statement saying the board had voted "to immediately expel him from the Academy. We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over."
But Oliver says the Academy hasn't gone far enough to clean house.
"Yes, finally, the group that counts among its current members Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby and Mel Gibson has found the one guy who treated women badly and kicked him out," the Last Week Tonight host said on Sunday night's show. "So congratulations, Hollywood. See you at the next Oscars where — and this is true — Casey Affleck will be presenting best actress."
Oliver started out the show by saying that, with Weinstein, "It's not just his behavior that was troubling; it's the way that people around him excused it."
Oliver then brought up model-actress Angie Everhart's allegation that Weinstein broke into her room while she was attending the Cannes Film Festival and masturbated in front of her. Everhart said that when she told others, "Everybody was like, 'Oh, that's just Harvey.'"
Replied Oliver: "What the fuck? So everyone knew, and they just went with it? 'Oh, yeah, Harvey's going to burst into your room and masturbate. That's just Harvey. He's like a sex-criminal version of the Kool-Aid Man.'"
He also called out Oliver Stone and Donna Karan for initially defending Weinstein. Both have since apologized.
Last week, Oliver became the first late-night host to address the allegations of sexual harassment aimed at Weinstein, five days after the publication of the initial New York Times report. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Woody Allen has worked with Harvey Weinstein, pictured together in 2008, on many films
Woody Allen has described Harvey Weinstein as a "sad, sick man", as the producer faces sexual assault claims.
His remarks came as he clarified comments to the BBC that the story was tragic for the women involved but also sad for Weinstein as his life was "so messed up".
The film-maker added he had heard rumours but not "these horror stories".
Weinstein was voted off the board behind the Oscars on Saturday following allegations from numerous women.
Allen faced his own sex claims - he was accused of molesting his adopted daughter - a claim he has always strongly denied.
Weinstein has been credited with reviving Allen's career after Allen was accused of abusing Dylan Farrow, his daughter with actress Mia Farrow.
The allegation emerged in the early 1990s following Allen's separation from Farrow.
The actress left Allen after discovering he was having an affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn.
But despite working with Weinstein on a number of films - including the Oscar-winning Mighty Aphrodite - Allen said he had never heard of any allegations of rape and sexual assault.
"No-one ever came to me or told me horror stories with any real seriousness," Allen told the BBC. "And they wouldn't, because you are not interested in it. You are interested in making your movie.
"But you do hear a million fanciful rumours all the time. And some turn out to be true and some - many - are just stories about this actress, or that actor."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption On some red carpets, Harvey Weinstein is not a welcome subject
"The whole Harvey Weinstein thing is very sad for everybody involved," he added. "Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that [his] life is so messed up.
"There's no winners in that, it's just very, very sad and tragic for those poor women that had to go through that."
Allen later expanded on his comments in a statement quoted by Variety magazine.
"When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man," he said.
"I was surprised it was treated differently. Lest there be any ambiguity, this statement clarifies my intention and feelings."
Allen said earlier in the BBC interview he hoped the revelations, which emerged after an investigation by the New York Times, would lead to "some amelioration".
He said it was important to avoid "a witch hunt atmosphere" where "every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself".
The star added that his hope was that recent developments could be "transformed into a benefit for people rather than just a sad or tragic situation".
Among those who investigated Weinstein were Allen's own son, Ronan Farrow, who spoke to 13 women who said the producer had sexually harassed or assaulted them.
Weinstein, 65, insists any sexual contacts he had were consensual. His spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister said earlier this week: "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein."
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning |||||
Director Woody Allen attends the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
If there was one Hollywood celebrity who perhaps should have stayed on the sidelines of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, it was Woody Allen.
The Oscar-winning director’s personal and professional lives intersect directly with the disgraced media mogul in messy ways. The two worked together on several films, including “Bullets Over Broadway” and “Vicki Christina Barcelona.” Allen has also faced his own allegations of sexual misconduct, and his estranged son, Ronan Farrow, was the journalist who wrote the New Yorker’s blockbuster investigation into Weinstein’s behavior.
So while every big name in the media world was megaphoning an opinion about the power broker, Allen had every conceivable reason to stay mum.
But he didn’t or couldn’t.
And he didn’t just step into the cauldron that has upended Weinstein’s career and sparked a wide-ranging discussion on harassment and assault in Hollywood and beyond.
Allen dumped fresh gasoline on it.
Over the weekend, the 81-year-old director told the BBC Weinstein’s downfall was “sad for everybody involved.”
But Allen also warned about a “witch hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself,” Allen told the BBC. “That’s not right either.”
The director’s comment came after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to expel Weinstein on Saturday. Not only did the interview open up Allen to a fresh battery of criticism, it once again hauled Allen’s own history back into the conversation.
“Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that [his] life is so messed up,” Allen said. “There’s no winners in that, it’s just very, very sad and tragic for those poor women that had to go through that.”
[‘Me too’: Alyssa Milano urged assault victims to tweet in solidarity. The response was massive.]
Weinstein has “unequivocally denied” the allegations of “non-consensual sex,” according to a statement from spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister.
You vile little worm. https://t.co/77Xtztn8CP — rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 15, 2017
Allegations of sexual abuse were leveled against Allen in 1993 during his custody battle with actress Mia Farrow after she discovered he was having a relationship with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. Allen then was accused of abusing his then-7-year-old daughter, Dylan. Although criminal charges were never filed against the director and Allen strongly denied the allegations, he was shunned by the Hollywood establishment — until Harvey Weinstein came along.
The producer’s company, Miramax, released Allen’s comeback film, “Bullets Over Broadway.”
“Shunned by Hollywood means nothing to Miramax. We’re talking about a comic genius,” Weinstein told the Los Angeles Times at the time. “Chaplin was shunned by Hollywood; so were a great many other international filmmakers, including Fellini — and those are the people who belong with Miramax.”
Weinstein and Allen went on to make a number of other films together.
The director’s career remains tarnished by allegations. In 2014, Dylan Farrow published a letter in the New York Times reiterating her accusations. Ronan Farrow wrote his own letter to the Hollywood Reporter in 2016 supporting her account. “I believe my sister,” he wrote.
On Sunday, Allen told the BBC he had not been aware of any specific allegations about the powerful producer.
“No one ever came to me or told me horror stories with any real seriousness,” Allen said. “And they wouldn’t, because you are not interested in it. You are interested in making your movie.”
The swift backlash online accused the director of soft-pedaling his criticism of a serial abuser and extending too much sympathy to Weinstein.
While sad for everyone involved, Woody is worried that "every guy who winks at a woman at the office will have to get a lawyer." Hmmmm https://t.co/aH3wKaqa4x — Amy Dickinson (@AskingAmy) October 16, 2017
In 1979, saw 'Manhattan' w Woody Allen's story of 40+ man's affair w 17-yr-old girl. #BadFeeling abt him then. BadFeeling now. #SpideySense — Maureen O'Donnell (@suntimesobits) October 15, 2017
WOMEN: there’s a real problem with sexual power dynamics in the Hollywood system
REPORTER: hold on, let’s hear what Woody Allen has to say — Karen Kilgariff (@KarenKilgariff) October 15, 2017
Allen clarified his comments on Sunday in a statement to Variety.
“When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man,” the statement read. “I was surprised it was treated differently. Lest there be any ambiguity, this statement clarifies my intention and feelings.”
More from Morning Mix
‘Me too’: Alyssa Milano urged assault victims to tweet in solidarity. The response was massive.
‘Bone Music’: The revival of making albums made from X-rays
TV dramas and sitcoms are suddenly all about immigration ||||| Tweet with a location
You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Harvey and Bob Weinstein Showdown Tues Will Get Loud, Ugly
Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Showdown Tuesday Will Get Loud and Ugly
EXCLUSIVE
Harvey Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, will have a showdown Tuesday that will inevitably lead to screaming, profanities and ultimately the threat of a lawsuit that could do in the company ... multiple sources connected to the meeting tell TMZ.
The Board of Directors of The Weinstein Co. has a meeting on the books and we're told Harvey Weinstein's firing is on the agenda. Harvey will be on speakerphone ... he's in Arizona to get treatment for behavioral issues and sex addition. His civil lawyer, Patty Glaser, will be present in the room.
Our sources say Glaser is prepared to outline multiple reasons why her client's firing violates his contract. As we reported, the company never gave him a reason for booting him out, and our sources say to this day the company has never offered Harvey or Glaser any reason. She's also prepared to argue Harvey did not violate the contract.
As we reported, there's a provision that covers claims such as sexual harassment, and as long as Weinstein reimburses the company for any settlement or judge and then pays a penalty, all is good. Glaser will note the contract was signed in October 2015 and since then there hasn't been a single claim against her client.
As strong as Glaser is, we're told the lawyers who rep TWC, O'Melveny and Myers, believe the company had every right to fire Harvey. They say the company's Code of Conduct gives them that right, but we're told Glaser's position is that the contract trumps the Code.
Now the heat ... our sources say Bob Weinstein is angry -- livid -- over the whole situation and loses control during heated conversations. Harvey and Bob are birds of a feather, and people involved in the meeting say it's inevitable things will get loud and ugly.
We're told Glaser is ready to amp things up if the Board doesn't see things her way ... which is unlikely. She can try and force mediation and arbitration, which is provided for in the contract, but if the Board won't play ball we're told she's ready to file a lawsuit.
As one very connected source put it, "There is so much crap that will be unearthed in a lawsuit, the company just can't survive it."
Stay tuned.
|
– Woody Allen says he's sad for everybody involved in the Harvey Weinstein scandal—including Harvey Weinstein. The whole thing "is very sad for everybody involved," he tells the BBC. "Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that [his] life is so messed up. There's no winners in that." Allen said he had heard rumors about Weinstein over the years, but no real "horror stories." He later clarified that the only reason he said he felt sad for Weinstein was "because he is a sad, sick man." Ronan Farrow, Allen's son, was one of the journalists who helped expose Weinstein's behavior. Last year, he slammed the media for not saying enough about sister Dylan Farrow's allegation that Allen molested her. In other developments: "Witch hunt." Allen also worried the scandal would create a "witch hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself." The Washington Post reports that Allen's remarks brought renewed attention to Allen, including his relationship with Weinstein, who was happy to work with Allen after other producers shunned him when abuse allegations surfaced in 1993. "Shunned by Hollywood means nothing to Miramax. We're talking about a comic genius," Weinstein said at the time. Academy criticized. John Oliver criticized the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has expelled Weinstein, for not dealing with other members accused of sex crimes. "Yes, finally, the group that counts among its current members Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, and Mel Gibson has found the one guy who treated women badly and kicked him out," he said, per the Hollywood Reporter. Weinstein showdown. Sources tell TMZ that Harvey Weinstein, who is being treated in Arizona for issues including sex addiction, will be on speakerphone when the Weinstein Company board meets Tuesday. With Bob Weinstein furious about his brother's behavior, the meeting is expected to be "loud and ugly," the sources say. James Corden takes heat. The comedian says he is "truly sorry" for joking about Weinstein at a charity event in LA, the Guardian reports. The Late Late Show host says he was trying to "shame him, the abuser, not his victim." Asia Argento, who accuses Weinstein of assaulting her, tweeted a video of his remarks and said: "Shame on this pig and everyone who grunted with him." Also in hot water: Mayim Bialik rejects accusations that she was "victim-blaming" in a New York Times op-ed on Friday, in which she wrote about her "self-protecting and wise" decisions to "dress modestly" and not "act flirtatiously with men," USA Today reports. After a backlash, the Big Bang Theory star said critics had been twisting her words.
|
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Venice, Louisiana (CNN) -- President Obama said Sunday his administration has mounted a "relentless response" to the oil spill unleashed by the sinking of an offshore drill rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
Obama met with local, state and federal officials involved in the cleanup in southeastern Louisiana, the closest stretch of coastline threatened by the massive spill. Afterward, he said that despite "the most advanced technology available," the spill may not be stopped for many days.
"I'm not going to rest, and none of the gentlemen and women who are here are going to rest or be satisfied, until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil on the Gulf is contained and cleaned up and the people of this region are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods," he said. "We will spare no resource to clean up whatever damage is caused."
Obama met with the commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thad Allen; EPA administrator Lisa Jackson; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal; and the presidents of several parish governments after arriving, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. The president's briefing included an update on the procedures being attempted to cap the well and the economic and environmental impact of the spill, Gibbs said.
After landing in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Sunday, Obama joined Jindal on a two-hour drive to Venice, a staging ground for efforts to fight the growing slick.
Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Allen warned that the leaking oil from a rig explosion could continue for weeks with dire consequences.
"It potentially is catastrophic," Salazar said. "I think we have to prepare for the worst."
That would mean oil damaging sensitive coastal wetlands and industries, including a vital fishing sector that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Obama initially planned to fly over the affected area by helicopter, but weather conditions prevented the flight. Before his trip, Cabinet officials warned he would find a dire situation.
Officials warn of possible catastrophe
Salazar blamed the explosion that caused the spill on a failure in rig technology intended to prevent so-called blowouts.
"There is no doubt at all here that what has happened is the blowout prevention mechanism at the bottom of the well ... is defective," Salazar said. "While there have been blowouts in the past, we have never seen anything that has been quite of this magnitude."
The well is owned by oil company BP. Lamar McKay, president of BP America, told ABC's "This Week" that the company doesn't know why the blowout preventer failed.
All three officials interviewed by CNN repeatedly emphasized that BP is legally responsible for spill and clean-up efforts. They avoided direct criticism of the company, but said BP must do more to try to cap the gushing well.
Allen called the spill "one of the most complex things we've ever dealt with," and said it was impossible so far to predict how much oil will eventually leak.
"If we lost a total well head, it could be 100,000 barrels or more a day," he said.
BP said two Louisiana communities, Venice and Port Fourchon, will likely be the first places hit by the oil slick. Nearly 1 million feet of booms have been deployed in an effort to protect precious estuaries and wildlife, even as thousands of barrels of crude oil continued gushing into the water. Drilling new wells to stop the flow would take a month or two, and it was unclear if the leak could be contained or slowed before then.
WDSU: Rush to save Lake Pontchartrain
McKay said the company is building a containment system to prevent the leaking oil from spreading, but it may take another six to eight days to deploy it. Meanwhile, the company is working to battle the slick offshore and to clean up any oil that reaches the coast.
"We're still working hard, still working hard on the blowout preventer and see if we can actuate this piece of evidently failed equipment," he said. But he compared that to "doing open-heart surgery at 5,000 feet in the dark with robot-controlled submarines."
Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Charlie Melancon, both of Louisiana, said they want the government to put more pressure on BP to find a solution.
"Our government needs to get somewhere between 'drill, baby, drill' and 'spill, baby, spill,' " Melancon said on CBS' "Face the Nation." Landrieu told the same program that the government should force BP to immediately start drilling remedial wells at the site "and hope that one can fix this."
The slick has already taken a toll on life along the Gulf Coast, bringing fishing and tourism to a halt in many places and threatening to cripple those industries for weeks to come.
"I'm pretty much on pause right now. ... It's just a big waiting game," said David Boola, a fisherman who operates boat trips for tourists out of Venice.
WDSU: Oil spill causes empty shrimp nets
Allen noted BP was deploying its top technology such as the remote operation vehicles, which the government doesn't have.
At the same time, Napolitano and Salazar said the Obama administration had reacted quickly to what they called an escalating situation.
Napolitano noted the incident was first an explosion and fire, with a search-and-rescue effort for missing rig workers. It then worsened when the rig sank two days later, followed by the increasing oil leak, she said.
While BP was the first responder, the Coast Guard reacted right away to the situation and deployed 70 vessels and 1 million feet of boom for possible service, Napolitano said.
Salazar noted that the Obama administration has ordered inspections of "blowout preventers" on other Gulf rigs. The government's job was to "keep the boot on the neck" of BP to ensure it meets its obligations in stopping the spill, dealing with the oil slick and paying for all costs and damages.
Also on the CNN program Sunday, Florida's Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio called the oil slick a "crisis" but withheld judgment on the administration's response. According to Rubio, it appeared that much of the early information provided to the federal government by BP had been "either inaccurate or shortcoming."
In recent days, Rubio said, "We've seen the administration move aggressively, and I hope aggressively enough."
BP partnered with government officials to hold town hall meetings throughout the region Saturday to respond to concerns about the spill's consequences. But Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal suggested the response to the oil slick has so far been inadequate.
"We continue to be concerned with BP's ability to respond to this incident," he said.
Environmentalist Richard Charter of the Defenders of Wildlife organization said the oil leak could cause damage that would last decades.
"This event is a self-feeding fire," Charter said. "It is so big and expanding so fast that it's pretty much beyond human response that can be effective.
"You're looking at a long-term poisoning of the area," he said. "Ultimately, this will have a multidecade impact."
The oil spill started April 20, after an explosion on the BP contractor Transocean Ltd.'s Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. Eleven oil-rig workers remain missing and are presumed dead.
The rig sank April 22 about 50 miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana, and the untapped wellhead is gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico. About 1.6 million gallons of oil have spilled since the explosion, the Coast Guard said Saturday. ||||| Update: Oil slicked federal waters closed to fishermen Oil expected to reach Florida coast in 3 days Next Page 1
| 2
| 3 Previous Page Update 2:11 p.m. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is restricting fishing in federal waters most affected by the oil spill, primarily between Louisiana state waters near the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off of Florida's Pensacola Bay, for a minimum of 10 days according to a press release on deepwaterhorizonresponse.com. The closure is effective immediately and detailed information can be found at sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. Related Oil Spill May 1 Fishermen who wish to file a claim in regards to loss of money or livelihood, damage to boats and more can contact BP at (800) 440-0858. The Coast Guard may also be able to provide assistance and can be reached at 800-280-7118.
“NOAA scientists are on the ground in the area of the oil spill taking water and seafood samples in an effort to ensure the safety of the seafood and fishing activities,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator, who met with more than 100 fishermen in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish on Friday night. “Balancing economic and health concerns, this order closes just those areas that are affected by oil. There should be no health risk in seafood currently in the marketplace.” “We stand with America's fisherman, their families and businesses in impacted coastal communities during this very challenging time. Fishing is vital to our economy and our quality of life and we will work tirelessly protect to it," said Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. NOAA is a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce. According to NOAA, there are 3.2 million recreational fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico region who took 24 million fishing trips in 2008. Commercial fishermen in the Gulf harvested more than 1 billion pounds of fin fish and shellfish in 2008. BP will be hiring fishermen to help clean up from the spill. Interested fishermen should call (425) 745-8017. Earlier story Residents in Wakulla County are preparing for the possibility that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will soon reach Big Bend beaches. One group of volunteers is planning to clean beaches of litter and debris today, which they say will get the beaches in better shape in case the spill comes their way. Another group is preparing for the possibility that they'll have to clean, treat and care for any affected animals.
(2 of 3) Meanwhile, Gov. Charlie Crist has been told that oil from the massive spill off the coast of Louisiana won't reach Florida beaches for at least three days.
But Crist was also told that it's only a matter of time until oil washes up on the Panhandle's sugar-white sands and beyond. Crist was briefed on the spill Saturday by the U.S. Coast Guard, BP PLC and Florida environmental Secretary Michael Sole. He also was shown equipment that's ready to try to contain the oil. Crist said, "We're going to see oil. I wish we weren't, but I think we're going to see it." Related Oil Spill May 1 Florida emergency-management officials said it's possible because of unpredictable weather and other conditions that some coastal areas could see an oily residue in coming days. Trajectories released Saturday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration go out only three days. The State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee was partially activated Saturday, and Bay, Escambia, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties remained under a state of emergency. State representatives were at the Unified Command at the U.S. Coast Guard's Sector Mobile in Alabama, and Crist visited staging areas in Pensacola. State agencies were conducting pre-impact assessments, including samplings of water, fish, shellfish and habitats along the Florida coast. "We are ready to respond as necessary," said Lauren McKeague, spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. In Wakulla County, veterinarian Dr. Norm Griggs is heading up an effort to ready supplies, staging areas and volunteers, said Sue Damon, a Shell Point resident. Organizers are looking for empty coastal businesses where volunteers would be able to clean animals affected by the oil spill. "I just can't even imagine the magnitude of this," she said. "We are preparing ourselves for the worst-case scenario." The organization is on Facebook under "Help Prepare for Florida Oil Spill in Panhandle." Other volunteers are gathering 2 p.m. today at Wakulla County High School, 3237 Coastal Highway, Crawfordville. They're planning to clean beaches of trash and debris before any possible arrival of the oil spill.
(3 of 3) "Some of the experts have suggested that we pick up some of the man-made debris that could absorb oil," said Scott Nelson, emergency management director for Wakulla County. "Right now, it's not eminent, but we're trying to be proactive."
Franklin County Emergency Management officials said they were monitoring the spill, too, and taking part in daily conference calls with other officials statewide. The Coast Guard earlier estimated that about 200,000 gallons of oil are spewing out each day — which would mean 1.6 million gallons of oil have spilled since the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers. However, Coast Guard officials later said it's impossible to know exactly how much oil is leaking. One expert cautioned that if the spill continues growing unchecked, sea currents could suck the sheen down past the Florida Keys and then up the Eastern Seaboard. The environmental mess could eclipse the Exxon Valdez disaster, when an oil tanker spilled 11 million gallons off Alaska's shores in 1989. Related Oil Spill May 1 Next Page 1
| 2
| 3 Previous Page ||||| President Barack Obama, on a trip to Venice, Louisiana, the site of intense response efforts to the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico , promised "an all-hands on deck" response to a "massive and possibly unprecedented environmental disaster."
"I want to emphasize that from day one, we have prepared and planned for the worst while hoping for the best," the president said.
Obama reiterated that it is BP's responsibility to pay for the cleanup: "BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill. But as president of the United States, I will spare no effort until this spill is cleaned up."
The president spoke outside the U.S. Coast Guard station in Venice just miles from the approaching oil spill. As rain fell, he said, "I was told it was drizzling. Is this a Louisiana drizzle?"
Obama received a briefing from Adm. Thad Allen, the retiring U.S. Coast Guard commandant who Saturday was appointed to oversee the cleanup response to the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion.
Allen told Obama where booms had been placed to protect the shoreline and said the Mississippi River's current is acting as a buffer in the delta to block oil from flowing west of the river.
The president had also received a briefing on the oil spill aboard Air Force One on his way to Louisiana. Obama arrived in Venice about 2:30 p.m. in a motorcade with about three dozen people, including his chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who will be sworn in as the mayor of New Orleans on Monday.
The president landed at Louis Armstrong Airport at 12:30 p.m. and had to scrap plans to take a helicopter to Venice because of low cloud cover.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "It is a serious situation. I wouldn't characterize it necessarily as a worsening situation but as a continuing very serious situation with a lot of oil leaking."
|
– President Obama visited Louisiana this afternoon, seeing for himself the effects of the continuing oil spill and promising an "all-hands-on-deck" reaction, the Times-Picayune reports. "BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill," he said. "But as president of the United States, I will spare no effort until this spill is cleaned up." Gov. Bobby Jindal met Air Force One at Louis Armstrong airport near New Orleans, and they drove 2 hours to the coast. Poor weather prevented the president and his entourage from taking a helicopter tour of the region, where waves of oil are washing ashore, reports CNN. Federally regulated fishing grounds from Louisiana to Florida have been closed and will remain off-limits for at least 10 days, reports the Tallahassee Democrat.
|
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A day before blastoff with two Intelsat communications satellites, an Ariane 5 rocket rolled into position on its launch pad in French Guiana on Tuesday behind a 540-horsepower Titan truck, and these close-up snapshots show technicians preparing for the journey.
The mighty Titan — a pillar in American rocketry for five decades — flew into orbit for the final time Wednesday, capping a distinguished career of heavy-lifting that has spanned the nation’s space age.
Pope Benedict XVI calls the space shuttle-station crew
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: May 21, 2011
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL--Pope Benedict XVI called the combined crews of the shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station Saturday, wishing commander Mark Kelly's gravely wounded wife, Gabrielle Giffords, a steady recovery and asking station flight engineer Paolo Nespoli how he endured news of his mother's death in the isolation of space.
Credit: NASA TV
"From the space station, you have a very different view of the Earth, you fly over different continents and nations several times a day," he said, reading prepared remarks. "I think it must be obvious to you how we all live together on one Earth and how absurd it is that we fight and kill each (other).
"I know that Mark Kelly's wife was a victim of a serious attack and I hope her health continues to improve. When you're contemplating the Earth from up there, do you ever wonder about the way nations and people live together down here, about how science can contribute to the cause of peace?"
"Thank you for the kind words, your holiness, and thank you for mentioning my wife, Gabby," Kelly replied. "It's a very good question. We fly over most of the world and you don't see borders, but at the same time we realize that people fight with each other and there's a lot of violence in this world and it's really an unfortunate thing."
Kelly said people frequently fight over resources, pointing out that "the science and technology that we put into the space station to develop a solar power capability gives us pretty much an unlimited amount of energy. And if those technologies could be adapted more on Earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence."
Pope Benedict asked the astronauts about their impression of the environment from the vantage point of space, wondering if "you see signs of phenomena to which we need to be more attentive?"
"It really is an extraordinary vantage point we have up here," station flight engineer Ronald Garan said. "On the one hand, we can see how indescribably beautiful the planet we have been given is. But on the other hand, we can really clearly see how fragile it is. The atmosphere when viewed from space is paper thin. And to think that this paper thin layer is all that separates every living thing from the vacuum of space is really a sobering thought."
The pope spoke in Italian to station flight engineer Paolo Nespoli, who's mother died in Italy May 2.
"Dear Paolo. I know that a few days ago your mom left you and in a few days you will come back home and you will not find her waiting for you," the pope said in translated remarks. "We're all close to you. Me too, I have prayed for her. How have you been living through this time of pain on the International Space Station? Do you feel isolated and alone? Or do you feel united amongst ourselves in a community that follows you with attention and affection?"
"Holy father, I felt your prayers and everyone's prayers arriving up here," Nespoli replied. "My colleagues on board the station were very close to me at this important time for me, a very intense moment, as well as my brothers and sisters, my uncles, my aunts, my relatives were close to my mom in her last moments. I'm very grateful for this. I felt very far, but also very close. And the thought of feeling all of you near me at this time has been a great relief. I also want to thank the Italian and American space agencies that had given me the opportunity so that I was able to speak with her in her last moments." ||||| The 12 astronauts circling the Earth received a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday in the first ever papal call to space.
This image provided by NASA televsion shows the space shuttle Endeavour's tiles being inspected early Saturday morning May 21, 2011 using both the shuttle's robot arm and the International Space Station's... (Associated Press)
This undated image made available by NASA on Friday, May 20, 2011 shows a damaged thermal tile on the space shuttle Endeavour's underbelly. The crew is planning to use a laser-tipped boom early Saturday,... (Associated Press)
This image provided by NASA television shows the crews of the space shuttle Endeavour, in black shirts, and the International Space Station's Expedition 27 speaking Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican Saturday... (Associated Press)
The pope addressed the crews of the linked space shuttle Endeavour and International Space Station from the Vatican, making special mention of the U.S. commander's wounded congresswoman wife and the recently deceased mother of one of the two Italian astronauts on board.
The historic communication _ "extraordinary" in the pope's words _ took place just a couple of hours after the shuttle astronauts finished inspecting a small gash in Endeavour's belly to ensure their safety when returning to Earth. It is the next-to-last flight in NASA's 30-year shuttle program.
Seated at a table before a television set tuned to NASA's live broadcast from orbit, Benedict said the space fliers are "our representatives spearheading humanity's exploration of new spaces and possibilities for our future." He said he admired their courage, discipline and commitment.
"It must be obvious to you how we all live together on one Earth and how absurd it is that we fight and kill each one," the pontiff said, reading from prepared remarks. "I know that Mark Kelly's wife was a victim of a serious attack, and I hope her health continues to improve."
Kelly, who's Catholic, thanked the pope for his kind words. His wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, had surgery to repair her skull Wednesday, four months after being shot in the head at a political event in Tucson, Ariz.
The shuttle commander told the pope that borders cannot be seen from space and noted that on Earth, people usually fight for resources. At the space station, solar power provides unlimited energy, "and if those technologies could be adapted more on Earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence," he said.
Benedict also asked about the future of the planet and the environmental risks it faces, and wanted to know what the astronauts' most important message would be for young people when they return home.
Space station astronaut Ronald Garan Jr. spoke of the paper-thin layer of atmosphere "that separates every living thing from the vacuum of space." And shuttle crewman Mike Fincke described how he and his colleagues "can look down and see our beautiful planet Earth that God has made."
"However, if we look up, we can see the rest of the universe, and the rest of the universe is out there for us to explore," Fincke said. "The International Space Station is just one symbol, one example, of what human beings can do when we work together constructively."
Near the end of the 18-minute conversation, Benedict expressed concern for astronaut Paolo Nespoli, whose 78-year-old mother died in northern Italy at the beginning of May while he was serving on the space station.
"How have you been living through this time of pain on the International Space Station?" the pope asked.
"Holy Father, I felt your prayers and everyone's prayers arriving up here where outside the world ... we have a vantage point to look at the Earth and we feel everything around us," Nespoli replied in Italian.
Nespoli will end his five-month space station mission Monday, returning to Earth on a Russian Soyuz capsule.
He will bring back with him a silver medal that shuttle astronaut Roberto Vittori took up with him aboard Endeavour, that was provided by the pope. It depicts Michelangelo's "Creation of Man," the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Vittori floated the commemorative coin in front of him, then gently tossed it to Nespoli, positioned on the opposite end of the front row of astronauts.
"I brought it with me to space, and he will take down on Earth to then give back to you," Vittori told the pontiff. He added that he prays in space "for me, for our families, for our future."
The long-distance papal audience was arranged by the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. NASA provided technical support from Mission Control in Houston.
Inside the ancient frescoed halls of the Vatican _ where email wasn't even in wide use until a few years ago _ the call was received with visible awe.
The 84-year-old Benedict chuckled when one of the astronauts began floating up at the end of the transmission. He waved to the crew at the beginning and end of the call.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the call was evidence of the pope's desire to communicate with people however possible, be it sending a text message with a prayer of the day or a YouTube channel playing church teachings.
Pope Paul VI sent a greeting to the moon with Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969, but it was in a silicon disk that contained goodwill messages from numerous countries and was left on the Sea of Tranquility. "I look up at your heavens, made by your fingers, at the moon and stars you set in place," said Paul VI, quoting from Psalms 8.
Before gathering for the extra-special VIP call, the shuttle astronauts conducted an hourlong survey of the gouge in Endeavour's belly, using a 100-foot extension boom.
NASA ordered the inspection, even though managers said there was no reason to be alarmed by the damage generated by Monday's liftoff on Endeavour's final voyage. Experts on the ground immediately began analyzing the 3-D images beamed down.
The extra safety checks were put in place following the 2003 Columbia disaster.
The gouge _ spanning two or three tiles _ measures just 3.2 inches by 2.5 inches. It's the depth that flight controllers hoped to ascertain with Saturday's survey, to make certain no repairs were needed.
Similar damage was seen on a flight by Endeavour in 2007. That gash turned out to be just an inch deep, and no repair was necessary. By coincidence, that 2007 mission was commanded by Kelly's identical twin brother, Scott.
Still ahead for Kelly and his crew are three more spacewalks, the next one on Sunday. Landing is scheduled for June 1.
___
AP Writer Nicole Winfield contributed to this report from Vatican City.
___
Online:
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
|
– Pope Benedict made a very long distance call this morning to the combined crews of shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station, notes SpaceFlight Now. And Gabby Giffords was on his mind. "I know that Mark Kelly's wife was a victim of a serious attack and I hope her health continues to improve," said the pope, who blessed the astronauts and turned Giffords' shooting into a theological question. "When you're contemplating the Earth from up there, do you ever wonder about the way nations and people live together down here, about how science can contribute to the cause of peace?" Responded Kelly, who the AP notes is Catholic: "Thank you for the kind words, your holiness, and thank you for mentioning my wife, Gabby." He took a shot at answering, noting that war frequently erupts over energy resources. "The science and technology that we put into the space station to develop a solar power capability gives us pretty much an unlimited amount of energy," he said. "And if those technologies could be adapted more on Earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence." Click to read about Giffords' successful skull surgery this week.
|
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Iran’s recent warnings of a disruption in the global oil trade have pushed the price of a barrel of domestic oil to more than $103, a six-month high and up about 34 percent since September. That has helped drive the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States to $3.52, a 30-cent increase in the past two months. It is already approaching $4 in some places.
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Economists say the current price of oil is only a modest drag on the economy. But a big jump — combined with tensions over Iran and continuing European debt worries — could present a more significant challenge to America’s recovery, they say.
For the president’s economic team, the specter of such increases in oil prices comes on the heels of positive economic news that has lifted Mr. Obama’s approval rating, including better-than-expected job growth, a surging stock market and a payroll tax deal that will put more money in the pockets of millions of Americans.
But Mr. Boehner’s message to his members echoes the aggressive talk coming from the Republican campaign trail, where the men vying for the right to challenge Mr. Obama are increasingly blaming Mr. Obama’s administration for rising gas prices. A gallon of gas had dropped to $1.89 when Mr. Obama took office in 2009, in large part because of the fall in oil demand caused by the financial crisis, and has almost doubled since.
“They want higher energy prices. They want to push their radical agenda on the public,” Rick Santorum said at a campaign event last week, accusing Democrats of pushing alternatives to oil. “We need a president who is on the side of affordable energy.”
Newt Gingrich wrote on Twitter on Friday that “gasoline prices are unacceptable. We can do better!” He urged his supporters to sign a petition on his Web site calling for a return to $2.50-a-gallon gas. “Drill here. Drill now. Pay less,” the petition says.
And talking points from the Republican National Committee that go out to conservative commentators every Friday often include rising gas prices among the “Top Line Messaging” for the week. A recent “Pundit Prep” document cited the national debt, unemployment and the price of gas as the three best ways to define the “Obama economy.”
The president’s political advisers are bracing for battle as they envision the price of gas rising steadily through the summer, as it usually does. As the president’s motorcade whisked him through scenic Orange County on Thursday on the way to a California fund-raiser, one sign held by a protester read, “Gas prices up 91 percent under Obama.”
Aides say they know the attacks are inevitable. But they also say they are prepared to respond forcefully with a defense of the president’s energy policies and a critique of the Republican line.
Photo
“The president is keenly aware of the impact that higher gas prices have on families trying to make ends meet,” Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said last week.
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For Mr. Obama’s economic team, the increase in oil prices is an unwelcome reminder of how global events largely outside their control can hamper a recovery. For the third year in a row, a modest recovery faces head winds as winter turns to spring.
In the spring of 2010, debt crises in Europe, slowing stimulus spending and weakness in the housing market brought an abrupt halt to a brief turnaround in the United States economy. A year later, turmoil in the Middle East, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and more debt problems in Europe did the same. Now, rising gasoline prices, concern over tensions with Iran and, once again, European debt are causing worries.
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On a call with reporters on Friday, Alan B. Krueger, the chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, said rising oil prices threatened to eat into household budgets and sap confidence — as they did last year. But he said the agreement to extend last year’s payroll tax cut would help.
“The payroll tax cut provides some cushion for families in case they see their costs go up, possibly because of gasoline prices or for other reasons over the course of the year,” Mr. Krueger said.
In speeches this spring, aides said, the president will increasingly focus on his administration’s actions to raise the fuel efficiency of cars and to open new areas to oil and natural gas development. They said they hoped the moves would counter the accusation that he has stifled oil production. On Friday, the Interior Department announced an expansion of oil exploration in Arctic waters.
Mr. Obama has also begun once again to express his personal concern for the impact of gas prices on pocketbooks, as he did last week while pressing Congress to extend the tax cut, which is about $40 per paycheck for a family making $50,000 a year.
“If we start seeing significant increases in gas prices, losing that $40 could not come at a worse time,” the president said Tuesday.
A counterattack being planned by the Obama re-election team in Chicago is expected to point out, among other things, Mitt Romney’s actions to raise gas taxes when he was governor of Massachusetts. And Mr. Obama’s Democratic allies on Capitol Hill are eager to renew a nationwide discussion about tax subsidies to oil companies.
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“House Republicans are very good at using every argument they can to shield oil companies from paying their fair share,” said Representative Steve Israel of New York, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “They have been relentless and fearless protectors of oil company profits.”
Republicans on Capitol Hill say they are eager to criticize the president as gas prices rise, in part with a flurry of legislation aimed at increasing domestic production.
They also plan to use Mr. Obama’s decision to block the immediate construction of Keystone XL, a 1,700-mile pipeline that would stretch from Canada to the Gulf Coast. A Republican bill was passed by the House on Thursday to expand offshore drilling and force a permit to be approved for the pipeline.
In an interview, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House whip, mocked Mr. Obama’s claim to want an “all of the above” energy policy.
“He says it in his State of the Union, and then a week later he kills Keystone,” Mr. McCarthy said. “I think energy is going to be one of the major issues in this election, and it’s going to peak in two months.” ||||| Gasoline prices have never been higher this time of the year.
In this Feb. 13, 2012 photo, a gas station attendant pumps gas, in Portland, Ore. At an average of $3.51 a gallon, gas is up 23 percent since Jan. 1. And experts say motorists could pay a record $4.25... (Associated Press)
A sign displays gas prices at a gas station Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, in San Diego. Some analysts are starting to worry that rising fuel costs will undermine consumer spending and stymie economic growth.... (Associated Press)
In this Feb. 16, 2012 photo, a customer fills up at an Irving Oil gas station, in Berlin, Vt. Gasoline prices have never been higher at this time of year. At $3.51 a gallon, gas is up 23 percent since... (Associated Press)
At $3.53 a gallon, prices are already up 25 cents since Jan. 1. And experts say they could reach a record $4.25 a gallon by late April.
"You're going to see a lot more staycations this year," says Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research. "When the price gets anywhere near $4, you really see people react."
Already, W. Howard Coudle, a retired machinist from Crestwood, Mo., has seen his monthly gasoline bill rise to $80 from about $60 in December. The closest service station is selling regular for $3.39 per gallon, the highest he's ever seen.
"I guess we're going to have to drive less, consolidate all our errands into one trip," Coudle says. "It's just oppressive."
The surge in gas prices follows an increase in the price of oil.
Oil around the world is priced differently. Brent crude from the North Sea is a proxy for the foreign oil that's imported by U.S. refineries and turned into gasoline and other fuels. Its price has risen 11 percent so far this year, to around $119 a barrel, because of tensions with Iran, a cold snap in Europe and rising demand from developing nations. West Texas Intermediate, used to price oil produced in the U.S., is up 4 percent to around $103 a barrel. That's 19 percent higher than a year earlier.
Higher gas prices could hurt consumer spending and curtail the recent improvement in the U.S. economy.
A 25-cent jump in gasoline prices, if sustained over a year, would cost the economy about $35 billion. That's only 0.2 percent of the total U.S. economy, but economists say it's a meaningful amount, especially at a time when growth is only so-so. The economy grew 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter, a rate considered modest following a recession.
High oil and gas prices now set the stage for even sharper increases at the pump because gas typically rises in March and April.
Every spring, refiners suspend operations to switch the type of gasoline they make. Supplies of wintertime gas are sold off before March, when refineries need to start making a new formula of gasoline that's required in the summer.
That can mean less supply for service stations, resulting in higher gas prices. And summertime gasoline is more expensive to make. The government mandates that it contain less butane and other cheap organic compounds because they contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, a primary constituent in smog. That means more oil, a costlier component, is needed to produce each gallon.
The Oil Price Information Service predicts that gasoline could peak at $4.25 a gallon by the end of April. That would top the record of $4.11 in July 2008.
The national average for gasoline began the year at $3.28 a gallon. The average price for February so far is $3.49 a gallon. That's up from $3.17 a gallon last February, a record at the time. Back in 2007, before the recession hit, the average for February was $2.25 a gallon.
Prices are higher on the East and West Coasts, where gasoline has risen above $3.70 in Connecticut, New York, Washington D.C. and California. This isn't unusual _ states on the coasts charge some of the nation's highest gas taxes.
High gas prices put a strain on many people's budgets.
Americans spent 8.4 percent of their household income on gasoline last year when gas averaged an all-time high of $3.51 a gallon. That's double the percentage a decade ago. They could pay even more this year, even though demand is the lowest in 11 years as people drive fewer miles in more efficient cars, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at OPIS.
Gary Goodman commutes into Manhattan from Edgewater, N.J., because gas, tolls and parking make the cost of driving prohibitive.
Goodman, an accountant, commutes by bus. He uses his car mostly for trips to the grocery store or for occasional nights out. He says he has no choice but to eat the higher gas costs.
"I already drive as little as possible," he says.
Paul Dales, a senior economist at Capital Economics says it would take a bigger shift in the global economy _ say, a deep recession in Europe or a slowdown in Asia's manufacturing _ for pump prices to drop noticeably. Either event would slow oil demand, depressing prices.
But experts expect demand to keep rising. World oil demand is expected to increase by another 1.5 percent to 89.25 million barrels a day in 2012, according to the Energy Information Administration.
In the short term, tensions with Iran are feeding fears that oil supplies could be blocked.
The U.S. and Europe are tightening economic sanctions against Iran over what the West believes is Iran's attempt to build a nuclear bomb. World leaders fear Israel may be planning a strike against Iran, the world's third largest oil exporter.
In response, Iran has threatened to withhold its own oil deliveries and to block the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway along its coastline through which one-fifth of the world's oil flows.
On Friday, an international banking clearinghouse crucial to Iran's oil sales said it is prepared to discontinue services to Iranian financial institutions being targeted by the EU and U.S. sanctions. That could ratchet up the pressure on Iran, but also send oil prices soaring.
The price of Brent crude fell 53 cents on Friday to $119.58. WTI gained 93 cents to $103.24.
Gas prices are already an issue in the presidential campaign. Republican candidate Newt Gingrich spoke several times this week about opening up more federal land to oil and gas drilling as a path toward U.S. energy independence _ and lower pump prices.
"Our goals should be to get gasoline to $2.50 or less so that working families can actually get to work and retired families can travel," Gingrich said at a campaign event in Los Angeles Thursday.
___
Reporter Beth Fouhy in Atlanta contributed to this report.
___
Follow Chris Kahn on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ChrisKahnAP
|
– The AP is out with stats that will not be welcome news at the White House: Gas is at $3.53 a gallon, up 25 cents from Jan. 1. Worse, one forecast sees $4.25 a gallon by May. And as the New York Times reports, the GOP can't wait to make this a campaign issue. “This debate is a debate we want to have,” John Boehner told House Republicans this week, according to an anonymous aide. "Certainly, this summer will see the highest gas prices in years. Your constituents saw those reports, and they’ll be talking about it.” In fact, the issue already is showing up on the campaign trail, with Rick Santorum faulting President Obama's "radical agenda" on energy and Newt Gingrich tweeting yesterday that "gasoline prices are unacceptable." The Obama team is bracing for the onslaught, and the president is expected to go on the offensive by citing his push to increase fuel efficiency and to open up more areas for natural gas and oil exploration, notes the Times. Republicans, on the other hand, plan to remind voters that Obama rejected (at least for now) the Keystone pipeline.
|
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Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more. ||||| China on Monday retaliated against Donald Trump’s taxes on imported steel and aluminium with its own tariffs on a series of products from the United States, including meat, fruit and wine.
The measures, which came with a warning from state media that Beijing is prepared to “show its strength” towards the US, could seriously harm the livelihoods of American farmers, a group which is seen as being part of Mr Trump’s core support.
Beijing announced extra tariffs of up to 25 percent on 128 US products, measures which match a list of potential tariffs on up to $3 billion worth of US goods which was published in China last month.
China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said in a statement that it was suspending its obligations to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and that the new tariffs would start on Monday.
China's Customs Tariff Commission is increasing the tariff rate on pork products and aluminium scrap by 25 percent, authorities announced. ||||| FILE - In this March 23, 2018, file photo, a woman wearing a uniform with the logo of an American produce company helps a customer shop for apples a supermarket in Beijing. China raised import duties... (Associated Press)
FILE - In this March 23, 2018, file photo, a woman wearing a uniform with the logo of an American produce company helps a customer shop for apples a supermarket in Beijing. China raised import duties on a $3 billion list of U.S. pork, fruit and other products Monday, April 2, 2018 in an escalating tariff... (Associated Press)
BEIJING (AP) — China raised import duties on a $3 billion list of U.S. pork, fruit and other products Monday in an escalating tariff dispute with President Donald Trump that companies worry might depress global commerce.
The Finance Ministry said it was responding to a U.S. tariff hike on steel and aluminum that took effect March 23. But a bigger clash looms over Trump's approval of possible higher duties on nearly $50 billion of Chinese goods in a separate argument over technology policy.
The tariff spat is one aspect of wide-ranging tensions between Washington and Beijing over China's multibillion-dollar trade surplus with the United States and its policies on technology, industry development and access to its state-dominated economy.
Forecasters say the immediate impact should be limited, but investors worry the global recovery might be set back if it prompts other governments to raise import barriers. Those fears temporarily depressed financial markets, though stocks have recovered some of their losses.
On Monday, stock market indexes in Tokyo and Shanghai were up 0.5 percent at midmorning.
Beijing faces complaints by Washington, the European Union and other trading partners that it hampers market access despite its free-trading pledges and is flooding global markets with improperly low-priced steel and aluminum. But the EU, Japan and other governments criticized Trump's unilateral move as disruptive.
The United States buys little Chinese steel and aluminum following earlier tariff hikes to offset what Washington says is improper subsidies. Still, economists expected Beijing to respond to avoid looking weak in a high-profile dispute.
Effective Monday, Beijing raised tariffs on pork, aluminum scrap and some other products by 25 percent, the Finance Ministry said. A 15 percent tariff was imposed on apples, almonds and some other goods.
The tariff hike has "has seriously damaged our interests," said a Finance Ministry statement.
"Our country advocates and supports the multilateral trading system," said the statement. China's tariff increase "is a proper measure adopted by our country using World Trade Organization rules to protect our interests."
The White House didn't respond to a message from The Associated Press on Sunday seeking comment.
China's government said earlier its imports of those goods last year totaled $3 billion.
The latest Chinese move targets farm areas, many of which voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
U.S. farmers sent nearly $20 billion of goods to China in 2017. The American pork industry sent $1.1 billion in products, making China the No. 3 market for U.S. pork.
"American politicians better realize sooner rather than later that China would never submit if the U.S. launched a trade war," said the Global Times, a newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party.
Washington granted EU, South Korea and some other exporters, but not ally Japan, exemptions to the steel and aluminum tariffs on March 22. European governments had threatened to retaliate by raising duties on American bourbon, peanut butter and other goods.
Beijing has yet to say how it might respond to Trump's March 22 order approving possible tariff hikes in response to complaints China steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.
Trump ordered U.S. trade officials to bring a WTO case challenging Chinese technology licensing. It proposed 25 percent tariffs on Chinese products including aerospace, communications technology and machinery and said Washington will step up restrictions on Chinese investment in key U.S. technology sectors.
Trump administration officials have identified as potential targets 1,300 product lines worth about $48 billion. That list will then be open to a 30-day comment period for businesses.
Beijing reported a trade surplus of $275.8 billion with the United States last year, or two-thirds of its global total. Washington reports different figures that put the gap at a record $375.2 billion.
___
Chinese Ministry of Commerce announcement (in Chinese with link to list of affected products): http://gss.mof.gov.cn/zhengwuxinxi/zhengcefabu/201804/t20180401_2857769.html ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption US wine is among the produce affected by China's retaliatory tariffs
China has imposed tariffs of up to 25% on 128 US imports, including pork and wine, after US President Donald Trump raised duties on foreign steel and aluminium imports in March.
The tariffs affecting some $3bn (£2.1bn) of imports kick in on Monday.
Beijing said the move was to safeguard China's interests and balance losses caused by new US tariffs.
China had previously said it did not want a trade war but would not sit by if its economy was hurt.
Mr Trump, however, has insisted that "trade wars are good", and that it should be "easy" for the US to win one.
The American authorities have already announced plans for further targeted tariffs for tens of billions of dollars of Chinese imports, the BBC's Chris Buckler reports from Washington.
They say that is in response to unfair trading practices in China that affect US companies but it raises the possibility of yet more action being taken in what has become a tit-for-tat trade battle, our correspondent adds.
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 2, 2018 Report
Relatively mild to start with
By Stephen McDonell, BBC News, Hong Kong
China's theft of foreign intellectual property is what sparked all this in the first place, according to Washington. If international companies want to operate in China they must hand over their intellectual property for the privilege, thus delivering the likes of German high-speed rail technology into the hands of Chinese engineers.
Yet now that China's retaliatory tariffs have kicked in, there are also those sympathetic with that argument who are worried that launching a potential tariff war is not the way to fix the problem. Naturally others say China has been getting away with this for years and tough measures were needed in order to force change.
There is also the overall imbalance in US-China trade but a large Chinese surplus, of course, means it is potentially much more exposed during a trade war than America. For this reason Beijing will want to negotiate a way out of this escalating tariff showdown.
Its first set of tariffs are relatively mild but they come in response to the first round of US tariffs and a second has already been announced. There are plenty more American companies to be hit and other nations, especially those in Europe and Asia, could soon find themselves dragged into this conflict.
Which products are affected?
US scrap aluminium and frozen pork will be subject to a 25% additional tariff - on top of existing duties.
Several other American foods including nuts, fresh and dried fruit, ginseng and wine will be hit by a 15% increase.
Rolled steel bars will likewise see a 15% rise in duties.
Why is this happening now?
China said the new tariffs were a retaliatory measure in light of Mr Trump's decision to raise duties on steel and aluminium imports.
But further tax hikes may lie ahead.
On 22 March, the US said it was planning to impose duties on up to $60bn of Chinese imports and limit its investment in the US, in retaliation for years of alleged intellectual property theft.
Image copyright EPA Image caption Donald Trump believes tariffs will help cut the US trade deficit with China, which he has vowed to do
The White House said it was acting to counter unfair competition from China's state-led economy.
It remains to be seen if China will follow its opening gambit with stronger measures.
In theory, Beijing could tax US tech companies like Apple, for example. Such a move could force US tech giants to raise their prices to compensate.
|
– China has made good on its threat to retaliate for President Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum. Beijing says it is slapping new tariffs on 128 kinds of American products, including pork, wine, and numerous kinds of fruit, "in order to safeguard China's interests and balance the losses caused by the United States' additional tariffs," reports the Financial Times. The move adds a 25% tariff on top of existing duties to American scrap aluminum and frozen pork, the BBC reports. It also adds a 15% tariff to American wine, nuts, ginseng, apples, oranges, and scores of other food products, affecting goods worth a total of around $3 billion. China's Ministry of Commerce said it has suspended its World Trade Organization obligations after US moves that "seriously infringed on China's rights and interests," the Telegraph reports. Trump, who accuses Beijing of abusive trade practices and theft of intellectual property, has threatened more tariffs, and analysts fear the trade war could escalate. "There are plenty more American companies to be hit, and other nations, especially those in Europe and Asia, could soon find themselves dragged into this conflict," notes Stephen McDonell at the BBC. Beijing has yet to say how it might respond to the 25% tariffs Trump has proposed on almost $50 billion of Chinese goods in a dispute over technology licensing, the AP reports.
|
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This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details.
The young man didn’t need to, as the song says, smoke two joints in the morning, and smoke two joints at night. One was more than enough when it was roughly 4 feet long and weighed more than two pounds.
That’s what UC Santa Cruz police officers were confronted with when they descended on a rally last Saturday. The young man was not happy when his cartoonishly large joint was hauled away, according to video footage capturing the incident.
“Dude, you’re a liar. You’re a liar,” the young man complained as he walked beside a police officer carrying the torch-like joint. “I can’t wait to see you in court. I can show how you’re harassing me.”
Every year, hundreds of students and others gather at the campus on April 20 to smoke pot. They do so with seemingly little concern for the inevitable police crackdown, which usually involves the confiscation of dime bags, bongs and other paraphernelia.
But this year, campus police were in for a surprise. The joint, which was wider than your average baseball bat, more than exceeded the state’s one ounce limit for those who carry medical marijuana.
Jim Burns, a university spokesman, identified the young man as Gennady Tsarinsky, a 25-year-old UC Santa Cruz student. He was arrested on charges of being in possession of more than one ounce of marijuana.
Burns said he didn’t know what the street value of the marijuana in the joint, nor its exact weight or length.
“I don’t know if there is a precise measurement,” he said Wednesday. “It certainly would be safe to say several feet long.”
For the record, 4:46 p.m., April 24: A previous version of this post said incorrectely that Bob Marley sang "Smoke Two Joints."
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[email protected] ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
|
– No, we didn't write that headline while stoned. California police actually did confiscate a mammoth joint during a 4/20 pot rally on Saturday, reports the Los Angeles Times. As the paper notes, hundreds of UC Santa Cruz students gather each year for the event, and each year campus police confiscate things like bongs and dime bags. But Gennady Tsarinsky took things to a whole new level: what police say was a four-foot-long, two-pound joint. The 25-year-old was arrested and charged with possessing more than an ounce of pot—which happens to be California's limit for medical marijuana users. A video of the bust posted by LiveLeak shows a cop carrying the joint (which is bigger than a loaf of French bread) and a seemingly incredulous Tsarinsky: "Dude, you're a liar. You're a liar," he's recorded as saying. "I can't wait to see you in court. I can show how you’re harassing me."
|
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A group inspired by the running of the bulls in Pamplona is planning to unleash bulls in several U.S. cities to sprint through fenced-in courses as daredevils try to avoid being trampled.
The Great Bull Run is set to kick off Aug. 24 at a drag-racing strip south of Richmond, Virginia. A second event is planned for Oct. 19 at an Atlanta-area horse park that hosted events for the 1996 Olympics. More events are planned later for Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Bull runs _ when the animals are released to run alongside participants as spectators cheer _ are common in Spain and can drum up controversy. Injuries often occur, as do deaths, though they are much rarer. Some groups attack the treatment of the bulls used in the runs.
About 5,000 people have signed up to participate in the Virginia event, and the number grows by about 50 each day, said Rob Dickens, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Great Bull Run. And with 2,000 signed up for the Conyers, Georgia, event, Dickens expects 5,000 to 7,000 to run there in October.
The U.S. events will last one day each, unlike the annual weeklong festival in Pamplona, when bull runs are held every morning. Author Ernest Hemingway wrote about the festival in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises," which helped it gain worldwide notoriety and attract spectators from around the globe.
Organizers acknowledge that the Great Bull Run is likely to start out on a smaller scale than its Spanish counterpart. But they note that other physically challenging activities such as extreme off-road runs and obstacle races have become increasingly popular in the U.S., and they see bull running as a natural follow-up.
"I think it's just a progression where we are becoming more and more active as a society," Dickens said. "There's this fitness craze that started with running. I think this is just an extension of all that, but making it more interesting to the general public."
Dozens of people are injured each year in the San Fermin festival at Pamplona, most by tripping and falling. Bulls have killed 15 people since record-keeping began in 1924.
Last month in Spain, a University of Utah college student and an Australian woman were gored by bulls. During one run, participants and spectators screamed as a bull tossed a Spaniard to the ground and attacked him, with fellow runners trying to pull the animal away by its tail. The man was eventually dragged to safety.
Organizers of the U.S. events plan to include several safety features, making them "quite different than the running of the bulls in Spain," Dickens said.
Unlike the narrow, cobblestone streets of the Spanish runs, the U.S. events will use fencing that will include coves, or notches, so participants can get out of the way quickly.
Dickens said organizers are partnering with ranches who will supply the bulls, and veterinarians will monitor their health. "We're not using the Spanish fighting bulls that are bred to be very aggressive for the entertaining aspect of bullfighting," Dickens said.
Bulls will be released in waves of six at a time, giving the animals and people a "better opportunity to complete the course safely," Dickens said.
Before running, participants will be required to sign waivers. Dickens, an attorney, acknowledges that waivers won't prevent lawsuits but likened it to sky-diving or operating a rock-climbing wall: "The waivers for the most part ensure that even if you get sued, they're not going to win."
Researchers are still trying to figure out why some people are drawn to potentially dangerous activities. One theory is that some people get a surge from routine activities, but others need more thrilling or exciting behaviors to get the same feeling, said Dr. Jonathan Becker, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
"To get that same sort of euphoric feeling that you feel at the end of a jog, they may need to jog with bulls for example," Becker said.
Organizers say they're planning each U.S. event as an all-day experience, with plenty of activities such as a tomato fight, also modeled after a Spanish festival. But they hope the bull runs draw participants who have always wanted to participate but couldn't make the trip to Spain.
"You can go running down the street anytime you want, but to run with bulls _ that's something that doesn't come along very often," Dickens said.
___
Felberbaum reported from Richmond, Virginia. ||||| Thousands of daredevils have already signed up to sprint alongside bulls when The Great Bull Run comes to the U.S. this August.
A reveler is pushed by a Torrestrella ranch bull. (Photo: Alvaro Barrientos, AP) Story Highlights Several U.S. cities plan to take pare in The Great Bull Run
The inaugural run is set for Aug. 24 in Richmond, Va.
Dozens of people are injured each year in the San Fermin festival at Pamplona
Watch out! The Great Bull Run is coming to the U.S.
Organizers of the Pamplona-inspired event plan for several U.S. cities to unleash bulls to sprint through fenced-in courses as daredevils sprint to avoid being trampled.
The inaugural run is set for Aug. 24 in Richmond, Va. More events are planned for Georgia, Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Bull runs — when the animals are released to run alongside participants as spectators cheer — are common in Spain and have proved to be dangerous. Dozens of people are injured each year in the San Fermin festival at Pamplona, most by tripping and falling. Bulls have killed 15 people since record keeping began in 1924.
"By participating in the run, you accept the risk that you might be trampled, gored, rammed or tossed in the air by a bull, or bumped, jostled, tripped or trampled by your fellow runners," the event website states. "We do what we can to minimize those risks by using less-aggressive bulls than those used in Spain and allowing runners to hide in nooks and climb over the track fence if necessary, but make no mistake: You could get seriously injured in this event."
About 5,000 people have signed up to participate in the Virginia event, and the number grows by about 50 each day, Rob Dickens, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Great Bull Run, told the Associated Press. And with 2,000 already signed up for the Conyers, Ga., event, Dickens expects 5,000 to 7,000 to run there in October.
Bull runs have long been controversial. Some animal rights groups raise concerns over the treatment of the bulls.
"These events are a shameful example of cruelty for the sake of nothing more than entertainment and profit," Ann Chynoweth, senior director of The Humane Society of the United States' End Animal Fighting & Cruelty Campaign, told the AP. "These companies put the health and safety of both humans and animals at risk, without the required federal oversight. We call on the USDA to investigate these entities immediately."
Organizers at the Great Bull Run say they are "wholly committed to the health and safety of the animals we work with."
"Unlike the running of the bulls in Spain, we don't kill the bulls in a bullfight, nor do we abuse them in anyway," organizers state on the event website. "We don't hit them, shock them or deprive them of food, water, light or sleep. In fact, we have a veterinarian on site at all times to make sure the bulls are treated properly and are perfectly healthy before, during and after each run."
Organizers of the U.S. events plan to include several safety features, making them "quite different than the running of the bulls in Spain," Dickens said.
Unlike the narrow, cobblestone streets of the Spanish runs, the U.S. events will use fencing that will include coves, or notches, so participants can get out of the way quickly.
Bulls will be released in waves of six at a time, giving the animals and people a "better opportunity to complete the course safely," Dickens said.
Before running, participants will be required to sign waivers. Dickens, an attorney, acknowledges that waivers won't prevent lawsuits but likened it to sky-diving or operating a rock-climbing wall: "The waivers for the most part ensure that even if you get sued, they're not going to win."
Organizers say they're planning each of the U.S. events as an all-day experience, with plenty of activities such as a tomato fight, also modeled after a Spanish festival. But they hope the bull runs draw participants who have always wanted to participate but couldn't make the trip to Spain.
"You can go running down the street any time you want, but to run with bulls — that's something that doesn't come along very often," Dickens said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1cyoCpN
|
– Americans will no longer have to travel to Spain to get trampled on by hordes of running bulls. The Great Bull Run, a new US-based event, will allow thrillseekers to experience Pamplona's favorite pastime stateside, reports the AP. The first run will be held near Richmond, Virginia, on August 24, with about 5,000 people already signed up to sprint through a fenced-in course set up on a drag-racing strip. A second event is scheduled for October in Atlanta, with more planned for Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Illinois, and Pennsylvania sometime in the future. The organizers of the Great Bull Run say their event will be safer than the famous Spanish festival that inspired them, where many runners are brutally gored every year, and even sometimes killed. The course will have built-in "coves" that allow the participants to quickly get out of a bull's path, while the bulls used will be locally bred and less aggressive than Spanish fighting bulls, they say. And unlike Pamplona, the organizers say their bulls will not be killed or deliberately mistreated. Still, the Humane Society is predictably unimpressed. "These events are a shameful example of cruelty for the sake of nothing more than entertainment and profit," says a spokesperson, per USA Today. "We call on the USDA to investigate these entities immediately."
|
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Image copyright US Holocaust Memorial Museum Image caption Sobibor was built by the Nazis solely to exterminate Jews
One of the last known survivors of the Nazi extermination camp at Sobibor has died in Ukraine at the age of 96.
Arkady Waispapir was captured by the Germans while serving in the Soviet Army and was sent to the camp because he was Jewish.
He was one of the few spared immediate death in the gas chambers by being sent to do camp maintenance work.
More than 250,000 Jews are believed to have been killed at Sobibor, in Nazi-occupied eastern Poland from 1942-43.
In October 1943, Waispapir and seven other inmates led a rebellion using knives, hatchets and captured firearms against the Ukrainian and German guards.
Nearly half of the camp's 600 prisoners managed to escape but 100 of them were caught almost immediately. Out of those who escaped, only 47 survived World War Two.
Waispapir lost his entire family during the German occupation of Ukraine. He married after the war and had two sons.
He died in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, to where he had moved in 1994 after working in cities in the east of the country.
Image copyright US Holocaust Memorial Museum Image caption Aerial view of the Nazi death camp at Sobibor
Unlike some facilities which also functioned as labour camps, Sobibor was among the Nazi camps built solely to exterminate Jews.
After the 1943 uprising, the Nazi guards shot dead all the remaining prisoners and destroyed the camp. They planted it over in an attempt to cover up their crimes.
But archaeologists have since discovered the foundations of gas chambers and a train platform. ||||| BERLIN (AP) — Arkady Waispapir, one of the last known survivors of the Nazis' Sobibor death camp, has died in Ukraine. He was 96.
The Berlin-based Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe said Monday that Waispapir died Jan. 11 in Kiev.
Born in southern Ukraine in 1921, Waispapir was captured by the Germans while serving in the Soviet Army. He was sent to the Sobibor camp in occupied Poland in 1943 because he was Jewish.
At Sobibor, Waispapir was ordered to a work detail, one of the few inmates spared immediate death in the camp's gas chambers.
Prisoners organized an uprising against the guards in October 1943, and succeeded in killing nearly a dozen.
Waispapir was one of the eight main organizers who used their training as soldiers to help devise the plan for the uprising. In the end, about half of the camp's 600 prisoners managed to escape, although about 100 were caught almost immediately. Of the 200 who evaded capture for longer, only 47, including Waispapir, survived World War II.
Following the uprising, the Nazi guards shot the remaining prisoners and razed the camp. Between March 1942 and October 1943, about 167,000 people were killed there, almost all of them Jews, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Waispapier's death leaves four living survivors of Sobibor, according to Pawel Sawicki, a spokesman for the Auschwitz memorial and museum
Waispapier lost his entire family during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, according to the German Holocaust memorial. He married after the war and had two sons, the memorial said, without providing further details.
Waispapir lived and worked in eastern Ukraine until retiring in 1994 and moving to Kiev.
___
This story has been corrected to state that Waispapir was one of only a few remaining Sobibor survivors, not the last survivor. ||||| Some 250,000 prisoners — virtually all of them Jews — died at the camp. Blatt's father, mother and brother were taken to one of the camp's five gas chambers, just after the family arrived from their village in Poland. Blatt was chosen, seemingly at random, as a camp laborer. One of his jobs was to cut the hair of women who had been stripped before their executions. Their hair was shipped off for use in military footwear.
|
– Almost everyone who entered Sobibor perished inside. Now, one of the last known survivors of the camp in Poland has died. Arkady Waispapir was 96. The BBC reports an estimated 250,000 Jews were thought to have been killed at the concentration camp, which was the site of a famous camp-wide revolt in October 1943 that saw roughly 300 prisoners escape; the Los Angeles Times has called it the only mass escape from a WWII concentration camp. About a third were quickly recaptured, and of the rest, just 47 survived the war. Waispapir was both among their ranks and a leader of the rebellion, which the Nazis responded to by killing those prisoners who remained and demolishing the camp. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe said Monday that Waispapir died Jan. 11 in Kiev, Ukraine, the country of his birth. He was captured by German forces while serving in the Soviet Army and transported to Sobibor because he was Jewish. The war wiped out his entire family; he ultimately married and had two sons. The AP cites a rep for the Auschwitz memorial and museum who says four living survivors of Sobibor now remain. (Gas chambers were later discovered at the razed camp.)
|
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Defense attorney Harvey Fishbein, left, speaks to reporters during a break in the trial of Pedro Hernandez in New York, Tuesday, May 5, 2015. Jurors deliberating in the murder trial of Hernandez, a man... (Associated Press)
Defense attorney Harvey Fishbein, left, speaks to reporters during a break in the trial of Pedro Hernandez in New York, Tuesday, May 5, 2015. Jurors deliberating in the murder trial of Hernandez, a man... (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jurors deliberating a verdict in the 36-year-old missing-child case of Etan Patz said Tuesday they were deadlocked for a second time, but a judge told them to keep trying.
The jury sent a midday note saying it was still stuck after deliberating since April 15 in the case against Pedro Hernandez. He admitted killing Etan, one of the first missing children ever pictured on a milk carton, but his defense says the confession is false.
"After serious, significant and thorough deliberations, we still are still unable to reach a unanimous verdict," wrote the jury, which has reviewed dozens of exhibits, re-listened to hours of testimony and both sides' closing arguments, and even created a spreadsheet to organize the discussion.
The defense asked Tuesday for a mistrial, arguing that the deliberations had gone on long enough.
"This is a tired jury that says it can't reach a verdict, and we asked the judge to respect that," defense lawyer Harvey Fishbein said outside court.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, sought an instruction telling jurors to reconsider their views. State Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley instead only asked them to keep deliberating, while reminding them they weren't required to reach a verdict.
Etan disappeared while walking to his school bus stop on May 25, 1979. The anniversary would become National Missing Children's Day after his case helped draw national attention to the cause of missing children.
Investigators dogged leads for decades before Hernandez — who had never been a suspect — told authorities in 2012 that he had choked Etan after offering a soda to lure the boy to the basement of a store where he worked. Hernandez, now 54, said he had put Etan's body in a box and walked it a few blocks away.
Etan's body has never been found.
Long before a tip led police to Hernandez' door in Maple Shade, New Jersey, he told some friends and relatives he'd killed a child in New York. His lawyers say all his confessions are imaginary, produced by mental illness. They also have pointed to a longtime suspect who was never charged. ||||| Photo
The jury in the Etan Patz murder trial ended its 15th day of deliberations on Tuesday without reaching a verdict, after sending a note to the judge earlier in the day saying it was deadlocked.
It was the second time that the jury had reported that it was at an impasse during three weeks of intense talks, increasing the possibility that the closely watched trial would end with a hung jury and leave one of the most infamous crimes in the city’s history unresolved.
As he did in the earlier instance, Justice Maxwell Wiley of State Supreme Court in Manhattan directed the jurors to continue deliberating, urging them not to worry about the possibility their decision might be scrutinized and second-guessed because Etan’s disappearance was a high-profile crime.
The latest note from the jury of seven men and five women was sent to Justice Wiley at 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday. It was the jury’s first communication with the judge since Monday morning. “We the jury would like the court to know that after serious, significant and thorough deliberations we remain unable to reach a unanimous decision,” the note read.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
The defense moved for a mistrial, but Justice Wiley denied the motion. A few minutes later, the judge called the jurors into the courtroom and urged them to keep trying. “Only 12 people in this world have listened to and seen all the evidence in this case,” he said. “Those 12 people are you.”
|
– "We the jury would like the court to know that after serious significant and thorough deliberations we remain unable to reach a unanimous decision," reads the note from the jury in the Etan Patz case, admitting today that for a second time in nearly three weeks of deliberations they were unable to reach consensus as to whether Pedro Hernandez is guilty in the 1979 kidnapping and murder of the 6-year-old New York City boy. The judge's response was the same this time, as the New York Times reports: Keep going. This despite a defense request for a mistrial, notes the AP. "This is a tired jury that says it can't reach a verdict, and we asked the judge to respect that," says Hernandez's lawyer. Key in the case is Hernandez's confession, which the defense maintains was fiction under duress.
|
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Tweet with a location
You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Global warming is not expected to end anytime soon, despite what Breitbart.com wrote in an article published last week .
Though we would prefer to focus on our usual coverage of weather and climate science, in this case we felt it important to add our two cents — especially because a video clip from weather.com (La Niña in Pacific Affects Weather in New England ) was prominently featured at the top of the Breitbart article. Breitbart had the legal right to use this clip as part of a content-sharing agreement with another company, but there should be no assumption that The Weather Company endorses the article associated with it.
The Breitbart article – a prime example of cherry picking, or pulling a single item out of context to build a misleading case – includes this statement: "The last three years may eventually come to be seen as the final death rattle of the global warming scare."
In fact, thousands of researchers and scientific societies are in agreement that greenhouse gases produced by human activity are warming the planet’s climate and will keep doing so.
Along with its presence on the high-profile Breitbart site, the article drew even more attention after a link to it was retweeted by the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology .
The Breitbart article heavily references a piece that first appeared on U.K. Daily Mail’s site.
Here’s where both articles went wrong:
CLAIM : "Global land temperatures have plummeted by one degree Celsius since the middle of this year – the biggest and steepest fall on record."
TRUTH : This number comes from one satellite-based estimate of temperatures above land areas in the lower atmosphere. Data from the other two groups that regularly publish satellite-based temperature estimates show smaller drops, more typical of the decline one would expect after a strong El Niño event.
Temperatures over land give an incomplete picture of global-scale temperature. Most of the planet – about 70 percent – is covered by water, and the land surface warms and cools more quickly than the ocean. Land-plus-ocean data from the other two satellite groups, released after the Breitbart article, show that Earth’s lower atmosphere actually set a record high in November 2016.
CLAIM : "It can be argued that without the El Niño (and the so-called "Pacific Blob") 2014-2016 would not have been record warm years." (David Whitehouse, Global Warming Policy Foundation, quoted by Breitbart)
TRUTH : NOAA data show that the 2014-16 El Niño did not even begin until October 2014. It was a borderline event until mid-2015, barely above the El Niño threshold. El Niño clearly added to the strength of the record global warmth observed since late 2015. However, if the El Niño spike is removed, 2016 is still the warmest year on record and 2015 the second warmest , according to climate scientist Zeke Hausfather (Berkeley Earth).
CLAIM : "Many think that 2017 will be cooler than previous years. Myles Allen of Oxford University says that by the time of the next big United Nations climate conference, global temperatures are likely to be no warmer than the Paris COP in 2015. This would be a strange thing to happen if, as some climate scientists have claimed, recent years would have been a record even without the El Niño." (David Rose, U.K. Daily Mail, quoted by Breitbart)
TRUTH : There is nothing unusual about a drop in global surface temperatures when going from El Niño to La Nina. These ups and downs occur on top of the long-term warming trend that remains when the El Niño and La Niña signals are removed. If there were no long-term trend, then we would see global record lows occurring during the strongest La Niña events. However, the last year to see global temperatures hit a record low was 1911, and the most recent year that fell below the 20th-century average was 1976.
For an even deeper dive on the science, we recommend the blog by our experts .
Finally, to our friends at Breitbart: The next time you write a climate change article and need fact checking help, please call. We're here for you. I'm sure we both agree this topic is too important to get wrong.
MORE ON WEATHER.COM: NASA Documents Worldwide Ice Loss ||||| The Weather Channel has been known to publish rubbish articles like “Woman Hit By Waves During Selfie” and “Before the Bikini: Vintage Beach Photos.” But even the channels’s thirsty editors can brutally own the internet’s bullshit vendors. A brand new segment calls out the climate change-denying reporting at Breitbart, and it’s two minutes’ of burns.
Reporter Kait Parker posted a compelling video today that condemns the conservative website for misrepresenting her own climate report as well as climate change data in general.
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“Last week, Breitbart-dot-com published a story claiming global warming is nothing but a scare, and global temperatures were actually falling,” Parker says in her new video retort. “The problem is, they used a completely unrelated video about La Niña with my face in it to attempt to back their point.”
Parker is referencing a now-famous Breitbart story titled “Global Temperatures Plunge. Icy Silence From Climate Alarmists” that was published last week. The story was riddled with errors and erroneous scientific data. But what made matters worse is that the US House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology tweeted the story out as evidence of climate change denial.
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The story alone wouldn’t have been so bad—Breitbart’s track record on science news is abysmal—but when the US House Committee tweeted out the link, it lent credibility to the story that it simply didn’t deserve. Scientists and politicians voiced their frustrations to no avail. And Parker defended her story with good old fashioned facts, helping climate change skeptics understand what’s really happening to planet Earth as outlets like Breitbart mislead millions of readers.
Then, the Weather Channel launched an all-out assault against Breitbart News, and the lies it’s spreading about climate change. The team published a line-by-line retort to the false Brietbart post titled explaining how it got the facts wrong.
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The skewered climate change article is hardly the only one of its ilk to grace the pages of Breitbart.com, though. The conservative website has been promoting misinformation about climate change for years, having published shady science stories with headlines like, “Rebutting Climate Alarmists With Simple Facts,” “Climate Change: The Hoax That Costs Us $4 Billion a Day,” and “Climate Change: The Greatest-Ever Conspiracy Against The Taxpayer.”
We’ve reached out to Breitbart for comment on the takedown and will update this post if we hear back. ||||| Global land temperatures have plummeted by one degree Celsius since the middle of this year – the biggest and steepest fall on record.
But the news has been greeted with an eerie silence by the world’s alarmist community. You’d almost imagine that when temperatures shoot up it’s catastrophic climate change which requires dramatic headlines across the mainstream media and demands for urgent action. But that when they fall even more precipitously it’s just a case of “nothing to see here”.
The cause of the fall is a La Nina event following in the wake of an unusual strong El Nino.
As David Rose reports:
Big El Ninos always have an immense impact on world weather, triggering higher than normal temperatures over huge swathes of the world. The 2015-16 El Nino was probably the strongest since accurate measurements began, with the water up to 3C warmer than usual. It has now been replaced by a La Nina event – when the water in the same Pacific region turns colder than normal. This also has worldwide impacts, driving temperatures down rather than up. The satellite measurements over land respond quickly to El Nino and La Nina. Temperatures over the sea are also falling, but not as fast, because the sea retains heat for longer. This means it is possible that by some yardsticks, 2016 will be declared as hot as 2015 or even slightly hotter – because El Nino did not vanish until the middle of the year. But it is almost certain that next year, large falls will also be measured over the oceans, and by weather station thermometers on the surface of the planet – exactly as happened after the end of the last very strong El Nino in 1998. If so, some experts will be forced to eat their words.
Yes indeed. I recommend this sober assessment of the situation written earlier this month by Dr. David Whitehouse, science editor of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
With 2016 being predicted as a record warm year it is interesting to speculate on what the El Nino’s contribution will be, which is, in a word, everything. It can be argued that without the El Nino (and the so-called “Pacific Blob”) 2014-2016 would not have been record warm years.
He calls the cooling a “reality check”, noting:
Many think that 2017 will be cooler than previous years. Myles Allen of Oxford University says that by the time of the next big United Nations climate conference global temperatures are likely to be no warmer than the Paris COP in 2015. This would be a strange thing to happen if, as some climate scientists have claimed, recent years would have been a record even without the El Nino.
The last three years may eventually come to be seen as the final death rattle of the global warming scare. Thanks what’s now recognised as an unusually strong El Nino, global temperatures were driven to sufficiently high levels to revive the alarmist narrative – after an unhelpful pause period of nearly 20 years – that the world had got hotter than ever before.
It resulted in a slew of “Hottest Year Evah” stories from the usual suspects. As I patiently explained at the time – here, here, and here – this wasn’t science but propaganda. If you’re a reader of Breitbart or one of the sceptical websites this will hardly have come as news to you. But, of course, across much of the mainstream media – and, of course, on all the left-leaning websites – these “Hottest Year Evah” stories were relayed as fact. And, inevitably, were often cited by a host of experts on Twitter as proof that evil deniers are, like, anti-science and totally evil and really should be thrown in prison for sacrificing the future of the world’s children by promoting Big-Oil-funded denialism.
This is why there is such an ideological divide regarding climate change between those on the left and those on the right. The lefties get their climate information from unreliable fake news sites like Buzzfeed.
Just recently, I had to school my former Telegraph colleague Tom Chivers, now of Buzzfeed, with a piece titled Debunked: Another Buzzfeed ‘Hottest Year Evah’ Story.
Perhaps I’m wrong: I don’t actually look at Buzzfeed, except when they’re doing something worthwhile like “Five Deadliest Killer Sharks” or “Ten Cutest Kitten Photos”. But I’ve a strong suspicion they haven’t yet covered this 1 degree C temperature fall because, well why would they? It just wouldn’t suit their alarmist narrative.
|
– The world is getting warmer—and Breitbart.com just got burned. The Weather Channel laid into the conservative site Tuesday for using one of its videos in what it says was a misleading article, which claimed the "last three years may eventually come to be seen as the final death rattle of the global warming scare." The channel says the Breitbart story is a "prime example of cherry picking, or pulling a single item out of context to build a misleading case," noting that "thousands of researchers and scientific societies are in agreement that greenhouse gases produced by human activity are warming the planet's climate and will keep doing so" and rebutting the scientific claims made in the article; the piece was retweeted by the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology. Weather Channel scientist Kait Parker rips the Breitbart story apart in a video retort, reports Gizmodo, which notes that the site has been publishing "skewed" climate change stories for years. Breitbart published a story claiming "global warming is nothing but a scare, and global temperatures were actually falling," Parker says. "The problem is, they used a completely unrelated video about La Niña with my face in it to attempt to back their point." She goes on to say: "Cherry picking and changing the facts will not change the future, not the fact—note: fact, not opinion—that the Earth is warming." The Weather Channel says Breitbart should get in touch the next time it needs help fact-checking a climate change article, because "this topic is too important to get wrong."
|
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Image copyright Tolga Akmen/FT Image caption Hostesses were allegedly groped at the men-only charity dinner, held at London's upmarket Dorchester Hotel
A man who helped organise a men-only charity dinner, where hostesses were allegedly groped, has quit the Department for Education board.
David Meller quit his non-executive role after claims about the event by an undercover FT reporter.
Charities are refusing donations from the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, at London's Dorchester Hotel.
Event compere David Walliams said he was "appalled" by the claims but had not witnessed anything.
The comedian and author tweeted that he was there in a "strictly professional capacity" and not as a guest.
Skip Twitter post by @davidwalliams 2) I left immediately after I had finished my presenting on stage at 11.30pm. I did not witness any of the kind of behaviour that allegedly occurred and am absolutely appalled by the reports. — David Walliams (@davidwalliams) January 24, 2018 Report
The Presidents Club said it would investigate, while the Dorchester said it was "deeply concerned" and was also looking into the claims.
Great Ormond Street Hospital and Evelina London Children's Hospital have said they will return previous donations from the organisers following the allegations.
The only women at last Thursday's event, attended by senior figures in business and finance, were hired hostesses.
What happened at the charity dinner?
Madison Marriage, the Financial Times reporter who worked at the event, said she and "numerous other hostesses" were groped at the event.
She said the 130 hostesses were told to wear skimpy black outfits with matching underwear and high heels and also that they could drink alcohol while working.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Financial Times journalist Madison Marriage: “I was groped several times”
They were asked to sign a five-page non-disclosure agreement about the event upon arrival at the hotel, Ms Marriage said, and were not warned they might be sexually harassed.
She told BBC Newsnight she was groped "several times" and said: "It's a hands up skirts, hands on bums but also hands on hips, hands on stomachs, arms going round your waist unexpectedly.
"This isn't, I suppose, a high-level groping, but one of the strangest things was you could be talking to a man and he'd suddenly start holding your hand."
She said there were other women there "who had absolutely no idea that was the kind of event it would be".
"I had one woman tell me that she was shocked," she said. "She was asked if she was a prostitute on the night."
What have charities said?
Over more than 30 years, the annual dinner has raised £20m for children's charities, including Great Ormond Street Hospital and Evelina London Children's Hospital.
Great Ormond Street said it was "shocked" and a spokeswoman for Evelina London Children's Hospital said it was "alarmed" by the allegations.
The hospitals have said they will return previous donations from the organisers of the dinner following the reports.
The Charity Commission said it was investigating the claims "as a matter of urgency".
Who attended?
Former Department for Education non-executive board member David Meller, new education minister Nadhim Zahawi and retail tycoon Sir Philip Green were among the men who attended.
Responding to an urgent question in the House of Commons, education minister Anne Milton told MPs that Mr Meller had quit his role following the allegations.
She said Mr Meller, founder of the Meller Educational Trust, was "absolutely clear" that stepping down was the "right thing to do".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Labour MP Jess Philips: 'Lads' culture has no place in country'
Ms Milton said allegations of this type of behaviour were "completely unacceptable" and that board members were required to follow a code of conduct.
"It is quite extraordinary to me that, in the 21st Century, allegations of this kind are still emerging," she said.
"Women have the right to feel safe wherever they work."
Image copyright PA Image caption Education minister Anne Milton said David Meller was "absolutely clear" that stepping down was the "right thing to do"
Mr Meller has also resigned as a trustee of the Mayor's Fund for London.
A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Zahawi had "attended briefly and felt uncomfortable at what had begun to happen."
Mr Zahawi told Newsnight: "I didn't stay long enough to really comment on the occasion."
Mr Zahawi later tweeted: "I do unequivocally condemn this behaviour. The report is truly shocking. I will never attend a men only function ever."
But Labour's Sarah Jones said Mr Zahawi should resign if he did not report his concerns and had attended on previous occasions, while shadow eduction secretary Angela Rayner called for an investigation into his attendance.
The Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister had confidence in Mr Zahawi and he was not being referred for investigation.
The Department for Education said Mr Meller and Mr Zahawi had both attended in a personal capacity.
What do the organisers say?
In a statement, the Presidents Club said: "The organisers are appalled by the allegations of bad behaviour at the event asserted by the Financial Times reporters. Such behaviour is totally unacceptable.
"The allegations will be investigated fully and promptly and appropriate action taken."
A spokesman for the Artista agency, which recruited the hostesses, said: "I was not aware of any claims of sexual harassment but the kind of behaviour alleged is completely unacceptable.
"I am checking with the staff and any complaints will be dealt with promptly and fairly."
What do women's groups say?
Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality and women's rights, said: "Sexual harassment, but all in a good cause? This is completely outrageous and proves why we need sexual harassment by clients or customers to be covered by law.
"At the moment, these women are unable to hold their employer to account for putting them in that situation."
How have businesses reacted?
WPP, the world's biggest advertising agency, which had sponsored a table at the dinner, said it was withdrawing its future support.
Boss Sir Martin Sorrell, who did not attend, told BBC Radio 4's Today his guests did not see such behaviour and said: "We won't support the charity in future, which is regrettable because it is a charity that supports numerous children's charities and has done a lot of good work."
Real estate investment business Frogmore said the guests at its table were "unaware of any of the described events but in no way condone this behaviour" and it will now end its association with the event.
Part of the event included a charity auction, with one of the prizes being the chance to have tea with Bank of England governor Mark Carney.
However, a Bank of England spokesman said it was not aware of the dinner and "did not approve any prize".
He said it was understood a prize donated by the Bank to the Lord Mayor's Appeal charity auction had been re-gifted by the winner to the Presidents Club event.
"The unauthorised re-auctioning of the prize at the Presidents Club dinner was clearly against the spirit of the original donation," he said.
"The Bank has therefore made clear that it has been withdrawn."
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director-general, said: "If even half of what's been written about this event is true, it is deplorable and confirms how far we have still to go to stamp out sexual harassment."
What do politicians say?
Downing Street said the prime minister was "uncomfortable" at the reports about the dinner and a spokesman added that it was "an event she wouldn't be invited to".
Another auction prize included lunch with Boris Johnson, but Ms Milton said the foreign secretary knew nothing of his inclusion and in no way endorsed the event.
Maria Miller, chair of the Women and Equalities select committee, told the BBC the report gave "cause for concern" and brought into question whether laws in the area were strong enough.
Jess Phillips MP, who chairs the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party, told the BBC it was "totally unacceptable that women should be hired in as a herd to entertain a group of entitled rich men".
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "This is brave reporting from the FT, exposing behaviour that is outrageous and unacceptable."
Skip Twitter post by @NicolaSturgeon On a day when I am having to respond to the media at its worst, here’s an example of it at its very best. This is brave reporting from @FT, exposing behaviour that is outrageous and unacceptable. So depressing to think that this still happens in 2018. https://t.co/V9kgGGZYnL — Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 24, 2018 Report
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Jo Swinson said the allegations were "deeply disturbing".
Have you ever worked as a hostess at an event like this? Please share your experiences with us by emailing [email protected]
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At 10pm last Thursday night, Jonny Gould took to the stage in the ballroom at London’s Dorchester Hotel. “Welcome to the most un-PC event of the year,” he roared.
Mr Gould — who presented Channel 5’s Major League Baseball show — was there to host a charity auction, the centrepiece of a secretive annual event, the Presidents Club Charity Dinner.
The gathering’s official purpose is to raise money for worthy causes such as Great Ormond Street Hospital, the world-renowned children’s hospital in London’s Bloomsbury district.
Auction items included lunch with Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, and afternoon tea with Bank of England governor Mark Carney.
But this is a charity fundraiser like no other.
Auction lots included a lunch with foreign secretary Boris Johnson and former England cricketer Ian Botham
It is for men only. A black tie evening, Thursday’s event was attended by 360 figures from British business, politics and finance and the entertainment included 130 specially hired hostesses.
All of the women were told to wear skimpy black outfits with matching underwear and high heels. At an after-party many hostesses — some of them students earning extra cash — were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned.
The event has been a mainstay of London’s social calendar for 33 years, yet the activities have remained largely unreported — unusual, perhaps, for a fundraiser of its scale.
The questions raised about the event have been thrown into sharp relief by the current business climate, when bastions of sexual harassment and the institutionalised objectification of women are being torn down.
The Financial Times last week sent two people undercover to work as hostesses on the night. Reporters also gained access to the dining hall and surrounding bars.
Over the course of six hours, many of the hostesses were subjected to groping, lewd comments and repeated requests to join diners in bedrooms elsewhere in the Dorchester.
Many of the hostesses were subjected to groping, lewd comments and requests to join diners in bedrooms elsewhere in the Dorchester
Hostesses reported men repeatedly putting hands up their skirts; one said an attendee had exposed his penis to her during the evening.
WPP, the FTSE 100 advertising conglomerate, sponsored a table at the event as it has in previous years. Martin Sorrell, chief executive, was not present this year — though he has attended in the past.
Andrew Scott, its chief operating officer for Europe, hosted the table in his absence. Other table sponsors included CMC Markets, the UK-listed spread betting company, and Frogmore, the London-based real estate investment business.
A seating plan for last week’s event seen by the FT listed those due to attend as including well-known British business figures such as Philip Green of Arcadia Group, Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones, and Ocado boss Tim Steiner.
Financiers on the seating plan included Henry Gabay, founder of hedge fund Duet Group, and Makram Azar, the head of Barclays’ investment bank’s Middle East business. From the world of politics were Nadhim Zahawi, newly appointed undersecretary of state for children and families, and Jonathan Mendelsohn, a Labour peer and party fundraiser. It is not clear whether those listed all turned up on the night.
The comedian David Walliams was the host for the evening. Previous attendees have included Michael Sherwood, a former vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs, and Poju Zabludowicz, a Finnish real estate billionaire and Conservative party donor.
Current and past supporters provide a roll call of British wealth and business influence: patrons include high-end developer Nick Candy; former Formula 1 magnate Bernie Ecclestone; and TV presenter Vernon Kay. CMC Markets founder Peter Cruddas is also a regular attendee.
The event has a laudable fundraising aim with prestigious prizes offered for auction. During the three decades The Presidents Club has been running, it has raised more than £20m for charity. Thursday’s event alone raised more than £2m.
The winner of Lot 7 can host a night at Soho's Windmill Club for up to 100 guests and 50 exotic dancers. The prize includes the first lapdance free, a glass of champagne and a smoked salmon bagel © FT montage; Dreamstime
The organisation’s charitable trust has two joint chairmen: Bruce Ritchie, a Mayfair property developer who founded Residential Land, and David Meller, from the luxury good specialist Meller Group, who also sits on the board of the Department for Education and the Mayor’s Fund for London.
But the auction offers a hint of the evening’s seedier side. Lots included a night at Soho’s Windmill strip club and a course of plastic surgery with the invitation to: “Add spice to your wife.”
The accompanying brochure included a full-page warning that no attendees or staff should be sexually harassed. The glossy auction catalogue distributed to attendees during the evening included multiple images of Marilyn Monroe dressed in revealing, tight dresses.
The nature of the occasion was hinted at when the hostesses were hired. The task of finding women for the dinner is entrusted to Caroline Dandridge, founder of Artista, an agency specialising in hosts and hostesses for what it claims to be some of the “UK’s most prestigious occasions”.
It’s a Marmite job. Some girls love it, and for other girls it’s the worst job of their life and they will never do it again
At their initial interviews, women were warned by Ms Dandridge that the men in attendance might be “annoying” or try to get the hostesses “pissed”. One hostess was advised to lie to her boyfriend about the fact it was a male-only event. “Tell him it’s a charity dinner,” she was told.
“It’s a Marmite job. Some girls love it, and for other girls it’s the worst job of their life and they will never do it again . . . You just have to put up with the annoying men and if you can do that it’s fine,” Ms Dandridge told the hostess.
Two days before the event, Ms Dandridge told prospective hostesses by email that their phones would be “safely locked away” for the evening and that boyfriends and girlfriends were not welcome at the venue.
The uniform requirements also became more detailed: all hostesses should bring “BLACK sexy shoes”, black underwear, and do their hair and make-up as they would to go to a “smart sexy place”. Dresses and belts would be supplied on the day.
For those who met the three specific selection criteria (“tall, thin and pretty”) a job paying £150, plus £25 for a taxi home, began at 4pm.
The backgrounds of the dozen or more hostesses met by reporters were varied: many were students, hoping to launch careers as lawyers or marketing executives; others juggled part-time jobs as actresses, dancers or models and did occasional hostessing work to make ends meet.
Upon arrival at the Dorchester, the first task given to the hostesses was to sign a five-page non-disclosure agreement about the event. Hostesses were not given a chance to read its contents, or take a copy with them after signing.
At first, hostesses were assembled in the Dorchester’s Orchard Room, where a team of hair and make-up artists prepped women for the evening ahead. During the pre-event preparations, some of the women new to hostess work sought advice from those with more experience. The feedback was mixed.
A number of the hostesses seemed excited about the evening ahead. It was a fun night, they said, especially as — unlike most hostessing assignments — you could drink on the job.
One experienced hostess acknowledged that a portion of the men were likely to be “arseholes”, but said others were “hilarious”. “It really depends on the luck of the draw,” she added.
Lot 8 offers procedures including rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast augmentation or facial enhancements and invites the winner to 'add spice to your wife' © FT montage; Dreamstime
Others were more apprehensive. One woman who had last worked at the event five years ago sighed to herself: “I can’t believe I’m here again.”
Towards 7pm, during a staff buffet dinner, Ms Dandridge entered wearing a smart black suit and gave a briefing; she said if any of the men became “too annoying”, the hostesses should contact her.
Hostess uniforms were distributed — short tight black dresses, black high heels and a thick black belt resembling a corset. Once dressed, the hostesses were offered a glass of white wine during the final countdown to their entrance into the ballroom.
As the 8pm start time approached, all of the hostesses were told to form two lines in height order, tallest women first, ready to parade across the stage as music began to boom across the venue: “Power”, by British girl band Little Mix.
Entering in twos from opposite sides on to a stage positioned at the front of the ballroom, hostesses presented themselves to the men before walking towards their allocated tables alongside dinner guests. This continued until all 130 women were spread across the room.
With the dinner properly under way, the hostess brief was simple: keep this mix of British and foreign businessmen, the odd lord, politicians, oligarchs, property tycoons, film producers, financiers, and chief executives happy — and fetch drinks when required.
A number of men stood with the hostesses while waiting for smoked salmon starters to arrive. Others remained seated and yet insisted on holding the hands of their hostesses.
It was unclear why men, seated at their tables with hostesses standing close by, felt the need to hold the hands of the women, but numerous hostesses discussed instances of it through the night. For some, this was a prelude to pulling the women into their laps. Meanwhile champagne, whisky and vodka were served.
On stage, entertainers came and went. It was soon after a troupe of burlesque dancers — dressed like furry-hatted Coldstream Guards, but with star-shaped stickers hiding nipples — that one 19-year-old hostess, recounted a conversation with a guest nearing his seventies: who had asked her, directly, whether she was a prostitute. She was not. “I’ve never done this before, and I’m never doing it again,” she said later. “It’s f***ing scary.”
According to the accounts of multiple women working that night, groping and similar abuse was seen across many of the tables in the room.
Another woman, 28, with experience of hostess work, observing the braying men around her said this was significantly different to previous black tie jobs. At other events, men occasionally would try to flirt with her, she said, but she had never felt uncomfortable or, indeed, frightened.
She reported being repeatedly fondled on her bottom, hips, stomach and legs. One guest lunged at her to kiss her. Another invited her upstairs to his room.
Meanwhile, Artista had an enforcement team, made up of suited women and men, who would tour the ballroom, prodding less active hostesses to interact with dinner guests.
Outside the women’s toilets a monitoring system was in place: women who spent too long were called out and led back to the ballroom. A security guard at the door was on hand, keeping time.
At 10pm, the main money-raising portion of the evening got under way: the charity auction, where the lots on offer ranged from a supercharged Land Rover to the right to name a character in Mr Walliams’ next children's book.
An image from inside the Dorchester during the Presidents Club event captured by hidden camera
Richard Caring, who made his fortune in the retail sourcing business before scooping up a long list of London’s most fashionable restaurants, including The Ivy and Scott’s, rounded off the money-raising portion of the evening with a successful £400,000 bid to place his name on a new High Dependency Unit at the Evelina London children’s hospital for sick children.
It was a moment of respite for the women, most of whom had been allowed to return to the Orchard Room. Some were excited to have been offered jobs by men in the room. Others had been offered large tips, which they had been obliged to decline. One woman struggled to re-apply her eyeliner. “I’m so drunk,” she said apologetically, blaming tequila shots at her table.
The women filed back into the ballroom at 11pm for the final hour of the main event, which would be followed by an “after-party” elsewhere in the hotel.
Most hostesses had been told they would be required to stay until 2am. One was told that this final leg of the evening offered a chance to drink what she wanted and seek out those men she found “most attractive”.
The after-party was held in a smaller room off the main lobby at the Dorchester, packed tight with guests and women.
According to the 28-year-old hostess, while men danced and drank with a set of women on one side of the room, a line of younger women were left seated on a banquette at the back of the room, seemingly dazed. “They looked shocked and frightened, exhausted by what had happened,” she said.
Meanwhile, in the centre of the room, Jimmy Lahoud, 67, a Lebanese businessman and restaurateur, danced enthusiastically with three young women wearing bright red dresses.
By midnight, one society figure who the FT has not yet been able to contact was confronting at least one hostess directly.
The brochure for the Presidents Club dinner warned the male guests against 'harassment and unwanted conduct' © FT
“You look far too sober,” he told her. Filling her glass with champagne, he grabbed her by the waist, pulled her in against his stomach and declared: “I want you to down that glass, rip off your knickers and dance on that table.”
_______
In a statement the Dorchester said it had a zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment of guests or employees. “We are unaware of any allegations and should we be contacted we will work with the relevant authorities as necessary,” it said.
The Presidents Club said: “The Presidents Club recently hosted its annual dinner, raising several million pounds for disadvantaged children. The organisers are appalled by the allegations of bad behaviour at the event asserted by the Financial Times reporters. Such behaviour is totally unacceptable. The allegations will be investigated fully and promptly and appropriate action taken.”
Ms Dandridge of Artista stated: “This is a really important charity fundraising event that has been running for 33 years and raises huge amounts of money for disadvantaged and underprivileged children’s charities. There is a code of conduct that we follow, I am not aware of any reports of sexual harassment and with the calibre of guest, I would be astonished.”
None of the trustees of the charity provided a comment for publication.
Harvey Goldsmith, a former trustee, said he was “gobsmacked” by the accounts of sexual harassment taking place at the event. “I’m totally shocked to be quite frank,” he said.
The BoE said: “The Bank of England did not approve any prize for auction on the occasion described nor would it have for that organisation under its guidelines for charitable giving.”
Mr Walliams declined to comment. Mr Caring said he “was not aware of any of the alleged incidents”.
Barry Townsley, a well-known stockbroker and lifetime president of The Presidents Club who helped to set up the charity, said he had not attended the dinner for a decade. He added that it was previously “very nice and civilised” and a “mild-mannered charity”. “What goes on now is not my business,” he said.
This article has been revised to make clear that the Jonny Gould referred to is not the radio and TV presenter who has worked at (among others) Smooth Radio, talkRADIO, and Sky News. We apologise for the distress caused.
Have you experienced sexual misconduct in the workplace? Tell us about it. You can reach us securely using this form or emailing [email protected]. The most secure way to contact us is via post or SecureDrop.
Letters in response to this article:
Now turn your attention to How To Spend It models / From David Lewisohn and Margaret Wolfe
Such ‘matters’ are all about people, and lives being lived / From Brian China, Leicester, UK
Now turn your attention closer to home, FT / From Prof Roger Levy, London School of Economics, UK
Expose the powerful men who exploit their position / From Angela Boyle, Cambridge, UK
The sleaze is secondary to the outmoded thinking / From Dr Anže Slosar, London, UK
In 30 years there has been not one formal complaint about this charity event / From Samuel Beilin, Liverpool, UK
Attendees should be made to pay up all over again / From Judith Martin, Winchester, Hants, UK
Turn your firepower on the Carillion story / From Paul Lyristis, London, UK
The imbalance of power is there for all to see / From Keeley-Jasmine Cavendish, London, UK
Exposé may result in less money for good causes / From Michael Davis, Antwerp, Belgium
Your article told me more than any annual report / From Lewis Bassett, London, UK
The online comments point to your exposé’s relevance / From Peter Krijgsman, Taunton, Somerset, UK
|
– On the surface, it was a respectable event that raised $2.8 million for charities including a world-renowned children's hospital. But a bit of digging reveals London's men-only Presidents Club Charity Dinner is the opposite of respectable, reports the Financial Times. The newspaper sent a pair of undercover female reporters to the annual event Thursday to serve as hostesses. Two of 130 women instructed to wear "skimpy black outfits with matching underwear and high heels" while serving 360 powerful male guests, they describe groping, lewd comments, and propositions for sex at the black-tie event at the Dorchester Hotel. Some hostesses said men repeatedly put hands up their skirts. One hostess said a guest exposed his penis to her, the Times reports. A single hostess said she was invited to an upstairs room; fondled on her butt, hips, stomach, and legs; and had to escape an unwanted kiss. Several hostesses—many of whom were students—also described men insisting on holding their hands. During an after-party, which hostesses were required to attend, one guest reportedly told a woman to "rip off your knickers and dance on that table." This came in stark contrast to an event pamphlet carrying "a full-page warning that no attendees or staff should be sexually harassed," per the Times. Event organizers now say they're looking into the "totally unacceptable" allegations. Meanwhile, UK Department for Education board member David Meller has resigned over his attendance, while "shocked" and "alarmed" charities are refusing donations tied to the event, reports the BBC.
|
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Roberto Carcelen (No. 92) of Seattle, competing for Peru, finished in last place in the Men's Cross-Country 15km Classic. He was greeted at the finish line by Nepal's Dachhiri Sherpa (No. 91) and gold medalist Dario Cologna of Switzerland (No. 95). Cologna finished nearly 30 minutes ahead of Carcelen, but returned to the finish to greet him. ||||| Originally published February 3, 2010 at 10:00 PM | Page modified February 3, 2010 at 11:32 PM
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Roberto Carcelén, who now lives in Seattle, met his wife through an online-dating service and learned cross-country skiing only about five years ago. Yet he'll be in Vancouver, B.C., later this month as Peru's first and only Winter Olympian.
History starts with a love story.
It starts with a Peruvian man falling head over skis for an American woman in cyberspace. It starts with a connection, forged through instant messaging, that bridges the 5,000 miles between Lima, Peru, and Seattle. It starts with two people, so shy they were hesitant to e-mail pictures, pecking feverishly on their laptops five hours a day for five months and realizing they shared the same favorite books, the same beliefs about family and the same no-limit style of dreaming.
History starts with love at first byte.
"When you're chatting like that, at the end of the day, you fall in love with who the person really is," Roberto Carcelén says.
"It sounds corny, but you kind of know when you've found that person," Kate Carcelén says.
We might need Celine Dion, Enrique Iglesias and Whitney Houston to sing this ballad. Seldom does a corny ol' love story carry groundbreaking significance.
If he hadn't met his future wife seven years ago, Roberto Carcelén would not be on his way to Vancouver to make Olympic history. He would not be living in Seattle, or cross-country skiing, or scheduling an interview with NBC's "Today." He would not be a pioneer, the first person from Peru to compete in the Winter Olympics.
We all could use his brand of destiny.
"It worked out well for us," Carcelén said, grinning. "I hear a lot of people who date online, it didn't work out well for them. Lucky me."
Olympians typically don't start skiing at age 34. Then again, you don't find The One on lavalife.com.
Carcelén always lives with the best intentions and, it seems, the best results. At first, he went online seven years ago because he planned to travel from Peru to California for a marathon and he wanted to meet active Americans. He found Kate Clement, saw parts of himself in her inviting personality and love for the outdoors, and he forgot about that marathon.
After all those instant-messaging sessions, they decided to meet in Miami in March 2003. Carcelén stayed in the United States for the next two months to be with Kate. He then returned to Lima, handed his printing business over to his family and moved to Seattle. The couple married that July.
About five years ago, Kate introduced Roberto to skiing. He loves surfing and running. In his 20s, he was an elite Peruvian surfer, but the water in Seattle is too cold for him. When Kate likened skiing to surfing on frozen water, Roberto became intrigued.
"It was hilarious at first," said Roberto, who now is 39 and lives in Leschi. "I probably fell every 40 feet. People looked at me, laughed and said, 'Ah, it's your first time.' "
After a few months, though, he showed remarkable improvement. His technique remained poor, but he possessed an incredible will.
Kent Murdoch, a local skier who now helps coach Carcelén, remembers the Peruvian competing in a race four years ago. He was raw yet fascinating.
"He was doing the right motion, but it was not a very refined motion," Murdoch recalled. "Most people who don't learn to ski as a child have a very difficult time as an adult. But his fitness level was really, really high. He kind of willed himself up hills."
Even then, Carcelén had a crystallized vision: He wanted to represent Peru in the Winter Olympics. He watched the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, on television and started envisioning history. Peru has mountains and snow, but children don't grow up snowboarding or bobsledding or skiing.
One problem, Carcelén said, is the snow is at too high of an elevation.
"It's pretty crazy up there," he said. "I don't think cross-country skiing will work. That will kill you."
Another problem: Carcelén believes Peruvians can be too laid back.
"We take a different approach to life," he said. "We kind of like living life in a good way. With sports, we're not like other cultures. We like food, wine and partying. We have an active community, but we like all things."
Four snowboarders from Peru were supposed to compete in the Games in Turin four years ago, but they failed to register for their events and could not participate.
Because his country had little experience with even Winter Olympics logistics, the challenge would be more than just an athletic one for Carcelén.
He and Kate have a 2-year-old daughter, Francesca. She doesn't fully comprehend what her father is about to do. She doesn't know she was born in the middle of an improbable quest that already has cost the family about $60,000. But whenever Francesca sees skiers on television, she's overcome with joy.
"Papa!" she exclaims.
Papa is the real deal now. He has gone from local act to international competitor. To qualify for the Olympics, he had to meet the standards of the International Ski Federation for the 15-kilometer freestyle event. He had to earn 300 points or less in five sanctioned races. The point system is calculated by how close a skier comes to the first-place finisher. Being within 25 percent earns 300 points. The closer you finish, the lower your score.
This Olympic bid took Carcelén to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Czech Republic. He qualified two months ago at an event at Silver Star Mountain Resort in British Columbia. He didn't celebrate too much, however.
The day before that race, he found out his mother has an advanced form of liver cancer.
He barely could focus during the qualifying race. He had no energy. His dream, four years in the making, felt inconsequential. He earned his Olympic berth that day mostly because he didn't know what else to do.
"That was a big bomb for us," Carcelén said. "My mom is one of my main supporters. Knowing she's been hit with a disease, it hits me, too. I couldn't take it. The only thing I could hold onto was that I wanted to make the Olympics to make her smile."
Soon after the race, he flew home to Peru for a week. His mother is doing OK, he said. Just OK. She was hospitalized for a month and caught pneumonia twice. She's now undergoing her second round of chemotherapy.
Her struggles have reminded Carcelén that he's competing for more than himself, for more than his wife and daughter, for more than his entire family even.
This is for Peru.
His country is worth all those travel expenses. It's worth all those trips to Snoqualmie Pass. It's worth the extra day-care costs for Francesca and the price of equipment and the effort required to train four hours a day.
Carcelén, a marketing consultant who also owns a Peruvian company (Inca Runners) that gives running tours through the Andes for athletic tourists, isn't focused on the sacrifices. He's fixated on the dream.
"In Peru, 25 million people will see the benefit of this," he said.
Kate Carcelén, a Microsoft manager who also travels often, fully supports her husband. She grew up loving the Olympics. She was hooked while watching Nadia Comaneci in the 1976 and 1980 Summer Games. Kate loves her husband because they have the same passion for a good challenge. She refused to stop her husband from chasing this one.
"There have been times when we've wondered, 'Oh, my God, can we deal with this?' " she said. "We always come back to, 'Of course.' "
Peru's first Winter Olympian helped design his uniform. Roberto Carcelén called Eddie Bauer and asked for help. He went over certain Olympic requirements, gave his input and left the rest to the Bellevue-based clothing company.
A 5-foot-8 wisp of an athlete, he grins when imagining how he'll look with "Peru" stitched on his clothes.
"I don't want to give away how it looks," he said. "You'll see soon. It's very simple, but I like it. I have so much pride."
His pride won't lead him to the medal stand, but that's not the goal, anyway. From amorous instant messenger to skiing novice to unlikely Olympian, his journey already has been lined with gold.
History starts with a love story.
On Thursday, Carcelén and Francesca will pick up Kate from the airport (she's been in Toyko on business) and drive three hours to Vancouver, B.C. In eight days, Peru's Winter Olympian will walk in the Opening Ceremony.
He hopes to carry the red-and-white Peruvian flag with one hand and his daughter with the other, the solitary Olympian, the leader of Team Roberto, the smitten pioneer.
Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277
or [email protected], Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer
|
– It is, as Deadspin says, "your feel-good Olympic story of the day." Roberto Carcelen, who happens to be Peru's first Winter Olympian, finished last today in the 15km cross-country race. And we mean really last, as in about 30 minutes behind the winner. But Carcelen, now a Seattle resident who broke a rib while training just a few weeks ago, got a rousing ovation as he grabbed a Peruvian flag from a spectator in the home stretch. And there to greet him at the finish line was the gold-medal winner, Dario Cologna of Switzerland, reports NBC News.
|
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The singed fur and charred feet are testament to the weasel’s last stand: an encounter with the world’s most powerful machine that was never going to end well.
Now an exhibit at the Rotterdam Natural History Museum, the stone marten met its fate when it hopped over a substation fence at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva and was instantly electrocuted by an 18,000 volt transformer.
The incident in November last year knocked out the power to the vast particle accelerator which recreates in microcosm the primordial fire that prevailed at the birth of the universe. The partly-cooked corpse was duly secured for inclusion in the museum’s Dead Animal Tales exhibition.
“It’s a fine example of what the exhibition is all about,�? said Kees Moeliker, director of the museum. “It shows that animal and human life collide more and more, with dramatic results for both.�?
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Cern stone marten, secured for inclusion in the Rotterdam Natural History Museum’s Dead Animal Tales exhibition. Photograph: Kees Moeliker
The stone marten is the latest dead animal to go on display at the museum. It joins a sparrow that was shot after it sabotaged a world record attempt by knocking over 23,000 dominoes; a hedgehog that got fatally stuck in a McDonalds McFlurry pot, and a catfish that fell victim to a group of men in the Netherlands who developed a tradition for drinking vast amounts of beer and swallowing fish from their aquarium. The catfish turned out to be armoured, and on being swallowed raised its spines. The defence did not save the fish, but it put the 28-year-old man who tried to swallow it in intensive care for a week.
It was another unfortunate incident that spurred Moeliker to establish the exhibition in the first place. In 1995, a male duck flew into the glass facade of the museum and died on impact, a fate that did not deter another male duck from raping the corpse for 75 minutes. The incident ruffled feathers in the community but earned Moeliker a much-coveted IgNobel prize when he published his observations . “I was the one and only witness,�? Moeliker said. “I’m a trained biologist but what I saw was completely new to me.�?
The LHC has been brought to its knees by stone martens before. In April last year, one of the animals bounded into a 66,000 volt transformer and shut the collider down for a week. The Rotterdam museum tried to obtain the remains of the beast, known as the “Cern weasel�?, but the highly efficient staff at the European particle physics laboratory had already disposed of the corpse. When a second stone marten met a similar fate in November, Moeliker was ready to secure the animal for the exhibition.
Stone martens - or “fouines�? - have a habit of gnawing through electrical cables and are known for causing power outages in the region. “We want to show that no matter what we do to the environment, to the natural world, the impact of nature will always be there,�? Moeliker said. “We try to put a magnifying glass on some fine examples. This poor creature literally collided with the largest machine in the world, where physicists collide particles every day. It’s poetic, in my opinion, what happened there.�? ||||| World's Most Destructive Stone Marten Goes On Display In The Netherlands
Enlarge this image toggle caption Natural History Museum Rotterdam Natural History Museum Rotterdam
The remains of the world's most destructive stone marten are now on display at a museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
On Nov. 20, 2016, the animal hopped over a fence at the $7 billion Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, touched a transformer and was electrocuted by 18,000 volts.
The marten died instantly. The collider, which accelerates particles to near the speed of light to study the fiery origins of the universe, lost power and shut down.
"There must have been a big flame," said Kees Moeliker, the director of the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam and the man behind its Dead Animal Tales exhibit, where the preserved marten is now displayed.
"It was scorched. When you're not really careful with candles and your hair, like that," he explained. "Every hair of this creature was kind of burned and the whiskers, they were burned to the bare minimum and especially the feet, the legs, they were cooked. They were darker, like roasted."
"It really had a bad, bad encounter with this electricity."
The November incident wasn't the first time a marten has sabotaged the vast scientific instrument. In April 2016, an animal originally thought to be a weasel and later guessed to be a marten, which is in the weasel family, appeared to have gnawed through a power cable, as we reported. (OK, to be fair, maybe that animal was really the world's most destructive marten.)
"This was big news [in April]. The collider was out of work for a week, so they had other things on their mind than an excited museum director in the Netherlands," explained Moeliker, who said he could understand why staffers at the collider weren't able to provide him with the animal's corpse.
When it happened again in November, he was ready.
"We had a couple of people who got interested in the request from April, and we contacted them and they made sure [the corpse] wasn't destroyed," Moeliker said.
He outfitted a car with a small refrigerator that plugged into the vehicle's cigarette lighter, bought a block of ice at a local supermarket and drove to France's border with Switzerland to pick up the carcass.
"It was in good condition," he said. "Well, for an electrocuted marten it was in good condition."
The exhibit also houses a sparrow that was shot to death after knocking over 23,000 dominoes in the Netherlands in 2005, sabotaging a world record attempt. And a seagull that died after it flew into an ambulance. And a mallard duck known in the scientific community for its documented history of homosexual necrophilia. And a hedgehog that died after it put its head into a McDonald's McFlurry cup and could not escape.
And then there's the smallest critter in the collection.
A few years ago, Moeliker started collecting pubic lice after two British doctors alerted him that the animal might be endangered by habitat destruction associated with modern personal grooming habits. Moeliker said he has since provided specimens of human pubic lice to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Natural History Museum Rotterdam Natural History Museum Rotterdam
"The things we get are so surprising," Moeliker said. "Just before the stone marten we had a fish that lodged himself in the throat of a man."
The man had deliberately swallowed the catfish as part of a game with friends — they had reportedly worked up from goldfish to larger, more exotic species. But he didn't know it was an armored catfish.
When it entered the man's throat, the catfish raised spines to defend itself, which did not save its life but did put the 28-year-old man in the hospital for a week.
"I never thought we would get a fish ... that had qualifications to be part of this show," Moeliker remarked.
"Let me be clear, I prefer all wildlife to be happy and flying and crawling around alive," he explained of the museum's approach to the Dead Animal Tales exhibit.
"But if [an animal] has a story attached to it [that] shows how and when animal and human life collide, then they are welcome here. It's only going to increase, the collisions between man and animal. We more and more share the same environment, the same habitat. Nature strikes back. We have to get used to it." ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites.
|
– The Large Hadron Collider facilitated the discovery of the Higgs boson, but it's not yet immune to animal troubles. Following a similar incident last April, a stone marten jumped a fence at the $7 billion site in Switzerland on Nov. 20 and came into contact with a transformer, causing the LHC to lose power, reports NPR. "There must have been a big flame" because "every hair of this creature was kind of burned" and the feet and legs "were cooked," says Kees Moeliker. He should know. After making some calls, Moeliker, of the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands, got his hands on the marten, had it stuffed, and put it on display in the museum's "Dead Animal Tales" exhibit, which shows how "animal and human life collide … with dramatic results." "We want to show that no matter what we do to the environment, to the natural world, the impact of nature will always be there," Moeliker tells the Guardian. The marten—a member of the weasel family—is "a fine example" of that, he adds. Among the other animals on display: a sparrow killed after knocking over 23,000 dominoes meant to be part of a world record attempt, a seagull that died after colliding with an ambulance, a hedgehog that died with its head stuck in a McDonald's McFlurry cup, an armored catfish that got stuck in a man's throat, and pubic lice said to be endangered thanks to humans' sudden dislike of pubic hair. (Perhaps this squirrel would qualify for a place in the exhibit.)
|
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The quickly emerging field of canine neuroscience has just provided evidence for something most dog owners have long known: based on the tone of your voice, it appears that dogs can tell if you're happy or sad.
Related Content What fMRI Can Tell Us About the Thoughts and Minds of Dogs
Over the past few years at E ötvös Loránd University, in Hungary, a team of researchers has been using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) technology—which tracks blood flow to various areas of the brain, a sign of increased activity—to peer inside the minds of dogs. One of a handful of labs groups worldwide that's using the technology in this way, they've used positive reinforcement training to get a study group of 11 dogs to voluntarily enter the fMRI scanner and stay perfectly still for minutes at a time, which is necessary to get accurate readings.
Recently, they've experimented with playing different sounds to the dogs while they lie in the scanner. In a new paper, published today in the journal Current Biology, they show that the dogs' brains appear to have a dedicated area that displays more activity in response to voices (whether human speech or dogs barking) than other meaningless noises (such as glass breaking), and that part of this area shows more activity upon hearing an emotionally positive sound, as compared to a negative one.
Of course, it's unclear what's exactly going on in the dogs' minds when they hear these noises, but this suggests that dogs can distinguish a happy voice from a sad one.
"It appears that there is a similar mechanism that processes social information in both dogs and humans," says Attila Andics, a neuroscientist at the university and lead author of the study. "We think this might be able to explain what makes vocal communication between the two species so effortless and successful."
It's been known for more than a decade that human brains have a specific area, within the primary auditory cortex, that responds more to the sound of a human voice than a non-vocal noise, and responds differently based on the emotional valence of the voice—i.e., whether it's conveying sadness, happiness, anger or other emotions.
This interesting piece of neural architecture appears to be one of the evolutionary adaptations that allow us to rely so heavily on spoken language for communication. In putting dogs in the fMRI machine, the researchers were interested in seeing if their brains included any structures that seemed to serve the same role.
To investigate, they had each dog lie still in the scanner for six minutes at a time. Over the course of several sessions, they played them roughly 200 sounds each that fell into three categories (human voices, dog vocalizations and meaningless noises), tracking their brain activity as they listened to each type. They also scanned the dogs in silence. The researchers then performed the exact same experiment with 22 human participants as a comparison.
Their main discovery is that certain areas of the dogs' brains consistently responded more when they heard vocalizations (whether other dogs' or humans), as compared to non-vocal noises. "The very exciting finding is that in both the human brain and the dog brain, these 'voice areas' are located in very similar places," Andics says.
This, he explains, suggests that the underlying vocal recognition area originally evolved in a last common ancestor of humans and dogs (and by default all other existing placental mammals) which lived around 100 million years ago. In enabling a few key mammal characteristics—a high degree of communication and social structure—the development of this brain area may even go a long way towards explaining why mammals been so evolutionarily successful as a whole.
The researchers also found that different areas of the dogs' brains showed activity in response to hearing each category of sound. Out of the total brain area that was involved in auditory response, 39 percent showed activity after they heard recordings of dog vocalizations (barking, whining or other dog noises), 48 percent showed activity after hearing the non-vocal noises and 13 percent specifically showed activity after they listened to human speech.
This split makes evolutionary sense: It's clearly necessary for dogs to be attuned to communication from other dogs, and to listen to all other sorts of noises, but because dogs have been selectively bred by humans to favor those that were friendliest and got along the best with us, it stands to reason that some portion of their auditory intelligence goes towards interpreting our vocal cues.
The proportions in the human study participants were much different, but the researchers were intrigued to discover that just as dogs appear to be specially equipped to process human voices, humans seem to be similarly equipped to process dog vocalizations. In the humans, 87 percent of the auditory area responded primarily to human voices, three percent responded most to non-vocal noises and 10 percent showed activity after hearing dog vocalizations.
The experiments also revealed something even more intriguing about dogs' ability to recognize vocal noises: their brains showed different sorts of activity based on whether the sounds they heard, whether from humans or dogs, were happy or sad in tone. When they listened to happy sounds, such as recordings of a human laughing or a dog barking in response to its owner returning home, certain areas of their auditory cortex consistently showed more activity than when they heard the sound of a human or dog crying.
Moreover, there was a correlation between the degree of emotion in the voices (as rated by a panel of independent scientists) and the amount of activity. Sure, emotional degree is hard to quantify exactly, but "the more positive the voice, the stronger the response in this region," Andics says.
Seeing a correlation between an external stimulus and a certain type of brain activity doesn't enable us to fully understand dog cognition. But it does suggest that the dogs are able to distinguish between meaningless noises and vocal communication, and recognize that a human cry conveys a much different piece of information than a laugh.
At this point, it's unclear whether this emotional sensitivity is a learned behavior—the result of these particular dogs living with and being trained by humans—or an evolutionary adaptation created by generations of selective breeding at the hands of humans. But in either case, it opens up a new research direction that Andics and colleagues plan to pursue with further experiments.
"We know that dogs don't have language, per se, but we see now that dogs have very similar mechanisms to process social information as humans," Andics says. "It makes us wonder what aspects of so-called 'language skills' are not so human-specific after all, but are also there in other species. That's something we plan to look at." ||||| A new brain-imaging study of mankind’s best friend has found a striking similarity in how humans and dogs — and perhaps many other mammals — process voice and emotion.
Like humans, dogs appear to possess brain systems that are devoted to making sense of vocal sounds, and are sensitive to their emotional content. These systems have not previously been described in dogs or any non-primate species, and the new findings offer an intriguing neurobiological glimpse into the richness of our particular corner of the animal kingdom.
“What makes us really excited now is that we’ve discovered these voice areas in the dog brain,” said comparative ethologist Attila Andics of Hungary’s Eötvös Loránd University, lead author of the Feb. 20 Current Biology paper describing the experiments. “It’s not only dogs and humans. We probably share this function with many other mammals.”
Conducted in the laboratory of fellow Eötvös Loránd ethologist Ádám Miklósi, one of the world’s foremost researchers on canine intelligence and behavior, the study was inspired by a turn-of-the-millennium discovery of regions of the human brain attuned to human voices. Similar regions have since been described in monkeys, which last shared a common ancestor with humans 30 million years ago.
'It's not only dogs and humans. We probably share this function with many other mammals.'
Humans and dogs last shared a common ancestor 100 million years ago. If a voice-attuned region could be found in dogs too, the trait would truly run deep in our shared biology.
To investigate the possibility, Andics and colleagues trained six golden retrievers and five border collies to lie motionless inside a scanner so the researchers could collect fMRI scans of their brains. These scans measure changes in blood flow, which is widely considered an indicator of neural activity.
Inside the scanner, each of the 11 dogs, and a comparison group of 22 men and women, listened to nearly 200 recordings of dog and human sounds: whining and crying, laughing and barking. As expected, human voice-processing areas responded most to human voices. In dogs, corresponding brain regions responded to the sounds of dogs. In both species, the activity in these regions changed in similar ways in response to the emotional tone of a vocalization — whining versus playful barking in dogs, for instance, or crying versus laughing human voices.
To people who know dogs as companions and friends, the results might seem predictable. But seeing it play out in the brain drives the point home.
“It’s not a surprising finding, but it’s an important finding,” said cognitive ethologist and author Marc Bekoff, who was not involved in the study. Processing vocal sounds and emotion “is fundamental to who they are.”
The responses were not identical between species. In dogs, vocal processing areas also responded to non-vocal sounds, but in humans they were triggered by voice alone — hinting, perhaps, at the intensely social trajectory of human evolution, said Andics. The areas may have evolved to be even more finely tuned for vocal sounds in humans, he speculated. Dogs in the study were also slightly better-attuned to human voices than people were to those of dogs.
That said, what the two species share appears to outweigh the differences, and raise some fascinating questions. Dog intelligence and social awareness is sometimes attributed to the 15,000 or so years they — Canis lupus familiaris, to be precise — have spent in the company of humans, being evolutionarily rewarded for social sensitivity.
The regions tagged in the new study, however, have deep evolutionary roots. Though dogs might conceivably have developed them independently of humans, it’s far more likely that they were present in that long-ago common ancestor, said Andics. They might even be traced further back into our evolutionary heritage.
Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp of Washington State University, who studies the neurobiology of emotions in animals, said the findings “are to be expected from what we have long known about the overall evolutionary organization of mammalian brains.” Panksepp, who was not involved in the study, believes that sophisticated sound-processing and emotional sensitivity is a fundamental trait of mammals.
Breeding by humans no doubt refined the vocal processing systems of dogs, said Bekoff, but they were likely quite sophisticated by the time our species’ paths converged 15,000 years ago. Certainly wolves, coyotes and other undomesticated members of the canine genus are quite vocal and sensitive to emotion; perhaps that’s why humans and dogs made such a good team.
Neuroscientist Greg Berns of Emory University, the first researcher to study dogs with fMRI, called the new findings “very cool.” The imaging was done well, he said, and the results free of confounding factors that can make brain scans less insightful than they first appear.
Berns did caution, though, that while emotional processing appears to be concentrated where the researchers measured it, it might also occur in other brain regions not examined in this round of scanning. “Their study doesn’t quite answer that, but it’s a first step,” he said. Neither does the new study compare how the two species experience emotion, or the extent to which that’s shaped by other cognitive capacities.
Another open question is what dogs hear when humans speak. The present study didn’t look at that, but the researchers noted earlier observations of common patterns in human and canine vocalizations. When dogs signal positive emotions, their barks come in short bursts, not unlike human laughter; when they’re upset, the barks are deeper and longer, a bit like moans. “There are these acoustic rules that convey emotional information, and they seem to be common to species,” Andics said.
By comparing differences and similarities in human and dog brains, said Andics, scientists might learn more about what gives rise to human language and our sophisticated cognition. By the same token, though, we might find that much of what we consider sophisticated is built from basic mental building blocks found in many other animals.
“These are the questions that are very exciting, and we want to study them further,” he said. Lest dog-lovers worry that mankind’s best friend could be harmed in the excitement of scientific inquiry, Andics emphasized that only dogs who wanted to go inside the scanner took part in the study. “Dogs that didn’t like the procedure stopped coming,” he said. ||||| Image copyright Borbala Ferenczy Image caption Pet dogs took part in the MRI scanning study
Devoted dog owners often claim that their pets understand them. A new study suggests they could be right.
By placing dogs in an MRI scanner, researchers from Hungary found that the canine brain reacts to voices in the same way that the human brain does.
Emotionally charged sounds, such as crying or laughter, also prompted similar responses, perhaps explaining why dogs are attuned to human emotions.
The work is published in the journal Current Biology.
Lead author Attila Andics, from the Comparative Ethology Research Group at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, said: "We think dogs and humans have a very similar mechanism to process emotional information."
Eleven pet dogs took part in the study; training them took some time.
"We used positive reinforcement strategies - lots of praise," said Dr Andics.
"There were 12 sessions of preparatory training, then seven sessions in the scanner room, then these dogs were able to lie motionless for as long as eight minutes. Once they were trained, they were so happy, I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it."
Image copyright Eniko Kubinyi Image caption The canine brain reacted to voices in the same way that the human brain does
For comparison, the team looked at the brains of 22 human volunteers in the same MRI scanners.
The scientists played the people and pooches 200 different sounds, ranging from environmental noises, such as car sounds and whistles, to human sounds (but not words) and dog vocalisations.
It is the first time we have seen this in a non-primate Attila Andics, Eotvos Lorand University
The researchers found that a similar region - the temporal pole, which is the most anterior part of the temporal lobe - was activated when both the animals and people heard human voices.
"We do know there are voice areas in humans, areas that respond more strongly to human sounds that any other types of sounds," Dr Andics explained.
"The location (of the activity) in the dog brain is very similar to where we found it in the human brain. The fact that we found these areas exist at all in the dog brain at all is a surprise - it is the first time we have seen this in a non-primate."
Image copyright Eniko Kubinyi Image caption The team used a variety of techniques to train the dogs
Emotional sounds, such as crying and laughter also had a similar pattern of activity, with an area near the primary auditory cortex lighting up in dogs and humans.
Likewise, emotionally charged dog vocalisations - such as whimpering or angry barking - also caused a similar reaction in all volunteers,
Dr Andics said: "We know very well that dogs are very good at tuning into the feelings of their owners, and we know a good dog owner can detect emotional changes in his dog - but we now begin to understand why this can be."
However, while the dogs responded to the human voice, their reactions were far stronger when it came to canine sounds.
It would be interesting to see the animal's response to words rather than just sounds Prof Sophie Scott, UCL
They also seemed less able to distinguish between environmental sounds and vocal noises compared with humans.
About half of the whole auditory cortex lit up in dogs when listening to these noises, compared with 3% of the same area in humans.
Commenting on the research, Prof Sophie Scott, from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, said: "Finding something like this in a primate brain isn't too surprising - but it is quite something to demonstrate it in dogs.
"Dogs are a very interesting animal to look at - we have selected for a lot of traits in dogs that have made them very amenable to humans. Some studies have show they understand a lot of words and they understand intentionality - pointing."
But she added: "It would be interesting to see the animal's response to words rather than just sounds. When we cry and laugh, they are much more like animal calls and this might be causing this response.
"A step further would be if they had gone in and shown sensitivity to words in the language their owners speech."
Dr Andics said this would be the focus of his next set of experiments.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter
|
– A first-of-its-kind study of dogs suggests that their brains are wired to key in on vocal sounds from humans and process our emotional states, reports Wired. The mutts then respond accordingly. Hungarian researchers used brain scans to show that a certain area of the dogs' brains light up when they hear sounds made by humans or other dogs. In fact, their brains show more activity for these types of sounds—especially "emotionally positive" ones—than for non-vocal sounds such as breaking glass, reports Smithsonian. It sums things up thusly: "It's unclear what's exactly going on in the dogs' minds when they hear these noises, but this suggests that dogs can distinguish a happy voice from a sad one." It's especially intriguing because the area of the brain that fires up is the same as that in human brains when processing vocal sounds, reports the BBC. This is the first time such a similarity has been found in a non-primate species, raising the possibility that it's common among all mammals. If so, it could partly explain why mammals have been evolutionary rock stars, relatively speaking. At the very least, it sheds light on why people and their pooches bond so well. "It appears that there is a similar mechanism that processes social information in both dogs and humans," says the study's lead author. "We think this might be able to explain what makes vocal communication between the two species so effortless and successful." (Click to read about a separate study that suggests dogs and cats can see things invisible to the human eye.)
|
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Women in 69 of the world’s poorest countries will have access to an injectable contraceptive shot priced at just $1.
The move to expand access to the contraceptive was announced by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the Children’s Investment Fund last week.
Sayana Press, the official name of the injection system, will be sold to registered purchasers, enabling some of the poorest women in the world to buy the device at a reduced cost or receive it free.
The contraceptive is based on technology that was used to give Hepatitis B inoculations in Indonesia and was first used for contraception in Burkina Faso.
The single-use, prefilled, non-reusable device cuts the risk of infection due to needle sharing and is effective for three months.
Its simplicity means health workers can easily administer it in a range of settings, including in rural homes.
Women with Sayana Press (PATH/Pfizer)
Dr Chris Elias, head of the global development programme at the Gates Foundation said: “When women are able to plan their families, they are more likely to survive pregnancy and child birth, to have healthier newborns and children, and to invest more in their families’ health and wellbeing.
He added: “We are proud to be part of this innovative public-private collaboration that will help more women around the world - even in remote areas - plan their lives and their futures.”
Among women in developing countries, injectable contraceptives are a widely-used family planning method - in poorer countries the lifetime risk of death due to a maternal cause can be as high as one in 15.
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Justine Green, the International Development Secretary, said: “Access to modern, safe and reliable family planning methods is vital in helping women to control their lives and their futures.
“Without the ability to choose when they have children and how many they have, too often women lose the opportunity to participate fully in their economies and societies.”
The announcement comes as the Gates Foundation released its annual letter, in which Bill Gates wrote that the idea that saving lives will lead to overpopulation is a myth.
Instead, he said that basic health, prosperity, equality and access to contraceptives were essential to secure a sustainable world. ||||| Image copyright PATH/Patrick McKern Image caption The new easy-to-use contraceptive device will be available to women in poorer countries for just $1.
An agreement has been signed which will make contraceptive injections available to women in 69 of the world's poorest countries.
It is an injection - but not as you know it.
The special device, with a smaller needle and no traditional syringe, will be sold at just $1 a unit.
An agreement - signed in the past few days - will make the new way of giving contraceptive injections available to women in 69 of the world's poorest countries.
The deal has been reached between the Gates Foundation, the drug company Pfizer and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation.
Previously the technology has been used for giving hepatitis B jabs in Indonesia. Burkina Faso was the first country to use it for contraception.
Image caption Soré is using contraception for the first time and decides the new device is the best option for her.
Soré Néimatou, 20, has a boyfriend, and is visiting a family planning clinic in the capital Ouagadougou.
"I don't want to get pregnant," she says. "I want to get married first."
She has never used contraception before, and is given a choice of methods. She opts for the new injection - called Sayana Press.
'More acceptable'
The pre-packaged device means there is no need for health workers to prepare a syringe.
Image copyright PATH / Patrick McKern Image caption The new device's all-in-one design avoids the need to prepare a syringe.
The drug is dispensed by simply squeezing a plastic bubble, giving Soré the protection she wants for three months.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jane Dreaper speaks to Soré, who is using contraception for the first time
Thanks to the design, which is called Uniject, there is no risk of spillages or dosing errors, and because the device cannot be re-used, it cuts out the risk of infection due to needle-sharing.
The simplicity of the device means health workers can be trained more quickly too - a vital consideration for developing countries.
Kadidia Diallo, the midwife who helped Soré, says the device is more acceptable for women in rural areas.
She said: "Normally for injections you have to put them in someone's bottom, or the top of their leg, but with this - you use the arm.
"That's an advantage for women living in the bush. Many women don't come forward for injections if they have to pull their dresses up - but this is more discreet."
Injectables
In early trials women reported less pain at the injection site than with conventional jabs, too.
Image caption Rahimata wants to become an English translator, and is keen to avoid getting pregnant and disrupting her studies.
18-year-old Rahimata Tiendrébéogo also uses the new device.
Six benefits of family planning 1. Preventing pregnancy-related health risks in women Evidence suggests women who have more than four children have increased maternal mortality risk; avoiding unwanted pregnancies, also reduces the need for unsafe abortions. 2. Reducing infant mortality Closely spaced and ill-timed births contribute to some of the world's highest infant mortality rates. Infants of mothers who die as a result of giving birth also have a greater risk of death and poor health. 3. Helping to prevent HIV/AIDS Reducing the risk of unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV means fewer infected babies and orphans. Condoms also protect against STIs including HIV. 4. Empowering people and enhancing education Informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health gives women enhanced opportunities for education and participation in public life. Children with fewer siblings tend to stay in school longer. 5. Reducing adolescent pregnancies Pregnant teens are more likely to have preterm or low birth-weight babies, and babies born to adolescents have higher rates of neonatal mortality. 6. Slowing population growth Unsustainable population growth results in negative impacts on the economy, environment, and national and regional development efforts. Source: World Health Organization Link
She wants to go to university to study English and has seen too many of her friends get pregnant - especially the poorer ones.
"It's not good for people to have babies so young because they are students…they don't have money or the means to bring up children.
"I'm independent and I want to be responsible."
A lack of contraception in sub-Saharan Africa remains a problem.
Almost a quarter of women of child-bearing age in Burkina Faso would like to plan their families by getting pregnant when they want to. Women there have six children on average.
Although the proportion of women using contraception in Africa has doubled in the past two decades - to 26% - it is much harder to obtain for women who are poor, uneducated or living in a rural area.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 222m women in developing countries would like to delay or stop conception, but are not currently using any form of contraception.
Injectable contraceptives are a widely-used family planning method among women in developing countries, where the lifetime risk for death due to a maternal cause can be as high as one in 15.
The next countries to start using Sayana Press are Niger, Senegal and Uganda.
The launch comes after many years of work at Path, the organisation behind the design of the device - and money from international donors.
Image copyright PATH/Sara Tifft Image caption Health workers in Niger are being trained how to use Sayana Press.
A Path spokeswoman, Sara Tifft, told BBC News: "Burkina Faso was one of four countries identified for this initial pilot introduction, as an outgrowth of the 2012 Family Planning Summit in London."
The summit was co-hosted by the UK government.
International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, said: "Access to modern, safe and reliable family planning methods is vital.
"Without the ability to choose for themselves when they have children and how many they have, women lose the opportunity to participate fully in their economies and societies."
The makers of Sayana Press hope that one day it could even be used by women to inject themselves with contraception at home. ||||| Washington (AFP) - A contraceptive shot will soon be available at one dollar per dose in 69 of the world's poorest countries, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Pfizer pharmaceuticals announced Thursday.
The move expands a pilot program already begun in a handful of African countries to offer Sayana Press, a single-dose contraceptive which lasts for about three months.
It is based on the Depo-Provera injection but packaged differently, into a plastic bubble with a short needle attached, making it easy to administer beneath the skin.
"The reality is that today, over 200 million women around the world want to prevent or time their pregnancies but lack the means to do that," said Chris Elias, a doctor with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
"Through this agreement we are able to ensure this product will be available in the poorest countries for a dollar a dose."
Sayana Press has already been introduced in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda, and its use will expand to other countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
|
– Sayana Press is a pre-packaged shot, costs a buck, lasts three months, and could revolutionize the way women in poor countries approach birth control, reports the BBC. A three-way deal between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Pfizer, and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation is looking to make Sayana Press available in some 69 countries, adds AFP. The single-use shot is based on Depo Provera, and its simplicity lends itself to application even in rural or non-clinic situations, notes the Independent. "The reality is that today, over 200 million women around the world want to prevent or time their pregnancies but lack the means to do that," says a doctor with the Gates Foundation. (Meanwhile, it's hardly Gates' only foray into birth control.)
|
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ATTN!!! Due to the overwhelming and supportive response to Lemmy's memorial we are now using the entire Strip to compensate for overflow. The Rainbow will close from 5:00 until 9:00 for a private service however the Roxy and Whisky will remain open to accommodate ... those looking to show their respects during this time.
Itinerary for Lemmy's Memorial service on Saturday, January 9th:
Join us from 2pm until 5pm at the Rainbow where we will stream Lemmy's funeral service on behalf of Motorhead and their livestream.
At 5pm will be shutting our doors for a private service until 9pm. You are welcome to line up and wait for us to re-open to the public at 9pm or may go next door to The Roxy which will be the official staging location for the memorial itself.
At 6pm doors will open at the Whisky where Metal Allegiance will commence a tribute show in Lemmy's honor.
No press or professional cameras will be permitted out of respect for those in mourning. Thank you for your understanding. See More Join us Saturday, January 9th as we say goodbye to a dear friend and loved one. We will open our doors at 2pm. (See itinerary below.)ATTN!!! Due to the overwhelming and supportive response to Lemmy's memorial we are now using the entire Strip to compensate for overflow. The Rainbow will close from 5:00 until 9:00 for a private service however the Roxy and Whisky will remain open to accommodate ||||| Lemmy Kilmister‘s memorial service will be broadcast live on YouTube between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. PST on Saturday January 9th, Motörhead announced on Facebook.
Friends and family of the late frontman are scheduled to gather for a ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Hollywood, but due to limited space on-site the band has asked that fans refrain from attending. The band, however, has set up a live-stream on their YouTube page in order to open up the event to the public.
“So wherever you are, please get together and watch the service with fellow Motörheadbangers and friends,” the band wrote. “Go to your favorite bar, or your favorite club, make sure they have access to an Internet connection and toast along with us. Or simply invite your pals around and celebrate Lemm’s life at home.”
Motörhead also included information for fans wishing to send flowers, as well as a link to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund for those wanting to make a donation in Kilmister’s name.
The livestream will coincide with a day-long celebration in Kilmister’s honor centered around the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Los Angeles. The rocker’s favorite watering hole had scheduled a 12-hour memorial service for January 9th starting at 2 p.m. PST, but the response was so overwhelming, the celebration was extended down the Sunset Strip. Both the Roxy and Whisky will be open to fans while the Rainbow hosts its own private service between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. PST.
Kilmister died from an aggressive form of cancer on December 28th, days after his 70th birthday. The rocker’s death has elicited outpourings of grief from fans and musicians including Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Tom Morello and members of Metallica. ||||| See more of Official Motörhead on Facebook
|
– Motörhead fans, you can attend Lemmy Kilmister's memorial service. Sort of. It's happening at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Hollywood on Saturday, but space is limited, so the band is asking that only friends and family actually attend in person, Rolling Stone reports. However, the service will be live-streamed on the band's YouTube page between 3pm and 4:30pm Pacific time, the band announced on Facebook. "So wherever you are, PLEASE get together and watch the service with fellow Motörheadbangers and friends," reads the post. "GO to your favorite bar, or your favorite club, make sure they have access to an internet connection and toast along with us. Or simply invite your pals around and celebrate Lemm’s life at home." Or you can head to the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles—the Rainbow Bar and Grill, Kilmister's favorite bar, is starting its own 12-hour memorial service at 2pm Saturday, and so many people are interested that "we are now using the entire Strip to compensate for overflow," says a post on the bar's Facebook page, noting that the Roxy and the Whisky in particular will be taking part. For fans wanting to get even more involved, Motörhead included instructions on its Facebook post for how to send flowers to the memorial service and how to make a donation in Kilmister's memory.
|
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South Africa’s justice department is intervening to prevent Oscar Pistorius’ early prison release with Justice Minister Michael Masutha seeking advice over the legality of a parole board decision to free the Olympic athlete on Friday.
Under South African law, Pistorius is eligible for release under “correctional supervision”, having served a sixth of his sentence. But his intervention has come after The Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa petitioned the Justice Minister, opposing the Bladerunner’s release on parole, especially during Women’s Month.
The decision of the parole board was outrageous and an insult to victims of abuse. — Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa
Pistorius was due to be moved to house arrest on Friday after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence for manslaughter for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.
Listen below to Justice Masutha speaking to 702's Xolani Gwala... ||||| JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Oscar Pistorius will not be freed on parole this Friday because the decision to do so was made without the right legal basis, the justice minister said on Wednesday, shocking the athlete's family who were preparing for his homecoming.
Pistorius was expected to be released after serving 10 months of a five-year sentence for killing his model and law graduate girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha said in a statement that the parole board had decided to release Pistorius on parole even before the athlete had served a sixth of his sentence, as required by law.
"It is therefore clear that there is no legal basis upon which such a decision was made ... one sixth of a five years sentence is 10 months and at the time the decision was made Mr. Pistorius had served only over six months of his sentence," Masutha said.
The minister said he received a petition from the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa, opposing Pistorius' release on parole, saying it flouted the rules.
A family member said he was shocked by the minister's decision, adding that the family had planned a "low key welcome" for Pistorius on Friday.
"We are shocked and disappointed that Oscar won't be home this Friday," the family member, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
Pistorius has admitted killing Steenkamp, 29, by firing four shots through the locked door of a toilet cubicle, saying he believed an intruder was hiding behind it.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said during sentencing the state had failed to convince her of Pistorius' intent to kill when he fired. ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Pistorius' early release on Friday has been put on hold
South Africa's justice minister has blocked the early release of athlete Oscar Pistorius from prison on Friday.
He said the decision by the parole board to free the athlete after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence was premature and without legal basis.
It could now take months for the board to review its decision, legal sources told the BBC.
Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter last year after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The Olympic athlete insists he mistook her for an intruder.
He was due to be transferred from prison to house arrest on Friday, when he was expected to stay at his uncle's three-storey mansion in the capital, Pretoria.
Under South African law, Pistorius is eligible for release under "correctional supervision", having served a sixth of his sentence.
One of his relatives, who did not want to be named, told Reuters news agency they were "shocked and disappointed" at the news.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was a lawyer, model and TV star
In a statement, South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha said the decision to free the athlete was taken prematurely.
"One sixth of a five year sentence is 10 months and at the time the decision was made Mr Pistorius had served only over six months of his sentence," the statement said.
Thursday would have been Ms Steenkamp's 32nd birthday.
Her parents held a small ceremony for her close friends and supporters in her hometown of Port Elizabeth, throwing roses into the sea in her memory.
Analysis: Milton Nkosi; BBC News; Johannesburg:
The decision by Mr Masutha to put Oscar Pistorius' early release on hold has come as a complete shock, not just to the Pistorius family but to many people who follow legal issues here.
According to the prison department, the double amputee was going to be released on Friday because this is South African law - all offenders convicted under the same law as Pistorius can be considered for correctional supervision once they have served at least one-sixth of their sentence.
In other words it was not the prison's independent view to release the Paralympian but part of South African legal procedure.
Many believe that this will merely cause a slight delay to his early release.
But the intervention by Mr Masutha, who is a lawyer, could have implications for many other cases which are less prominent.
The decision was taken after a petition to the minister by the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa, which includes the African National Congress Women's League, part of the governing party. It had described the athlete's early release as "outrageous" and "an insult" to victims of abuse.
It seems as though his last-minute intervention was the result of this political pressure.
Oscar Pistorius - in 60 seconds
The making and unmaking of Oscar Pistorius
This week, prosecutors filed court papers calling for the athlete's conviction to be converted to murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years. His defence team has a month to file its response.
During sentencing, Judge Thokozile Masipa said the state had failed to prove Pistorius' intent to kill when he fired.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Tania Koen, a lawyer for Ms Steenkamp's parents Barry and June: "Ten months is not enough"
The double amputee shot and killed Ms Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home, believing she was an intruder, he told his trial.
Pistorius was born without the fibulas in both of his legs, and had surgery to amputate both below the knee while still a baby.
He went on to become one of South Africa's best-known sports stars, and was the first amputee sprinter to compete against able-bodied athletes, at the 2012 London Olympics. ||||| South Africa commemorates Women’s Month in August as a tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. The Government of South Africa declared August women’s month and 9 August is celebrated annually as Women’s Day.
Women's Day 2015
Women’s Day (9 August) was hosted in Sasolburg, Free State. The theme for 2015 is Women United in Moving South Africa Forward.
Watch the video of President Jacob Zuma's address at the event:
Women's Month 2015
The 2015 Women’s Month is a build-up towards the 60th Anniversary of the Women’s march and is aimed at:
educating the nation about the role women played in the emancipation of the continent
documenting the correct stories of heroines of South Africa
celebrating women who have made it in all spheres of life in the continent
honouring and celebrating the girls of 1976 and recognise the role played by young women in the liberation struggle
uniting South African women
celebrating the struggles of the women over the decades and a rejuvenation of our commitment to strive for a society that is truly non-racial, non-sexist, united, democratic and free of all forms of discrimination
remembering the history of Women's struggle in South Africa and to continue writing our history as it has to evolved.
Every week of August 2015will focus on a specific sub-theme:
Week 1: Celebrating Women in Fashion
The week will be dedicated to celebrating profiling women in the fashion industry who contribute to job creation.
Various media platforms will be utilised where we will have a collage of these women and their contribution in dressing the nation. The SABC will partner with the Department of Women in this programme.
Week 2: Celebrating Women in Film
The department in partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) will have two screenings produced or directed by women or telling stories of women. The screenings will target young people and will take place as follows:
10 August 2015: Jabulani
14 August 2016: Kwamashu
The screenings will be extended to other provinces as we move towards the 60th Anniversary.
Week 3: The fight against human trafficking and labour exploitation of women
The week will focus on the fight against trafficking of women and children as well as the exploitation of women from our neighbouring countries with specific focus on Lesotho women. South Africa will partner with Lesotho government and the following activities are planned for the week:
21 August 2015: Symposium focusing on labour exploitation and related issues.
22 August 2015: A symbolic march at the Maseru border gate where both South African and Lesotho women will give their memorandum of demands to authorities representing their countries. The march will call for an end to human trafficking and request more stringent measure of combating trafficking of women and children.
22 August 2015: The march will culminate into a rally on a farm where the leadership of both countries will have an opportunity to address women. The rally will be held at Mooderpoort farm, the home of Mantsopa.
Week 4: Economic Empowerment (Financial Inclusion of women)
In line with the African Union themes of the African Women’s Decade and the new mandate of the Department of Women’s socio-economic empowerment, the department will host high level engagements on the mechanisms and modalities for women’s financial inclusion in the economy and all sectors of the country.
4-5 September 2015: Trade Fair and Exhibition of Women in South Africa and Zimbabwe to be held in Musina, Limpopo. Women from both countries will showcase and sell their products from clothes to crafts.
9 September 2015: Techno-girl roundtable – The department will host The New Age business breakfast focusing on the empowerment of young women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The business breakfast will culminate into a high level panel discussion on how to strengthen the current Techno-Girl job-shadowing programme
Advances made since 1994
Great strides have been made since 1994 to improve the status of women.
Prior to 1994, the South African Parliament had a mere 2,7% representation of women, and following the first democratic elections, women representation in the National Assembly stood at 27,7%. In 1999 that figure increased to 30% and then to 32.7% in 2004. After the 2009 national elections women representation reached 42%. Currently women ministers comprise 41% of the Cabinet, women deputy ministers make up 47% of the total number of deputy ministers and there is a 41% representation of women in the National Assembly. The Women in Politics 2015 Map launched by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women shows how South Africa fares in relation to the rest of the world.
Furthermore, government policies and programmes have improved the living conditions of women. In 1997 the Office on the Status of Women (OSW) was established in the Presidency to steer the national gender programme and championed the development of the National Policy Framework for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality that was approved by Cabinet in 2000. Subsequently, similar structures were established in the Premier’s offices. In May 2009 the President pronounced on the establishment a Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities (DWCPD). In May 2014 the President evolved the structure to a dedicated Ministry for Women in the Presidency as a way of elevating women’s issues and interests to lead, coordinate and oversee the transformation agenda on women’s socio-economic empowerment, rights and equality through mainstreaming, monitoring and evaluation.
Since the advent of democracy and freedom South Africa has seen a number of women taking up leadership positions in areas previously dominated by men. One of the success stories of our democracy is that of the representation of women in political and decision-making positions. Involving women in governance processes constitutes one of South Africa’s globally acclaimed success stories.
The election of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in July 2012 as the first women in Africa to chair the African Union Commission; the appointment of Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of the country, as the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; and the positioning of other South African women such as Ms Geraldine Frazer-Moleketi, Special Gender Envoy to the African Development Bank; Ms Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on Violence against women, its causes and consequences; and Judge Navi Pillay as the High Commissioner for Human Rights and formerly as a judge in the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an indication of the impact that women in decision-making have in winning the trust and confidence of citizens in South Africa, on the continent and internationally.
Currently, women are heading portfolios such as the Commissioner of Police; the Public Protector; CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange; the Independent Electoral Commission; Governor of the Reserve Bank, the South African Law Reform Commission, and the first female Deputy Auditor-General, among others.
Prior to 1994, South Africa had only one woman Judge, whilst today women judges make up almost 28% of the Judiciary. Women are making inroads into business leadership and heading up global giants in the country such as the head of the ABSA bank. Women own conglomerates in the country with some business women being millionaires. Women also can be found as chairpersons of corporate boards in the country, while others are entering and leading in previously male dominated territories, for example, the head of the Palaeontology Department in the University of Cape Town is a woman, and the South African Airways (SAA) now has women pilots, some flying international bound flights. Women are in the defence force, navy and air force in South Africa. In fact women make up almost 40% of the Senior Management Service in the public service and overall women comprise more than 50% of employees in the Public Service.
Women have even entered previously male dominated areas in the corporate world, and currently constitute 3.6% of CEO positions, 5.5% of chairperson positions, 17.1% of directorships and 21.4% of executive management positions.
Origin of Women's Month and Day
The historic march in 1956 was a turning point in the role of women in the struggle for freedom and society at large. Since that eventful day, women from all walks of life became equal partners in the struggle for a non-racial and non-sexist South Africa.
The march was coordinated by the Federation of South African Women (Fedsaw) led by four women: Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams De Bruyn. These leaders delivered petitions to the then Prime Minister JG Strijdom’s office in the Union Buildings. Women throughout the country had put their names to these petitions indicating their anger and frustration at having their freedom of movement restricted by the hated official passes.
Women’s month is a tribute not only to the thousands of women who marched on that day in 1956, but also a tribute to the pioneers of the women’s movement in this country, dating back to 1913, when women like Charlotte Maxeke led the way in establishing the ANC Women’s League and encouraging women to engage in the struggle for freedom. Pioneers include Cissy, Jaynab and Amina Gool who were amongst the leaders of the National Liberation League and the Non-European United Front of the 1930s. The names of Ray Alexander Simons, Elizabeth Mafekeng and Elizabeth Abrahams will always be associated with the struggles of women.
In the 1940s Amina Pahad and Gadijah Christopher, who were amongst the first volunteers to occupy the site of the 1946 Passive Resistance Campaign on Umbilo Road in Durban cannot go unnoticed. Women’s month also service to recall and recognise the work of Dora Tamana, Winifred Siqwana, Ida Mntwana, Bertha Gxowa, Florence Matomela and other stalwarts of the 1950s, who led militant women’s formation for the rights of workers and the rights of women.
There were also the women who formed the Black Sashand who were the first to protest against the disenfranchisement of the Coloured voters during the 1950s. The Coloured voters played an important role in the united front of anti-apartheid forces that developed in the last three decades of apartheid.
Government has made significant progress in empowering women in the political, public and educational spheres, but the marginalisation of poor women severely compromises progress.
Speeches, statements and advisories on Women's Month
Women's Month events
Other events ||||| Play Facebook
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Embed Reeva Steenkamp’s mother: Oscar Pistorius’ delayed release ‘a shock’ 3:28 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa – The mother of Reeva Steenkamp, the model fatally shot by Oscar Pistorius, says she is still seeking “justice” over the killing even as the Olympian's release from prison was delayed at the last moment.
June Steenkamp spoke of her ongoing “sadness” at losing her daughter just two days before he had been due to switch to house arrest as part of his five-year sentence for manslaughter.
"As the story unwinds I want people to remember that somebody actually died"
Pistorius was expected to be released Friday after serving 10 months in prison. However, South Africa's Department of Justice said Wednesday that the parole board’s earlier decision to free him was made "prematurely" and without legal basis.
In South Africa, prisoners must serve one-sixth of their sentence, or 10 months in this case, to be considered for release. The parole board’s decision was taken after only six months.
The government's intervention came on what would have been Reeva Steenkamp’s 32nd birthday.
"It was a shock,'' Steenkamp told TODAY's Matt Lauer in an exclusive interview early Thursday. "I'm very, very pleased about this. It's an important thing for other people, other women."
"I'm not worried about if it's a short delay,'' she said. "It's been set now, the precedent for him to wait now until the time is right."
Reeva Steenkamp. Mike Holmes / Gallo via Getty Images, file
Hours before the government's intervention, Steenkamp and her family visited the beach in the Summerstrand suburb of Port Elizabeth, where Reeva's ashes were scattered.
“As the story unwinds I want people to remember that somebody actually died,” she told NBC News on the beach. “That she died, she lost her life. This isn’t just about [Pistorius]. We have to learn to live without her and it’s very difficult. I don’t think it’s ever going to be possible. She was too much … belonging to us, with us, loving us and we loved here — it’s just …it’s a bond that can never be broken.”
She added: “Today we come to wish her happy birthday and just remember and celebrate who she was and how wonderful she was.
“To think that she could have done such wonderful things but her life was taken away. That’s what we’re doing now, celebrating her life even though it was short it was amazing.”
On what would have been Reeva's 32nd birthday, the Steenkamp family threw flowers into the water where her ashes were scattered. Chapman Bell / NBC News
June Steenkamp said she still felt “sadness,” adding: “A bit part of our life has been taken away. It’s very sad.”
Asked about a possible appeal in the case, she said: “It’s not over yet, the appeal is coming and we have to leave it to the justice system now.”
She said she just wanted “justice” in the case. “That’s all I want. Justice.”
Pistorius’ former lawyer, Wergele McKenzie, said the athlete was still young enough to redeem himself in the eyes of society.
“We're torn in two because on the one hand there's a family that suffered great loss and we want to support them and we have empathy with them,” he told ITV News. “But on the other hand we would still like to believe, he's still a young man, there's still hope for him, he can be rehabilitated and he still has something to give to society.” ||||| Advertisement Continue reading the main story
South Africa’s justice minister on Wednesday intervened to delay the early release of Oscar Pistorius, the imprisoned Olympic athlete convicted of killing his girlfriend — 48 hours before he was scheduled to begin serving the rest of his five-year term under house arrest.
The decision by the justice minister, Michael Masutha, was a surprise. It contradicted an announcement in June by the corrections department’s parole authorities that Mr. Pistorius would be transferred from prison to house arrest on Friday.
Mr. Pistorius, 28, will have served one-sixth of his sentence by then, which under South African law makes him eligible for early release. Yet Mr. Masutha said the decision to release him should not have been made before he had served the one-sixth minimum.
In an interview on South Africa’s 702 radio station, Mr. Masutha said the parole authorities might have “misinterpreted the law and been in haste in taking a decision prematurely."
It was not immediately clear whether lawyers for Mr. Pistorius would take legal action in an attempt to invalidate Mr. Masutha’s delay order.
It also was unclear why Mr. Masutha waited until Wednesday to issue the order, since he presumably had known about the parole announcement for a few months. But he suggested in the radio interview that anger by women’s groups may have brought the issue to his direct attention. The Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa had petitioned the minister to protest Mr. Pistorius’s release, especially during the country’s Women’s Month.
Mr. Pistorius, a double-amputee athlete known as the Blade Runner because of his prosthetic legs, shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a model and aspiring lawyer, in February 2013, and was prosecuted in a globally televised trial.
He was convicted of culpable homicide, the South African equivalent of manslaughter, after his lawyers successfully argued that he mistook Ms. Steenkamp for a burglar hiding in the locked bathroom of his Pretoria home.
Earlier this week, prosecutors filed an appeal of the culpable homicide verdict, arguing that Mr. Pistorius murdered Ms. Steenkamp — who would have turned 32 on Wednesday — after an argument.
That appeal is to be heard in November. A murder conviction could incarcerate Mr. Pistorius for at least 15 years.
|
– Looks like Oscar Pistorius may have a slight delay before he gets to chillax in mansion prison. The Paralympian's early release tomorrow has been blocked by Michael Masutha, South Africa's justice minister, who says that while the country's law dictates releasing inmates after they've served one-sixth of their sentence—in Pistorius' case, 10 months into his five-year sentence, which would be tomorrow—he thinks the release isn't legal because the decision to release the athlete was made only six months into his prison stay, the BBC reports. His decision yesterday came on what would have been Reeva Steenkamp's 32nd birthday, notes NBC News. "As the story unwinds I want people to remember that somebody actually died," her mom, June Steenkamp, says. "That she died, she lost her life." Per the New York Times, Masutha said during a Talk Radio 702 interview that perhaps parole officials "misinterpreted the law and been in haste in taking a decision prematurely." One reason Masutha may have waited until the 11th hour to bring this up, the Times notes: pressure during South Africa's Women's Month from women's rights groups. Legal sources tell the BBC this could delay Pistorius' release for months. Meanwhile, one of his family members tells Reuters, "We are shocked and disappointed that Oscar won't be home this Friday."
|
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To celebrate the 65th anniversary of her coronation, Queen Elizabeth gives a rare interview about the tradition-steeped ceremony that formally launched her reign in The Coronation, a documentary debuting Sunday evening on the Smithsonian Channel. In the film, which also features commentary from historians, Queen Elizabeth shares her memories of the 1953 ceremony and is reunited with her coronation regalia. Though the monarch is her usual picture of properness, she does drop her guard for a few moments of delicious, no-nonsense commentary. Ahead, the documentary highlights and most surprising revelations about the ceremony itself.
Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, was so determined to prepare his daughter for her own coronation that he had her, at age 11, write a complete review of his coronation.
“I thought it all very, very wonderful and I expect the Abbey did too,” wrote the future queen. “The arches and the beams at the top were covered in a sort of haze of wonder as Papa was crowned, at least I thought so.”
Courtesy of CBS Corporation.
Despite the incredible personal significance of the coronation, the future queen, then just a child, could not help but be brutally honest about the ceremony’s downside: “At the end the service got rather boring as it was all prayers,” Elizabeth wrote. “Grannie and I were looking to see how many more pages to the end, and we turned one more and then I pointed to the word at the bottom of the page and it said ‘Finis’. We both smiled at each other and turned back to the service.”
In the documentary, the queen notes that, in retrospect, the assignment was “quite helpful.”
The coronation was going to be so long—approximately three hours—that guests snuck food, “strong drink,” and even smelling salts into Westminster Abbey.
Though the 8,000 coronation guests were mostly well-mannered aristocrats and heads of state, they knew that the ceremony was going to be long and planned accordingly, by hiding sandwiches and beverages in their coronets. (Sneaking snacks in crowns to coronations was not a new ritual: after the coronation of George V, some peers expressed worry that the butter in their wrapped sandwiches might have leaked through the lining of their coronets.)
The maids of honor, meanwhile, tucked capsules of smelling salts inside their gloves in the event that, after hours of standing, they felt faint. One maid of honor, Lady Anne Glenconner, nearly fainted—but the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, stationed to her left, managed to prop her up until she regained her footing. Another maid of honor accidentally shattered her vial of smelling salts while shaking hands with the Archbishop of Canterbury, releasing the odor of ammonia into the abbey.
The Gold State Coach, which transported Queen Elizabeth to the coronation, was “not very comfortable.”
The queen admits that the four-ton gilded carriage, which has been used for every coronation since George IV, was “horrible. It’s just not meant for traveling in. . . it’s only sprung on leather.” Queen Elizabeth was carried through half of London that day but, because of the carriage’s weight, could only be transported “at a walking pace. The horses couldn’t possibly go any faster.”
The recipe for anointing oil: sesame and olive oils perfumed with roses, orange flowers, jasmine, musk, civet, and ambergris.
Courtesy of ALAMY/CBS.
Queen Elizabeth’s maids of honor were their own sensation.
“We were kind of like the Spice Girls,” admits Lady Glenconner, who, along with the other maids of honor, lent a bit of glamour to post-war Britain. “We were in all of the newspapers.”
“We had to be the daughters of earls, marquesses, or dukes, and had to have sort of nice figures, and that sort of thing,” explains Lady Glenconner of the selection process. There was such frenzy for details about the coronation that participants and workmen involved were offered the equivalent of $600 today by reporters for tips.
When Lady Glenconner’s shawl blew open after a dress rehearsal, revealing her Norman Hartnell-designed gown, photos of the accidental dress reveal made the front page of newspapers. Lady Glenconner was so horrified that she thought she would be disqualified from the ceremony.
The regalia was protected at Westminster Abbey the evening before the coronation by a dozen Yeomen Warders of the Tower, each armed with a revolver and 12 rounds of ammunition.
The scepter alone contains the largest colorless cut diamond in the world—the 530-carat Cullinan I, which, unbelievably, was sent to Britain in the mail after it was discovered in 1905. In the documentary, Queen Elizabeth wears a brooch crafted from the sizable diamond remnants cut off the gem.
The Crown Jewels comprise 140 items, containing 23,000 precious stones. During World War II, when Britain was threatened by a Nazi invasion, the jewels were relocated from the Tower of London and hidden 60 feet below Windsor Castle in a room accessible only by tunnel. The most valuable gems were even removed from their settings and hidden inside a cookie tin in case the royals needed to make a hasty escape.
Courtesy of CBS Corporation.
Queen Elizabeth has only worn the St. Edward’s Crown once in her six-decade reign.
The queen was reunited with the nearly five-pound crown in Buckingham Palace’s Throne Room. Intriguingly, this particular crown, which was made in 1661 for the coronation of Charles II, and is kept in the Tower of London, is only allowed to be handled by three people in the world: the Queen, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the crown jeweler, who presents the crown to the queen wearing white gloves.
“Is it still as heavy?” Queen Elizabeth wonders when it is presented to her. Lifting the crown, which is encrusted with 440 precious and semi-precious stones from the table, she observes, “Yes, it is.” Tapping its solid gold frame—designed to emit a halo of light —the queen points out the crown’s design flaw: “It is impossible to tell what is front and back.” (In fact, while crowning Elizabeth’s father George VI, the Archbishop of Canterbury lost the thread indicating which side of the crown was the front. George VI wrote in his diary that he was not sure the crown was even placed on his head correctly that day.)
The most human moment of the documentary comes when the queen is presented with the Imperial Crown, which she wore at a different point of the coronation and has worn for most state openings of parliament since. “This is what I do when I wear it,” the queen announces giddily, spinning it around to find her favorite gem: the Black Prince’s Ruby, which is said to have been worn by Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt. “Can I look at this end?” she asks, pointing out the hole in the ruby where Henry V stuck a feather to finish off his helmet decor. “The idea that his plume was put into the stone for his helmet. . . a bit rash but that was the sort of thing they did in those days.”
Of the extravagant crown, she says, “George IV invented that. . .can you imagine a man having that made for him? Fascinating.”
Though the documentary is carefully crafted to preserve reverence and respect for the medieval coronation traditions, the most delightful moments in the program come when Queen Elizabeth momentarily drops monarchical pretense to admit that the trappings, while impressive, aren’t so comfortable.
Speaking about wearing the crowns during her coronation, the Queen remembers, “You can’t lean down to read your speech. You have to bring [the speeches] up. Because if you did your neck would break and it would fall off.”
“Nothing like that is comfortable,” the queen admits with a smile. “So there are some disadvantages to crowns, but otherwise they’re quite important things.”
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The British Imperial Crown is carried through Parliament in 2014. (Oli Scarff/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Now we know where two of the largest diamonds in the world, along with other trinkets from the crown jewels of England, rode out World War II: buried in a cookie tin at Windsor Castle.
The long-secret, surprisingly humble hideout for Britain’s most precious royal baubles was uncovered by a documentary crew and made public Friday. Historians, royal watchers and even Queen Elizabeth herself had been in the dark about where her father, King George VI, had stashed the family jewels when a Nazi invasion was feared at any time.
“We were told nothing. We were only children then,” the queen says in “The Coronation,” according to Town and Country magazine. The film documenting her rise to power in 1953 will air Sunday on the BBC and, in the U.S., on the Smithsonian Channel.
It was only from the film’s host, Alistair Bruce, that the queen learned that her father had the most valuable of the jewels placed in an empty can of Bath Oliver cookies (biscuit tin, if you’re a Brit) and hidden at Windsor Castle, the royal retreat 22 miles from Buckingham Palace. Whether they were plain or chocolate-covered is as yet unknown to history.
[Fact-checking ‘The Crown’: Did the Duke of Windsor plot with Hitler to betray Britain?]
The jewel-stashing operation was carried out during Hitler’s relentless bombing raids on London. Workers excavating the hiding place had to cover the dig at night to prevent German pilots from spotting the white chalk soil. Some of the crown jewels — part of a collection of 140 ceremonial objects used to crown a new sovereign, open sessions of Parliament and other august occasions — were taken from their Tower of London vaults and packed in the larger of two new chambers.
Listen to this story on “Retropod”:
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But the most precious, before they were tucked away, were pried from their exquisite settings and packed in the kind of tin that families throughout Britain would have had in their kitchens, probably to make them both innocuous and easy to grab and go in a quick evacuation.
All this was news to even the closest treasure watchers, according to Anna Keay, former curator at the Tower of London and author of “The Crown Jewels,” a lushly illustrated history of Britain’s official bling.
“I was commissioned by the collection to write the official history, and I wasn’t aware of this at all,” Keay said. “This is a wonderful piece of new information.”
Bruce, the historian who policed the “Downton Abbey” series for period accuracy, said the discovery came from his queries to the royal librarian in researching the documentary. He had asked for information on Princess Elizabeth’s wartime visits to Windsor and was soon summoned to the palace. In seeking answers, the librarian had uncovered long-unseen letters from one of his predecessors detailing the secret hiding place.
A few months later, with cameras in tow, Bruce was guided into a footman’s vestibule at Windsor, down through a trap door hidden under rugs in front of the fireplace and into an ancient sally port, basically a secret escape route from the castle. Deep within were the two war-era chambers that been dug from the chalk and flint, the jewels’ wartime home.
[Churchill’s powerful ‘fight on the beaches’ speech: The words few people actually heard]
A thrilling moment to be sure, Bruce said, although nothing compared to the 90 minutes he spent talking with the queen herself about the jewels and the day she wore them to assume the throne, including her recollections of the “neck-breaking” weight of the imperial crown. Bruce had been seeking permission to make the film for 22 years, he said.
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the bejeweled Imperial Crown and carrying the Orb and Scepter with Cross, leaves Westminster Abbey after her 1952 coronation. (AP Photo/File)
“I wanted to bring the crown jewels, which are the best known but least understood symbols of the nation, back into awareness of the people,” Bruce said. “They are objects that guarantee certain freedoms that we take for granted.”
News of the find spread quickly among historians. It was known the king had probably stashed the jewels at Windsor, unlike the many National Gallery paintings that were hidden in a Welsh quarry hundreds of miles from the bombing, Keay said. And no surprise, really.
“I suspect there was probably reluctance on the part of the royal household to let go of them completely considering they included the biggest diamonds in the world,” she said.
[Fact checking ‘The Crown’: Was Jackie Kennedy high as a kite when she insulted the queen?]
Two of the stones in the collection will be familiar to anyone glued to the second season of the Netflix series “The Crown.” The show’s opening features a fantastical depiction of gold filigree growing like some kind of 24-karat fungus until it becomes the famous imperial crown, a massive white diamond at its center.
Claire Foy plays Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s “The Crown.”
That’s the Second Star of Africa, a whopping 66-facet, 314-carat diamond that was given to King Edward VII by the government of what is now South Africa. It was cut from an even larger stone, the original Cullinan. Its sister jewel, the 530-carat First Star of Africa, sits atop the queen’s scepter.
Among other bits of cookie-tin cargo were two other massive diamonds cut from Cullinan, the Stewart sapphire that adorned Queen Victoria’s crown and other majestic miscellany. One was the massive Black Prince’s ruby, a 170-carat spinel that Henry V wore at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
Keay approved of the homespun hiding place for what amounts to the crown jewels of the crown jewels as a proven dodge against would-be thieves. She pointed out that when the uncut Cullinan itself was transferred from South Africa, a decoy was shipped in the captain’s safe aboard a steamship in the company of armed detectives. The real stone, meanwhile, was sent through the mail.
At the very least, Bruce said, the jewels were ready to be tucked in food hamper if the royals had to flee through an occupied Britain.
“They had a protective covering and they looked like a box of cookies,” he said. “You’d be one degree more likely to make it through a checkpoint.”
Read more Retropolis:
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Diana’s final hours: Dodi’s yacht, a Ritz suite, a diamond ring and relentless photographers
JFK’s last birthday: Gifts, champagne and wandering hands on the presidential yacht ||||| Image copyright Atlantic Productions Image caption The stones, including the Black Prince's Ruby from the Imperial State Crown, were hidden in the tin and buried underground
Gemstones from the crown jewels were hidden in a biscuit tin at Windsor Castle for safekeeping during World War Two, a BBC documentary will reveal.
It was buried below a secret exit on the orders of King George VI to prevent the jewels falling into Nazi hands.
Details of the mystery, unknown by the Queen, were discovered in letters from Sir Owen Morshead, the royal librarian, to Queen Mary, the mother of George VI.
The Queen was told the details for the first time by presenter Alastair Bruce.
Image copyright Atlantic Productions Image caption A trapdoor to access the secret area where the tin was kept still exists today
The remarkable story was unearthed for the BBC One programme by Oliver Urquhart Irvine, the librarian, and assistant keeper of the Queen's Archives.
The stones, including the Black Prince's Ruby from the Imperial State Crown, were placed in the metal box and buried under a sally port, a secured entrance.
Sir Owen's documents describe how a hole was dug in chalk earth, which had to be covered to hide it from enemy bombers, and two chambers with steel doors created.
A trapdoor used to access the secret area at Windsor Castle, where the Queen spent her war years for safety, still exists today.
In the documentary, the Queen also talks about the amusing trials and tribulations of being head of state - from the perils of wearing a heavy crown, to her robes sticking to a thick carpet pile.
The Coronation is screened on BBC One at 8pm on Sunday 14 January 2018.
|
– A BBC documentary that aired last weekend about Queen Elizabeth had all kinds of interesting royal nuggets, but one revelation in particular was news to the queen herself. The makers of The Coronation were able to tell Elizabeth where her father hid the most precious of the crown jewels during World War II, reports the BBC. The answer: inside a cookie tin. Specifically, a tin of Bath Oliver cookies, per the Washington Post. King George VI then ordered the tin itself buried under what was essentially an escape tunnel within Windsor Castle, just in case the Nazis invaded. The revelation came to light thanks to letters from the royal librarian to Queen Mary, the mother of George VI. Vanity Fair highlights other points from the documentary, including one from Elizabeth's childhood. It seems her father instructed her to write a report about his coronation, in order to help prepare her for her own in the future. Here's a snippet: "At the end the service got rather boring as it was all prayers," she wrote. "Grannie and I were looking to see how many more pages to the end, and we turned one more and then I pointed to the word at the bottom of the page and it said 'Finis.' We both smiled at each other and turned back to the service." (Read about a cursed diamond that was bestowed on Queen Victoria.)
|
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Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
The former White House chef whose body was found late Sunday, after a week-long search in the New Mexico mountains, died from drowning, state police said Tuesday.
Medical examiners ruled 61-year-old Walter Scheib's death as accidental after police saw no signs of foul play, according to a news release. The circumstances surrounding how he died were not immediately known.
Related: Body of Former White House Chef Missing in New Mexico Mountains Found
Scheib's body was found off of the Yerba Canyon hiking trail near Taos in northern New Mexico, where he set off on a solo hiking trip June 13, state police said. After an extensive search, rescue crews found him submerged in a mountain drainage that was flowing with runoff. He was wearing a windbreaker jacket, running pants and tennis shoes.
Scheib served as a White House executive chef under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush after he first caught the attention of Hillary Clinton at a West Virginia resort. He also appeared on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" in 2006. ||||| Mrs. Clinton told Mr. Scheib that she wanted to bring a healthier, lighter, American style of cooking to the White House, and he obliged, seeking out small producers to deliver high-quality ingredients to the table.
For his first state dinner, in honor of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan, he served an appetizer of quail with corn custard and a tomato-cumin sauce with a Southwestern accent. The entree was grilled Arctic char and lobster sausage with wild mushroom risotto, braised fennel, vegetable ragout and a roasted garlic and lime sauce. Field greens, with goat cheese and basil baked in phyllo and a port wine dressing, followed. The wines were American, and so was the service: individually arranged plates rather than large banquet-style platters.
“If there is a way to get the fat out without making the taste or texture suffer, we do it,” Mr. Scheib said in an interview before serving a state banquet for Boris N. Yeltsin, the Russian president, in September 1994.
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The job was a heady experience for him, and he relished it. “I get to do every day what most chefs get to do once or twice in their life, if they’re lucky,” he told The New York Times in 1998. “People will have to pry me out of here with a crowbar.”
In fact, Mr. Scheib was fired in 2005, after finding himself out of sync with the Bush administration’s food philosophy and with Laura Bush’s social secretary, Lea Berman. He was replaced by Cristeta Comerford, an assistant chef he had hired.
“We’ve been trying to find a way to satisfy the first lady’s stylistic requirements, and it has been difficult,” Mr. Scheib told The Times after his dismissal. “Basically, I was not successful in my attempt.”
In a statement posted on the website of the Clinton Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton said that “visitors from around the world loved his delicious and creative meals.”
They added, “Walter used his immense talents not only to represent the very best of American cuisine to visiting leaders, but to make a difference in people’s lives across the country through his support of numerous charities.”
Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters.
Walter S. Scheib III was born on May 3, 1954, in Oakland, Calif., and grew up in Bethesda, Md., where he attended Walter Johnson High School. His mother, a keen cook, watched Julia Child on television and reproduced dishes like paella valenciana and bouillabaisse for her family.
After briefly studying at the University of Maryland, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., graduating in 1979. He immediately found work at the Capital Hilton in Washington and rose to executive chef within three years. He left the Hilton in 1986 to become the executive chef of the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Florida, and four years later was hired as executive chef at the Greenbrier, where he directed a staff of 200.
Behind his back, his wife, Jean, submitted his résumé to the White House after Mr. Chambrin left. After preparing a tryout meal for Mrs. Clinton and her staff, he won the job of executive chef.
Because of his résumé, Mr. Scheib was pegged as an administrator rather than a creative chef, a description that stung. “I’m not going to respond to anyone who hasn’t spoken to me before or eaten my cooking,” he said in an interview before his first state dinner. “I think I’m pretty creative.”
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At the same time, he admitted that the White House, where he oversaw five full-time and 20 part-time workers, should not be confused with a four-star restaurant. “These are not Escoffier dinners,” Mr. Scheib said in 1998 before a dinner in honor of Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain. “You can spin it any way you want, it’s still a banquet. How you serve 240 people and have them not think it’s another rubber-chicken-circuit dinner, that’s the job.”
He enjoyed warm relations with the Clintons. He gave Chelsea Clinton cooking lessons before she left for college. He dedicated his cookbook memoir, “White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen,” which was written with Andrew Friedman and published in 2007, to Mrs. Clinton.
The Bush years were trickier. “President Bush liked things simple,” Mr. Scheib told Highlights magazine in 2012. “No soup, salad, greens or ‘wet fish,’ such as poached. If it wasn’t baked or fried, he wasn’t interested.”
Mrs. Bush, he recalled for The Times, told him, “Walter, we would like our food to be flavorful, generous and identifiable.”
Mr. Scheib, whose marriage ended in divorce, is survived by two sons, Walter and Jim, and his father, Walter Scheib Jr. Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.
After leaving the White House, Mr. Scheib started a catering and events business, the American Chef, that combined meals and demonstrations with his reminiscences of life in the White House kitchen.
“I’ve had 11 great years under two administrations,” he told Nation’s Restaurant News in 2005, “and I was lucky enough to be there while American cuisine was changing dramatically and got to do it on the biggest stage.” ||||| Taos, NM (87571)
Today
A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 59F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..
Tonight
A clear sky. Low 28F. SSW winds shifting to NE at 10 to 20 mph.
|
– The death of former top White House chef Walter Scheib appears to have been a tragic hiking accident, according to authorities in New Mexico. An autopsy of the 61-year-old determined that the cause of death was drowning, and officials say there was no sign of foul play, NBC News reports. Police say a search and rescue dog detected Scheib's body around 25 yards from the Yerba Canyon Trail outside Taos. Scheib apparently made it to the 12,115-foot summit of Mount Lobo but ran into trouble during stormy weather on the way back down, reports the Taos News, which describes the trail as "challenging in the best of times." "Hillary and I are saddened by the tragic passing" of Scheib, who used "his immense talents not only to represent the very best of American cuisine to visiting leaders, but to make a difference in people's lives across the country through his support of numerous charities," Bill Clinton said in a statement. Scheib spent 11 years at the White House but was fired in 2005 after falling out of favor with the Bushes, the New York Times reports. "President Bush liked things simple," Scheib recalled in an interview with Highlights magazine a few years ago, per the Times. "No soup, salad, greens, or 'wet fish,' such as poached. If it wasn't baked or fried, he wasn't interested."
|
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Ads withdrawn, and a online petition started in support of a northwest Arkansas gay couple who wants to announce their engagement in a local newspaper.
Cody Renegar and his partner Thomas say they wanted to celebrate their upcoming union with friends and family, by publishing their engagement in the Northwest Arkansas Times.
According to the Northwest Arkansas Times publisher Rusty Turner, its policy is to only print announcements for marriages legally recognized by the state.
Turner says the policy has been around for a long time and has not changed.
Depite the denial the couple says news of the rejection brought a flood of support. The local Backyard Burger franchise pulled it's ads from the paper and an online petition in support of the couple has surpassed 1,000 signatures. ||||| Related Content
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The owner of War Eagle Cavern is expanding his tourist attraction even deeper underground....
|
– When Cody Renegar got engaged to his partner, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops—or at least announce it in his hometown paper. No dice, said the Northwest Arkansas Times. "There's a certain amount of validation that comes with putting it in the paper. You know, you grow up with that, you see this, you love to look at these beautiful photos of couples," he tells KNWA. But the Times told Renegar, who is planning a big wedding in June, that the paper only runs engagement announcements for marriages that the state legally recognizes—ie, not gay marriages. "It's not a law for it not to be put in the paper, it's a choice of theirs, it felt to me like they were making a stance," Renegar says. "You want to be recognized as a taxpayer, as a human being, as a person in love … it's not that complicated for them to print a picture of people in love." The community has rallied around the couple, according to Arkansas Matters: Ads have been pulled from the Times, an online petition has gotten more than 1,000 signatures, and another paper has agreed to publish the announcement.
|
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BEIJING (Reuters) - The CEO of JD.com Inc (JD.O), Richard Liu, has returned to China, the Chinese e-commerce giant said on Monday, days after he was arrested by police in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct and later released.
Police said an investigation was ongoing.
JD.com has said that the accusation against Liu, 45, was unsubstantiated.
A Minnesota-based lawyer for Liu, Earl Gray, said Liu denies any wrongdoing, and added he does not expect his client to be charged, noting that Liu was released without charges or bail, and was allowed to return to China.
“Under these circumstances based on our substantial experience in the criminal justice system in Minnesota charges are highly unlikely in the future to be brought against our client,” Gray said in an emailed statement.
Minneapolis police said on Sunday that “an active investigation” was under way, although it was possible for the billionaire founder of the firm to leave the United States.
Reuters has not been able to reach Liu for comment.
“We don’t know if there will be charges or not because we haven’t concluded an investigation,” John Elder, a spokesman for the Minneapolis Police Department, told Reuters on Sunday. He declined to provide details of the arrest.
In addition to making Liu the highest-profile Chinese businessperson to be accused publicly of sexual misconduct, the case has raised concerns that loss-making Nasdaq-listed JD.com could face difficulties making decisions due to its unusual governance structure.
The company is backed by Walmart Inc (WMT.N), Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google and China’s Tencent Holdings (0700.HK).
JD.com’s rules require Liu, who holds nearly 80 percent of the company’s voting rights, to be present at board meetings for the board to make decisions, although it was not immediately clear if he has to be physically present or could participate by teleconference.
“I’m not aware of any other company that has similar rules,” said Chris Leahy, co-founder of advisory firm Blackpeak and a corporate governance expert.
“If the board isn’t quorate without Richard Liu, if he is unable to attend, and if there are no other provisions that offer a way round that, the company could become ungovernable,” he said.
The Financial Times, citing two people with direct knowledge of the matter, reported that the case involved Liu, who is a student in the University of Minnesota’s doctor of business administration program, and a Chinese student at the university.
While the doctoral program primarily takes place in Beijing in partnership with the prestigious Tsinghua University, the students were in the Twin Cities last week as part of their training. According to its website, the program is designed for top-level executives working in China, and the average age of participants is 50.
The complaint against Liu was made just before midnight local time on Friday, and he was released just after 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff website.
FILE PHOTO - JD.com founder Richard Liu attends a Reuters interview in Hong Kong, China June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File Picture
University spokeswoman Emma Bauer referred questions to the Minneapolis Police Department.
China’s foreign ministry said its consulate in Chicago was closely watching the situation.
“We are currently seeking information and verification from the relevant U.S. departments,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular Beijing news conference on Monday.
SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRE
Chinese social media was abuzz over the arrest, with a thread on Liu’s police booking photo ranking as the most discussed topic on China’s Weibo platform on Monday morning, read more than 250 million times.
JD.com, one of China’s tech heavyweights, competes with larger rival Alibaba Group (BABA.N), and Liu has a net worth of $7.9 billion, according to Forbes. The company, worth some $45 billion, has seen its stock lose 24 percent of its value this year amid concerns of weakening growth momentum.
The company has been in and out of the red for the past year and last month reported a second-quarter net loss of $334.4 million - almost twice market estimates - reflecting increased investment.
Liu built JD.com from scratch. In 1998, he spent 12,000 yuan ($1,760) of his savings to lease a four-square-meter retail space in Beijing’s technology hub of Zhongguancun, setting up a firm that would become JD.com. He is also known for his marriage to Chinese internet celebrity Zhang Zetian.
Zhang, described by Chinese media as aged 24, shot to fame while a student in 2009 when a photo of her holding a cup of milk tea went viral, giving her the nickname “Sister Milk Tea”. She met Liu while studying in the United States and married him in 2015.
Slideshow (2 Images)
In July, a court in Australia denied Liu’s efforts to block the release of his name in association with a sexual assault trial in which he was not accused of any wrongdoing, according to a court document.
In that case, Liu had hosted a party in late 2015 at his luxury home in Sydney, after which one of his guests accused another guest of sexually assaulting her at a hotel. The defendant was found guilty of seven offenses, according to a court document.
Trade in JD.com shares is set to resume on Tuesday as U.S. markets are closed for the Labor Day holiday on Monday.
($1 = 6.8218 Chinese yuan) ||||| MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Chinese billionaire Liu Qiangdong, also known as Richard Liu, the founder of the Beijing-based e-commerce site JD.com, was arrested in Minneapolis on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct, jail records show.
Liu was arrested late Friday night and released Saturday afternoon pending possible criminal charges, Hennepin County Jail records show. The jail records don't provide details of the alleged incident.
Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said Sunday that he couldn't provide any details because the investigation is considered active. He declined to say where in Minneapolis Liu was arrested or what Liu was accused of doing.
Minnesota law defines five degrees of criminal sexual misconduct, ranging from a gross misdemeanor to felonies, covering a broad array of conduct ranging from nonconsensual touching to violent assaults with injuries. The jail records for Liu don't indicate a degree.
JD.com, the main rival to Alibaba Group, said in a statement posted Sunday on the Chinese social media site Weibo that Liu was falsely accused while in the U.S. on a business trip, but that police investigators found no misconduct and that he would continue his journey as planned.
"We will take the necessary legal action against false reporting or rumors," the company said.
Liu recently tried to distance himself from a sexual assault allegations against a guest at a 2015 party at Liu's penthouse in Australia. Liu was not charged or accused of wrongdoing, but Australian media reported he tried unsuccessfully to get a court to prevent the release of his name in that case. The guest was convicted.
|
– A Chinese billionaire was arrested in Minneapolis late Friday on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct, the AP reports. Liu Qiangdong, also known as Richard Liu, founder of Beijing-based e-commerce site JD.com, was released Saturday. Minneapolis police wouldn't give details due to the ongoing investigation and told Reuters charges could be filed, but in a statement posted Sunday, JD.com says Liu, 45, was in the US on a business trip when false accusations were levied against him. The statement, posted to Chinese social media site Weibo, claims investigators found no evidence of misconduct and that Liu's trip would continue as planned. "We will take the necessary legal action against false reporting or rumors," the statement says. JD.com is the Alibaba Group's main rival.
|
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Police are believed to have identified the suspected perpetrators of the novichok attack on the Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.
Detectives think several Russians were involved in the attack in Salisbury in March and are looking for more than one suspect, the Press Association reported.
On Thursday an inquest was opened into the death this month of Dawn Sturgess following exposure to novichok.
During the 15-minute hearing it emerged that Sturgess, 44, did not regain consciousness after falling ill at her partner Charlie Rowley’s home in Amesbury, eight miles north of Salisbury. A family member described saying goodbye to her after doctors said they were going to turn off life-support systems.
It was also revealed that Sturgess’s body was guarded by police in hospital and on the way to an unnamed facility where the postmortem took place – a sign of the public health concerns surrounding her death. More tests will take place before a cause of death is given, the inquest in Salisbury was told.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dawn Sturgess died following exposure to novichok on 8 July. Photograph: Handout/Reuters
On Thursday morning the Press Association quoted a source with knowledge of the Skripal case as saying: “Investigators believe they have identified the suspected perpetrators of the novichok attack through CCTV and have cross-checked this with records of people who entered the country around that time. They [the investigators] are sure they [the suspects] are Russian.”
The PA report said it was understood that Sturgess was exposed to at least 10 times as much novichok as the Skripals came into contact with. Investigators were working on the theory that the substance was in a discarded perfume bottle found by Sturgess and Rowley in a park or elsewhere in Salisbury city centre, and that Sturgess sprayed it straight on to her skin, the source said.
The Metropolitan police, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment. The security minister, Ben Wallace, tweeted that the PA report belonged in the “ill-informed and wild speculation folder”.
Ben Wallace MP (@BWallaceMP) I think this story belongs in the “ill informed and wild speculation folder”
Since March officers have been examining many hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, attempting to spot the Skripal attackers. The Guardian reported on 5 July that police had dropped a hint that they may now know the identity of the would-be killers who targeted the Skripals.
Novichok poisonings: police search Salisbury park visited by couple Read more
Police are working on the assumption that the novichok that killed Sturgess came from the same batch used in the Skripal attack, but scientists are still trying to prove or disprove a direct link.
The inquest heard that emergency services attended Rowley’s home between 10.33am and 11.50am and Sturgess was taken to Salisbury district hospital. Paramedics returned at 6.47pm when Rowley, 45, also fell ill, and he was driven to the same hospital.
DCI Kathryn Barnes, of the south-east counter-terrorism unit, said: “It was initially believed that on admission both patients had been exposed to contaminated controlled drugs. However, it was soon established that both patients were exhibiting symptoms of organophosphate poisoning.
“This was the same symptomatology exhibited by two other individuals [the Skripals] first admitted to the same hospital on 4 March.”
Tests carried out by experts at the government’s Porton Down laboratory revealed the presence of novichok in the pair.
Quick guide What is novichok? Show Hide Novichok refers to a group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s to elude international restrictions on chemical weapons. Like other nerve agents, they are organophosphate compounds, but the chemicals used to make them, and their final structures, are considered classified in the UK, the US and other countries. The most potent of the novichok substances are considered to be more lethal than VX, the most deadly of the familiar nerve agents, which include sarin, tabun and soman. While the novichok agents work in a similar way, by massively over-stimulating muscles and glands, one chemical weapons expert said the agents did not degrade fast in the environment and had 'an additional toxicity that was not well understood. Treatment for novichok exposure would be the same as for other nerve agents, namely with atropine, diazepam and potentially drugs called oximes. The chemical structures of novichok agents were made public in 2008 by Vil Mirzayanov, a former Russian scientist living in the US, but the structures have never been publicly confirmed. It is thought they can be made in different forms, including as a dust aerosol. The novichoks are known as binary agents because they only become lethal after mixing two otherwise harmless components. According to Mirzayanov, they are 10 to 100 times more toxic than conventional nerve agents. While laboratories that are used to police chemical weapons incidents have databases of nerve agents, few outside Russia are believed to have full details of the novichok compounds and the chemicals needed to make them. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images Europe
Barnes said that on 12 July, during searches of Rowley’s address, a small glass bottle was recovered that was later found to contain novichok. Police were still trying to establish when the pair came into possession of the bottle, she said.
In a statement, Sturgess’s sister, Stephanie, said she had visited her sister in the hospital’s intensive care unit and confirmed her identity to the police. On the evening of 8 July, medical staff told her they were gong to turn off Sturgess’s oxygen supply, which was likely to result in her death. She told how she had said goodbye to her sister before leaving.
The inquest was told that Sturgess’s body was kept under guard before being placed in a sealed body bag and taken under guard to a facility where two pathologists undertook the postmortem on 14 July. ||||| Image caption Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were poisoned in March, but both survived
Police are believed to have identified the suspected perpetrators of the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in March, reports say.
Several Russians were thought to be involved in the attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, sources told the Press Association.
They are believed to have been identified through CCTV, cross-checked with border entry data.
Earlier this month, Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after being poisoned by Novichok.
She and her partner, Charlie Rowley, 45, fell ill on 30 June in Amesbury, Wiltshire. He remains seriously ill in hospital.
Police believe the incident is linked to the poisoning of the Skripals, who were discovered slumped on a bench on 4 March. They have since been discharged from hospital.
The UK government has blamed Russia, but the country's authorities deny any involvement.
The source with knowledge of the investigation told the Press Association: "Investigators believe they have identified the suspected perpetrators of the Novichok attack through CCTV and have cross-checked this with records of people who entered the country around that time.
"They (the investigators) are sure they (the suspects) are Russian."
A source also said to have knowledge of the investigation told CNN on Thursday that two suspects had been identified and that the pair had left the UK after the attack.
The suspects have not been named.
Asked about the latest developments, the Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko told the BBC: "Unfortunately, we don't have official statement of the British side.
"I want to hear that from the Scotland Yard or from the Foreign Office. A lot of versions that we hear in newspapers, they are not supported by the Foreign Office."
The prime minister's deputy official spokeswoman said: "This is an ongoing complex investigation and I can't comment on the speculation around it.
"We need to make sure the police have the time and space to carry on with the investigation."
But, writing on Twitter, security minister Ben Wallace called the reports "ill informed and wild speculation".
The Met Police, who is leading the investigation, and the Home Office have both declined to comment.
The BBC has not been able to independently confirm the story.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Gordon Corera considers how likely is it Russia poisoned the Skripals
Philip Ingram, a former British Army intelligence officer and chemical weapons expert, said the latest development supported his perception that this was a "professional attack" designed to send a "political message" - adding that the poisoning happened two weeks before the Russian election.
"My view is that the primary reason behind it was to send a message out to dissenters - and Sergei Skripal was chosen because he was based in Salisbury and that gave the Russians plausible deniability by saying, oh it must have leaked from Porton Down, because it's just up the road," he said.
Porton Down is a military research base near Salisbury.
Image copyright Facebook Image caption Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley touched a contaminated item with their hands
An inquest into the death of Ms Sturgess was opened and adjourned on Thursday. Coroner David Ridley said the cause of death would not be given until further tests are completed.
The victim's sister, Stephanie Burgess, said she had visited her hours before she died.
In a statement read at the inquest, she said: "I was informed that a decision had been made that the medical staff were going to turn off or reduce oxygen and this would likely result in Dawn's death.
"I then said my goodbyes to Dawn before leaving hospital."
Counter-terrorism detectives have revealed they found a small bottle containing Novichok at Mr Rowley's home in Muggleton Road, Amesbury.
They are trying to establish where the container, thought to be a bottle of perfume, originated from, and how Mr Rowley and Ms Sturgess first encountered it.
On Wednesday, international chemical weapons experts completed their investigations in Amesbury, where they sought to identify whether the substance that poisoned the couple was from the same batch used against the Skripals.
Other operations are ongoing, with police divers seen going into a local river and officers searching a playground in Salisbury on their hands and knees.
The risk to the public remains low, according to Public Health England.
Mike Wade, deputy director for health protection in the South West, said: "The advice remains - if you didn't drop it, then don't pick it up."
|
– It looks like Britain may have identified at least two suspects in the Novichok poisonings—and they're Russians. Authorities have not publicly made any announcement, but CNN and the British news agency the Press Association (here via the BBC) are each reporting the development. Investigators pored over surveillance video from airports and from the town of Salisbury around the time that former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia were poisoned there with the nerve agent Novichok in March, according to the reports. "Investigators believe they have identified the suspected perpetrators of the Novichok attack through CCTV and have cross-checked this with records of people who entered the country," a source tells the Press Association. The investigators are sure the suspects are Russian, the source adds. The news agency cites "several" suspects, while the CNN report mentions just two. Investigators reportedly used facial-recognition technology to identify the suspects, who are believed to have used aliases on their flight. Russia's ambassador to the UK says he has not been notified of any such development. The Skripals survived the attack, but a second incident believed to be related turned out to be deadly. Last month, a British couple also were poisoned by Novichok, and the woman in that case has died. Investigators don't think the latter couple were deliberately targeted. Instead, they may have picked up a discarded perfume bottle used in the original attack and inadvertently poisoned themselves, reports the Guardian. (Investigators found the bottle in the home of one of the latest victims.)
|
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Image caption Planes are already encountering stronger winds, scientists say
Flights across the North Atlantic could get a lot bumpier in the future if the climate changes as scientists expect.
Planes are already encountering stronger winds, and could now face more turbulence, according to research led from Reading University, UK.
The study, published in Nature Climate Change, suggests that by mid-century passengers will be bounced around more frequently and more strongly.
The zone in the North Atlantic affected by turbulence could also increase.
Reading's Dr Paul Williams said comfort was not the only consideration; there were financial consequences of bumpier airspace as well.
"It's certainly plausible that if flights get diverted more to fly around turbulence rather than through it then the amount of fuel that needs to be burnt will increase," he told BBC News.
"Fuel costs money, which airlines have to pay, and ultimately it could of course be passengers buying their tickets who see the prices go up."
Media caption Dr Paul Williams: "We've used one of the world's best climate models"
Dr Williams was presenting his research here in Vienna at the European Union Geosciences (EGU) General Assembly.
It was undertaken with Dr Manoj Joshi from the University of East Anglia.
The scientists concentrated their investigation on the North Atlantic corridor, which some 600 flights cross each day to go between the Americas and Europe.
They used a supercomputer to simulate likely changes to air currents above 10km in altitude, such as the fast-moving jet stream.
There is evidence to suggest this has been blowing more strongly, and under some scenarios could be prone to more of the instabilities associated with turbulence as the Earth's climate warms.
Image caption The zone in the North Atlantic affected by turbulence could also increase
Williams and Joshi compared what was essentially an unchanged ("pre-industrial") climate with one that contained double the carbon dioxide. This could happen in the 2050s on present trends.
The modelling suggested the average strength of transatlantic turbulence could increase by between 10% and 40%, and the amount of airspace likely to contain significant turbulence by between 40% and 170%, where the most likely outcome is around 100%. In other words, a doubling of the amount of airspace affected.
"The probability of moderate or greater turbulence increases by 10.8%," said Dr Williams.
"'Moderate or greater turbulence' has a specific definition in aviation. It is turbulence that is strong enough to bounce the aircraft around with an acceleration of five metres per second squared, which is half of a g-force. For that, the seatbelt sign would certainly be on; it would be difficult to walk; drinks would get knocked over; you'd feel strain against your seatbelt."
The Nature Climate Change study is said to be the first to examine the future of aviation turbulence.
Figures are hard to come by but the costs of air turbulence in terms of injuries, plane damage and post-incident inquiries are thought to be in the region of $150m (£100m) a year.
Detecting clear-air turbulence (unstable air in clear blue skies) by remote sensing is difficult.
Currently, pilots rely a lot on reports from planes that have already made the journey across the Atlantic earlier in the day for information about probable flight conditions.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos ||||| Atmospheric turbulence causes most weather-related aircraft incidents1. Commercial aircraft encounter moderate-or-greater turbulence tens of thousands of times each year worldwide, injuring probably hundreds of passengers (occasionally fatally), costing airlines tens of millions of dollars and causing structural damage to planes1,2,3. Clear-air turbulence is especially difficult to avoid, because it cannot be seen by pilots or detected by satellites or on-board radar4,5. Clear-air turbulence is linked to atmospheric jet streams6,7, which are projected to be strengthened by anthropogenic climate change8. However, the response of clear-air turbulence to projected climate change has not previously been studied. Here we show using climate model simulations that clear-air turbulence changes significantly within the transatlantic flight corridor when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is doubled. At cruise altitudes within 50–75° N and 10–60° W in winter, most clear-air turbulence measures show a 10–40% increase in the median strength of turbulence and a 40–170% increase in the frequency of occurrence of moderate-or-greater turbulence. Our results suggest that climate change will lead to bumpier transatlantic flights by the middle of this century. Journey times may lengthen and fuel consumption and emissions may increase. Aviation is partly responsible for changing the climate9, but our findings show for the first time how climate change could affect aviation.
|
– Already annoyed by airplane turbulence and flashing seat-belt signs? Those bumpy rides will get significantly worse over the North Atlantic in years to come, according to a new study. A British research team has found that climate change will probably intensify North Atlantic winds that were already growing stronger. That means flights between the Americas and Europe will only get bumpier or be forced to take costly detours around turbulent areas, the BBC reports. "Fuel costs money, which airlines have to pay, and ultimately it could of course be passengers buying their tickets who see the prices go up," said a co-author of the study. Using a supercomputer, the researchers found that by the 2050s, North Atlantic turbulence could grow by 10% to 40%, and the area of turbulent winds could expand by up to 170%. See the full study at Nature Climate Change. (Or read about a national call for climate-change education.)
|
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By: Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer
Published: 03/09/2012 12:11 PM EST on LiveScience
Springtime in Concord, Mass., has changed since the town was home to Henry David Thoreau, and the writer himself has helped scientists figure out how.
So have other naturalists, whose written records of the plants and animals around them have helped researchers decipher how climate change has affected eastern Massachusetts and beyond.
Beginning in 1851, Thoreau scribbled records of the timing of the first spring flower blooms in his journals.
A century and a half later, Richard Primack, a professor of biology at Boston University, and his then-graduate student, Abe Miller-Rushing, followed in the writer's footsteps, observing the habits of the same species. [Gallery: Signs of Early Spring in Brooklyn]
An analysis of Thoreau's observations, those of another 19th-century naturalist and their own modern records indicate the first flowering date for 43 of the most common species has moved up by an average of 10 days. What's more, species that aren't shifting their flowering times in response to warmer springs are disappearing.
"Even though the world around us has changed quite a bit we were able to do roughly the same fieldwork he did," said Miller-Rushing, who is now the science coordinator for the Schoodic Education and Research Center, Acadia National Park, in Maine. "He couldn't possibly have been thinking about the things we are using his data for today."
Looking back
This research began with some historical detective work.
About 10 years ago, Primack decided to look for examples of how climate change was affecting the plants and animals in Massachusetts. At the time, little work had taken place in the eastern U.S., he said.
There are two well-documented ways in which plants and animals respond to climate change: They can shift their ranges, moving farther up a mountain side, for example; and they can shift the timing of seasonal events (called phenology), like blooming, leafing or migrations. Primack was mainly interested in the latter, though to get any sense of real change he'd need decades or more of data.
"Scientists by and large don't have the records we need to understand how a lot of these things are changing," Miller-Rushing said. "The records dog walkers or bird watchers or fishermen have been collecting can really add a lot of important information."
So, Primack and his students went looking for them. The first record they analyzed and published came from Kathleen Anderson, an amateur naturalist who recorded what she saw on her farm in Middleborough, Mass., for decades. Without knowing at the time, Anderson had documented progressively earlier spring activity in 22 of the 24 species as local average annual temperatures rose by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) over 30 years, the researchers estimate.
150 years in Concord
Primack also tracked down an independent Thoreau scholar, Brad Dean, who had Thoreau's records of flowering dates in Concord.
"He said he was expecting a climate change biologist to contact him; he knew they were important," Primack said of the records, which given Thoreau's notoriously bad handwriting and his use of outdated plant names, required some deciphering.
They had also located similar records kept by the botanist Alfred Hosmer, who followed in Thoreau's footsteps by recording flowering times around the turn of the 20th century.
Moving on up
The researchers looked at three years of their own data, ending in 2006, alongside Thoreau's and Hosmer's and found that 43 common species were flowering seven days earlier on average than they did in Thoreau's time. During this century and a half, Concord's average temperature warmed by 4.3 F (2.4 C).
Urban areas — like Boston's metropolitan area, to which Concord belongs — are warming faster than other places, thanks to the urban heat island effect, which happens when artificial surfaces, such as pavement and sidewalks, absorb heat during the day.
More recently, the researchers added data from 2008, 2009 and 2010 to the analysis (2010 brought the warmest April on record to the Boston area). The new analysis, published in the February 2012 issue of the journal BioScience, indicated an additional three-day advance, so the flowers now bloom 10 days earlier on average.
Primack noted that the flowers are following changes in temperature, so they tend to bloom earlier in warm springs, like 2010, and later in cool springs, like 2003. "The years are now, on average, just much warmer than in Thoreau's time," he said.
Observations made by volunteers tracking seasonal events for the USA National Phenological Network may corroborate some of Primack and Miller-Rushing's more recent results by suggesting trees in the region got their first leaves unusually early in 2010. [Citizen Scientists Chart Shifts in Seasons]
The consequences
The average advancements for Concord's spring flowers are only averages. Not all species are responding the same way to warmer springs — some adjust their timing and some don't.
Primack, Miller-Rushing and colleagues from Harvard University found that the species with inflexible flowering times were disappearing from Concord. For instance, in Thoreau's time, 21 species of orchids grew wild in Concord, and today it's only possible to find about six, Primack said.
"What that result tells us is climate change is not only affecting flowering time but also affecting the abundance of species in Concord," he said. "Warming temperature is causing some species to be winners and some species to be losers."
You can follow LiveScience senior writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.
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Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| Fittingly for a man seen as the first environmentalist, Henry David Thoreau, who described his isolated life in 1840s Massachusetts in the classic of American literature Walden, is now helping scientists pin down the impacts of climate change.
Walden; Or, Life in the Woods: Bold-Faced Ideas for Living a Truly Transcendent Life by Henry David Thoreau Buy the book Tell us what you think: Star-rate and review this book
The American author, who died in 1862, is best known for his account of the two years he spent living in a one-room wooden cabin near Walden Pond "because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life". Packed with descriptions of the natural world he loved, Walden is partly autobiographical, partly a manifesto for Thoreau's belief in the rightness of living close to nature. "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude," he writes. "Simplify, simplify."
But Thoreau was also a naturalist, and he meticulously observed the first flowering dates for over 500 species of wildflowers in Concord, Massachusetts, between 1851 and 1858, recording them in a set of tables. When Richard Primack, a biology professor at Boston University, and fellow researcher Abraham Miller-Rushing discovered Thoreau's unpublished records, they immediately realised how useful they would be for pinning down the impact of the changing climate over the last century and a half. The timing of seasonal events such as flowering dates is known as phenology, and the phenologies of plants in a temperate climate such as that of Massachusetts are very sensitive to temperature, say the scientists. Studying phenology is therefore a good indicator of ecological responses to climate change.
"We had been searching for historical records for about six months when we learned about Thoreau's plant observations. We knew right away that they would be incredibly useful for climate change research because they were from 150 years ago, there were so many species included, and they were gathered by Thoreau, who is so famous in the United States for his book Walden," said Primack. "The records were surprisingly easy to locate once we were aware of them. A copy was given to us by an independent research scholar, who knew that they would be valuable for climate change research."
After deciphering Thoreau's "notoriously bad" handwriting, and spending "a large amount of time" matching the names used for plants in the 1850s with their modern equivalents, Primack and Miller-Rushing compared Thoreau's data on flowering dates, coupled with research from the 19th-century local botanist Alfred Hosmer, with modern data of their own. Looking at 43 common Concord plant species, they found "unambiguously" that these plants, on average, "are now flowering 10 days earlier than they were in Thoreau's time", they write in an article for the journal BioScience.
Over the 155 intervening years, the average temperature in Concord increased by 2.4C, they estimate.
Primack and Miller-Rushing also searched for hundreds of the plant species mentioned by Thoreau, working with local botanists and naturalists to track them down. After three years of fieldwork, they were forced to recognise that many of the species observed by the Walden author in the 1850s were either no longer present in Concord or very hard to find. They concluded that 27% of the species recorded by Thoreau and other botanists were no longer present in Concord at all, and a further 36% of formerly common species were now rare. "Thoreau was a keen observer of nature and a dedicated journalist," said Primack. "I am confident that he would have recognised the changing patterns of the timing of natural events in Concord. Thoreau was also an activist, and perhaps he would also be involved in the movement to reduce the greenhouse gases that are linked to climate change."
The Walden author will be involved further, at least obliquely: Primack and Miller-Rushing have now discovered that Thoreau also made detailed observations on the "leaf-out" dates of trees in Concord in the 1850s, and say it is clear already that trees in Concord are "leafing out" earlier than they did in Thoreau's time. They are now planning more research in this area, guided by Thoreau's notes from a century and a half ago.
|
– Henry David Thoreau has come to to the rescue of scientists seeking valuable climate data. The Walden author kept meticulous notes of flowering patterns in Concord, Massachusetts, between 1851 and 1858. After crunching Thoreau's numbers, researchers have found the average temperature in Concord has risen an estimated 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 155 years, reports the Guardian. (The full report is in the journal BioScience.) A plant's schedule of blooming is closely linked to temperature, and Thoreau's data indicate that plants in Concord are flowering on average 10 days earlier than they did in his day. "We had been searching for historical records for about six months when we learned about Thoreau's plant observations," says one of the scientists. "We knew right away that they would be incredibly useful for climate change research because they were from 150 years ago, there were so many species included, and they were gathered by Thoreau." Click for more.
|
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We'd have more luck playing pickup sticks with our butt-cheeks than we will getting a flight out of here before daybreak. AND...
I assure you, sir, that the execution of my duties is entirely unaffected by my private opinion of you. ||||| Ed King, the Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist who joined the band in 1972 to give the Southern rock group its iconic three-guitar sound, died Wednesday in Nashville. He was 68. A cause of death was not specified, though King had been battling lung cancer and had recently been hospitalized for the disease.
A message on King’s Facebook confirmed his death: “It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Ed King who died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee on August 22nd, 2018. We thank his many friends and fans for their love and support of Ed during his life and career.”
A California native, King was a founding member of the psychedelic Sixties band Strawberry Alarm Clock, known for their hit “Incense and Peppermints.” He offered to join Skynyrd when, opening for the band at the Jacksonville, Florida, bar the Comic Book Club in 1968, he heard them rehearsing the song “Need All My Friends.” It wasn’t until 1972, however, when King would sign on with Skynyrd, temporarily replacing bassist Leon Wilkeson and then becoming a full-fledged member as third guitarist.
King played on the band’s first three albums: 1973’s (Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd), 1974’s Second Helping and 1975’s Nuthin’ Fancy. He most famously co-wrote Second Helping‘s “Sweet Home Alabama” – that’s him counting off “1, 2, 3” in the song’s intro – which, along with “Free Bird,” has become synonymous with the group.
After a dust-up with singer Ronnie Van Zant, King, tired of the Skynyrd drama and propensity for fighting, exited the band in 1975, detailing the incident in the superb new documentary If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“I’m the hippie from Southern California. I’m not digging the violence part,” King said, recounting how a broken string at a show in Pittsburgh earned him the wrath of the mercurial Van Zant. “Ronnie and my guitar roadie who changed my strings were thrown in jail in Ann Arbor. They didn’t arrive … until 10 minutes before we went on. I had to play on old strings and I broke two strings during ‘Free Bird.’ After, Ronnie was riding me, and a lightbulb went off and I said, ‘That’s it.’ I went back to my room, packed up my stuff and left.”
King is a highlight of If I Leave Here Tomorrow, offering keen firsthand insight into the Southern band as an outsider from California. On the album cover for Pronounced, King is pictured far right, a bit detached from the group.
Guitarist Gary Rossington, the lone original member of the Lynyrd Skynyrd that tours today, quipped on King’s aloof, business-minded nature in the documentary. “He’d stop and buy $100 worth of Slim Jims and have him in a briefcase and, driving an hour or two, you get hungry, he’d sell them to us and triple the price,” he said.
Following King’s death, Rossington released a statement. “I’ve just found out about Ed’s passing and I’m shocked and saddened,” he said. “Ed was our brother, and a great songwriter and guitar player. I know he will be reunited with the rest of the boys in Rock and Roll Heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. ||||| Ed King, a guitarist for the bands Strawberry Alarm Clock and Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 68.
“It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Ed King who died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee on August 22nd, 2018,” read a post on King’s Facebook page. “We thank his many friends and fans for their love and support of Ed during his life and career.” Though a cause of death has not yet been specified, King had lung cancer and was recently in hospital.
King was a founding member of Strawberry Alarm Clock, the acid rock band formed in King’s hometown of Los Angeles. Known for their 1967 hit single Incense and Peppermints, which King wrote with keyboard player Mark Weitz, Strawberry Alarm Clock opened for the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd during a run of shows in Jacksonville in 1968, which introduced King to its members, including the lead singer, Ronnie Van Zant.
However, he wouldn’t join the band until 1972, when he briefly replaced the bassist Leon Wilkeson. Upon Wilkeson’s return to the band, King moved to guitar, cementing the three-guitar sound with which the band became synonymous. King wrote the famous guitar riff in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama and played on the band’s first three albums, Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd, Second Helping, and Nuthin’ Fancy, released in 1974, 1974, and 1975. King wrote or co-wrote Lynyrd Skynyrd hits such as Poison Whiskey, Saturday Night Special, and Swamp Music.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest In a 2006 photo, members of Lynyrd Skynyrd appear backstage after being inducted at the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dinner in New York. Photograph: Stuart Ramson/AP
King’s exit from the band shortly after the release of Nuthin’ Fancy is detailed in the documentary If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, released this year. In an interview with Gary James, King recounted writing Sweet Home Alabama with Van Zant, who died, along with the band members Steven and Cassie Gaines and the band’s road manager Dean Kilpatrick, in a 1977 plane crash.
“We wrote that song in half an hour, but it took us about a half a day to put it together,” said King. “The song came real quick. I started off with that riff and Ronnie was sitting on the edge of the couch, making this signal to me to just keep rolling it over and over. Finally, after maybe 10–15 minutes, he got up and sang a verse and a chorus. Then, I just put the song together. I knew where to take it. It wasn’t very difficult. Anything you wrote with him was pretty easy. If he didn’t latch on to it in the first five or ten minutes, then you’d go on to something else.”
Ten years after the deaths of Gaines and Van Zant, King joined the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour alongside the surviving original members Gary Rossington, Billy Powell and Wilkeson, plus Artimus Pyle, Johnny Van Zant, and Randall Hall.
In 2006 King, along with the early members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. On Thursday, Rossington released a statement about his former bandmate’s death. “I’ve just found out about Ed’s passing and I’m shocked and saddened,” he wrote. “Ed was our brother, and a great songwriter and guitar player. I know he will be reunited with the rest of the boys in Rock and Roll Heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
|
– Ed King—a founding member of '60s rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and, later, a guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd—has died. He was 68. "It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Ed King who died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee on August 22nd, 2018. We thank his many friends and fans for their love and support of Ed during his life and career," a post on King's Facebook page reads. King, who had recently been hospitalized, had lung cancer, the Guardian reports, though a cause of death has not been given. King joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1972, per Rolling Stone, and played on the band's first three albums until he "tired of the Skynyrd drama and propensity for fighting" and left the band in 1975. King is known for contributing to the Strawberry Alarm Clock hit "Incense and Peppermints," as well as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," according to AV Club.
|
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SMPD shifts; says Howell never said he intended to do harm at the Gay Pride Parade in WeHo
http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/06/15/news/police-arrest-james-howell-20-for-illegal-possession-of-explosives-guns/1428.html
Police arrest James Howell, 20 for illegal possession of Explosives, Guns.
Santa Monica Police said they arrested James Howell, 20, in Santa Monica Sunday morning for possession of weapons. They originally said he had the intent to harm people at the West Hollywood gay pride event today. Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrook tweeted Sunday evening that Howell said he intended to go to the Gay Pride event, but didn’t specifically say that he intended to harm anyone there.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office filed three felony charges against James Wesley Howell, 20, as well as one misdemeanor charge, said to Deputy Dist. Atty. Sean Carney. Howell appeared Tuesday morning at the Airport Courthouse, at his arraignment. He plead not guilty to charges of weapons possession. The Judge, holding Howell to be a threat to the public, increased his bail from $500,000 to $2,000,000. He has said he intended to attend Gay Pride in West Hollywood, but hasn't said what he would do with the weapons in his car.
Early Sunday, Santa Monica police received a report of a suspected prowler near Olympic Blvd and 11th Street. Howell apparently knocked on doors and said strange things to local residents. Officers responded and found Howell, who told officers he was waiting for a friend. That led officers to inspect his car. There, they found several weapons, a backseat full of ammunition, and a five gallon container filled with tannerite, an ingredient used to create pipe bombs.
An earlier report that he intended to do harm was based on a tweet by Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks. SMPD Lt. Saul Rodriguez said Seabrooks had been given incorrect information. James Howell, 20, of Indiana, told police that he was planning on going to the Pride festival. But Rodriguez said that "as far as motives or his intentions, that statement was never made nor did any officer receive" a statement referring to plans Howell purportedly had, to do harm"
The car had Indiana plates. Howell, a security guard in Indiana, said that he was in town for the Pride event in West Hollywood this weekend. Authorities did not know of any connection between the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando early Sunday morning and the Santa Monica incident. The investigation has been taken over by the FBI.
The parade comes hours after the attack at the Orlando club that killed 50 people. At least 53 were injured in the deadliest shooting in modern American history after a gunman took hostages. The gunman has been identified as 29-year-old radical Islamic terrorist Omar Mateen, a U.S. law enforcement official said. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Orlando attack, the largest mass casualty shooting ever in the United States. The grim record does not include events such as 9/11, which of course were not shootings.
Howell pleaded guilty earlier this year in an intimidation case involving a gun and agreed to surrender his weapons. A friend in Indiana said Howell did not hold any ill will toward gays or lesbians and that his family had been looking for him in recent days.
West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath said in a statement that LASD, which is the official law enforcement agency in West Hollywood, will increase up security efforts around Sunday's parade and other festivities. She insists that officials do not believe there is any threat around Sunday's activities (which sounds a bit hollow, no? I mean, personally I wouldn't let my kids go. Just saying.)
"We are hearing absolutely devastating news reports from Orlando this morning," she said. "Gun violence on the LGBTQ family during Pride Month makes me sick. The deadliest mass shooting in America happened to LGBTQ people on Latin night. While we mourn this heartbreaking loss, we must also rededicate ourselves to the fight for full equality for all people. No one is equal unless everyone is equal."
President Obama spoke just before 12, about the events in West Hollywood and Orlando. He added little to our body of knowledge about these events, did not use the word "Islam" or "Moslem", said we must do more to control guns in this country, and wished everyone well at the Gay Pride event in West Hollywood. ||||| Los Angeles County Sheriff's department motorcycle deputies ride along a street in West Hollywood, Calif., during the Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, June 12, 2016. A heavily armed man arrested in Southern... (Associated Press)
Los Angeles County Sheriff's department motorcycle deputies ride along a street in West Hollywood, Calif., during the Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, June 12, 2016. A heavily armed man arrested in Southern California told police he was in the area for West Hollywood's gay pride parade. (AP Photo/Richard... (Associated Press)
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Police and FBI agents were working to figure out why a man from Indiana had three assault rifles and chemicals used in making explosives in his car some 2,000 miles from home in Southern California, where he told the officers arresting him that he was headed to a gay pride parade.
Santa Monica police and the FBI, which was leading the investigation, were examining the intentions of James Wesley Howell, 20, who told police he was going to LA Pride in West Hollywood, an event that annually draws hundreds of thousands of people. His arrest came just a few hours after at least 50 people were shot and killed in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, though police said they had found no evidence of a connection between the events.
Howell, of Jeffersonville, was arrested around 5 a.m. after residents called police to report suspicious behavior by a man who parked his white Acura sedan facing the wrong way. When officers arrived they saw an assault rifle sitting in Howell's passenger seat, Santa Monica police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said.
That prompted them to search the whole car. They found two more assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and ammunition and a five-gallon bucket with chemicals that could be used to make an explosive device, police said.
Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks initially tweeted that Howell told officers he wanted to "harm" the gay pride event, but she later corrected her statement to say only that Howell said he was going to the parade.
A Facebook page that apparently is Howell's includes photos of the white Acura he was driving in Santa Monica. The postings are unremarkable. There's no enmity toward gays or notable political activism. One post says he's signing a petition to legalize marijuana.
The page's most recent public post, from June 3, shows a photo comparing an Adolf Hitler quote to one from Hillary Clinton. An anti-Clinton, pro-Bernie Sanders photo was posted in February.
The site said Howell worked as an auditor for a company that makes air filters.
Howell was charged in October in Clark County, Indiana, with pointing a firearm at someone, and with intimidation. He made a deal with prosecutors in April to plead guilty only to the misdemeanor intimidation charge. He was given one-year prison sentence that the judge suspended in favor of strict probation that prohibited him from having weapons.
A friend of Howell's, 18-year-old Joseph Greeson, said Howell's parents in Jeffersonville hadn't seen him for days and that they called Greeson's parents looking for him. Greeson told the Los Angeles Times that he and Howell are in a car club together and that Howell had a gun collection.
Greeson also said Howell harbored no ill will for gays or lesbians.
The event continued as usual, albeit with increased security. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the arrest at the start of the parade and struck a defiant tone.
"We are here as Angelenos, as the LGBT community and allies," he said. "And we will not shrink away, we will not be stuck in our homes, we will not go back into our closets. We're here to march, to celebrate and to mourn."
Carl Oliver of Los Angeles attends the parade every year. He said he cried after hearing about Orlando, but he never considered not coming.
"This is about love," he said. "We have to show our love and unity."
___
Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
|
– Police have backtracked after initially saying James Wesley Howell wanted to do harm to Sunday's LA Pride parade—but it's still far from clear what the 20-year-old was doing thousands of miles from home with a car full of guns and chemicals used to make explosives. The AP reports that police have found no link to the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla. Police say an earlier statement about the Indiana man wanting to do harm to the gay pride event "was a misstatement," and that he only told them that he planned to attend the festival. Cops found the chemicals and three assault rifles in his car after he was found behaving strangely in Santa Monica early Sunday, the Santa Monica Observer reports. Howell’s friend Joseph Greeson says Howell is bisexual and bears no ill will toward gay people, the Los Angeles Times reports. He says Howell's parents in Jeffersonville, Ind. hadn't seen him for days and had called Greeson's parents looking for him. On a Facebook page that has now been taken down, Howell shares anti-Hillary Clinton and pro-marijuana posts, as well as assorted conspiracy theories. Howell—who was on probation for an incident involving intimidation with a firearm last year—is being held on weapons and explosives charges. The LA Pride parade went ahead as planned, with Mayor Eric Garcetti calling for unity, the Guardian reports. "We are Orlando, we are Americans, we are all LGBT community members today, we are all part of a country that will not be beaten down," he said.
|
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It's been more than two months since the tragedy in Tucson stunned the nation. It was a moment when we came together as one people to mourn and to pray for those we lost. And in the attack's turbulent wake, Americans by and large rightly refrained from finger-pointing, assigning blame or playing politics with other people's pain.
But one clear and terrible fact remains. A man our Army rejected as unfit for service; a man one of our colleges deemed too unstable for studies; a man apparently bent on violence, was able to walk into a store and buy a gun.
He used it to murder six people and wound 13 others. And if not for the heroism of bystanders and a brilliant surgical team, it would have been far worse.
But since that day, we have lost perhaps another 2,000 members of our American family to gun violence. Thousands more have been wounded. We lose the same number of young people to guns every day and a half as we did at Columbine, and every four days as we did at Virginia Tech.
Every single day, America is robbed of more futures. It has awful consequences for our society. And as a society, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to put a stop to it.
Now, like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. And the courts have settled that as the law of the land. In this country, we have a strong tradition of gun ownership that's handed from generation to generation. Hunting and shooting are part of our national heritage. And, in fact, my administration has not curtailed the rights of gun owners - it has expanded them, including allowing people to carry their guns in national parks and wildlife refuges.
The fact is, almost all gun owners in America are highly responsible. They're our friends and neighbors. They buy their guns legally and use them safely, whether for hunting or target shooting, collection or protection. And that's something that gun-safety advocates need to accept. Likewise, advocates for gun owners should accept the awful reality that gun violence affects Americans everywhere, whether on the streets of Chicago or at a supermarket in Tucson.
I know that every time we try to talk about guns, it can reinforce stark divides. People shout at one another, which makes it impossible to listen. We mire ourselves in stalemate, which makes it impossible to get to where we need to go as a country.
However, I believe that if common sense prevails, we can get beyond wedge issues and stale political debates to find a sensible, intelligent way to make the United States of America a safer, stronger place.
I'm willing to bet that responsible, law-abiding gun owners agree that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few - dangerous criminals and fugitives, for example - from getting their hands on a gun in the first place.
I'm willing to bet they don't think that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas - that we should check someone's criminal record before he can check out at a gun seller; that an unbalanced man shouldn't be able to buy a gun so easily; that there's room for us to have reasonable laws that uphold liberty, ensure citizen safety and are fully compatible with a robust Second Amendment.
That's why our focus right now should be on sound and effective steps that will actually keep those irresponsible, law-breaking few from getting their hands on a gun in the first place.
• First, we should begin by enforcing laws that are already on the books. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System is the filter that's supposed to stop the wrong people from getting their hands on a gun. Bipartisan legislation four years ago was supposed to strengthen this system, but it hasn't been properly implemented. It relies on data supplied by states - but that data is often incomplete and inadequate. We must do better.
• Second, we should in fact reward the states that provide the best data - and therefore do the most to protect our citizens.
• Third, we should make the system faster and nimbler. We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can't escape it.
Porous background checks are bad for police officers, for law-abiding citizens and for the sellers themselves. If we're serious about keeping guns away from someone who's made up his mind to kill, then we can't allow a situation where a responsible seller denies him a weapon at one store, but he effortlessly buys the same gun someplace else.
Clearly, there's more we can do to prevent gun violence. But I want this to at least be the beginning of a new discussion on how we can keep America safe for all our people.
I know some aren't interested in participating. Some will say that anything short of the most sweeping anti-gun legislation is a capitulation to the gun lobby. Others will predictably cast any discussion as the opening salvo in a wild-eyed scheme to take away everybody's guns. And such hyperbole will become the fodder for overheated fundraising letters.
But I have more faith in the American people than that. Most gun-control advocates know that most gun owners are responsible citizens. Most gun owners know that the word "commonsense" isn't a code word for "confiscation." And none of us should be willing to remain passive in the face of violence or resigned to watching helplessly as another rampage unfolds on television.
As long as those whose lives are shattered by gun violence don't get to look away and move on, neither can we.
We owe the victims of the tragedy in Tucson and the countless unheralded tragedies each year nothing less than our best efforts - to seek consensus, to prevent future bloodshed, to forge a nation worthy of our children's futures. ||||| Political pressure on the White House is building in some quarters of the Democratic Party . Representative John B. Larson, Democrat of Connecticut, for example, called for Congress to pass measures requiring background checks on all gun sales, as well as banning assault rifles and high-capacity clips.
“To do nothing in the face of pending disaster is to be complicit,” Mr. Larson said. “It’s time to act. It’s time to vote.”
Americans remain closely divided on the issue of gun rights, but public support for stricter gun-control laws has waned since 2008, according to several polls taken before the shootings in Newtown, Conn.
The Justice Department’s study, according to people familiar with the deliberations, did not focus on new restrictions on the kinds of weapons that most law-abiding Americans may purchase, on the premise that those would be nearly impossible to push through Congress.
Photo
Instead, it focused on ways to bolster the database the F.B.I. uses for background checks on gun purchasers, including using information on file at other federal agencies. Certain people are barred from buying guns, including felons, drug users, those adjudicated mentally “defective,” illegal immigrants and people convicted of misdemeanor offenses related to domestic violence.
For example, the study recommended that all agencies that give out benefits, like the Social Security Administration , tell the F.B.I. background-check system whenever they have made arrangements to send a check to a trustee for a person deemed mentally incompetent to handle his own finances, or when federal employees or job applicants fail a drug test. It also proposed setting up a system to appeal such determinations.
Although advocates for gun rights and privacy protection would probably object to the sharing of such information among agencies, the Justice Department concluded such activity would be lawful and appropriate.
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The study also proposed Congressional action, including increasing grants to states as an incentive to voluntarily submit their own law enforcement information to the database — to about $100 million a year, up from about $11 million this year.
The recommendations also included asking Congress to enact a law to expand the list of transactions subject to background checks — currently required only for purchases from a licensed firearms dealer — by requiring private sellers to check buyers’ backgrounds too; the idea was to require them to go to a dealer and use its background check system for a small fee.
Finally, the study envisioned asking Congress to increase criminal penalties — with a mandatory minimum prison sentence — for people who act as “straw” buyers for others who would have been blocked by a background check.
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The White House and Justice Department would not comment on the study.
The study’s recommendations are consistent with broad remarks by Mr. Obama in an opinion article published in The Arizona Daily Star in March 2011, about two months after the Tucson shooting involving Ms. Giffords. In it, Mr. Obama called for improvements in enforcing the existing ban on the sale of guns to certain categories of people.
He wrote that he was “willing to bet that responsible, law-abiding gun owners” would agree to “common sense” ideas, including “that we should check someone’s criminal record before he can check out at a gun seller; that an unbalanced man shouldn’t be able to buy a gun so easily; that there’s room for us to have reasonable laws that uphold liberty, ensure citizen safety and are fully compatible with a robust Second Amendment.”
Mr. Obama made similar comments in a speech in July after another mass shooting, at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.
Photo
Back around March 2011, officials said, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. asked Christopher Schroeder, then the assistant attorney general for legal policy, to examine gun control and background checks.
Mr. Schroeder and his aides, working with the criminal division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, spent the next year developing ideas and recommendations. They also met with gun-safety advocates and police chiefs, and attended conferences about the F.B.I. database, known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
They were said to have presented their recommendations in a series of meetings a year to nine months ago with senior department officials, including Mr. Holder and his deputy, James Cole . But the proposals were largely filed away without action amid a harsh political environment against gun control.
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At the time, congressional Republicans and conservative news media outlets were carrying out a withering campaign against Mr. Holder based on accusations — found to be false by the department’s independent inspector general — that he had sanctioned the reckless “gun walking” tactics, not moving swiftly to interdict illegal weapons, used in the Operation Fast and Furious gun trafficking case, including floating theories that it was all part of a conspiracy meant to crack down on gun rights.
Still, an administration official pointed to smaller steps taken last spring to improve the background check system, including automating a system that feeds information about federal indictments, convictions and arrest warrants into the database; previously it was entered by hand.
Mr. Schroeder, who stepped down from his position last month to return to teaching at Duke University law school, confirmed that he had conducted the larger project.
“We have identified ways to improve the effectiveness of the background check system that we concluded would be positive and constructive and help meet the president’s objective of keeping more guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals,” Mr. Schroeder said. “I’m hopeful that some of these can move forward and actually be implemented.”
Some of the proposals would attempt to improve on longstanding ideas. For example, after a Virginia Tech student killed 32 people and wounded 17 others in 2007, it emerged that a state judge had deemed him mentally ill, but that information was not in the F.B.I. database.
In 2008, Congress called upon federal agencies that might know whether someone is mentally ill to make sure the F.B.I. database had that information. But most agencies that have such information — as varied as Social Security and the Railroad Retirement Board — have yet to comply.
|
– The Justice Department developed a new gun-control initiative after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting last year but shelved it in the heat of a presidential election campaign, the New York Times reports. Whether President Obama will revive it in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting is unknown. But the basic tenet is fairly old: Order federal agencies to send information to the FBI to expand its database of people barred from buying guns. That list includes the mentally "defective," illegals, drug users, felons, and domestic abusers. For example, the Social Security Administration would tell the FBI when it was sending a check to someone because that person is mentally unwell. Such moves could improve the system, which failed to bar the gunman in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre from buying guns despite a judge's ruling that he was mentally ill. A similar law was passed in 2008, however, and agencies either dragged their feet or said their information wasn't appropriate for the database. For more, see an Arizona Star op-ed published under Obama's name after the Giffords shooting. (Or see the latest round of rhetoric on gun control.)
|
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First, a batch of top-tier Republican prospects -- including Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels and Mike Huckabee – decided to sit out tomorrow night’s GOP presidential primary debate, co-sponsored by Fox News and the South Carolina Republican Party.
And now, major media organizations are sitting it out too.
The Associated Press announced Wednesday night that it’s not going to cover tomorrow night’s Republican presidential debate, citing “restrictions placed on media access.”
“The debate sponsors, Fox News Channel and the South Carolina Republican Party, will only allow photos to be taken in the moments ahead of the debate and not during the event itself,” the AP said in an advisory to editors.
“These are restrictions that violate basic demands of news-gathering and differ from other debates where more access was granted. Accordingly, the AP will not staff the event in any format nor will the AP disseminate any pool photos taken by another outlet.”
The AP said the decision was “consistent with longstanding policy” in coverage of events like these, and would be reassessed “should access conditions change.”
Reuters confirmed that it would not be covering the event photographically, because it shared concerns about access. However, Reuters did not confirm whether it would be going as far as AP and not filing text either.
“This is about whether visual journalists will be treated with the same respect that text journalists are treated,” said Michael Oreskes, AP’s managing editor for U.S. News. “The public has a right to see presidential candidates as well as to read about them, and we think this debate should get off on the right foot.”
Oreskes said the AP found out Tuesday about restrictions that would bar photographers from taking photos throughout the length of the debate, and informed the South Carolina Republican Party that this was unacceptable.
“At this event four years ago, both Reuters and the Associated Press had wide access for our still photographers during the debate,” he said.
But Joel Sawyer, the executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, says that’s simply not so.
“This is the same way every debate sponsored by Fox and the South Carolina GOP has operated in the past,” Sawyer said. “This is not about us changing the rules of the game. It’s a matter of the AP changing the rules of the game. The AP has said if they are not able to sit in for the entire debate, they’re not going to cover it period. And frankly, we are not interested in the AP trying to bully us.”
In past debates, photographers have been able to shoot some portion of the debate, either at the beginning or at the end, but not sit through the entire debate.
“No photographer has sat for the entirety of the Fox News-South Carolina GOP debate in the past,” he said.
Katon Dawson, the former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, oversaw the two previous debates leading up to the 2008 election, and remembers no such problems in the past.
He could not recall the exact rules that were given to the photographers, but said many of the circumstances this time around were different. ‘We had a lot bigger staff, and we had 10 candidates,” he said. “They’d been campaigning for 8 months. We had a professional photographer that provided something for them [the news organizations].
While he said “no one took photos throughout the entire debates,” he has gone back and seen Reuters and AP photos of the past South Carolina GOP debates taken by AP and Reuters, so there must have been at least some photography during the event.
During the first debate, held in May of 2007 at the Koger Center for the Arts, the venue had a booth for professional performances that Fox News wasn’t using, so he said “we may well have put the photographers in there.”
*This post has been updated to include Reuters's decision and comment from AP, the South Carolina Republican Party and its former chairman.
UPDATE: AP spokesman Paul Colford said a check of AP photo files revealed that the organization shot more than 80 pictures from the second South Carolina GOP debate of the 2008 election cycle, held in January of that year, and that several of the photos show candidates behind podiums gesturing as they answered questions during the debate.
“That’s a far cry from what they offered us yesterday, which is a pool photographer for the handshakes before the start,” he said.
UPDATE II: AP sent out an advisory Thursday evening indicating that their position hadn't changed, saying, "We anticipate a text political story tonight based on interviews with the candidates in South Carolina on the death of Osama bin Laden. Should debate access conditions change, the AP will reassess this decision and expedite a coverage advisory if warranted." ||||| Sure, the Republican heavyweights wont be there. And the Democratic incumbent may steal the days spotlight meeting with 9/11 families in New York City after the killing of Osama bin Laden. But the show must go on.
The 2012 presidential campaign officially kicks off with tonights debate in Greenville.
Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon will be blogging the debate, which starts at 9 p.m., live online.
The candidates who will be there Former pizza executive Herman Cain, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania
The forum Greenvilles Peace Center, to be broadcast on Fox News Channel, from 9-10:30 p.m.
The stakes With the GOPs presumed front-runners sitting the debate out or undecided whether they will run, Pawlenty has the most to gain or lose of those appearing.
The former Minnesota governor is the one candidate appearing who has a shot at winning the GOP nomination and sans Mitch Daniels, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Jon Huntsman, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Donald Trump; all of whom may or may not run Pawlenty can command the spotlight and, he hopes, win attention and support.
Pawlenty can point to his record appealing to social and fiscal conservatives, but is largely unknown nationally and lacks the pop of other candidates.
Likewise, he risks getting dragged into the weeds if forced to address some of the arch-conservative or libertarian beliefs of the lesser-known candidates at the debate.
Paul is a known commodity among Republicans he has a die-hard group of supporters but many in the GOP are turned off by what they view as his isolationist foreign policy. Paul won a recent Lexington County GOP straw poll and can raise boatloads of money, which will allow him to stay in the race as long as he wants.
For Cain, the debate could be a chance at some much-needed media attention. Tea Party groups around the state have raved about their meetings with him; now others will get their first chance to hear him.
No one has spent as much time in South Carolina as Santorum, who will make the strongest appeal to the states religious conservatives.
Key issues An April poll by Winthrop University showed the economy, the budget and deficit, politicians and jobs were the top four campaign issues cited by Republican or Republican-leaning respondents.
Also, expect foreign policy to come up after the U.S. military killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden on Sunday. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, will be accused of not giving former President George W. Bush, a Republican, enough credit. Paul will say the United States should swear off foreign interventions, withdrawing to our shores.
|
– If the GOP held a presidential debate and barely anyone attended, would it still be a debate? The AP and Reuters are the latest to duck out of tonight's South Carolina debate, Politico reports. A number of prospective candidates, including Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels, and Mike Huckabee, had already opted to sit it out. The debate, co-sponsored by Fox News and the South Carolina Republican Party, has "restrictions placed on media access" that "violate basic demands of newsgathering," the AP complained yesterday. Photos will only be allowed before, not during, the event, leading both the AP and Reuters to decline to photograph the event. The AP will not cover it at all, while Reuters has not said whether it will file a story. Only Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Santorum will be participating, notes the State.
|
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[Lindsay Lohan appeared healthy, upbeat, and pulled together (if somewhat surgically adjusted) and—putting to rest speculation that she might crash and burn spectacularly on live television—comported herself just fine in what proved to be an uneven episode. She poked fun at her train-wreck reputation in the monologue (in which she was subjected to assorted drug tests by the SNL cast) and played herself as a prisoner in the show's recurring "Scared Straight" sketch. Jimmy Fallon and Jon Hamm made cameos. Musical guest Jack White performed "Love Interruption" (backed by Ruby Amanfu and an all-female band) and "Sixteen Saltines" (with an all-male band).]
Some highlights...
Bill Hader as a Norman Bates-esque Shepard Smith ("I'm a shy little possum...") interviews a creepy Mitt Romney and family, including sons Tagg, Tiggy, and Tic Tac, and diehard supporter Kidd Rock (Andy Samberg), who performs his new song ("He's Mitt Romney...get the eff out of his way...")
From the creators of the Real Housewives of Atlanta and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it's the Real Housewives of Disney—featuring Snow White (Vanessa Bayer), Rapunzel (Lindsay Lohan), Jasmine (Nasim Pedrad), Belle (Abby Elliott), Prince Charming (Taran Killam), and "huge @#$@#$ing mess" Cinderella (Kristin Wiig).
Loonier-than-ever James Carville (Bill Hader) drops by Weekend Update to discuss Rush Limbaugh's inappropriate comments about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke and to describe his efforts in the '90s to pick off Newt Gingrich with the help of alligators.
Live from Las Vegas, it's the 2012 Psychic Awards, hosted by cruise ship psychic Dan Bernando (Andy Samberg) and "Lovely Lucy" (Lindsay Lohan), featuring a look ahead to "the psychics and magicians we're going to lose in the coming year..."
House sitter Megan (Lindsay Lohan) helps out Kristin Wiig, a woman terrorized by her own butt-dials.
Also: Snooki (Bobby Moynihan) drops by Weekend Update to discuss her rumored pregnancy (and is interrupted by Jon Hamm, who reveals himself to be the father); Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan host "the least listened-to hip hop show in Shakopee, Minnesota" with help from intern "Illiterate Lisa" (Lindsay Lohan); Jason Sudeikis as "weird guy by a fire."
NEXT, on March 10: Jonah Hill, with musical guest The Shins. ||||| “Scared Straight” is a great recurring sketch, and it only made sense that the show would reprise it and give Lindsay Lohan the chance to co-star as Kenan Thompson’s partner in the fictional program commissioned by Jason Sudeikis. What was unexpected, however, was that she played herself herself. Her life, after all, has given her the kind of experience and insight that make “Scared Straight” so effective — she can really speak to the effects of a life of crime. There are real, horrible consequences. Like “rehab in Malibu!”
“Scared Straight” is one of the most formulaic sketches on the show, which usually makes it pretty successful: the Scared Straight team is introduced in the same way and from there it’s just an opportunity to make as many prison rape jokes as possible. Lohan started out quite funny, but was obviously reading from the teleprompter halfway through the sketch, and stumbled over a few of her lines. It would have been great to see a more polished performance from her, but it didn’t matter, because after she left the scene Jason Sudeikis sat down emphatically on his desk, knocking off the contents (as well as his glasses) and he, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader and Bobby Moynihan collapsed into giggles. You can see the clip here via NBC:
Have a tip we should know? [email protected] ||||| Lindsay Lohan’s NBC-enabled mini-comeback climaxed tonight with her hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. Lohan herself was mostly pushed to the background for the show, usually appearing in unchallenging supporting roles in sketches. The show winked at Lohan’s history of legal troubles in the monologue — Lohan got a pat-down from Kristen Wiig — and in a new “Scared Straight” sketch, in which Lohan played herself. (In that sketch, Lohan’s dependency on cue cards became excruciatingly clear during a long soliloquy.) A visiting Jon Hamm was officially named the night’s back-up host, and the Mad Men star arguably got a bigger laugh for his brief appearance as Snooki’s baby daddy than Lohan got all night.
It certainly wasn’t the blazing comeback performance us Lohan apologists have been hoping for. But how bad was it? Did you give Lohan grade inflation just for showing up? Did you like how Jimmy Fallon accepted Lohan’s out-of-nowhere and completely unplanned invitation? How does her episode stack up to this season’s other hosts? Take the poll below, and check back here Sunday morning for my complete recap.
Take Our Poll
Follow Darren on Twitter: @EWDarrenFranich ||||| I don’t think anyone expected that Lindsay Lohan would be hosting <em>Saturday Night Live</em> in 2012, or that she would do so without a movie, album, or any project at all to promote! Her opening monologue was a perfect opportunity to answer some questions the audience would have for her, and she wasted no time poking fun at herself for her various arrests and her stalled career.
She also had help from a few cast members, including Kenan Thomson, Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon and a celeb cameo from Jon Hamm. The first three were there to demonstrate their utmost faith in her hosting abilities; the fourth was there as a back-up host juuuuuust in case. Not that she’d need it. But just as a precaution. You understand. It remains to be seen how the episode will go, but Lindsay seemed game for anything so far (and looked really lovely!) You can seen her opening monologue here, via NBC:
Have a tip we should know? [email protected] |||||
Lindsay Lohan, promoting her “SNL” appearance with Kenan Thompson. (NBC/DANA EDELSON/NBC)
Lindsay Lohan attempted to make a triumphant return to non-court-hearing-related pop cultural relevancy by hosting “Saturday Night Live” this week. Did it work? Well, not entirely.
Lohan started strong with an opening monologue that openly acknowledged her recent circumstances, complete with an alarm that sounded when she stepped offstage, a patdown from Kristen Wiig and a promise from Jon Hamm to step in as host the minute she crashed and burned.
The first taped sketch, “Real Housewives of Disney” — which featured Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel and Jasmine acting like Camille Grammer and NeNe Leakes — also worked well, and was a nice dig at Lohan’s roots as Disney golden girl.
Then things went a tad south. The prison sketch that added Lohan to the usual Kenan Thompson “Scared Straight” proceedings presented an opportunity for her to fire off a self-reverential monologue — one that mentioned her role in “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and the accusations she faced regarding stolen jewelry. But Lohan, who kept glancing at her cue cards, delivered her lines with a lack of conviction. That ball got definitively dropped.
In other sketches — most notably, the a.m. DJ riff and a housesitting bit she did with a decidedly paranoid, butt-dialing Kristen Wiig — were a little better. But Lohan had notably less dialogue to deliver in those sketches and was largely carried by her co-stars.
In essence, this was hardly a disaster on par with, say, Lana Del Rey. But Lohan also didn’t fully reclaim her status as a young comic performer worthy of casting in major Hollywood projects.
But what did you think? Share your opinion of Lohan’s “SNL” performance by posting a comment and/or voting in the poll below. ||||| After making the media rounds on NBC (TODAY show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon), we’re finally just hours away from Lindsay Lohan ‘s Saturday Night Live hosting gig. Her episode will feature musical guest, and will be Lindsay’s first appearance on the show since 2006.
But what we’re all wondering is if this will spark a comeback for the embattled actress. According to latest reports from TMZ, LiLo will be singing for her opening monologue.
With that in mind, Celebuzz is taking a look back at Lindsay’s greatest SNL moments (after all, she must’ve been doing something right if she’s been asked to return!). From Harry Potter spoofs to jokes about Mischa Barton‘s arms, we’re taking a look back at all the hilarity that the Mean Girls star encountered during her last SNL stint.
Check out Lindsay’s Hermione impression above, then the rest of her funny SNL skits below!
Neutrogena Coin Slot:
Tina Fey & Amy Poehler act as Lindsay’s mentors:
Debbie Downer:
|
– Lindsay Lohan showed up, apparently sober, and actually got some laughs last night on Saturday Night Live, poking fun at herself during the monologue and a "Scared Straight" skit. "Lindsay Lohan appeared healthy, upbeat, and pulled together (if somewhat surgically adjusted) and—putting to rest speculation that she might crash and burn spectacularly on live television—comported herself just fine in what proved to be an uneven episode," writes Sage Stossel in the Atlantic. On Mediaite, Sarah Devlin writes that "Lindsay seemed game for anything so far (and looked really lovely!)," but notes that she was quite obviously reading from the teleprompter during "Scared Straight." The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly were not as impressed, noting that Lohan was largely in the background, but acknowledging that it wasn't a disaster. Watch highlights in the gallery, or click for more of Lohan's best SNL moments from the past.
|
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Korean Air's Boeing 747-8 (AFP)
It could be the end of an era for one of aviation’s most iconic airplanes, with Boeing hinting at the end of the production line for its double-decker 747 aircraft.
Weak sales and encroaching competition are forcing the planemaker to re-evaluate the production of its legendary 747 aircraft, the original Jumbo Jet which changed the face of the industry when it debuted in 1970.
In a post-earnings call with analysts this week, Boeing said “it’s reasonably possible” that production could halt altogether if sales continue to plummet.
The company has slashed production plans from 12 a year, to six, beginning in September.
In addition to its distinctive hump which is most commonly used as a first class cabin, the 747 became the world’s first wide-body aircraft and held onto the title of world’s biggest airliner for nearly four decades, before the arrival of Airbus A380 in 2007.
The most popular version of the 747 currently in service is the 747-400.
The newest iteration of the series is the 747-8, a powerful jet that can travel the length of three FIFA soccer fields in one second.
Airlines that have purchased the latest 747 as part of their fleet include Korean Air, Air China, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and All Nippon Airways. The 747-8 accommodates 410 passengers.
The 747-8 has also been chosen by the US Air Force to serve as Air Force One. ||||| Boeing: Airlines will need 617,000 pilots, 814,000 attendants
SEATTLE -- In the latest forecast of future airline jobs, Boeing expects the world’s airlines to hire 814,000 flight attendants. This is the first time that cabin crew members have been added to the now seven-year-old forecast issued annually by the U.S. jetmaker.
Previously, Boeing has made forecasts for pilots and mechanics. For those professions, Boeing projects that the world's airlines will need 679,000 technicians and 617,000 pilots in the next 20 years. That ups Boeing's estimates for both categories by about 11% as compared to last year’s forecast.
BOOKMARK: Go directly to the Today in the Sky homepage
The Asia-Pacific region, according to Boeing, will continue to lead with the most new jobs generated. But North America and Europe are also large generators of new airline jobs, largely because of an upcoming wave of retirements, says Sherry Carbary, Boeing’s Vice President for Flight Services with the company’s airliner business.
"The Pilot and Technician Outlook has become a resource for the industry to determine demand for successful airline operations" Carbary adds in a statement. "Cabin crew are an integral part of operating an airline, and while Boeing does not train cabin crew like pilots and technicians, we believe the industry can use these numbers for planning purposes."
The creation of the report -- officially named the “Pilot and Technician Outlook” (even though it now includes cabin crew) -- comes decades after Boeing established its Current Market Outlook (CMO) that forecasted global sales of airliners regardless of manufacturer.
VIDEO: Boeing expects airlines to hire more flight attendants
The current Boeing CMO calls for the sale of 39,620 planes over the next twenty years on the same basis as the personnel forecast, the years 2016 through 2035.
One of the drivers behind the number of jobs is that the largest percentage of airplanes expected to be delivered to airlines are so called “single aisle” jets, which include the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320. These are jet families which experience high rates of utilization, flying multiple flights in a single day requiring multiple teams of pilots and flight attendants. The exact numbers vary from airline to airline and country to country depending on business models and regulatory requirements.
KING 5 TV of Seattle is part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Occasionally, USA TODAY NETWORK stories are used in Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. You can follow the author of this story, KING 5 reporter Glenn Farley on Twitter at @GlennFarleyK5.
IN PICTURES: Boeing's centennial: A look into the photo archives
IN PICTURES: Behind the scenes on Boeing's 747 assembly line
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2atYYHa ||||| Boeing Forecasts Nearly 1.5 Million Pilots and Technicians Needed by 2035
20 year demand for cabin crew tops 800,000
Boeing (NYSE: BA) released its 2016 Pilot and Technician Outlook today at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and projects a demand for nearly 1.5 million pilots and technicians over the next 20 years.
OSHKOSH, Wis., July 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) released its 2016 Pilot and Technician Outlook today at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and projects a demand for nearly 1.5 million pilots and technicians over the next 20 years.
In its seventh year, the outlook is a respected industry study which forecasts the 20 year demand for crews to support the world's growing commercial airplane fleet. New this year is a look at cabin crew demand.
Boeing forecasts that between 2016 and 2035, the world's commercial aviation industry will require approximately:
617,000 new commercial airline pilots
679,000 new commercial airline maintenance technicians
814,000 new cabin crew
The 2016 outlook shows a growth of 10.5 percent for pilots over the 2015 outlook and 11.3 percent for maintenance technicians. New pilot demand is primarily driven by new airplane deliveries and fleet mix, while new technician demand is primarily driven by fleet growth.
"The Pilot and Technician Outlook has become a resource for the industry to determine demand for successful airline operations" said Sherry Carbary, vice president, Boeing Flight Services. "Cabin crew are an integral part of operating an airline, and while Boeing does not train cabin crew like pilots and technicians, we believe the industry can use these numbers for planning purposes."
The outlook represents a global requirement for about 31,000 new pilots, 35,000 new technicians and 40,000 cabin crew annually. Projected demand for new pilots, technicians and cabin crew by global region for the next 20 years is approximately:
Region New Pilots New Technicians New Cabin Crew Asia-Pacific 248,000 268,000 298,000 Europe 104,000 118,000 169,000 North America 112,000 127,000 151,000 Latin America 51,000 50,000 51,000 Middle East 58,000 66,000 92,000 Africa 22,000 24,000 27,000 Russia / CIS 22,000 26,000 26,000
The Asia-Pacific region comprises 40 percent of the global need due to the growth in the single-aisle market which is driven by low-cost carriers, while North America is the result of new markets opening in Cuba and Mexico, and demand in Europe has increased as a response to a strong intra-European Union market.
Forward-Looking Information Is Subject to Risk and Uncertainty
Certain statements in this release may be "forward-looking" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expects," "forecasts," "projects," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements relating to our future plans, business prospects, financial condition and operating results, as well as any other statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions about future events that may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict.
Many factors could cause actual events to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, including economic conditions in the United States and globally, general industry conditions as they may impact us or our customers, and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any such statement, except as required by law.
Contact:
Kate Bergman
Boeing Commercial Aviation Services Communications
+1 206-304-7411
[email protected]
More information: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/market/long-term-market/pilot-and-technician-outlook/
SOURCE Boeing ||||| Boeing, the world’s biggest plane manufacturer, may be looking to end production of one of its most iconic aircraft, the 747, following a drop in demand and financial losses.
"If we are unable to obtain sufficient orders and/or market, production and other risks cannot be mitigated, we could record additional losses that may be material, and it is reasonably possible that we could decide to end production of the 747," the company announced on Wednesday.
Boeing reported its first quarterly loss in nearly seven years earlier this week and the era of the jumbo jet already showed signs of drawing to a close in January when it was announced that production of the 747 would be reduced to just six a year by September. The production rate was 1.5 per month last June, and is currently one per month.
"On the 747 program, we decided to reduce future production expectations and revenue assumptions to account for current and anticipated weakness in the air cargo market," said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's chief executive.
Inside one of the first 747s
"Despite the ongoing challenges of the air cargo market, we continue to see the 747 as a unique and significant value creator for our customers over the long term."
The American manufacturer isn’t the only group facing a drop in orders for it largest passenger aircraft. Boeing’s chief rival, Airbus, confirmed this week that it would also be cutting production of its Airbus A380 "superjumbo" jet by half, as airlines favour smaller two-engine jets over four-engine models.
The French manufacturer said it would be reducing its A380 delivery target to 12 a year from 2018, down from 27 in 2015, in a bid to avoid being left with unsold planes.
The Boeing 747, launched more than 40 years ago, is one of the most influential and admired passenger aircraft of all time. However, the original "jumbo jet", which has flown many millions of people in its decades of service, began falling from favour following the arrival of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing’s costliest aircraft, as well as the Airbus A380. Both are designed to be quieter and more fuel-efficient than the 747.
The latest version of the 747 is used by Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, and Air China, among other airlines.
The inaugural flight of the 747, made in 1969
This week's development follows Boeing’s announcement earlier this month that it is looking to launch its first brand new plane in more than a decade, as it seeks to fill the gap left when it ended production of the 757.
The new so-called “middle of the market” plane will carry about 200 passengers on journeys of up to 5,000 miles.
The company is currently talking with customers to determine whether there is a large enough market to justify the tens of billions that will need to be spent on development.
“A middle of the market aircraft could be addressed in many ways, it could be a new design or a derivative, such as a 'stretched’ 737,” Mr Muilenburg said earlier this month, adding that if the decision to go ahead was made imminently the jet could be in service by 2024.
Earlier this month, Boeing marked its centenary, having been incorporated in Seattle – as “Pacific Aero Products Co” on July 15 1916. ||||| If you’re looking for a new career, Boeing suggests checking out the airline industry.
Based on the number of plane orders and airline expansion plans in the works, the aerospace giant predicted this week that the industry will need to hire 617,000 new commercial pilots, 679,000 maintenance technicians and 814,000 new crew members by 2035.
That means the worldwide industry must hire an average of about 31,000 pilots, 35,000 technicians and 40,000 flight attendants each year over the next 20 years.
“Airlines across the globe are expanding their fleets and flight schedules to satisfy demand generated by global economic expansion,” Boeing said in its annual “Pilot and Technician Outlook” report.
The biggest growth in the industry will be in Asia, where air traffic is growing by 6% a year, fueled by the surge of middle-class travelers. The growth means that Asia will need about 40% of all the new pilots, technicians and flight crew members in the next 20 years, the report said. The growing popularity of low-cost carriers around the world also has triggered the demand for planes and their crews.
North America will need about 17% of the new pilots and technicians and 21% of new crew members, the report said.
Boeing spokesman Tom Kim said the company operates several pilot training and development programs to help meet future pilot demand. He said the purpose of the outlook report is to “hopefully encourage people to pursue careers in those fields.”
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|
– Thinking about a career change? You might want to consider the aviation industry. According to Boeing's annual Pilot and Technician Outlook report, commercial airlines worldwide will need to add 814,000 cabin crew members, 679,000 maintenance technicians, and 617,000 pilots through 2035. A lot of that growth—40%—will happen in Asia thanks to the growing middle class, the Los Angeles Times notes. Still, there will be many airline jobs created in North America and Europe as current workers retire, according to USA Today, which notes that this is the first year that Boeing has included cabin crew in its report. North America will account for 21% of new crew members and 17% of new pilots and technicians, with growth being spurred by the new markets in Cuba and Mexico. Per USA Today, Boeing's Current Market Outlook report projects the sale of 39,620 airplanes over the next two decades. Meanwhile, in a call with analysts late last month, Boeing said "it's reasonably possible" that it may stop producing its double-decker 747 due to poor sales, according to Raw Story. Already in January, according to the Telegraph, Boeing said it would reduce production of the 747 to six a year, down from 1.5 per month as of last June.
|
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Nancy Grace speculated on Monday that someone might have "pushed" Whitney Houston underwater, leading to her death.
The HLN host was speaking to CNN's Brooke Baldwin about the late music icon, who died suddenly on Saturday. Police said on Monday that she had been found underwater in the bathtub of the hotel room where she was found.
Grace appeared before the police's press conference. But she seemed to sense that some kind of foul play was afoot. Speaking about the prescription drugs found in Houston's hotel room, she wondered "who if anyone put it in her system or gave it to her?" Then, she went further.
"I'd like to know who was around her, who, if anyone gave her drugs...and who let her slip, or pushed her, underneath that water?" she said. "Apparently, no signs of force or trauma to the body. Who let Whitney Houston go under her water?"
"Might it have been one person, might it have been multiple people, all excellent questions," Baldwin said. "Again, we don't know the cause of her death."
Grace also said that she had learned that Houston was getting three different prescriptions for the same drug from three different doctors. "They were medicating her out the yin-yang," she said.
Minutes later, CNN's Don Lemon appeared on air. Without mentioning Grace's name, he stressed that any talk about Houston's prescriptions should not be taken as gospel.
"That is not CNN's reporting," he said. "We don't know that to be true." ||||| After the untimely death of Michael Jackson, his estate made a fortune due to a sudden renewed interest in his catalogue. According to insiders, however, the same will not happen with Whitney Houston.
"She was broke -- her label gave her advances," a record company insider told me. "And unlike Michael, you have to remember that Whitney didn't write any of those massive hits. They were songs that Clive Davis told her to sing and she did."
One of Houston's biggest hits, "I Will Always Love You," was actually written by Dolly Parton, who will receive the writer's and publisher's rates when the song undoubtedly gets a boost in radio and television performances.
"Whitney is only the singer," a successful songwriter told me. "She receives an advance from the record company based upon anticipated album sales. Figure that's around $2.00 per album. But all of the costs to record the album, promote the album, videos, etc. are all recouped from the artist's share."
As in Houston's case, it is very possible for artists to sell millions of records and end up owing the record label money. In fact, most artists don't make money from record sales, but rather from ticket sales -- a revenue stream that will no longer be a source of income for Whitney's estate.
"Whitney was living off of advances -- loans from the record company -- and had been [for] quite some time," the insider said. "Most likely the estate owes the record company a ton and future sales will be used to pay back that loan before any money goes to the estate. The songwriters, however, will make a bundle."
FOLLOW NAUGHTY BUT NICE ROB ON TWITTER
Launch Slideshow
Related on HuffPost: ||||| Whitney Houston lost most of $100 million fortune after years of drug abuse, high living Decades of narcotics use took such a toll on the R&B; queen
Whitney Houston's last meal reportedly included a burger and fries, a can of Heineken and a turkey sandwich.
Whitney Houston had frittered away her $100 million fortune on years of drug abuse and high living and was on the skids when she died.
Decades of narcotics use took such a toll on the R&B; queen, who once sold more than 170 million albums, that she was reduced to asking friends for $100 handouts. She was leaning heavily on her mentor, music mogul Clive Davis, for financial help to keep her homes in New Jersey and Atlanta out of foreclosure.
WHITNEY'S BODY ARRIVES HOME
And she had struggled through a years-long legal battle with her stepmother over a $1 million life insurance payout - an amount that would once have seemed inconsequential to the superstar.
WHITNEY HOUSTON: HER LIFE IN PHOTOS
Houston was pinning her hopes on a movie she just wrapped - "Sparkle," due out in August - to revive her flagging fortunes. She was the film's executive producer, sang two songs on the soundtrack and played the mom of "American Idol" alum Jordin Sparks.
It was her first film in 15 years.
In 2001, at the height of her career, she signed a $100 million Arista recording contract and raked in up to $30 million a year touring. But then there was a stormy 15-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown, during which she notoriously became addicted to cocaine and booze.
LISTEN TO WHITNEY HOUSTON'S MOST IMPORTANT HITS
In what was then the most-watched TV interview in history, she told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 2002 that she used drugs, but insisted she was too rich to use crack.
"Crack is cheap," Houston said. "I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight, okay?"
Ten years later, her remaining riches had vanished.
"She's flat broke," RadarOnline quoted a source saying last month. "She might be homeless if not for people saving her."
The Daily Mail reported that Davis had loaned Houston $1.2 million to pay off her debts and get clean. She went back to rehab last May.
"Whitney has admitted that she's had to conquer a drug addiction. That takes all of her energy," Davis, the chief creative officer for Sony Music Entertainment, told a Los Angeles radio station in June. "Right now, she's dealing with that situation, and we're not going to make another record or an album until that golden voice is there and is fully capable to knock everyone out."
Rehab seemed not to have worked.
When Houston died Saturday, submerged in her hotel bathtub, after days of boozing and partying, a large number of sedatives were reportedly found nearby.
On Monday, Los Angeles coroner's assistant chief Ed Winter countered reports that there was an inordinate amount: "There weren't a lot of prescription bottles. You probably have just as many prescription bottles in your medicine cabinet." ||||| ’Waiting to Exhale.’ Photo: Twentieth Century Fox
Though executives are still in shock from the unexpected death of Whitney Houston, Fox isn’t letting its planned sequel to Waiting to Exhale perish with the pop icon. “I don’t think she would want it to,” Elizabeth Gabler, president of Fox 2000 Pictures, said in an interview with Vulture Monday afternoon, adding, “It’s almost in her honor that we think to soldier on.”
Barely a week after author Terry McMillan published Getting to Happy in early September of 2010, Fox snapped up the feature rights to the best-selling sequel to Waiting to Exhale. After all, when Waiting to Exhale had first appeared in 1995 as the first Hollywood film to show a realistic view of the secret life of middle-class black Americans, it quickly became a phenomenon. Gabler took the picture on the road, booking its entire cast on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote it.
“This was the biggest barrier-buster for color lines,” she recalls, “[Exhale audiences] practically tore the theater down; we couldn’t get them to leave. All these young women in their twenties and thirties wanted to stay and talk about what they’d just seen: Suburban women drinking Chablis who weren’t living in the projects or stuck in gangs.” In fact, another Fox 2000 executive who worked on Exhale, Lori Lakin, was so inspired by the film’s theme of life goals postponed that she made the leap into screenwriting herself: For the past year and a half, Lakin has spent her time working with McMillan to adapt Getting to Happy, which she balances with her current job as a writer-producer on the VH1 comedy series Single Ladies.
Still, Gabler cautions, “There is no movie without a great script,” and the crushing demands on Lakin’s time coupled with the fact that Happy is a priority at Fox 2000 means the studio will soon be hiring new writers who’ll be able to work on Happy full-time, under the supervision of original Exhale director Forest Whitaker.
As the shock of Houston’s untimely death wears off, Gabler expects conversations to occur about who might replace her in the sequel. Given that Oprah Winfrey helped promote the film and has the acting chops, Gabler allowed that “it isn’t inconceivable” that Winfrey herself might have an interest in carrying the torch for Houston, but quickly cautions, “We literally have not talked about anybody for that part. Forest, I know, is just … grieving. He’d been the one who was speaking with her, updating [Houston] on its progress.”
Meanwhile, there’s another irony about the timing of Houston’s passing: At Warner Bros., a package will be delivered today at the offices of producer Dan Lin. Inside it is the new script to a remake of Houston’s biggest big-screen hit, The Bodyguard, which Lin has freshened up with a U.S. Army special forces commando fresh from Iraq. ||||| Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
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The movie “Sparkle” was expected to be Whitney Houston’s onscreen comeback — she not only acted in the film but also served as an executive producer and contributed two songs to the soundtrack. But in the wake of the singer’s untimely death on Saturday, the movie’s meaning has changed dramatically.
“Like all those who knew and loved her, we are shocked and saddened and the world has lost an incomparable talent,” read a statement from Sony Pictures to Billboard.
Howard Rosenman, also a producer on the film, shared with Gossip Cop that he had seen a rough cut and that Houston was “unbelievably fantastic” in it.
“Sparkle” is a remake of a 1976 movie, loosely based on the story of The Supremes. In the film, Houston plays a mother whose three daughters compose a musical group. One of the daughters is played by “American Idol” alum Jordin Sparks, who is reported to be deeply saddened by the news of Houston’s passing.
“I received a phone call from Jordin,” her grandmother told a local news station. “She was in tears. She is utterly devastated.”
While the studio says that they are on track for an August release date, a source tells Radar Online that the studio is actually considering pushing up the movie’s outting.
“Dates are being discussed,” an insider tells the site. “It’s still early, but the reasoning is that Whitney’s fans will want to see her in this movie, in which she gives a remarkable performance.”
The insider furthers that the movie could be released as soon as Memorial Day.
“This absolutely isn’t being done to make money,” the source says. “The studio bosses want the public to remember Whitney as a brilliant performer and stunning actress. The execs are going to be sensitive to her death.” ||||| Whitney Houston The Death Tub
Whitney Houston -- The Bathtub She Died In [PHOTO]
TMZ has obtained a photo of the tub in whichdied.The photo was taken moments after police and EMTs removed Whitney's body from the bathroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.The photo shows the tub still filled with water. There's a gravy dish at the bottom of the tub, which Whitney typically filled with olive oil to keep her skin soft.Notice the two circular objects -- they're hair ties.And there's a towel at the bottom of the tub -- possibly worn by Whitney to keep her hair dry while she was bathing. ||||| By Jen Heger – Radar Legal Editor
Sparkle, the movie that could have been Whitney Houston‘s acting comeback, is going to be released earlier than the original August release date, because of the tragic death of the singer, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
Houston passed away on Saturday, after she was found unconscious and unresponsive at in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton. The award winning singer was declared dead by paramedics at the iconic hotel at 3:55 p.m. PST. She was 48.
PHOTOS: Last Pictures Taken Of Whitney Houston Alive
“Dates are being discussed, and it’s still early, but the reasoning is that Whitney’s fans will want to see her in this movie, in which she gives a remarkable performance,” a studio insider tells RadarOnline.com. “This absolutely isn’t being done to make money. The IMDB website for the Sparkle movie has received record traffic in the hours since Whitney died.
“The movie is in post-production right now, and it could be released as soon as Memorial Day. The studio bosses want the public to remember Whitney as a brilliant performer and stunning actress. The execs are going to be sensitive to her death and will communicate with her family at an appropriate time.”
PHOTOS: Bobby Brown Arrives In L.A.
Whitney plays the mother of Jordin Spark’s character, who is trying to break into show business as a singer of part of a trio. The movie is a remake the 1976 version, which is loosely based on the story of The Supremes.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, law enforcement confiscated a “plethora” of sedatives from Whitney’s hotel room.
PHOTOS: Celebrities Found Dead In Famous Hotels
Bobby Brown‘s ex-wife had “a plethora of sedatives including Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax, and a sleeping medication that was found in her hotel room,” a law enforcement source says.
The prescription drugs were officially taken into custody by the Beverly Hills Police Department, who is handling the investigation.
“Investigators from BHPD will be there when the autopsy is done. This is routinely done in cases when someone relatively young dies and there are no signs of foul play,” the insider tells RadarOnline.com.
PHOTO: Crime Lab Van At The Beverly Hilton Hotel
Meanwhile, Bobbi Kristina, Houston’s daughter with Bobbi Brown, was taken to the hospital twice in twelve hours following her mother’s tragic death.
“She tried to ease the pain of losing her mother by having a few alcoholic drinks,” the insider said. “She was distraught, on the verge of a complete breakdown. Not knowing what to do members of her mother’s entourage tried to calm her down with a sedative. The two were an unfortunate mix and she ended up passing out.”
Tell us in the comments section below if you agree with the decision to release Whitney’s movie earlier than previously scheduled.
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Whitney Houston’s Autopsy Results To Be Kept Secret — Case Placed On Security Hold
Bobby Brown: ‘I Am Deeply Saddened At Whitney’s Passing’
|
– Whitney Houston was supposed to make a big-screen comeback in Sparkle, a remake of a 1976 movie loosely based on The Supremes' story. Houston contributed two songs and stars as the mother of three daughters who form a music group, and the New York Post notes that the film is still on track for its original August release date—or perhaps as early as Memorial Day. Pushing the film up "absolutely isn't being done to make money," an apparently straight-faced source tells Radar. "The reasoning is that Whitney's fans will want to see her in this movie, in which she gives a remarkable performance." In other sad movie news, the president of Fox 2000 Pictures tells Vulture that the planned sequel to Waiting to Exhale will move forward without Houston. Who could take Houston's place? The idea of Oprah Winfrey "isn't inconceivable," the president says. (A remake of The Bodyguard is also in the works.) More Houston news: TMZ has a photo of the tub where Houston died. A gravy boat floats at the bottom; the site notes that Houston liked to put olive oil in such containers to keep her skin soft. Houston died "broke," an insider tells the Huffington Post. And since she didn't write her big hits, her estate probably won't make much off the inevitable posthumous sales of her music. The New York Daily News adds that Houston spent most of her $100 million fortune on drugs and "high living." On his show last night, Bill O'Reilly declared, "Whitney Houston wanted to kill herself. Nobody takes drugs for that long if they want to stay on the planet." Video at left. Also last night, Nancy Grace speculated on CNN that there's more to Houston's death than meets the eye. "Who if anyone put [drugs] in her system or gave it to her?" she wondered. "I'd like to know who was around her, who, if anyone, gave her drugs ... and who let her slip, or pushed her, underneath that water? Apparently, no signs of force or trauma to the body. Who let Whitney Houston go under her water?" Video at the Huffington Post.
|
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SS United States, Once A Marvel Of Technology, May Be Sold For Scrap
Enlarge this image toggle caption Landov Landov
An iconic luxury ocean liner, originally designed and built in 1952 to be the fastest ship on the seas and a symbol of America's postwar strength and pride, may soon be reduced to scraps of metal.
The conservancy that owns and maintains the SS United States said it has retained a broker to explore the potential sale of the vessel. It adds that if no donor or investor comes forward before Oct. 31, the conservancy will have no choice but to sell the vessel to "a responsible, U.S.-based metals recycler," according to a statement on its website.
The group called the ship a "unique and endangered historic landmark," and said the upkeep costs for it are more than $60,000 a month.
"After much deliberation and consultation, the SS United States Conservancy's Board of Directors has decided to retain a broker to explore the potential sale of America's Flagship, the SS United States to a responsible, U.S.-based metals recycler. "We have achieved an extraordinary amount of progress in support of the SS United States' potential redevelopment in recent months, including detailed plans, financial models, renderings, and engineering approaches with support from a number of major firms. In so many ways, we've never been closer to saving America's Flagship, but we have also never been closer to losing this irreplaceable piece of our history. "The Conservancy has been very clear in its communications to its supporters and the media that the carrying costs for the vessel total more than $60,000 per month. While our fundraising efforts have enabled us to meet those continuing obligations to date, thanks to the steadfast support of donors from across the nation and around the world, the financial burdens imposed by the ship's ongoing expenses have become unsustainable."
The ship, which is rusting at South Philadelphia dock, made its maiden voyage in July of 1952. At the time, it was a technological sensation and raised the standard of nautical luxury. The ship was engineered as part of a top-secret Cold War project to become the speediest vessel in the world. The SS United States still holds the trans-Atlantic speed record, according to the conservancy.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the conservancy says it has never been closer to losing the ship to a scrap yard. ||||| The conservancy that owns the SS United States, a former queen of the sea that now rusts at a South Philadelphia dock, intends to retain a broker to explore selling the ship to a metals recycler.
The group said on its website and in interviews Wednesday that it has never been closer to losing the ship to the scrap yard, despite making progress toward its potential redevelopment.
It costs more than $60,000 a month to care for the vessel, and while fund-raising efforts have met that, "the financial burdens imposed by the ship's ongoing expenses have become unsustainable," the statement said.
The group made similar declarations a year ago, saying in August 2014 that crucial decisions about the fate and future of the ship would have to be made that fall. In February, the nonprofit said it had received an anonymous $250,000 donation.
Susan Gibbs, the conservancy's executive director, said Wednesday that the quarter-of-a-million-dollar donation helped keep the effort afloat, but financial pressures have continued to grow.
"We're not crying wolf," she said. "We've reached a point at which we are compelled to explore this 'negative outcome.' We're hoping we can pull off an eleventh-hour save."
Gibbs could not say how much money was being sought.
"We need time," she said, citing ongoing plans to place a refurbished United States on the New York City waterfront. "We need to achieve a sustainable path forward."
The years-long effort to save the ship has brought donations from across the country and from nearly 40 countries. "It's wrenching that despite this support, it's not yet enough," Gibbs said.
The conservancy could envision selling the United States to a new owner, while maintaining an onboard role in telling the historic story of the ship, Gibbs said.
The statement posted online said, "If donors or investors step forward by the end of the month who are ready, willing, and able to help the conservancy, America's flagship could still be saved."
Without that, "we will have no choice but to negotiate the sale of the ship to a responsible U.S.-based recycler" by Oct. 31.
The conservancy is going ahead with plans for an Oct. 29 fund-raiser at the Union League.
Last year, local businesspeople suggested a plan to turn the ship into a floating hotel, anchored beside the Harrah's casino in Chester. Others said the conservancy has gotten nowhere despite years of effort, and it was time for new owners.
For nearly 20 years, the United States has cast a shadow over Pier 82, moored there after being saved from scrapping and with hopes of a lavish redesign and rebirth.
In its day, the United States was a marvel, both luxury liner and secret weapon: It could quickly be turned into a troop ship able to transport 15,000 soldiers up to 10,000 miles without refueling.
The ship's 1952 maiden voyage shattered the trans-Atlantic speed record, which it still holds. It sailed 400 times from New York to Europe and other destinations, ferrying nobility and immigrants, along with Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy.
"It's one of a kind, unique on the Earth," Gibbs said. "Hopeful donors, or investors, or political leaders will take notice and help us save our ship."
[email protected]
215-854-4906
@JeffGammage
|
– The SS United States is a gigantic—and still useful—piece of American history that is just weeks away from the scrapyard, warn the owners of the legendary passenger liner. The huge ship, which was considered an amazing technological achievement when it was launched in 1952, is owned by a preservationist group that says it will have "no choice but to negotiate the sale of the ship to a responsible recycler" unless a buyer or donor can start covering the cost of maintenance and mooring, which runs to a hefty $60,000 a month, the New York Times reports. The ship, which set a trans-Atlantic speed record on its maiden voyage that has never been beaten, is now at a Philadelphia dock, reports NPR, which calls the vessel "a symbol of America's postwar strength and pride." The scrapyard would be a sad fate for the ship, but "we're not crying wolf," the conservancy's director tells the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We've reached a point at which we are compelled to explore this 'negative outcome'" unless something changes before Oct. 31, she says. The firm that designed the 990-foot ship says it has come up with ideas for reuse including turning it into a hotel and spa or using it to house a tech company and its servers, reports the Times, which notes that when the SS United States was built, it was designed to quickly convert into a troopship capable of carrying 15,000 and its propellers were kept a state secret. (The ship involved in the CIA's "strangest mission of the Cold War" is going to be scrapped at an undisclosed location.)
|
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The Obama administration Monday lifted a veil of secrecy surrounding the status of the detainees at Guantánamo, for the first time publicly naming the four dozen captives it defined as indefinite detainees men too dangerous to transfer but who cannot be tried in a court of law.
The names had been a closely held secret since a multi-agency task force sifted through the files of the Guantánamo detainees in 2009 trying to achieve President Barack Obamas executive order to close the detention center. In January 2010, the task force revealed that it classified 48 Guantánamo captives as dangerous but ineligible for trial because of a lack of evidence, or because the evidence was too tainted.
They became so-called indefinite detainees, a form of war prisoner held under Congress 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.
The Defense Department released the list to The Miami Herald, which, with the assistance of Yale Law School students, had sued for it in federal court in Washington, D.C. The Pentagon also sent the list to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on Monday, a Defense Department official said.
According to the list, the men designated for indefinite detention are 26 Yemenis, 12 Afghans, 3 Saudis, 2 Kuwaitis, 2 Libyans, a Kenyan, a Moroccan and a Somali.
Human rights groups denounced the existence of such a list.
Amnesty Internationals Zeke Johnson called fundamentally flawed the notion of classifying captives as indefinite detainees. Under international human rights law, he said, all of the detainees should either be charged and fairly tried in federal court, or released.
Human Rights Firsts Dixon Osburn hailed release of the list through the Freedom of Information Act: It is fundamental to democracy that the public know the identities of the people our nation is depriving of liberty and why they are being detained.
Some of the men on the list are among the prisoners currently on hunger strike and being force-fed at the prison, for example, Kuwaitis Fawzi al Odah, 36, and Fayez al Kandari, 35, and Yemeni Abdal Malik al Wahab, about 43, who in March, according to his lawyer David Remes, vowed to fast until he got out of the prison either dead or alive.
Two men on the list are deceased. Both Afghans, one committed suicide with a bedsheet in a recreation yard at Guantánamos Camp 6 for cooperative captives and the other died of a heart attack, also in Camp 6. So now the 166 captives at Guantánamo actually include 46 indefinite detainees.
Two former CIA captives, held apart from the majority of Guantánamos prisoners as high-value detainees are also listed as indefinite detainees: Mohammed Rahim, an Afghan man, and Somali Hassan Guleed.
All the other ex-CIA captives were designated for trial. Those include accused al-Qaida kingpin Khalid Sheik Mohammed, 48, and four alleged fellow conspirators in the hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, who were in pretrial hearings at the war court this week. Also designated for trial was Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, 48, accused in the 2000 USS Cole attack that killed 17 American sailors, and, like Mohammed, facing a death-penalty tribunal.
Administration officials have through the years described a variety of reasons why the men could not face trial: Evidence against some of the indefinite detainees was too tainted by CIA or other interrogation torture or abuse to be admissible in a court; insufficient evidence to prove an individual detainee had committed a crime; or military intelligence opinions that certain captives had undertaken suicide or other type of terrorist training, and had vowed to engage in an attack on release.
In all, the list identifies 34 candidates for prosecution. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, the Pentagons chief war crimes prosecutor, said Sunday night that fewer than those 34 men will be prosecuted because of federal court rulings that disqualified providing material support for terror as a war crime in most if not all Guantánamo cases.
At Human Rights Watch, senior counterterrorism counsel Andrea Prasow called the list a fascinating window into the Obama administrations thinking circa January 2010 but both flawed and somewhat irrelevant today.
Many of the detainees designated for prosecution can only be prosecuted in civilian court, she said. So unless Congress lifts the restrictions banning their transfer they are effectively indefinite detainees.
She also noted that, since the list was drawn up, the Obama administration was reportedly considering transferring five Afghan Taliban to custody of the Qatari government in exchange for the release of U.S. POW Bowe Bergdahl.
The Wall Street Journal named the five men and all appear on the list released Monday as indefinite detainees: Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa, and Abdul Haq Wasiq.
One man categorized in 2010 as a possible candidate for prosecution was Saudi Arabian Mohammed Qahtani, 37, once suspected of being the absent 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11 plot. He was so brutally interrogated at Guantánamo that a senior Pentagon official excluded him from the Bush-era 9/11 war crimes charge sheet. That official, Susan Crawford, told The Washington Posts Bob Woodward that Qahtanis treatment amounted to torture.
The Miami Heralds Carol Rosenberg, with the assistance of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at the Yale Law School, filed suit in federal court in Washington D.C., in March for the list under the Freedom of Information Act. The students, in collaboration with Washington attorney Jay Brown, represented Rosenberg in a lawsuit that specifically sought the names of the 46 surviving prisoners.
Monday, hours before the release of the names, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler had set a July 8 deadline for the government to update the court on its classification review. The Justice Department gave the list to Brown, who in turn gave it to Rosenberg. ||||| A list released by the U.S. government Monday identifies several dozen Guantanamo Bay prisoners who have been designated as too dangerous to release but who can't be prosecuted.
A sign is seen outside the Courthouse One Expeditionary Legal Complex at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Monday, June 17, 2013, as Military Commission preliminary hearings reconvened in the case against... (Associated Press)
A sign is seen outside the Courthouse One Expeditionary Legal Complex at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Monday, June 17, 2013, as Military Commission preliminary hearings reconvened in the case against... (Associated Press)
Those on the list are prisoners who have been held without charge under the Authorized Use of Military Force act passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2001, said a spokesman for the Pentagon, Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale.
The names of all Guantanamo prisoners have been public for years. But the administration of President Barack Obama had declined to disclose which detainees had been designated for indefinite detention in 2010 by an inter-agency review panel, even though the identity of many of them was widely known through their lawyers.
The government released the list after The Miami Herald sued for the document under the Freedom of Information Act.
Most of the 48 on the list are from Yemen and Afghanistan. Two are now dead _ one by suicide, the other by heart attack.
The list also names nearly two dozen prisoners who have been recommended for prosecution, including Khalid Sheikh Mohmmed, who is already on trial for his alleged role in the Sept. 11 attack, and Hambali, an alleged Indonesian terrorist leader.
There are a total of 166 prisoners at Guantanamo. The government has said it wants to release or transfer the remaining prisoners to their homelands or other countries pending adequate security safeguards to prevent the men from attacking the U.S. or its allies.
|
– The names of Guantanamo's dozens of "indefinite detainees" deemed too dangerous to release even if the detention center is closed have been disclosed for the first time. In response to a lawsuit from the Miami Herald, the federal government released a list of prisoners including 26 Yemenis, 12 Afghans, three Saudis, two Kuwaitis, two Libyans, a Kenyan, a Moroccan, and a Somali it says cannot be tried in court but cannot be transferred or released. Two of the Afghans have died—one from suicide and one from a heart attack—since a task force produced the list in 2010, so there are now 46 indefinite detainees among Guantanamo's 166 inmates. The men, many of whom are among the more than 100 Guantanamo hunger strikers, are being held under the Authorized Use of Military Force signed by George W. Bush in 2001. Officials have given a variety of reasons why they cannot stand trial, including tainted evidence, the AP reports. An Amnesty International spokesman says the notion of keeping captives as "indefinite detainees" is "fundamentally flawed." Under international human rights law, "all of the detainees should either be charged and fairly tried in federal court, or released," he says.
|
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You probably haven’t given much thought to what your local weatherwoman is donning as she enlightens you as to whether an umbrella is indeed necessary today, and when that cold front will be pushing strong, gusty winds in your direction. But there’s a lengthy laundry list of on-air dressing rules for female meteorologists, and a popular Reddit thread over the weekend brings light to the official and unofficial dress codes women face in this particular field.Using the power of social media, a group of female meteorologists came up with a solution to the problem. They all bought the same $23 dress on Amazon , after seeing it in a Facebook group used by women in the profession. A member of the group decided to create a collage of everyone's photos in the sheath, which Jennifer Myers, a meteorologist for Dallas’ FOX 4, posted to Reddit on Saturday, and it's been gaining popularity ever since.“Some of us have very strict dress codes...so it's pretty hard to have a closet stocked with solid colors and jewel tones that are affordable and flattering,” Myers wrote on Reddit. She outlined the sartorial specifics for this particular gig, which rules out “distracting prints,” the color green, lace, short hemlines, and cleavage (the latter “angers viewers over 40 something fierce,” Myers writes). We’ve reached out to Myers for further details and will update when we hear back.“Someone stumbled onto 'the dress' and a few of us ordered it and shared pics of it on air in our group," Shelby Hays, a meteorologist for Oklahoma City's KOCO told Tech Insider . "Everyone saw how great it looked. At $23 we could buy a handful of these dresses for what we normally pay for just one." The dress itself has become a little too popular — it’s apparently sold out in most colors and sizes until after Christmas, Hays told the publication.It’s usually assumed that TV personalities have an endless arsenal of stylists and free wardrobes, but that’s definitely not the case for your local weatherwoman, Myers explained in response to a Reddit poster’s assumption that meteorologists were attired by their TV stations. “Ha ha ha ha... no. We also do our own makeup (generally) and do our own hair,” Myers writes. “I have enough dresses to go five weeks without repeating...but the first two years of my job (another station) I only had a week and a half's worth because I could barely afford to eat, let alone buy more clothes.” Despite the general aura of glamour that an on-air TV gig connotes, the pay isn’t necessarily all that much: “Most on-air meteorologists get paid less than school teachers... so yeah. We try to save money just like everyone else,” Myers writes.One Reddit user even suggested that this is a very niche population the fashion industry should address, based on the popularity of a humble $23 frock from Amazon: "I feel like whoever designed that dress just found a completely untapped market and is going to be huge with female weather people. Pump out about 20 designs real quick, then say two a month per year, you'd have a rather large business going in no time."The coast-to-coast popularity of a single, cheap, no-name dress offers a fascinating peek into how these women work — and use their broader community to make things easier for themselves. Granted, being a meteorologist is a very specific job, but it underscores the gendered style expectations women (still) face in the workforce today. ||||| Please make sure that you are posting in the form of a question.
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There was a problem completing your request. Please try your search again later. ||||| Last February, people went absolutely bananas over "the dress," a viral photo of dress that was either blue and black or white and gold.
Now, a new dress is grabbing people's attention.
After getting the idea from a private Facebook group devoted to female meteorologists, dozens of the professional weather reporters have all purchased and worn this one particular dress while broadcasting the forecast.
The photo has already racked up over 6,053 points on Reddit since it was posted on Saturday.
Shelby Hays, a KOCO Meteorologist from Oklahoma told Tech Insider that many female meteorologists are subject to a strict dress code for what they can and cannot wear on air. Patterns are considered "too busy" and there are often regulations on sleeve length or style, Hays told us. She says she buys her own clothes, admitting she sometimes gets flack from viewers if she repeats outfits too frequently.
"Many stations even have consultants that come in and tell you colors you should and shouldn't wear," she explained. Hays was told to stay away from the colors green and white.
Since these requirements can be tricky to meet, Hays and her fellow meteorologists use the Facebook group to offer fashion advice, in addition to career guidance and advice.
About a month ago, someone in the group posted a picture of a cheap sheath dress available on Amazon.
"Someone stumbled onto 'the dress' and a few of us ordered it and shared pics of it on air in our group. Everyone saw how great it looked," Hays said. "At $23 we could buy a handful of these dresses for what we normally pay for just one."
Here's a look at the dress on Amazon:
As for the collage, Hays says another meteorologist, Jennifer Myers, has been updating the collage weekly to include more and more women sporting the outfit. And if you're thinking about buying your own, you may have to wait a while. Hays tells us many of the sizes and colors are sold out until after Christmas.
Of course, you still could probably purchase the green version of the dress, since you won't find any meteorologists wearing it on air. It would clash with the green screen.
"They would literally disappear," Hays says of wearing green on green. "A few people do it on Halloween and they just look like floating heads!" ||||| "Moiré" and "Moire" redirect here. For other uses, see Moire (disambiguation)
A moiré pattern, formed by two sets of parallel lines, one set inclined at an angle of 5° to the other The fine lines that make up the sky in this image create moiré patterns when shown at some resolutions for the same reason that photographs of televisions exhibit moiré patterns: the lines are not absolutely level.
A moving moiré pattern on a billboard . The wind moves the printed net, thus constantly changing its distance to the wall and to the net’s shadow.
In mathematics, physics, and art, a moiré pattern (English: ; French: [mwaʁe]) or moiré fringes[1] are large-scale interference patterns that can be produced when an opaque ruled pattern with transparent gaps is overlaid on another similar pattern. For the moiré interference pattern to appear, the two patterns must not be completely identical, but rather e.g. displaced, rotated or have slightly different pitch.
Moiré patterns appear in many different situations. In printing, the printed pattern of dots can interfere with the image. In television and digital photography, a pattern on an object being photographed can interfere with the shape of the light sensors to generate unwanted artifacts. They are also sometimes created deliberately – in micrometers they are used to amplify the effects of very small movements.
In physics, its manifestation is the beat phenomenon that occurs in many wave interference conditions.
Etymology [ edit ]
The term originates from moire (moiré in its French adjectival form), a type of textile, traditionally of silk but now also of cotton or synthetic fiber, with a rippled or "watered" appearance. Moire, or "watered textile", is made by pressing two layers of the textile when wet. The similar but imperfect spacing of the threads creates a characteristic pattern which remains after the fabric dries.
In French, the adjective moiré (in use since at least 1823) derives from the earlier verb moirer, "to produce a watered textile by weaving or pressing". Moirer, in turn, is a variation of the word mouaire which is an adoption of the English mohair (in use since at least 1570). Mohair comes from the Arabic mukhayyar (مُخَيَّر, lit. "chosen"), a cloth made from the wool of the Angora goat. Mukhayyar (مُخَيَّر) descends from khayyara (خيّر, lit. "he chose"). "Chosen" is meant in the sense of "a choice, or excellent, cloth". It has also been suggested that the Arabic word was formed from the Latin marmoreus, meaning "like marble".
By 1660 (in the writings of Samuel Pepys), moire (or moyre) had been adopted in English. Moire (pronounced "mwar") and moiré (pronounced "mwar-ay") are now used somewhat interchangeably in English, though moire is more often used for the cloth and moiré for the pattern.[citation needed]
In the liquid crystal display industry, moiré is often referred to by the Japanese word mura,[citation needed] which roughly translates to "unevenness; irregularity; lack of uniformity; nonuniformity; inequality."[2]
Pattern formation [ edit ]
Line moiré with slow movement of the revealing layer upward
Shape moiré
Moiré patterns are often an artifact of images produced by various digital imaging and computer graphics techniques, for example when scanning a halftone picture or ray tracing a checkered plane (the latter being a special case of aliasing, due to undersampling a fine regular pattern).[3] This can be overcome in texture mapping through the use of mipmapping and anisotropic filtering.
The drawing on the upper right shows a moiré pattern. The lines could represent fibers in moiré silk, or lines drawn on paper or on a computer screen. The nonlinear interaction of the optical patterns of lines creates a real and visible pattern of roughly parallel dark and light bands, the moiré pattern, superimposed on the lines.[4]
The moiré effect also occurs between overlapping transparent objects.[5] For example, an invisible phase mask is made of a transparent polymer with a wavy thickness profile. As light shines through two overlaid masks of similar phase patterns, a broad moiré pattern occurs on a screen some distance away. This phase moiré effect and the classical moiré effect from opaque lines are two ends of a continuous spectrum in optics, which is called the universal moiré effect. The phase moiré effect is the basis for a type of broadband interferometer in x-ray and particle wave applications. It also provides a way to reveal hidden patterns in invisible layers.
Line moiré [ edit ]
Line moiré is one type of moiré pattern; a pattern that appears when superposing two transparent layers containing correlated opaque patterns. Line moiré is the case when the superposed patterns comprise straight or curved lines. When moving the layer patterns, the moiré patterns transform or move at a faster speed. This effect is called optical moiré speedup.
More complex line moiré patterns are created if the lines are curved or not exactly parallel.
Shape moiré [ edit ]
Shape moiré is one type of moiré pattern demonstrating the phenomenon of moiré magnification.[6][7] 1D shape moiré is the particular simplified case of 2D shape moiré. One-dimensional patterns may appear when superimposing an opaque layer containing tiny horizontal transparent lines on top of a layer containing a complex shape which is periodically repeating along the vertical axis.
Moiré patterns revealing complex shapes, or sequences of symbols embedded in one of the layers (in form of periodically repeated compressed shapes) are created with shape moiré, otherwise called band moiré patterns. One of the most important properties of shape moiré is its ability to magnify tiny shapes along either one or both axes, that is, stretching. A common 2D example of moiré magnification occurs when viewing a chain-link fence through a second chain-link fence of identical design. The fine structure of the design is visible even at great distances.
Calculations [ edit ]
Moiré of parallel patterns [ edit ]
Geometrical approach [ edit ]
The patterns are superimposed in the mid-width of the figure Moiré obtained by the superimposition of two similar patterns rotated by an angle α
Let us consider two patterns made of parallel and equidistant lines, e.g., vertical lines. The step of the first pattern is p, the step of the second is p + δp, with 0 < δp < p.
If the lines of the patterns are superimposed at the left of the figure, the shift between the lines increase when going to the right. After a given number of lines, the patterns are opposed: the lines of the second pattern are between the lines of the first pattern. If we look from a far distance, we have the feeling of pale zones when the lines are superimposed (there is white between the lines), and of dark zones when the lines are "opposed".
The middle of the first dark zone is when the shift is equal to p/2. The nth line of the second pattern is shifted by n δp compared to the nth line of the first network. The middle of the first dark zone thus corresponds to
n ⋅ δ p = p 2 {\displaystyle n\cdot \delta p={\frac {p}{2}}}
that is
n = p 2 δ p . {\displaystyle n={\frac {p}{2\delta p}}.}
The distance d between the middle of a pale zone and a dark zone is
d = n ⋅ p = p 2 2 δ p {\displaystyle d=n\cdot p={\frac {p^{2}}{2\delta p}}}
the distance between the middle of two dark zones, which is also the distance between two pale zones, is
2 d = p 2 δ p {\displaystyle 2d={\frac {p^{2}}{\delta p}}}
From this formula, we can see that:
the bigger the step, the bigger the distance between the pale and dark zones;
the bigger the discrepancy δp , the closer the dark and pale zones; a great spacing between dark and pale zones mean that the patterns have very close steps.
The principle of the moiré is similar to the Vernier scale.
Mathematical function approach [ edit ]
Moiré pattern (bottom) created by superimposing two grids (top and middle)
The essence of the moiré effect is the (mainly visual) perception of a distinctly different third pattern which is caused by inexact superimposition of two similar patterns. The mathematical representation of these patterns is not trivially obtained and can seem somewhat arbitrary. In this section we shall give a mathematical example of two parallel patterns whose superimposition forms a moiré pattern, and show one way (of many possible ways) these patterns and the moiré effect can be rendered mathematically.
The visibility of these patterns is dependent on the medium or substrate in which they appear, and these may be opaque (as for example on paper) or transparent (as for example in plastic film). For purposes of discussion we shall assume the two primary patterns are each printed in greyscale ink on a white sheet, where the opacity (e.g., shade of grey) of the "printed" part is given by a value between 0 (white) and 1 (black) inclusive, with 1/2 representing neutral grey. Any value less than 0 or greater than 1 using this grey scale is essentially "unprintable".
We shall also choose to represent the opacity of the pattern resulting from printing one pattern atop the other at a given point on the paper as the average (i.e. the arithmetic mean) of each pattern's opacity at that position, which is half their sum, and, as calculated, does not exceed 1. (This choice is not unique. Any other method to combine the functions that satisfies keeping the resultant function value within the bounds [0,1] will also serve; arithmetic averaging has the virtue of simplicity—with hopefully minimal damage to one's concepts of the printmaking process.)
We now consider the "printing" superimposition of two almost similar, sinusoidally varying, grey-scale patterns to show how they produce a moiré effect in first printing one pattern on the paper, and then printing the other pattern over the first, keeping their coordinate axes in register. We represent the grey intensity in each pattern by a positive opacity function of distance along a fixed direction (say, the x-coordinate) in the paper plane, in the form
f = 1 + sin ( k x ) 2 {\displaystyle f={\frac {1+\sin(kx)}{2}}}
where the presence of 1 keeps the function positive definite, and the division by 2 prevents function values greater than 1.
The quantity k represents the periodic variation (i.e., spatial frequency) of the pattern's grey intensity, measured as the number of intensity cycles per unit distance. Since the sine function is cyclic over argument changes of 2π, the distance increment Δx per intensity cycle (the wavelength) obtains when k Δx = 2π, or Δx = 2π/k.
Consider now two such patterns, where one has a slightly different periodic variation from the other:
f 1 = 1 + sin ( k 1 x ) 2 f 2 = 1 + sin ( k 2 x ) 2 {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}f_{1}&={\frac {1+\sin(k_{1}x)}{2}}\\f_{2}&={\frac {1+\sin(k_{2}x)}{2}}\end{aligned}}}
such that k 1 ≈ k 2 .
The average of these two functions, representing the superimposed printed image, evaluates as follows:
f 3 = f 1 + f 2 2 = 1 2 + sin ( k 1 x ) + sin ( k 2 x ) 4 = 1 + sin ( A x ) cos ( B x ) 2 {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}f_{3}&={\frac {f_{1}+f_{2}}{2}}\\&={\frac {1}{2}}+{\frac {\sin(k_{1}x)+\sin(k_{2}x)}{4}}\\&={\frac {1+\sin(Ax)\cos(Bx)}{2}}\end{aligned}}}
where it is easily shown that
A = k 1 + k 2 2 {\displaystyle A={\frac {k_{1}+k_{2}}{2}}}
and
B = k 1 − k 2 2 . {\displaystyle B={\frac {k_{1}-k_{2}}{2}}.}
This function average, f 3 , clearly lies in the range [0,1]. Since the periodic variation A is the average of and therefore close to k 1 and k 2 , the moiré effect is distinctively demonstrated by the sinusoidal envelope "beat" function cos(Bx), whose periodic variation is half the difference of the periodic variations k 1 and k 2 (and evidently much lower in frequency).
Other one-dimensional moiré effects include the classic beat frequency tone which is heard when two pure notes of almost identical pitch are sounded simultaneously. This is an acoustic version of the moiré effect in the one dimension of time: the original two notes are still present—but the listener's perception is of two pitches that are the average of and half the difference of the frequencies of the two notes. Aliasing in sampling of time-varying signals also belongs to this moiré paradigm.
Rotated patterns [ edit ]
Let us consider two patterns with the same step p, but the second pattern is rotated by an angle α. Seen from afar, we can also see darker and paler lines: the pale lines correspond to the lines of nodes, that is, lines passing through the intersections of the two patterns.
If we consider a cell of the lattice formed, we can see that it is a rhombus with the four sides equal to d = p/sin α; (we have a right triangle whose hypotenuse is d and the side opposite to the angle α is p).
Unit cell of the "net"; "ligne claire" means "pale line" Effect of changing angle.
The pale lines correspond to the small diagonal of the rhombus. As the diagonals are the bisectors of the neighbouring sides, we can see that the pale line makes an angle equal to α/2 with the perpendicular of each pattern's line.
Additionally, the spacing between two pale lines is D, half of the long diagonal. The long diagonal 2D is the hypotenuse of a right triangle and the sides of the right angle are d(1 + cos α) and p. The Pythagorean theorem gives:
( 2 D ) 2 = d 2 ( 1 + cos α ) 2 + p 2 {\displaystyle (2D)^{2}=d^{2}(1+\cos \alpha )^{2}+p^{2}}
that is:
( 2 D ) 2 = p 2 sin 2 α ( 1 + cos α ) 2 + p 2 = p 2 ⋅ ( ( 1 + cos α ) 2 sin 2 α + 1 ) {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}(2D)^{2}&={\frac {p^{2}}{\sin ^{2}\alpha }}(1+\cos \alpha )^{2}+p^{2}\\&=p^{2}\cdot \left({\frac {(1+\cos \alpha )^{2}}{\sin ^{2}\alpha }}+1\right)\end{aligned}}}
thus
( 2 D ) 2 = 2 p 2 ⋅ 1 + cos α sin 2 α D = p 2 sin α 2 . {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}(2D)^{2}&=2p^{2}\cdot {\frac {1+\cos \alpha }{\sin ^{2}\alpha }}\\D&={\frac {\frac {p}{2}}{\sin {\frac {\alpha }{2}}}}.\end{aligned}}}
Effect on curved lines
When α is very small (α < π/6) the following small-angle approximations can be made:
sin α ≈ α cos α ≈ 1 {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}\sin \alpha &\approx \alpha \\\cos \alpha &\approx 1\end{aligned}}}
thus
D ≈ p α . {\displaystyle D\approx {\frac {p}{\alpha }}.}
We can see that the smaller α is, the farther apart the pale lines; when both patterns are parallel (α = 0), the spacing between the pale lines is infinite (there is no pale line).
There are thus two ways to determine α: by the orientation of the pale lines and by their spacing
α ≈ p D {\displaystyle \alpha \approx {\frac {p}{D}}}
If we choose to measure the angle, the final error is proportional to the measurement error. If we choose to measure the spacing, the final error is proportional to the inverse of the spacing. Thus, for the small angles, it is best to measure the spacing.
Implications and applications [ edit ]
Printing full-color images [ edit ]
The product of two "beat tracks" of slightly different speeds overlaid, producing an audible moiré pattern; if the beats of one track correspond to where in space a black dot or line exists and the beats of the other track correspond to the points in space where a camera is sampling light, because the frequencies are not exactly the same and aligned perfectly together, beats (or samples) will align closely at some moments in time and far apart at other times. The closer together beats are, the darker it is at that spot; the farther apart, the lighter. The result is periodic in the same way as a graphic moiré pattern. See: phasing
In graphic arts and prepress, the usual technology for printing full-color images involves the superimposition of halftone screens. These are regular rectangular dot patterns—often four of them, printed in cyan, yellow, magenta, and black. Some kind of moiré pattern is inevitable, but in favorable circumstances the pattern is "tight"; that is, the spatial frequency of the moiré is so high that it is not noticeable. In the graphic arts, the term moiré means an excessively visible moiré pattern. Part of the prepress art consists of selecting screen angles and halftone frequencies which minimize moiré. The visibility of moiré is not entirely predictable. The same set of screens may produce good results with some images, but visible moiré with others.
Television screens and photographs [ edit ]
Strong moiré visible in this photo of a parrot's feathers (more pronounced in the full-size image) Moiré pattern seen over a cage in the San Francisco Zoo
Moiré patterns are commonly seen on television screens when a person is wearing a shirt or jacket of a particular weave or pattern, such as a houndstooth jacket. This is due to interlaced scanning in televisions and non-film cameras, referred to as interline twitter. As the person moves about, the moiré pattern is quite noticeable. Because of this, newscasters and other professionals who appear on TV regularly are instructed to avoid clothing which could cause the effect.
Photographs of a TV screen taken with a digital camera often exhibit moiré patterns. Since both the TV screen and the digital camera use a scanning technique to produce or to capture pictures with horizontal scan lines, the conflicting sets of lines cause the moiré patterns. To avoid the effect, the digital camera can be aimed at an angle of 30 degrees to the TV screen.
Marine navigation [ edit ]
The Moiré effect is used in shoreside beacons called "Inogon leading marks"[8] or "Inogon lights" to designate the safest path of travel for ships heading to locks, marinas, ports, etc. Whereas the Inogon light is most often used for the aforementioned benefits, it is also used to indicate underwater hazards (such as pipelines or cables).[9] The moiré effect creates arrows that point towards an imaginary line marking the hazard; as navigators pass over the hazard, the arrows on the beacon appear to become vertical bands before changing back to arrows pointing in the reverse direction. An example can be found in the UK on the East shore of Southampton water, opposite Fawley oil refinery ( ).[10] Similar moiré effect beacons can be used to guide mariners to the centre point of an oncoming bridge; when the vessel is aligned with the centreline, vertical lines are visible.
Strain measurement [ edit ]
Use of the moiré effect in strain measurement: case of uniaxial traction (top) and of pure shear (bottom); the lines of the patterns are initially horizontal in both cases
In manufacturing industries, these patterns are used for studying microscopic strain in materials: by deforming a grid with respect to a reference grid and measuring the moiré pattern, the stress levels and patterns can be deduced. This technique is attractive because the scale of the moiré pattern is much larger than the deflection that causes it, making measurement easier.
The moiré effect can be used in strain measurement: the operator just has to draw a pattern on the object, and superimpose the reference pattern to the deformed pattern on the deformed object.
A similar effect can be obtained by the superposition of an holographic image of the object to the object itself: the hologram is the reference step, and the difference with the object are the deformations, which appear as pale and dark lines.
See also: theory of elasticity, strain tensor and holographic interferometry.
Image processing [ edit ]
Some image scanner driver programs provide an optional filter, called a "descreen" filter, to remove Moiré-pattern artifacts which would otherwise be produced when scanning printed halftone images to produce digital images.[11]
Banknotes [ edit ]
Many banknotes exploit the tendency of digital scanners to produce moiré patterns by including fine circular or wavy designs that are likely to exhibit a moiré pattern when scanned and printed.
Microscopy [ edit ]
In super-resolution microscopy, the moiré pattern can be used to obtain images with a resolution higher than the diffraction limit, using a technique known as structured illumination microscopy.[1]
In scanning tunneling microscopy, moiré fringes appears if surface atomic layers have a different crystal structure than the bulk crystal. This can for example be due to surface reconstruction of the crystal, or when a thin layer of a second crystal is on the surface, e.g. single-layer[12][13], double-layer graphene[14], or Van der Waals heterostructure of graphene and hBN [15][16].
In transmission electron microscopy (TEM), translational Moiré fringes can be seen as parallel contrast lines formed in phase-contrast TEM imaging by the interference of diffracting crystal lattice planes that are overlapping, and which might have different spacing and/or orientation[17], Most of the Moiré contrast observations reported in the literature are obtained using high-resolution phase contrast imaging in TEM. However, if probe aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) imaging is used, more direct interpretation of the crystal structure in terms of atom types and positions is obtained.[17][18]
In materials science, known examples exhibiting Moiré contrast are e.g. thin films[19] or nanoparticles of MX-type (M = Ti, Nb; X = C, N) overlapping with austenitic matrix. Both phases, MX and the matrix, have face-centered cubic crystal structure and cube-on-cube orientation relationship. However, they have significant lattice misfit of about 20 to 24% (based on the chemical composition of alloy) what then leads to Moiré effect.[18]
See also [ edit ] ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video
ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - Do you think that TV meteorologists dress alike? You may be onto something.
An Imgur user took screen grabs of weather reporters from across the country. The viral image has one caption, "This is what happens when you post a link to a $23 dress on Amazon that flatters everyone to a female meteorologist Facebook group."
FOX 2 meteorologist Angela Hutti says, "The good thing about the dress is that it comes in solid colors. This is good for using on-air. Plus, it can be hard to find dresses with sleeves for colder winter months."
Hutti found out about the dress in the private Facebook group. She is considering buying the dress. Her favorite color is a Houndstooth pattern but she says that will not work for television. The design is too detailed for smaller screens and it will produce a Moiré effect.
A Oklahoma Meteorologist from KOCO-TV tells Tech Insider that there is a good reason they are wearing the same thing. Many TV stations have strict dress codes for what people can wear on-air.
"Many stations even have consultants that come in and tell you colors you should and shouldn't wear," said Shelby Hayes.
Weathercasters are subject to even more restrictions when they stand in front of green screens. Some of the technical requirements for overlaying forecast images of the screen mean that Meteorologists can't wear colors like green or blue.
The private Facebook group has become a place where female MeteorologIsts share fashion advice, in addition to career guidance and advice. A month ago, someone in the group posted a picture of a cheap sheath dress available on Amazon. The rest is fashion history.
Did we mention that the dress is only $22.99? Many meteorologists have to buy their own on-air wardrobe.
Check out the dress on Amazon:
|
– Sartorial conspiracy, anyone? An Imgur user has revealed the fact that many female meteorologists are wearing the same $23 dress—which, it turns out, says a lot about their job and the attitudes of fans. Described on Amazon as a "Stretch Tunic Pencil Sheath Dress," it's a poly/cotton/spandex blend with sleeves, a solid color, and a bold black line down the front. That meets strict dress codes that some work under: "Many stations even have consultants that come in and tell you colors you should and shouldn't wear," KOCO meteorologist Shelby Hays tells Tech Insider (white is bad and green would vanish with the green screen). And solid colors are helpful for avoiding a "Moiré effect" created by busy patterns on camera, another meteorologist tells Fox 2 Illinois. As Dallas FOX 4 meteorologist Jennifer Myers reveals on Reddit, she's also not allowed to have short hemlines, lace, or cleavage, Refinery 29 reports. "Cleavage angers viewers over 40 something fierce, so we stay away from that," writes Myers. "There's no length rule on skirts/dresses but if you wouldn't wear it to a family event, you probably shouldn't wear it on TV." Myers adds that meteorologists don't have their own stylists or money for pricey clothes—which is partly why the dress caught on when a colleague posted it on a Facebook group page for women in their line of work. "Everyone saw how great it looked," says Hays. "At $23 we could buy a handful of these dresses for what we normally pay for just one." (Another dress "broke the Internet" earlier this year.)
|
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This Friday, something unusual will happen in the sky over Los Angeles. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see it.
Sept. 30 marks the emergence of the “black moon” — when a second new moon rises in one month. Like all new moons, you cannot see it with the naked eye, because the side of the moon that’s lit by the sun is facing away from Earth.
A black moon is not in any way different from a regular new moon, except for the fact that it occurs in the same month of the calendar as a previous one. The last new moon rose on Sept. 1. The black moon will rise about 5 p.m. this Friday, the last day of the month.
NASA The phases of the moon. The phases of the moon. (NASA)
Many news outlets have reported this as a “rare occurrence.” A handful have suggested it’s a harbinger of the apocalypse. Ian O’Neill, an astrophysicist and the senior producer for space at Discovery News and Seeker.com, says neither of those things are true.
He started investigating the black moon this week when a headline appeared in the British tabloid the Express suggesting the “end of days” was upon us.
“I was very disappointed to find out black moon doesn't mean an awful lot,” he said.
As to its rarity: “It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s not particularly rare.” The most recent one was in March 2014.
A black moon is the opposite of a “blue moon,” when there are two full moons in one month. The lunar cycle is 29-and-a-half days. Every month except February has 30 or 31 days. So if the new or full moon occurs on the first day of any of those months, there will be a second one before the month has ended.
Technically speaking, saying something happens “once in a blue moon” means it happens once every two to three years.
Black moon isn’t even a scientific term. It’s not recognized by NASA. The phrase black moon has also been used to describe months where there is no full moon, and to describe a third full moon in a season that has four of them.
The public’s fascination with the black moon can be attributed to social media, O’Neill said. The “supermoon” and the “blood moon” both garnered a lot of attention, so it’s not surprising that people are interested in this lunar event as well.
“When you have anything that's the least bit foreboding in the night sky, the media jumps on it,” he said. “Social media has a huge part to play. These things go viral.”
To underscore: This is an infrequent occurrence, but it doesn’t mean the world is ending. It’s just the moon doing its thing.
If anything, O’Neill said, he finds the moon “a bit boring.”
“I’m more of a black hole kind of guy,” he said.
CAPTION Revelers joined community members and indigenous leaders from around the world at the Symbiosis Gathering in Big Summit Prairie, Ore., to mark the Great American Eclipse. Revelers joined community members and indigenous leaders from around the world at the Symbiosis Gathering in Big Summit Prairie, Ore., to mark the Great American Eclipse. CAPTION Revelers joined community members and indigenous leaders from around the world at the Symbiosis Gathering in Big Summit Prairie, Ore., to mark the Great American Eclipse. Revelers joined community members and indigenous leaders from around the world at the Symbiosis Gathering in Big Summit Prairie, Ore., to mark the Great American Eclipse. CAPTION This motion graphic shows highlights of Cassini's missions from 2004-2017. This motion graphic shows highlights of Cassini's missions from 2004-2017. CAPTION NASA employees, friends and family attend a watch party at Caltech for Cassini's final signal back to Earth. NASA employees, friends and family attend a watch party at Caltech for Cassini's final signal back to Earth. CAPTION Eclipse chasers will tell you that seeing a total eclipse will change your life. But keep in mind, a total eclipse is a fleeting phenomenon. (Aug. 15, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR) Eclipse chasers will tell you that seeing a total eclipse will change your life. But keep in mind, a total eclipse is a fleeting phenomenon. (Aug. 15, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR) CAPTION The Great American Eclipse The Great American Eclipse
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Narcissists may start out popular, but people see through them in the long run ||||| Updated for 9/30: Friday's sky (Sept. 30) is host to a somewhat unusual lunar event in the Western Hemisphere: a second new moon in a single month, which some people call a "Black Moon."
While a full moon refers to the moment when the moon's Earth-facing side is fully illuminated by sunlight, a new moon refers to the moment when the moon's Earth-facing side is fully in shadow. (Unfortunately, that means the Black Moon will be more or less invisible, even if the moon is high in the sky).
The lunar calendar almost lines up with Earth's calendar year, so there is typically one full moon and one new moon each month. A second full moon in a single calendar month is sometimes called a "Blue Moon." A Black Moon is supposedly the flip side of a Blue Moon: the second new moon in a single calendar month. The next Black Moon takes place on Sept. 30 (in the Western Hemisphere). [The Moon: 10 Surprising Facts]
With a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, many spectacular features can be spotted on the moon. See how to observe the moon in this SPACE.com infographic Credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com
From the Western Hemisphere, the new moon occurring on Friday, Sept. 30, is a Black Moon. Officially, it occurs at 8:11 p.m. Eastern Time (5:11 p.m. Pacific Time).
For the Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia), this new moon occurs after midnight on the calendar date of Oct. 1. So for this part of the world, this particular new moon is not the second one in the calendar month, but rather, the first! So it does not qualify as a Black Moon, and that hemisphere will have to wait until the end of the month for theirs. Indeed, for the billions living in the Eastern Hemisphere, the Black Moon will arrive on Oct. 30 or, if you live in eastern Asia, Japan, Australia or New Zealand, not until Oct. 31 (Halloween).
The Black Moon is a somewhat unusual celestial event — they occur about once every 32 months.
Slooh Community Observatory will host a webcast Monday, Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) to show live views of the young moon, viewable on their website and also on Space.com. The webcast will feature discussion with special guests including Slooh's spiritual correspondent Helen Avery, who will discuss the Black Moon's significance to pagan religion, and there will also be a discussion of how to define the Black Moon when dealing with multiple time zones.
At its "new moon" phase, the moon is always black. It happens at that time of the month when the moon passes through the same part of the sky as the sun and as such, the moon's dark or unilluminated side faces Earth. So there really is nothing to see.
Actually, that's not always true, since there are times when the new moon passes directly between Earth and the sun and Earthlings can then see the moon's black silhouette crossing in front of the sun, causing a solar eclipse. That, in fact, actually happened with this month's first new moon, on Sept. 1, creating an annular eclipse (also known as a "Ring of Fire Eclipse") over parts of Africa.
If you have ever wondered where the term "new moon" originated, it simply refers to the start of a new lunar cycle. The time frame from one new moon to the next is called a synodic month, which, on average, lasts 29.53 days. This is the period of the moon's phases, because the moon's appearance depends on the position of the moon with respect to the sun as seen from the Earth. The word "synodic" is derived from the Greek word sunodikos, which means "meeting," for at new moon, the moon "meets" the sun.
But unlike a "supernoon" which gets countless numbers of people scurrying for vantage points to see a slightly larger and slightly brighter-than-average full moon, with a Black Moon, you simply can't see it. In my opinion, this is the chief reason why Black Moon is going to have a tough time in becoming a popular media brand.
A couple of evenings later, however, on Oct. 2, you'll be able to pick out a slender sliver of a waxing crescent moon low in the western twilight sky about 30 or 40 minutes after sunset local time. That will also mark the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5777. And the following day (Oct. 3) is the Islamic New Year 1438, on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the lunar Islamic calendar.
Some people mistakenly refer to the appearance of any thin lunar crescent as the "new moon." This fallacy has even spread into popular literature. In his classic work "A Night to Remember," about the sinking of the Titanic, author Walter Lord quotes a fireman in a lifeboat who caught sight of a narrow crescent low in the dawn sky and exclaimed, "A new moon!"
As one who has been involved in the broadcasting field for nearly 40 years, I'd like to point out that we live in a time when the news media is seemingly obsessed with "branding." This marketing strategy involves creating a differentiated name and image — often using a tagline — in order to establish a presence in people's mind. In recent years in the field of astronomy, for example, we've seen annular eclipses — those cases when the moon is too small to completely cover the disk of the sun — become branded as "Ring of Fire Eclipses." A total eclipse of the moon — when the moon's plunge through the Earth's shadow causes the satellite to turn a coppery red color — is now referred to as a "Blood Moon."
When a full moon is also passing through that part of its orbit that brings it closest to Earth — perigee — we now brand that circumstance as a supermoon. That term was actually conjured up by an astrologer back in 1979 but quite suddenly became a very popular media brand after an exceptionally close approach of a full moon to Earth in March 2011. It surprises me that even NASA now endorses the term, although it seems to me the astronomical community in general shies away from designating any perigee full moon as "super."
Then there is Blue Moon. This moniker came about because a writer for Sky & Telescope Magazine misinterpreted an arcane definition given by a now-defunct New England Almanac for when a full moon is branded "blue," and instead incorrectly reasoned that in a month with two full moons, the second is called a Blue Moon. That was a brand that quietly went unnoticed for some 40 years, until a syndicated radio show promoted the term in the 1980s and it then went viral. So now, even though the second full moon in a month is not the original definition for a Blue Moon, in popular culture we now automatically associate the second full moon in a calendar month with a Blue Moon.
So are you ready for yet another lunar brand? The newest one is Black Moon.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmer's Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. ||||| Some believe that the Black Moon will bring the end of the world
On Friday September 30, a rare Black Moon will occur, which many are linking to the apocalypse.
The phenomenon happens roughly every 32 months, but this one holds special significance due to other universal activity this month.
The first day of September brought with it a ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse – where the moon falls in line with the Earth and the sun above Africa, making it appear as if the sun had darkened. ||||| View Images A tiny sliver of the moon during the new moon phase in Northern California.
Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic Creative
Humans have long had a fascination with lunar events—and with the rise of the Internet, all kinds of moon moments have become media sensations. Consider super moons, harvest moons, and the rare super blood moon total eclipse.
On September 30, sky-watchers in the Western Hemisphere may be tempted to add another lunar moniker to the list: a “black moon,” popularly defined as the second new moon in a month. However, it’s not exactly going to make for good sky-watching.
New moons occur when the moon’s orbit takes it between Earth and the sun, leaving the lunar orb’s unilluminated side facing Earth. At night, this phase of the moon is impossible to see: Since new moons are in the same part of the sky as the sun, they rise and set with the sun and are overwhelmed by its glare.
New moons can be readily seen only when they pass directly in front of the sun, causing solar eclipses. Otherwise, sky-watchers must look to the days before or after a new moon, when just a sliver of the moon’s sunlit side is visible from Earth.
Moon 101 From the moment Neil Armstrong took his "one small step" in 1969, humans have been mesmerized by the moon. Get a crash course on lunar science.
Usually, new moons occur only once a month, but because there’s a slight disjunct between the moon’s phases—a 29.5-day cycle, on average—and the Gregorian calendar, some months can have two new moons: one at the beginning and one at the end. Joe Rao of Space.com notes that this double-dipping occurs once every 32 months or so.
In this sense, a black moon is like the evil twin of a blue moon, conventionally understood as the second full moon in a month. But let’s be clear: This new moon—like any astronomical event—doesn’t bring ill tidings or herald the end of days, despite the astrological fear-mongering that has been seeping through the web.
If anything, this black moon is a harbinger of new beginnings and festivities: On the evening of October 2, the barely visible waxing crescent moon will shine on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. And on October 3, the growing crescent will mark the beginning of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar.
The September 30 new moon won’t even be a true black moon for the majority of humankind. In the Eastern Hemisphere, the upcoming new moon starts after midnight on October 1, putting it in the wrong month to fit the popular definition. (In London, for instance, the moon reaches its new phase at 1:11 a.m. local time, meaning that the United Kingdom won’t experience a black moon at all in the coming days, much less the apocalypse.)
|
– Social media is going wild for the "black moon" coming up on Friday, but it turns out it's not much of a big deal. (Despite some "End of Days" headlines, like so.) First off, you won't be able to see much of anything in the night sky, explains National Geographic. The "black moon" is merely a new moon, the distinction being that it's the second new moon in a single calendar month. That is a somewhat rare event that occurs about once every 32 months, reports Space.com. The problem is that the side of a new moon facing the Earth is in full shadow, meaning it's virtually undetectable at night. The lunar cycle is 29.5 days, so if a new moon falls on one of the first days of a month, a "black moon" can occur at the end. In a sense, it's the "evil twin" of a blue moon—the phenomenon in which two full moons occur in a single calendar month, notes National Geographic. "Black moon" isn't even a technical term and is unrecognized by NASA, and scientists say hype around the event has been generated mostly by social media. Despite those sensational headlines, the sad truth of a black moon is that it's "a bit boring," astrophysicist Ian O'Neill tells the Los Angeles Times. (The moon once looked different from Earth.)
|
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Life on the run will make a drug lord thirsty.
Escaped Mexican kingpin Joaquin Guzman enjoyed a beer and relaxed in the cockpit of a plane in photos purportedly leaked by El Chapo’s son following the crime boss’ daring prison break.
The taunting pics, posted on Spanish-language site El Blog del Narco, come just two days after Guzman’s Saturday night escape from his cell in a maximum security Mexican prison.
The 58-year-old Sinaloa cartel chief fled through a mile-long tunnel dug over the course of a year, authorities said.
Escaped drug lord Joaquin Guzman (r) chats with a pilot after his prison escape, according to the site El Blog del Narco, which claims the image came from Guzman’s son. (elblogdelnarco.com)
DONALD TRUMP TURNS TO FBI AFTER TWITTER THREAT FROM EL CHAPO
The photos, which haven’t been verified, would be the first of the mastermind since his escape.
He appeared at ease, casually gripping a bottled brew next to a couple of women in one image and chatting with a pilot in the other.
Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman relaxes with a beer in photos posted on the site El Blog del Narco, which claims the photo came from the crime boss’ son. (elblogdelnarco.com)
Federal drug agents refused to comment on the pictures, but at least one law enforcement expert suspects the images could be part of a hoax.
“I don't think (his son) would leak those photos because that could be used to try and apprehend Chapo, and that would be circumventing his planned escape,” former Drug Enforcement Agent Mike Vigil told the San Antonio Express-News.
BLOODTHIRSTY 'EL CHAPO' CASTS A LARGE SHADOW IN MEXICAN LORE
Inside the safe house and escape tunnel used by Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo'
Guzman is now the target of an international manhunt, but he seems to be enjoying his reclaimed freedom. The Mexican government is offering a $3.8 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The nation's interior minister also announced that he fired the prison's director after the great escape, CNN reported.
The drug kingpin allegedly traded Twitter threats with tough-talking presidential hopeful Donald Trump as he evaded law enforcement for a second day.
Mexico's Attorney General Arely Gomez (2-R) examines the end of the tunnel Mexican drug lord Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman allegedly used on Saturday to escape from prison. (--/AFP/Getty Images) Joaquin (Shorty) Guzman is escorted by soldiers in 2014 in Mexico City. (HENRY ROMERO/REUTERS) Federal Police officers stand guard outside a half-built house used by drug lord Joaquin Guzman to escape from prison near the maximum security prison in Mexico. (Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) The inside of a house where the entrance of a tunnel connected to the Altiplano Federal Penitentiary was found after Joaquin Guzman’s escape. (HANDOUT/REUTERS) Federal policemen inspect a pipe under construction by the Altiplano prison in Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico. (YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Guzman spent 13 years on the lam after a 2001 escape. He was captured and returned to prison in 2014.
ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
Sign up for BREAKING NEWS Emails privacy policy Thanks for subscribing! ||||| The elaborate tunnel believed to have played a central part in the daring escape of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from a Mexican prison probably cost the kingpin millions of dollars and took as long as a year to construct, a former federal official says.
“I would say that the construction of that tunnel started days after Chapo Guzman was sent there,” Michael S. Vigil, former chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Agency, told The Times on Monday.
Vigil, who has been briefed on the investigation, says construction on the tunnel may have begun as early as a year ago, soon after Guzman was sent to Altiplano, a maximum-security prison about 50 miles west of Mexico City.
The secret passage was nearly a mile long and was about 5 feet, 6 inches high, just tall enough for Guzman, who is believed to be 5 feet 5 at most, to stand up.
“Guzman has hired some of the best individuals that deal with mining technology, and he provides them with the resources to buy the best equipment,” Vigil said. “They tailor-made the tunnel for him.”
Guzman escaped from a 20-inch-square opening inside his prison shower and descended about 30 feet to make his way to the mile-long tunnel, which led to a house under construction and surrounded by empty fields.
Photos show the tunnel was reinforced by a wooden frame and contained lights and a ventilation system made out of PVC pipes, Vigil said. Workers also used GPS technology to accurately route the entrance to his cell and a motorcycle-adapted rail system to move the large amounts of dirt being excavated, he said.
It would be difficult to build such an elaborate tunnel without someone finding out. More than 30 prison employees have been detained for questioning.
The second prison escape of the country's most famous drug lord has mortified and embarrassed people in Mexico. In Southern California, home to the largest Mexican community outside of Mexico City, the escape of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman had a certain saw-it-coming quality to it. The second prison escape of the country's most famous drug lord has mortified and embarrassed people in Mexico. In Southern California, home to the largest Mexican community outside of Mexico City, the escape of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman had a certain saw-it-coming quality to it. SEE MORE VIDEOS
"The tunnel had to cost maybe $5 million. But $5 million to El Chapo would be like $5 to you or I,” Vigil said.
Guzman has become particularly adept at using tunnels and secret passageways to evade authorities – and to run his estimated $1-billion drug cartel.
“Guzman has always utilized tunnels, primarily to funnel tons of drugs into the U.S. consumer market,” Vigil said. His Sinaloa cartel, Mexico’s largest and most lucrative trafficker of heroin, cocaine and marijuana, is believed to control a network of hundreds of miles of tunnels and drainage systems along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Last year, as officials closed in on Guzman, he slipped down a hydraulic-powered escape hatch in the bottom of a bathtub and fled through the vast sewer and drainage system underneath the city of Culiacan. He was on the lam for several more weeks before the Mexican marines captured him in Mazatlan.
“I’m sure that he had already surveyed the drainage system in the event that he had to make an escape,” Vigil said. “Chapo Guzman does not leave anything to chance.”
For more than two decades, federal authorities have been uncovering tunnels that have driven the transnational drug trade near the U.S. border. More than 150 such tunnels have been discovered along the United States’ southwestern border since the early 1990s, according to U.S. officials.
Since 2006, more than 80 sophisticated tunnels have been uncovered, including about 25 near San Diego.
One of the first tunnels was discovered in 1990 and was relatively small but sophisticated: a 270-foot passageway that began under a pool table in a Mexican luxury home and terminated near a border crossing in Douglas, Ariz.
A hidden switch in the home, owned by Mexican businessman Rafael Francisco Camarena, activated a hydraulic system that hoisted the pool table and a concrete slab high into the air, revealing a narrow shaft that extended 30 feet below the ground. The 5-foot-tall tunnel featured concrete reinforcement, side rooms, electrical outlets, lights and a pump to keep it free of water. It was lined with compartments that could store up to 5 tons of cocaine, and a trolley was used to move the drugs along the passage.
At the time, the tunnel was estimated to have cost $1.5 million.
In 2010, two underground passages were found within a block of each other in a San Diego warehouse district, leading authorities to seize a total of 45 tons of marijuana. The second passageway was lined with tongue-and-groove wooden boards that provided a level surface for a cart-and-rail system; its other end was in the kitchen of a Tijuana home.
In 2011, U.S. officials discovered a 600-yard tunnel, with an elevator, wooden flooring and an electric cart-and-rail system, terminating in a produce warehouse just north of the border in San Diego. They seized 32 tons of marijuana, one of the largest drug busts in U.S. history.
On the Mexican side, the tunnel opening was hidden in a building on the edge of the runway at the Tijuana International Airport, and the passageway ran directly under the runway where planes regularly took off.
Jose Sanchez-Villalobos, one of the top members of the Sinaloa cartel, was linked to that tunnel in 2012, in addition to a 2,200-foot tunnel discovered in 2010.
Last year, Glennys Rodriguez, a 73-year-old Chula Vista, Calif., woman, was arrested on suspicion of overseeing the construction of a 600-yard tunnel that ended in an industrial park in San Diego’s Otay Mesa area. It was secured with wooden trusses and equipped with lighting and a crude rail system, as well as a pulley system to help hoist packages from 70 feet below ground.
Later that week, authorities in Mexico discovered a second tunnel just around the corner from the first. It was larger and more sophisticated, with ventilation and a multi-tiered electrical rail system.
And this year, U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered a trafficking tunnel west of the San Ysidro border crossing after a sinkhole gave away its location. The tunnel, which was unfinished, started in Tijuana but never opened onto American soil.
Times staff writers Joseph Serna, Richard Marosi and Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report.
For more breaking news, follow me @cmaiduc.
ALSO: ||||| ALMOLOYA, Mexico (AP) — The kind of tunnel that led Mexico's most powerful drug lord to freedom would have been more than a year in planning. The digging would have caused noise. The entrance would have to be in a place beyond the view of security cameras at Mexico's toughest prison.
Federal Police man their weapons aboard a pick up truck, near the half-built house where drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman made his escape through a tunnel from the Altiplano maximum security prison... (Associated Press)
This photo provided by Mexico's attorney general, shows the exit of the tunnel they claim was used by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to break out of the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya,... (Associated Press)
In this photo provided by Mexico's attorney general, authorities guard the construction site where the exit of the tunnel, they claim was used by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to break out of the... (Associated Press)
In this photo provided by Mexico's attorney general, authorities inspect the exit of the tunnel they claim was used by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to break out of the Altiplano maximum security... (Associated Press)
As authorities hunted Monday for any sign of Mexico's most powerful drug lord, it was clear that Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's escape must have involved inside help on a grand scale.
Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said as much Monday night. He announced that three prison officials had been fired, including Valentin Cardenas, director of the facility known as Altiplano, a maximum security prison 55 miles (90 kilometers) west of Mexico City.
"They had something or a lot to do with what happened, and that's why we made that decision," Osorio Chong said.
Still, he did not say who exactly is suspected of aiding the escape.
The prison has the same high-security standards as those in the U.S. and Canada, he said, and Guzman was given extra surveillance, including a tracking bracelet, although it worked only inside the prison.
Osorio Chong said the 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) tunnel had been dug 19 meters (about 62 feet) below the surface and called it a "high-tech" breach of the prison's extensive security measures, including 750 cameras and 26 security filters.
The Mexican government announced that it is offering a 60 million-peso ($3.8 million) reward for Guzman's recapture. An Interpol alert was sent to 10 countries and at least 49 people have been questioned by the government's organized crime unit, including 34 prison employees.
A tunnel of such sophistication — with lights, air venting, and a customized motorcycle rigged up on a rail line — would normally take 18 months to two years to complete, said Jim Dinkins, former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
"When it's for the boss, you probably put that on high speed," he said.
If anyone was capable of pulling off such a feat, it was Guzman, who is believed to have at least a quarter-century of experience in building large, sophisticated tunnels to smuggle drugs under the U.S.-Mexico border and to escape from hideouts as authorities closed in.
His Sinaloa Cartel also has been most successful in coopting officials, said Edgardo Buscaglia, an organized crime expert at Colombia University.
"By far they are the most infiltrated in Mexico's government institutions," he said.
Experts expressed skepticism that such an engineering feat could go on undetected.
Joe Garcia, who retired this year as interim special agent in charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, has extensive experience in tunnel investigations. He said the tunnel at Altiplano was longer than any passage ever found on the U.S.-Mexico border.
To pull off such a feat, rescuers likely had intelligence on the prison even before Guzman was arrested, Dinkins said.
Designers and workers would have needed access to sensitive information such as prison floor plans and alarm and camera systems. And just the noise alone as they bored the final 30-foot (10-meter) vertical shaft directly under the prison to reach Guzman's cell would have generated some attention.
"It's not just like someone took a couple tools, shovels and pickaxes. This is a very sophisticated operation," said Alonzo Pena, a former senior official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "How could they be there and not hear that construction was going on underneath? It's just impossible."
The area around the prison is a sprawling construction site, with giant water pipes, trenches and excavation crisscrossing the landscape, and that would have made it easy for the tunnel work to go unnoticed, Garcia said.
"It's the removal of dirt and debris that can cause attention," Dinkins said.
An Associated Press reporter who viewed the partially built house where the tunnel ended observed that the dirt level in the yard surrounding the house was 2 feet to 3 feet higher than the rest of the terrain, indicating workers may have just spread dirt around the property rather than haul it out.
Osorio Chong also said much of the excavated dirt, which he described as fine and thin, may simply have been scattered or compacted at the site.
By Monday afternoon, the search for Guzman in the area near the prison had died down dramatically. Road blocks were gone and Federal Police patrols had lightened. Reporters traveled the area unhampered. Flights at the nearby Toluca airport that had been suspended on Sunday were back to normal.
The prison break is the second for Guzman, who infamously fled a different maximum-security facility in 2001. He was on the loose for 13 years before being captured in February 2014 at a condominium overlooking the Pacific in Mazatlan.
He last was seen about 9 p.m. Saturday as he entered the shower area of his cell, where Osorio Chong said there are "blind spots" from the cameras in respect of human rights. After a time without seeing the prisoner, guards went to look for him and found something else entirely — a 20-by-20-inch (50-by-50 centimeter) leading into the tunnel.
___
Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman reported this story in Almoloya, Mexico, and Elliot Spagat reported from San Diego, California. AP writers Mark Stevenson and Maria Verza in Mexico City and Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington contributed to this report. ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| On a warm day in May, members of a blossoming Mexican narco syndicate went on the attack. They blocked more than 30 roads with smoldering tankers, boxing in the city of Guadalajara. In broad daylight, they lit ATMs and banks on fire. When the military came after them, cartel members shot down a helicopter with RPGs and then executed the soldiers inside. It was a brazen and terrifying display of power. “There was panic. No one knew what was going to happen next,” says Pedro Guerrero Haro, a forensics investigator who ended up sorting through the mess.
As authorities across North America embark on an epic manhunt for Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the kingpin better known as El Chapo, experts say an even more dangerous figure is on the loose — one who hasn’t been arrested but who is believed to have orchestrated the bloody siege in Guadalajara. His name is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — or just El Mencho. Over the past few years, he’s risen to commanding heights in the landscape of Mexican narcotrafficking, rivaling the power El Chapo once had. The cartel he leads has chosen to seize power by any means necessary — including, apparently, rocket launchers. “He’s the top crime boss right now in Mexico,” according to Tristan Reed, a Mexican security analyst for the global intelligence firm Stratfor.
It takes a certain brilliance to map your way in today’s drug wars, in which erratic and ever-shifting narco networks battle it out in ever more brutal fashion. While the federales have had mixed success in recent years picking off the jefes — the catch-and-release saga of El Chapo is a case in point — even their victories have a downside, in that each one basically creates a power vacuum. A gaggle of smaller cartels are fighting to fill it, wreaking havoc on Mexico’s streets as they compete for market share. The stakes have only grown as the drug supply chain has extended from the U.S. to China to Europe.
All this chaos and change has given El Mencho his chance: He’s shown a foxlike dexterity for adapting to circumstance, whether it’s switching allegiances or moving to meth from heroin — all while going unseen. Indeed, while he hasn’t gotten much press outside Mexico, El Mencho and his Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación have expanded territory from coast to coast, becoming the most global of all the Mexican suppliers. “He’s different from some who might want to be feared but aren’t trying to build a territorial dynasty,” says Everard Meade, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego. A businessman with a military mindset, El Mencho has focused on tightening and lengthening his supply chain, and demolishing competitors or anyone else who might get in the way.
Nearly as much lore as substance, the kingpin is rumored to be a former police officer originally from Aguililla city or Uruapan, both in Michoacán. The United States Treasury Department, which froze his assets in April, says El Mencho did time in U.S. prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin. Otherwise, he’s managed to evade the authorities, unlike his 24-year-old son, El Menchito, who’s been arrested three times now. Yet even those who’ve studied El Mencho closely can’t agree on his first name; some say it’s Nemesio, others Ruben. The law enforcement background would make sense, though, experts say, given his precise tactics and willingness to wage war against the government. Which, by the way, he seems to be winning.
About 60,000 people were murdered in Mexico between 2006 and 2012, according to Human Rights Watch.
The Mexican drug trade has long existed, of course, but the past 15 years have seen a deadly shift in the balance of power. When Mexico had a one-party political system, the government could more easily set the terms with cartels, Meade says. Typically, the exchange went like this: The government promised to leave cartels alone so long as its agents got their cut. But in 2000, the political system opened up to multiple parties, giving cartels more leverage. Instead of the government taxing the drug runners, it’s now the other way around: “The cartels set the terms,” says Meade. And their use of violence has shifted too. Murder is no longer a way of shielding the black market from public view; it’s become a tool “to terrify local governments and people into submission,” Meade says. According to numbers from Human Rights Watch, about 60,000 people were murdered in Mexico between 2006 and 2012, a death toll El Mencho is only accelerating.
Not long before the helicopter incident, his men assassinated 15 Jalisco police officers, according to Mexican authorities. A YouTube search produces gruesome videos of killing and torture that CJNG takes credit for. One, which was recently taken down, showed a father and his teenage son wrapped in explosives; they detonate the kid first so dad can watch. When businesses don’t pay their “taxes,” it’s a grenade through the front door, residents of Guadalajara say. Yet nothing compares to when El Mencho’s CJNG allegedly killed 35 members of Los Zetas, a rival gang, several years ago. Before killing their victims, cartel members tortured them, cutting off ears and limbs. The victims’ mutilated bodies were dumped on the highway at rush hour, news reports said.
As the past few years have shown, fighting the cartels is a deadly game of whack-a-mole. Take down El Chapo’s Sinaloa cartel and a new, more heinous monster rises in its place. Indeed, El Mencho has seemed to learn from the mistakes of his high-profile predecessor, remaining a shadow in an already dark underworld. And as the authorities renew their chase of El Chapo, El Mencho will likely recede further — and flourish. Turns out, says Reed, “El Chapo’s escape may have bought El Mencho some more time to remain at-large.” ||||| MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's most notorious drug trafficker began plotting to break out of prison almost immediately after his recapture at a seaside resort in February 2014.
Soldiers guard a half-built house near the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya, west of Mexico City, Monday, July 13, 2015. A widespread manhunt that included highway checkpoints, stepped up... (Associated Press)
A Federal Police officer stands guard on the perimeters of a half-built house near the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya, west of Mexico City, Monday, July 13, 2015. A widespread manhunt that... (Associated Press)
This poster provided by Mexico's attorney general, shows the most recent image of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman before he escaped from the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya, west of... (Associated Press)
Mexico's Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, white shirt, arrives to the half-built house where drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman made his escape through a tunnel from the Altiplano maximum... (Associated Press)
Soldiers guard the half-built house where drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman made his escape through a tunnel from the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya, west of Mexico City, Monday, July... (Associated Press)
Federal Police man their weapons aboard a pick up truck, near the half-built house where drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman made his escape through a tunnel from the Altiplano maximum security prison... (Associated Press)
Eva Salazar Sanchez's cattle graze in a meadow near the Altiplano maximum security prison, seen in the background, in Almoloya, west of Mexico City, Monday, July 13, 2015. A widespread manhunt that included... (Associated Press)
Internal Drug Enforcement Administration documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal that drug agents first got information in March 2014 that various family members and drug-world associates of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman were considering "potential operations to free Guzman."
The DEA alerted Mexican authorities 16 months ago about the plans, said a U.S. official briefed on the investigation. The official was not authorized to disclose the details and insisted on anonymity to do so.
Mexican Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong denied Monday night that authorities in Mexico were ever informed of potential escapes.
"They themselves have told us that they don't know where that information came from," he said referring to U.S. counterparts and the AP's report.
The Mexican government announced that it is offering a 60 million-peso ($3.8 million) reward for Guzman's recapture and that it has fired three prison system officials, including the director of the prison where Guzman escaped. Forty-nine people have been questioned by the government's organized crime unit, including 32 prison employees.
Widely considered the world's richest and most powerful drug trafficker before his capture last year, Guzman slipped down a shaft from his prison cell's shower area late Saturday and disappeared into a sophisticated mile-long (1.5 kilometer-long) tunnel with ventilation, lighting and a motorcycle apparently used to move dirt.
The DEA documents indicate U.S. agents did not have information about Saturday night's escape, which was the second time Guzman has fled from one of Mexico's highest security prisons.
But the documents revealed that in March 2014 agents in Los Angeles reported a possible escape operation funded by Rafael Caro-Quintero, who helped orchestrate the 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. That plot involved threatening or bribing prison officials. The same investigation revealed four months later that Guzman's son had sent a team of lawyers and military counter-intelligence personnel to design a break-out plan.
In December of that year, agents in the DEA's Houston Field Division reported that a Mexican army general stated "that a deal was in place to release both Guzman-Loera and imprisoned Los Zetas Cartel leader Miguel Angel 'Z-40' Trevino-Morales."
The DEA documents obtained by the AP do not include details of how the previous escape plots would be carried out. In them, Guzman is identified as Guzman-Loera.
A widespread manhunt that included highway checkpoints, stepped up border security and closure of an international airport failed to turn up any trace of Guzman.
Since the 1990s his violent and powerful cartel has been known for digging sophisticated smuggling tunnels under the U.S. border with Mexico. Guzman was first arrested in 1993 but escaped in Jalisco from one of Mexico's top-security prisons in January 2001. He evaded capture in early February 2014 through an elaborate network of tunnels that connected multiple safe houses in Culiacan, in his home state of Sinaloa. He was arrested in the resort city of Mazatlan later that month.
Jim Dinkins, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit, said Guzman's history of tunneling makes Saturday's escape "really ingenious." The sophisticated tunnel described by Mexican authorities would usually take about 18 to 24 months to complete, Dinkins said, suggesting it was started almost immediately after Guzman's arrest in 2014.
The White House said Monday that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch spoke with Mexico's attorney general the day after the escape was discovered. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. government has offered its full support to Mexico. He pointed out that Guzman has also been charged with serious crimes in the U.S.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said Guzman's "swift recapture by Mexican authorities is a priority for both the Mexican and the U.S. governments."
Along with the 2014 escape plans, the DEA documents reveal Guzman was still directing facets of his drug empire.
"Despite being imprisoned in a 'high security' facility, DEA reporting further indicates Guzman-Loera was able to provide direction to his son and other cartel members via the attorneys who visited (him) in prison and possibly through the use of a cellphone provided ... by corrupt prison guards," the documents stated.
Following Guzman's capture in 2014, according to the documents, his son Ivan Guzman-Salazar became "the de facto leader of the Guzman branch of the Sinaloa Cartel." Guzman's "right-hand man, Damaso Lopez-Nunez," took over one of the four major trafficking organizations that operated under the auspices of the larger Sinaloa Cartel.
___
Associated Press writer Alicia A. Caldwell reported this story from Washington and Katherine Corcoran reported in Mexico City. AP writer Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
___
Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/acaldwellap ||||| Federal investigators are reading into every aspect of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s latest prison break as they intensify their search for the Mexican drug lord.
Interested in ? Add as an interest to stay up to date on the latest news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest
There was a gap of roughly 50 minutes between the time he was last seen Saturday night, when a prison guard gave him his daily medicine, to the moment when he was no longer visible on the internal video camera system, according to the Mexican national security commission.
Monte Alejandro Rubido, the head of the commission, said Sunday an alert was sent out at 8:52 p.m. and when guards went to his cell, they found a small opening in the shower area of his cell.
Photos have been released from the apparent escape route, but not inside the shower facility where an opening that is 2 square feet is believed to be through which the kingpin escaped, Rubido said.
Eduardo Verdugo/AP Photo
Attorney Generals Office/Reuters
From there, a ladder led to a tunnel that Rubido said was made out of PVC pipe that was just about as tall as Guzman himself, roughly 5-foot-6.
The tunnel extended for about a mile underground and featured an adapted motorcycle on rails that officials believe was used to transport the tools used to create the tunnel, Rubido said.
The photos show the tunnel extending into a home outside of the prison's property and there was a similarly small exit found in the floor of one of the building's rooms where the drug lord is believed to have left the tunnel and entered the free world.
Manuel Velasquez/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Attorney Generals Office/Reuters
As "World News Tonight" will report this evening, the half-built house in the Mexican cornfields from where Guzman is believed to have emerged was only under construction for the past five to six months, according to local gas delivery men who supply gas to all the homes in the neighborhood. The developers of the apparent escape house never requested any gas. But the building equipment never seemed unusual because the house was under construction.
There have been no reported sightings or publicized leads in the first day and a half of searching for Guzman, making this his second-known escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico.
Marco Ugarte/AP Photo
The first incident came in 2001 when he escaped from a different prison, and while few details have been confirmed in that case, he is believed to have gotten help from prison guards.
On Saturday night, 18 guards from the Altiplano maximum-security prison in Almoloya de Juarez, where the most recent escape occurred, were being questioned.
|
– Within days of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's arrival at a maximum security prison in Mexico—and perhaps even earlier—work began on the mile-long tunnel he would eventually use to escape, a former drug enforcement official tells the Los Angeles Times. At 5 feet 6 inches high, the tunnel appears to have been made for the 5-foot-5 Guzman, who likely spent $5 million on mining experts and the best equipment for its construction, the ex-official says. But the tunnel could hardly have gone unnoticed, particularly as work began on the 30-foot shaft beneath Guzman's prison shower, from which he would disappear. Officials have the unsurprising suspicion that he had inside help. More: Officials have questioned 49 people, including 34 prison workers regarding the escape. Three have been fired, including the prison director, the AP reports. DEA documents show US agents were aware of a possible escape plan back in March 2014, the AP notes. Officials say they informed Mexican authorities, who argue they were never told of a possible breakout. Officials say Guzman escaped down a 20-by-20-inch hole in his shower, off-limits to prison cameras, then fled down the tunnel, coming out at a nearby home which had been under construction for five to six months, a local says, per ABC News. An AP reporter notes dirt in the yard reached 2 to 3 feet higher than in other nearby areas, suggesting dirt from the tunnel was spread around the property. Once out of the prison, Guzman's tracking bracelet would have been useless. So where is he now? According to taunting photos posted on El Blog del Narco, purportedly leaked by Guzman's son, the drug lord is enjoying life on the outside. They show Guzman drinking a beer and in the cockpit of a plane, reports the New York Daily News. At least one official, however, believes they could be part of a hoax. Meanwhile, Ozy reports about a cartel boss it describes as "worse than El Chapo."
|
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The seed for this crawl was a list of every host in the Wayback Machine
This crawl was run at a level 1 (URLs including their embeds, plus the URLs of all outbound links including their embeds)
The WARC files associated with this crawl are not currently available to the general public. ||||| Originally published October 17, 2012 at 9:43 PM | Page modified October 18, 2012 at 2:40 PM
An Oregon lawyer Thursday will post a searchable database of 1,250 Boy Scout volunteers from across the country accused of sexual abuse between 1965 and 1985.
The public will be able to access the Scouting records at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at: KellyClarkAttorney.com
For more than 80 years, the Boy Scouts of America has maintained a confidential list of "Ineligible Volunteers" — adults tossed from Scouting because they're suspected of pedophilia and other offenses.
Some people call them the "perversion files." And the Scouts have fought hard to keep the records a secret.
On Thursday, some of those files will be opened broadly to the public, when an Oregon lawyer posts a searchable database of 1,250 accused Scout volunteers from across the country. It is an unprecedented glimpse into the magnitude of sexual-abuse allegations surrounding an organization that prides itself on a squeaky-clean image.
"The stories in those files are real little boys and real stories of abuse," Portland attorney Kelly Clark said. "And when the public sees these stories in black and white, I think the level of understanding and frustration about sexual abuse in Scouting is going to be significantly elevated."
In a prepared statement, the Boy Scouts said the confidential list was a way to keep Scouts safe: If a child molester was kicked out of one troop, he couldn't simply go to another, although some tried.
The organization has since strengthened policies, as well, with rules barring one-on-one time between Scouts and volunteers, mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, and criminal background checks.
"In certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient," national President Wayne Perry said in the statement. "Where those involved in Scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest and sincere apologies to victims and their families."
Clark's online database will include the name, troop, date of the accusation and a brief description. Click on the links and you'll be able to see some 15,000 pages of the Scouts' documentation, with the names of victims redacted.
The database contains the names of 22 "ineligible volunteers" from Washington.
The files cover a period from 1965 to 1985. Updated versions of the list continue to be the subject of court battles and are in the hands of other attorneys.
The Seattle Times has reported on a number of those cases over the years, including one involving two brothers, Tom and Matt Stewart. They were molested for years by their Scoutmaster, who was never charged because the statute of limitation had expired. An out-of-court settlement was reached between the Scouts and the brothers.
The various "ineligible volunteer" lists were obtained mostly as part of the litigation process. But much of Clark's information had sat for 20 years in the garage of an East Coast journalist whose 1994 book, "Scout's Honor," recounted the history of sex abuse in Scouting.
"Years ago, you had to go to an attorney's office or you had to come to my house — and I mean that, because people did it — and look through the files and copy them," said journalist Patrick Boyle. "Now you can go online. ... I think a lot of victims are going to go back and punch in a name and find out if the guy who abused them was caught."
Anticipating Clark's database, Timothy Kosnoff and Jason Amala, Seattle attorneys who also have sued the Scouts, made some of their files available, as well.
There was the case of Assistant Scoutmaster Richard Dilley, who worked with a troop in Greece until he was forced to leave in 1984 after abuse allegations surfaced. He later turned up in Seattle and was convicted of molesting teenage Scouts.
There was the case of Michael L. Hicks, of Yakima, who was convicted three times of sexually abusing a child before being removed from Scouting in 1990.
And the case of the Boeing executive forced to resign from Scouting after being charged with indecent liberties in 1987. He was ordered to undergo sex-offender therapy and have no contact with children for two years.
In these cases, the Scouts learned of the abuse through authorities or newspaper accounts. But sometimes the allegations came directly to Scouting officials from a boy in a local troop. Back then, times were different, too.
The Scouts "didn't know what to do about this," Boyle said. "They held their nose, closed their eyes and made these guys go away — sometimes reporting to police, sometimes not, sometimes telling the parents, sometimes not."
The way Clark and the other plaintiff's lawyers see it, the Scouts have had an enormous repository of information on the behavior of child molesters — how they slip into a youth organization, ingratiate themselves and access kids.
"They knew almost better than anyone how to protect kids," attorney Amala said. Yet they "waited until the mid-1980s to change their ways."
Clark's list is becoming public after a long Oregon court battle between the Scouts and a victim that ended with a jury verdict of nearly $20 million. The list was a trial exhibit.
Normally, that's available to the public after a case closes, but the Scouts asked the judge to seal it. Ultimately, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled it should be open to the public.
"What we hope comes out of it is that not only the Scouts but other youth organizations learn the lessons that are in these files," Clark said. Looking through the 15,000 pages, he sees patterns.
"If you see the same thing happening year in year out," he said, "you can't just sit there and make a list. If your program isn't working, you make changes."
Clark is now representing a client alleging abuse in 2004 in Texas. The Scouts have been ordered to turn over a current list of "Ineligible Volunteers,"but Clark said they plan to appeal.
"Our goal would be eventually to bust down that door in Texas and get the same thing for the modern files," he said.
News researchers Miyoko Wolf, Gene Balk, and Justin Mayo contributed to this report.
Maureen O'Hagan: 206-464-2562 or [email protected]
|
– An Oregon lawyer has released 15,000 pages of the so-called "perversion files," documents that recount child abuse within the Boy Scouts, reports the Seattle Times. "The stories in those files are real little boys and real stories of abuse," says attorney Kelly Clark, who opened a searchable database that includes the names of 1,250 accused Scout volunteers, as well as a brief description of their cases. It can be accessed here (but expect delays, at least today). He hopes that the database, which covers cases between 1965 and 1985, will help some victims discover if their abuser was caught. Clark himself sees lessons, and patterns: "If you see the same thing happening year in, year out, you can't just sit there and make a list. If your program isn't working, you make changes." Two other lawyers in the state were set to make public their own files as well. Updated files from recent years are still sealed, but courts in other states are fighting to make those public soon. Clark's files illuminate a different era, before strict protocol on the reporting of sexual abuse had been developed within the Scouts. "They held their nose, closed their eyes, and made these guys go away—sometimes reporting to police, sometimes not, sometimes telling the parents, sometimes not," said one journalist who has reviewed the files. Click to read the full Times piece, which outlines some of the disturbing cases.
|
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Please enable Javascript to watch this video
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado - Can you imagine a gunman's surprise when his pistol suddenly becomes jammed by a deputy's bullet?
Two men tried to rob off-duty Jefferson County Deputy Jose Marquez at gunpoint at a Colorado apartment complex.
Deputy Marquez was shot in the stomach and shoulder, triggering his adrenaline to not only fight back, but to make the shot of a lifetime.
His bullet made a beeline for the alleged robber's gun, lodged inside the bad guy's barrel, jamming the weapon, and possibly saving his own life.
"I'd say that's probably one in a million shot," said Jimmy Graham, Director of the Active Shooter Response Training Center in Centennial, Colorado.
"I've never seen an instance where the bullet actually traveled backwards back down and contacted the bullet," Graham told KUSA. "I don't know that that can be done again."
Deputy Marquez has recovered and the routine investigation into firing his weapon toward the suspect was deemed justified. ||||| The shot is being called “one in a billion.”
“I don’t know that that can be done again,” said Jimmy Graham, director and lead instructor of the Active Shooter Response Training Center in Centennial.
Graham is talking about the shot fired from the gun of an off-duty Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy in January that lodged in the barrel of a suspect’s gun.
“I’ve never seen an instance where the bullet actually traveled backwards back down and contacted the bullet,” Graham said.
On Jan. 26, Deputy Jose Marquez was visiting his girlfriend’s apartment in Aurora when he was approached by two men in the parking lot who tried to rob him. The men started shooting and Marquez fired back. One of the bullets Marquez fired traveled down the barrel of the suspect’s gun, disabling it.
So, was the miraculous shot luck or skill? Jimmy Graham said good training likely improved Marquez’s chances of hitting such a small target.
“He presented and he aimed for center of mass and he just happened to hit down the barrel of the gun which was effective,” Graham said.
Graham did his best to recreate the shot at the Centennial Gun Club Thursday afternoon. He set up a target depicting a man with a gun about 10 feet away, drew his handgun from his hip and fired three shots in rapid succession.
“Got one, two, three,” Graham said inspecting his target. “We were able to put in there three rounds.”
Graham managed to hit the barrel of the gun on the target, but he doesn’t compare the demonstration to the life or death situation Deputy Marquez faced in January.
“I consider myself a decent shot, but under those conditions, I don’t know that that can be done again,” Graham said.
The Aurora Sentinel reported Wednesday that Arapahoe County prosecutors determined Deputy Jose Marquez acted appropriately when he exchanged gunfire with the attempted robbery suspects in January.
Copyright 2016 KUSA ||||| A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy drew his gun in an Aurora apartment complex parking lot with one thought on his mind.
“I’m not dying today. Not today. Another day, maybe. It’s not my time yet,” Deputy Jose Ramon Marquez told investigators about a Jan. 26 shooting in which two masked men attacked him.
On Wednesday, Rich Orman, the chief deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, cleared Marquez in the shooting. Marquez was off duty at the time and visiting his girlfriend. He was cooking dinner for her and her children.
In an exchange of gunfire that left him seriously wounded, Marquez hit one suspect in the leg, and another of his .45-caliber bullets made a “one in a billion” shot, according to a letter Orman wrote to Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader and Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz.
That round traveled up the barrel of the attacker’s gun, colliding with a cartridge in the chamber and rendering the .40-caliber pistol inoperable, the letter said.
Marquez, a 10-year veteran of the department, was shot twice in the abdomen and once in the shoulder. The bullets damaged his intestines, colon and liver. He also suffered fractured ribs, Orman’s letter said.
Marquez is still recovering from the wounds and has not returned to work at the sheriff’s department, said Mark Techmeyer, a sheriff’s spokesman.
“We’re still hopeful for a full recovery,” he said.
Related Articles September 13, 2018 Aurora police name suspect in officer-involved shooting
September 13, 2018 Officer shot during Cherry Hills Village home invasion to leave hospital
September 12, 2018 Denver officer won’t be charged in fatal shooting of 7-Eleven robbery suspect
September 11, 2018 Man faces 8 murder charges in connection to Aurora shootout that killed two, wounded police officer
September 6, 2018 Man fatally shot by Westminster police identified. Police said he charged them with a knife. Investigators have not determined whether the attack was an attempt on the deputy’s life or an attempted robbery, the letter said. Marquez did not identify himself as law enforcement before firing.
One 17-year-old suspect has been charged with eight crimes in connection with the felony, including attempted murder, assault and felony menacing. He was shot in the leg.
Aurora police found the teen after he called Aurora 911 to report that he had been shot. In a nearby yard, investigators found a gun with bullets that matched rounds fired at Marquez and black gloves. A dark face mask was found in the seat of a stolen Chevrolet Equinox that was connected to the teen, Orman’s letter said.
The second suspect remains at large.
Marquez told investigators that two young men dressed in black and with masks covering their faces approached Marquez as he was walking the apartment complex parking lot.
One of the young men first said, “Hello, brother,” as he approached Marquez, who was dressed in plain clothes. As they passed each other, one of the men turned and said, “Give it up,” the letter said.
Marquez said that is when he knew something bad was about to happen, Orman’s letter said.
The young man pulled out a pistol and racked the slide to get a bullet in the chamber. As Marquez drew his .45-caliber service weapon, the man fired at him, the letter said.
Marquez fired four times. The gunman fired 12 times, the letter said.
Marquez said he told himself during the shooting, “You’re the bad guy. I’m the good guy.”
The chief deputy district attorney’s letter said investigators looked into whether someone could have ordered a hit on Marquez but found nothing to substantiate that was the case.
“He has received no threats from anyone and has had no recent issues with anyone, personally or professionally, that (could) be linked to this shooting,” the letter said. “He had no road rage incidents and had never seen the two males before.”
|
– In what a Colorado district attorney calls a "one in a billion shot," a Jefferson County deputy successfully disabled a robber's gun by firing a bullet down its barrel, the Denver Post reports. According to KUSA, the shooting happened in January, but authorities released their report on it this week. On Jan. 26, Jose Marquez was off duty and visiting his girlfriend at her apartment in Aurora when he was confronted by two masked men, KFOR reports. One of the men pulled a gun, so Marquez went for his. The robber shot Marquez twice in the stomach and once in the shoulder. Miraculously, Marquez was able to return fire. Even more miraculous was where one of his four shots ended up. Marquez's bullet traveled up the barrel of the robber's gun, hit a cartridge in the chamber, and disabled the weapon. It may have saved his life. “I don’t know that that can be done again,” the director of Colorado's Active Shooter Response Training Center tells KUSA. He says he's certainly never seen it. In their report released Wednesday, investigators found Marquez, who is still recovering from his injuries, was justified in his shooting. “I’m not dying today. Not today. Another day, maybe. It’s not my time yet,” the Post reports Marquez told investigators regarding the shooting. A 17-year-old, who was shot in the leg by Marquez, has been charged in connection with the shooting. The second suspect has never been caught.
|
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(CNN) The US Olympic Committee's CEO has asked all members of the USA Gymnastics board of directors to resign, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
Scott Blackmun said USAG will lose its status as a sports governing body unless the board resigns by Wednesday and an interim board is in place by February 28.
Three top USA Gymnastics board members resigned earlier this week , but the Indianapolis-based governing body has 18 other board positions.
Blackmun's request comes in the wake of a scandal over sexual abuse by former national team doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on Wednesday.
"We do not base these requirements on any knowledge that any individual USAG staff or board members had a role in fostering or obscuring Nassar's actions," Blackmun wrote. "Our position comes from a clear sense that USAG culture needs fundamental rebuilding."
Blackmun acknowledged the series of resignations and policy changes that USAG has experienced in recent months but he said it was not enough.
"USAG must build on them with a categorically fresh start at the board level," he wrote.
Along with the resignations, Blackmun outlined a series of additional steps required by the Olympic Committee, including:
•USAG has 12 months to replace the interim directors.
•USAG "must cooperate with an independent investigation" looking into whether anyone knew or should have known of abuse allegations against Nassar and did not report them.
•The board "must substantively discuss" progress and plans for continued implementation of the findings from a former prosecutor's lengthy report that highlighted an array of shortcomings by USA Gymnastics in combating abuse.
"Please understand that the circumstances that led to this crisis demand our attention and intervention," he wrote. "These steps are intended to help USAG create a culture that protects and supports its athletes in the way I know we all want to do."
In a statement Thursday night, USAG said it "completely embraces the requirements outlined" in Blackmun's letter and "appreciates the opportunity to work with the USOC to accomplish change for the betterment of our organization, our athletes and our clubs."
USA Gymnastics also said it understands "that the requirements imposed by the letter will help us enhance our ability to build a culture of empowerment throughout the organization, with an increased focus on athlete safety and well-being. Our commitment is uncompromising, and we hope everything we do makes this very clear." ||||| CLOSE SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Nancy Armour believes the court system served justice with Nassar's sentencing of up to 175 years in prison, however, there are many lessons still needed to be learned from this nightmare of a story. USA TODAY Sports
Larry Nassar was sentenced Wednesday to up to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 150 girls and women. (Photo: Matthew Dae Smith, USA TODAY Sports)
USA Gymnastics’ status as the sport’s national governing body will be terminated unless it meets six conditions set out by the U.S. Olympic Committee, including the resignation of the entire board by next Wednesday.
USOC CEO Scott Blackmun outlined the conditions in an email sent Thursday to the USA Gymnastics board. While Blackmun had called on the board to resign Wednesday in an open letter to the Olympic community, the email was far more specific in both what the USOC expects from USA Gymnastics and the repercussions if it doesn’t deliver.
The letter comes a day after former national team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 150 girls and young women, including Olympic champions Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber.
“We do not base these requirements on any knowledge that any individual USAG staff or board members had a role in fostering or obscuring Nassar’s actions,” Blackmun wrote. “Our position comes from a clear sense that USAG culture needs fundamental rebuilding.”
In victim impact statements during Nassar’s sentencing hearing, USA Gymnastics and the USOC repeatedly were criticized for not doing enough to protect athletes from abuse. Raisman has been the most pointed, saying in court last week that USA Gymnastics was an organization “rotting from the inside,” and calling out the USOC for its lack of public support.
While the chair, vice chair and treasurer resigned Monday, Blackmun said the rest of the 21-member board must go, too. The federation, Blackmun wrote, needs a "categorically fresh start at the board level."
More: There are more who must pay a price for Larry Nassar scandal
USA Gymnastics will face immediate decertification unless an interim board is in place by Feb. 28, according to Blackmun’s email. No one currently serving on the board is eligible to be an interim member except the five athlete representatives.
The federation then has 12 months to replace the interim directors. Current board members are not eligible for those seats, either.
Also within that 12 months, USA Gymnastics must cooperate with the independent investigation into whether anyone knew about athlete complaints of Nassar’s abuse and didn’t report them and the systemic failures that contributed with his ability to go unchecked for so long.
The board also must “substantively discuss” at each of its meetings how the federation is progressing in implementing 70 recommendations made by former federal prosecutor Deborah Daniels, whose review of USA Gymnastics found a “complete cultural change” was needed. It must then report its progress to the USOC.
The USA Gymnastics board was quick to accept all of Daniels’ recommendations, but it has been slow to implement them.
Before the leadership of the board of directors resigned this week, former CEO and president Steve Penny had been the only USA Gymnastics official held publicly accountable. He was forced to resign in March under pressure from the USOC.
And despite repeated calls from athletes to stop holding training camps at the Karolyi Ranch, where Nassar abused some of his victims, USA Gymnastics did not terminate its agreement until last Thursday. That was four days after Biles acknowledged she, too, had been abused by Nassar and said she was further traumatized at the thought of going back to the ranch.
The other conditions imposed by the USOC are:
--All USA Gymnastics staff and board members must complete SafeSport training offered by the U.S. Center for Safe Sport within three months.
--All staff and board members must complete a comprehensive ethics training unit within the next six months.
“USA Gymnastics completely embraces the requirements outlined in the (email),” USA Gymnastics said in a statement posted on its website. “We understand that the requirements imposed by the letter will help us enhance our ability to build a culture of empowerment throughout the organization, with an increased focus on athlete safety and well-being.”
CLOSE Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced Larry Nassar to 40 to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to 10 charges of sexual assault. USA TODAY Sports
Blackmun said the USOC’s own board has formed a working group, led by Susanne Lyons, to identify failings and ensure athletes are protected in the future from abusers like Nassar. That comes as Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Joni Ernst announced they will introduce a resolution to establish a select committee to investigate both the USOC and USA Gymnastics.
“This happened to over a hundred athletes over several decades, on the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics’ watch,” Ernst said in a statement. “A Select Committee dedicating its complete attention to USOC’s and USA Gymnastics’ role in this tragedy is imperative to holding the appropriate parties accountable and working to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Nassar became USA Gymnastics’ team physician in 1996, and has acknowledged abusing athletes under the guise of medical treatment. He was dismissed by the federation in July 2015, after a coach overheard athletes talking about the abusive procedure and became concerned.
But USA Gymnastics did not notify the FBI for five weeks, conducting its own investigation first. Even after it turned the case over to the FBI, it did not notify Michigan State or authorities in Michigan, despite knowing that Nassar was still working there.
The allegations against Nassar became public in August 2016, when Rachel Denhollander contacted the Indianapolis Star, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, and said she’d been abused by Nassar. That led to dozens more accusations, along with the revelation that athletes had reported Nassar to Michigan State as early as 1997.
Before Wednesday’s hearing, Nassar, 54, had already been sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges.
Follow Armour on Twitter @nrarmour and Axon @RachelAxon
|
– As the harrowing testimony against Larry Nassar continued earlier this week, three top members of the USA Gymnastics board resigned. Not good enough, says the US Olympic Committee. The group has ordered everybody else on the 21-member board to quit by Wednesday, and it wants an interim board set up by Feb. 28, reports CNN. If not, USA Gymnastics will lose its authority as the sport's governing body. The fallout is part of the next steps in the wake of Nassar's trial, as investigations continue into how the former sports doctor was able to molest so many girls under his care for so long. "We do not base these requirements on any knowledge that any individual USAG staff or board members had a role in fostering or obscuring Nassar's actions," writes USOC chief Scott Blackmun in an email ordering the move. "Our position comes from a clear sense that USAG culture needs fundamental rebuilding." During her own testimony, star gymnast Aly Raisman said the gymnastics organization was "rotting from the inside," but as USA Today notes, she also called out the USOC itself, accusing it of ignoring complaints about Nassar for years.
|
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Texas Right to Life distributed “hundreds” of “Former Fetus” name plates to anti-abortion legislators ahead of Planned Parenthood’s lobby day at the Capitol Wednesday. The signs displayed outside of offices were removed for violating Capitol rules.
Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, posted a picture of his sign, displayed outside of his office door, on Facebook with a caption reading “organizations that murder children are not welcome in my office.” Shortly after he tweeted that the sign had been removed.
Texas Right to Life spokeswoman Melissa Conway said the group and legislators hoped the signs would “send a very clear message about the humanity of the ‘preborn’ child and that they themselves were a former fetus.”
“We’re very saddened by the thought that there would be anyone that would want to take down the signage, which each legislator feels the need to display,” Conway said.
Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, chair of House Administration Committee tweeted that the signs were removed and returned to the legislators.
Chris Currens, spokesman for the State Preservation Board, said their administrative code states that signs and banners are prohibited from being attached to the Capitol structure and displays are not allowed in the hallways.
“We’ve long held that we need to do that as a building maintenance standard,” Currens said.
Planned Parenthood and supporters rallied at the Capitol and met with legislators Wednesday to speak out against a budgetary recommendation that could cut funding to their clinics for breast and cervical cancer screening.
The Senate included a revised funding mechanism for the state Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening program in their proposed 2016-2017 budget. The new system would prioritize public and government run health centers that provide screenings over private or non-profit clinics that offer “comprehensive primary and preventative care.” Private or non-profit clinics that provide specialized family planning services, like Planned Parenthood, would receive the lowest priority for funding.
Anti-abortion organizations applaud the the change. Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, who heads up the Senate Finance Committee, told The News in January that “public funds should not support abortion providers and their affiliates.”
The combined federal and state-funded program provides free cancer screening and diagnostic tests for women aged 21 to 64 who are uninsured or underinsured and meet low-income requirements. Planned Parenthood saw about 3,300 of the nearly 33,600 women screened through the program in 2014. ||||| See more of Jonathan Stickland on Facebook
|
– Texas state Rep. Jonathan Stickland used to be a fetus, and a fellow Republican he clashed with over a sign advertising that fact accuses him of acting like a child. Stickland was one of what an anti-abortion group says is hundreds of lawmakers who received "Former Fetus" nameplates ahead of a Planned Parenthood rally outside the Capitol yesterday, the Texas Tribune reports. "Organizations that murder children are not welcome in my office," Stickland said in a Facebook post with a photo of the sign, but he soon complained that it was "ripped down and thrown in my staffer's face" by Rep. Charlie Geren, chair of the House Administration Committee. Geren says the signs from Texas Right to Life were removed and returned to lawmakers because they violate State Preservation Board rules on signs inside the Capitol, the Tribune reports. "If Stickland wants to act like a child, that's fair, but I did not rip it down," he says. A Right to Life spokeswoman tells the Dallas Morning News that the group is "saddened by the thought that there would be anyone that would want to take down the signage." The sign clash and Planned Parenthood rally came amid a debate on a budget bill that could result in clinics losing state funding for breast cancer screening, the Huffington Post reports.
|
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WASHINGTON — Millions of people facing the cancellation of health insurance policies will be allowed to buy catastrophic coverage and will be exempt from penalties if they go without insurance next year, the White House said Thursday night.
Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, disclosed the sudden policy shift in a letter to Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, and five other senators.
It was another effort by President Obama to cushion the impact of the health care law and minimize political damage to himself and Democrats in Congress who adopted the law in 2010 over solid Republican opposition.
In recent weeks, insurers have told many people that their insurance policies were being canceled because they did not comply with the minimum coverage requirements of the law. Insurers usually offer to replace the coverage with new policies that do comply, providing more benefits at higher cost.
The Department of Health and Human Services issued a bulletin on Thursday advising consumers, “If you have been notified that your individual market policy will not be renewed, you will be eligible for a hardship exemption and will be able to enroll in catastrophic coverage.”
The help for people with canceled policies was offered late Thursday, just four days before the deadline for people to sign up for coverage that starts on Jan. 1.
Ms. Sebelius said the goal was to ensure “the smoothest possible transition” for people seeking new coverage after cancellation of their policies.
Mr. Obama initially tried to address a furor over the cancellations by asking carriers to reinstate the policies. But some insurers and some state officials did not go along with his request, so the White House looked for other ways to address the problem.
Before the action announced Thursday by the White House, Republicans had said it was likely that the number of cancellations would exceed the number of people obtaining private coverage through the new insurance exchanges this year. Nearly 365,000 people selected health plans in the exchanges in October and November, before a big increase reported early this month.
Catastrophic plans provide basic coverage and are generally available on the exchanges only to people who are under 30 or qualify for a hardship exemption from the requirement to carry insurance.
The White House action is sure to embolden Republicans clamoring for a broader exemption that would be available to all Americans. The White House opposes such an exemption, saying it would blow up the keystone of the 2010 law.
Mr. Warner and the five other senators said the hardship exemptions would provide “transition relief” to constituents who they said were upset about the cancellation of insurance policies.
The Obama administration broadly defined who can qualify. “If the consumer believes that the plan options available in the marketplace in their area are more expensive than their canceled health insurance policy, they will be eligible for catastrophic coverage through a hardship exemption,” the administration said.
Insurers, already struggling with problems caused by the chaotic debut of the federal insurance exchange in October, expressed surprise and dismay.
“This latest rule change could cause significant instability in the marketplace and lead to further confusion and disruption for consumers,” said Karen M. Ignagni, the president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group.
Another insurance executive said that insurers had not expected a significant number of people over 30 to enroll in catastrophic plans, so their costs were not factored into the premiums.
Moreover, the executive said, the exemptions undermine the requirement for people to have coverage. That requirement, often called an individual mandate, is needed to guarantee that insurers attract young healthy people to help offset the costs of covering older Americans who require more medical care, insurers say.
Ms. Sebelius said the premiums for catastrophic plans were, on average, about 20 percent lower than premiums for other plans available in the marketplace. Catastrophic policies cover three primary care visits a year at no cost and provide free preventive health benefits, but typically require consumers to pay most other medical costs up to a certain amount, usually several thousand dollars a year.
The move Thursday followed delays in many other parts of the health care law.
On July 2, the White House abruptly announced a one-year delay, until 2015, in a provision that requires larger employers to offer coverage to their workers or pay penalties.
On Nov. 27, it deferred a major element of the law that would allow small businesses to buy insurance online for their employees through the federal exchange.
Earlier, in April, the administration said that the federal exchange would not offer employees of a small business the opportunity to choose from multiple health plans in 2014.
And in October 2011, the administration scrapped a long-term care insurance program created by the new law, saying it was too costly and would not work. ||||| Officials say the estimate represents their best approximation after gathering figures. | REUTERS White House broadens Obamacare exemptions
Millions of Americans who had their health plans cancelled will be exempt from the Obamacare individual mandate, the administration said Thursday — a surprise move that comes just before Monday’s deadline to sign up for coverage starting Jan. 1.
The administration also said people who had their plans cancelled could get a scaled-back catastrophic plan, which has more limited benefits than those included in other Obamacare health plans.
Story Continued Below
The move prompted sharp criticism from Republicans and concern from the insurance industry that another last-minute change would disrupt coverage and lead to tumult in the new marketplaces.
( Also on POLITICO: For Obamacare boosters, all memes are good memes)
“This latest rule change could cause significant instability in the marketplace and lead to further confusion and disruption for consumers,” said Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group.
Republicans who have fought the individual mandate as one of the most hated aspects of the sweeping health law said the change was one more sign of a failed policy.
“The administration is recognizing the grim reality that more Americans have lost health insurance than gained it under Obamacare,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday evening. “Holding a fire sale of cheap insurance is not a responsible fix for a broken program. This is a slap in the face to the thousands of Americans who have already purchased expensive insurance through the Obamacare exchanges.”
( Understanding Obamacare: POLITICO’s guide to the ACA)
President Barack Obama had often said that people who liked their health plans could keep them under his health law and the wave of millions of cancellations was politically damaging, particularlyas the HealthCare.gov debacle made it so hard for people to shop for replacement coverage. Obama, whose poll numbers have dropped sharply, was forced to concede last month that he was wrong to have made that pledge.
The administration said fewer than a half-million people whose plans had been cancelled had not yet found new coverage. But the new rules outlined Thursday night will allow people to get a “hardship exemption” if their new alternatives are too expensive.
( Also on POLITICO: Michelle Obama steps into health care spotlight)
Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said, “This is a common sense clarification of the law. For the limited number of consumers whose plans have been canceled and are seeking coverage, this is one more option.” Administration officials noted that some of the people who lost plans were able to get subsidized ones in the new exchanges.
The catastrophic plan, which was always a part of the Affordable Care Act, is an option for people under 30 and for those who qualify for specific exemptions, such as affordability. Under the new policy, people would have to provide proof of a canceled policy to qualify for the exemption.
“These consumers should qualify for this temporary hardship exemption and I can assure you that the exemption will be available to them,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote in a letter to six Senate Democrats who requested a policy change. “As a result, in addition to their existing options these individuals will also be able to buy a catastrophic plan to smooth their transition to coverage through the Marketplace.”
( PHOTOS: 25 unforgettable Obamacare quotes)
The administration does not expect many people will take up the new option, but wants to ensure that catastrophic coverage is available to those who had plans canceled. But making catastrophic health plans more broadly available also poses problems for insurers. It could disrupt the insurance pools, since insurers and actuaries had assumed that people shifting from the old individual market would go into the new bronze, silver or gold plans on the Obamacare exchanges. And allowing people to opt out completely could further depress enrollment, already below target because of all the website problems.
Follow @politico ||||| The Obama administration announced a plan to give relief to people who have had their insurance plans canceled because of new standards under the Affordable Care Act. (Reuters)
The Obama administration announced a plan to give relief to people who have had their insurance plans canceled because of new standards under the Affordable Care Act. (Reuters)
The Obama administration on Thursday night significantly relaxed the rules of the federal health-care law for millions of consumers whose individual insurance policies have been canceled, saying they can buy bare-bones plans or entirely avoid a requirement that most Americans have health coverage.
The surprise announcement, days before the Dec. 23 deadline for people to choose plans that will begin Jan. 1, triggered an immediate backlash from the health insurance industry and raised fairness questions about a law intended to promote affordable and comprehensive coverage on a widespread basis.
The rule change was issued in a bulletin from the Department of Health and Human Services. It is the second major response by the Obama administration to a public and political furor that erupted in the fall when several million people who bought their own insurance began to receive notices that their policies were being canceled because they fell short of new benefit standards. The cancellations prompted complaints that President Obama had reneged on an oft-repeated promise that, under the Affordable Care Act, people who like their health plans could keep them.
At a news conference in mid-November, an apologetic Obama relented to the criticism, announcing that the federal government would let insurance companies continue for another year to offer individuals and small businesses health plans that do not meet the new requirements. The decision, however , is up to each state’s insurance regulator, and not all have gone along.
This second change, prompted by a group of Democratic senators — most of whom face tough reelection campaigns next year — goes substantially further in accommodating people upset about losing their policies. The latest rule will allow consumers with a canceled health plan to claim a “hardship exemption” if they think the plans sold through new federal and state marketplaces are too expensive.
The ability to get an exemption means that the administration is freeing these people from one of the central features of the law: a requirement that most Americans have health insurance as of Jan. 1 or risk a fine. The exemption gives them the choice of having no insurance or of buying skimpy “catastrophic” coverage.
Until now, the law allowed people younger than 30 to buy catastrophic coverage — an exception to the law’s benefit rules in an effort to attract young adults who have been particularly prone to avoiding coverage in the past. The law also has allowed hardship exemptions for people 30 and older who could not afford the regular coverage.
It is unclear how many people facing canceled policies will choose no insurance, bare-bones coverage or a plan through the insurance exchanges that meet new federal standards. But the prospect that healthy people with canceled insurance might opt out of the new health plans set off immediate alarm among insurance industry leaders, who already have been worried whether enough people who are inexpensive to cover will sign up.
“This latest rule change could cause significant instability in the marketplace and lead to further confusion and disruption for consumers,” said Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry’s main trade group.
Another health insurance official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he lacked authorization to discuss the matter publicly, pointed out that the hardship exemption also gives one group the ability to buy coverage whenever they want, rather than during annual open-enrollment periods. As a result, he said, more people might not buy insurance unless they get sick.
Federal health officials estimated Thursday that, of all the people whose substandard health plans have been canceled, less than half a million have not chosen new coverage. But they acknowledged that they were not certain.
The insurance official suggested that some people who have chosen new health plans after receiving a cancellation notice might back out of their new coverage to take advantage of the administration's sudden offer.
Federal health officials, however, predicted that relatively few people would take advantage of the opportunity to avoid the law’s benefits requirement, reasoning that they have had insurance in the past so would probably want it in the future.
“This is a common-sense clarification of the law,” said Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services. “For the limited number of consumers whose plans have been canceled and are seeking coverage, this is one more option.”
The administration’s move is a swift response to the dozen Democratic senators, who contended that steps the president had taken did not go far enough to help people whose insurance was canceled.
Six of those senators sent a letter on Wednesday to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, asking for her to allow people whose plans have been canceled to claim hardship exceptions and buy bare-bones catastrophic coverage. “We have heard from many of our constituents who are upset by the cancellation of the health plans,” said the letter, whose signers include both of Virginia’s senators, Mark R. Warner (D) and Timothy M. Kaine (D).
The six senators issued a statement Thursday night, saying that they are “pleased the administration appears to have responded to the concerns we’ve raised. . . . We will closely monitor how the administration implements this option, and we remain committed to proposing responsible solutions.”
As administration officials are granting more flexibility to one group of consumers, they also are working to cope with what is expected to be a rush of people signing up for health plans through the new federal insurance marketplace by the Dec. 23 enrollment deadline. After a trouble-ridden first two months for the insurance Web site, HealthCare.gov, it is working smoothly, they said. They also have added 800 trained staff members to their call centers for people who want enrollment advice by phone, so that there are now 12,000 staffers at 17 call centers nationwide.
Paul Kane, Ed O’Keefe, and Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report. ||||| Health insurance companies will accept payments for coverage next month up to Jan. 10, later than originally required, America's Health Insurance Plans CEO Karen Ignagni announced Wednesday. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Facing pressure from the Obama administration, health insurers have extended the deadline for Obamacare premiums as late as Jan. 10, the industry's leading trade group announced Wednesday.
The deadline for consumers in nearly all states to choose a health insurance plan is Dec. 23. But continuing technological problems with HealthCare.gov, the federal portal to coverage in 36 states, and backlogs of unpaid insurance premiums generated worry that large numbers of consumers would find themselves uninsured on Jan. 1 despite selecting coverage. The board of directors of America's Health Insurance Plans decided to provide customers with a cushion Wednesday, the organization said in a press release.
Now, premiums can be paid as late as Jan. 10, but coverage will still begin on New Year's Day.
In five days, the first critical deadline of Obamacare enrollment will occur as individuals, including those currently insured and the uninsured, rush to secure health coverage through private insurance or Medicaid that will be in place for the new year. President Barack Obama's administration last week asked health insurance companies to provide flexibility to consumers using the new marketplaces. The administration formally set Dec. 31 as the payment deadline, 10 days before the one the industry now says it will accept.
“Our community is taking an important step to give consumers greater peace of mind about their health care coverage,” Karen Ignagni, the CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, said in the press release. The association cited HealthCare.gov's technical issues, the short amount of time left to enroll and the holiday season as reasons for allowing late premium payments. Typically, health insurance premiums must be paid in advance for coverage to be in effect.
The Obama administration greeted the announcement with approval. “We applaud the nations’ health insurers that have decided to give consumers more time to pay their first premium, and ultimately make it easier for consumers to enroll in marketplace coverage," Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a written statement.
The health insurance industry broadly has not agreed to other recent Obama administration requests, however. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other officials last week asked insurers to pay for prescription drugs and medical services customers obtain next month, even if their new plans don't cover them, as people transition from their old insurance policies. Many insurers have not agreed to the request.
Obamcare deadlines facing consumers have shifted numerous times in recent weeks at the federal and state levels.
In late November, the Obama administration shifted the date by which HealthCare.gov users had to choose a health plan from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23. Previously, the administration changed the date by which people need to secure health coverage or face tax penalties under the law's individual mandate from Feb. 15 to March 31. And people enrolled in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Program, a temporary benefit set to expire Dec. 31 for individuals who can't get coverage from private insurance because of their medical histories, will have an extra month to enroll, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last week.
This week, Maryland and Rhode Island each offered consumers additional time to enroll via their state-run exchanges. Washington state announced Thursday that people who start their applications by Dec. 23 will have until Jan. 1 to complete their enrollments.
Although members of America's Health Insurance Plans, which includes most health plans, have agreed to accept January premium payments late, individual insurers may set different deadlines. And the reach of the group's voluntary effort may be limited in state-run exchanges.
Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee and Connecticut's Access Health CT Chief Executive Director Kevin Counihan won't move the payment deadlines in their states, they each said during a conference call hosted by the liberal advocacy organization Families USA Wednesday. Californians must pay by Jan. 6 and Connecticut residents by Jan. 7.
"Connecticut established a set of due dates with our health plans. We're going to stick to those due dates," Counihan said. Repeatedly changing deadlines and rules is "very confusing" for consumers, he said.
The final date to choose a health plan that will be in place on Jan. 1 is Dec. 23 in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Marylanders and Oregonians have until Dec. 27, although Oregon residents had only until Dec. 4 to file paper applications with the state exchange because online enrollment remains unavailable.
The deadline to pay January premiums is now Jan. 10 in the 36 states served by the federal exchanges and in Colorado and New York. Users of the exchanges in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Nevada have to pay by Dec. 23. The due date is Jan. 1 for Kentuckians, Jan. 6 for Rhode Islanders, Jan. 7 for Vermonters and Jan. 15 for Marylanders. In the District of Columbia, Aetna customers have until Jan. 8, while CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and Kaiser Permanente enrollees can pay up until Jan. 15. Hawaii and Oregon are still determining their respective payment deadlines.
The open enrollment period for 2014 health benefits ends on March 31.
This story has been updated to include new information about Washington state's health insurance exchange. ||||| Insurers pressing for last-minute enrollees under the health-care law say they are running into a worrisome trend: Customers who were put off by the insurance marketplaces' early troubles are proving hard sells.
Many people thwarted by the technical problems of HealthCare.gov are reluctant to try again, citing frustration with the federal site, web-security concerns and the pressure of the holidays, several insurers say.
While...
|
– In a surprise move, the Obama administration essentially lifted the individual mandate last night for anyone who saw their insurance policy cancelled thanks to the Affordable Care Act, just days before the Dec. 23 deadline to sign up for Jan. 1 coverage. These consumers will be able to apply for a hardship exemption if they think the plans on the government-run exchanges are too expensive, allowing them to buy bare-bones "catastrophic" coverage instead, or simply duck the requirement entirely, the Washington Post reports. The change is a response to pressure from a dozen Democratic senators, most facing tough reelection campaigns, who said the administration hadn't done enough to help people bitten by the law. They issued a statement last night saying they were pleased, but would "closely monitor how the administration implements this option." Marco Rubio, meanwhile, took the chance to gloat, saying the administration was "recognizing the grim reality that more Americans have lost health insurance than gained it," Politico reports. The administration actually believes that there are fewer than 500,000 people who lost coverage and haven't signed up for new plans yet, though officials admit that's just their best guess. Insurance companies are furious. "This latest rule change could cause significant instability," one industry group told the New York Times, while an anonymous official tells the Post that they're worried people with exemptions will wait until they get sick to sign up. Many insurers were already having trouble getting people on board before the deadline, the Wall Street Journal reported today. "We've had some people telling us it's too close to the holidays," one official said. The move came a day after insurers agreed—thanks to administration pressure—to push back the deadline for customers to pay their first premium to Jan. 10, the Huffington Post reports. They have, however, rebuffed the administration's request that they in January cover drugs that they don't cover, but that may have been covered under a consumer's previous plan.
|
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The Virgin plane's flight path. FlightRadar24
A Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330 made a romantic detour on Wednesday.
The plane was on a test flight anyway, and made a diversion to form a heart over Cornwall, southwest England.
Virgin Atlantic marked Valentine's Day by sending on of its planes on a round-trip to love.
The carrier flew an Airbus A330 along a heart-shaped flight path over the southwestern tip of England around lunchtime on Wednesday, February 14.
The airbus, with callsign VIR850P, took the heart-shaped diversion over the North Atlantic, not far from the town of Penzance.
The path was visible on public air traffic data streams, and could be seen on the tracking website FlightRadar24.
The flight took off from Gatwick Airport, not far from London, and was in the sky on a test flight.
Virgin identified the plane as one it calls Honkytonk Woman, in keeping with the airline's practice of giving its fleet female names.
A Virgin spokeswoman told Business Insider that the plane was headed over Cornwall anyway, so it was only a small diversion to make the heart shape. There were no passengers on board, only crew.
At the time of writing, the plane was headed back to Gatwick. ||||| Love was quite literally in the air (or the clouds) today as Virgin Atlantic operated a heart-shaped flight path from London Gatwick. Flight VS850P flew out of London Gatwick on 14 February, mapping out a cordate vapour trail as it travelled over the South-West coast of England.
The airline needed to submit a special request to National Air Traffic Services (NATS) to undertake the flight over British air space as part of a training flight.
Giving me the vapours: Virgin Atlantic’s heart-shaped training flight (Virgin Atlantic)
The aircraft was an Airbus A330 called HonkyTonk Woman, which departed Gatwick at 11am. Fans of aviation (and love) were able to follow its progress by searching for flight VS850P on the Flightradar24 website.
Captain JJ Burrows, director of aircraft operations for Virgin Atlantic, said: “We had a training flight planned for 14 February, and when we realised it was Valentine’s Day we decided to have a little fun.
“Our special heart-shaped flight took off from London Gatwick, travelling across the south of England and over the Cornish coast to form a heart shape at around 30,000ft.”
Virgin Atlantic is also holding a one-day sale on Valentine’s Day, with savings of up to £279 per person on selected Premium Economy seats.
It’s no Love Actually, but it beats a £5 bottle of wine and a Nando’s.
Just prior to Christmas last year, an Emirates A380 pilot drew a Christmas tree while flying over Germany. The zig-zag route didn’t interfere with passengers’ travel as it was, like Virgin’s Valentine’s day heart, a test flight.
Meanwhile, in November last year, a US Navy pilot was grounded after drawing a penis in the sky while flying over rural Washington, causing outrage among locals and hilarity among internet users.
In a statement provided to local media at the time, a local naval station said: “The Navy holds its aircrew to the highest standards and we find this absolutely unacceptable, of zero training value and we are holding the crew accountable.”
|
– “We had a training flight planned for 14 February, and when we realized it was Valentine’s Day we decided to have a little fun," the Independent quotes Virgin Atlantic's director of aircraft operations as saying. Business Insider reports an Airbus A330 nicknamed Honkytonk Woman flew out of London Gatwick on Wednesday before making a quick detour in its flight path to trace a heart 30,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. It was a fun holiday message for flight-trackers and a chance for bored journalists to make "love is in the air" jokes (and also probably the normal amount of alarming for chemtrail believers). Flightradar24 tweeted out an image of the heart-shaped flight path, and Natsaero posted a neat video of it on Instagram.
|
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Rape victim suing county after being jailed following courtroom collapse
Photo: Sean Buckley & Assoc. PLLC Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Image 1 of 3 A mentally ill rape victim is suing Harris County and the county's law enforcement agencies for jailing her over the Christmas holidays after she had a psychological breakdown on the witness stand while testifying against her attacker. The victim's face has been blurred in this photo to protect her identity. less A mentally ill rape victim is suing Harris County and the county's law enforcement agencies for jailing her over the Christmas holidays after she had a psychological breakdown on the witness stand while ... more Photo: Sean Buckley & Assoc. PLLC Image 2 of 3 A mentally ill rape victim, pictured on the right during a graduation ceremony, is suing Harris County and the county's law enforcement agencies for jailing her over the Christmas holidays after she had a psychological breakdown on the witness stand while testifying against her attacker. The victim's face has been blurred in this photo to protect her identity. less A mentally ill rape victim, pictured on the right during a graduation ceremony, is suing Harris County and the county's law enforcement agencies for jailing her over the Christmas holidays after she had a ... more Photo: Sean Buckley & Assoc. PLLC Image 3 of 3 Keith Hendricks, a serial rapist who was sentenced to two life sentences, attacked the woman who is filing the lawsuit. Keith Hendricks, a serial rapist who was sentenced to two life sentences, attacked the woman who is filing the lawsuit. Photo: HCSO Rape victim suing county after being jailed following courtroom collapse 1 / 3 Back to Gallery
A mentally ill rape victim is suing Harris County and the county's law enforcement agencies for jailing her over the Christmas holidays after she had a psychological breakdown on the witness stand while testifying against her attacker.
The woman, who is not identified by name in the lawsuit filed in a Houston federal court on Monday, is seeking unspecified damages.
"The prosecutors, for their own convenience, just wanted to dominate and control my client," said Sean Buckley, the attorney representing the woman. "And the best way for them to do that was to put her in the Harris County jail as a material witness."
Buckley noted that the district attorney's office, the largest in Texas, has an entire division dedicated to helping victims, including shepherding victim families to court and making sure they understand the process.
"It goes beyond just negligence," Buckley said. "The DA's office could have resolved this by just giving her victims' services and helping her instead of trying to control her out of laziness."
Buckley said the 25-year-old woman with a history of bipolar disorder had a psychological breakdown while testifying against her attacker in December. She ended up walking into traffic in front of the Harris County Criminal Courthouse before she was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward of St. Joseph's Hospital.
After she was released from the psychiatric ward, Buckley said, prosecutors used a state law designed to corral uncooperative witnesses to have her detained by the sheriff's office. She was arrested and put in general population in the Harris County jail.
While she was there, according to the lawsuit, another inmate attacked her and smashed her head into the concrete.
Before she was able to testify, Buckley said, she did not receive her medication and had another psychiatric break. During a confrontation with a jailer, the woman apparently took a swing and was punched in the face by the jailer.
The woman was then charged with assaulting a jailer, a criminal case that was pending until after she testified.
She was able to later testify against her attacker, a serial rapist named Keith Hendricks who was sentenced to two life sentences.
Officials with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said they are looking into the allegations and noted initially, that the jail is the custodial agency and were required to follow the court orders filed by the prosecutors in the case.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office did not comment immediately on the lawsuit.
"The only response from anyone should be, 'I am so sorry. This is something that we need to look at very closely, we are investigating it and this is just tragic,'" Buckley said. "Any other kind of wiggling out of it is just another version of victim blaming." ||||| HOUSTON - It is hard to imagine a prosecutor putting a rape victim who is bipolar in jail. But that's exactly what Channel 2 Investigates uncovered in a two-part series.
[READ THE MOST RECENT STORY HERE]
After a rape victim named Jenny had an obvious mental breakdown while testifying against her attacker, Harris County prosecutors decided the best way to make sure she'd return to complete her testimony was to lock her up in the Harris County Jail.
Leticia Manzano counsels rape survivors at the Houston Area Women's Center. She admits she doesn't understand how Jenny got locked up, but said the decision is surprising.
"I've never heard of something like this happening," Manzano said.
Channel 2 Investigator Jace Larson asked if Manzano worried other rape survivors would be afraid to come forward after learning about the DA's action.
"I'm always worried about sex assault victims not wanting to come forward," she said.
Former prosecutor Kim Ogg, who is running against Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson in November, wants Anderson to call for an investigation. Ogg said there must have been another way to handle the situation.
"Putting a witness in jail on a material witness bond is highly irregular and reserved for the worst of the worst witnesses, maybe gang cases," Ogg said. "They can be protected by placing them in a hotel, you can place them with family, you can keep in contact."
Jenny stayed with her family for a while, but then started to come unglued.
The prosecutor believed Jenny would disappear and jailing her would help.
Judge Stacey W. Bond signed the order, but said she can't talk because convicted rapist Keith Hendricks is appealing his two life- sentence convictions.
Hendricks went to prison after Jenny eventually completed her testimony after spending nearly a month in jail. After that testimony, Jenny was released.
"In 30 years of practice, I've never heard of a rape victim being jailed and so mistreated," Ogg said.
Anderson still will not sit down to answer direct questions from Channel 2 Investigates. She released a videotaped statement Wednesday, not allowing for questions. You can watch the full video here:
In the video, Anderson said, "I have carefully reviewed the case and fully support our prosecutor's actions. It bears repeating this was a difficult decision and there were no apparent alternatives that would ensure the victim's safety and her appearance at trial."
Manzano hopes other rape survivors will reach out her group. Someone who regularly works with law enforcement will advocate for the victim's best interests, free of charge.
"They already have someone on their side, advocating for the best possible treatment of that person, of that survivor through the court process," Manzano said.
To contact the Houston Area Women's Center Rape Crisis Hotline, call 713-528-7273.
Channel 2 Investigation: Rape Victim Jailed
A rape victim who had a mental breakdown while testifying against her attacker and was then put in jail by a prosecutor who worried she wouldn’t come back to testify, is suing the Harris County prosecutor and the Harris County Sheriff, among others.
Jenny, who is in her 20s, was the star witness in the rape trial of Keith Hendricks after he violently raped and choked her. Hendricks was eventually sentenced to two life sentences for raping women.
Jenny, who suffers from bipolar disorder, couldn’t continue her testimony on Dec. 8.
Court transcripts show she was incoherent, broke down and ran from court saying she'd never return.
After a brief stay in St. Joseph Medical Center, Jenny was handcuffed, put in the back of a patrol car and taken to jail, her attorney, Sean Buckley, says. Buckley and Jenny’s mother spoke to Channel 2 for this story.
Writ of Attachment for Harris County rape victim
"Jenny called me and said, 'Mom, I'm in the Harris County Jail,'" she said.
Buckley filed the lawsuit against Harris County, Sheriff Ron Hickman, Taylor Adams, a jail guard who Jenny allegedly hit while in jail, and the prosecutor who asked that she be jailed, Nicholas Socias.
Buckley says his client was put in jail without due process, given a black eye by another inmate while kept in jail for nearly a month over Christmas. Jenny also suffered injuries when she was punched by a jailer after she attacked the guard. Jenny was charged with assault but prosecutors later dropped the charge.
Jenny was ultimately released from jail on Jan. 14 after she testified against Hendricks.
"This young lady should never have been put in the Harris County jail," Buckley said. "That is not an environment for a rape victim."
JAILING WITNESSES IS LEGAL
Jailing a witness who is unlikely to show up for trial is legal in Texas using something called an attachment order.
Texas state law authorizes a judge, “Upon request by a party, to issue an 'attachment order' and/or a 'witness bond' to hold a material witness in custody without bail, or release her subject to posting bail respectively,” according to a lawsuit filed by Jenny’s attorney.
But he maintains Jenny did not commit a crime and did show up to testify when she was called.
Buckley said he had never heard of the process being used to hold a rape victim.
Channel 2 legal analyst Brian Wice and a handful of attorneys told Channel 2 they had not either.
"It's astounding to me that could have happened," said Wice. "At the end of the day she received less due process, less protection than the rapist did.”
Channel 2 made repeated requests to speak with district attorney Devon Anderson but were told an interview would not be granted. Channel 2 walked up to Anderson following a public event Saturday to ask her if there was another option besides jailing Jenny.
Anderson said she could not comment.
A spokesman for Anderson issued in a statement Tuesday.
“Because the DA’s Office has been notified that a lawsuit is imminent, we cannot go into details about this case,” a statement said. “However, witness bonds are a common tool used by prosecutors and defense attorneys when the lawyer has reason to believe that the witness will be unavailable or make him or herself unavailable for trial. A judge must approve a witness bond. In this case the judge and family agreed with the decision to obtain a witness bond.”
Buckley said Jenny’s mother believed she was going to get treatment at a mental health facility and says she was not told Jenny would be in jail.
The statement continued claiming the District Attorney had promised to comment on the issue.
“The tactic KPRC Ch2 used to get answers from Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson was unethical and is misleading to viewers. For more than two weeks the DA’s office was in contact with reporter Jace Larsen. (sic) We tried to answer every one of his questions over the phone and promised him a statement from District Attorney Devon Anderson before the story aired. Instead of taking the DA up on that opportunity, KPRC decided to ambush District Attorney with questions after she spent 4 and a half hours participating in a town hall meeting on an unrelated matter,” the statement said.
CONFUSION AT THE JAIL
Jenny was placed in general population with other inmates suspected of crimes.
While in jail, records reviewed by the Channel 2 Investigators show some jail staff mistakenly believed Jenny was a sexual assault suspect rather than the victim.
The Harris County Jail attaches the perpetrator’s offense to the victim inmate’s electronic record. On records, where a rapist’s charge would appear as aggravated sexual assault, the victim’s listed charge carries the same wording.
Harris County sheriff’s spokesman Thomas Gilliland said a victim-inmate’s record would also have a three letter designation to show the victim is not the perpetrator.
In Jenny’s case, some jail staff were not aware of the distinction, records reviewed by Channel 2 Investigates indicate.
“…Female arrested for aggravated sexual assault,” jail records from a psychiatric assessment show. “She says she is going to trial to put someone away for sexually raping her.”
In another instance, notes detail how Jenny continued to tell staff she was the victim, but the records reflect, “Arrested for aggravated sexual assault.”
Jail spokesman Ryan Sullivan told Channel 2 he did not know why a worker in the medical ward wrote that in the report.
Gilliland said Jenny was placed with the general population after staff evaluated her and felt that was the best location. Sullivan said she was evaluated more than once.
Though the jail does have different types of housing that segregates inmates or allows them to have their own jail cell, Sullivan said there is limited space and not every inmate can have a private cell.
He said if prosecutors had asked a judge to order that Jenny be placed in specific housing in the jail, jail staff would have complied with a judge’s order.
JENNY ATTACKS JAIL GUARD
Buckley says by Jan. 8 Jenny was so frustrated with her situation that she comes out of her cell with fists swinging. She hits a guard who in turn uses a closed fist and hits her.
That’s how she was charged with assault while in jail.
Buckley wonders if the guard knew he was dealing with a person who had been raped.
JENNY TESTIFIES, NOT RELEASED
After the trial was put on hold, it resumed and Jenny testified Jan. 11.
Jenny still had to wait three more days before she was released in case she was called back for additional testimony.
If you have a comment about this story or a tip for investigative reporter Jace Larson, email or text him [email protected] or 832-493-3951.
2016 Click2Houston/KPRC2
|
– A Texas woman identified only as Jenny survived a rape, but she says that was only the start of an ordeal she endured at the hands of Harris County officials, who jailed the woman for a month. Click 2 Houston describes the 25-year-old, who suffers from bipolar disorder, as the "star witness" in the trial of serial rapist Keith Hendricks. The woman began to testify against him on Dec. 8, 2015, but suffered a breakdown, with the court transcript showing she became incoherent and vowed not to return as she fled. The Chronicle reports she entered the traffic outside the Harris County Criminal Courthouse and was then involuntarily committed to a hospital. From there, a handcuffed Jenny was taken to the Harris County Jail on Dec. 18; she was placed with the general population until her release on Jan. 14 (she finished testifying against Hendricks on Jan. 11). Click 2 Houston reports that Texas judges may issue what are called "attachment orders," which stipulate that a witness be held (or, in some cases, have to post bail) in order to secure their testimony. Jenny's attorney, Sean Buckley, says it was inappropriate in this case, as Jenny did originally show up as requested, committed no crime, and jail is "not an environment for a rape victim." On Wednesday, he filed a suit against Harris County, its sheriff, a jail guard accused of hitting her, and the prosecutor who requested the attachment order. Jenny is seeking unspecified damages; Hendricks was handed two life sentences. The DA's office called the orders "a common tool" and said "in this case the judge and family agreed with the decision to obtain" one. Buckley contends Jenny's mother thought she was being given mental health treatment in a non-jail facility. (The victim in the Stanford rape case was grilled about her "partying" while on the stand.)
|
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More than $1 billion dollars worth of a digital currency known as "bitcoins" now circulate on the web – an amount that exceeds the value of the entire currency stock of small countries like Liberia (which uses “Liberian dollars”), Bhutan (which uses the “Ngultrum”), and 18 other countries.
So what is a “bitcoin,” and why would anyone use it?
Unlike traditional currency, bitcoins are not issued by a government or even a private company. Instead, the currency is run by computer code that distributes new bitcoins at a set rate to people who devote web servers to keep the code running. The bitcoins are then bought and sold for regular U.S. dollars online.
'They buy gold, they put it under the mattress, or they buy bitcoin.' - Tony Gallippi, the CEO “BitPay.com,
Bitcoin is in high demand right now -- each bitcoin currently sells for more than $90 U.S. dollars -- which bitcoin insiders say is because of world events that have shaken confidence in government-issued currencies.
“Because of what's going on in Cyprus and Europe, people are trying to pull their money out of banks there,” Tony Gallippi, the CEO “BitPay.com,” which enables businesses to easily accept bitcoins as payment, told FoxNews.com.
In Cyprus, the government is considering taking a percentage of all citizens’ bank accounts to solve its fiscal woes. That has led Cypriots -- and other Europeans worried about the same thing happening to them -- to take their money out of banks.
“So they buy gold, they put it under the mattress, or they buy bitcoin,” Gallippi said.
Bitcoin demand has also increased, Gallippi says, because last week U.S. regulators issued the first official guidelines for private digital currencies. Prior to the regulations, the legal status of the currencies was in doubt.
“Now people can see that it's not illegal, that it's not banned,” Gallippi said.
Bitcoin is controversial because the currency can be exchanged anonymously online -- it is in a sense the digital equivalent of using hard cash -- and so some have criticized it for facilitating online drug markets. On the site known as "the Silk Road," for instance, users pay bitcoins for illegal drugs and other forbidden items.
Bitcoin Targeted by Cyberattack Just as Bitcoin explodes beyond the $1 billion mark thanks to Europe’s debt crisis, the emerging virtual currency was dealt a setback this week after a key exchange was hit by a powerful cyber attack that caused delays. Read more at Fox Business.
In a 2011 letter to the Attorney General, Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) argued for strict enforcement.
“After purchasing bitcoins through an exchange, a user can create an account on Silk Road and start purchasing illegal drugs from individuals around the world and have them delivered to their homes within days,” the Senators wrote. “We urge you to take immediate action and shut down the Silk Road network.”
But the Silk Road is still running, and a recent study estimates that $23 million dollars of illicit items are sold for bitcoins on the site every year.
The regulatory guidelines issued last week by the government agency known as the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), however, will not stop that.
The regulations say that digital currencies like bitcoin are to be treated essentially as foreign currencies. Companies that exchange digital bitcoins for real money will have to comply with the same regulations as traditional currency exchangers -- namely, they must verify the identity of anyone exchanging money for bitcoins and report large transactions to the government.
Using bitcoins to purchase goods, however, is specifically exempted.
“A user who obtains convertible virtual currency and uses it to purchase real or virtual goods or services is not… under FinCEN’s regulations,” the guidance reads.
Some bitcoin defenders say the use of bitcoins to buy illegal items shouldn’t obscure the legal uses.
“With any technology… Criminals are going to use it for something, and regular people are going to use it for something,” Gallippi said. “You can't ban cell phones just because criminals are using them to do drug deals. You can't ban e-mail just because people are using them to do phishing scams in Nigeria. You have to start just prosecuting people who are committing crimes -- you can't just completely wipe out the new technology.”
Gallippi says one reason to use bitcoins for legal transactions is a lower risk of identity theft.
“If you are buying something online and you have the choice of paying with a credit card or bitcoins – think about what you have to do to use a credit card. You have to fill out this whole long form, name, address, account number, sometimes more... coincidentally, that’s all the info a thief would need to steal to pretend to be you.”
Between that, bitcoin’s anonymity, and worries about conventional currency, bitcoin demand is as high as ever, according to Alan Safahi, who runs “Zip Zap” – a company that facilitates cash deposits at stores like CVS and Wal-Mart for transfer to a site that can convert the money to bitcoins.
“We’re processing millions of dollars a month. We’ve seen tremendous surge in activity,” he said.
Contact the author at [email protected]. ||||| Hang around in the tech industry long enough and you or someone you know will be heard saying, “that’s so crazy it just might work.” Two years ago, if you’d have told me that an open-source, P2P currency would soon be a thriving, billion-dollar market, I would’ve told you that you were on a lonely bus headed to CrazyTown, U.S.A. But today, Bitcoin officially became a crazy idea that’s actually working.
Today, all the Bitcoin in circulation — some 10.9 million of them — have collectively crossed the billion-dollar mark. As it is wont to do, the value of Bitcoin (and its exchange rate) has fluctuated wildly today. At one point, it hit a dollar value around $78, then pushed into the mid-nineties. As of this minute, it’s hovering around $90.
Okay, it’s still a tiny fraction of Google’s market cap, but this is something — especially for a largely unregulated, decentralized virtual currency. (Say that three times fast.) The world’s most popular controversial crypto-currency, mind you.
Bitcoin supporters will scoff and tell you that this is no news, and that Bitcoin has been alive and thriving for years. In fact, it first appeared back in 2009, and has been slowly gaining steam since. But Bitcoin has largely remained outside the realm of mainstream media attention, because no one has been quite sure what to make of it. Is it a passing fad, a hilarious geek-driven phenomenon, or the real deal?
In fact, it has really been relegated to the realm of the uber geeky, or seen as the currency of anarchists or crazy digital libertarians. The black market marketplace known as Silk Road, which allows pretty much anyone to anonymously sell “alternative products” (i.e. large quantities of one’s drug of choice), uses Bitcoin for its currency. Something which hasn’t exactly helped Bitcoin’s “cross over” appeal.
And geeks have had a point: Eventually, with the increasing popularity of P2P networks, virtual currency and digital marketplaces, it was only a matter of time before these entities would collide and a virtual currency of record would emerge. No government control?! Even better!
Bitcoin crossing the $1 billion threshold may not seem like much, but if anything, it seems to be a sign to anyone listening that the crypto-currency is ready to be taken seriously. Of course, there are still a lot of concerns, as John Biggs laid out in 2011.
But why has Bitcoin become a billion-dollar market?
First off, startups are beginning to carry the torch. As Alex wrote yesterday, Expensify announced that it is now supporting Bitcoin “to give international contractors an alternative to PayPal and the high fees associated with the service.” Reddit has jumped on the bandwagon, too, along with WordPress and Namecheap, among others.
Adam Draper, the founder of Menlo Park-based accelerator, Boost VC, recently announced that the team would be focusing on Bitcoin-focused startups for its summer class. As he laid out in a post today, one of the other big reasons Bitcoin is beginning to take off — besides, of course, that it allows secure digital transactions without transmitting personal information — is that investor confidence is growing. Bitcoin startups are beginning to raise, and Draper claims that their fund is far from being the only one that’s interested.
What’s more, the government has finally realized that it needs to start taking virtual currency seriously and develop a strategy for dealing with these types of currencies. FinCEN recently put out a series of “Guidelines,” which will inform future regulation, but also works to establish trust and credibility for virtual currency, particularly Bitcoin.
There’s also the climate of the global financial markets, particularly the panic in Cyprus, after the government froze its citizens’ bank accounts following its bailout. Many believe that the tenuous financial markets in Europe and beyond create an atmosphere that’s ripe for a digital panacea like Bitcoin.
Of course, the other side of the Bitcoin argument is that the confluence of unsteady financial markets, and skyrocketing growth of virtual currency (plus hype), is creating a perfect storm that equates to Bitcoin just being one giant bubble waiting to pop.
What’s more, as my colleague Greg Kumparak pointed out today, Bitcoin itself is still in a tenuous place, policy-wise. There’s a good chance that a decentralized, unregulated market is going to scare the pants off the government once it’s fully cognizant that Bitcoin is a billion-dollar market — and growing. “It’s the easiest ‘this funds terrorism’ scare argument the government will ever try to make, so a big battle within the next year or two is pretty much guaranteed,” he said.
Whether one sees it as a phenomenon or a legitimate institution, Bitcoin is working on all cylinders to become the latter — and now has a real case for our undivided attention. Either way, feel free to marvel at how a virtual currency that appeared practically out of the ether (created by some phantom mathematician/economist) just pulled a billion-dollar market out of its hat.
See you on Silk Road?
|
– There isn't any national treasury backing the bitcoin, nor does anyone have great stores of physical bitcoins lying around. Yet more than $1 billion worth of this invented currency is in circulation—more than the entire currency stock of 20 countries, Fox News reports. A single bitcoin is currently worth more than $90 US. What's the appeal? Well, some say it's because global currency markets are so unstable that bitcoins, which are distributed to people who donate web server space to the bitcoin system, seem more stable than cash. "Because of what's going on in Cyprus and Europe, people are trying to pull their money out of banks," says BitPay CEO Tony Gallippi. "So they buy gold, they put it under the mattress, or they buy bitcoin." But others have another theory. Because bitcoin can be traded anonymously, like a digital form of cash, they believe bitcoin is fueling online black markets and drug markets. Gallippi scoffs at that concern. "With any technology," he says, "criminals are going to use it for something." TechCrunch has more background on how the system works.
|
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There is one scene from "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" that was so heart-wrenchingly beautiful, it almost seemed out of place in a summer blockbuster. Our main characters have just escaped from Isla Nublar, the home of the dinosaurs from the "Jurassic Park" movies, as it is slowly consumed by the hot lava and ash clouds from an erupting volcano. When they look back to the shore, a lone brontosaurus can be seen bellowing for help. While many other dinosaurs have been saved, this one has been abandoned to die, and on some visceral level it seems to know it. As the clouds and flames overtake it, we see its body gradually lose focus and become a silhouette. With its life slowly being snuffed out, the sad and terrified beast rears on its hind legs and lets out one last, desperate call.
All of this is seen by our heroes as they can do nothing but watch helplessly with tears in their eyes. I'll confess: My eyes weren't entirely dry either.
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It's the end of an era, with the dinosaurs from the "Jurassic Park" movies leaving the island jungle setting from the first four films for good and all. When director J. A. Bayona's "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" opens, we learn that the impending volcanic eruption will soon render Isla Nublar uninhabitable for the dinosaurs there, with the United States Senate deciding it would be a waste of money to try to save them (surprise surprise). Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), the protagonist from "Jurassic World" who helped run the then-functional theme park, is now leading a pro-animal rights group that wants to move the dinosaurs to a new and safer preserve. Her effort seems to get a boost when Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), the former business partner of the team that created the original park, and his right-hand man Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) offer to fund an expedition to rescue as many of the animals as possible. Soon erstwhile velociraptor whisperer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), mercenary Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine) and a pair of tech-savvy nerds (Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda) are recruited to help her out on her conservation mission.
The corporation's agenda is not what it seems, and before long Dearing, Grady and the pair of nerds are on a mission to thwart its plan for the surviving dinosaurs. Without getting into spoilers, this 2016 interview with Colin Trevorrow, who directed "Jurassic World" and co-wrote this film, gives a few hints:
The dinosaurs will be a parable of the treatment animals receive today: the abuse, medical experimentation, pets, having wild animals in zoos like prisons, the use the military has made of them, animals as weapons.
If that seems like an obvious attempt to insert some pro-animal rights social commentary into the movie, then you're not wrong. That said, the message of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is even more ambitious than that. It seems to be a direct continuation of the moral summed up by Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in the first movie, when he warned that "your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Here the message is that when those same greedy businessmen use science to profit without regard to the consequences, they can change the world forever — often for the worse — in ways that can never be undone.
Feel free to insert your own commentary on global warming, cyber-warfare or nuclear proliferation here (the movie actually throws in a quick reference to that last one). Like all good parables, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" doesn't belabor its point or become preachy. It simply makes it through its story.
Fortunately for us, it's a damn good story. This is without question the best "Jurassic Park" sequel — smart, scary, and even emotionally powerful.
That's not to say it doesn't have its flaws — it's not hard to guess which characters will live and die pretty much on sight, for starters. There are the same thrills, chills and laughs that one has come to expect from a "Jurassic Park" movie, but with the refreshing twist that this time they don't get hung on the worn-out narrative structure of "People are stuck in a jungle-like setting filled with dinosaurs and need to escape." While it made sense for the original "Jurassic Park" to use that template, it seemed downright lazy by the time it was employed in the second, third and fourth movies. "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" did devote its third act to a Tyrannosaurus Rex rampaging through San Diego (easily the best part of that movie, or for that matter of any of the prior "Jurassic Park" sequels) and "Jurassic World" occasionally used its theme park premise to creative effect (though not nearly as often as it could have, which is why I was deeply disappointed by that film). For the most part, however, those movies stuck to the dinosaurs-in-a-jungle setting, which made them repetitive and (especially in the case of "Jurassic Park 3") downright boring.
Fortunately "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" takes us out of the natural wilderness and into the one created by man at its halfway point. The rest of the film than creatively plays with the various ways in which dinosaurs being auctioned off to the one percent in a giant, spooky mansion could cause lots of mischief. The results alternate between being pulse-pounding tension and sweet narrative catharsis. Even better, by the time the credits are rolling, it is clear that the dinosaurs' prehistoric adventures are going to take place in the midst of human civilization from this point forward. It only took them five movies to get us to this long overdue point, but better late than never.
Which brings me back to that hapless brontosaurus. As it meets its fate, I couldn't help but think of when I saw the brontosaurus from the original "Jurassic Park" for the very first time. I was only eight, so to me I wasn't just seeing a well-crafted special effect; that seemed like a real dinosaur, and to this day I can remember being filled with wonder as the music swelled and it let out its majestic roar. A quarter century later and the world seems like a much sadder place now than it did back then, and the wonderment captured by that first glimpse of a "real" dinosaur now has been replaced — no, "joined" is a better word, nothing can replace that moment of childlike joy — with a sense of tragedy.
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The world may not be that much worse in 2018 than it was in 1993, but it sure feels that way to me. Clearly it also feels that way to the minds in control of the "Jurassic Park" series, which in this case is a very good thing for the franchise. ||||| Here's the good news: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom " is more fun than "Jurassic World." It's not exactly a high bar, but still a welcome surprise. In the hands of a new director, J.A. Bayona, with Chris Pratt's high-wattage charisma on full blast and a fair amount of self-aware humor intact, there are certainly worse ways to spend a couple hours in the air-conditioned multiplex this summer.
Mind you, this movie is pretty ridiculous and the script (from Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly) is not very clever — I found myself rolling my eyes almost as frequently as I found myself smiling with genuine delight. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" will not stand up to rigorous scrutiny, and yet, it's kind of an enjoyable, preposterous and thrilling ride that ticks through nostalgia beats like a shopping list.
It's a little sad how in this era of industrial franchise filmmaking a three year gap between films actually feels like quite a bit of time — or maybe it's just a testament to how grueling the past few years have been — but, hey, it did at least seem like the right time to check in with those dinosaurs again, although I worry that our emotional investment in Owen's connection with a velociraptor has been vastly overestimated.
After a very solid, and scary, beginning, with pouring rain and genuine suspense as some scientists venture back into the defunct Jurassic World to retrieve a dinosaur bone, a helpful newscaster orients the audience with a whole lot of exposition: It's been three years since Jurassic World closed; $800 million in damages have been paid out; and, most importantly, a dormant volcano has come back to life on the island and is about to cause an "extinction level event" that will wipe out all the remaining dinosaurs.
The question of whether or not to let the dinos go extinct again has become a national debate and Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire is leading the charge to try to save the animals. As a not-so-subtle nod to that other national debate about Claire's choice of footwear in "Jurassic World," our first shot of her is her feet in sky high heels (the hiking boots she wears later for all the action get their own loving close-up too).
Essentially, and this is where the contrivances start, a wealthy, dying man, Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), who is somehow connected to John Hammond, and his associate Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) pitch Claire on an expedition to stage their own Noah's Ark with the dinos and transport as many species as possible to a sanctuary island. They need her to tap into the park's security system, and also to convince Owen (Pratt) to come along and get close to the raptor Blue, his old pal who has become so anthropomorphized it's actually surprising she doesn't just start talking.
There are some more new characters added too: A skittish computer guy, Franklin (Justice Smith), and a doctor Zia (Daniella Pineda), who come along on the journey for some comedic relief; a mercenary military guy (Ted Levine); and a cute dino-obsessed girl, Masie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon).
Perhaps the most unexpected thing about "Fallen Kingdom" is that the "escape from the volcano" plot is just the first set-piece. It's all a precursor to the dinos coming to the mainland.
If you're thinking, "I've seen this movie before," just wait, it get so much more derivative than you would ever imagine possible. Bayona, who also directed "The Impossible" and "A Monster Calls," is good enough to pull it off. It's the main reason why "Fallen Kingdom" is entertaining despite itself, but it is a shameless strategy that can only work so many times. Also, can we retire the "objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" joke at this point?
Life finds a way, and so do franchises that make ungodly amounts of money. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" gets away with its unoriginality for the most part, but this franchise's desperation is starting to show. It's time to evolve or go extinct.
"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril." Running time: 128 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
___
MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr ||||| It's been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles. When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who's still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times. ||||| Latest film in the 'Jurassic Park' series can't recapture the thrills of the original movie
Chris Pratt stars in "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom." (Photo: Universal Pictures)
It's time for the "Jurassic Park" series to go extinct.
"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" — that's "Jurassic Park 5" for those keeping score — shows how tired and bereft of ideas this franchise has become. Let's face it: There are only so many different ways to cook up a humans-versus-dinosaurs premise. And "Fallen Kingdom" makes a desperate grab for that last straw, focusing on dinosaur rights, which we learn in a news bulletin early in the film is "the flashpoint animal rights issue of our time."
Yes, the Jurassic Park dinos, who turned on humans and ran amok in "Jurassic Park," "The Lost World," "Jurassic Park III" and "Jurassic World," now need our sympathy. Forget their track record and the fact that every time humans and dinosaurs mix, things go predictably awry. But yes, let's save the dinos! What could go wrong?
"Fallen Kingdom" at least seems aware of these been-there-done-that concerns, paying lipservice to them before brushing them aside and going on about business as usual. "What could go wrong?" Chris Pratt's Owen Grady asks, when he's recruited by Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) to return to Isla Nublar, the home of the now-shuttered dinosaur theme park, to rescue as many dino species as possible before an erupting volcano wipes out all life on the island.
He's persuaded against his better judgment, the mission funded by Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), a former partner of original "Jurassic Park" dino scientist John Hammond (played in the original film by Sir Richard Attenborough). Lockwood's estate is being managed by the shifty Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) who, it turns out, has alternative plans for the dinos, and intends to auction them off to super rich dudes who will use them for whatever purposes super rich dudes would have for dinosaurs.
The thrill of the "Jurassic Park" series goes back to Steven Spielberg's original film, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, and the wonder of seeing brontosauruses and T-Rexes and velociraptors alive on screen. There was a joy in those original reveals (especially against John Williams' warm, now-iconic score), and Spielberg, in peak form, made the film a horror movie carnival ride whose peaks still electrify today (even if the CGI isn't as impressive as it was the first time around).
The subsequent films in the series have never recaptured the wonderment of the first film, although 2015's "Jurassic World" was an unexpected smash, riding both the fervor of fans who grew up with the original and were pining for a new "Jurassic" adventure (it had been 14 years since "Jurassic Park III) and the white hot stardom of Pratt (who was launched into the stratosphere the previous summer with "Guardians of the Galaxy").
Three years later, "Fallen Kingdom" is lazier and less inspired than its predecessor, and even Pratt's star has cooled. (He'd do well to take on a role in a non-franchise film sooner rather than later.) And director J.A. Bayona ("The Impossible") seems content to let everything play out as expected; only a dizzying one-take underwater sequence, with two characters trapped inside a sinking gyrosphere, has any real pizzazz, let alone suspense.
The movie also falls into the trap of thinking a bigger, badder dinosaur will overcome its shortcomings, so we're introduced to the Indoraptor, an upgrade of the last movie's Indominus rex. But guys, hear me out: the T-rex is plenty. If it's not, the problem isn't with the dinosaurs, it's with the script and its execution.
The film tosses a few punches at the Trump administration, for topicality purposes; aside from one character referring to Claire as a "nasty woman," there's a shot of a character with a really bad, really floppy blonde hair-do getting chomped up by a dinosaur. Point registered. But the wow factor of the "Jurassic Park" series is long gone, replaced by a routine sense of tedium. Close the park for good already.
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'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'
GRADE: C
Rated PG-13: for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril
Running time: 130 minutes
Read or Share this story: https://detne.ws/2tpGMIY ||||| Think of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” as a display of devoted animal husbandry—a motion-picture studio doing every damn thing it could think of to keep its most profitable menagerie from going extinct. After a quarter-century the franchise may be terminally long in the teeth; much of this fifth iteration is absurd, both intentionally and un. Yet it’s also funny, intriguingly dark and visually sumptuous. The first word of dialogue is “relax,” which serves as good advice, since the special effects look special once again, and all the bad guys get eaten eventually.
An... ||||| Published on Apr 18, 2018
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
In Theaters June 22, 2018
https://www.jurassicworld.com
It’s been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.
When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.
With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Stars Pratt and Howard return alongside executive producers Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. They are joined by co-stars James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Justice Smith, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall and Isabella Sermon, while BD Wong and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles.
Directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible), the epic action-adventure is written by Jurassic World’s director, Trevorrow, and its co-writer, Derek Connolly. Producers Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley once again partner with Spielberg and Trevorrow in leading the filmmakers for this stunning installment. Belén Atienza joins the team as a producer.
|
– When you last saw them, the dinosaurs of Jurassic World had overrun the park—no surprise there. Now they need saving, specifically from a volcano rumbling to life beneath their feet. Enter Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, a JA Bayona film that has critics split with a 53% favorable rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Finding Fallen Kingdom "lazier and less inspired than its predecessor," Adam Graham has seen enough dinosaurs for a while. "A routine sense of tedium" means it's time to "close the park for good already," he writes at the Detroit News, noting "only a dizzying one-take underwater sequence, with two characters trapped inside a sinking gyrosphere, has any real pizzazz, let alone suspense." And "even Pratt's star has cooled." Matthew Rozsa is on the opposite end of the spectrum. "This is without question the best Jurassic Park sequel—smart, scary, and even emotionally powerful," he writes at Salon, describing one scene as "so heart-wrenchingly beautiful" it brought him to tears. There's more to love, as the film poses big questions regarding animal rights and, in a "refreshing twist," takes the dinosaurs outside of a jungle setting. "They've been brought to the screen this time around through elegant puppetry more often than computer-generated imagery, with impressive results," writes Joe Morgenstern at the Wall Street Journal. He was also impressed with Pratt, "delicate in his approach to physical comedy and touching in his faithful friendship with the raptor Blue." By the end, though, "it's as if all concerned on the creative side threw up their hands, then tossed in anything that might lead to a setup for film number six." "If you're thinking, 'I've seen this movie before,' just wait, it (gets) so much more derivative than you would ever imagine possible," is Lindsey Bahr's take at the AP. Fallen Kingdom starts solidly with "genuine suspense," but then "the contrivances start," she writes, concluding "it's time to evolve or go extinct." Still, "there are certainly worse ways to spend a couple hours in the air-conditioned multiplex this summer."
|
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Nearly four years before school shooter Nikolas Cruz gunned down 17 students and educators at a Parkland high school, he confided in a therapist that he saw himself in a dream drenched in human blood.
A May 3, 2014, notation in a Broward County schools psychiatric file said Cruz “reported [a dream] last week of him killing people and covered in blood. He smiled and told the therapist that sometimes he says things for shock value.”
After Cruz’s disclosure to his therapist at the alternative Cross Creek School, administrators developed a “safety plan” to ensure the welfare of Cruz and others while the teen was on summer vacation. The plan included provisions for removing “all sharp objects from the home” and encouraging the youth to “verbalize what the problem is.”
If talking about “the problem” was seen as a solution to Cruz’s volatile behavior — and, in the short term, it may have been — it did not last. Portions of his psychiatric file, obtained by the Miami Herald on Friday, show a young man whose mental health exhibited frequent and extreme swings. His attitude would brighten for weeks at a time, then descend again into paranoia and anger.
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That pent-up rage exploded on Valentine’s Day when Cruz took an Uber to his former high school in Parkland and walked onto campus carrying a bag with a semiautomatic rifle and magazines of ammunition. He went on a six-minute rampage, shooting into locked classrooms and through windows and walls and blasting people in the hallways. He killed 17 people, 14 of them students.
Then, wearing an old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Junior ROTC polo shirt, he fled the building along with panic-stricken students and escaped the school before police entered. He was caught while walking on the street.
Cruz was formally charged this week with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He has already confessed to police and this week withdrew a not-guilty plea. The legal move underlines that his attorneys at the Broward County Public Defender’s Office hope to negotiate for a plea of guilt in exchange for a life sentence. Cruz, who was ordered held without bond Friday on the additional attempted murder counts, now faces the death penalty.
SHARE COPY LINK Confessed school shooter Nikolas Cruz appears before a Broward County judge Friday, March 9, 2018. He has been indicted on charges of fatally shooting 17 people and attempting to kill 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High last month. The judg
The shooting in Parkland has set off a renewed gun control movement and led students at the school to call for a nationwide protest on March 24 to call for stronger gun measures. In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott signed new legislation Friday restricting some access to rifles and allowing police to strip people with mental illness of the ability to own a gun. Nationally, members of Congress have filed gun legislation.
The rage and obsession with violence documented by Cruz’s therapists during nearly two years of interactions when he was 15 to 17 years old continued through his school career: Again and again, authorities were warned about the teen’s explosive tendencies and lack of impulse control. Again and again, authorities ignored the warnings.
In addition to the troubling behavior Cruz exhibited at the schools he attended — including an incident in which the teen reportedly brought a backpack with bullets to class — law enforcement officers were also alerted that Cruz might be dangerous.
The FBI failed to act on two tips about Cruz, one of which involved Cruz posting online that he planned to become a “professional school shooter.” The Broward Sheriff’s Office was also warned about the teen, and had received a report that he “planned to shoot up the school.”
Cruz alternated between periods of good behavior and periods of paranoia during which he acted out at school and at home, making fun of his peers, cursing at school staff and making threats, according to notes from his time at Cross Creek. The records obtained by the Herald documented weekly therapy sessions between February 2014 and December of 2015.
Nikolas Cruz appears in court for a status hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer last month. Mike Stocker TNS
In one session, Cruz acknowledged to his therapist that he visited YouTube to “research wars, military material and terrorist topics.” He said he wore military clothing. His mother, Lynda Cruz, who is now deceased, told the teen’s therapist that his obsession with the military resulted from his “excessive gaming.”
School administrators spoke with Lynda Cruz in the months that followed about their mutual concerns about Cruz’s desire to own a gun and take shooting lessons. The therapist, a Sept. 23, 2014, notation said, “shared concerns with parent about his obsession with guns/military and his poor anger control.” The note also cited concerns over the possibility that Cruz would “deploy aggressive behaviors at home.”
At the time, Lynda Cruz was considering buying the teen a pellet gun for his birthday. A different therapist who appears to have visited the family at their home suggested the mom develop a “plan” in which the youth would be allowed to buy a gun if he was able to “earn it” with good behavior. There was “a plan in place at home in order to control his use of the pellet gun.”
Cruz’s school therapist, however, expressed reservations. “Parent was advised against getting him a gun (pellet) or classes for his birthday,” the September notation said. “Parent advised to restrict access to any weapon.”
The therapy files also underscore Cruz’s strong desire to be sent to a regular high school. He frequently discussed transferring with his therapist but also expressed anxiety about getting mainstreamed.
In some sessions, the therapist described Cruz as “receptive” or noted that he’d had “positive” behavior at school. The therapist role-played with Cruz to teach him how to interact with his peers and avoid conflict. But following other sessions, the therapist noted troubling behavior at school and at home.
In one April 2014 session, the therapist discussed Cruz’s “aggressive behavior at home due to his not getting his way.” Cruz responded by saying that he saw the therapist as a threat. The therapist noted that Cruz was “very paranoid.”
The following month, Cruz cursed at school staff and made comments to his teacher that made the school “fear that he may act out and harm others,” the therapist noted. Cruz told the therapist he liked to make his teacher feel uncomfortable. A meeting was scheduled to discuss a treatment plan “to keep client and others safe,” the therapist noted.
Around this time, the therapist explained to Cruz that he wasn’t ready to attend a regular high school.
Cruz also fantasized about a “perfect summer” that revolved around guns and shooting, according to a short paper he wrote.
Under the heading “What my perfect summer would be,” Cruz wrote about “buying some type of gun and shooting at targets that I set up with large amounts of ammo just for fun for hours,” stopping only when he got bored or ran out of ammunition. Cruz said he also wanted to get a job and make money “so I can get things that I want for myself [instead] of come to this time wasting school that support stuped [sic] selfish children that I don’t care about and gets in the way of my chances of leaving this place.”
Cruz also wrote about his loneliness. “I will never be happy with my life I have no money or [sic] freinds,” he wrote. He complained about his “annoying mother who won’t leave me alone.”
In preparation for a summer 2014 recess, Cruz’s school therapist and psychiatrist jointly wrote a letter to another one of the teen’s psychiatrists articulating a host of serious concerns. “At home, he continues to be aggressive and destructive with minimal provocation,” the letter said. “For instance, he destroyed his television after losing a video game that he was playing. Nikolas has a hatchet that he uses to chop up a dead tree in his backyard. Mom has not been able to locate that hatchet as of lately.”
“When upset he punches holes in the walls and has used sharp tools to cut up the upholstery on the furniture and carve holes in the walls of the bathroom,” the letter added.
By the following April, though, after Cruz had shown “tremendous progress” in his behavior, Cross Creek began efforts to move him to a traditional school.
Psychiatric notes from that period describe a significantly less erratic youth. His mother reported that he was making friends and had exhibited no signs of inappropriate behavior “in the community. She is happy that he has been doing better,” an April 28, 2015, notation said.
Cruz had been able to “control” his behavior, both in school and at home, the April 28, 2015, notation said. He was noticeably less aggressive. Teachers did not report having to place him in “time outs.”
“Parent has requested student to be mainstreamed,” the report added.
In discussions about Cruz’s desire to attend a “regular” school, psychiatric progress notes said he was encouraged to continue mental health medication, therapy and social work case-management at home, and was discouraged from becoming a cadet: “Interested in ROTC?” the report said. “Not advised,” it added.
Cruz had started attending Stoneman Douglas part-time by October of 2015. Later that fall, the therapist noted that Cruz was going to be mainstreamed full-time beginning in January. At the last documented session, in December of 2015, Cruz told his therapist he felt he would do very well at his new school.
Miami Herald staff writer David Smiley contributed to this report. ||||| Sheriff receives two reports related to Cruz allegedly hurting himself
A school resource officer reports that a peer counselor told him that Cruz ingested gasoline in an effort to commit suicide and was cutting himself. He also allegedly said he wanted to buy a gun and possessed hate-related symbols. A mental health clinician said Cruz didn’t need to be held under the Baker Act. Eight hours later, a sheriff’s deputy responds to Cruz’s home on allegations that Cruz is hurting himself and talking about buying a gun.
|
– The Miami Herald has obtained Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz's school psychiatric file, and it contains disturbing details of his talks with mental health professionals. Nikolas Cruz, who has admitted to gunning down 17 at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month, attended an alternative school before being mainstreamed into Stoneman Douglas; the Washington Post notes he had disciplinary issues at middle school and left in eighth grade. Many of the files deal with his weekly meetings with his therapist at Cross Creek School, whose students have emotional or behavioral problems, from the time he was 15 to 17 years old. In 2014, for example, he told that therapist he'd had a dream about killing people and being covered in blood; administrators, in response, came up with a "safety plan" for him over the summer that involved removing "all sharp objects from the home." Cruz, formally charged last week with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, also told his therapist he went on YouTube to "research wars, military material, and terrorist topics," and he wrote a paper about his fantasy of a "perfect summer" that would involve him buying a gun and target-shooting until he got bored or ran out of ammo. The therapist and school psychiatrist describe troubling behavior from Cruz in the files, including aggressive and destructive behavior at home, threatening behavior at school, an obsession with guns and the military, and paranoia. The school therapist advised against Cruz being given the pellet gun he desired, and it was recommended he not be allowed to become an ROTC cadet. Toward the end of the file, "tremendous progress" is noted, and he was allowed to move to Stoneman Douglas by January 2016. See the Herald for more.
|
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CLOSE Sen. Rand Paul discusses tax reform at UPS training center Marty Pearl, Special to the CJ
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to supporters gathered at The Champions of Liberty Rally in Hebron, Ky., Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. Paul was joined at the fundraising event by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, and U.S. Reps Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. (Photo: Bryan Woolston, AP)
Police say they've arrested a man who intentionally assaulted U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, causing a minor injury.
Rene Boucher, 59, of Bowling Green, is charged with one count of fourth-degree assault and is being held in the Warren County Detention Center, according to a news release from Kentucky State Police.
Police responded to a report of an assault at Paul's residence just before 3:30 p.m. Friday. They determined Boucher had intentionally assaulted the junior senator, according to the release. It was not immediately clear what injury Paul suffered.
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A spokeswoman for Paul's office said in an email that the senator was "blindsided."
"Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault," it stated. "The assailant was arrested and it is now a matter for the police. Senator Paul is fine."
The investigation is ongoing.
KSP spokesman Jeremiah Hodges said the FBI was on scene to investigate whether the assault was politically motivated, but was unable to elaborate on the status of that investigation.
David Habich, a spokesman for the FBI, said the agency was aware of the incident concerning Senator Paul.
"We are working with our state and local partners to determine if there was a violation of federal law," Habich said.
Voter records from March 2017 show Rene Boucher had registered as a Democrat.
A jail website shows that Boucher was booked Friday night just before 9 p.m. He's being held on $5,000 bond and there is no court date set.
Reach reporter Darcy Costello at [email protected] or 502-582-4834.
Read or Share this story: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2017/11/04/man-accused-assaulting-senator-rand-paul/832626001/ ||||| Close Get email notifications on Don Sergent daily!
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Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. ||||| Sen. Rand Paul suffered a minor injury when a man allegedly assaulted him at his home in Warren County, Kentucky, on Friday afternoon, according to state authorities.
Kentucky State Police say 59-year-old Rene Boucher has been charged with fourth-degree assault and booked into Warren County Detention Center, after he "intentionally" assaulted Paul, "causing a minor injury."
"On Friday, November 3, 2017 at 3:21 p.m., KSP Troopers responded to the residence of Rand Paul in Warren County, in reference to a report of an assault," Kentucky State Police said in a news release. "Upon their arrival, it was determined that Rene Boucher had intentionally assaulted Paul causing a minor injury."
Warren County Regional Jail
Kentucky State Police Master Trooper Jeremy Hodges said he could not release details of the assault because of security issues. Hodges did say that Boucher is an acquaintance of Paul. CBS affiliate WNKY reports that Boucher is a neighbor of Paul's.
Hodges said Boucher would have faced more serious charges if had he used a weapon or if Paul had been injured seriously.
"If he was using any type of a dangerous instrument, then it would have been a felony charge," Hodges said by telephone Saturday.
According to WNKY, the the FBI believe that the attack was politically motivated.
A spokesperson for Paul said he is "fine," and was "blindsided" by the assault.
"Senator Paul was blindsided and the victim of an assault. The assailant was arrested and it is now a matter for the police. Senator Paul is fine," Kelsey Cooper, a spokesperson for Paul, told media outlets.
WBKO, a local TV station in Kentucky, first reported the incident.
Local authorities are conducting an investigation. A court date has not yet been set for Boucher, according to booking records.
Paul, Kentucky's junior senator since 2011, is known for his libertarian leanings and fiscal conservatism. He is an ophthalmologist by trade.
Paul was present at the congressional baseball practice shooting in June that seriously injured House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana.
CBS News' Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.
|
– Sen. Rand Paul suffered a minor injury Friday afternoon when he was assaulted at his Kentucky home, the Courier-Journal reports. A spokesperson for Paul says he was "blindsided" by the attacker just before 3:30pm. The nature of Paul's injury is unclear, but the spokesperson says he is "fine." Police arrested 59-year-old Rene Boucher in connection with the attack. He was charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, the Bowling Green Daily News reports. Further charges are possible. CBS News notes it's unclear what connection, if any, there is between Paul and Boucher and whether the assault happened inside or outside Paul's home. An address on file with the county lists Boucher as living in a gated community just east of Paul's home in Bowling Green.
|
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A spokesman for the hospital, Christian Preston, said Friday that he could not comment on the case because of the litigation and privacy concerns. But he defended the hospital’s record, saying it had a 22-percent C-section rate compared with a state average of 34 percent. Its 2012 rate of “vaginal birth after C-section” was almost 29 percent, much higher than the state average of 11 percent, he said.
The lawsuit, filed last month in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, where Mrs. Dray lives, also names Dr. Leonid Gorelik, who delivered the baby, as a defendant. Dr. Gorelik, in court papers, denied that he had taken Mrs. Dray for a C-section against her will. He said that her own “culpable conduct and want of care” contributed to any injuries she may have sustained.
Dr. Ducey’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. In the medical record, he wrote that the fetus was “at risks for serious harm without the C-section.”
Dr. Howard Minkoff, chairman of obstetrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, whose articles on the subject of patient autonomy have been published in medical journals, said he believed that women had an absolute right to refuse treatment even if it meant the death of an unborn child. “In my worldview, the right to refuse is uncircumscribed,” Dr. Minkoff said, cautioning that he was not commenting on the particular facts of Mrs. Dray’s case. “I don’t have a right to put a knife in your belly ever.”
Such a person might be accused of being immoral or a terrible mother, he said, “but we won’t tie you down.”
As she describes it, Mrs. Dray’s experience illustrates the debate over C-sections.
Now 35, she is the mother of three healthy boys. She found her doctors through word of mouth and the Internet, she said, speaking in the office of her lawyer, Michael Bast. She said the first doctor, at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital, began urging her to have a cesarean after her water had broken and she had labored for a few hours. Hoping for a different outcome for her second pregnancy, she went to Lenox Hill Hospital, with the same result.
Still hoping for a vaginal birth, she changed doctors again for the third pregnancy. She also hired a doula to help her with the childbirth. ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| VBAC activists are clinging to their resentment and aggressively ignoring reality.
Amy Romano at Science & Sensibility asks the bizarre question: Do women need to know the uterine rupture rate to make informed choices about VBAC? It’s bizarre because she implies that this is a medical question and that the answer is unknown. However, this is a legal question and the answer has been clearly established by the courts. Not only is knowing the rupture rate required, it isn’t even enough. Women must “understand” the rupture rate and many women have successfully argued that they are incapable of understanding.
Don’t believe me? Consider what the Syracuse NY Birth Injury Lawyers have to say on the subject:
For an expectant mother to give meaningful and informed consent she must be specifically told and understand that “IF HER UTERUS RUPTURES DURING HER VBAC, THERE MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT TIME TO OPERATE AND TO PREVENT THE DEATH OF, OR PERMANENT BRAIN INJURY TO, HER BABY.” (emphasis in the original)
Courtroom Mama, writing on The Unnecesarean, helpfully illustrates how VBAC activists desperately cling to their resentment. In her post NIH VBAC Consensus Development Conference: Gift Horse or Trojan Horse? she is most excited about the fact that an activist aggressively challenged a panel member, presumably “speaking truth to power.” Courtroom Mama (a self described “law geek”) utterly ignores the medico-legal issues that restrict availability of VBAC.
Most egregious, though, is the penchant of VBAC activists to invent rights that don’t exist. Henci Goer’s bemoans the “[f]ailure to recognize that VBAC is a right.” Yet there is no legal right to VBAC. Indeed, there is no legal right to healthcare of any kind, let alone a right to a specific procedure. A “right” to VBAC implies an obligation on the part of doctors and hospitals to preside over VBACs, justifying resentment of obstetricians for depriving women of their “rights.” However, since there is no “right” to VBAC, doctors and hospitals cannot be accused of violating anyone’s rights.
Asserting a non-existent right is worse than pointless. It demonstrates an inability to understand and frame the real situation in favor of a make-believe world where evil obstetricians control everything. In the real world, women have only the right to refuse medical treatment, not a right to demand a specific treatment. Moreover, doctors and hospitals have no legal obligation to comply with patients who refuse medical advice or demand procedures that the doctors or hospitals do not provide.
And speaking of “procedures,” activists who attended the conference impressed themselves with their clever observations on semantics. According to Goer, “VBAC … is not a procedure. Labor is what inevitably happens at the end of pregnancy.”
That point, currently bouncing its way around the Twitter universe, is simultaneously inane and irrelevant. Are doctors supposed to bang themselves upside the head and suddenly realize that VBACs don’t pose additional risks because they aren’t “procedures”? Are lawyers supposed to have a sudden epiphany that detailed consents aren’t required for VBACs because they aren’t “procedures”? Why don’t VBAC activists notice that no one beside themselves is impressed with their “cleverness”?
VBACs have been dramatically restricted because of legal and insurance concerns. There’s no one to “blame” because everyone involved is doing their job within medical and legal constraints that we all must acknowledge. Unfortunately, being deprived of the opportunity to blame obstetricians appears to be insupportable to VBAC activists. They demonstrate a greater commitment to made up reasons for resentment than to practical solutions for making VBAC more widely available. Indeed, they are so committed to resentment that they appear incapable of addressing reality.
Amy Tuteur is an obstetrician-gynecologist who blogs at The Skeptical OB.
Submit a guest post and be heard. ||||| If you have experienced a cesarean delivery, you are not alone. In November 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the national cesarean birth rate was the highest ever at 29.1%–more than a quarter of all deliveries.
If you desire to try a vaginal delivery after having had a cesarean, you should be encouraged by knowing that 90% of women who have undergone cesarean deliveries are candidates for VBAC. Statistically, the highest rate of VBAC involves women who have experienced both vaginal and cesarean births and given the choice, have decided to deliver vaginally.
In most published studies, 60-80%–roughly 3 to 4 out of 5–women who have previously undergone cesarean birth can successfully give birth vaginally. After reading the following information and discussing the possibility with your health care provider, you should be able to make an informed decision about the option of VBAC.
VBAC and the Risk of Uterine Rupture:
The greatest concern for women who have had a previous cesarean is the risk of uterine rupture during a vaginal birth. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), if you had a previous cesarean with a low transverse incision, the risk of uterine rupture in a vaginal delivery is .2 to 1.5%, which is approximately 1 chance in 5001.
Some studies have documented increased rates of uterine rupture in women who undergo labor induction or augmentation. You should discuss the possible complications associated with induction with your health care provider. Recently, ACOG stated that VBAC is safer than a repeat cesarean, and VBAC with more than one previous cesarean does not pose any increased risk.2
If you were given the following reasons for a previous cesarean and are considering a repeat cesarean, you might consider discussing the following with your health care provider:
Dystocia: Dystocia refers to a long and difficult labor due to slow cervical dilation, a small pelvis, or a big baby. Many women who are given this reason for previous cesareans, deliver vaginally the next time around and tend to give birth to a larger baby than their first! ACOG states that the effects [or difficulties] of labor with a baby more than 8 ¾ lbs have not been substantiated.
There is not evidence that a large baby requires a cesarean. The pelvis and the baby’s head are not rigid structures and both mold and change shape to allow birth. During labor there are certain techniques that a woman can use to help open up the pelvis, thus allowing the birth of a large baby. For example, squatting increases the outlet of the pelvis by 10%.
Genital Herpes: For many years, because of the risk of passing herpes to the baby during delivery, women with a history of herpes almost always delivered by cesarean. Physicians would examine cultures in the last weeks of pregnancy and if they found active virus, would schedule a cesarean. Today, ACOG has determined and recommended that unless there is a visible lesion at the time of birth, a vaginal birth is acceptable.
Fetal Distress: If the life of the baby is at risk from fetal distress or other complication, there is little doubt that most mothers will consider a cesarean delivery. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9% of cesarean deliveries in 1991 were due to fetal distress. Fetal heart rate monitoring to detect fetal distress can be a routine part of the VBAC procedure.
Your purchase supports the APA
What criteria must I meet to be considered for VBAC?
No more than 2 low transverse cesarean deliveries.
No additional uterine scars, anomalies or previous ruptures.
Your health care provider should be prepared to monitor labor and perform or refer for a cesarean if necessary .
Your birth location should have personnel available on weekends and evenings in case a cesarean is necessary.
What other criteria would make me a good candidate for a VBAC?
If the original reason for a cesarean delivery is not repeated with this pregnancy
You have no major medical problems
The baby is a normal size
The baby is head-down
In what situations would VBAC not be recommended?
If you are pregnant with twins
If you have diabetes
If you have high-blood pressure
Comparing a Repeat Cesarean to a VBAC:
Repeat Cesarean VBAC Usual risks of a surgical procedure Less than 1% chance of uterine rupture. If uterine rupture occurs you have risks of blood loss, hysterectomy, damage to bladder, infection, & blood clots Hospital stay of approximately 4 days Hospital stay of approximately 2 days Development of an infection in the uterus, bladder, or skin incision Risk of infection doubles if vaginal delivery is attempted but results in cesarean Injury to the bladder, bowel, or adjacent organs Possibility of tearing or episiotomy Development of blood clots in the legs or pelvis after the operation On-going pain & discomfort around incision Temporary pain and discomfort around vagina Small chance that the baby will have respiratory problems3 The baby’s lungs will clear as baby passes through birth canal If you plan for many more children, take into account that the more surgeries a woman has had the greater the risk of surgical complications. A fourth or fifth cesarean has more risk than the first or second.
1. ACOG Practice Bulletin, No. 5, July 1999
2. ACOG, Midwifery Today, Winter No 36, page 47.
3. Levine EM, Ghai V, Barton JJ, Strom CM. Mode of delivery and risk of respiratory diseases in newborns. Obstet Gynecol 2001;97(3):439-42.
International Cesarean Awareness Network, http://www.ican-online.org/
|
– Rinat Dray wanted to finally have a natural childbirth—but doctors gave her a C-section, and now she's suing them and the hospital, the New York Times reports. Having had two C-sections—and two healthy baby boys—Dray, 35, changed doctors and hired a doula to help her give birth naturally. But she says the doctor at Staten Island University Hospital immediately pressured her to have a C-section, and despite her "begging" for more time, said, "I'm not bargaining here." By her account, she was begging on the operating table when he told her, "Don't speak." Her third boy came out healthy—and so did she, for the most part—but she filed suit for medical malpractice, violating a New York state law that allows people to refuse treatment, and cutting her bladder during the C-section, the Legal Examiner reports. Her story highlights the shockingly high rate of US C-sections (nearly 33% of all childbirths) and the possible danger that Vaginal Births After C-Sections cause uterine rupture (this KevinMD blog rails against VBACs, but the American Pregnancy Association says the risk-rate is low). Then there's the issue of pregnant women controlling their own bodies: "In my worldview, the right to refuse is uncircumscribed," says one doctor. "I don’t have a right to put a knife in your belly ever."
|
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VA To Volunteers: Stop Quilting
Officials can’t quite piece together their story but quilters say they’ve been asked to stop making blankets for veterans due to, depending on who you believe, either a bed bug infestation or a quilt surplus. The Minneapolis Star Tribune says because of the “generosity and efficiency of the quilting volunteers” the VA simply has no place to store the handmade donations. The official cease and desist went like this: “Thanks to your skill, talents and dedication to helping our hospitalized veterans of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, we have an overabundant supply of lap robes, quilts, blankets, neck pillows, armrest pillows, heart pillows, slippers and laundry bags.”
The Quilts of Valor has distributed more than 37,000 quilts since it was formed in 2004. ||||| Quilts have fallen victim to the war on bugs.
Or to their makers' speedy fingers.
The Department of Veterans Affairs and members of Quilts of Valor can't agree on the explanation, but the Minneapolis VA is no longer accepting the donated, handcrafted quilts that volunteers have been making for wounded soldiers and other vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Twin Cities leaders of the charitable group got the word from the Minneapolis VA earlier this month. They were told the decision was part of a nationwide directive for VA facilities because of an outbreak of bedbugs at a VA homeless shelter in another state. The restriction is expected to last at least six months, they were told.
Page Johnson, the southern Minnesota coordinator for Quilts of Valor, said Wednesday that the VA's concerns are understandable, though she gave just a hint of offense at the suggestion that her group's quilts could be carriers of bedbugs. The fabric is new, the process for making them is clean and there has never been a hint that any of the quilts delivered to the VA were tainted, she said.
"We're dealing with new fabrics, people take this very seriously, everything is kept clean, there is no contact where it would get something like that," Johnson said. "Bedbugs come from humans using the quilts and they are not used, they are new. I can assure you we are not using these things and giving away used items."
Here's where the fog of war extends to quilting.
The VA says the new ban has nothing to do with bedbugs -- the real issue is the generosity and efficiency of the quilting volunteers. The VA has simply run out of room for the stuff.
In an April 6 letter addressed to "knitters, crocheters, quilters and seamstresses," Katharina Ryan, the director of the Voluntary/Community Resource Center of the Minneapolis VA, described the problem.
"Thanks to your skill, talents and dedication to helping our hospitalized veterans of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, we have an overabundant supply of lap robes, quilts, blankets, neck pillows, armrest pillows, heart pillows, slippers and laundry bags," she wrote. "We are unable to accept any of these items until further notice."
While the reason for the embargo may be in question, the productivity of Quilts of Valor isn't. The quilts come from quilters sewing the tops together in their basements and spare bedrooms or in sewing clubs or shops like Fabric Town and the Quilting Page. One group gathers the first Friday of every month for a couple of hours at Fabric Town in Apple Valley.
The operation rivals anything in the military. The quilts are put together using donated fabric with backing, batting and binding and a label listing the quilter and her hometown. (Participants are overwhelmingly -- if not exclusively -- women.) The quilts are then brought for "longarm" quilting (stitching the layers together with commercial-grade sewing machines) before they are returned to Quilt of Valor local leaders, who sort and distribute them.
In 2009, the Upper Midwest Chapter of the Quilts of Valor distributed 1,399 quilts. In 2010 it was 1,881. Since its genesis in a sewing room in Seaford, Del., in 2004, the group has distributed more than 37,000 quilts nationwide.
'Good way ... to give back'
"It's hard work but it's been a really good way to do something you love and to give back to people who have given so much," said Marcia Stevens, who started a Brainerd Quilts of Valor group in 2005.
VA spokesman Ralph Heussner said he has seen the Minneapolis supply room packed with donated items. While bedbugs are always a concern, the real issue is making a dent in the oversupply. Once supplies dwindle, quilts will be accepted again.
"We really do appreciate all the work they do," he said.
VA qualms or not, there's no quit in the quilters.
They are still in the business of giving quilts to Guard and Reserve soldiers with three or more deployments. One recipient, a helicopter pilot, had seven deployments under his belt. County veterans service officers have asked for quilts. Grandmas even call in with requests. Minneapolis police recently distributed quilts to homeless vets on the streets. The Minnesota Veterans Homes, which operate independently of the federal VA system, also continue to accept donations, although quilts and fabrics of all kinds are inspected and may be laundered if there are concerns, said Minnesota Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Anna Long.
"The fact is we can't make enough quilts to cover all the wounded; we can't even come close," Johnson said.
Mark Brunswick • 612-673-4434
|
– Enough with the quilts already. That's the message the Minneapolis VA has sent to local quilters, even if there's disagreement on the reason why. As the Star Tribune explains (in a story spotted by Pat's Papers), the VA says it simply has no more room for them. But a local quilters group says VA officials told them to ease off because of a bedbug infestation at a different VA facility. The latter explanation didn't sit well with the Quilts of Valor group: "Bedbugs come from humans using the quilts and they are not used, they are new. I can assure you we are not using these things and giving away used items." The VA didn't explain the mixed messages, but gives this as the official explanation: "We have an overabundant supply of lap robes, quilts, blankets, neck pillows, armrest pillows, heart pillows, slippers, and laundry bags." In the meantime, the quilters are quilting away for vets in other organizations.
|
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The two suspects in last week's Boston Marathon bombing weren't licensed to have guns, the Cambridge, Mass., Police Department confirmed Sunday.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, who was captured after a gun battle with police Friday, wasn't old enough to be licensed to own a gun in Massachusetts. The minimum legal age is 21.
His older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was fatally wounded hours earlier, never had a license to own or carry a gun in Cambridge, where the pair shared an apartment, Cambridge Police spokesman Dan Riviello told the Los Angeles Times. It's unclear whether he ever applied for a license.
The pair's deadly, chaotic showdown with police that began Thursday night continued to come into focus Sunday as investigators plied through the brothers' lives before the bombing and their actions afterward.
FULL COVERAGE: Boston Marathon attack
About five hours after federal investigators published photos of the the two suspects taken at the Boston Marathon, police say, they killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Thursday night and carjacked a Mercedes SUV nearby.
Cambridge Police told The Times that the Mercedes driver escaped when the brothers went inside a Shell gas station on Memorial Drive in Cambridge to buy snacks.
The unidentified driver fled to another gas station to call police.
Sometime later, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told CNN, a police officer began following the Mercedes with the emergency lights off to wait for backup when the brothers stopped their car.
"They aggressively alighted from the car," Davis said. "They stopped their vehicle, they just stopped when they saw the car and attempted to get the officer.”
A hectic gun battle ensued, with the brothers and the responding officers trading more than 200 shots, Davis said. The brothers had three guns, police said. Further details about those guns have not been released.
PHOTOS: Manhunt in Boston
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ran over his wounded older brother when police were about to arrest him, Davis said, though it has not yet been determined what caused Tamerlan's death. He was had gunshot and blast wounds.
An officer was critically wounded in the showdown.
The city of Boston was locked down Friday while officers searched for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. By early evening, police lifted the lockdown, and a Watertown resident noticed that the cover was loose on the boat he stores in his backyard. As he tried to put it back on he noticed the cover was ripped and had blood on it. He lifted the cover and saw what he thought was a bloody body, Davis told CNN.
“All of a sudden, the body moved,” Davis said, and the resident alerted authorities.
A federal official said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been shot in the neck, complicating authorities' efforts to speak to him in the hospital.
PHOTOS: Explosions at Boston Marathon
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remained hospitalized Sunday with a team of FBI interrogators standing by to interview him, Davis said.
He wouldn't confirm whether the brothers had outside help, but he said he believed they were the primary suspects in the bombing, which killed three people and left more than 170 injured.
Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Boston and Richard A. Serrano in Washington contributed to this report.
ALSO:
Blast site in heart of Boston getting back to normal
Video said to show suspect setting backpack down
Boston plays, prays and remembers on Sunday of renewal ||||| WASHINGTON — The two men suspected in the Boston Marathon bombings were armed with a small arsenal of guns, ammunition and explosives when they first confronted the police early Friday, and were most likely planning more attacks, the authorities said Sunday.
United States officials said they were increasingly certain that the two suspects had acted on their own, but were looking for any hints that someone had trained or inspired them. The F.B.I. is broadening its global investigation in search of a motive and pressing the Russian government for more details about a Russian request to the F.B.I. in 2011 about one of the suspects’ possible links to extremist groups, a senior United States official said Sunday.
New details about the suspects, their alleged plot and the widening inquiry emerged on Sunday, including the types of weapons that were used and the bomb design’s link to a terrorist manual. Lawmakers also accused the F.B.I. of an intelligence failure, questioning whether the bureau had responded forcefully enough to Russia’s warnings.
The White House said Monday that the surviving suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, would not be tried as an enemy combatant. “We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice,” said Jay Carney, the White House press secretary.
Mr. Carney noted that it was illegal to try an American citizen in a military commission, and that a number of high-profile terrorism cases were handled in the civilian court system, including that of the would-be bomber who tried to bring down a passenger jet around Christmas 2009 with explosives in his underwear.
Mr. Carney said the government had gotten “valuable intelligence” from suspects kept in the civilian judicial process. “The system has repeatedly proven it can handle” such cases, he said.
Mr. Tsarnaev, 19, remained in a Boston hospital in serious condition. The authorities said they believed that he had tried to kill himself, because a gunshot wound to his neck “had the appearance of a close-range, self-inflicted style,” the senior United States official said.
As investigators intensified their search for clues, the investigation’s focus shifted in the last two days from a manhunt that relied heavily on cutting-edge surveillance technology to help track down the suspects to more traditional investigative methods. Those approaches include interviews with friends, relatives and others who knew the suspects and examinations of computers, phones, writings and their possessions.
More details of what the authorities said was the original plot were becoming clearer. The Boston police commissioner, Edward Davis, said the authorities believed that Mr. Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, 26, had planned more attacks beyond the bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, which killed three people and wounded more than 170. When the suspects seized a Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle and held the driver hostage, they told him that they planned to head to New York, the senior United States official said Sunday.
It was not clear whether the suspects had told the driver what they planned to do there.
Mr. Davis told CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday: “We have reason to believe, based upon the evidence that was found at that scene — the explosions, the explosive ordnance that was unexploded and the firepower that they had — that they were going to attack other individuals.”
Along with determining that the suspects had made at least five pipe bombs, the authorities recovered four firearms that they believe the suspects used, according to a law enforcement official. The authorities found an M-4 carbine rifle — a weapon similar to ones used by American forces in Afghanistan — on the boat where the younger suspect was found Friday night in Watertown, Mass.
Two handguns and a BB gun that the authorities believe the brothers used in an earlier shootout with officers in Watertown were also recovered, said one official briefed on the investigation. The authorities said they believe the suspects had fired roughly 80 rounds in that shootout, in which Tamerlan Tsarnaev was fatally wounded, the official said.
Among the unanswered questions facing investigators are where the suspects acquired their weapons and explosives, how they got the money to pay for them, and whether others helped plan and carry out the attack last Monday. Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston said he believed the brothers were not affiliated with a larger network. “All of the information that I have, they acted alone, these two individuals, the brothers,” he said on ABC News’s “This Week.”
Some investigators said they believe the suspects used a design for the pressure-cooker bombs they allegedly detonated from a manual published in the online English-language magazine of Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen. Mr. Menino said Tamerlan had “brainwashed” his younger brother to follow him and “read those magazines that were published on how to create bombs, how to disrupt the general public, and things like that.”
The suspects’ uncle Ruslan Tsarni, who lives in Maryland, said in an interview on Sunday that he had first noticed a change in the older brother in 2009. Mr. Tsarni sought advice from a family friend, who told him that Tamerlan’s radicalization had begun after he met a recent convert to Islam in the Boston area. Mr. Tsarni said he had later learned from a relative that his nephew had met the convert in 2007.
As scrutiny increased on how the brothers had been radicalized, Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who heads the Homeland Security Committee, and Representative Peter T. King, a New York Republican on the panel, sent a letter to the directors of three of the nation’s leading intelligence-gathering agencies calling the F.B.I.’s handling of the case “an intelligence failure.”
They said Tamerlan Tsarnaev was the fifth man since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to be suspected of committing terrorism while under investigation by the bureau. Agents had questioned him in 2011 in response to a request from the Russian government, a year before he traveled to Chechnya and Dagestan, predominantly Muslim republics in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Both have been hotbeds of militant separatists.
The request from the Russian government was directed to the F.B.I.’s legal attaché at the American Embassy in Moscow in January 2011, a senior United States official said. Tamerlan spent six months in Chechnya and Dagestan in 2012.
The Russians feared Tamerlan could be a risk, and said their request was “based on information that he was a follower of radical Islam and a strong believer, and that he had changed drastically since 2010 as he prepared to leave the United States for travel to the country’s region to join unspecified underground groups,” the F.B.I. said in a statement Friday.
A senior United States official said Sunday that despite requests from American officials for more details at the time, this was all the information the Russians provided.
The F.B.I. responded by checking “U.S. government databases and other information to look for such things as derogatory telephone communications, possible use of online sites associated with the promotion of radical activity, associations with other persons of interest, travel history and plans, and education history,” it said in the statement.
The bureau sent two counterterrorism agents from its Boston field office to interview Tamerlan and family members, a senior United States official said Saturday.
According to the F.B.I.’s statement, “The F.B.I. did not find any terrorism activity, domestic or foreign,” and conveyed those findings to “the foreign government” — which officials say was Russia — by the summer of 2011.
Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and former F.B.I. agent who heads the House Intelligence Committee, defended the bureau, saying on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it “did a very thorough job.” But on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said: “The fact that we could not track him has to be fixed. It’s people like this that you don’t want to let out of your sight, and this was a mistake. I don’t know if our laws are insufficient or the F.B.I. failed, but we’re at war with radical Islamists, and we need to up our game.”
The F.B.I. has pressed Russian authorities for more details about Moscow’s original request on Tamerlan, as well as any information the Russian intelligence services have developed since then, according to a senior United States official.
These discussions are “sensitive,” the official said, because of the differences in protocol and laws between the two countries, and the Russians’ reluctance to disclose confidential intelligence to foreign governments.
Tensions also escalated Sunday over how to handle the case of the surviving suspect. Some Republican lawmakers want President Obama to declare Dzhokhar Tsarnaev an “enemy combatant,” putting him into military detention and questioning him at length without a lawyer.
But the administration has said terrorism suspects arrested inside the United States should be handled exclusively in the criminal justice system, and gave no sign it intends to do otherwise in Mr. Tsarnaev’s case. Moreover, there is no evidence suggesting that he is part of Al Qaeda; the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, not all Muslim extremists.
In the days after the bombing, analysts and agents for the F.B.I. used special video technology that allowed them to string together hours and hours of footage and to enhance the quality.
They will now begin to employ more conventional techniques. As prosecutors worked to complete the criminal complaint against Mr. Tsarnaev, hundreds of police detectives and F.B.I. agents — including members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Boston, plus nearly 250 agents from 24 of the F.B.I.’s 56 field offices — continued to work on the investigation, officials said.
Their efforts included analyzing records from the brothers’ phones and computers, to find associates and witnesses and extremist group affiliations. The agents also scoured credit card records and other material seized from their apartment and car for evidence of bomb components, the backpacks used or any other evidence that could tie them to the bombings. ||||| The two brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon’s finish line told the man they carjacked on Thursday night that they only decided not to kill him because he “wasn’t an American,” according to a report Monday.
NBC’s Pete Williams said the man, who asked not to be identified, told police that Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev said they spared his life because he was not an American.
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“He also told the police investigators after this episode, when they finally got to him — he is the one who called 911 — that they let him out of the car and didn’t kill him because he wasn’t an American,” Williams said.
(Also on POLITICO: Report: Suspects not licensed for guns)
Williams said NBC had exchanged e-mails with the victim, who described the suspects as “brutal but cautious.” He said the victims didn’t want to appear on camera.
Meanwhile, a senior United States official told The New York Times that the Tsarnaev brothers may have been headed to New York City in the Mercedes-Benz SUV they hijacked Thursday, although it’s not clear if they planned on further attacks there.
Williams said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that the carjacking victim had heard the suspects - who were speaking in a foreign language - use the word “Manhattan.”
“He told the police that he couldn’t understand what they were saying but that he thought it was, quote, blah, blah, blah, blah, Manhattan blah, blah, blah,” Williams said, adding: “The police who have heard this story understand what the [victim] was saying, but doubt that he could really understand what they were saying.”
Later in the day, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly downplayed the Manhattan reference. When asked on CNN’s “The Situation Room” whether he had heard from authorities that the suspects were aiming to bring a pressure cooker bomb or other such devices into Manhattan, he responded, “Absolutely not. Not the case.”
Katie Glueck contributed to this report.
|
– The Tsarnaev brothers apparently got quite chatty with the driver whose Mercedes SUV they allegedly carjacked: Not only did they reportedly admit their role in the Boston Marathon bombings to him, they also told him they were planning to go to New York, a senior US official tells the New York Times. Politico has a slightly different take: It picks up a report from NBC's Pete Williams, who says the carjacking victim did hear the word "Manhattan" in a conversation the brothers were having in a foreign language. And while Williams says police "doubt that he could really understand what they were saying," Police Commissioner Ed Davis said yesterday that authorities believe the brothers were planning more attacks, based on the amount of weapons, ammo, and explosives found. Authorities recovered four firearms including an M-4 carbine rifle (akin to what US troops in Afghanistan are armed with), two handguns, and a BB gun; they also determined that the Tsarnaev brothers made at least five pipe bombs. As for the Mercedes driver, the Los Angeles Times reports that he managed to escape when his captors went into a Shell gas station in Cambridge ... to buy snacks. He ran to another gas station (where he reportedly shouted, "These people are trying to kill me!") to call police, and an officer started quietly following the Mercedes. When the brothers noticed, they stopped and "attempted to get the officer," Davis says. A firefight ensued, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed (possibly by his own brother), and the manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began.
|
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CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A former Cleveland school bus driver accused of kidnapping and holding three women captive for years pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to hundreds of criminal charges, but his lawyers said they are seeking a plea agreement to avert a trial.
Ariel Castro, 52, is shown in this Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office booking photo taken on May 9, 2013. Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters
A grand jury on Friday added 648 charges to a previous indictment against Ariel Castro, bringing the total number of charges against him to 977.
Castro, 53, is accused of abducting the first of the women in 2002 and holding them captive until they escaped from his house on May 6 along with a 6-year-old girl he fathered with one of the women.
During a brief court appearance, a lawyer for Castro entered the not guilty plea and the judge kept in place an $8 million bond, and an order that Castro have no contact with the three women and the child.
Law enforcement officials have said that the women, Gina DeJesus, 23, Michelle Knight, 32, and Amanda Berry, 27, were kept bound in chains or rope for periods of time and that they endured starvation, beatings and repeated sexual assaults.
The most serious of the charges against Castro, two counts of aggravated murder under a fetal homicide law over allegations he forced Knight to miscarry, could potentially carry a death sentence if prosecutors choose to pursue it.
Joe Frolik, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, told reporters a committee that considers death penalty charges is still deliberating and prosecutors have reserved the right to bring a third indictment that includes a death penalty charge.
According to the indictment, Knight was pregnant at least three times from September 2002 to December 2003. Castro’s aggravated murder charge stems from allegations that he forced her to miscarry in a fourth pregnancy from 2006 to 2007.
But legal experts have said that it would be difficult to prove murder without physical evidence of the miscarriage.
Castro has not sought to delay the start of his trial, which is scheduled for August 5, but defense attorneys again said on Wednesday they are seeking a plea agreement in the case.
“We are preparing for that trial however with the goal in mind to try to resolve this for the fairness of the women as well as the community so everyone can put this behind them,” Castro’s attorney, Craig Weintraub, told reporters.
“Either we are going to have a plea or we are going to have a trial on August 5,” he said.
Ian Friedman, a Cleveland lawyer who defended a teenager who opened fire at an Ohio school last year killing three people, said he would be shocked if the Castro trial begins as early as August 5 because of the complexity and number of charges.
“Ariel Castro will never leave prison to the taste of freedom. This case is only about whether he receives life (in prison) or death,” Friedman said.
Castro is charged with kidnapping the three women from 2002 to 2004 and brutalizing them over the next 10 years. He is also charged with kidnapping the 6-year-old girl and three counts of endangering her.
In Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, Castro’s lawyers waived a reading of the full indictment, which also includes 512 counts of kidnapping, 446 counts of rape, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, six counts of felony assault, and one count of possessing tools such as a Ruger handgun used to aid in the crimes.
Judge Pamela Barker summarized the charges against Castro. When she asked if he understood the charges, Castro replied, “yes.” Barker several times told Castro, who was wearing orange prison clothes, to raise his head and to open his eyes.
DNA evidence has confirmed that Castro was the father of the girl, who was born to Berry. At a court appearance in early July, Castro asked to be allowed jail visits from his daughter. A judge rejected the request immediately as “not appropriate.” ||||| CLEVELAND, Ohio — Accused kidnapper and murderer Ariel Castro pleaded not guilty this morning to a 977-count indictment (read the full text of the indictment in the document viewer below), but not before he was admonished by a judge to raise his head and open his eyes during his appearance in court.
Castro was charged anew last week in an indictment that covers the entire 10-year period prosecutors say Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were imprisoned and repeatedly raped in Castro's Seymour Avenue home.
In previous court appearances, Castro had kept his head down and would not look up. Judge Pamela Barker, sitting in for Judge Michael Russo, ordered Castro to lift his head and open his eyes, saying she wanted to make sure he understood the reading of his rights.
Castro complied, but when he again dropped his head, Barker again ordered him to raise his head and open his eyes. He raised his head, but after again closing his eyes, Barker admonished him.
"I'm trying," Castro said.
The new indictment includes charges from a previous 329-count indictment against Castro, to which he pleaded not guilty. Craig Weintraub, one of Castro's attorneys, has previously said there are some charges against Castro that cannot be refuted and that a plea deal can be reached if Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty does not seek the death penalty.
After today's arraignment, Weintraub reiterated his desire to resolve the case and said there have been discussions with the prosecutor's office all along. He also said that the trial will commence on Aug. 5 as scheduled if a deal is not reached.
Neither Weintraub nor Schlachet would comment on Castro's demeanor in court.
The two charges against Castro that could call for the death penalty are for aggravated murder. They stem from accusations that Castro beat and tortured one of the three women into suffering a miscarriage.
McGinty said previously that he may seek the death penalty for Castro, but so far neither indictment includes death penalty specifications. McGinty reserves the right to add them later.
The new indictment of Castro includes 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape, as well as three counts of child endangerment.
Berry gave birth to a child during her imprisonment that was fathered by Castro.
Castro appeared before Judge Barker because Judge Russo is off this week.
|
– Ariel Castro insists he's an innocent man, despite the 977 charges filed against him in the Cleveland kidnapping case. He pleaded not guilty to all of them in court today, reports Reuters. Maybe the most interesting part of the arraignment was the judge ordering Castro to keep his head up and his eyes open, because she wanted to make sure he understood what was going on. When he flagged at one point, she told him again, and he responded, "I'm trying," reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Two of the charges against Castro—of aggravated murder, stemming from a miscarriage suffered by one of the women he had allegedly beaten—carry a potential death sentence, and Castro's attorneys are hoping for a plea deal that would keep prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. The judge today kept Castro's $8 million bond in place and continued to forbid him from seeing the 6-year-old girl he fathered with one of the women. (The three victims say they're doing fine in a video released last week.)
|
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OCEAN CITY, Md. - A scary scene on the Ocean City beach Sunday afternoon after a Pennsylvania woman was wounded by a windswept umbrella.
Ocean City Beach Patrol said the incident happened on the 54th Street beach, and they received the call just after 3 p.m.
Beach Patrol said an unattended umbrella swept by the wind pierced the woman's skin on her upper left chest. However, Captain Butch Arbin who was on scene said it was a non-life threatening injury.
Beach Patrol said the 46-year-old victim was medevaced to PRMC.
Beach patrol said it's important visitors take steps to prevent their umbrellas from getting swept up in the wind. That means rocking the whole umbrella pole back and forth until 18 to 24 inches of the pole are beneath the sand, as well as making sure the umbrella is tilted into the wind. ||||| OCEAN CITY, Md. - A 46-year-old Pennsylvania woman was flown out after officials say she was pierced in the chest by a beach umbrella on 54th Street in Ocean City Sunday afternoon.
The incident happened at approximately 3:11 PM. Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin said the victim was pierced by an unattended rental umbrella that had not been returned to the stand.
Captain Arbin said first responders secured the umbrella so it wouldn't blow around with the help of beach goers.
Once the fire department arrived on scene, they were able to cut the wooden pole, but a small piece remained under the victim's skin.
We're told first responders didn't want to remove the pole completely in fear of causing more damage.
OC Paramedics responded to the scene and took the woman to a Maryland State Police aviation helicopter. She was then transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
According to Captain Arbin, at PRMC, doctors will perform X-rays and decide the best way to remove the remaining pole.
Her condition is currently unknown at this time, but officials say her injuries are not life threatening.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
|
– In yet another example of the dangers of beach umbrellas, a woman was pierced in the chest by one in Ocean City, Md., on Sunday afternoon. Police say someone left a rental umbrella unattended without returning it to the stand, and the wooden pole ended up piercing the skin of a 46-year-old woman from Pennsylvania after the wind swept the umbrella away, WBOC reports. First responders cut it but didn't remove it completely out of concern they might cause more damage; the woman was flown to a hospital. Her current condition hasn't been reported, but her injuries were not said to be life-threatening, WMDT reports. (A very similar story happened last week.)
|
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UPDATE:
When most BASE jumpers come to Twin Falls they jump from the Perrine Bridge. Tuesday night a stunt jumper ascended from the canyon’s edge and found himself in a bit of trouble.
The jumper miscalculated his takeoff and the result left him hanging by his parachute from the rocky edge.
Regardless of experience some jumps aren’t worth the risk. Miles Daisher, a professional Red Bull BASE jumper and Twin Falls native, declined to jump from the same spot two years prior due to the dangers of not only the rocks but powerlines in the area.
“If you have a 180 degree off headed opening that wall is coming at you fast, and if you’re not like lightening on your toggles, you’re going to hit the wall, like what happened yesterday,” Daisher said.
Luckily for the stunt jumper, the Magic Valley Paramedics, Search and Rescue and Twin Falls Fire Department are trained and prepared for these rescues. Though rare, they're always high risk.
Chad Smith is the director of special operations of Magic Valley Paramedics and was the one who descended into the cliff to rescue the jumper. Smith and his team train year-round for these rescues even though they perform one to 50 a year.
"Obviously, it's pretty dangerous. We don't have the known obstacles as we do with the bridge, where everyone thinks the common area is. So safety is a huge factor. We try to make sure we get a good look from the top and the bottom before we do go perform those rescues so we can be as safe as possible,” Smith said.
The jumper refused medical treatment even though there were injuries to his leg. However, the irony was that this was not the first time he had to be rescued from the canyon.
“This is the second time we’ve rescued this BASE jumper. We picked him up by the Perrine Bridge last year. He wasn’t BASE jumping then but was out hiking and had a fall,” Smith said.
The rocks and terrain in the area are unstable. Smith wants to express to visitors that safety should always be their number one priority.
------------
Around 8:30 Tuesday night, a call came in to emergency responders of a BASE jumper stuck on the canyon wall just below Elevation 486 restaurant.
Crews with the Twin Falls Fire Department, Magic Valley Special Operations Reach and Treat (SORT) and Twin Falls County Search and Rescue performed a rope rescue, pulling the man off the wall just after 10 p.m.
Authorities drove him out to Clear Springs grade, but they told a reporter on scene that he refused medical attention and to go to the hospital.
Magic Valley Paramedics were also on scene.
Witnesses said one other man made the jump and landed safely on the canyon floor.
KMVT will update this story as more information becomes available.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story mistakenly stated the Magic Valley Paramedics performed the rope rescue. Magic Valley SORT is part of the Magic Valley Paramedics that assisted with the rescue. ||||| TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- Emergency responders rescued a BASE jumper from the wall of a canyon late Tuesday night after the man apparently got stuck.
CBS affiliate KMVT-TV reports that authorities received a call around 8:30 p.m. about the jumper, who was located on the wall of a canyon below a restaurant.
Paramedics arrived and one descended the face of the cliff on a rope, rescuing the man just after 10 p.m. Witnesses said another man successfully made the jump and landed safely at the bottom of the canyon.
Authorities told a reporter the rescued jumper declined to go to the hospital or receive medical treatment.
|
– A BASE jumper apparently trying to make it to the floor of an Idaho canyon instead ended up stuck on the canyon wall Tuesday night, KMVT reports. Emergency responders were called to the scene in Twin Falls, where one descended the cliff face to perform a rope rescue, CBS News reports. Witnesses said another man made the same jump but did end up safe on the floor of the canyon. The man who was rescued declined medical attention.
|
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A recently published study reveals new evidence that a major earthquake is way overdue on a 100 mile stretch of the San Andreas Fault from the Antelope Valley to the Tejon Pass and beyond.Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey released the results of the years-long study warning a major earthquake could strike soon."They're actually looking back in time and they were able to identify 10 earthquakes that occurred over the last 1,200 years," explained Robert Graves, a research geophysicist with the USGS.Geologists studied the area along the Grapevine near Frazier Park and found earthquakes happen there, on average, every 100 years. Experts said it's been 160 years since the last major quake."The stress is building up along the San Andreas and a large earthquake is inevitable," Graves said.Most earthquakes were 7.5 magnitude or larger, according to the study. Graves said the damage from an earthquake that powerful could be significant across the region."That would make it difficult to get power to Los Angeles, get supplies in and out of Interstate 5 for example," Graves said.Researchers said the new information shouldn't be a reason to panic, but to prepare."Large, but less damaging earthquakes, like magnitude 7.5, may be the more typical type of occurrence along this stretch of the fault," Graves said. ||||| The site studied by Scharer and her colleagues is next to Frazier Mountain at the top of Tejon Pass, close to the meeting point of Los Angeles, Ventura and Kern counties. Unlike other sections of the southern San Andreas, this region — about a 100-mile section of the fault — had not been studied in detail before, and scientists did not know what earthquakes occurred there before the 19th century. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites.
|
– Californians may expect the earth to move, but a new study of the San Andreas Fault suggests that the LA area is overdue for a Big One. The study by the US Geological Survey of a section of the fault in the Grapevine area found that major quakes strike there on average once every 100 years—and the last one hit 160 years ago, per a USGS release. Only two people were killed in the old quake, but a similar one today would surely have a much higher toll, while also damaging aqueducts, the electric grid, and highways. In fact, "it would impact our ability to be a world-class city," a USGS geologist tells the Los Angeles Times. Geologists examined a previously unstudied area of the fault, close to the juncture of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Kern counties. They dug down deep to get 1,200 years of data, finding evidence of 10 major earthquakes that happened at irregular intervals, making the timing of the next one difficult to predict. Some intervals were as short as 20 years, some as long as 200 years. The quakes were generally in the 7 to 7.5 range in magnitude, though the 1857 quake was 7.9, significantly larger. A CalTech seismologist says that's actually good news because the quake released a lot of energy, which could explain why there's been such a relatively long lull. Still, "the stress is building up along the San Andreas and a large earthquake is inevitable," another geologist tells KABC-TV.
|
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GENEVA — The United Nations experts investigating human rights conditions in North Korea said Tuesday that the “shocking” evidence they had collected from defectors and others suggested “large-scale” patterns of abuse that demanded an international response.
The Human Rights Council pushed for the investigation in an attempt to bring new attention to allegations of horrifying abuses at the North’s infamous gulags that have been trickling out for years as more people have escaped the brutal police state. Until now, world powers including the United States had focused instead on attempts to dismantle the North’s nuclear weapons program.
The chairman of the three-member Commission of Inquiry, Michael Donald Kirby, told reporters that the testimony he had heard in recent months evoked reactions similar to the discovery of concentration camps in Europe after World War II.
He cited the statements of a former prisoner who said she had seen another woman forced to drown her baby in a bucket, and the account of a man who said he had collected and burned the bodies of prisoners who had died of starvation. Experts say the number of prisoners in gulags has dropped in recent years — to an estimated 120,000 or fewer from a possible high of 200,000 — but that might be partly because so many had died from forced labor and a lack of food. ||||| Story highlights United Nations inquiry looking into human rights violations in North Korea
The rights probe documented "unspeakable atrocities" after witness interviews
Commission listened to prison camp survivors who suffered through childhoods of starvation
North Korea has rejected this testimony as "slander" put forward by "human scum"
A mother forced to drown her own baby and a prison camp inmate compelled to eat rodents and lizards just to survive -- these are some of the horrific experiences documented by a United Nations inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea.
According to the man who headed up the study, examples of "unspeakable atrocities" collected to date suggest widespread abuses on a scale requiring an international response.
"What we have seen and heard so far -- the specificity, detail and shocking character of the personal testimony -- appears without doubt to demand follow-up action by the world community, and accountability on behalf of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Michael Kirby, chair of the three-member commission of inquiry, told the U.N.'s Human Rights Council Tuesday.
The remarks were contained in a draft report updating the council on the work of the commission, ahead of a final report to the U.N. General Assembly slated for March.
Pyongyang has refused to cooperate with the investigation and rejects its validity.
Kirby said the interim findings were based on testimony given at public hearings in Seoul and Tokyo last month, from sources including North Korean defectors, former regime officials, survivors of political prison camps, and the families of Japanese and South Koreans abducted by North Korean agents.
"The individual testimonies emerging from the public hearings, of which these are just instances, do not represent isolated cases," he said. "They are representative of large-scale patterns that may constitute systematic and gross human rights violations."
JUST WATCHED UN hears story of North Korean torture Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH UN hears story of North Korean torture 01:24
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Kirby said the inquiry had heard "from ordinary people who faced torture and imprisonment for doing nothing more than watching foreign soap operas or holding a religious belief." One woman had given an account of witnessing a female inmate forced to drown her own baby in a bucket, while a man had spoken of being forced to burn the corpses of many prisoners who had died of starvation, before scattering their remains on crops.
"The commission listened to political prison camp survivors who suffered through childhoods of starvation and unspeakable atrocities, as a product of the 'guilt by association' practice, punishing other generations for a family member's perceived views or affiliation," he said, referring to the account of Shin Dong-hyuk , the high-profile North Korean defector whose horrific experiences were documented in the biography "Escape from Camp 14.
Imprisoned from birth, he said, Shin had eaten "rodents, lizards and grass to survive, and witness(ed) the public execution of his mother and brother."
Kirby also referred to the testimony given by the parents of Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old Japanese girl who was abducted by North Korean agents on her way home from school in 1977. Yokota was one of 13 Japanese kidnapped by North Korea and held in a North Korean facility as a way of training spies; the regime has said that she and seven others are dead.
Kirby noted that there had been "rays of hope of change" emerging from North Korea in the past -- including the regime signing an international convention recognizing the rights of the disabled, and moving to reopen the Kaesong industrial complex, operated in cooperation with South Korea -- but these had proven ephemeral.
North Korea had stonewalled invitations to participate in the inquiry, he said, with its official news agency rejecting the testimony as "slander" put forward by "human scum," he said.
He said the commission would seek to identify which North Korean institutions and officials were responsible for gross human rights violations, but did not clarify the mechanisms through which any prosecutions might occur.
North Korea is not a member of the International Criminal Court, but the court is empowered to investigate potential abuse by non-signatories at the request of the U.N. Security Council.
|
– With the world's attention currently focused on human rights abuses in Syria, the results of a UN inquiry is set to pull North Korea back into the spotlight, via a new report detailing the country's "systematic, widespread, and grave violations of human rights." The report is based on testimony from public hearings last month, reports CNN, and features horrific tales from inside the Hermit Kingdom's prison camps: one inmate was forced to watch the public execution of his mother and brother; one was witnessed being forced to drown her own baby in a bucket; another had to burn the corpses of dead prisoners and scatter their remains as crop fertilizer. "It is a very horrifying story, the like of which I don't think I've seen or read of since the Khmer Rouge and the Nazi atrocities during the second world war," says commission chief Michael Kirby, per the BBC. Kirby says the reported atrocities "demand" action from the international community, though the New York Times notes that's easier said than done. Getting any case into the International Criminal Court would require the approval of the UN Security Council—of which North Korea ally China is a member. China has criticized the inquiry, saying, "Politicized accusations and pressures are not helpful to improving human rights in any country." Also not a fan? North Korea, which dismissed the evidence as "fabricated and invented" by hostile forces.
|
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Babies Who Eat Rice Cereal Have Higher Arsenic Levels, Study Finds
Enlarge this image toggle caption iStockphoto iStockphoto
When it comes to introducing babies to solid foods, rice cereal is often first. And rice is a staple in many baby and toddler foods.
But, as we've reported, multiple studies have found that rice-based foods contain traces of arsenic, and sometimes levels are surprisingly high.
Now comes a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics that finds babies who are fed rice cereals — and other rice-based snacks — have higher concentrations of arsenic in their urine compared with infants who are not fed rice.
"The highest arsenic concentrations were among those who consumed infant rice cereal," says researcher Margaret Karagas, an epidemiologist at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine. "Among those [babies] who ate rice snacks, levels were about double [that of] non-rice eaters."
The study was based on data from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. The researchers analyzed the eating habits of about 750 infants of mothers enrolled in the study.
"We knew rice cereal was a common first food, but we didn't really know how common it was or what age it was introduced," Karagas says. The study found that, by age 1, about 80 percent of babies had been introduced to rice cereal, usually starting at 4 to 6 months. "We were surprised by the number of infants consuming rice products," Karagas says.
The potential health effects of regularly consuming infant rice cereal — and other rice-based products —containing traces of arsenic are unclear. But the authors write in their paper that "emerging epidemiologic evidence suggests that [arsenic] exposure in utero and during early life may be associated with adverse health effects" on immune system and brain development.
Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a limit of 100 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. Inorganic arsenic is the type that public health officials worry about the most.
"Our actions are driven by our duty to protect the public health and our careful analysis of the data and the emerging science," Susan Mayne, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement on the proposed limit.
The FDA's statement points to research that links exposure to inorganic arsenic early in life to decreased performance on certain developmental tests.
The FDA tested 76 samples of infant rice cereals from retail stores for concentrations of inorganic arsenic. The agency found that about half of the samples contained levels of inorganic arsenic that were higher than 100 ppb, but most exceeded the proposed limit only slightly.
So, what advice does the agency have for parents? Rice doesn't need to be the only — or first — source of grain in your baby's diet, the FDA says. Other sources include oats, wheat and barley.
"For toddlers, provide a well-balanced diet, which includes a variety of grains," the agency says.
This advice is seconded by the American Academy of Pediatricians. A wide variety of foods "will decrease [a] child's exposure to arsenic from rice," concludes the AAP's advice to parents. And as the AAP notes, other foods — like finely chopped meats or vegetable purees — "are equally acceptable as a first food." ||||| Importance Rice—a typical first food and major ingredient in various infant foods—contains inorganic arsenic (As), but the extent of As exposure from these foods has not been well characterized in early childhood.
Objective To determine the types and frequency of rice and rice-containing products consumed by infants in the first year of life and the association with As biomarker concentrations.
Design, Setting, and Participants Included were infants from singleton births of pregnant women enrolled in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study from 2011 to 2014 whose parents were interviewed during their first year of life. Enrolled women from selected clinics were aged 18 to 45 years, living in the same residence since their last menstrual period, in households served by a private water system, and had no plans to move during pregnancy. Data on infants’ intake of rice and rice products were collected from interviews with their parents at 4, 8, and 12 months’ follow-up and from a 3-day food diary at 12 months from March 2013 to August 2014.
Exposures Infants’ intake of rice and rice products.
Main Outcomes and Measures Total urinary As and the sum of As species measured using inductively coupled mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled mass spectrometry. Commonly reported infant rice snacks were tested for As.
Results We obtained dietary data on 759 of 951 infants (79.8% participation rate). Of these, 391 infants (51.7%) were male, and the mean (SD) gestational age was 39.4 (1.7) weeks. An estimated 80% were introduced to rice cereal during their first year. At 12 months, 32.6% of infants (42 of 129) were fed rice snacks. Among infants aged 12 months who did not eat fish or seafood, the geometric mean total urinary As concentrations were higher among those who ate infant rice cereal (9.53 µg/L) or rice snacks (4.97 µg/L) compared with those who did not eat rice or rice products (2.85 µg/L; all P < .01). Infant rice snacks contained between 36 and 568 ng/g of As and 5 to 201 ng/g of inorganic As.
Conclusions and Relevance Our findings indicate that intake of rice cereal and other rice-containing foods, such as rice snacks, contribute to infants’ As exposure and suggest that efforts should be made to reduce As exposure during this critical phase of development. ||||| FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2011 file photo, rice grows in a field near Alicia, Ark. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, April 1, 2016, urged the food industry to reduce the already-small amount... (Associated Press)
FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2011 file photo, rice grows in a field near Alicia, Ark. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, April 1, 2016, urged the food industry to reduce the already-small amount... (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday urged the food industry to reduce the already-tiny amount of arsenic found in baby rice cereals.
The agency proposed a new voluntary limit for the amount of inorganic arsenic — the type found in some pesticides and insecticides — in infant rice cereals to 100 parts per billion, equivalent to recommendations already in place in Europe. It's a very small amount, and around half of infant rice cereals the FDA sampled from retail stores in 2014 are already in compliance. But the FDA says the guidance is a precaution, as rice cereal is a leading source of arsenic exposure in infants.
"The proposed limit is a prudent and achievable step," said Susan Mayne of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The FDA said parents don't need to stop feeding their infants rice cereal, but officials said they should vary rice with other things like baby oatmeal, barley and multigrain cereals that are also iron-fortified. The agency said rice intake is about three times greater for infants than adults relative to body weight, primarily due to infant rice cereal.
Gerber, the nation's largest manufacturer of baby rice cereal says it's already in compliance with the FDA's proposed arsenic levels.
"We have worked closely with our trusted rice supplier and their growers as well as researchers from agricultural universities to achieve some of the lowest levels of this element in U.S. grown rice," Gerber said in a release issued shortly after the agency's announcement.
Arsenic is naturally present in water, air, food and soil in two forms: organic and inorganic. Organic arsenic passes through the body quickly and is essentially harmless. Inorganic arsenic can be toxic and may pose a cancer risk if consumed at high levels or over a long period of time. Rice is thought to have arsenic in higher levels than most other foods because it is grown in water on the ground, optimal conditions for the contaminant to be absorbed.
___
Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick ||||| Gerber Reassures Parents of Rice Cereal Safety
For more than 80 years, parents and caregivers have trusted Gerber to consistently provide high-quality, safe and nutritious products. We are committed to maintaining that trust.
All Gerber products are safe to consume, including Gerber rice cereal and Gerber SmartNourish organic brown rice cereal. All of the rice ingredients used in Gerber products are sourced from rice grown in the United States. Gerber monitors and controls for arsenic in our rice ingredients, as arsenic can occur naturally in rice through the growing process. Any ingredient that does not meet our high standards for quality is rejected. Although our products are safe to consume, we recognize some consumers may have concerns about arsenic in foods. Therefore, earlier this year, we decided to exclusively use California rice in all of our rice-containing dry infant cereal. We chose California rice because California has the lowest arsenic levels for rice grown in the United States.
It is important to recognize that some arsenic is unavoidable in the food supply because it occurs in soil, air and water. As a result, low levels of this substance can be found in many nutritious foods and beverages. It is not possible to completely eliminate arsenic in food and it has not been determined that there is any safety concern.
The FDA, the federal government agency responsible for protecting public health, has been monitoring arsenic in the US food supply for more than twenty years.1 The FDA has consistently advised that families should not make dietary changes based on presence of the low levels of arsenic in rice and rice based products.
Generations of babies have benefited from iron-fortified infant cereals that provide many important nutrients for infant development, particularly iron. Gerber infant rice cereals are a nutritious first solid food for babies starting around six months of age. Two daily servings of Gerber infant cereals provide 90 percent of baby’s daily iron needs as well as other essential vitamins and minerals including zinc and several B vitamins.
We encourage consumers to contact us if they have questions or concerns at 1-800-462-5046, or Gerber.com, any time, day or night.
1 Total Diet Study. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2010. Accessed September 17, 2012 at: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/TotalDietStudy/default.htm.
|
– Feeding infants rice cereals as first foods is taking a new hit from researchers and organizations alike, and now a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics adds to the growing chorus that rice be scaled back or put off altogether. This is because, as researchers report, infants who are fed rice cereal have much higher arsenic levels, and the long-term effects of exposure to arsenic in food are yet to be determined. Just this month, the FDA proposed a limit of 100 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. Rice is especially popular as a first food because it is so rarely an allergen, but rice grains are also especially good at absorbing arsenic, which naturally occurs in soil and water, reports ABC News. Meanwhile, the FDA reports that as a percentage of body weight, infants get three times as much rice as adults, primarily in the form of cereal. The researchers examined the diets of 759 infants and found that 80% were introduced to rice in their first year. Compared to babies with no rice in their diets, those who were fed rice cereal had more than three times the level of arsenic in their urine. "We were surprised by the number of infants consuming rice products," one of the researchers tells NPR, which notes that the FDA suggests trying oats, wheat, or barley as a first food, while the American Academy of Pediatricians says that a wide variety of foods will decrease a baby's exposure to arsenic from rice, including finely chopped meats and vegetable purees. Gerber, for its part, reports that in early 2016 it began to source its rice exclusively from California, which has been shown to grow the rice with the lowest arsenic levels in the country. But it reminds consumers that some arsenic is simply unavoidable in a wide range of healthy foods. (Scientists say one cooking method removes half the arsenic in rice.)
|
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KABUL (Reuters) - A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan late on Friday, two months after more than 300 people were killed by a quake in the same mountainous region.
Strong shocks were felt in the Afghan capital Kabul at 11:14 p.m. local time (1914 GMT) and in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, waking sleeping people and driving them out of their houses. Tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi, officials said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake, initially reported as magnitude 6.4, was at a depth of 126.5 miles (203 km) and centered 51 miles (82 km) southeast of the town of Feyzabad, capital of the Afghan province of Badakhshan.
In Pakistan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government issued a red alert soon after the earthquake but there was no immediate information about loss of life or damage to property.
A magnitude 6.2 quake is considered strong and can cause severe damage. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties but communications can be slow in the mountainous region where the quake was centered.
With harsh winter weather setting in, any widespread destruction of buildings and houses would create severe hardship.
A magnitude-7.5 quake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan on Oct. 26, destroying thousands of houses and killing more than 300 people. ||||| ISLAMABAD (AP) — A strong earthquake shook parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, rattling buildings and forcing sleeping residents out of their homes.
More than 30 people were injured as houses or walls collapsed in the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar, said emergency rescue service spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi. A total of 41 people were taken to hospitals in the city, according to doctors and rescue officials.
Pakistani official Ghulam Rasool told The Associated Press that the magnitude-6.9 quake was centered in Tajikistan near the Afghan border, beginning after midnight Saturday and lasting for 59 seconds.
However, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake measured at magnitude 6.2 and was centered in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Twitter users in the Afghan capital, Kabul, reported feeling the tremors.
Hamid Nawaz, the head of Pakistan's disaster management authority, said they were still assessing damage. He confirmed that some old homes and walls collapsed in Peshawar, but he refused to share further details.
The quake was also felt in the Kashmir region. In Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, some residents remained outside their homes despite the chilly winter weather, fearful of aftershocks.
Sahiba Khan, an 18-year-old student, said she was reading when the earthquake jolted her home. All of her family members emerged, reciting verses from Quran.
___
Associated Press writer Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan contributed. ||||| A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan today near the boarders of Tajikistan and Pakistan, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake’s epicenter was 176 miles from Kabul. The shaking was felt in Islamabad, Pakistan and New Delhi, India.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was 203.5 km deep. Deeper earthquakes tend to cause less damage than shallower earthquakes of the same magnitude.
Potential damage was not immediately clear.
|
– Reports of injuries and destruction are starting to trickle in after a strong earthquake hit near Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan on Friday, the AP reports. Sources are putting the earthquake's magnitude between 6.2 and 6.9. According to ABC News, the epicenter was 176 miles from Kabul near Afghanistan's borders with Pakistan and Tajikistan. But the AP states the epicenter was actually located in Tajikistan. Regardless, tremors were felt as far away as Islamabad and New Delhi, according to ABC. The earthquake was more than 126 miles below the surface and lasted nearly a minute, the AP reports. The quake struck as many people in the region slept, and more than 30 residents in Peshawar, Pakistan, were injured by falling walls and collapsing houses, the AP reports. More than 40 people were hospitalized around the city. While the extent of damage across the region isn't yet known, the loss of homes and other shelters would be especially bad now in the midst of winter weather, according to Reuters. The AP reports residents could be seen standing outside their homes awaiting aftershocks, while others recited verses from the Quran. Hundreds of people were killed when an earthquake hit the same area two months ago, according to Reuters.
|
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THERE HAVE BEEN GREAT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN RHETORIC. Yet there has been only one occasion of pure, unadulterated genius. That’s what happened last night: a debate staged between the Internet’s favorite Tennessee gubernatorial candidate, Basil Marceaux, and two other crazies.
After Marceaux became a viral hit, you see, a guy named James Crenshaw and some other people decided they wanted to be his campaign staff. Why would any sane people do this? It seems to us that they perhaps want to exploit him. America is fun like that! These ruffians are filming a “possible documentary” about him, your Wonkette has been told, and they put up the videos on this YouTube account, apparently to try to manufacture a sustained Internet interest in their subject. And Wednesday night, the night before today’s Tennessee gubernatorial primaries, this “staff” staged this magnificent debate at the Scarritt-Bennett Center’s Harambee Auditorium in Nashville. A Wonkette operative WITNESS TO HISTORY was there to provide us a full account of the sublime experience.
In addition to the video above, a Flickr set has been circulating among Basil watchers. It’s worth checking out. There are some pictures and fun videos of Basil and the other candidates and his “staff” of cameramen.
And now, allow your eyes to bleed as you read this glorious account:
Okay! Just got back from a gubernatorial debate between Basil Marceaux, Crazy June Griffin and Green Party candidate Howard Switzer here in Nashville. James Reesor was invited but declined and the entire thing, as you may expect, was a fucking CIRCUS. Really, I’m not sure where to start because I’m still trying to wrap my head around what just happened.
As for the campaign… I’m all about making fun of shit, but this is just sad. Still not sure how the campaign manager came upon the job, but the his name is James Crenshaw. He’s in a back brace and uses a cane to get around because he fell off a balcony one night at a party. At any rate, he took over the campaign after the original video aired on WSMV, put together a team of cameramen and they’re following Basil around shooting footage for a possible documentary. One of the other guys is a local DJ named Pimp Daddy Supreme whose real name is Shane Martin.
Basil thanked James and the staff for the support and called James up on the stage at the end to thank everyone for coming since I guess he was the one who organized it. [James] told the story about how he had the accident that put him in the back brace and ended up with too much time on his hands, so he decided to get involved in politics. Then Crazy June Griffin prayed for the all the athiests and everyone milled around a bit. James kept telling the cameramen to “stay on Basil” and make sure they caught everything.
Basil was talking to everyone and asking for us to mail him pictures (“The hard copy, not like the Twitter copy because Twitter is on paper.”) He kept telling everyone he was famous in Hollywood now, and he was really proud of it. At one point, he pulled out three giant magnets that he has on his truck that probably say outrageous things about traffic stop slavery, and his campaign people ushered him off to a corner with better light to show them off and talk about them on camera. Basil was almost falling over trying to get the magnets spread out on the floor and hasn’t slept in days.
He seems to really have no idea people are making fun of him in this way. I’m pretty sure his staff is just telling him that people are making fun of his morals and stances and he needs to stand up for what he believes in. He’s just sort of a sad old dude that a bunch of people decided to pick up and exploit. Meanwhile, Crazy June Griffin took over the piano in the corner and played repeated loud renditions of God Bless America until she realized no one cared and stomped out. See? Circus.
So anyway! The debate. For starters, they tried to open with the Pledge of Allegiance, but Basil refused to say it to the flag that was on stage because it had gold fringe (one of his platforms, remember?) They delayed the debate while they tried to find another flag, but in the end, he just left the room during the Pledge. Then he came back in and everyone had to repeat the Pledge to a picture of the American flag on someone’s CELL PHONE in the corner of the room.
With that finally out of the way, the debate got started and to be honest, I couldn’t follow 95% of what Basil was saying. He did manage to cover slavery at traffic stops, the Mexicans, Indians and flags with fringe. He frequently went off on tangents and then later asked to re-answer the questions because he was sleep-deprived and hadn’t slept since Monday. He asked for some water and Howard Switzer let him drink from his water bottle while Switzer’s campaign manager/wife (maybe?) hollered at him to wipe the rim when Basil was done drinking. Switzer was incredibly gracious the entire time and June Griffin just sort of fumed when she wasn’t answering questions.
Basil kept running overtime on his questions because no one made him any signs to tell him how much time he had left, which led to a several-minute spat with the moderator and other candidates and he concluded that at the next debate, they’d bring signs and food. He covered a pretty wide array of topics from slavery at traffic stops to kicking all the non-Christians out of the government to legalizing marijuana. Another highlight would be when the discussion turned to immigration and Basil said that if he were governor, he’d round up everyone who looked Mexican and ship them back across the border. Then if they had a green card, they could come back. Most of his answers made even less sense than everything he’s said on TV and on his website. He literally fell asleep at the podium between questions also.
Things got really interesting when June Griffin went on a passionate tirade about Native Americans and how they ruined the country until we civilized them. The audience went absolutely apeshit on her. That’s when the entire thing really started to fall apart, I guess. Basil rebutted by sticking up for the Indians and how they came from Asia and Greece to found our country and they’re our brothers and sisters and he wants to have them over for Thanksgiving dinner. Actually, he said, if he were governor he would cancel Thanksgiving because there should be no Thanksgiving without the Native Americans at the table. This is the point at which June Griffin’s Crazy completely eclipsed Basil’s nuttery and somehow he actually started to look pretty good. Poor Howard Switzer hung out in the middle and seemed to be about as uncomfortable as the rest of us.
There’s probably too much to try to relay, but there were some golden quotes from Basil (such as “I’m like MacGuyver, I’m gonna put down traps for the Mexicans….they’re coming too fast!” and “I’m not gonna let them pass a law making women go topless… If you want me federal government, come see me! I’m a Marine, I deserve a flyover.”) The entire thing was hilarious, but then I came away feeling like I’d just kicked the shit out of a handicapped kid on the playground. ||||| Basil Marceaux is the Magical Realism Candidate for Governor of Tennessee. Among his platforms is a promise to "IMMUNE YOU FROM ALL STATE CRIMES FOR THE REST OF YOU LIFE!" as he noted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night. To file a suit "against the Soddy Daisy judge for promoting slaving at traffic stops." (Basil has claimed a Navy SEAL friend of his was beat up during a traffic stop while a pistol was put to his head.) He would also like to "update the monitory car insurance to match the federal insurance act where they say if you do not know the name and address of the person who will get the check when you pay you money to your agent it is gaming and we can not gamble in Tenn, right now we are gaming. My plan would lower car insurance by 45%." (He's got my vote.) Meanwhile, Basil plans to ensure that the flag is flown correctly. "if you fly a U.S. flag you will fly it right."
At least a few of these, however, are probably just items on his own personal wish list. It seems Marceaux, a resident of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., is no stranger to Hamilton County Criminal Court. A call placed to the court clerk's office didn't yield much in the way of details, but Pith found out that Marceaux has pleaded guilty to vandalism, possession of drug paraphernalia and reckless driving. Those are just the charges for which he was penalized. For a handful of other alleged crimes, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity: Violating the financial responsibility law on four separate occasions (insurance), driving an unregistered vehicle (twice), speeding and theft of property. Letters of need for involuntary committal were issued, but it isn't clear that he was ever actually placed in a psychiatric hospital. In some ways, his scofflaw's disregard for vehicle registration and insurance laws makes him more Tea Party than any of the other candidates. He's thumbing his nose at Big Government.
So, yeah, it could be argued that Basil Marceaux is nuttier than squirrel turds. But this year it seems like you could do a lot worse with your vote (HaslamWampRamsey).
Also, "will the world tell President Bush to stop this slavery operation?" Basil will. Will you!?!
|
– Tennessee’s gubernatorial primary is today, and if you vote for Basil Marceaux, he promises to “immune you from all state crimes for the rest of your life”—just one of many bizarre promises Marceaux has made in his surreal run for the Republican nod. His mumble-mouthed, incoherent YouTube videos have made him such an Internet celebrity/punchline, that he recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel. He also picked up a new “campaign manager,” whom Wonkette is pretty sure is exploiting him for comedy. The campaign manager and some hip-hop artists are filming a documentary about Marceaux. Last night, they set up a debate between him and a few other fringe candidates that swiftly descended into a circus, according to a Wonkette reader. Marceaux refused to pledge allegiance to the flag because it had gold trim, fell asleep frequently at the podium, and declared, among other strange statements, that the Native Americans came from Greece. This seems like a good time to mention that, according to the Nashville Scene, Basil has been arrested many times, but is usually found not guilty by reason of insanity.
|
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Senate Republicans intend to block action on virtually all Democratic-backed legislation unrelated to tax cuts and government spending in the current postelection session of Congress, officials said Tuesday, adding that the leadership has quietly collected signatures on a letter pledging to carry out the strategy.
If carried out, it would doom Democratic-backed attempts to end the Pentagon's practice of discharging openly gay members of the military service and give legal status to young illegal immigrants who join the military or attend college.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has made both measures a priority as Democrats attempt to enact legislation long sought by groups that supported them in the recent midterm elections.
A nuclear arms treaty with Russia that President Barack Obama wants ratified would not be affected, since any debate would take place under different rules than those that apply to legislation. Even so, its passage is not assured as Republicans are seeking concessions from the White House.
Officials who disclosed the new Republican maneuver did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss it.
It was not known how many of the Senate's 42 Republicans had signed the draft letter, which the leadership intends to make public quickly.
Senate Democrats need 60 votes to overcome any delaying tactics, meaning they could be thwarted if 41 Republicans join in the commitment.
Democrats' chances of passing politically charged legislation will dim when the new Congress convenes in January, since Republicans will take control of the House and gain more Senate seats.
The letter comes after comments by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and others in his party that the voters made it clear in the elections they want lawmakers to focus on economic issues.
"Despite what some Democrats in Congress have suggested, voters did not signal they wanted more cooperation on the Democrats' big-government policies that most Americans oppose," McConnell and incoming House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, wrote in an op-ed article published in the Washington Post. ||||| From NBC’s Ken Strickland and Kelly O'Donnell
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced this morning that Republicans will block any legislation from coming to the Senate floor until two key economic issues are addressed: funding the government (the “continuing resolution” which must pass to prevent a government shutdown) and the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts.
McConnell said that members of his caucus are united in the pledge to use procedural votes to prevent any other non-economic issues -- including the new START treaty, the DREAM Act, or the defense authorization bill that contains a potential repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy – from coming to the floor for debate.
"Republicans have pleaded with Democrats to put aside their wish-list - to focus on the things Americans want us to focus on," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "They've ignored us. The voters repudiated their agenda at the polls. They've ignored them."
In a letter signed by all 42 members of the GOP caucus, Republicans write that, "with little time left in this Congressional session, legislative scheduling should be focused on these critical priorities.”
“While there are other items that might ultimately be worthy of the Senate's attention, we cannot agree to prioritize any matters above the critical issues of funding the government and preventing a job-killing tax hike,” the letter reads.
Speaking on the Senate floor this morning, before McConnell made his remarks, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid slammed the GOP tactic as "very cynical, but very obvious and very transparent."
"With this letter, they have simply put in writing a political strategy Republicans have pursued this entire Congress," he said. "Namely: obstruct, delay; obstruct delay."
Msnbc.com's Carrie Dann contributed.
|
– All 42 Senate Republicans have signed a letter pledging to block all legislation during the lame-duck session until the Senate addresses the Bush-era tax cuts and funding the government—the latter of which must pass in order to prevent a shutdown of the government, MSNBC reports. This could spell disaster for the Dems’ fight against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and their efforts to offer legal status to illegal immigrants who go to college or join the military, the AP notes. “With little time left in this Congressional session, legislative scheduling should be focused on these critical priorities,” McConnell writes in a letter to Reid signed by all 42 members of the caucus. “While there are other items that might ultimately be worthy of the Senate's attention, we cannot agree to prioritize any matters above the critical issues of funding the government and preventing a job-killing tax hike.”
|
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“Organ trafficking is a growth industry,” said Jonathan Ratel, a European Union special prosecutor who is leading a case against seven people accused of luring poor victims from Turkey and former communist countries to Kosovo to sell their kidneys with false promises of payments of up to $20,000. “Organized criminal groups are preying upon the vulnerable on both sides of the supply chain: people suffering from chronic poverty, and desperate and wealthy patients who will do anything to survive.”
The main supply countries have traditionally been China, India, Brazil and the Philippines. But experts say Europeans are increasingly vulnerable.
An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 kidneys are illegally sold globally each year, according to Organs Watch, a human rights group in Berkeley, Calif., that tracks the illegal organ trade. The World Health Organization estimates that only 10 percent of global needs for organ transplantation are being met.
Nancy Scheper-Hughes, the director of Organs Watch and a professor of medical anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, said the attempt by poor Europeans to sell their organs was reminiscent of the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when chronic joblessness created a new breed of willing sellers.
Photo
Trade in organs in Serbia is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison. But that is not deterring the people of Doljevac, a poor municipality of 19,000 people in southern Serbia, where the government refused an attempt by residents to register a local agency to sell their organs and blood abroad for profit.
Violeta Cavac, a homemaker advocating for the network, said that the unemployment rate in Doljevac was 50 percent and that more than 3,000 people had wanted to participate. Deprived of a legal channel to sell their organs, she said, residents are now trying to sell body parts in neighboring Bulgaria or in Kosovo.
“I will sell my kidney, my liver, or do anything necessary to survive,” she said.
Hunched over his computer in Kovin, about 25 miles from Belgrade, Mr. Mircov showed a reporter his kidney-for-sale advertisement, which included his blood type and phone number.
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“Must sell kidney. Blood group A,” the ad said. “My financial situation is very difficult. I lost my job, and I need money for school for my two children.”
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After six months of advertising, Mr. Mircov said, his days are punctuated by hope and disappointment. He said a man from Mannheim, Germany, had offered to fly him to Germany and cover the transplant costs. But when Mr. Mircov tried to follow up, he said, the man disappeared.
A woman from Macedonia offered $24,000 for a kidney from his partner, Daniella, but that was $12,000 below her asking price. She noted that she has blood type O, which can bring a $12,000 premium on the organ market because the blood is safe for most recipients.
Mr. Mircov said he had no fear about an eventual operation or legal strictures forbidding organ sales. “It’s my body, and I should be able to do what I want with it,” he said.
Government officials insisted that Serbia was not so poor as to reduce people to selling their body parts, while police officials said not a single case of organ trafficking in Serbia had been prosecuted in the past 10 years. Experts who study illegal organ sales said prosecutions were rare because transplants usually took place in third countries, making them difficult to track.
Dr. Djoko Maksic, a leading nephrologist who runs the transplant program at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, expressed disbelief that illegal organ selling was taking place in Serbia, saying every potential donor was scrutinized and vetted by a hospital committee consisting of doctors, ethicists and lawyers.
But Milovan, 52, a former factory worker from a rural village in southern Serbia, said he “gave” his kidney to a wealthy local politician who, in return, put him on his company payroll and offered to buy him medication. The kidney was extracted at a public hospital in Belgrade, he said, with both men using forged donor cards indicating they were brothers.
Debt-ridden, Milovan, who declined to give his last name for fear of being ostracized by his neighbors, lamented that the recipient had recently cut him off, and his family said he had spent his money so quickly that he was reduced to selling eggs at a local market. ||||| After six months of advertising, Mr. Mircov said, his days are punctuated by hope and disappointment. He said a man from Mannheim, Germany, had offered to fly him to Germany and cover the transplant costs. But when Mr. Mircov tried to follow up, he said, the man disappeared.
A woman from Macedonia offered $24,000 for a kidney from his partner, Daniella, but that was $12,000 below her asking price. She noted that she has blood type O, which can bring a $12,000 premium on the organ market because the blood is safe for most recipients.
Mr. Mircov said he had no fear about an eventual operation or legal strictures forbidding organ sales. “It’s my body, and I should be able to do what I want with it,” he said.
Government officials insisted that Serbia was not so poor as to reduce people to selling their body parts, while police officials said not a single case of organ trafficking in Serbia had been prosecuted in the past 10 years. Experts who study illegal organ sales said prosecutions were rare because transplants usually took place in third countries, making them difficult to track.
Dr. Djoko Maksic, a leading nephrologist who runs the transplant program at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, expressed disbelief that illegal organ selling was taking place in Serbia, saying every potential donor was scrutinized and vetted by a hospital committee consisting of doctors, ethicists and lawyers.
But Milovan, 52, a former factory worker from a rural village in southern Serbia, said he “gave” his kidney to a wealthy local politician who, in return, put him on his company payroll and offered to buy him medication. The kidney was extracted at a public hospital in Belgrade, he said, with both men using forged donor cards indicating they were brothers.
Debt-ridden, Milovan, who declined to give his last name for fear of being ostracized by his neighbors, lamented that the recipient had recently cut him off, and his family said he had spent his money so quickly that he was reduced to selling eggs at a local market.
|
– As Europeans grapple with economic misery, illegal organ sales are on the rise, with desperate sellers willing to part with kidneys, corneas, bone marrow, and even lungs. "When you need to put food on the table, selling a kidney doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice," says an unemployed Serbian man who hopes his kidney will bring in $40,000; he's been advertising its sale online for the last six months. Internet ads spotted across Italy, Spain, Greece, and Russia, meanwhile, offer lungs for sale for as much as $250,000, the New York Times reports. "Unscrupulous traffickers" are turning toward Europe as well, the paper adds, ready to profit off of the continent's economic woes. "Organized criminal groups are preying upon the vulnerable on both sides of the supply chain: people suffering from chronic poverty, and desperate and wealthy patients who will do anything to survive," says a European Union prosecutor. Indeed, WHO figures show that just 10% of those in need are getting transplants. Between 15,000 and 20,000 kidneys sell on the black market worldwide yearly, analysts note; until recently, organs had typically come from China, India, the Philippines, and Brazil. The Times shares the harrowing story of one couple trying to sell their kidneys; click to read.
|
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The post from a popular Twitter page called "Yes, You're Racist" points to Pete Tefft of Fargo.
It's sparked thousands of retweets and likes, as well as many threats of violence.
RELATED:
Local family members also report being harassed.
The 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville turned deadly this weekend when a man drove a car into a crowd that was protesting the white nationalists.
One woman died and at least 19 others were hurt.
In February, Tefft responded to flyers in downtown Fargo that called him a Nazi.
In an video interview with The Forum, he said he was interested in political action to further pro-white interests.
Statement by Jacob Scott, Pete Tefft's nephew:
"In brief, we reject him wholly – both him personally as a vile person who has HIMSELF made violent threats against our family, and also his hideous ideology, which we abhor. We are all bleeding-heart liberals who believe in the fundamental equality of all human beings. Peter is a maniac, who has turned away from all of us and gone down some insane internet rabbit-hole, and turned into a crazy nazi. He scares us all, we don't feel safe around him, and we don't know how he came to be this way. My grandfather feels especially grieved, as though he has failed as a father."
"Several members of our family have been being harassed or threatened by random strangers, due to our connection with Peter. I know in particular that Peter's sister... has been contacted or threatened at her workplace, under the assumption that she must be a nazi or endorse nazism. We also have some relatives who live in..., who have randomly found themselves attacked, including a... year old girl, my cousin, named... who has supposedly been messaged online by at least one random stranger in a threatening manner. Our relatives were calling us in a panic earlier today, demanding we delete all Facebook photos that connect us to them, etcetera."RELATED: ||||| We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter?
Yes
|
– The father of a self-described white nationalist who marched at Saturday’s “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., says his son is no longer welcome home. Pearce Tefft of Fargo, ND, posted the open letter on INFORUM Monday, writing that his son Peter’s values are not shared by his family. “I, along with all of his siblings and his entire family, wish to loudly repudiate my son’s vile, hateful, and racist rhetoric and actions,” he wrote. “We do not know specifically where he learned these beliefs. He did not learn them at home.” Peter was first identified by Twitter user Yes, You’re Racist in a grainy screengrab from a video taken during the rally, but he's also been interviewed by news outlets about his beliefs. Pearce said that Peter’s family members originally stayed silent about Peter’s white nationalist beliefs, but ultimately realized that was a mistake. “It was the silence of good people that allowed the Nazis to flourish the first time around, and it is the silence of good people that is allowing them to flourish now,” Pearce writes, adding that unless his son renounces his “hateful beliefs,” he “is not welcome at our family gatherings any longer.” Peter Tefft's nephew also denounced Peter in a statement to WDAY: “He scares us all, we don’t feel safe around him, and we don’t know how he came to be this way.” Pearce ended his letter with a powerful response to a joke his son made about putting anti-fascists in ovens, writing: “Peter, you will have to shovel our bodies into the oven, too. Please son, renounce the hate, accept and love all.”
|
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Walk into a college lecture these days and you'll see legions of students sitting behind glowing screens, pecking away at keyboards.
Presumably, they're using the computers to take notes, so they better remember the course material. But new research shows that if learning is their goal, using a laptop during class is a terrible idea.
taking notes by hand forces you to actively listen and decide what's important
It's not just because internet-connected laptops are so distracting. It's because even if students aren't distracted, the act of taking notes on a computer actually seems to interfere with their ability to remember information.
Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer, the psychologists who conducted the new research, believe it's because students on laptops usually just mindlessly type everything a professor says. Those taking notes by hand, though, have to actively listen and decide what's important — because they generally can't write fast enough to get everything down — which ultimately helps them learn.
Laptop users remember less information later on
The psychologists' new paper involved three different studies comparing students' recall after taking notes on a (non-internet connected) laptop versus by hand, with 327 undergraduates from UCLA and Princeton in total.
For the first study, the students watched a 15-minute TED talk and took notes on it, then took a test on it half an hour afterward. Some of the test questions were straightforward, asking for a particular figure or fact, while others were conceptual, and asked students to compare or analyze ideas.
The two groups of students — laptop users and hand-writers — did pretty similarly on the factual questions. But the laptop users did significantly worse on the conceptual ones:
The researchers also noticed that the laptop users took down many more words, and were more likely to take down speech from the video verbatim.
To see if this rote note-taking was part of the problem, for the second study, they explicitly instructed some of the laptop users to do otherwise: "Take notes in your own words and don’t just write down word-for-word what the speaker is saying," they said.
The overachieving college students, though, were a heedlessly diligent bunch. Even in this study, the laptop users were once again much more likely to take down notes from the videos verbatim, and once again performed more poorly on the conceptual questions — whether they'd gotten the instructions to avoid word-for-word notes or not.
the laptop users performed similarly on factual questions, but significantly worse on conceptual ones
Both of these studies, though, eliminated a key benefit of laptop note-taking: the ability to look over a much more complete set of notes while studying. So as a final test, the researchers had students watch a seven-minute lecture (taking notes either on a laptop or by hand), let a week pass, then gave some of the students ten minutes to study their notes before taking a test.
Having time to study mattered — but only for students who'd taken notes by hand. These students did significantly better on both conceptual and factual questions. But studying didn't help laptop users at all, and even made them perform slightly worse on the test.
The researchers explain this by noting previous research showing the act of note-taking can be just as important as a later study of notes in helping students learn.
When done with pen and paper, that act involves active listening, trying to figure out what information is most important, and putting it down. When done on a laptop, it generally involves robotically taking in spoken words and converting them into typed text.
Laptops are also incredibly distracting
This new research suggests that even when students aren't doing anything else, taking notes on a laptop hinders their ability to learn. This is something of a surprise.
What isn't a surprise, though, is that real-life students that use laptops seldom focus on the lecture.
research shows students who use laptops perform more poorly in classes
You probably know this if you've looked across a lecture hall recently. But in case you want confirmation from professionals, research on both undergrads and law students has shown that those who use laptops have something unrelated to class up on their screens around 40 percent of the time. Ultimately, they perform more poorly in classes and rate themselves as less satisfied with their college educations.
None of this is rocket science. You're on the internet right now, and there's a good chance you're reading this article while distracted from work you're supposed to be doing. I work on the internet all day and still find it immensely distracting — and at times, I turn it off to focus on something.
But the crazy thing is that the many college students being distracted by their laptops are simultaneously paying tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of doing so.
Science and common sense are both pretty clear here. If you want to learn something from a class or lecture — or, from that matter, a meeting, conference, or any other situation where you're basically sitting and listening — you're best off taking notes with pen and paper.
Read more: Re-reading is inefficient. Here are 8 tips for studying smarter. ||||| Abstract
Taking notes on laptops rather than in longhand is increasingly common. Many researchers have suggested that laptop note taking is less effective than longhand note taking for learning. Prior studies have primarily focused on students’ capacity for multitasking and distraction when using laptops. The present research suggests that even when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallower processing. In three studies, we found that students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand. We show that whereas taking more notes can be beneficial, laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning. ||||| Our brain must understand that each possible iteration of, say, an “a” is the same, no matter how we see it written. Being able to decipher the messiness of each “a” may be more helpful in establishing that eventual representation than seeing the same result repeatedly.
“This is one of the first demonstrations of the brain being changed because of that practice,” Dr. James said.
In another study, Dr. James is comparing children who physically form letters with those who only watch others doing it. Her observations suggest that it is only the actual effort that engages the brain’s motor pathways and delivers the learning benefits of handwriting.
The effect goes well beyond letter recognition. In a study that followed children in grades two through five, Virginia Berninger, a psychologist at the University of Washington, demonstrated that printing, cursive writing, and typing on a keyboard are all associated with distinct and separate brain patterns — and each results in a distinct end product. When the children composed text by hand, they not only consistently produced more words more quickly than they did on a keyboard, but expressed more ideas. And brain imaging in the oldest subjects suggested that the connection between writing and idea generation went even further. When these children were asked to come up with ideas for a composition, the ones with better handwriting exhibited greater neural activation in areas associated with working memory — and increased overall activation in the reading and writing networks.
It now appears that there may even be a difference between printing and cursive writing — a distinction of particular importance as the teaching of cursive disappears in curriculum after curriculum. In dysgraphia, a condition where the ability to write is impaired, sometimes after brain injury, the deficit can take on a curious form: In some people, cursive writing remains relatively unimpaired, while in others, printing does.
|
– It might be tempting to haul your laptop into class, but in terms of learning, you may not be doing yourself a favor. A set of studies suggests that students learn better when they take notes by hand, Vox reports. Researchers reached their conclusions after studying test results by a total of 327 students at Princeton and UCLA. In the first study, students watched a TED Talk; some took notes by hand, others by computer. Then they took a test on the talk, and while both groups were comparable in their ability to answer factual questions, those who hand-wrote their notes beat those who typed on conceptual questions, Vox notes. Two other studies in the same series showed similar results. In the journal Psychological Science, researchers offer a possible reason for the difference: "Laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning." Indeed, as an expert told the New York Times last year: "When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated," said psychologist Stanislas Dehaene. "There is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition by mental simulation in your brain." So next time you're looking to learn, maybe leave the laptop at home. (Are Tennessee lawmakers onto something?)
|
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Couples who drink about the same amount of alcohol were less likely to divorce in a study of nearly 20,000 Norwegian couples that was released Tuesday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Here’s something to ponder if and when you and your spouse make your Valentine’s Day toasts this year: when it comes to drinking — as in so many other facets of marriage — compatibility may be key to keeping couples together.
Researchers reviewing data collected from 19,977 married couples in one county in Norway reported that spouses who consume about the same amount of alcohol were less likely to divorce than pairs where one partner is a heavy drinker and the other is not — especially when the wife is the one doing the drinking.
By reviewing such a large data set, the team, which reported its findings (abstract here, subscription required for full text)Tuesday in the online edition of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, were able to tease out some of the alcohol-related dynamics within couples that lead to marriage dissolution.
They found that divorce was generally more common in couples with high rates of alcohol consumption, but that the highest divorce rates were found in couples where only the woman was a heavy drinker. Among couples where the wife reported being a heavy drinker (a measure that including admission of an indication of "hazardous drinking") and the husband a light drinker, the divorce rate was 26.8%; when the positions were switched and the husband was the heavy drinker, the divorce rate was 13.1%.
In couples where both members were heavy drinkers, the divorce rate was 17.2%.
Norwegian Institute of Public Health researcher Fartein Ask Torvik, the lead author of the study, speculated that drinking in women upended marriages for a couple of reasons. One reason, he noted in a statement, is that women seem to be affected more strongly by alcohol than men are — so their drinking could impair them, and add risk in a marriage, more than a man’s heavy drinking might. The team also wrote that drinking “may be judged as incompatible with female roles,” and thus a particular threat to marital stability.
It was “of major interest” that a woman’s drinking more than her husband does seemed to strongly predict divorce, said his colleague Norwegian Institute of Public Health director Ellinor F. Major, who was not listed as a study co-author.
“Couples who intend to marry should be aware of the drinking pattern of their partner, since it may become a problem in the future,” she said in the statement.
The best approach might be for husbands and wives to strive for matching amounts of light or moderate drinking, she said.
Couples in the study who both reported being light drinkers divorced just 5.8% of the time. ||||| Getty Images / Flickr
Diet mixers can make you more drunk than higher-calorie options.
A new study, to be published in a forthcoming issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that using diet soda as a mixer can dramatically increase breath-alcohol content (BAC) without increasing your awareness of being impaired.
The study, which compared Smirnoff Red Label plus Squirt (a lemon-lime soda with no caffeine) with the vodka with Diet Squirt, found that the diet cocktail increased BAC by 18%. That’s almost as much as having an additional standard drink and was enough to tip people from being under the legal limit for driving to being unsafe to drive.
“One of the key things we found was that even though BAC peaked 18% higher in the diet condition, [participants] didn’t feel any more intoxicated and they didn’t feel any different as to how willing they were to drive a car,” says the study’s lead author Cecile Marczinski, who is an assistant professor of psychology at Northern Kentucky University.
(MORE: Why Women Drink and Drive)
The study involved 16 young men and women who consider themselves to be social drinkers. Over the course of three different drinking sessions, they were given either a placebo drink, a diet Squirt with vodka, or a full-sugar Squirt with vodka. Researchers decided to test a noncaffeinated diet drink because although caffeine doesn’t affect breath-detectable levels of alcohol, it does affect whether people think they are intoxicated so would have made the results more difficult to interpret. The dose of vodka was calibrated to each participant’s weight and gender to put them close to the .08 legal limit for drinking, which is the equivalent of drinking four beers in an hour.
After drinking the cocktail they were assigned, participants were tested for their reaction time and the number of errors they made in a computer task in which they learned a response and then had to inhibit that reaction on cue. They were also asked about their perceptions of how drunk and tired they were and whether they felt they could safely drive. At all times, the amount of alcohol measured in the volunteers’ breath was higher among those whose cocktails included diet drinks. And while the participants never reached the legal limit when they drank sugared soda with alcohol, they exceeded the safe limit for driving within 40 minutes if they had the diet cocktail.
(MORE: Study: Men and Women Benefit in Different Ways from AA)
“They are more impaired on the computer task, measured both by reaction time and errors,” Marczinski says of those in the diet-drink group. “You shouldn’t trust your own judgment of impairment. In one case, the subjects were safe to drive and legal, and in the other case, they were not, but they had no idea.”
So why would diet drinks increase intoxication? Previous work found that the stomach reacts to sugary drinks as though they are food, working to digest the calories. Eating solid food while drinking significantly reduces BAC, by 20% to 57%, and sugary drinks seem to act similarly, keeping alcohol in the stomach longer, slowing down its release into the bloodstream.
With diet soda, by contrast, Marczinski says, “The stomach doesn’t recognize that it needs to do anything with that drink, because it has no sugar. It goes right to small intestine where the most alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream.”
Marczinski recognizes that the results may prompt some to turn to diet drinks for a quicker and cheaper buzz, but, she says, the connection is important to recognize so bartenders and party hosts can look out for those who keep ordering diet-mixed drinks. “I think people need to be aware of this.”
|
– 'Til booze do us part? A new study out of Norway says that drinking and marriage don't mix—especially if the woman is doing the heaviest drinking, reports the Los Angeles Times. After looking at nearly 20,000 married couples, researchers found heavy-drinking couples had a divorce rate of 17.2%, versus 5.8% for light drinkers. But the worst results came from couples in which the woman is a heavy drinker and the man is a light drinker—a sobering 26.8% of those marriages end in divorce. When the man is the heavy drinker, that rate is 13.1%. "Couples who intend to marry should be aware of the drinking pattern of their partner, since it may become a problem in the future," says a Norwegian health official. There's more bad news for women (and men) who like their booze mixed with diet soda: A new study found that tipplers who drank a cocktail of vodka and Diet Squirt had a breath-alcohol content 18% higher than those who sipped on a version mixed with regular Squirt, reports Time. The former group also didn't report feeling any more intoxicated than the latter group, and "they didn't feel any different as to how willing they were to drive a car," says a study author. Why Squirt? It's caffeine-free, and researchers didn't want the stimulant affecting the results.
|
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Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Miley Cyrus became a household name for families when her Disney Channel television show, "Hannah Montana," premiered in 2006. From there, Cyrus quickly rose to pop star fame and has been changing her appearance ever since. Hide Caption 1 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – The future pop star with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, in October 1994 in Memphis, Tennessee. Hide Caption 2 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – The father and daughter team make a New York appearance for the Disney Channel in February 2006. Hide Caption 3 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus performs during the Radio Disney Totally 10 Birthday Concert in July 2006 in Anaheim, California. Hide Caption 4 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus chats with VJ Susie Castillo during an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live in February 2007 at MTV Studios in New York City. Hide Caption 5 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus starred with Emily Osmand in an episode of "Hannah Montana" in June 2007. Hide Caption 6 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus appears at the 2007 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 7 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – The actress arrives at the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party at Vibiana in September 2007 in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 8 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus arrives at a film premiere in Hollywood in January 2008. Hide Caption 9 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus performs for ABC's "Good Morning America" at New York's Bryant Park in July 2008. Hide Caption 10 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus appears at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Westwood, California, in 2009. Hide Caption 11 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus performs during her "Wonder World" tour at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in November 2009 in Uniondale, New York. Hide Caption 12 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus and her mother, Tish Cyrus, at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in January 2010 in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 13 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus impersonates singer Justin Bieber in a Saturday Night Live skit with Vanessa Bayer in March 2011. Hide Caption 14 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus performs at a music festival in June 2010 in Arganda del Rey, Spain. Hide Caption 15 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth arrive at the 2012 People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in January 2012 in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 16 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – The singer arrives at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas in May 2012. Hide Caption 17 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus poses on the red carpet for the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles in September 2012. Hide Caption 18 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – The grown-up Cyrus performs during the "VH1 Divas" concert in Los Angeles in December 2012. Hide Caption 19 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6 in New York City. Hide Caption 20 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus winks during an interview at a radio station in Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt, Germany, on July 22. Hide Caption 21 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus shows off her moves with Robin Thicke during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday, August 25. Hide Caption 22 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus is seen leaving her London hotel on September 11. Hide Caption 23 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus performs onstage during the iHeart Radio Music Festival Village on September 21 in Las Vegas. Hide Caption 24 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Taran Killam and Cyrus pose in a promo for her upcoming "Saturday Night Live" episode on October 5. Hide Caption 25 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Bobby Moynihan, left to right, Vanessa Bayer and Cyrus perform a skit on "Saturday Night Live" on October 5, in which they mock Cyrus' VMA performance. Hide Caption 26 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus smokes a marijuana joint onstage during the MTV Europe Music Awards in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 10. Hide Caption 27 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus performs on the European competition show "The X Factor" in London on November 17. Hide Caption 28 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus opens her Bangerz Tour on February 14, 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. The stage features a giant image of Cyrus' face with her signature exposed tongue serving as a slide. Hide Caption 29 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus performs with false teeth during her Bangerz Tour at Rogers Arena on February 14, 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. Hide Caption 30 of 32
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus Evolution of Miley Cyrus – Cyrus rides an oversized hotdog during the Bangerz Tour opening concert in Vancouver, Canada. Hide Caption 31 of 32 ||||| Miley Cyrus is targeted in second robbery in seven months as thieves make off with $100k Maserati and jewelry
For the second time in seven months, Miley Cyrus has been targeted in a home burglary.
Two thieves hopped the fence of the 21-year-old singer's Los Angeles residence and made off with her 2014 Maserati Quattroporte and some jewelry, police have confirmed.
The burglary occurred sometime on Friday, and around 4 p.m. authorities were notified that the luxury car and other items were missing from the home nestled in the hills of LA's Studio City area.
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Burglary victim: Miley Cyrus' stolen Maserati was found, TMZ confirmed on Monday
Apparently a man and a woman scaled the property's enclosure and entered the home through the garage, Los Angeles police said in a statement to the LA Times.
Miley, who wasn't home at the time of the burglary and is currently on the European leg of her Bangerz tour, has been seen on occasion driving around town in a new white Maserati Quattroporte, which start at $102,500.
The Wrecking Ball hitmaker - who had $100,000 worth of purses and jewellery stolen from the same Studio City mansion last year - has been working with police after her assistant found personal items had been moved at the property over the weekend.
According to TMZ.com, Miley's assistant came home and noticed some of the star's belongings weren't in the same place.
Luxury car: Miley was spotted in the front passenger seat of her white 2014 Maserati Quattroporte last August. Two people are said to have been arrested in connection with the theft of the car, which was then abandoned Defiant: The pop singer put out her tongue in another Instagram posted on Sunday Say ahhh: Miley may have lost her fancy set of wheels but not her sense of gross humour A source said there was once again no sign of forced entry to the property and officers are looking through the 21-year-old singer's CCTV footage.
A fingerprint unit was also set to visit the star's property to look for clues.
Miley was clearly upset on Sunday as she took to Twitter to post: ‘ya know when you just cry in the shower for no reason (sic),’ although she didn't say whether or not her mood was related to the possible break-in.
Sad: Miley was obviously upset about the missing car and jewelry when she tweeted on Sunday, 'ya know when you just cry in the shower for no reason'; the singer was pictured in Monte Carlo on May 27
Second time: Last year she had $100,000 worth of purses and jewellery stolen from her mansion in Studio City, Los Angeles
The pop star's home was targeted in November 2013 on the weekend of her 21st birthday and thieves stole her vintage Chanel purse, which featured in photographs when Miley was seen smoking a suspicious-looking roll-up cigarette at the European Music Awards last year.
Sources said at the time she was ‘really shaken up’ and ‘extremely upset’ after the personal items were taken in broad daylight and she also avoided running into an armed intruder in 2012 when a man forced his way into her home carrying a pair of scissors.
Luckily, the singer wasn't in at the time and her employees were able to call the police quickly and have the man arrested.
Tough start: Things were looking up for Miley after she picked up an award at the World Music Awards in Monaco this week
It’s been a tough start to the year for Miley who tragically lost her pet dog Floyd back in April.
The singer, who is currently believed to be single, found the situation very hard to deal with and openly wept on stage as she sang to an inflatable dog made to resemble Floyd.
She was also forced to cancel two shows after she was hospitalized for a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics back in April.
A spokesperson for Miley has been contacted for comment.
Missing: It's thought the police were alerted after some of her personal items appeared to go missing
|
– They came in by climbing a fence, but they certainly didn't exit that way: Los Angeles police are searching for a pair of burglars they say broke into Miley Cyrus' San Fernando Valley home and got away with jewelry and a luxury car Friday. Police say a man and a woman scaled a fence and got inside the house and garage while no one was home. CNN says a 2014 white, four-door Maserati Quattroporte and an unspecified amount of jewelry were taken. The Daily Mail notes the car comes with a starting price tag of $102,500—and points out it's not the only six-figure loss to hit Cyrus: Some $100,000 worth of jewelry and purses were taken from the same house last year.
|
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Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| Most people who have to pay the price for a particularly hard night of drinking nurse their wounds prostrate on the couch or slouching at a desk with greasy delivery and some ibuprofen. But many people who have felt the crippling effects of a particularly cruel hangover one too many times take it upon themselves to devise their own creative hangover treatments, sourcing inspiration from any number of bizarre hangover cure concoctions that exist in some unwritten drinkers’ almanac sourced from “wild” aunts the world over.
But in South Korea, Asia’s hardest drinking country, the hangover cure is a $125 million per year industry unto itself, with pills, cosmetic products to hide the effects of a night of boozing, and, of course, stomach-calming foods like hangover soup. But in a new step forward for humanity, hangover cures will be more delicious than ever. A South Korean convenience store chain has introduced a hangover-curing ice cream bar.
Reuters reports that South Koreans will soon be able to eat away their hangovers with the Gyeondyo-bar, a grapefruit flavored ice cream bar with a small amount of oriental raisin tree fruit juice. (Yes, that’s its official name.) The raisin juice is the active ingredient, and has been considered a Korean hangover treatment since the 1600s, when it was listed in a medical book as a way to smooth away hangovers. There’s some science to back that up: A study from 2012 in The Journal of Neuroscience found that raisin tree extract could reduce effects of intoxication in rats.
The Gyeondyo-bar’s name translates to “hang in there,” which “expresses the hardships of employees who have to suffer a working day after heavy drinking, as well as to provide comfort to those who have to come to work early after frequent nights of drinking,” the convenience store chain Withme FS, which is releasing the bar, said in a press release.
And if it really works, the little bar could potentially help out a ton of hungover South Koreans. South Koreans drank 12.3 liters booze a year, leading to nearly $8 billion in lost productivity, medical costs, and early deaths in 2013. Hangovers are such a big deal in South Korea that Psy and Snoop Dogg actually made a music video together for a song called “Hangover,” which features lyrics like “hangover, hangover, hangover, hangover, hangover.” The video features another popular hangover remedy, a drink called Hut-gae Condition.
So Koreans who can’t just sleep away the pain will have a new way to dull it soon with the Gyeondyo-bar. Unfortunately for hungover people around the world, you’ll have to stick to whatever has been getting you through your Monday mornings. Or you can join the ranks of the home alchemists out there and get to work on some hangover-curing ice cream.
|
– South Koreans, Asia's biggest lushes, already soothe their sore heads with some $126 million in annual hangover "cure" sales that run the full gamut of pills, beverages, foods, and even cosmetics to help soften skin. That doesn't even count the "hangover soup" that has become a regular on many restaurant menus, while the most popular hangover beverage, Hut-gae Condition, is now sold in China, Japan, and Vietnam, reports Reuters. Now South Koreans can add to their arsenal a hangover ice cream called the Gyeondyo-bar, which literally translates to "hang in there," a name its maker says "expresses the hardships of employees who have to suffer a working day after heavy drinking, as well as to provide comfort to those who have to come to work early after frequent nights of drinking." The dessert is grapefruit flavored and contains 0.7% oriental raisin tree fruit juice, which has been cited in a Korean medicine book that dates back to the 1600s, while a small study published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2012 found that oriental raisin tree extract appears to reduce symptoms of intoxication in rats. Whether it works in humans remains to be seen, but sales numbers will soon tell whether the locals are, ahem, buying it. But the ice cream is limited to the convenience store chain marketing it, so, "unfortunately for hungover people around the world," notes Vice's Munchies, "you'll have to stick to whatever has been getting you through your Monday mornings." (This group of researchers rather apologetically insists that there is only one proven way to prevent hangovers.)
|
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Since Victorian times, the 180ft Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset has been said to cure childlessness and bless women with improved fertility.
Now the women in the surrounding towns and villages have the highest birth rates in the country.
The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the women of North Dorset have on average three children each – nearly double the national average and nearly three times as much as the city dwellers of Westminster.
In the past locals would erect a maypole on the earthwork, around which childless couples would dance to promote fertility.
According to folklore, a woman who sleeps on the figure will be "blessed with fecundity", and infertility may be cured through having sex on top of the figure, especially the phallus.
Standing erect for locals to see the giant could be having an inspirational effect on couples in the area said locals.
Katie Raine, a nursery manager, said the increasing number of small clients at the Archway Nursery in Pimperne – which is in sight of the Giant – were living proof of the findings.
“We can take 73 children in any one day and we’re absolutely chock-a-block," she said.
"We have a baby unit for five infants, and that’s booked until next year, so there’s definitely a baby boom on."
The findings – from a survey of 10,000 North Dorset women aged between 15 and 44 – placed the district at the top of the charts, leaving the London borough of Westminster at the bottom, with just 1.16 children per woman.
Birth rates had been rising steadily since the millennium, reaching 1.97 per woman in 2008, from a low of 1.65 in 2000.
North Dorset’s survey-topping fertility rate beats the highest recorded national average, when figures recorded in 1964 revealed women were likely to produce 2.93 children in a lifetime. ||||| Cerne Abbas Giant chalk figure below the rectangular "Trendle" earthworks
The Cerne Abbas Giant is a hill figure near the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England. 55 metres (180 ft) high, it depicts a standing nude male figure with a prominent erection and wielding a large club in its right hand. Like many other hill figures it is outlined by shallow trenches cut in the turf and backfilled with chalk rubble. The figure is listed as a scheduled monument of England and the site is owned by the National Trust.
The origin and age of the figure are unclear. It is often thought of as an ancient construction, though the earliest mention of it dates to the late 17th century. Early antiquarians associated it, on little evidence, with a Saxon deity, while other scholars sought to identify it with a Celtic British figure of the Greek Hercules or some syncretisation of the two. There is archaeological evidence that parts of the drawing have been lost over time. The lack of earlier descriptions, along with information given to an 18th-century historian by the steward of the manor at the time, leads some modern scholars to conclude that it probably dates from the 17th century, and perhaps originated as political satire.
Regardless of its age, the Cerne Abbas Giant has become an important part of local culture and folklore, which often associates it with fertility. It is one of England's best known hill figures and is a visitor attraction in the region.
Description [ edit ]
The Giant is located just outside the small village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, about 48 kilometres (30 mi) west of Bournemouth and 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Weymouth. The figure depicts a naked man and is of colossal dimensions, being about 55 metres (180 ft) high and 51 metres (167 ft) wide. It is cut into the steep west-facing side of a hill known as Giant Hill[2] or Trendle Hill.[3][4] Atop the hill is another landmark, the Iron Age earthwork known as the "Trendle" or "Frying Pan".[5] The figure's outline is formed by trenches cut into the turf about 0.6 metres (2 ft 0 in) deep, and filled with crushed chalk.[2] In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club 37 metres (121 ft) in length,[6] and adding 11 metres (36 ft) to the total height of the figure.[7] A line across the waist has been suggested to represent a belt.[8] Writing in 1901 in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Henry Colley March noted that: "The Cerne Giant presents five characteristics: (1) It is petrographic ... It is, therefore, a rock carving ... (2) It is colossal ... (3) It is nude. ... (4) It is ithyphallic ... (5) The Giant is clavigerous. It bears a weapon in its right hand."[9]
A 1996 study found that some features have changed over time, concluding that the figure originally held a cloak in its left arm and stood over a disembodied head.[10] The former presence of a cloak was corroborated in 2008 when a team of archaeologists using special equipment determined that part of the carving had been allowed to be obliterated. The cloak might have been a depiction of an animal skin, giving credence to the theory that the giant was a depiction of a hunter, or alternatively, Hercules with the skin of the Nemean lion over his arm.[11] In 1993, the National Trust gave the Giant a "nose job" after years of erosion had worn it away.[12][13]
The Giant has been described as "renowned for its manhood",[14] "markedly phallic",[7] "sexually explicit"[15] and "ithyphallic".[16] The Giant sports an erection, including its testicles, some 11 metres (36 feet) long, and nearly the length of its head.[17] It has been called "Britain's most famous phallus";[18] one commentator noted that postcards of the Giant were the only indecent photographs that could be sent through the English Post Office.[19] However, this feature may also have changed over time. From a review of historical depictions of the figure, it has been identified that the Giant's current large erection is, in fact, the result of merging a circle representing his navel with a smaller penis during a 1908 re-cut: the navel still appears on a late 1890s picture postcard.[20]
The carving is most commonly known as the Cerne Abbas Giant.[21][22][23][24] The National Trust and others call it the "Cerne Giant",[21][25] while English Heritage and Dorset County Council call it simply "The Giant".[2][26] The carving has also been referred to as the "Old Man",[27] and more recently it has been referred to as the "Rude Man" of Cerne.[28][29]
Although the best view of the Giant is from the air, most tourist guides recommend a ground view from the "Giant's View" lay-by and car park off the A352.[30][31] This area was developed in 1979 in a joint project between the Dorset County Planning Department, the National Trust, Nature Conservancy Council (now called English Nature), the Dorset Naturalists Trusts, the Department of the Environment, and local land-owners. The information panel there was devised by the National Trust and Dorset County Council.[32]
History [ edit ]
Early accounts [ edit ]
Like several other chalk figures carved into the English countryside, the Cerne Abbas Giant is often thought of as an ancient creation. However, as with many of the other figures, its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during the Celtic, Roman or even Early Medieval periods difficult to demonstrate. Medieval sources refer to the hill on which the giant is located as Trendle Hill – possibly in reference to the nearby landmark known as the Trendle.[3][5] Joseph Bettey noted that none of the earlier sources for the area, including a detailed 1617 land survey, refer to the giant, suggesting that it might not have been there at the time.[33] In contrast, the Uffington White Horse has been shown to be 3,000 years old, and there are references to it across the ages.[34]
The earliest known written reference to the giant is a 4 November 1694 entry in the Churchwardens' Accounts from St Mary's Church in Cerne Abbas, which reads "for repairing ye Giant, 3 shillings".[35][36] In 1734, The Bishop of Bristol noted and inquired about the giant during a Canonical visitation to Cerne Abbas. The bishop's account, as well as subsequent observations such as those of William Stukeley, were discussed at meetings of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1764.[37][38] Additionally, in 1738 the antiquarian Francis Wise mentioned the giant in a letter.[39]
Beginning in 1763 descriptions of the giant appeared in contemporary magazines. The earliest known survey was published in the Royal Magazine in September 1763. Derivative versions subsequently appeared in the October 1763 St James Chronicle, the July 1764 Gentleman's Magazine[37][40] and the 1764 edition of The Annual Register.[37][41] [42][43] [44] In 1774, the antiquarian John Hutchins reviewed various previous accounts in his book The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset: in it, he wrote that the carving had only been done in the previous century.[37]
The earliest known drawing of the Giant appears in the August 1764 issue of Gentleman's Magazine.[40] A map referred to as the "1768 Survey Map of Cerne Abbas by Benjamin Pryce" is held at the Dorset History Centre.[45] However, a record at the National Archives notes that "the cartouche refers to Lord Rivers by that title which he did not acquire until 1776. Numbers on the map appear to correspond with the survey of 1798".[46] By the Victorian period (after 1837) the penis was removed from academic and tourist depictions, in line with the prevailing views on modesty at the time.
Cerne Abbas Giant at different dates
1764, first known drawing from the Gentleman's Magazine with measurements, including the height of 180 feet (55 m) [40]
1764 sketch, perhaps dated to 1763, sent to the Society of Antiquaries of London [47]
1842 drawing by the antiquary and editor John Sydenham [48]
1892 drawing by the author and antiquarian, William Plenderleath[49]
Interpretation [ edit ]
A number of studies of the giant have been undertaken. In 1896 the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society noted the consensus of members that the giant was "of very great antiquity".[50] Modern histories of the Cerne Giant have been published by Bettey 1981, Legg 1990, and Darvill et al. 1999.[51]
Layout of the giant with the obliterated line (in yellow) reconstructed
There are three main theories concerning the age of the Giant, and whom he might represent:[52]
The first argues that the Giant was created in the 17th century, perhaps by Lord Holles, who held the Cerne Abbas estate by right of his second wife Jane, and perhaps as a parody of Oliver Cromwell.[53] The second idea is that the Giant is a creation of the Romano-British culture, because the Giant resembles the Roman god Hercules, who was based on the Greek god Heracles. The third idea is that the Giant is of Celtic origin, because it is stylistically similar to a Celtic god on a skillet handle found at Hod Hill, Dorset, and dated to around AD 10 to AD 51.
A Saxon origin was also suggested by early antiquarians, who associated the figure with a Saxon god whose name contained some variant of the element Hel-.[54] This god is attested in several medieval and early modern texts, and was associated with the Cerne Abbas Giant by an editor of a 1789 edition of William Camden's Britannia and by William Stukeley, who indicated that locals referred to the giant as "Helis".[55] A Saxon origin is unlikely, but Stukeley was also the first to hypothesize that the figure was Hercules, a suggestion that has found more support.[55][56] Some 19th-century sources describe the giant as having "between his legs, three rude letters, scarcely legible, and over them in modern figures, 748", (rude meaning "roughly cut") and being the representation of Cenric, the son of Cuthred, King of Wessex.[57][58]
Lord Holles, a portrait from the 1640s. Holles, the Cerne Abbas landowner, has been suggested as the person who ordered the giant to be cut in mockery of his political adversary Cromwell
Proponents of a 17th-century origin suggest that the giant was carved around the time of the English Civil War by servants of the Lord of the Manor, Denzil Holles, and was intended as a parody of Oliver Cromwell.[59] This theory is supported by the 1774 account given by the antiquarian John Hutchins, who also noted in a letter of 1751 that the steward of the manor had told him that the figure "was a modern thing, cut out in Lord Hollis' time".[33][5] Cromwell was sometimes mockingly referred to as "England's Hercules" by his enemies. While Holles, the MP for Dorchester and a leader of the Presbyterian faction in Parliament, had been a key Parliamentarian supporter during the First English Civil War, he grew to personally despise Cromwell and attempted to have him impeached in 1644. [60] The fact that there is no medieval documentary evidence of the figure supports this date of origin, and the possibility that the giant parodies Cromwell as Hercules is further strengthened by the 1996 discovery of the cloak, as Hercules was often depicted with a cloak made from the Nemean Lion's skin.[55] Under this interpretation, the club has been suggested to hint at Cromwell's military rule, and the phallus to mock his Puritanism.[61]
Modern history [ edit ]
In 1920, the giant and the 4,000 square metres (0.99 acres) site where he stands was donated to the National Trust by its then land-owners, Alexander and George Pitt-Rivers,[62] and it is now listed as a Scheduled Monument.[2] During World War II the giant was camouflaged with brushwood by the Home Guard in order to prevent use as a landmark for enemy aircraft.[63][64]
According to the National Trust, the grass is trimmed regularly and the giant is fully re-chalked every 25 years.[65] Traditionally, the National Trust has relied on sheep from surrounding farms to graze the site.[66] However, in 2008 a lack of sheep, coupled with a wet spring causing extra plant growth, forced a re-chalking of the giant,[67] with 17 tonnes of new chalk being poured in and tamped down by hand.[68] In 2006, the National Trust carried out the first wildlife survey of the Cerne Abbas Giant, identifying wild flowers including the green-winged orchid, clustered bellflower and autumn gentian, which are uncommon in England.[69]
In 1921 Walter Long of Gillingham, Dorset objected to the giant's nudity and conducted a campaign to either convert it to a simple nude, or to cover its supposed obscenity with a leaf.[15] Long's protest gained some support, including that of two bishops,[18][19] and eventually reached the Home Office.[19] The Home Office considered the protest to be in humour, though the chief constable responded to say the office could not act against a protected scheduled monument.[19]
Archaeology [ edit ]
Roman god Hercules holding a club and the Nemean lion -skin fur
A 1617 land survey of Cerne Abbas makes no mention of the Giant, suggesting that it may not have been there at the time or was perhaps overgrown.[33] The first published survey appeared in the September 1763 issue of Royal Magazine, reprinted in the October 1763 issue of St James Chronicle, and also in the August 1764 edition of Gentleman's Magazine together with the first drawing that included measurements.[37]
Egyptologist and archaeology pioneer Sir Flinders Petrie[70] surveyed the Giant, probably during the First World War, and published his results in a Royal Anthropological Institute paper in 1926.[71][72] Petrie says that he made 220 measurements, and records slight grooves across the neck, and from the shoulders down to the armpits. He also notes a row of pits suggesting the place of the spine. He concludes that the Giant is very different from the Long Man of Wilmington, and that minor grooves may have been added from having been repeatedly cleaned.[72]
In 1764, William Stukeley was one of the first people to suggest that the Giant resembles Hercules (Heracles).[38] In 1938, British archaeologist Stuart Piggott agreed, and like Hercules, should also be carrying a lion-skin.[73][74] In 1979, a resistivity survey was carried out, and together with drill samples, confirmed the presence of the lion-skin.[75] Another resistivity survey in 1995 also found evidence of a cloak and changes to the length of the phallus, but did not find evidence (as rumoured) of a severed head, horns, or symbols between the feet.[76]
Earthworks [ edit ]
North-east of the head of the Giant is an escarpment called Trendle Hill, on which are some earthworks now called The Trendle or Frying Pan.[77] It is a scheduled monument in its own right.[78] Antiquarian John Hutchins wrote in 1872 that "These remains are of very interesting character, and of considerable extent. They consist of circular and other earthworks, lines of defensive ramparts, an avenue, shallow excavations, and other indications of a British settlement."[79]
Unlike the Giant, the earthworks belong to Lord Digby, rather than the National Trust. Its purpose is unknown, though it is thought to be the site of maypole dancing.[77] It has been considered to be Roman,[77] or perhaps an Iron-Age burial mound containing the tomb of the person represented by the Giant.[80][81]
Folklore [ edit ]
Whatever its origin, the giant has become an important part of the culture and folklore of Dorset. Some folk stories indicate that the image is an outline of the corpse of a real giant.[55] One story says the giant came from Denmark leading an invasion of the coast, and was beheaded by the people of Cerne Abbas while he slept on the hillside.[82]
Other folklore, first recorded in the Victorian era, associates the figure with fertility.[55] In the past locals would erect a maypole on the earthwork, around which childless couples would dance to promote fertility.[43] According to folk belief, a woman who sleeps on the figure will be blessed with fecundity, and infertility may be cured through sexual intercourse on top of the figure, especially the phallus.[55]
In 1808, Dorset poet William Holloway published his poem "The Giant of Trendle Hill",[4] in which the Giant is killed by the locals by piercing its heart.
In popular culture [ edit ]
In modern times the giant has been used for several publicity stunts and as an advertisement. For example, Ann Bryn-Evans of the Pagan Federation recalls that the Giant has been used to promote "...condoms, jeans and bicycles."[83]
In 1998, pranksters made a pair of jeans out of plastic mesh with a 21-metre (69 ft) inside leg, and fitted them to the giant[84] to publicise American Jeans manufacturer Big Smith.[85] In 2002, the BLAC advertising agency[86] on behalf of "... the Family Planning Association (FPA) as part of its mission to promote condom-wearing [..] donned balaclavas and spent Sunday night rolling the enormous latex sheet down the Giant's member."[87]
The Cerne Abbas Giant appears in the Megami Tensei series as a demon of the Entity race. He first appeared in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne as Albion, serving as a guard of the White Temple.
As a publicity stunt for the opening of The Simpsons Movie on 16 July 2007, a giant Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was outlined in water-based biodegradable paint to the left of the Cerne Abbas giant. This act displeased local neopagans, who pledged to perform rain magic to wash the figure away.[88][89]
An August 2007 report, in the Dorset Echo said that a man claiming to be the "Purple Phantom" had painted the Giant's penis purple. It was reported that the man was from Fathers 4 Justice but the group said that they did not know who it was.[90]
The Cerne Abbas Giant has appeared in several films and TV programmes, including the title sequence of the 1986 British historical drama film Comrades,[91] a 1996 episode of the Erotic Tales series "The Insatiable Mrs Kirsch", directed by Ken Russell (featuring a replica of the Giant), in 1997, the series 6 finale "Sofa" of the comedy series Men Behaving Badly, and the 2000 film Maybe Baby directed by Ben Elton.[92][93]
In 2012, pupils and members of the local community recreated the Olympic torch on the Giant, to mark the passing of the official torch in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.[94][95]
In November 2013, the National Trust supported Movember, which raises awareness of prostate and testicular cancer. It authorised the temporary placement of a huge grass moustache on the giant. The moustache was 12 metres (39 ft) wide and 3 metres (10 ft) deep according to the designer[96] but both the National Trust and the BBC reported it as being 11 by 27 metres (36 by 89 ft).[97][98]
Representations [ edit ]
In 1980, Devon artist Kenneth Evans-Loud planned to produce a companion 70-metre (230 ft) female figure on the opposite hill, featuring Marilyn Monroe in her iconic pose from the film The Seven Year Itch where her dress is blown by a subway grating.[99][100]
In 1989, Turner Prize winning artist Grayson Perry designed a set of motorbike leathers inspired by the Cerne Abbas Giant.[101][102][103] In 1994, girls from Roedean School painted an 24-metre (79 ft) replica of the Giant on their playing field, the day before sports day.[104]
In 2003, pranksters created their own 23-metre (75 ft) version of the Giant on a hill in English Bicknor, but "wearing wellies, an ear of corn hanging from its mouth and a tankard of ale in its hand".[105] In 2005, the makers of Lynx deodorant created a 9.300 square metres (100.10 sq ft) advert on a field near Gatwick, featuring a copy of the Giant wearing underpants, frolicking with two scantily-clad women.[106] In 2006, artist Peter John Hardwick produced a painting "The Two Dancers with the Cerne Abbas Giant, with Apologies to Picasso" that is on display at Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.[107] In 2009, the Giant was given a red nose, to publicize the BBC's Comic Relief charity event.[108] In 2011, English animators The Brothers McLeod produced a 15-second cartoon giving their take on what the Giant does when no one is watching.[109]
In 2015, the giant was used as a character in an online comic book published by Eco Comics; the giant's character appeared in various adventures accompanying a character based on St George, though his erect penis was removed from the artwork as many "outlets, particularly in the US, refuse any form of nudity in comic books".[110]
The giant's image has been reproduced on various souvenirs and local food produce labels, including for a range of beers made by the Cerne Abbas Brewery. In 2016, the BBC reported that the beer company's logo had been censored in the Houses of Parliament.[111]
Gallery [ edit ]
Aerial view
Aerial view
Aerial view
The Giant's phallus
Renovation in 2008
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]
Books [ edit ]
Rodney Castleden, with a foreword by Rodney Legg, The Cerne Giant , published by Wincanton DPC, 1996, ISBN 0948699558.
, published by Wincanton DPC, 1996, ISBN 0948699558. Michael A., Hodges MA., Helis, the Cerne Giant, and his links with Christchurch , Christchurch, c. 1998, 15 pp.
, Christchurch, c. 1998, 15 pp. Dr. T. William Wake Smart, Ancient Dorset , 1872, "The Cerne Giant," pages 319–327.
, 1872, "The Cerne Giant," pages 319–327. Darvill, T., Barker, K., Bender, B., and Hutton, R., The Cerne Giant: An Antiquity on Trial , 1999, Oxbow. ISBN 1-900188-94-5, 978-1-900188-94-4, [3]
, 1999, Oxbow. ISBN 1-900188-94-5, 978-1-900188-94-4, [3] Legg, Rodney, 1990, Cerne; Giant and Village Guide , Dorset Publishing Company, 2nd edition, ISBN 0948699175, 978-0948699177.[4]
, Dorset Publishing Company, 2nd edition, ISBN 0948699175, 978-0948699177.[4] Knight, Peter, The Cerne Giant – Landscape, Gods and the Stargate, 2013, Stone Seeker Publishing.
Journal articles [ edit ]
National Monument Records [ edit ]
1979 Resistivity survey by A J Clark, A D H Bartlett and A E U David, which "found evidence for the 'lion skin' feature over the giant's left arm"
1988–1989 Resistivity surveys, testing for the existence of possible additional features, 1988, 1989, 1994
1995 Resistivity survey finding evidence of a cloak, penis length change, and naval, but, not for a severed head, horns, nor lettering/symbols between the feet
"Cerne Giant", National Monument Records, No. ST 60 SE 39 (on Pastscape.org.uk)
Coordinates:
|
– The outline of a naked "fertility" giant carved into the chalk of a steep English hillside is being linked to a baby boom in the surrounding community. Folklore has it that women who sleep somewhere on top of the 180-foot-long club-wielding Cerne Abbas giant—also known as the "Rude Man," not because all his junk's hanging out but because he's "rudely" or roughly cut—will be "blessed with fecundity." It's also said that infertility may be cured by having sex on the figure, particularly at the business intersection, reports the Telegraph. Now it turns out that the women of nearby Dorset have the highest birthrates in the nation with an average of three kids each, twice the rate of the rest of the country. Experts don't know when the huge figure was carved. Some link the giant to a Saxon deity, a Celtic British figure or the Roman Heracles. The earliest known written reference to the nude man was in 1684. The giant shared space in 2007 with a contemporary pal, semi-nude Homer Simpson, painted on the hill to advertise a Simpson movie. Neopagans were infuriated and threatened rain magic to wash Homer away.
|
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Radiohead have always sounded like a band in constant motion: every album has seemed like an agitated shift from the last (XL)
Last Tuesday, the world was treated to the improbable spectacle of tastemaking US music website Pitchfork earnestly trying to explain 1960s and 70s UK kids’ show Trumpton to its American readers. Their London-based contributing editor was drafted in, the better to elucidate the importance of Pugh, Pugh and Barney McGrew, as was the son-in-law of the show’s 96-year-old creator, whose solitary quote – “I’m not aware of anything” – winningly suggested a man quite keen to get the bloke from Pitchfork off the phone.
Elsewhere, parallels were drawn between Trumpton and what might become of America were Donald Trump to become president, which feels like rather a harsh judgment on the seemingly benign regime of the mayor and Mr Troop the town clerk.
What do you think of Radiohead's new album? Share your reviews Read more
This all happened because Radiohead had premiered a video based on Trumpton’s stop-frame animation for a compelling mesh of chattering high-maintenance strings and ominous bass and drum thunder called Burn The Witch, the first track to be released from their ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool.
You could possibly accuse the Pitchfork piece of over-thinking things a bit – it may well be that the band and director Chris Hopewell chose to depict Trumpton-ites immolating a bowler-hatted outsider in a wicker man as “a pointed critique of nativism-embracing leaders across the UK and Europe”, but there’s also the chance they just thought it was funny – but the fact that it exists at all tells you something about the unique position Radiohead continue to hold.
Artistically at least, these are supposed to be thin times for rock music, particularly rock of the stadium-filling variety. The really important, epochal, provocative stuff – the music that, to use a ghastly phrase, carries the conversation – is clearly happening in hip hop and R&B. With one exception: alone among their commercial peers, Radiohead are held to not just release albums but make grand artistic statements worth dissecting and poring over in the same way as the output of Kendrick Lamar or Beyonce. Certainly, no one’s falling over themselves to decode the politics of Coldplay’s releases.
Listening to A Moon Shaped Pool, you can see why. However much their style bears certain hallmarks – Thom Yorke’s keening vocal shiver and what you might charitably describe as a fairly glum bearing among them – Radiohead have always sounded like a band in constant motion: every album has seemed like an agitated shift from the last, as if they were too neurotic to rest on their laurels even if they wanted to.
Certainly, A Moon Shaped Pool is noticeably different to its predecessor, 2011’s patchy King Of Limbs. You’d hesitate to call it more poppy – this is still an album on which standard verse-chorus structures are very much subject to subsidence, and on which the instruments buried deep in the mix frequently seem to be playing an entirely different song to those in the foreground – but it’s certainly sharper and more focused.
There’s nothing as slippery and unclear as King Of Limbs’ Bloom or Feral. They seem as fascinated by sonic textures as they do by actual songwriting – the weirdly uplifting moment towards the end of Ful Stop (sic), when the song’s muffled sound suddenly becomes bright and trebly, as if a DJ has turned the eq knob on his mixer to the right – but it’s not an album that feels lost in experimentation. The abundance of sonic intrigue is matched by the quantity of beautiful tunes: the fact that True Love Waits, a track that dates back to the less knotty era of their 1995 album The Bends, fits perfectly in the line-up of songs tells you something about their unabashed melodic richness.
There’s something pretty dazzling about the way Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor combines two of what you might call Radiohead’s extracurricular interests, Jonny Greenwood’s soundtrack work and the electronica Thom Yorke plays when DJing – soft explosions of white noise and a distorted keyboard line are slowly overwhelmed by a luscious string arrangement – but there’s something equally dazzling about the plaintively lovely tune that floats over folky acoustic guitar picking and a vaguely Latin shuffle beat on Present Tense.
The simple prettiness of the piano figure that runs through Daydreaming battles it out with unsettling scrapes of backwards vocal that sometimes sound like oblique harmonies, but more often like someone struggling for breath. Identikit, meanwhile, wrongfoots the listener entirely: it initially sounds like a studio jam session that made it on to the album through some kind of clerical error – snatches of vocal and scrabbling guitar, drums treated with dub reggae effects – before suddenly pulling into focus: a hook that immediately brands itself on to your brain, an agitated, thrilling guitar solo.
It is tempting to say that all this fidgety invention comes as a welcome distraction from the suffocating gloom of the lyrics, cursed as the latter are with a worldview that frequently sees any kind of personal happiness as merely the result of ignorance, wilful or otherwise: “dreamers they never learn”, “we are helpless to resist”, “I’ll drown my beliefs to your babies”, “we are happy just to serve”, “there’s nothing left inside that we all can love … I don’t want to know”.
That said, you do find yourself wondering if Radiohead’s collective tongue might not occasionally be wedged in their collective cheek, if, as with the video for Burn The Witch, they might not sometimes be parodying their austere image as rock’s premier harbingers of doom.
“Don’t get heavy, keep it light”, offers Present Tense. The introduction to Glass Eyes is a thing of beauty and unalloyed pleasure, played on a piano treated with digital effects until it sounds like it’s been submerged beneath rippling water, at least until Yorke slopes into view, his face like the proverbial slapped arse. “Hey, it’s me,” he mournfully intones and immediately you think: uh-oh, here we go. And so it proves: “a frightening place, faces are concrete grey … panic is coming on strong”.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A scene from the Radiohead video Burn the Witch. Photograph: Radiohead/Youtube
If the thought of Radiohead occasionally playing it for LOLs is too mind-blowing to bear, you’ll have to content yourself with the occasional chinks of light amid the murk.
There’s Desert Island Disk with its suggestion that “different types of love are possible” and The Numbers, which is also that rarest of things, a Radiohead track that doesn’t just vaguely resemble another artist’s work (anyone still intent on depicting Radiohead as a latterday Pink Floyd might feel their ears prick up at Decks Dark’s burst of Atom Heart Mother-ish choral vocals) but actually seems to be a direct and obvious homage to something else, or possibly two things: the resemblance of the tumbling piano parts to those on John Martyn’s 1971 instrumental Glistening Glyndebourne might be purely coincidental, but the similarity of the intense orchestration, circling bassline and loose-limbed funk rhythm to Melody, the opening track of Serge Gainsbourg’s 1970 Historie De Melody Nelson, definitely is not. They’re certainly not the first people to mine that song’s arrangement for inspiration, but it says something about Radiohead’s inventiveness that they can warp music already plundered by everyone from Beck to Belle and Sebastian into something that sounds entirely their own.
Moreover, the high-drama swells of strings fit the lyrical message. Radiohead’s previous attempts at creating a rousing call to arms have been hobbled by their innate pessimism, as exemplified by 2001’s You and Whose Army?, on which Thom Yorke somehow contrived to sound utterly deflated while offering Tony Blair out for a punch-up in time-honoured “come on then” style. Here, however, the stuff about how the future is inside us and people have the power sounds authentically stirring. It also sounds like Radiohead achieving something they’ve never achieved before, a quarter of a century into their career: long may their neuroses keep them in constant motion. ||||| Nearly nine years after Radiohead gifted In Rainbows on unsuspecting fans in 2007, their seismic, no-label, price-point-be-damned surprise release has been co-opted by an exhaustive number of major-label artists. This year alone has seen pop royalty like Kanye, Rihanna and Beyoncé springing albums on their fans, and in the past 48 hours James Blake and Death Grips have also unleashed new albums. Radiohead's ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool, popped into view a few hours ago and for a band that once pleaded for "no surprises," Pool's most thrilling surprise isn't its Mother's Day release, but that Radiohead's least rock-oriented album in the 21st century doubles as its most gorgeous and desolate album to date.
Related Radiohead's 'Burn the Witch' Clip Inspired by Refugee Crisis "They wanted the video to contrast with what they're playing and to wake people up a bit," animator says
In the five years since The King of Limbs, the members of the group have explored numerous wormholes on their own: Phil Selway delved into his singer-songwriter side; Jonny Greenwood waxed classical, minimalist and got his A Passage to India on with last year's Junun. Meanwhile, Thom Yorke ran amok both with moody electronic projects and the more polyrhythmic dynamism of rock supergroup Atoms for Peace. But while The King of Limbs (and even parts of In Rainbows) at times sounded like five musicians pulling in as many directions, there's a stunning eloquence and cohesion on A Moon Shaped Pool, its many parts and trajectories aimed towards the same goal.
Radiohead have tantalized zealots with portions of first single "Burn the Witch" for nearly a decade, from piano chords to snatches of lyrics from their now-deleted website. But for all the clues that might have been accrued, the effect of "Burn the Witch" is remarkable. From its steady chug of drum machine, strummed acoustic guitars and the clacking col legno of the string section, "Witch" ratchets up that "low-flying panic attack" until its soaring climax.
From the elegant piano line of "Decks Dark" to the nimble finger-picking of "Desert Island Disk" and "Present Tense," Radiohead's long-standing embrace of edgy electronics has now been supplanted by an embrace of gorgeous timbres and melody, the more disarming the better. And while electronic effects and the like are still present (hear how they move like an ocean current underneath "Desert Island Disk"), most songs forgo the crunching, dueling electric guitars of Greenwood and Ed O'Brien and Selway's hard-hitting drums to instead foreground acoustic guitar, piano and strings. If anything, A Moon Shaped Pool reveals within Radiohead a newfound appreciation of, if not folk music, then the form's ability to express melancholy through melody.
A pall hangs over the album like a highland fog, which mirrors the theme of heartbreak that runs through Pool. "Daydreaming," which the band – in conjunction with video director P.T. Anderson – released to a handful of movie theaters in 35mm format, captures the album's mood best. Haunting, pensive, unable to shake loose from its revery and doldrums – from the "broken hearts make it rain" refrain of "Identikit" (the most uptempo song on the album) to the "panic is coming on strong/so cold, from the inside out" that Yorke confesses to on the murky ballad "Glass Eyes" – the album conveys great sorrow and heartbreak. The latter comes at the midway point of the album, wherein Yorke's minor-key piano moves with Jonny Greenwood's scored strings to heart-rending effect. While Greenwood has flashed Penderecki and Ligeti influences in deploying orchestration to heighten anxious states (from "How to Disappear Completely" to his soundtrack work on There Will Be Blood), here the strings swaddle Yorke's forlorn vocals with a mix of sadness and beauty. The downward spirals at the end of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief" create one of the band's most melancholic moments on record.
It all leads to Pool's striking conclusion, "True Love Waits," a song so old it could legally order a pint. The white whale in the Radiohead discography, it began to appear in live sets circa The Bends but has never aptly been recorded, save in live versions. For longtime Radiohead fans, it's worth the wait. One can only guess at how this love song of gentleness and intimacy reads two decades later, but the effect is like stumbling upon an old love letter years after a relationship has grown cold. Where there was once a hint of redemption in its devastating refrain, "Just don't leave" now sounds like the longest (and saddest) goodbye. ||||| Radiohead’s hotly-awaited new album, titled A Moon Shaped Pool, has finally been released.
The band’s ninth album has been made available to purchase digitally via their official website, where you can also preorder both Vinyl and CD versions for the 17th June.
There are currently three options if you download the record: MP3, 16-bit WAV or 24-bit WAV, costing £9, £11 and £13 respectively.
Through the website, the CD costs £10, standard vinyl is £20 (comes with 16-bit WAV download), while a special, heavy-weight vinyl edition costs £60 and comes with part of the album's master tape.
The 11-track record is available to stream through both Tidal and Apple Music, but is yet to be made available on Spotify. A subscription to Tidal costs £9.99 a month for the premium service and £19.99 for the high-fi service (giving higher quality streams). Meanwhile, Apple Music is £9.99, or £14.99 for six family members.
Music festivals guide 2016
20 show all Music festivals guide 2016
1/20 Horizon Where: Bansko Ski Resort, Bulgaria When: 12-17 March Price: From £175 Line Up: Âme, Goldie, Nina Kraviz, John Talabot, Lady Leshurr, Craig Charles
2/20 Live At Leeds Where: Leeds, UK When: 30 April Price: £32.50 Line Up: Jess Glynne, Circa Waves, Mystery Jets, Band of Skulls, We Are Scientists
3/20 Primavera Sound Where: Barcelona, Spain When: 1-5 June Price: €175 Line Up: Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Sigur Rós, PJ Harvey, Tame Impala, Beach House, Suede, The Last Shadow Puppets Primavera
4/20 Best Kept Secret Where: Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands When: 17-19 June Price: €147.50 Line Up: Beck, Editors, Two Door Cinema Club, Beach House, Bloc Party, Caribou, Half Moon Run Best Kept Secret Festival
5/20 Glastonbury Where: Worthy Farm, Somerset When: 22-26 June Price: £220 Line Up: Coldplay, Muse, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, PJ Harvey, Jess Glynne (TBC)
6/20 Roskilde Where: Copenhagen, Denmark When: 25 June-2 July Price: 2,020 DKK Line Up: LCD Soundsystem, New Order, PJ Harvey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foals, Tame Impala, Savages, Skepta, Tenacious D Simon Frøsig Christensen / Roskilde Festival
7/20 Hideout Festival Where: Zrce Beach, Croatia When: 26-30 June Price: From £152.90 Line Up: The Martinez Brothers, Joris Voorn, Waze & Odyssey Hideout Festival
8/20 Bilbao BBK Where: Bilbao, Spain When: 7-9 July Price: From £69 Line Up: Arcade Fire, Pixies, Tame Impala, Foals, New Order, Hot Chip, Father John Misty, Years & Years, Wolf Alice
9/20 Open'er Where: Gdynia, Poland When: 29 July-2 August Price: From €130 Line Up: Bastille, Florence + the Machine, Foals, LCD Soundsystem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The 1975, The Last Shadow Puppets, Wiz Khalifa Open'er Festival
10/20 Electric Love Where: Plainfeld, Austria When: 7-9 July Price: €119 Line Up: Alesso, Zedd, Tiesto, Chase & Status, Steve Aoki, Knife Party
11/20 Melt! Where: Ferropolis, Germany When: 15-17 July Price: From €136 Line Up: Two Door Cinema Club, Disclosure, Jamie xx, Sleaford Mods, Skepta, Jamie Woon
12/20 Sziget Where: Budapest, Hungary When: 10-17 August Price: From €215 Line Up: Bastille, Bloc Party, M83, Sigur Ros, Bring Me the Horizon
13/20 Flow Where: Helsinki, Finland When: 12-14 August Price: €165 Line Up: Sia, New Order, The Last Shadow Puppets, Jamie xx, M83, Chvrches, Four Tet, Stormzy, Daughter, The Kills Flow Festival / Jussi Hellsten
14/20 Rock En Seine Where: Paris, France When: 26-28 August Price: From €119 Line Up: TBC
15/20 Oasis Where: Marrakech, Morocco When: 16-18 September Price: From €110 Line Up: Bicep, Derrick May, Tale of Us, Dixon, Dusky, Hunee
16/20 Latitude Where: Henham Park, Suffolk When: 14-17 July Price: £205.50 Line Up: The Maccabees, The National, New Order, John Grant, Beirut, Father John Misty, Chvrches, Grimes
17/20 Bestival Where: Robin Hill, Isle of Wight When: 8-11 September Price: £190 Line Up: The Cure, Major Lazer, Hot Chip, Fatboy Slim, Craig David, Years & Years, Wolf Alice, Tourist, Katy B
18/20 Isle of Wight Where: Newport, Isle of Wight When: 9-12 June Price: From £186 Line Up: Queen + Adam Lambert, Stereophonics, Faithless, Iggy Pop, Adam Ant, Buzzcocks, Sigma, Jess Glynne
19/20 Citadel Where: Victoria Park, London When: 17 July Price: From £54 Line Up: Sigur Rós, Caribou, Lianne La Havas, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
20/20 End of the Road Where: Larmer Tree Gardens When: 2-4 September Price: £195 Line Up: Joanna Newsom, The Shins, Animal Collective, Bat for Lashes, Teenage Fanclub, Devendra Banhart, Savages, Cat's Eyes Sonny Malhotra
A Moon Shaped Pool leaked two hours before its official release time on Google Play, with eager fans dissecting the album before being officially released.
Spotify has refused to comment on when the album will be available to listen to, but did issue a statement saying: “Radiohead’s new singles ‘Burn the Witch’ and ‘Daydreaming’ are already available on Spotify and we look forward to making the rest of A Moon Shaped Pool available on Spotify as soon as we can.”
Both previously released singles “Burn the Witch” and “Daydreaming” feature on the album. The latter’s music video was directed by There Will Be Blood’s Paul Thomas Anderson, as was widely rumoured before its release.
Fans were speculating that the new album would be called Dawn Chorus after the band set up a new company with the same name in October 2015.
Yorke mentioned an unfinished song called “Dawn Chorus” in an interview from 2009, while the first Sunday of May - the day they released “Burn the Witch” - is known as International Dawn Chorus Day.
The meaning behind Dawn Chorus remains a mystery, as there is no track on the album with that title.
A Moon Shaped Pool's tracklisting as follows:
‘Burn The Witch'
'Daydreaming'
'Decks Dark'
'Desert Island Disk'
'Ful Stop'
'Glass Eyes'
'Identikit'
'The Numbers'
'Present Tense'
'Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief'
'True Love Waits'
Click here to pre-order a Moon Shaped Pool from HMV on vinyl or CD and receive a complimentary digital copy ||||| ‘A Moon Shaped Pool” (XL Recordings), Radiohead’s ninth studio album, is a welcome addition to the catalog of the most consistently excellent recording act since the Beatles, even if, on first blush, it doesn’t rise to the quintet’s best work. Across the span of its 11 tracks—from the prancing orchestral strings of the opener, “Burn the Witch,” to the slowly dying piano tone at the end of the finale, “True Love Waits”—it’s an assertive and ambitious album, full of beauty and kinetic energy. It makes the experimental accessible while still challenging, through the breadth and depth of its expression, the definition of... ||||| SPECIAL EDITION Shipping now
Case bound album, inspired by the albums for 78rpm shellac records in the library of La Fabrique, France
32 pages of artwork
The 11 track album on two heavyweight 12" vinyl records
Two compact discs: one with the album and one with two extra tracks
Recording tape belly band applied *
320kbit MP3 or 16-bit WAV of the 11 track album available to download now
This is a piece of a Radiohead ½ inch master tape from an actual recording session.
The tape degrades over time and becomes unplayable. We thought rather than it ending up as landfill we would cut it up and make it useful as a part of the special edition. A new life for some obsolete technology...
Each loop contains about ¾ of a second of audio - which could be from any era in the band's recording past going back to Kid A. You may have silence, you may have coloured leader tape, you may have a chorus... It's a crapshoot.
We have copies. Don't worry.
|
– Radiohead is back from its disappearing act with new album A Moon Shaped Pool, the first since 2011's The King of Limbs, and critics couldn't wait to dive in after it appeared online Sunday afternoon. The long-anticipated ninth album was released on Apple Music and the band's website, the Independent notes, but while it can be streamed on Tidal, it has yet to appear on Spotify. People who want a physical copy of the album will have to wait until June 17. A roundup of reactions: This is a "haunting, chilling triumph," according to Andy Beta at Rolling Stone. The most thrilling surprise is that the band's "least rock-oriented album in the 21st century doubles as its most gorgeous and desolate album to date," he writes, praising the inclusion of "True Love Waits," a studio version of which finally arrives on a Radiohead record after appearing in live sets for 20 years. This album is "much sharper and more focused" than King of Limbs, writes Alexis Petridis at the Guardian. The "abundance of sonic intrigue is matched by the quantity of beautiful tunes," writes Petridis, who notes that most of the "really important" music of our era is happening in hip-hop and R&B, with Radiohead the only big rock band expected "to not just release albums but make grand artistic statements worth dissecting and poring over in the same way as the output of Kendrick Lamar or Beyonce." Jon Pareles at the New York Times praises the "patient perfectionism" on display. On this album, "grim tidings arrive amid gorgeous backdrops: gentle pianos and acoustic guitars reinforced by a string orchestra," he writes. "Multilayered tinklings and murmurings give the music a subliminally shimmering aura." This is a "welcome addition to the catalog of the most consistently excellent recording act since the Beatles," writes Jim Fusilli at the Wall Street Journal. He says on first listen, he wouldn't rank it among their finest works, though it may "blossom" after repeat listens. Still, it is "an assertive and ambitious album, full of beauty and kinetic energy"—and the band "once again communicates complex human experience through superb musicianship, boundless creativity, and unwillingness to settle for the ordinary."
|
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Tweet with a location
You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Two campus monitors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been barred from school property after it was reported one of them warned school staff members that Nikolas Cruz was acting suspicious as he entered the campus on Feb. 14.
Andrew Medina and David Taylor, both sports coaches and unarmed campus monitors, "have received administrative reassignments ... until further notice," a Broward County Public Schools spokesperson told Fox News.
UNARMED PARKLAND CAMPUS MONITOR ALERTED STAFF AS NIKOLAS CRUZ STORMED CAMPUS, DOCUMENTS REVEAL
Medina told Coral Springs police in the aftermath of the massacre that unfolded on the Florida high school campus on Valentine's Day that he saw Cruz exit an Uber and enter the campus carrying a black bag, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The unarmed campus monitor reportedly said that when he saw the mass shooting suspect seemingly "beelining" for the 1200 building — the location where the shooting, which killed 17 people, unfolded — he warned other campus security guards.
Taylor, who Medina said was another unarmed security monitor he contacted regarding his suspicions about Cruz, hid in a janitor's closet when he heard the gunfire go off, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow, was killed in the shooting, tweeted that after seeing Medina's comments in recent news reports, he "went up to the school and handled it. ... Andrew Medina I'm not done with you."
Fred Guttenberg, father of Jaime, another student who died in the shooting, tweeted that he went with Pollack to the school "to lay out our concerns and to ask for [Medina's] removal. Glad that we got this done."
Pollack added to the news outlet Medina didn't call a "Code Red" — which would've signaled a threat inside the school — when he saw Cruz.
Medina reportedly told police his training taught him only to call a "Code Red" if he saw someone with a gun or saw the shooting himself, and therefore didn't issue the security warning.
Fox News' Kathleen Reuschle contributed to this report. ||||| The latest installment in a series of occasional stories examining the factors that might have made a crucial difference in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
When a security watchman spotted a former student arriving on campus, head hung low, wearing a backpack and carrying a duffel bag, he couldn’t recall the kid’s name but he remembered he was trouble.
“Crazy boy. That’s crazy boy.”
The school day was about 20 minutes from dismissal as Andrew Medina, a baseball coach and unarmed campus monitor, noticed Nikolas Cruz while riding his golf cart around the Marjory Stoneman Douglas campus unlocking gates.
What followed were more of the critical moments that might have made a difference between life and death for the 17 people killed on Valentine’s Day at the Parkland school.
Medina never stopped Cruz or interrogated him, despite recognizing him as the “racist” kid who always wore black or camouflage and had swastikas on his backpack, according to a sworn statement obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
He was the same kid who had been sent to the office for wearing a camo mask, hiding behind poles and jumping out to scare students.
“I’m telling you I knew who the kid was,” Medina, 39, of Coral Springs, told investigators. “Because we had a meeting about him last year and we said, ‘If there’s gonna be anybody who’s gonna come to this school and shoot this school up, it’s gonna be that kid.’”
Medina was the first to see Cruz step onto the Parkland campus on Feb. 14. He tuned into the 19-year-old getting out of a gold-colored Uber and striding purposefully toward the 1200 building.
“He’s beelining. He’s got his head down. He’s on a mission, you know. He’s on a mission,” Medina later told investigators.
An animation presented during a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission meeting shows the reported timeline of Nikolas Cruz's actions inside the school on February 14, 2018. Blue dots represent staff, and green dots are students. The dot turns yellow if the person was wounded, purple if the victim died. The black dot with a line is shooter Nikolas Cruz. An animation presented during a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission meeting shows the reported timeline of Nikolas Cruz's actions inside the school on February 14, 2018. Blue dots represent staff, and green dots are students. The dot turns yellow if the person was wounded, purple if the victim died. The black dot with a line is shooter Nikolas Cruz. SEE MORE VIDEOS
Although Medina didn’t think Cruz was armed, something told him not to approach him. Instead, he said, he relied on his training: “Do what we’ve been taught. Report it.”
“Because I was ready to go get him. Like, I was ready to go be the guy, just go get him.”
Cruz broke into a run when he noticed Medina coming his way on a golf cart “kind of chasing him.” Cruz then slipped inside the building.
In less than a minute, Medina heard “the first bang, like pow.”
Medina had radioed ahead to David Taylor, 49, a coach and fellow campus monitor, warning him to “be careful” because a “suspicious kid” was coming.
Taylor descended to the first floor, where he saw Cruz walk in on the opposite end of the building and go into a stairwell. There, he assembled and loaded his AR-15.
“When [Taylor] was walking halfway down the hallway, he heard the shots and he ran right into a janitor’s closet that was right there,” Medina said. “Like, that’s what we’re — our training is go in, lock in, close all the doors.”
At the first sound of gunfire, Medina considered reporting an emergency code, a warning that a shooter was on campus. But he hesitated. He’d been trained not to set off a massive law enforcement response unless he actually saw a gun or shots fired.
“I don’t want to be the guy who calls that, you know.”
As Medina picked up armed school deputy Scot Peterson with his golf cart, somebody on the radio yelled: “It sounds like fireworks.”
Somebody responded: “Those ain’t fireworks.”
Medina and Peterson made their way to the front of the 1200 building where they heard more shots.
“That’s when the deputy was like, get out of here … and he told me just to go back to the front of the school.”
Peterson, who has since resigned from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, has been vilified and called a coward for not rushing into the building and shooting Cruz.
When the shooting stopped minutes later, everyone was trying to figure out where the gunman had gone.
Cruz had abandoned his rifle and blended in with fleeing students. Police arrested him about an hour and 20 minutes later on a nearby residential street.
When Medina was brought there to identify the suspect, Cruz hyperventilated and vomited clear fluid.
Hours later, Medina second-guessed himself as he talked to detectives.
“Now I really wish I would have stopped him before and we would have saved all this, but it really wasn’t nothing I could do about that. … I was just doing my job, what they train us to do, you know.”
In the two weeks before the Valentine’s Day shooting, campus monitors had been training on how to handle a mass shooting, Medina said.
He mentioned Sandy Hook and the lessons learned there about locking all doors inside the school.
A campus monitor’s primary duty, according to a job description provided by the Broward School District, is to watch for outsiders and figure out why they’re on campus, keep a log of suspicious activities and patrol the grounds.
Debbi Hixon, whose husband, Chris, athletic director, wrestling coach and a campus monitor, was murdered when he ran to confront Cruz, said she was shocked that no one actually got in Cruz’s face as he walked onto school property. ||||| CLOSE Interview footage from the Broward County State Attorney’s Office sheds light on security monitor Andrew Medina’s actions in the moments leading up to the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. USA TODAY
In this Feb. 14, 2018 frame from surveillance video provided by the Broward Sheriff's Office, Andrew Medina, center, is interviewed by detectives following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Medina, a baseball coach and unarmed campus monitor, told detectives he watched Nikolas Cruz get out of an Uber and head straight to the building where 17 people would be killed moments later at the school. (Photo: Broward Sheriff's Office via AP)
A Marjory Stoneman Douglas coach who saw Nikolas Cruz step onto campus before the Valentine's Day shooting and another coach who hid in a closet that day have been barred from the Parkland, Fla., school. The men served as unarmed security monitors for the school.
Andrew Medina, a baseball coach, saw Cruz arrive on campus Feb. 14 wearing a backpack and carrying a duffel bag, South Florida Sun Sentinel reported last week. He told detectives he watched Cruz head to the building where 17 people would be killed moments later at the school.
“I’m telling you I knew who the kid was,” Medina told investigators. “Because we had a meeting about him last year and we said, ‘If there’s gonna be anybody who’s gonna come to this school and shoot this school up, it’s gonna be that kid.’”
More: Parkland’s Nikolas Cruz made chilling videos before shooting: ‘You’re all going to die’
Medina radioed another coach and security monitor, David Taylor, about Cruz, saying "keep your eyes open." When Taylor heard gunfire, he hid in a janitor's closet.
Nadine Drew, spokesperson for Broward County Public Schools, told USA TODAY that Medina and Taylor "have received administrative reassignments away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School until further notice," because of "information that has recently appeared in the media."
Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was killed by Cruz, called The Associated Press on Wednesday to say Medina should be fired.
"All he had to do was say 'Code Red.' He was trained to say those words and he didn't do it. That's the incompetency of the Broward School District," Pollack said.
Medina said he didn't call for a Code Red, because he didn't see a gun.
More: Parkland student activist David Hogg thanks NRA on Twitter. Here's why
Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2Jpghdm
|
– Two coaches who served as unarmed security monitors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Fla., have been reassigned after controversial reports of their behavior on the day of the shooting, reports USA Today. Baseball coach Andrew Medina told investigators that before the Feb. 14 shooting that took 17 lives, he noticed the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, wearing a backpack and carrying a duffel bag while looking like he was "on a mission," and recognized him as someone staffers had discussed: "If there’s gonna be anybody who’s gonna come to this school and shoot this school up, it’s gonna be that kid," they had said during a meeting about him, Medina recalled, though he later disputed telling investigators that. When Medina approached him, Cruz ran away; soon after, Medina heard gunshots, but didn’t immediately send out an emergency warning of an active shooter. Medina had radioed ahead to fellow coach and monitor David Taylor and warned him that a “suspicious kid” was coming, the Sun Sentinel reports. When Taylor heard shots, he took cover in a janitor’s closet. At least two parents have talked to school officials about how the crisis was handled. "All [Medina] had to do was say 'Code Red,'” says Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was killed in the shooting. “He was trained to say those words and he didn't do it." Fred Guttenberg, the father of another shooting victim, tweeted that he went with Pollack to the school "to lay out our concerns and to ask for [Medina's] removal. Glad that we got this done,” per Fox. Medina said later that he was reluctant to call for a Code Red because he didn’t see the gun. Both he and Taylor have been barred from the grounds of the school. (Former school resource officer Scot Peterson has also been harshly criticized for his handling of the shooting.)
|
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Moscow (CNN) Vladimir Putin has extended his grip on Russia for another six years after an overwhelming victory in Sunday's presidential election, a result that was never in doubt.
With 99.8% of the votes counted, Putin won with 76.7%, according to Central Election Commission data. It means Putin will rule until 2024, when he will be 71 and obliged by law to step down.
Putin sailed to victory against the backdrop of wall-to-wall support from state media and with no serious challenger. His nearest rival, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, won 11.79%,while ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky took 5.7%. Former reality TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak was on 1.7%, while veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky received just over 1% of the vote.
Putin, a former KGB spy, has dominated Russian politics for 18 years and the 65-year-old was already the country's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
He declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country.
"We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances.
"I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed."
Putin addresses the crowd during Sunday night's rally and concert in Moscow.
Although his victory was a foregone conclusion, the high score is a major boost to Putin, who already enjoys sweeping powers over his country. He won with 63.6% of the votes cast in the 2012 election.
Voter turnout was put at 67.5%, close to the 70% ambition of the Kremlin.
Under current Russian law, Putin can not stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term.
People wave Russian flags in Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin on Sunday.
Uneven playing field
Putin's critics have slammed the election as unfair, citing the Kremlin's tight control over the media, quelling of the opposition and restrictions on some election monitors to ensure a free vote.
By early evening Sunday, the non-governmental election monitoring group Golos had counted 2,000 incidents of voting irregularities, including observers being prevented from carrying out monitoring.
The vote was a huge logistical undertaking, taking place across Russia's 11 time zones over 22 hours, in around 97,000 polling stations, according to the Central Election Commission.
One-horse race
The Kremlin had aimed for a turnout of more than 70% to cement its legitimacy, but the election period was muted and marked by a sense of voter apathy.
Alexander G, a 23-year-old model, said he abstained from voting.
"For now it's just one Putin, and other candidates are a circus -- we don't really have an option," he told CNN outside a Moscow cafe on Sunday night.
President Vladimir Putin casts his vote in Moscow on Sunday.
His friend, 21-year-old modeling agent Max V, also chose not to vote, saying there weren't enough candidates to choose from.
"Everyone knows that Putin will be the president again. I would have like to have had an option. I think there will be an alternative one day but many years later."
Several Russians told CNN of a culture of pressure to support the President. A public service employee who asked to remain anonymous said that all the workers in his office were verbally told to go to a celebration rally commemorating the election on Sunday evening.
"A satisfied Putin will come out and give a speech," he said.
Putin: UK poisoning row 'delirium'
There was little fanfare in the campaign period and Russian news was dominated by developments in political crises between Russia and Western powers.
Russia has been embroiled in a diplomatic crisis with the UK in the run-up to the vote over the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy, his daughter and a police officer on British soil earlier this month.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has openly blamed Russia for the incident, which UK officials say involved a military-grade nerve agent. After declaring victory Sunday, Putin flatly denied Moscow played any part in it.
"Any sensible person would understand that this is just a kind of delirium, it's nonsense, it's unthinkable we would do such a thing," he said.
"I (found out) about that in the media and the first thing that came to my mind was that if it's a military-grade agent, they would have died instantly on the spot."
Both countries have expelled diplomats over the row.
Russian soldiers vote in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on Sunday.
Relations with the United States took another hit after Washington on Thursday announced new sanctions on Russia over its reported meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Russia has vowed retaliation.
Despite criticisms of the Kremlin's actions ahead of the election, Putin is a genuinely popular figure in Russia, and confrontation with the West has boosted his approval ratings, past polling shows.
Crimea votes
Russia's parliament, which is controlled by Putin's United Russia party, moved the vote date back to March 18 to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Sunday's election was the first presidential vote on the Crimean peninsula since Moscow annexed the territory from Ukraine in 2014, prompting a further decline in Russia's relations with the West.
But Kiev refused to allow Russians in the country to vote at consulates, according to a statement from the government information agency Ukrinform. Only Russian diplomats were allowed to access official Russian premises. ||||| Senior Russian officials have said that Vladimir Putin’s decisive win in the presidential elections reflects popular support for his muscular foreign policy and would bolster his role as a counterweight to the west.
“It is now obvious to everyone that Putin pursues an independent foreign policy and stands up for the national interests that the citizens of our country share,” Valentina Matviyenko, head of the federation council, told the Russia 24 television station on Monday. “This strengthens his capabilities, this strengthens his weight, this strengthens his authority in the world.”
But Putin sought to play the peacemaker at a meeting with his seven defeated presidential challengers in the Kremlin. “We have no intention of engaging in some kind of arms race,” he said. “Just the opposite, we will seek to develop constructive relations with other countries. We will do all we can to solve all disputes with our partners using political and diplomatic means.”
Putin’s victory, with a 76.7% share of the vote, comes amid high tensions between London and Moscow over the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. Investigators from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons arrived in the UK on Monday to begin testing samples from the 4 March attack, which Putin has denied was Moscow’s doing.
There was a certain swagger in Moscow after Putin’s victory. His campaign head thanked Great Britain for mobilising Russian voters over the nerve agent attack. Putin’s first executive order of the day was to call up army reservists for military training.
But opposition activists highlighted a number of cases of vote rigging and statistical anomalies, including millions of votes cast in polling places that recorded exactly 85%, 90% and 95% turnout. The respected Russian business daily Vedomosti also noted the appearance of nearly 1.5 million votes overnight, equivalent to 2% of the vote.
The total number of ballots cast on Sunday for Putin, who has spent 18 years as Russia’s most powerful politician, exceeded 56.2m. That was a record total, even discounting the nearly 1m votes he gained as a result of the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday there had been no real choice in Russia’s presidential election and complained it had been marked by unfair pressure on critical voices.
“Choice without real competition, as we have seen here, is not real choice,” the OSCE said in a statement, adding that restrictions on fundamental freedoms, as well as on candidate registration, had limited the space for political engagement. Russia’s central election commission said on Monday morning that it had not registered any serious complaints of violations.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with opposition candidates who ran against him in Sunday’s presidential election. Photograph: Yuri Kadobnov/AP
Putin’s most serious rival, the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race. The central election commission said that the communist candidate, Pavel Grudinin, came second with 11.8% of the vote, and third was the ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky (5.6%). The only candidate to openly criticise Putin during the campaign, the liberal TV star Ksenia Sobchak, won 1.6%.
Putin has never faced a serious threat to his rule since he came to power on the eve of the new millennium. He won 53% of the vote in the 2000 presidential election, 71% in 2004 and 63% in 2012.
Turnout at the elections on Sunday was more than 67%, the commission reported. The Kremlin had initially sought a 70% share of the vote with 70% turnout but was said to have lowered its expectations as the election drew closer.
About 10 million more Russians voted for Putin than in 2012, when he appeared on the defensive after mass voter fraud at parliamentary elections sparked protests in Moscow and other large cities.
Perhaps the most surprising result came from Moscow itself, where Putin won just 47% of the vote in the 2012 elections. On Sunday he took 70% of the capital city, one of the main bastions of the opposition.
Russian voters go to the polls – in pictures Read more
The opposition pointed to video evidence of voter irregularities at a number of polling stations across Russia. They included ballot stuffing and attacks on some vote observers, as well as reports of ballots being cast by “dead souls”, people who have died but remain on the electoral rolls.
In one video shared online from the Siberian region of Yakutia, voters patiently queued behind a man shoving ballots into the ballot box.
Turnout is usually highest in the North Caucasus, where a machine of administrative support regularly pushes turnout, and vote share for Putin, above 90%. In Dagestan an election monitor said he was beaten by a crowd of several dozen men. During the encounter turnout at his polling site jumped significantly.
Play Video 0:48 Vladimir Putin: 'Nonsense' to think Russia would poison ex-spy before election - video
One polling place in Chechnya, where observers managed to remain until the end of voting, showed just 35% turnout. In others where there were no observers it was close to 100%.
The Kremlin had pushed a broad get-out-the-vote campaign before the elections, apparently concerned that Putin’s popularity might not be enough to get voters to the polls. Incentives included raffles for prizes including iPhone Xs and cars.
On Sunday night Putin’s campaign chairman declared turnout to be high, and needled London by suggesting that it may have been a rally-round-the-flag response by voters to the accusations of Russian involvement in the nerve agent attack on a former spy in the UK.
“Right now the turnout numbers are higher than we expected. We need to thank Great Britain for that because once again they did not consider the Russian mentality,” the chairman said. “Once again we were subject to pressure at just the moment when we needed to mobilise.”
|
– Russia held a presidential election Sunday—and it didn't take the powers of the Amazing Kreskin to predict the outcome. Amid reports of ballot box-stuffing and other chicanery, Moscow released official results showing that Vladimir Putin had been re-elected with 76.7% of the vote, his highest score ever, up from 63% in 2012. His newest six-year term will run until 2024, when current Russian law will ban him from a third consecutive term, CNN reports. "We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," Putin told supporters in Moscow. He later said he was planning changes to the government, but wouldn't change the constitution to stay in power. More: The rest of the field. Authorities say Communist candidate Pavel Grudinin came in second with 11.6% of the vote, with ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky third with 5.6%. The Guardian reports that TV star Ksenia Sobchak, the only candidate who actually criticized Putin, took 1.6% of the vote. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was banned from running. Official figures put Sunday's turnout at around 67%, below the 70% the Kremlin had hoped for.
|
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(Wheel of Fortune/CBS)
Last fall, Takoma Park Middle School math teacher Sarah Manchester heard “Wheel of Fortune” tryouts were taking place in Northern Virginia, so she went. As a huge fan of the show, why not? She sat on the ground, grading papers, as staffers pulled names by random draw to audition for the legendary game show.
“I figured if my name wasn’t pulled, at least I was getting my work done,” Manchester recalls almost a year later.
As it happened, her name was called and there was a little more excitement in store when she actually made it on the show. On Wednesday night, Manchester, 42, became the third person in the history of “Wheel of Fortune” to win a million dollars.
Manchester’s win thrilled the crowd – and host Pat Sajak – as she answered the bonus round puzzle correctly, “Loud Laughter.” That meant she got to open a bonus round envelope, which after spinning the wheel, turned out to be the $1 million option.
In case you haven’t tuned into “Wheel of Fortune” for awhile, the show introduced the $1 million twist in 2008 to spice things up after many decades (there are a lot of evening game shows to compete with these days) and only two people have won. As you can see from the video, Manchester’s reaction is pretty much exactly what you would expect.
The episode taped in Los Angeles in May, so Manchester had to keep the secret for months. (Her husband, kids and father were also at the taping and weren’t allowed to spill any details.) On Wednesday, family and friends gathered at McGinty’s in Silver Spring, simply excited to see Manchester on TV. Obviously, the crowd exploded when the results were revealed.
In the aftermath of the secret finally being out, Manchester — mom of Raina, 14, and Alden, 8 — sounds calm but a bit dazed. She’s still shocked she made it through two rounds of auditions to be on the show, let alone the fact that she’s now a historic winner.
“I was just stunned,” she says. “Even though I knew that it was a possibility [in the game], it didn’t seem like something that could really happen.”
So, let’s get to the question everyone secretly dreams about and therefore wants to know: You just won a million dollars — what are you going to do with it?
Manchester laughs. She doesn’t anticipate life changing too much, though there might be a few differences. For example, now the whole family can tag along when her daughter’s chorus goes on tour in France next year. Otherwise, she’ll put it toward college tuition savings for the kids (“Now they might have more options that we would have shied away from”) and plans to collaborate with her family about choosing charities to donate some of the winnings.
And how will her sixth and seventh grade students feel about hearing their teacher just became a millionaire on national TV? Manchester won’t see them until Monday, as they have a substitute teacher for the next couple of days while she’s in New York to appear on “Good Morning America.” Still, she’s pretty sure there will be some excitement in class tomorrow.
“I don’t envy the sub,” she jokes. ||||| SILVER SPRING, Md. (WJLA) - Sarah Manchester, a math teacher from Silver Spring, became the third contestant to win the $1 million dollar grand prize on the popular game show "Wheel of Fortune" during Wednesday night's episode that aired on ABC 7.
Continue reading
Sarah Manchester on Wheel of Fortune. (Photo: WOF)
“This is a once in a lifetime event,” said an excited Manchester following her win. “I’m just soaking in every minute of it!”
Manchester’s $1,017,490 win did not come easy. The game was close with only $6,000 separating the first- and third-place finishes. Manchester solved the prize puzzle, winning a trip to the Dominican Republic and then brilliantly solved the third toss-up puzzle, “The Pacific Ocean,” with just a few letters revealed.
Going into the bonus round, Manchester was so caught up in the moment she forgot she was going to be playing for the chance at $1 million dollars. “Oh, I forgot!” she said when host Pat Sajak reviewed her winnings with her. However, there were no problems when the bonus round puzzle “Loud Laughter” was revealed.
“I saw it right away, so I called the letters and was able to solve pretty easily,” said Manchester of her winning solve.
The big win came during Wheel of Fortune’s “Teacher’s Week,” which kicked off the 32nd season of the show.
The $1 million dollar grand prize wedge was added to the Wheel in 2008, at the beginning of the show’s 26th season. If a contestant collects the wedge, solves the puzzle and makes it to the bonus round without hitting bankrupt, the top $100,000 cash prize is replaced by $1 million dollars on the bonus round wheel. The first $1 million dollar grand prize was won by Michelle Lowenstein in October of 2008 and the second by Autumn Erhard in May of 2013.
Manchester is a middle school math teacher and coach of the math team at Takoma Park Middle School, the same middle school she attended as a child. She has had a lot of practice solving "Wheel of Fortune" puzzles, having watched with her parents growing up and now challenging her own kids with cash prizes for each puzzle they solve before she does. Manchester was joined at the show’s taping by her father, Paul; husband, Dan; and children Alden and Raina.
“What a way to start the season,” said Sajak following the win.
During the show’s closing segment, Sajak asked the newly minted millionaire if being a math teacher she had calculated the probability of winning the million dollars to which she gushed, “I assessed that the probability was low, but even unlikely events sometimes happen!”
|
– The puzzle itself was a pretty easy solve—"loud laughter," with most of the letters in place beforehand—but the payday for math teacher Sarah Manchester of Maryland was spectacular: She won the $1 million Wheel of Fortune prize, only the third person to do so, reports WJLA-TV. The 42-year-old teacher at Takoma Park Middle School tells the Washington Post that things won't change that much for her family—husband Paul and kids Raina, 14, and Alden, 8—with most of the money getting socked away for the kids' college funds or going to charity. “I was just stunned,” she says of the win on yesterday's show. “Even though I knew that it was a possibility, it didn’t seem like something that could really happen.” (Might this one be the show's best solve ever?)
|
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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "It's yours, sold" - the moment Women of Algiers breaks record
Picasso's Women of Algiers has become the most expensive painting to sell at auction, going for $160m (£102.6m) at Christie's in New York.
Eleven minutes of prolonged bidding from telephone buyers preceded the final sale - for much more than its pre-sale estimate of $140m.
The final price of $179.3m (£115m) includes commission of just over 12%.
The sale also featured Alberto Giacometti's life-size sculpture Pointing Man, which set its own record.
It is now the most expensive sculpture sold at auction, after going for $141.3m (£90.6m). Both buyers chose to remain anonymous.
Image copyright Reuters
The previous world record for a painting sold at auction was $142.4m, for British painter Francis Bacon's Three Studies of Lucian Freud in 2013.
The Picasso oil painting is a vibrant, cubist depiction of nude courtesans, and is part of a 15-work series the Spanish artist created in 1954-55 designated with the letters A to O.
"This is an absolutely blockbuster picture - it's one of the most exciting pictures that we've seen on the market for 10 years," said Philip Hoffman, founder and CEO of the Fine Art Fund Group.
"Yes there are one or two [Picassos] that could even smash that record but it has a huge wall presence, it's a big show-off picture.
"For anybody that wants to have a major Picasso, this is it - and $179m in 10 years' time will probably look inexpensive," said Hoffman.
Image copyright European photopress agency Image caption Man Pointing by Alberto Giacometti also set a record
Analysis: Arts Editor, Will Gompertz
Make no mistake; this is a fine painting, by a great artist, produced at an important time in his career.
He started the Women of Algiers series in 1954 shortly after the death of his friend and competitor, Henri Matisse, the master of what he called the Odalisque - exotic paintings of Turkish women in harems.
Now in his 70s, Picasso felt he should pick up the Orientalist mantel from Matisse while also looking to bring together many of the influences that informed his own art. You can see an echo of his famous proto-Cubist work Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) and the debt it owes to Cezanne and El Greco. There was his lifelong admiration for the French romantic painter Eugene Delacroix who painted the original Women of Algiers (1834), and - of course - his adoration of the female form.
Added to this rich mix was the geo-politics of the time, which saw an uprising in the French colony of Algeria that would eventually lead to the country's independence.
In Women of Algiers version O, Picasso has distilled all of these ingredients into one large-scale painting of great quality: a study not only of the Arabesque, but also a serious enquiry into the nature of colour, line and composition.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How the record auction unfolded - in 100 seconds
$100M artworks
Picasso, Women of Algiers - $160m (2015)
Alberto Giacometti, Pointing Man - $141.3m (2015)
Francis Bacon, Three Studies of Lucian Freud - $142m (2013)
Edvard Munch, The Scream - $119.9m (2012)
Picasso, Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust - $106.5m (2010)
Alberto Giacometti, Walking Man I - $104.3m (2010)
Picasso, Boy With a Pipe - $104.1m (2004)
Experts believe the investment value of art is behind the high prices.
"I don't really see an end to it, unless interest rates drop sharply, which I don't see happening in the near future," said Manhattan dealer Richard Feigen.
"There's a huge amount of demand," added Hoffman, founder and CEO of the Fine Art Fund Group.
"The world's billionaires are in New York, the world's museum buyers are there.
"I don't think we've ever seen a sale as important as this in Christie's and Sotheby's in my 25 years of working in the art world." ||||| The hammer came down at Christie's last night, smashing two records for art sold at auction.
A bold and colorful painting by Pablo Picasso just became the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction.
The piece, called "Les femmes d'Alger (Version 'O')," drew massive crowds and media attention at the Christie's sales room Monday night, in anticipation of a new high-water mark in the art market.
The hammer price came down at $160 million. Including the auction fees, the painting's price rang in at $179.37 million.
||||| FILE - In this May 1, 2015, file photo, visitors are introduced to Alberto Giacometti's life-size bronze sculpture “Pointing Man,” left, after viewing the Pablo Picasso oil painting "Women of Algiers... (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — A vibrant, multi-hued painting from Pablo Picasso set a world record for artwork at auction, selling for $179.4 million on Monday, and a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti set a record for most expensive sculpture, at $141.3 million.
Picasso's "Women of Algiers (Version O)" and Giacometti's life-size "Pointing Man" were among dozens of masterpieces from the 20th century Christie's offered in a curated sale titled "Looking Forward to the Past."
Christie's global president, Jussi Pylkkanen, who was the auctioneer, said the two pieces are outstanding works of art.
"I've never worked with two such beautiful objects," he said.
The Picasso price, $179,365,000, and the Giacometti price, $141,285,000, included the auction house's premium. The buyers elected to remain anonymous.
Overall, 34 of 35 lots sold for an auction total of $706 million.
Experts say the high sale prices were driven by artworks' investment value and by wealthy collectors seeking out the very best works.
"I don't really see an end to it, unless interest rates drop sharply, which I don't see happening in the near future," dealer Richard Feigen said.
Impressionist and modern artworks continue to corner the market because "they are beautiful, accessible and a proven value," added Sarah Lichtman, a professor of design history and curatorial studies at The New School.
"I think we will continue to see the financiers seeking these works out as they would a blue chip company that pays reliable dividends for years to come," she said.
"Women of Algiers," once owned by American collectors Victor and Sally Ganz, was inspired by Picasso's fascination with 19th-century French artist Eugene Delacroix. It's part of a 15-work series Picasso created in 1954-55 designated with the letters A through O. It has appeared in several major museum retrospectives of the Spanish artist.
The most expensive artwork sold at auction had been Francis Bacon's "Three Studies of Lucian Freud," which Christie's sold for $142.4 million in 2013.
"Pointing Man," depicting a skinny 5-foot-high bronze figure with extended arms, had been in the same private collection for 45 years. Giacometti made six casts of the work; four are in museums, and the others are in private hands and a foundation collection.
His "Walking Man I" had held the auction record for a sculpture: $104.3 million in 2010.
Other highlights at Christie's included Peter Doig's "Swamped," a 1990 painting of a canoe in a moonlit lagoon, which sold for almost $26 million, a record for the British artist. Claude Monet's "The Houses of Parliament, At Sunset," a lush painting of rich blues and magenta created in 1900-01, sold for $40.5 million.
Christie's also had a Mark Rothko for sale. "No. 36 (Black Stripe)," which had never appeared at auction, also sold for $40.5 million. The 1958 work was sold by German collector Frieder Burda, who exhibited it in his museum in Baden-Baden for several years.
|
– The world record price for a work of art sold at auction went up by nearly $40 million when Pablo Picasso's Women of Algiers (Version O) sold for an amazing $179.4 million last night. The 1955 painting—described by the BBC as a "vibrant, cubist depiction of nude courtesans"—was part of a Christie's sale called "Looking Forward to the Past" that also saw Alberto Giacometti's life-size Pointing Man set the record for most expensive sculpture at $141.3 million, the AP reports. Both record-breaking prices include the auction house's commission of around 12%. The previous record for a painting sold at auction was set in 2013 when Francis Bacon's Three Studies of Lucian Freud sold for $142.5 million. Experts believe that the strong interest in 20th-century artworks will see prices continue to reach dizzying levels for years to come. "I think we will continue to see the financiers seeking these works out as they would a blue chip company that pays reliable dividends," a professor of design history and curatorial studies at the New School tells the AP. The identities of the Picasso seller and the person who bought it after 11 minutes of bidding have not been disclosed, CNBC reports. (Here's another recent instance of "$180 million" making headlines.)
|
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Notice
You must log in to continue. ||||| While President Donald Trump backtracked on Friday to end a controversial five week partial government shutdown, Congressional leaders kick started work on a border security funding agreement, even as the White House threatened to use a national emergency declaration if no border wall money is approved by a February 15 funding deadline. “We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” the President said Friday in remarks from the White House Rose Garden, as he announced the deal to fund the government for three weeks. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency,” the President added. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders emphasized that option in a tweet posted later on Friday night, sending a clear signal that if House-Senate negotiators don’t give the President money for a border wall, then he will likely act to declare a national emergency – and try to move money around in the federal budget to fund the wall unilaterally. In 21 days President @realDonaldTrump is moving forward building the wall with or without the Democrats. The only outstanding question is whether the Democrats want something or nothing https://t.co/dMaDfBOIuT — Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 26, 2019 Some more conservative GOP voices in the Congress seemed ready to sign on to that option. “If Democrats refuse to work with us to tackle this national priority over the next few weeks, President Trump will do what is necessary to protect America,” said Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), a key Senate ally of the President. “Compromise is important, but not required, to secure our border and protect American families,” added Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), maybe the closest Trump ally in the House. The decision by Mr. Trump to allow the government to be funded capped five weeks of turmoil for 800,000 federal workers, as they missed a second paycheck on Friday, and will likely have to wait well into next week to receive their back pay. After watching some of the news coverage about his latest moves, President Trump did not seem pleased. “This in no way was a concession,” the President tweeted Friday night, even as he did what Democrats wanted. I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession. It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it’s off to the races! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2019 The statements of the President and the White House presented negotiators with an ultimatum of sorts, even before they began their work on border security funding. “The President has agreed to our request to open the government and then debate border security,” said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, as President Trump agreed to do exactly what Democrats had been calling for as a way to end a 35 day partial government shutdown. “I hope over the next three weeks we can bridge our differences with a common goal to protect our country and end the humanitarian crisis, while keeping government open,” said Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA), one of the House GOP negotiators. Many Democrats alternated between mocking Mr. Trump and condemning his actions, arguing he had needlessly put thousands of federal workers through financial stress and strain with the shutdown – only to finally back off his demand that the government would not be funded until Congress approved money for his border wall. 35 days shut down, 2 paychecks missed for 800,000 federal employees, and countless other hardships and national security threats… and the President has just agreed to an offer he could have accepted back in December. — Rep. Brendan Boyle (@CongBoyle) January 25, 2019 “No one should applaud his recent actions – he created the crisis,” said Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA). “Americans don’t care whether or not you call your speech a concession,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). “No President should ever threaten to hurt, or actually hurt, Americans as a negotiating tactic.” “Holding federal employees’ livelihoods hostage in order to get Congress to meet an unreasonable border policy demand was always a bad idea,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). More moderate Republicans also said the shutdown should not have been an option for the President. “Ultimately, this shutdown never should have happened,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). ||||| Careers
Tulsa Public Schools is on a journey to be the destination for excellence in teaching and learning, and we invite you to join us! We have positions available throughout the district: from our classrooms, to our transportation hubs, to our district office. If you are ready to make a difference for teachers, children, and families, we have a place for you at Tulsa Public Schools! ||||| 0 Tulsa teacher turns to panhandling to raise money for classroom supplies
TULSA, Okla. - Quick facts:
Teresa Danks is a Tulsa teacher.
She says she spends a large portion of her paycheck on classroom supplies.
Danks went to a local intersection to ask for money in order to pay for supplies Wednesday.
Donate to Danks' cause HERE
Danks's story is getting national attention, she told FOX23 she's getting a huge outpouring of support from the community
A Tulsa teacher’s bold statement is now making the rounds nationally after her story aired on FOX23.
Danks says the outpour from the community both yesterday and since her story aired has been incredible.
So far, she’s received about 100 emails from people in the community who are mailing supplies to her classroom.
A business has even given Danks a $250 gift card for supplies.
A Tulsa teacher is making a bold statement about the state of education as she pleads for money at a local intersection in order to pay for classroom supplies.
Teresa Danks is a third grade teacher in the Tulsa Public Schools systems.
SEE MORE: Educators say Oklahoma budget doesn't solve teachers' problems
As a result of serious education budget cuts, Danks says she is now spending between $2,000 and $3,000 of her $35,000 salary on supplies for her students.
Oklahoma ranks nearly last in teacher pay when compared to other states across the U.S.
“It all adds up week after week and month after month,” Danks said. “So, it’s a huge need.”
SEE MORE: FOX23 Investigates Oklahoma teacher pay
Danks says she decided to ask the public for help after she learned lawmakers weren’t going to help her.
In six minutes Tuesday, the veteran teacher made $55 standing on the street corner near 193rd East Avenue and I-44, more than double what she makes per hour in the classroom.
Danks says she was overwhelmed by the response, and she became emotional talking about it.
She says her unusual fundraising style not just about the money, but she says she is setting out to bring awareness to the budget cut crisis and how it affects Oklahoma’s education system.
Danks says she hopes that other teachers will join her in the effort.
SEE MORE: Area teachers reveal second jobs
She urges people to donate to their local schools, because she believes other teachers are likely in similar situations.
If you would like to contact Danks, you can email her here.
She released a list of needed supplies Wednesday:
"Local Friends, "With more budget cuts to our schools, I am in need of some help. If you already have, would be willing to save up for me, donate or sell cheaply for the 2017-18 school year it would be greatly appreciated. Just comment if you are able to help. Thanks so much."
Any and all things crafty:
Egg cartons
Paper towel/toilet paper rolls
Yarn
Old, leftover party paper plates
Straws
Pipe cleaners
Broken costume jewelry
Beads
Craft wire
Silk flowers
Plastic water bottles
Gallon size plastic jugs
Sewing needles/Thread
Buttons
Fabric pieces
Cotton balls/Pom Poms
Safety pins
Stencils (letters & pictures)
Stamp pads
Large felt board
Sandwich bags
Other items:
Treasure box single wrap candy
Single electric hot burner
Board games and card games for ages 6+
Big Joe black bean bag chair
Yoga balls
Protractors
Microscope
Small dorm size refrigerator
Small microwave
Trending Now on FOX23.com
Golden retriever gives birth to rare, green puppy
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– She probably could've tried GoFundMe, but Teresa Danks came up with a different plan for raising money to buy supplies for her third-grade classroom: Stand on a corner in Tulsa, Okla., and beg for it. FOX23 reports on the unusual crowdfunding effort by the teacher, who says she spends between $2,000 and $3,000 of her $35,000 annual salary to scoop up materials for her students, in a state that's notorious for low teacher pay. But while she brought in $55 on the streets in just over five minutes on Tuesday, she says the cash itself isn't the only goal: She wants to raise awareness about the strapped financial situation that educational workers in her state find themselves in. "We don't want to call it [begging], but this kind of shows it is," Danks, who's been in the educational arena since 1996, tells KRMG. Supplies she's looking to acquire to stock her classroom for the fall, among others: beads, egg cartons, yarn, and board games, as well as bigger-ticket items such as a microwave and dorm fridge. Those interested in donating can email Danks here, though she stresses people should donate to teachers in their neck of the woods as well.
|
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His statement was quickly but not definitively rebutted by officials of Tokyo Electric Power, the Daiichi’s plant’s operator, and Japan’s nuclear regulatory agency.
“We can’t get inside to check, but we’ve been carefully watching the building’s environs, and there has not been any particular problem,” Hajime Motojuku, a spokesman for Tokyo Electric, said Thursday morning in Japan.
Later Thursday, a spokesman for Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Yoshitaka Nagayama, was more equivocal, saying, “Because we have been unable to go the scene, we cannot confirm whether there is water left or not in the spent fuel pool at Reactor No. 4.”
At the same time, officials did raise concern about two other reactors where spent fuel rods were stored, Nos. 5 and 6, saying they had experienced a slight rise in temperature.
On Wednesday night, Mr. Jaczko reiterated his earlier statement and added that commission representatives in Tokyo had confirmed that the pool at No. 4 was empty. He said Tokyo Electric and other officials in Japan had confirmed that, and also stressed that high radiation fields were going to make it very difficult to continue having people work at the plant.
Photo
If the American analysis is accurate and emergency crews at the plant have been unable to keep the spent fuel at that inoperative reactor properly cooled — it needs to remain covered with water at all times — radiation levels could make it difficult not only to fix the problem at reactor No. 4, but to keep servicing any of the other problem reactors at the plant. In the worst case, experts say, workers could be forced to vacate the plant altogether, and the fuel rods in reactors and spent fuel pools would be left to meltdown, leading to much larger releases of radioactive materials.
While radiation levels at the plant have varied tremendously, Mr. Jaczko said that the peak levels reported there “would be lethal within a fairly short period of time.” He added that another spent fuel pool, at Reactor No. 3, might also be losing water and could soon be in the same condition.
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On Thursday morning, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces started dumping water from a helicopter on reactor No. 3, making several passes. They planned to do the same for No. 4 sometime Thursday. Tokyo Electric was also working busily to complete a high power line to the plant to restore the electricity needed to run the cooling systems, according to a senior nuclear industry executive.
On Wednesday, the American Embassy in Tokyo, on advice from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told Americans to evacuate a radius of “approximately 50 miles” from the Fukushima plant.
The advice to Americans in Japan represents a graver assessment of the risk in the immediate vicinity of Daiichi than the warnings made by the Japanese themselves, who have told everyone within 20 kilometers, about 12 miles, to evacuate, and those 20 to 30 kilometers to take shelter. While maps of the plume of radiation being given off by the plant show that an elongated cloud will stretch across the Pacific, American officials said it would be so dissipated by the time it reached the West Coast of the United States that it would not pose a health threat.
“We would recommend an evacuation to a much larger radius than has currently been provided by Japan,” Mr. Jaczko said. That assessment seems bound to embarrass, if not anger, Japanese officials, suggesting they have miscalculated the danger or deliberately played down the risks.
Late Wednesday night, after President Obama spoke with Prime Minister Naoto Kan , the State Department announced what it described as a “voluntary” evacuation of dependents of American government personnel in northeastern Japan, down to Tokyo and Yokohama . The undersecretary of state for administration, Patrick Kennedy, said that no one would be ordered to leave the country, and embassy staff and military officials would be expected to stay and perform their jobs. But the government is providing charter flights for dependents who want to leave.
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In the same call with reporters, Daniel B. Poneman, the deputy secretary of energy, said the United States was also providing sophisticated nuclear detection devices. Some are flown aboard American aircraft. “We are dealing with this as a day to day, minute to minute situation,” he said.
It was not immediately clear how many people live within the zone around the plant that American officials believed should be evacuated. But the zone gets far closer to the city of Sendai, with its population of one million, which took the brunt of the earthquake last week.
At a hearing on Wednesday, Senator Barbara Boxer , chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, pointed out that 50 miles could take in a huge number of people; San Onofre, in her home state, California , has seven million people living within that radius, she said.
American officials who have been dealing with their Japanese counterparts report that the country’s political and bureaucratic leadership has appeared frozen in place, unwilling to communicate clearly about the scope of the problem and, in some cases, unwilling to accept outside assistance. Two American officials said they believed that the Japanese government itself was not getting a clear picture from the Tokyo Electric Power Company.
Video
“Everything in their system is built to build consensus slowly,” said one American official who would not be quoted by name because of the delicacy of discussions with Japan. “And everything in this crisis is about moving quickly. It’s not working.”
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United States Air Force officials announced Wednesday that a Global Hawk remotely piloted surveillance plane would be sent on missions over Japan to help the government assess damage from the earthquake and the tsunami. A Pentagon official said the drone was expected to fly over the stricken nuclear plant.
American officials were careful to offer no public comparisons to past nuclear accidents when discussing the Fukushima disaster. But clearly the crisis in Japan already far outstrips what happened at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania , where very little radiation escaped a crippled reactor. The effort now is to keep the Japanese crisis, involving at least three reactors that had been in active use before the quake, and three others that were inactive but had storage pools for spent fuel, from escalating to the levels of the worst nuclear disaster in history: Chernobyl.
Though the plant’s reactors shut down automatically when the quake struck on Friday, the subsequent tsunami wiped out the backup electronic pumping and cooling system necessary to keep the fuel rods in the reactors and the storage pools for spent nuclear fuel covered with cool water.
The spent fuel pools can be even more dangerous than the active fuel rods, as they are not contained in thick steel containers like the reactor core. As they are exposed to air, the zirconium metal cladding on the rods can catch fire, and a deadly mix of radioactive elements can spew into the atmosphere. The most concern surrounds Cesium-137, which has a half-life of 30 years and can get into food supplies or be inhaled.
Mr. Jaczko (pronounced YAZZ-koe) said radiation levels might make it impossible to continue what he called the “backup backup” cooling functions that have so far helped check the fuel melting inside the reactors. Those efforts consist of using fire hoses to dump water on overheated fuel and then letting the radioactive steam vent into the atmosphere.
Those emergency measures, carried out by a small squad of workers and firefighters, represent Japan’s central effort to forestall a full-blown fuel meltdown that would lead to much higher releases of radioactive material into the air.
Mr. Jaczko’s testimony, the most extended comments by a senior American official on Japan’s nuclear disaster, described what amounts to an agonizing choice for Japanese authorities: keep sending workers into an increasingly contaminated area in a last-ditch effort to cover nuclear fuel with water, or do more to protect the workers but risk letting the pools boil away — and thus risk a broader meltdown.
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According to Tokyo Electric’s data, the spent fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor contains 548 fuel assemblies that were in use at the reactor until last November, when they were move to the storage pool on the site. That means that the fuel rods were only recently taken out of active use and that their potential to burn and release radioactivity is higher than spent fuel in storage for a longer period.
Experts say workers at the plant probably could not approach a fuel pool that was dry, because radiation levels would be too high. In a normally operating pool, the water not only provides cooling but also shields workers from gamma radiation.
Earlier in the day, Japanese authorities announced a different escalation of the crisis at Daiichi when they said that a second reactor unit at the plant, No. 3, might have suffered damage to its primary containment structure and appeared to be releasing radioactive steam. ||||| A nearly completed new power line could restore electric cooling systems in Japan's tsunami-crippled nuclear plant, its operator said Thursday, raising hopes of easing the crisis that has threatened a meltdown.
Firefighters search for missing people in Minamisanriku, northern Japan, Wednesday, March 16, 2011, after Friday's earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroaki Ono) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY... (Associated Press)
Yoshie Murakami cries as she holds a hand of her dead mother in the rubble near the spot where her home used to be Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. Murakami's 23-year-old... (Associated Press)
A youngster rests in a school gymnasium being used as a center for people to stay at whose homes were damaged by the tsunami in Ofunato, Japan, Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Two search and rescue teams from... (Associated Press)
A woman walks around the devastated area where her home used to be in Ofunato, northern Japan, Wednesday, March 16, 2011, after Friday's powerful earthquake-triggered tsunami hit Japan's east coast. (AP... (Associated Press)
A boy waits in a line in front of a gas station in Kamaishi, northern Japan Monday, March 14, 2011 following Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/Asahi Shimbun, Naoko Kawamura) JAPAN OUT,... (Associated Press)
Braving falling snow, a woman looks around destroyed factory in the rubble Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, five days after an earthquake-triggered tsunami devastated northeastern... (Associated Press)
Japan's Defense Ministry officials plot possibly radioactive affected areas on a map at the emergency rescue headquarters monitoring leaked radiation from the Fukushima nuclear facilities damaged by last... (Associated Press)
Teams of government specialists at the emergency rescue headquarters frantically analyze data from the leaked radiation from the Fukushima nuclear facilities damaged by last week's major earthquake and... (Associated Press)
A U.S. soldier volunteers to help victims carry emergency aid at a makeshift shelter in Rikuzentakata, northern Japan, Wednesday, March 16, 2011, after Friday's earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/The Yomiuri... (Associated Press)
A woman holds her dog as they are scanned for radiation at a temporary scanning center for residents living close to the quake-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant Wednesday, March 16, 2011,... (Associated Press)
A man is screened for radiation exposure at a shelter after being evacuated from areas around the Fukushima nuclear facilities damaged by last week's major earthquake and following tsunami, Wednesday,... (Associated Press)
RETRANSMISSION OF XGB118 FOR ALTERNATIVE CROP - A man holds his dog as they wait to be scanned for radiation exposure at a temporary scanning center for residents living close to the quake-damaged Fukushima... (Associated Press)
A woman holds her child at a shelter after being evacuated from areas around the Fukushima nuclear facilities damaged by last week's major earthquake and following tsunami, Wednesday, March 16, 2011,... (Associated Press)
Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Naoki Tsunoda said the new power line to Fukushima Dai-ichi is almost complete. Officials plan to try it "as soon as possible" but he could not say when.
Meanwhile, conditions at the plant appeared to worsen Wednesday, with white smoke pouring from the reactor complex and a dangerous surge in radiation levels forcing workers to retreat for hours from their struggle to cool the overheating reactors.
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he would go to Japan as soon as possible to assess the danger. He called the situation serious and urged the Japanese government to provide better information to the agency.
The new line would revive electric-powered pumps, allowing the company to maintain a steady water supply to troubled reactors and spent fuel storage ponds, keeping them cool. The company is also trying to repair its existing disabled power line.
The word came as international concern mounted over the deteriorating situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, where the danger from the reactors has nearly overshadowed the human tragedy of last week's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that pulverized Japan's northeastern coast and is feared to have killed more than 10,000 people.
The 180 emergency workers have been working in shifts to manually pump seawater into the reactors because last week's earthquake and tsunami disabled main and backup power for electric-powered cooling pumps.
|
– The situation at the Dai-ichi nuclear plant is worse than Japanese officials are acknowledging, says the head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “We believe that radiation levels are extremely high, which could possibly impact the ability to take corrective measures," Gregory Jaczko told Congress, while advising Americans in Japan to get further away from the plant than the current Japanese guidelines. The New York Times sees his statements as a "serious split" between Washington and Tokyo over the crisis. Jaczko singled out trouble at reactor No. 4, asserting that high radiation levels are a result of exposed fuel rods there. His assessment came as a spokesman for the plant operator offered a glimmer of hope, saying that an emergency power line—one that could theoretically revive the electric cooling pumps—is nearly operational. However, he didn't say when it would be fired up, only that it would be "as soon as possible," notes AP.
|
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A single rope was seemingly all that was left between a woman and certain death today in Brazil, as she stood on the roof of a home being quickly swallowed by rushing water and earth amid the country's worst mudslides in a generation.With the ground disappearing beneath her, the woman took a leap of faith, grabbing a rope rescuers threw to her from a neighboring building before jumping straight into the torrent of mud as she was lifted to safety.Video of the rescue shows the woman clinging to her dog, then finally being forced to let the animal go, as she braves the brown rapids threatening to sweep her away.Record rainfall has brought powerful walls of mud and water to the mountainous region outside Rio de Janiero, killing at least 400 people and leaving thousands more homeless. In some hard-hit areas, the devastation was so complete that residents said it was of biblical proportions."There's no chance of even making this human. We've just never seen anything like it here," Jose Ricardo Ferreira de Aguiar, a judge in Teresopolis, told The Guardian . He said a church simply vanished beneath the mud.Jorge Aldeia, another Teresopolis resident, said he wasn't sure how to move forward. "I'm alive -- fortunately or unfortunately, I don't know," Aldeia said. "The church has gone. The baker's has gone. It is a disgrace."Hundreds more people were reported missing and officials say the death toll is expected to rise sharply. "I believe the number of dead is much more than was announced so far," Rio State Environment Secretary Carlos Minc told Globo TV in Brazil today, according to Reuters . "Many people died while they were sleeping."Rescuers could be seen using shovels and frantically searching for survivors in the mud, but for many people it was simply too late -- morgues in the region were so overwhelmed that witnesses said the smell of decaying bodies filled the air. "This was like a tsunami," Vanda Cortasio, 46, a resident of the town of Petropolis, told The New York Times Vania Ramos said she and her her daughter rushed to dig through the mud for their neighbors with their bare hands. "I don't even have the words to describe what I've seen," she told The Associated Press . "A lot of our friends are dead or missing. There are people we may never find." ||||| The power was out, but lightning flashes illuminated the horror as villagers watched neighbors' homes vanish under a wall of mud and water, turning neighborhoods into graveyards. Survivors dug at the earth barehanded Thursday, but all they found were bodies.
Residents carry a landslide victim in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Thursday Jan. 13, 2011. At least 350 people have died after landslides hit early Wednesday, and 50 or more were still... (Associated Press)
A destroyed church stands surrounded by debris and floodwaters after a landslide in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Thursday Jan. 13, 2011. At least 350 people have died after landslides hit... (Associated Press)
A rescue worker walks among debris after landslides at Caleme neighborhood in Teresopolis, Brazil, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Driving rains sent tons of rusty red earth sliding into Brazilian mountain towns,... (Associated Press)
A damaged house sits among debris after landslides at Caleme neighborhood in Teresopolis, Brazil, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Driving rains sent tons of rusty red earth sliding into Brazilian mountain towns,... (Associated Press)
People walk among debris after landslides at Caleme neighborhood in Teresopolis, Brazil, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Driving rains sent tons of rusty red earth sliding into Brazilian mountain towns, killing... (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Rio de Janeiro's government is seen, an aerial view of a mudslide in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Wednesday Jan. 12, 2011. Torrential summer rains tore through... (Associated Press)
A landslide victim lies next to debris in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Thursday Jan. 13, 2011. At least 350 people have died after landslides hit early Wednesday, and 50 or more were still... (Associated Press)
Rescue workers remove a body after a landslide in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Thursday Jan. 13, 2011. At least 350 people have died after landslides hit early Wednesday, and 50 or more... (Associated Press)
Residents cross a river as they leave their houses after landslides in Caleme neighborhood in Teresopolis, Brazil, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Driving rains sent tons of rusty red earth sliding into Brazilian... (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Rio de Janeiro's government, is seen an aerial view of a mudslide in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Wednesday Jan. 12, 2011. Torrential summer rains tore through... (Associated Press)
Rescue workers remove a live rabbit as they search for survivors inside a home destroyed by a landslide in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Thursday Jan. 13, 2011. At least 350 people have died... (Associated Press)
A framed photograph of a child sits among debris near a destroyed home after a landslide in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Thursday Jan. 13, 2011. At least 350 people have died after landslides... (Associated Press)
It was a scene of muddy destruction in mountain towns north of Rio, where at least 381 people were killed when torrential rains unleashed mudslides in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday, burying people alive as they slept.
In the remote Campo Grande neighborhood of Teresopolis, now accessible only by a perilous five-mile (eight-kilometer) hike through mud-slicked jungle, family members pulled the lifeless bodies of loved ones from the muck. They carefully laid the corpses on dry ground, covering them with blankets.
A young boy cried out as his father's body was found: "I want to see my dad! I want to see my dad!"
Flooding and mudslides are common in Brazil when the summer rains come, but this week's slides were among the worst in recent memory. The disasters unduly punish the poor, who often live in rickety shacks perched perilously on steep hillsides with little or no foundations. But even the rich did not escape the damage in Teresopolis, where large homes were washed away.
"I have friends still lost in all of this mud," said Carols Eurico, a resident of the city's Campo Grande neighborhood, as he motioned to a sea of destruction behind him. "It's all gone. It's all over now. We're putting ourselves in the hands of God."
In the same area, Nilson Martins, 35, carefully held the only thing pulled out alive since dawn: a pet rabbit that had somehow remained pristinely white despite the mud.
"We're just digging around, there is no way of knowing where to look," he said. "There are three more bodies under the rubble over there. One seems to be a girl, no more than 16, dead, buried under that mud."
The hundreds of homes washed away in the neighborhood were turned inside out, their plumbing and electrical wires exposed. Children's clothes littered the earth, cars were tossed upside down into thickets. An eerie quiet prevailed as people searched for life. The sounds of digging, with sticks and hands, were occasionally punctuated by shouts as another corpse was located.
Conceicao Salomao, a doctor coordinating relief efforts at a makeshift refuge inside a gymnasium in central Teresopolis, said about 750 people were staying there Thursday and about 1,000 people had sought treatment in the past day. One danger she worried about was leptospirosis, a waterborne bacterial disease.
"The hospitals around here are overflowing. The army and navy are setting up field hospitals to help," she said.
"The worst is the feeling of impotence. We do what we can, but there are so many people."
Rio state's Civil Defense department said on its website that 185 people were killed in Teresopolis, 160 in nearby Nova Friburgo and 36 in neighboring Petropolis. It said about 14,000 people had been driven from their homes.
Another 37 people have died in floods and mudslides since Christmas in other parts of southeastern Brazil _ 16 in Minas Gerais state north of Rio and 21 in Sao Paulo state.
Nineteen-year-old Geisa Carvalho and her mother were awakened at 3 a.m. Wednesday by a tremendous rumble as tons of muck slid down a sheer granite rock face onto their Teresopolis neighborhood of Caleme.
The power was out, but by lightning flashes they could see the torrent of mud and water rushing just a few feet (meters) from their home _ and the remnants of their neighbors' houses that were swept far down a hill.
"We were like zombies, covered in mud, in the dark, digging and digging" Carvalho said.
"I don't even have the words to describe what I've seen," said the teen's mother, Vania Ramos. "A lot of our friends are dead or missing. There are people we may never find."
Carvalho and Ramos said they ran out of their home moments after the mudslide and joined neighbors in digging for survivors with bare hands and sticks. They quickly located a family of four who had died under the rubble of their home _ and said another neighbor's 2-month-old baby was washed away in his crib and has yet to be found.
Nearly all the homes in their neighborhood were swept to the bottom of a hill.
Only a few rescuers had managed to hike to Caleme by Thursday and they only had shovels and machetes _ not the heavier equipment needed to hunt for survivors. Residents said they had no food, water or medication, and many made the long walk for help to the center of Teresopolis, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Rio.
Morgues in the cities were full and bodies covered in blankets were laid out in streets.
Officials said the area hit by slides had seen 10 inches (26 centimeters) of rain in less than 24 hours. More rain is forecast through the weekend.
Survivors across the region were seen wading through waist-high water, carrying what belongings they could, trying to reach higher ground. Many tried desperately to find relatives, though phone service was out in the region and many people were still missing hours after the rain stopped.
The floods tore out most of the steep cobblestone road leading to the Campo Grande neighborhood, creating a ravine about 16 feet (5 meters) deep and 65 feet (20 meters) wide. In many areas, pedestrians were forced to walk through muddy, slippery jungle.
President Dilma Rousseff flew by helicopter over the region Thursday and the Health Ministry said it was sending seven tons of medications, enough to treat 45,000 people for a month.
Rousseff said the destruction was an act of God _ but she also said people died because homes were illegally built in areas prone to slides.
"We saw areas in which mountains untouched by men dissolved," she told reporters in Rio after the flyover. "But we also saw areas in which illegal occupation caused damage to the health and lives of people."
Teresopolis Mayor Jorge Mario Sedlacek decreed a state of emergency, calling the calamity "the worst to hit the town." About 800 search-and-rescue workers from the state's civil defense department and firefighters were digging for survivors, but hopes were dimming.
The cost to rebuild the city of Teresopolis alone was estimated at $60 million, said the city's civil defense secretary, Flavio Luiz Castro in a report carried by the Terra news portal website.
The federal government said it was making available more than $400 million to the states affected by the rains, and officials said they would work closely with Rio de Janeiro state authorities to provide support.
___
Associated Press writers Bradley Brooks and Tales Azzoni in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.
|
– The death toll from Brazil's mudslides in the mountain towns north of Rio rose to 381 today, reports AP. That figure is expected to rise still more as the hunt for survivors continues. The landslides, triggered by torrential rains, buried many victims as they slept. Click here to read about a dramatic rescue of a woman on the roof of a house that was quickly being submerged or here for news on Australia's flooding.
|
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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Milton Nkosi says up to seven people were killed
Police in South Africa have opened fire during clashes with striking workers at the Marikana platinum mine, leaving at least 12 people dead, witnesses say.
Police opened fire after miners carrying machetes, clubs and spears refused to disarm, eyewitnesses said.
A witness told the BBC he saw 18 bodies on the ground after the shooting.
The mine, owned by Lonmin, has been at the centre of a violent pay dispute, exacerbated by tensions between two rival trade unions.
Ten people had previously died in violence since the strike began last Friday.
The striking miners had gathered on a rocky hill overlooking Marikana, the third-largest platinum mine in the world.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Several injured people were treated at the scene after the violence
Union leaders and police had tried in vain to disperse the crowd, some of whom said they were prepared to die on the hill.
During the clashes, missiles - thought to be either petrol bombs or grenades - were thrown at police, who responded by opening fire, eyewitnesses said.
Reports said a group of miners had approached police lines before the shooting began.
One witness, Molaole Montsho, of the South African news agency Sapa, told the BBC police had first used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the miners.
"The police threatened with them water from the water cannon, fired tear gas and stun grenades. And then in the commotion - we were about 800m (2,600ft) from the scene - we heard gunshots that lasted for about two minutes," he said.
He also said he had counted 18 bodies lying on the ground after the gunfire, but could not tell whether they were dead or alive.
'Illegal gatherings'
The police ministry acknowledged that there had been deaths, but defended the police's actions.
"To protest is a legal and constitutional right of any citizen," spokesman Zweli Mnisi told the AFP news agency in a text message.
"However, these rights do not imply that people should be barbaric, intimidating and hold illegal gatherings. We had a situation where people who were armed to the teeth attacked and killed other."
President Jacob Zuma said he was "shocked and dismayed at this senseless violence".
"We call upon the labour movement and business to work with government to arrest the situation before it deteriorates any further," said Mr Zuma.
"I have instructed law enforcement agencies to do everything possible to bring the situation under control and to bring the perpetrators of violence to book."
The recent violence was initially thought to have been triggered by a turf war between the long-established National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the newly-formed Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which is more militant.
However, the AMCU has since demanded a pay rise of 12,000 rand ($1,500; £930) per month.
Lonmin said in a statement on Thursday that the strike was illegal and that any striking workers who did not return to work by Friday would be sacked.
The company said it had missed six days of production as a result of the unrest, and estimated it would lose around 2% of its normal yearly output of saleable platinum. The company's share price dropped by more than 6% on Thursday on the London Stock Exchange.
The violence has shocked South Africans, with many finding the scenes reminiscent of how the apartheid regime dealt with protests, the BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg reports. ||||| South African police opened fire Thursday on a crowd of striking workers at a platinum mine, leaving an unknown number of people injured and possibly dead. Motionless bodies lay on the ground in pools of blood.
Police surround the bodies of striking miners after opening fire on a crowd at the Lonmin Platinum Mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. An unknown number of people have been killed... (Associated Press)
Bodies of striking miners lay on the ground after police opened fire on a crowd at the Lonmin Platinum Mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. South African police opened fire Thursday... (Associated Press)
Police moved in on striking workers who gathered near the Lonmin PLC mine Thursday afternoon after urging them to give up their weapons and go home to their hostels and shacks. Some did leave, though others carrying weapons began war chants and soon started marching toward the township near the mine, said Molaole Montsho, a journalist with the South African Press Association who was at the scene.
The police opened up with a water cannon first, then used stun grenades and tear gas to try and break up the crowd, Montsho said. Suddenly, gunfire broke out.
On TV footage, a volley of intense gunfire from among the police ranks could be heard, with dozens of shots fired. The police were armed with automatic rifles and pistols.
Images broadcast by private television broadcaster e.tv showed the gunfire ending with police officers shouting: "Cease fire!" By that time, bodies were lying in the dust, some pouring blood. Another image showed some miners, their eyes wide, looking in the distance at heavily armed police officers in riot gear.
It was an astonishing development in a country that has been a model of stability since racist white rule ended with South Africa's first all-race elections in 1994. The shooting recalled images of white police firing at anti-apartheid protesters in the 1960s and 1970s, but in this case it was mostly black police firing at black mine workers.
Police Capt. Dennis Adriao, a spokesman for the officers at the mine, declined to immediately comment. Jeff Wicks, a spokesman for private ambulance company Netcare Ltd. that was standing by at the mine, also declined to comment.
Barnard O. Mokwena, an executive vice president at Lonmin, would say only: "It's a police operation." Lonmin is the world's third largest platinum producer
In a statement earlier Thursday, Lonmin had said striking workers would be sacked if they did not appear at their shifts Friday.
"The striking (workers) remain armed and away from work," the statement read. "This is illegal."
The unrest at the Lonmin mine began Aug. 10, as some 3,000 workers walked off the job over pay in what management described as an illegal strike. Those who tried to go to work on Saturday were attacked, management and the National Union of Mineworkers said.
On Sunday, the rage became deadly as a crowd killed two security guards by setting their car ablaze, authorities said. By Monday, angry mobs killed two other workers and overpowered police, killing two officers, officials said. Officers opened fire that day, killing three others, police said.
Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of miners had gathered at a rocky cliff within sight of the mine's smelter. They cheered, sang and marched around with machetes and clubs under the watchful eye of police officers in armored trucks. Some leaders of the miners spoke with the police and largely followed their instructions, breaking up the protest as dusk fell.
Operations appeared to come to a standstill Tuesday as workers stayed away from the mines, where 96 percent of all Lonmin's platinum production comes from. The stoppage has spooked those investing in Lonmin. Stock in Lonmin plunged 6.91 percent in trading Thursday afternoon on the London Stock Exchange.
While the walkout appeared to be about wages, the ensuing violence has been fueled by the struggles between the dominant National Union of Mineworkers and the upstart Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. Disputes between the two unions escalated into violence earlier this year at another mine.
Both unions have blamed each other for the strife at the mine at Marikana, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.
___
Associated Press writer Emoke Bebiak in Johannesburg contributed to this report. ||||| MARIKANA, South Africa South African police opened fire on striking miners armed with machetes and sticks at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine on Thursday, killing at least a dozen men in scenes that evoked comparisons with apartheid-era brutality.
In the incident, filmed by Reuters television, officers opened up with automatic weapons on a group of men who emerged from behind a vehicle and started loping towards police lines.
The volley of bullets threw up clouds of dust, which cleared to reveal bodies lying on the ground.
President Jacob Zuma said he was "shocked and dismayed" at what appeared to be one of the bloodiest police operations since the end of white-minority rule in 1994 in Africa's biggest economy.
"I have instructed law enforcement agencies to do everything possible to bring the situation under control and to bring the perpetrators of violence to book," he said in a statement.
Police have refused to confirm the death toll from the operation to disperse 3,000 protesting drill operators who had massed on a rocky outcrop near the mine, 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.
"The police, in order to protect their own lives and in self-defense, were forced to engage the group with force," they said in a statement. "This resulted in several individuals being fatally wounded, and others injured."
The police ministry said that the officers acted as they did only after first trying to peacefully disperse the crowd.
"The minister is of the view that given the volatility of the situation, police did their best," the minister's spokesman Zweli Mnisi said in a text message. "What should police do in such situations when clearly what they are faced with are armed and hardcore criminals who murder police?"
A Reuters photo showed a dozen corpses lying on a patch of sandy ground, while a spokeswoman from the opposition Democratic Alliance said the overall toll could be as high as 38. The SAPA news agency said one of its reporters had counted 18 bodies.
World platinum prices leapt as much as $30 an ounce - more than 2 percent - to a six-day high as the extent of the violence became apparent in the country with 80 percent of known reserves.
Leaders of the radical Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which was representing most of the strikers, accused police of a massacre.
"There was no need whatsoever for these people to be killed like that," General Secretary Jeffrey Mphahlele told Reuters.
Some commentators likened the scenes to apartheid-era footage of ranks of police opening fire on crowds of protesters in black townships.
"I cannot think of a confrontation between protesters and police since 1994 that has taken place along these lines," said Nic Borain, an independent political analyst.
"PREPARED TO DIE"
Before the start of the operation by hundreds of police, officials said several days of talks with AMCU leaders had broken down, leaving no option but to use force to break the crowd, which had triggered the closure of the mine.
"Today is unfortunately D-day," police spokesman Dennis Adriao said.
Prior to Thursday, 10 people - including two policemen - had died in nearly a week of fighting between rival worker factions at the mine, the latest platinum plant to be hit by an eight-month union turf war.
The Marikana strikers have not made their demands explicit, although much of the bad blood stems from AMCU's challenge to the two-decade dominance of the National Union of Mineworkers, a close ally of Zuma's ruling African National Congress.
Before the police advance, AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa, whose organization has been on a big recruitment push in South Africa's platinum mines, said there would be bloodshed if police moved in.
"We're going nowhere," he shouted through a loud-hailer, to cheers from the crowd. "If need be, we're prepared to die here."
The unrest has forced Marikana's London-headquartered owner to halt production at all its South African operations, which account for 12 percent of global platinum output.
Lonmin said it had lost the equivalent of 15,000 ounces of platinum from the six-day disruption, and was unlikely to meet its full-year production target of 750,000 ounces.
Its shares fell to a four-year low, losing 6.7 percent in London and 7.3 percent in Johannesburg. In all, they have shed more than 13 percent since the unrest started at the weekend.
At least three people were killed in a similar round of fighting in January that led to a six-week closure of the world's largest platinum mine, run nearby by Impala Platinum. That helped push the platinum price up 15 percent.
Despite South Africa's dominance of the platinum sector, rising power and labor costs and a sharp drop in the price of the precious metal this year have left many mines struggling to keep their heads above water.
(Additional reporting by Johannesburg bureau; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Myra MacDonald)
|
– The death toll has risen to at least 17 in a week of clashes tied to a miners' strike in South Africa, the AP reports. At least seven people were killed after police fired at striking miners today. Officers, accompanied by armored vehicles, were setting up barbed wire near a platinum mine today as 3,000 workers protested. Details of what followed are murky: Reuters suggests that officers fired after several men appeared from behind a vehicle; the BBC cites reports that the machete-wielding protesters had ignored orders to drop their weapons. Some type of projectiles—possibly grenades—were reportedly hurled at the police before the shooting. While the BBC reports seven dead, South African news says 18 bodies were found on the ground. Talks between police and the leaders of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, which backed most the strikers, yielded no progress, police say, forcing them to resort to force. "Today was, unfortunately, D-Day," said one. The violence comes amid a conflict between the more radical AMCU and the longstanding National Union of Mineworkers.
|
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It’s up to me to make this memorable. However, if I fail, you’ll want to remember this trick anyway, so start reading aloud.
Saying words while reading feels slightly awkward and isn’t conducive to all environments, of course, yet it’s an effective method of remembering information, according to an October study in the journal Memory (paywall). Speaking aloud works by creating a “production effect” which cements information in your memory. Meanwhile, hearing words said in your own voice personalizes the references and enhances recollection, according to psychology professor Colin MacLeod and researchers from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
“This study confirms that learning and memory benefit from active involvement,” MacLeod said in a statement. “When we add an active measure or a production element to a word, that word becomes more distinct in long-term memory, and hence more memorable.”
The findings are based on a study of 95 students (75 of whom returned for a second session) at the University of Waterloo. The students were tested on their ability to recall written information inputted in four different ways—reading silently, hearing someone else read, listening to a recording of oneself reading, and reading aloud in real time. They were tested on recollection of short, four-to-six letter words on a list of 160 terms. The results show that reading information aloud to oneself led to the best recall.
Comparing recall, or hits, for four input methods. (U of Waterloo)
Oral production is effective because it has two distinctive components, a motor or speech act and a personal auditory input, the researchers explain. “[The] results suggest that production is memorable in part because it includes a distinctive, self-referential component. This may well underlie why rehearsal is so valuable in learning and remembering,” the study concludes. “We do it ourselves, and we do it in our own voice. When it comes time to recover the information, we can use this distinctive component to help us to remember.”
Notably, there was a significant advantage in hearing a recording of the self over hearing another person read. “This suggests that part of the advantage ordinarily seen in the production effect is hearing one’s own voice–the self-referential component–above and beyond the benefit conferred by auditory information,” the study says.
Hearing your own voice saying information boosts the likelihood that it will stick to your memory. This trick can be used not just by students but adults and seniors working on recall, says MacLeod.
The findings support other research that shows taking in information actively, like with handwritten notes or even doodling, aids in recollection. It may even explain why some of us like the sound of our own voice so much.
Read next: Doodling is scientifically proven to boost brain activity ||||| You are more likely to remember something if you read it out loud, a study from the University of Waterloo has found.
A recent Waterloo study found that speaking text aloud helps to get words into long-term memory. Dubbed the "production effect," the study determined that it is the dual action of speaking and hearing oneself that has the most beneficial impact on memory.
"This study confirms that learning and memory benefit from active involvement," said Colin M. MacLeod, a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Waterloo, who co-authored the study with the lead author, post-doctoral fellow Noah Forrin. "When we add an active measure or a production element to a word, that word becomes more distinct in long-term memory, and hence more memorable."
The study tested four methods for learning written information, including reading silently, hearing someone else read, listening to a recording of oneself reading, and reading aloud in real time. Results from tests with 95 participants showed that the production effect of reading information aloud to yourself resulted in the best remembering.
"When we consider the practical applications of this research, I think of seniors who are advised to do puzzles and crosswords to help strengthen their memory," said MacLeod. "This study suggests that the idea of action or activity also improves memory.
"And we know that regular exercise and movement are also strong building blocks for a good memory."
This research builds on previous studies by MacLeod, Forrin, and colleagues that measure the production effect of activities, such as writing and typing words, in enhancing overall memory retention.
This latest study shows that part of the memory benefit of speech stems from it being personal and self-referential.
The study was recently published in the journal Memory.
### ||||| When you're in the wine shop looking for the right wine to pair with your meal or bring to the party, the variety on the shelves seems rich and diverse, their taste influenced by the grape, soil, climate, and age. Among the most famous are the French "noble wines"—cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, and sauvignon blanc—so called for being associated with high quality and easy growth in a variety of places.
But it turns out that many of the most famous grapes in the world are like nobility in another way: They're as inbred as a royal family, and have been for hundreds—and in some cases thousands—of years.
"Scientists are getting really concerned that this is setting up the perfect scenario for a great pandemic," Kevin Begos, whose new book, Tasting the Past, explores the history, archaeology, genetics, and future of wine, said at a recent book release event in New York City. They fear that a single merciless pathogen could wipe out many grapes around the world in the same way that a single fungus, Phytophthora infestans, eradicated the variety of potato common across Ireland in the 1840s, causing the great famine.
The vast majority of wine produced across the world derives from a single grapevine species: Vitis venifera. The domesticated grape has thousands of varieties, and quite a lot of genetic diversity among them, according to a 2010 paper in PNAS that analyzed genome-wide genetic variation of more than 1000 samples of V. vinifera subsp. vinifera and its wild relative, V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris. But that's not true for all grapes: Nearly 75 percent of cultivars had a first-degree relationship to at least one other. They were either parents or children.
The most popular commercial wines are made from a handful of these inbred grapes. Sauvignon blanc, for instance, has a first-degree relationship with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and chenin blanc, among many others. That genetically cozy family isn't unusual. You see it all over the grapevine.
Another problem is how grapes reproduce in vineyards. Instead of pollinating these hermaphroditic plants or growing them from seeds, as might happen naturally, grape growers generally make new plants from cuttings of existing ones, essentially cloning the same vines over and over.
They use this method to produce consistent flavor quality—and it's nice to decant a bottle of your favorite wine and know what to expect with the first sip. But this practice has kept some popular grapes in relative genetic stasis for a long time. Take pinot, parent of chardonnay and gamay, which has been cloned for 2000 years. Genetically, it's remained virtually unchanged—but the organisms that prey on it have not. "All those insects and pathogens and mildews that attack grape vines have been evolving," Begos said. "And they always figure out new ways to attack the grape vines."
Despite the wide use of pesticides—in the last 10 years, 260 million pounds of pesticides were put on wine grapes in California alone—"the industry is losing the arms race to the pathogens," Sean Myles, an author of the 2010 PNAS grape genome study, told Begos in Tasting the Past. "It’s really only a matter of time. If we just keep using the same genetic material, we’re doomed.”
The good news is that grape diversity could be the key to preventing rosé season from disappearing. Scientists are looking outside the noble wines and their popular cousins to old, wild, and lesser-known varieties, which "turn out to have natural disease resistance, and they've kept evolving," Begos said.
The idea is create hybrids selected for specific traits—not just pest resistance, but an ability to withstand greater heat in an era of climate change, adaptability to a wider variety of soils, and other resilient qualities.
One effort is VitisGen, a USDA-funded project involving researchers from a handful of American universities, including UC Davis, Cornell University, and the University of Minnesota. By studying the genomes of a variety of grapes, they're creating an enormous database of genetic traits. They're also experimenting with crossbreeding. Some of this genetic tweaking is decidedly old school, including pollinating grapes by hand.
Begos tells Mental Floss that they're especially interested in developing grapes that are resistant to downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), a potential plague a la the potato famine. It can cause total crop loss if not controlled.
When it comes to selecting traits, it probably won't be flavor they'll be pulling from wild grapes, which "are really kind of terrible," Begos said. (In Tasting the Past, he quotes wine experts who describe the flavor of a fox grape as combining "animal fur and candied fruits.”) It's generally hardiness they're looking for. The concord grape in your kid's PB&J, for example, is "really tough," Begos said. Select some of its hardy genes and cross them with, say, the peppery flavor genes of the syrah grape—which the researchers have also identified—and maybe you can create a genetically resilient hybrid.
"The University of Minnesota has already had success identifying cold-hardy wine grape genes, and breeding them into new varieties that have impressed the toughest critics," Begos says, pointing to a 2015 top 10 wine list from New York Times food critic Eric Asimov. Number two on the list was made from hybrid grapes developed by UM.
You can do your part to encourage wine diversity by getting adventurous with your vino, trying a grape you've never heard of or blends from new regions. Check out organic and small wineries, which are experimenting with old cultivars and new varieties. And don't be afraid of a future with genetically tweaked grapes. We've been modifying them as long as we've been growing them. As Begos writes of these efforts, "At heart they’re unlocking flavor, disease-resistance, and growth genes that may be tens of millions of years old. To me these scientists are doing exactly what ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks did: refining wine grapes to produce tastes we enjoy."
|
– Anyone who's crammed for a test may have suspected as much, but a new study finds that reading something aloud is the best way to remember it. Researchers at the University of Waterloo tested 95 students over two semesters using four different methods: reading silently, reading aloud, hearing someone else read aloud, and hearing a recording of themselves read aloud, reports Quartz. Reading the information aloud to themselves emerged as the most effective method in the test, which involved trying to remember a list of words. As Mental Floss notes, hearing a recording of themselves also seemed to help, at least more so than hearing another's voice, perhaps because it's so odd to hear ourselves that it becomes what's known as a "salient memory." The study in the journal Memory builds off what's known as the "production" effect, referring to the repetition of words aloud instead of in silence. "This study confirms that learning and memory benefit from active involvement," says study co-author and Waterloo psychology professor Colin M. MacLeod in a news release. "When we add an active measure or a production element to a word, that word becomes more distinct in long-term memory, and hence more memorable." The researchers say that the findings could help seniors looking to boost their memory. In addition to, say, doing puzzles or crosswords, they might want to mix in some out-loud reading. (Another study suggests that the memories of those with dementia aren't necessarily gone for good.)
|
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Then came Thursday, when the leader of one of the most isolated and repressive regimes in the world — a government responsible for killing thousands in a quest to silence dissent — welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Burma has lurched unexpectedly toward reform in the past three months. Its move has coincided with a broader attempt by Obama to pivot his administration’s foreign policy focus away from the Middle East, to counter-balance of China’s rise in Asia.
The result was the first U.S. secretary of state ever to set foot in the gaudy presidential palace in this constructed-from-scratch capital. And Clinton carried to her meeting with Burmese President Thein Sein a letter from Obama that conveyed praise, but also a warning that significantly more progress is needed for change to take root.
“For decades, the choices of this country’s leaders kept it apart from the global economy and the community of nations,” Clinton said after the meeting. “While the measures already taken may be unprecedented and welcomed, they are just a beginning.”
The Burmese overture — and the U.S. response — are freighted with risk for both sides. Thein Sein must balance the desires of his country’s restless opposition movement against those of the hard-liners within his own government. Obama could face criticism for coddling autocrats if Burma’s reform push proves less than genuine.
Ultimately, Burma’s leaders are thought to be seeking an end to U.S. sanctions, but Clinton on Thursday offered Thein Sein much smaller incentives. The two discussed loosening restrictions on United Nations funding for health and micro-finance projects, as well as the possibility of additional international aid.
The most direct result of their meeting could be a restoration of U.S. diplomatic relations, which would upgrade the American mission here to a full-fledged embassy headed by an ambassador, Clinton told reporters afterward.
Eager to convince U.S. officials of his sincerity, Thein Sein gave a detailed a 45-minute presentation on his plans for reforming the very areas of his authoritarian government that the United States and others have criticized for decades, according to a senior State Department official who was present at the meeting.
So far, the gestures of reform have included the release of political prisoners, greater media freedoms, and plans for political and economic reform. And the Burmese leader vowed Thursday to work toward releasing more prisoners, brokering a cease-fire with ethnic minorities and adopting international agreements on nuclear weapons development.
The Obama administration has proceeded cautiously with Burma’s reclusive leaders, careful not to declare success too early in a country that has shown promises of reform before, only to resume its crackdowns. ||||| Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have dinner at the US Chief of Mission Residence in Rangoon, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Saul... (Associated Press)
Hillary Rodham Clinton dined Thursday with former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, forcefully underscoring a U.S. challenge to Myanmar's leaders on her historic visit: The new civilian government must expand recent reforms, including the release of political prisoners, to improve relations as it emerges from more than a half-century of repressive military rule.
"We believe that any political prisoner anywhere should be released," the U.S. secretary of state told reporters. "One political prisoner is one too many in our view."
Clinton called Suu Kyi a personal inspiration, and her first meeting with the Nobel peace laureate was a highlight of her visit to the long-isolated country also known as Burma. Suu Kyi, a prisoner for most of the past two decades, was released from house arrest last year and is returning to politics.
The two women were to see each other again on Friday.
Greeting one another at Suu Kyi's home, they noted that Suu Kyi has a poster signed by Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright. Suu Kyi said she has read books written by both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Reporters were present for a few moments of banter before dinner.
U.S. officials warned that even the modest incentives Clinton offered to Myanmar's new, military-backed leaders this week would come off the table if the country fails the political-prisoners and other tests of reform.
In meetings with top Myanmar officials in the capital of Naypyidaw and then with Suu Kyi in the commercial hub of Yangon, Clinton said the country's leaders must end violent campaigns against ethnic minorities and break military ties with North Korea
Clinton offered a small package of rewards for steps President Thein Sein and other leaders have already taken but said the U.S. was not ready to lift tough sanctions on the country. Removing some of those sanctions would require approval by Congress, where many lawmakers have criticized the Obama administration for rewarding Myanmar too quickly without enough evidence of change.
The modest first steps Clinton announced include Washington no longer blocking enhanced cooperation between Myanmar and the International Monetary Fund that could lead to the approval of much-needed loans and support for the poorest nation in the region. Also, the U.S. would support intensified U.N. health and microfinance programs and resume bilateral counternarcotics efforts.
Those steps could be followed by an upgrade in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Myanmar, Clinton said, although U.S. officials stressed that concrete action on American concerns must be completed first. The U.S. has not had an ambassador in Myanmar since the early 1990s and is represented now by a charge d'affaires.
Clinton delivered letters from President Barack Obama to Thein Sein and Suu Kyi, in which Obama expressed hopes for better ties. The secretary of state made the point directly in her public remarks.
"I came to assess whether the time is right for a new chapter in our shared history," Clinton said, adding that the U.S. was ready to further improve relations with the civilian government in the Southeast Asian nation _ but only if it stays on a path of democratization.
A senior U.S. official said Thein Sein had outlined his government's plans for reform in a 45-minute presentation in which he acknowledged that Myanmar lacked a recent tradition of democracy and openness. He asked for U.S. help in making the transition from military to full civilian rule, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private diplomatic exchange.
Clinton's trip is both a mark of approval, and a prod to further reform.
The U.S. is "encouraged by the steps that you and your government have taken to provide for your people," she said, but those steps must be consolidated and enlarged.
"While measures already taken may be unprecedented and certainly welcome, they are just a beginning," she told reporters. "We're not at the point yet where we can consider lifting sanctions that we have in place because of our ongoing concerns about policies that have to be reversed. But any steps that the government takes will be carefully considered and will be matched."
In addition to calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to ethnic violence, Clinton said the U.S. wants to see a truly open political system and improvements in human rights. She also warned the country's leaders to break suspected illicit military, nuclear and ballistic missile cooperation with North Korea that may violate U.N. sanctions.
"Better relations with the United States will only be possible if the entire government respects the international consensus against the spread of nuclear weapons ... and we support the government's stated intention to sever military ties with North Korea," she said.
In his presentation, Thein Sein vowed that Myanmar would uphold its U.N. obligations with respect to North Korea, according to the senior U.S. official. Thein Sein also told Clinton that Myanmar was actively considering signing a new agreement with the U.N. nuclear watchdog that would allow unfettered inspections of atomic sites in his country, the official said.
Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, welcomed the U.S. rewards and said, "The incentives will help promote better relations and a better future for the country and I hope the government will expand its reform process."
Clinton rejected the idea that the U.S. outreach to Myanmar was partially a response to the growing regional influence of China. "We are not viewing this in light of any competition with China," she said. "We are viewing it as an opportunity for us to re-engage here."
"We welcome positive constructive relations between China and her neighbors. We think that is in China's interest as well as in the neighborhood's interest," she said.
Recalling Obama's mention of "flickers of progress" in Myanmar when he announced that Clinton would visit, Clinton urged leaders not to allow them to "be stamped out."
"It will be up to the leaders and the people to fan flickers of progress into flames of freedom that light the path toward a better future," she said. "That _ and nothing less _ is what it will take for us to turn a solitary visit into a lasting partnership."
Before dinner with Suu Kyi, Clinton toured the Shwedagon Pagoda, a 2,500-year-old Buddhist temple.
Despite the symbolism of Clinton's visit, enthusiasm has been muted in Myanmar.
In fact, her presence has been overshadowed by the arrival Thursday of the prime minister of Belarus and his wife, for whom two large welcoming signs were erected at the airport and the road into the city. No such displays welcomed Clinton.
___
Associated Press writer Aye Aye Win in Yangon contributed to this report.
|
– Hillary Clinton may have met with Burma's president earlier today, but the real highlight of her trip to the reclusive nation came at dinner time: She ate with longtime opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, notes the AP. The two women spoke of matters both personal (Clinton called her a personal inspiration, and Suu Kyi has read books by both Hillary and Bill) and political (including Suu Kyi's plans to run for office), adds the Washington Post. They are due to meet again tomorrow.
|
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Specimen Examination
We examined fossil specimens, high-resolution museum-grade casts, computed tomography (CT) data, and professional photographs of the skulls, jaws, and dentitions of seven adult T. rex specimens (BHI 3033 [skull, cast, and CT], BHI 4100 [skull and cast], FMNH PR 2081 [cast], LACM 23844 [cast], MOR 008 [cast], MOR 980 [cast], RTMP 81.6.1 [skull and cast] at the AMNH and BHI). Adulthood in these individuals is based on corroborating information from craniofacial osteology52, overall size, and a mass-age growth curve47. We documented variation in head size using measures (linear distance to the nearest millimetre [mm; here and throughout our protocol]) of head width across the quadrates and head length from the anterior surface of the premaxillae to the posterior superior margin of the parietal bones. Individual variation in the lever mechanics of each skull was accounted for by measuring the linear distances between the quadrate-articular joint, and (1) the anteroposterior midpoint for osteological correlates of each jaw adductor muscle insertion along the lower jaw (i.e., “anatomical in-levers,” sensu35); and (2) the midpoints for the first premaxillary alveolus (P1), the third, fourth, and fifth maxillary alveoli (M3, M4, M5, respectively), and the most distal maxillary alveolus (variably M11 or M12) on the left and right sides of the skulls (out-levers).
Characterization of Tooth Contact Areas
Moulds were made of M3, M4, and M5 using fast-set silicon moulding putty (Knead-a-Mold®, Townsend Atelier, Chattanooga, TN, USA) on the right and left sides of all specimens for which teeth were fully erupted (the right M5 of BHI 4100 and left M4 of MOR 980 were not fully erupted and not used). These tooth crowns are the longest in the T. rex jaw and would, therefore, be the first to engage tissues in isolation during biting (and were determined to be responsible for the bite marks modelled previously17, 25). When present, M5 is typically the longest although either M3 or M4 may act to initiate tooth indentation when M5 is missing, broken, or beginning to erupt.
High-resolution epoxy replicas of the teeth were then made (Epoxyset #145–20005, Allied High Tech Products, Inc., Rancho Dominguez, California, USA). Crown heights and cross-sectional areas along each cast from the tooth apex towards the root of the crown were measured following8, 33. Cross-sectional measurements of conical and lenticular tooth crowns can serve as surrogates for realized tooth contact area (as demonstrated by Gignac and Erickson33), which sums the total indenter surface area that is in contact with indented tissues and perpendicular to the application of bite force through the long axis of the tooth. These measurements were ultimately used for estimating pressures generated along each tooth crown (see below)8, 33.
3-D Muscle Reconstruction
The actual, fully-articulated cranium, stereolithography files of individual skull bones (provided by BHI), and an articulated, high-resolution 14.45% scale replica rendered from the CT scans of T. rex specimen BHI 3033 were examined for making adductor muscle reconstructions. To further examine the adductor chambers and relationships of muscle attachment points, a micro-CT (μCT) scan of the articulated replica was undertaken at the Microscopy and Imaging Facility of the AMNH (2010 GE phoenix v|tome|x s240 high‐resolution microfocus CT system; General Electric, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA). A standard X‐ray scout image was obtained prior to scanning to confirm specimen orientation and define the scan volume. The scan was performed at 170 kilovolts [kV] and 145 micro-amps [μA], using a 0.1 mm copper filter, air as the background medium, and a tungsten target. The specimen was scanned at an isometric voxel size of 111.97 micrometres [μm] ( = 774.88 μm at life-sized dimensions), and slices were assembled on an HP z800 workstation (Hewlett‐Packard, Palo Alto, California, USA) running VG Studio Max (Volume Graphics GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany).
The specimen image stack was imported into Avizo Lite 9.0 (FEI Co., Hillsboro, Oregon, USA), where the skull and lower jaw were reconstructed separately. The lower jaw was abducted from the skull around the quadrate-articular joint to a standardized gape of 20° (measured from the anteroinferior margin of the premaxilla to the center of the quadrate-articular joint to the anterosuperior margin of the dentary). The skull and lower jaw were then resampled into one volume as a single material at an effective voxel size of 2.3513 mm (2,351.3 μm) to reduce file size and memory consumption for adductor muscle model generation as well as to scale the digital model to life-size dimensions. Although coarser, this abducted model retained bone-surface details necessary for use as an osteological scaffolding to reconstruct the jaw adductor musculature in three dimensions.
The eight adductor muscles (Musculus adductor mandibulae externus medialis, M. adductor mandibulae externus profundus, M. adductor mandibulae externus superficialis, M. adductor mandibulae posterior, M. pseudotemporalis complex, M. intramandibularis, M. pterygoideus dorsalis, and M. pterygoideus ventralis) that make up the archosaur jaw-closing system, based on extant Crocodylia and Aves34, 35, were rendered on both right and left sides (see Fig. 2). Based on comparisons to gross dissections35 and diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced CT (diceCT) specimens53, 54, the adductor muscle origins and insertions listed in Holliday55 (see Table 4 and in-text discussion) for the above jaw-closing muscles were regionalized in BHI 3033, and polygon volumes connecting those regions were rendered in Avizo Lite. Deviations in our model from the muscle attachments discussed by Holliday55 include the following: the two portions of M. pseudotemporalis were represented as a single muscle belly for model simplification that originated along the anteromedial, medial, and posterior portions of the upper temporal fenestra35, laterosphenoid35, 55 and epipterygoid55; M. add. mand. ext. profundus originated along the anterolateral, lateral, and posterolateral surfaces of the upper temporal fenestra; and M. pterygoideus dorsalis did not extend anteriorly past the orbits, as is the case for most birds34 but not for modern crocodylians34, 35, 55. In addition, the presence of a crocodylian-like, distinct M. intramandibularis in T. rex is unclear because it is hypothesized to have been fused to the M. pseudotemporalis musculature during the evolution of Avemetatarsalia (see Holliday55 for a detailed assessment). In this scenario the cartilaginous sesamoid (i.e., cartilago transiliens) that joined M. pseudotemporalis to M. intramandibularis was lost, resulting in a continuous muscle belly where there had once been two. In crocodylians the cartilago transiliens leaves a shallow fossa along the superiomedial surface of the mandible, adjacent to the pterygoid flange. Particularly well-preserved T. rex specimens such as FMNH PR 2081 (e.g., right mandible) may show faint evidence of such a depression (P.M.G., personal observation). Regardless, musculature attaching to the lower jaw and mandibular fossa in the position of the crocodylian M. intramandibularis and inferior avian M. pseudotemporalis34, 55 was necessary for jaw adduction. Here we retained the crocodylian muscle topology based on trace evidence of this sesamoid cartilage. Lastly, M. pterygoideus ventralis was interpreted to wrap around the posteroinferior margin of the mandible and insert along the lateral surface of the lower jaw, inferior to the dorsolateral crest of the surangular (as depicted in Fig. 7C, left of Holliday55; also see Fig. 2C).
Estimated Muscle Forces
Contractile forces for each adductor muscle were derived for BHI 3033 following a validated, free-body model analogue developed by Gignac and Erickson35 for A. mississippiensis. All muscles were assumed to have negligible pennation55, following the common fascicle configurations of both crocodylian35 and bird34 jaw adductor muscles. The exception to this is the uniquely pennate M. pterygoideus ventralis of crocodylians. The evolution of this muscle in eusuchians56 for high bite-force generation at the expense of adductor mandibulae and temporalis musculature (e.g., primary force generators in birds and other terrestrial amniotes)34, 55 promoted stealthy prey-capture behaviors at the water’s edge35. Modern crocodylians utilize this jaw adductor configuration for a substantially different feeding strategy than that inferred for T. rex. Without an a priori biological reason for assuming crocodylian-like pennation in M. pterygoideus ventralis, we modelled this muscle with a parallel fiber arrangement in T. rex.
To estimate physiological cross-sectional areas (PCSA) left- and right-side volumes for each muscle were (1) averaged, (2) divided by the density of archosaur skeletal muscle (1.056 gram [g]/cm3)35 to estimate mass of the contractile tissues, and (3) further divided by left-right average muscle lengths (see Gignac and Erickson35 for protocol quantifying 3-D muscle position) (Supplementary Table S1). As demonstrated by Gignac and Erickson35 muscle length can serve as a proxy for fascicle length in parallel-fibered muscles when statically modelled. Length measurements (Supplementary Table S1) were made as the 3-D linear distance between the centroids of each muscle’s origin and insertion. Each muscle was assigned an archosaur-specific muscle stress of 32.4 N/cm2 that was empirically determined from A. mississippiensis jaw adductor musculature35. (These values are not known for jaw muscles in Aves, which also lack teeth). Muscle forces were modelled assuming a tetanic contraction of 100% (Supplementary Table S1), which is broadly consistent with the maximum muscle recruitment values quantified by Cleuren et al.57 for Caiman crocodilus and comparable to Gignac and Erickson35 for A. mississippiensis through modelling of empirically derived bite-force values.
Jaw closure in T. rex is orthal with bite forces acting exclusively along the vertical (i.e., Y-oriented) axis of the teeth. Therefore, the dorsad-only component of each tetanic muscle force (Supplementary Table S1) was derived to estimate muscle moments at insertion points following the iterative Pythagorean Theorem approach of Gignac and Erickson35. This technique facilitates the ready transformation of tetanic muscle forces into muscle moments based on the anatomical in-lever lengths35 unique to each skull (Supplementary Table S2). The muscle-specific vertical components of contractile force for left and right-side jaw adductor muscle reconstructions in BHI 3033 were averaged (Supplementary Table S1) for use in estimating size-specific, Y-axis contractile muscle forces in the other adult T. rex specimens.
Specimen Specific Bite-force Estimates
We used the tetanic muscle forces derived for BHI 3033 and bite-force relevant anatomical differences35 across our sample of skulls as the basis for estimating bite-force performance in the six-other adult T. rex specimens (Supplementary Table S2). Among living carnivorous archosaurs such as crocodylians, head width across the quadrates is a strong indicator of body size differences because it correlates strongly with body mass (Pearson’s product moment correlation = 0.99, n = 35)56. Therefore, we compared head width across the quadrates for our T. rex sample and linearly scaled the BHI 3033 vertical components of muscle force for each jaw adductor muscle to the values appropriate for BHI 4100, FMNH PR 2081, LACM 23844, MOR 008, MOR 980, and RTMP 81.6.1 based on these widths (Supplementary Table S2). Linear scaling (e.g., instead of a power curve) was used because the seven adult T. rex specimens occupy only a 34% range of total possible ontogenetic variation in head width, and linear versus power best-fit curves of muscle forces plotted against head width are not statistically distinguishable across such relatively small spans of body size in adult individuals of living animal models with low sample size (e.g., A. mississippiensis35).
For each specimen, we then multiplied the scaled vertical component of muscle force into that muscle’s (right and left-side averaged) anatomical in-levers to produce muscle moments (Supplementary Table S2). The moments were summed, doubled (to account for the contralateral side jaw adductor musculature), and divided by each of the out-lever distances for P1, M3, M4, M5, and M11/12 tooth positions on the right and left sides to produce maximum bite-force estimations at the most mesial (P1) and distal (M11/12) tooth positions as well as for the most procumbent teeth (M3, M4, M5) (Supplementary Table S2).
Tooth Pressures
Pressures along the tooth crowns of each individual were calculated by dividing the maximum estimated individual bite force at each tooth position by the tooth’s cross-sectional area measured at 1, 7, 13, 19, 25, 31 and 37 mm from the apex (Supplementary Table S2). These distances provided for the minimum cross-sectional area that could be measured reliably (1 mm), maximum indentation depth known for an adult T. rex bite mark (~37.5 mm)15, 17, and a series of regular intervals in between. Only tooth casts of pristine (undamaged) or nearly pristine (slightly worn) teeth were used in the analysis. These values were then compared to the ultimate shear stress of cortical bone4, 39. (Note: of the 31 tooth crowns we cast and measured, the following [see also Supplementary Table S2] were either blunted or showed fracture spalls at the crown apex and were not used in the apical tooth pressure analysis [BHI 3033 left M5 and right M4, BHI 4100 right M3 and M4, FMNH PR 2081 left M5, MOR 008 right M4, MOR 980 left M5 and right M4, and RTMP 81.6.1 left M4 and right M5]).
Tooth and Palatal Contact Characterizations
The distribution and spacing of adult T. rex tooth crowns and palatal architecture were taken into consideration with regard to how they contributed to this animal’s ability to remove/comminute bones during biting. Specifically, we interpreted the loading of individual teeth (Fig. 3) as well as the collective damage invoked on bones by simultaneous indenting of both the upper and lower dentition in conjuction with potential palatal contacts (Figs 1, 3 and 4).
Figures
Jaw adductor muscle figures were rendered by exporting polygon files from Avizo Lite into Meshlab version 1.3.3 (GNU General Public License version 2.0). Skull and muscle models were down-sampled in Meshlab using the Quadratic Edge Collapse Decimation tool. Colours were mapped to muscle polygons based on the phenotype of fresh adult A. mississippiensis jaw adductor musculature32. ||||| Image: Universal Pictures
In the 1993 cult classic Jurassic Park, a T. rex manages to scare the living shit out of kid heroes Lex and Tim Murphy by casually ripping apart their Ford Explorer like it’s a scrap of meat. It’s a scene that crystallized the destructive power of this extinct apex predator in the public consciousness—and as a new study highlights, it might not have been that hyperbolic.
Monster movies a’plenty have taught us that T. rex was not a beast to be trifled with, but if you want to know exactly how screwed you’d be to find yourself caught between the Cretaceous carnivore’s teeth, you’d need to carefully measure the animal’s bite force. Not so easy for a creature that went extinct 66 million years ago, but that’s exactly what a team of Florida State University paleontologists has now done, using a combination of fossils, 3D reconstructions, and computer modeling.
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The researchers estimated that T.rex chowed down with a bite force of 8,000 pounds, which is roughly twice the chomping strength of the saltwater crocodile, today’s world champion biter. Combined with an insanely high tooth pressure, the results explain how T. rex was able to pulverize the bones of other dinos to access their nutrients.
Bone crushing—extreme osteophagy in the scientific parlance—is a trait exhibited by just a handful of mammalian scavengers and predators today, including the spotted hyena and the gray wolf. Osteophagy is almost unheard of in reptiles; their long, conical teeth don’t tend to clamp together to deliver the crushing forces needed to shatter bone. And yet Gregory Erickson, FSU paleontologist and co-author of the new study published today in Scientific Reports, has long observed that the bite marks on the brutalized carcasses of T.rex lunches indicate a bone-chewer.
“One thing I noticed [early on in my career] is that T.rex was pulverizing bone,” Erickson told Gizmodo, recalling a giant triceratops pelvis that “looked like it had been chewed up by some sort of monster—some sort of giant dog. I was able to figure out it was T.rex by looking at the bite marks.”
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To show that T.rex’s teeth had what it took, Erickson, along with paleontologist Paul Gignac, performed a comprehensive analysis of the animal’s bite, combining measurements from T.rex skulls and teeth, high-resolution casts, and an anatomical model Gignac developed during grad school to predict bite forces in crocodilians based on their musculature. Ultimately, the researchers estimated a T.rex could deliver some 8,000 pounds of bite force on average, roughly the weight of three small cars.
Bite marks on the fossilized meal of an ancient T.rex. Image: Erickson /Science Advances
More significantly for bone crushing, the animal’s tooth pressure—a measure of how forces are transmitted through each tooth—reached a staggering 431,000 pounds per square inch, the researchers found. Together, high bite force and bone pressure allowed T.rex to drill into bones through repeated gnashing, eventually causing them to shatter or explode. According to Erickson, T.rex probably used its bone crushing teeth to access marrow and phosphate minerals. “These animals were able to extract nutrients from bone,” he said.
It’s not the first time scientists have attempted to measure T.rex’s bite force, and some previous estimates have been even higher. Erickson thinks his numbers, while conservative, are more accurate, because they’re based on scaling forces up from the muscles of crocodiles, a close living relative.
Eric Snively, vertebrate anatomist and paleontologist at University of Wisconsin La Crosse who was not involved with the new research, said it was “a great study” and agreed that the authors are on the right track with their bite force estimates. “They carefully reconstructed many muscles and accounted for important aspects of muscle architecture and physiology.”
“I’m surprised at the high tooth pressures they found for T. rex, because we usually consider the teeth to be blunt rather than super sharp,” Snively continued. “However, their result is consistent with the insanely robust teeth behind those terminal cutting edges; the teeth could handle the bone-splintering forces.”
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Snively added that refining models of T.rex’s face muscles might slightly increase the animal’s bite force in the future, noting that “it’s possible that muscles in big dinosaurs could inherently produce more force/area,” than the authors’ crocodile-based models assumed.
As for whether those bone-splintering teeth could really rip through the body of a ranger vehicle? Erickson wouldn’t go that far—yet. “I’m not sure the teeth could survive biting into metal,” he said.
[Scientific Reports]
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the study was led by Florida International University paleontologists, the work was done primarily at Florida State University. Gizmodo regrets the error. ||||| Tyrannosaurus Rex's Bite Force Measured 8,000 Pounds, Scientists Say
Enlarge this image toggle caption Scientific Reports Scientific Reports
The teeth of Tyrannosaurus rex have been called "killer bananas," and a new study in the journal Scientific Reports shows just how hard those fearsome chompers could clamp down.
"What we came up with were bite forces of around 8,000 pounds," says Gregory Erickson of Florida State University. "That's like setting three small cars on top of the jaws of a T. rex — that's basically what was pushing down."
Erickson and his colleague Paul Gignac, of Oklahoma State University, initially looked at the bite forces produced by different crocodile species.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Scientific Reports Scientific Reports
"Crocodiles are close relatives of dinosaurs," says Erickson. "It's probably our best model for looking at dinosaurs."
Their work involved lassoing, say, a 17-foot crocodile and getting it to bite on a glorified bathroom scale. "This is quite a spectacle, I call it 'bull-riding' for scientists," Erickson told NPR.
The researchers then took what they knew about crocodile jaw muscles and bite forces, and used that information to create detailed 3-D computer models that could reveal T. rex's chomping potential.
"T. rex was basically eclipsing the highest forces known for any living animal today," says Erickson.
He notes that the biggest living crocodiles currently hold the world record for measured bite forces, which his team found were about 3,700 pounds. Human bites come in at a paltry 200 pounds or so.
Unlike modern reptiles, T. rex could chew up enormous bones, to get the precious marrow within. That's thanks to the right combination of biting power plus blunt teeth that were serrated like steak knives, says Erickson. "It basically could slice through just about anything in its realm."
And it did — devouring everything from duck-billed dinosaurs to triceratops.
The researchers found that the tip of the dinosaur's teeth could exert pressures of 431,000 pounds per square inch.
François Therrien, a paleoecologist at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Canada, says over the years there's been plenty of attempts to estimate the bite force of T. rex.
"Lots of those earlier bite force estimates were more theoretical constructs," he says. "They weren't really based or grounded in the modern world by comparison with some living animals for which we knew the bite force."
That's why Therrien likes this new analysis, since the researchers could calibrate their models with living crocodiles to see if they were on the right track.
"Overall, I think the results of that study are probably really close to reality," says Therrien, who was not on the research team.
"We feel very confident that the model is as accurate as can be made possible given the limitations of working with fossils," says Gignac.
If you wanted to rank the world's best biters in history, says Gignac, "T. rex would rank near the top but not at the top."
That honor would probably go to the largest crocodiles that ever existed, extinct beasts that were 35 or 40 feet long, he says. The researchers believe those could have had bite forces up around 18,000 pounds, over twice as high as what T. rex could do. ||||| Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the most fearsome dinosaurs that ever lived. And now scientists know why. Using advanced modeling techniques, they have found T-Rex could bite down with a force of 8,000 pounds. That’s equivalent to the weight of three small cars, and twice as strong as the largest crocodiles alive today.
T-Rex, whose name translates to king of the tyrant lizards—or Tyrant King, roamed western America between 68 to 65 million years ago. It is believed to have been an apex predator, measuring up to 40ft in length and weighing up to 18 metric tons.
It is also thought to have had the largest bite forces of all terrestrial animals—but until now scientists did not know just how strong its huge jaws were. The study, by Gregory Erickson, professor of biological science at Florida State University, and Paul Gignac, assistant professor of anatomy and vertebrate paleontology at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, was published in Scientific Reports.
Erickson and Gignac used previous research in which they had looked at modern crocodiles—close relatives of dinosaurs—analyzing the arrangement of the muscles that contribute to their bite force. They then compared their findings with birds, which evolved from a group of dinosaurs called theropods, which T-Rex belonged to.
From this, they were able to generate a model for T-Rex’s bite. Findings showed it could crush 8,000 pounds. “We didn't go in our study with any preconceived notions or expectations,” Erickson tells Newsweek in an email interview. “Minimally, we expected forces over 6,800 pounds, since I had worked with Stanford engineers as a grad student replicating T-Rex bites on cow bones, and that value was deduced.”
“The forces we found are prodigious, enough to sink the teeth several inches into bone and shatter them. That is all they needed to do. Natural selection tends not to grossly overbuild. It is not advantageous to waste resources that could be utilized elsewhere for growth, survival or reproduction.”
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
As T-Rex was also capable of consuming bone, it must have had additional strength in its nine-inch razor sharp teeth. The scientists discovered its teeth could generate 431,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. This allowed it to munch on bones to the point where they would have exploded. And tooth pressure, the scientists say, is key.
“We have modeled bite forces for giant fossil crocs at 23,000 pounds, so Tyrant King was not the king in that regard,” Erickson says. “Its tooth pressures, which are more important than bite forces with regard to feeding capacities are however the highest estimated (to date) for any animal.”
This would have been highly advantageous to T-Rex. “It allowed them to utilize more of the carcasses of giant prey and scavenged individuals than competitors. Bones are composed of phosphatic salts and they house fatty marrow which T-Rex alone could captialize on,” Erickson says.
Explaining what it would be like if a human got bitten by a T-Rex, he adds: “To quote Clubber Lang (Mr T) from Rocky III—‘Pain’—albeit brief.” |||||
A T. rex fossil exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2014. (Stephen Morrison/European Pressphoto Agency)
A dog, when gnawing on a favorite bone, slices it with its molars. If the pooch instead had a crocodile's snout and gap teeth, crunching bones would be out of the question. But imagine if you will a croc-canine combo, one that is 40 feet long, 20 feet tall, walks on two legs and weighs about six tons. You'd end up with something strange, although not that far from a Tyrannosaurus rex. After all, when T. rex lived 67 million years ago, it was very fond of eating bones.
Yet it was far from your average dinosaur. “If you look at T. rex, it's a total anomaly compared to all other meat-eating dinosaurs,” paleontologist François Therrien told The Washington Post. Therrien, a curator at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Canada, pointed to the mash-up of wimpy arms, massive jaws and teeth like “killer bananas.”
Those chompers allowed the T. rex to chew like a bone-crunching hyena despite its reptilian snout. Coupled with a massive bite force, as calculated in a study published Wednesday in the journal Scientific Reports, the conical teeth generated pressures at their tips of up to 431,000 pounds per square inch. The study authors said their report was the first to examine the pressure exerted by dino dentition.
The maximum pressure at the tip of a T. rex tooth was 28 times what is felt at the bottom of the deep-sea Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. It was enough to cause the toughest dinosaur bones to fracture.
A T. rex bit this Triceratops pelvis nearly 80 times, snapping of a hunk of bone. (Gignac & Erickson)
Put another way, a bite from a T. rex could shatter bones like a “. 45-caliber bullet with a mushroom head,” said paleontologist Gregory M. Erickson, a co-author of the study and curator at Florida State University's Biological Science Museum.
Scientists have long known that T. rex ate bones, as indicated by the fragments found in fossilized dinosaur dung. Bones, particularly the yolk-like marrow inside, are rich in nutrients.
As a rule, though, reptiles don't gnaw on bones. Their teeth aren't designed to. Even crocodiles, with their powerful jaws, tear chunks flesh away from a skeleton.
Crunching bones is “a high-risk, high-reward system,” said Paul Gignac, a paleontology professor at Oklahoma State University, whose graduate work with Erickson in Florida led to the study. “You could damage teeth and not be able to feed, and starve to death.”
Mammalian crunchers such as wolves or hyenas use their specialized molars like hacksaws to slice through bones. Similar to these animals, T. rex gnawed repeatedly; one Triceratops pelvis, which Erickson studied in 1996, had been chewed about 80 times. But T. rex also used its teeth like a jackhammer to fracture bone.
To figure out how the dinosaur managed to snap bones into fragments, Gignac and Erickson constructed a computer model of a T. rex jaw. They based the model on measurements of living relatives: birds, crocodiles and alligators, a group known as archosaurs.
“Our model is the first one to look at the musculature of archosaurs,” Erickson said. Other scientists had tried to measure T. rex bite force based in part on mammalian bites, or by extrapolating force from the dinosaur's body size, leading to a wide range of estimates. One 2012 Biology Letters study, for instance, reported that T. rex bit with 12,800 pounds of force. A few older estimates reported jaws four times as powerful.
With their model, Gignac and Erickson calculated that a T. rex could bite with about 8,000 pounds of force, fairly conservative in the realm of Tyrannosaur estimates. Still, it's a massive amount of force — equivalent to the creature dropping a hippopotamus on its prey.
Therrien was impressed with the complexity of the model, which reconstructed the jaw down to individual muscles. It was a “great approach,” he said, “and the values are probably reasonable.”
More important than bite force alone was how T. rex used it. To figure that out required calculating the pressure exerted on bones caught between the dinosaur's teeth. The two paleontologists used an engineering technique, picturing a bone held in a T. rex jaw as a three- or four-point flex test. The teeth, or the hardened roof of the mouth, acted as pressure points on a beam, which exerted a bending force until the bone snapped.
(You can try a three-point flex test at home, if you're feeling destructive: Grip the ends of a pencil in both hands and press inward on its middle with your thumbs. Now imagine your thumbs are 8-inch long teeth and your pencil is a Triceratops leg.)
T. rex probably held whole limbs in its mouth as it gnawed. “It's not much different than when we bite down on a drumstick,” Gignac said, “though we go for flesh, not bone.” The jackhammer teeth allowed T. rex to crack into bones from fresh kills or scavenged corpses, a food source that other predators couldn't access.
The teeth also may have compensated for the dinosaur's puny arms when hunting. “These dinosaurs were literally headhunters,” Therrien said, “because everything had to be done with the head. When dealing with prey that’s your size, you have to kill it quickly.” In that case, a ferocious, bone-breaking bite goes a long way.
Read more:
Scientists believe they’ve found a ‘pregnant’ T. rex
Tinder for T. rex: Experts helped us write dating profiles for dinosaurs
Scientists did an autopsy of a ‘T. rex’ on TV and it was awesome (and bloody) ||||| The giant Tyrannosaurus rex pulverized bones by biting down with forces equaling the weight of three small cars while simultaneously generating world record tooth pressures, according to a new study by a Florida State University-Oklahoma State University research team.
In a study published today in Scientific Reports, Florida State University Professor of Biological Science Gregory Erickson and Paul Gignac, assistant professor of Anatomy and Vertebrate Paleontology at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, explain how T. rex could pulverize bones — a capacity known as extreme osteophagy that is typically seen in living carnivorous mammals such as wolves and hyenas, but not reptiles whose teeth do not allow for chewing up bones.
Erickson and Gignac found that this prehistoric reptile could chow down with nearly 8,000 pounds of force, which is more than two times greater than the bite force of the largest living crocodiles — today’s bite force champions. At the same time, their long, conical teeth generated an astounding 431,000 pounds per square inch of bone-failing tooth pressures.
This allowed T. rex to drive open cracks in bone during repetitive, mammal-like biting and produce high-pressure fracture arcades, leading to a catastrophic explosion of some bones.
“It was this bone-crunching acumen that helped T. rex to more fully exploit the carcasses of large horned-dinosaurs and duck-billed hadrosaurids whose bones, rich in mineral salts and marrow, were unavailable to smaller, less equipped carnivorous dinosaurs,” Gignac said.
The researchers built on their extensive experience testing and modeling how the musculature of living crocodilians, which are close relatives of dinosaurs, contribute to bite forces. They then compared the results with birds, which are modern-day dinosaurs, and generated a model for T. rex.
From their work on crocodilians, they realized that high bite forces were only part of the story. To understand how the giant dinosaur consumed bone, Erickson and Gignac also needed to understand how those forces were transmitted through the teeth, a measurement they call tooth pressure.
“Having high bite force doesn’t necessarily mean an animal can puncture hide or pulverize bone, tooth pressure is the biomechanically more relevant parameter,” Erickson said. “It is like assuming a 600 horsepower engine guarantees speed. In a Ferrari, sure, but not for a dump truck.”
In current day, well-known bone crunchers like spotted hyenas and gray wolves have occluding teeth that are used to finely fragment long bones for access to the marrow inside — a hallmark feature of mammalian osteophagy. Tyrannosaurus rex appears to be unique among reptiles for achieving this mammal-like ability but without specialized, occluding dentition.
The new study is one of several by the authors and their colleagues that now show how sophisticated feeding abilities, most like those of modern mammals and their immediate ancestors, actually first appeared in reptiles during the age of the dinosaurs.
This work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. ||||| Anyone who’s watched Jurassic Park has seen the imagined horrors of what a Tyrannosaurus rex jaw can do. (Love ya, Rexy.)
But what was a T. rex jaw really capable of?
In a new study published in Scientific Reports, researchers Paul Gignac and Gregory Erickson found that Tyrannosaurus would have packed an extreme bite, using some 8,000 pounds of force to chow down on its meals.
Erickson and Gignac created a computer model to estimate the forces inside the T. rex’s jaw based on high resolution CT scans of fossilized skulls. To those scans they then added muscles based on the dinosaur's closest living relatives—an amalgamation of the musculature of modern alligators, crocodiles, and birds—and compared it to direct measurements of a saltwater crocodile’s bite.
Erickson, who years ago helped take measurements of the 17-foot long Australian saltwater crocodile used in the study, says that the experience was like riding a bull. Or, more aptly: “It was like wrangling with a dinosaur,” Erickson says.
A study from 2012 by biomechanist Karl Bates and colleagues found that Tyrannosaurus rex had a maximum bite force of 12,800 pounds. That’s larger than the new study, but both estimates are less than estimates of the strongest bite force for any land animal. That superlative goes to Deinosuchus, an ancient crocodile which was estimated to have a bite force of 23,000 pounds.
“It’s a nice study, it's always good to see people applying information from extant animals to understand extinct ones like T. Rex,” Peter Falkingham, a paleontologist who worked on the 2012 study, says of the new research. “Having said that, I think that it highlights that there’s still a lot of work to do on extant animals: These authors state how difficult it was to properly characterize alligator muscles. That’s normal, but it reminds us to use caution interpreting fossils.”
Bite force, or the force exerted by the jaw, is not the only factor at play when it comes to the ferociousness of a T. rex bite. The other really big factor is how that force was applied. And in the case of T. rex, that force was concentrated at the tips of giant, sharp, serrated teeth that enhanced the power of the jaws up to a whopping 431,342 pounds per square inch (psi). That's comparable to 1/128 the estimated pressure at the center of the Earth. Put another way, a hydraulic press used to crush cars uses about 2,000 psi.
“It’s kind of like high heels.” Erickson says. “High heels have really high pressure on the heel, and a flat doesn’t. It’s that pressure that’s going to go through hide or bone or not.”
In this case, the deadly stilettos that made up the Tyrannosaurus’ dentition were plenty strong enough to shatter bones.
Erickson has been working on the question of Tyrannosaurus’ bite forces for over 20 years now. Back in 1996, Erickson published a study that analyzed as many as 80 T. rex bite marks on a Triceratops hip bone. Strangely, the bone looked as though a massive hyena or dog had gnawed on it, crushing it to extract nutritious salts and marrow.
“It was a bit of a mystery right off the bat, because dinosaurs don’t have teeth that come together for chewing,” Erickson says. But he later found coprolites (fossilized feces) from another T. rex that had rounded, tiny pieces of bone inside, indicating that they had gone through (and been digested by) strong acids in the dinosaur's digestive tract.
Normally, reptiles and birds (dinosaur relatives) don’t crush bones in their mouths, because they don’t have the teeth for it (they might drop bones from a height to break them open, or scratch bones in the process of eating).
Mammal teeth, on the other hand, generally meet in our mouths, allowing us to chew our food. These are called occluding teeth. Reptile teeth tend to be offset, perfect for tearing off easily-swallowed flesh or limbs, but not so great for gnawing. But it looks like T. rex had enough force behind its teeth that even without occluding chompers, it was able to splinter away chunks of even the table-like hip of a Triceratops with ease, or fracture other bones in seconds.
How the T. rex obtained its meals with those crushing jaws is another question. A Tyrannosaurus tooth found healed over in another dinosaur’s bones indicated that the king of dinosaurs tried its tiny hands at hunting, if not always successfully. There are also suggestions that T. rex was a scavenger, supplementing its hunting diet with found carcasses. No matter how the dinosaur got its food, there is evidence that once Tyrannosaurus had a meal, it made the most of every bite gnawing on the bones to get to the delicious marrow, or even decapitating its prey in an effort to get to the best parts of its dinner.
Research into how dinosaurs bite will continue, and with each study, paleontologists and biomechanics researchers hope to get a little closer to understanding how dinosaurs moved millions of years ago. But it’s a uniquely challenging problem. While 15 scientists might be able to wrangle a 17-foot-long saltwater crocodile into a position where they can get it to bite down on an instrument, they can’t do the same thing with a T. rex (as much as they might want to.)
“They're dead! The biggest problem with that is that it's very difficult to know how right or wrong your estimates are. We can validate with living animals, but in many cases dinosaurs are extreme beyond what’s alive today,” Falkingham says. “The more studies like this we have, the more we can whittle our way towards the reality of the situation.”
|
– Scientists already knew Tyrannosaurus rex had a ferocious bite, but a new study in Scientific Reports spells out in detail just how fearsome it was. In terms of raw numbers, they measured the bite force at nearly 8,000 pounds, with the tip of the teeth exerting pressure of around 431,000 pounds per square inch. That's more than double the bite force of the living champ, crocodiles. The feat allowed T. rex to "pulverize" bones, the better to get at the marrow inside, say researchers in a release. Here's how stories covering the study tried to put the astonishing bite force into relatable terms: "That's like setting three small cars on top of the jaws of a T. rex—that's basically what was pushing down," NPR quotes researcher Gregory Erickson of Florida State University as saying. "The maximum pressure at the tip of a T. rex tooth was 28 times what is felt at the bottom of the deep-sea Mariana Trench in the western Pacific," writes Ben Guarino in the Washington Post. "It was enough to cause the toughest dinosaur bones to fracture." A T. rex bite could shatter bones like a ".45-caliber bullet with a mushroom head," Erickson tells the Post. Remember that scene in Jurassic Park when a T. rex chomps on a Ford Explorer as if it were a snack? This study shows it "might not have been that hyperbolic," writes Maddie Stone at Gizmodo. Popular Science explains the two numbers: Bite force (the 8,000-pound figure) refers to the force exerted by the jaw, but that's only half the story. "The other really big factor is how that force was applied. And in the case of T. rex, that force was concentrated at the tips of giant, sharp, serrated teeth that enhanced the power of the jaws up to a whopping 431,342 pounds per square inch (psi). That's comparable to 1/128 the estimated pressure at the center of the Earth." All of which leads to one final quote from Erickson, this time in Newsweek. Asked to describe what it would be like to be bitten, he said: "To quote Clubber Lang from Rocky III: 'Pain'—albeit brief." (Check out where T. rex lies on the dino family tree.)
|
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Conventional imaging
Portrait of a Woman by Edgar Degas (Fig. 1a) has historically been known to have a concealed figure, and the work has been criticised since at least 1922 for the gradually increasing outline of the underpainting22. Degas painted directly on the underlying portrait with no intermediate ground paint layer using exceptionally thin paint layers, thus little pigment is present to provide hiding power. The hiding power of paint layers often decreases as oil paintings age. The index of refraction of the natural oil medium has a tendency to increase over time, thus the difference between the pigment’s and the oil’s indices of refraction become smaller, leading to less light scattering at the oil-pigment interface and therefore yielding lower opacity23. The gradual increase in transparency of pigments such as emerald green (Cu(C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 ·3Cu(AsO 2 ) 2 )24 and lead-based pigments25 has been observed and studied, with metal soap formation considered to play a major role in the process24,26.
The identity of the woman in the black dress and bonnet is currently unknown. In the visible light image (Fig. 1a), it can be observed that the underlying portrait runs in the opposite orientation to the upper composition. The shoulders of the hidden portrait are the source of the diagonal lines radiating from the present sitter’s bonnet to the top corners of the painting. The sitter’s face appears discoloured as the impression of the hidden composition shows through.
An X-radiographic image (Fig. 1b) and a reflected infrared image (Fig. 1c) of the painting represent the limits of conventional practice for imaging the work27. The X-radiographic image indicates that the underlying portrait is a young woman in three-quarter view. The main source of contrast is provided by the face and ear. Infrared imaging is sensitive to carbon-based pigments and is often used to reveal underdrawings which may consist of graphite or charcoal for example28,29. In the reflected infrared image, it is apparent that the black paint used in the garment of the upper painting has high opacity to infrared radiation (Fig. 1c). This is indicative of a carbon-based pigment such as carbon black, and its extensive use in the present portrait provides limited views to the underlying work. Portions of the underlying figure’s face are observed where it is overlapped by the present sitter’s face. Overall the underpainting cannot be resolved as more than a faintly outlined female figure by conventional techniques, and it has long been considered to be indecipherable, to the disappointment of academics studying the artwork22.
High-definition XRF mapping
The use of the Maia 384 detector array30 at the X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy (XFM) beamline31 has enabled the rapid collection of high-definition synchrotron XRF data over areas spanning tens of dm2 (Fig. 2). The 31.6 megapixel scanning XRF elemental maps obtained from Portrait of a Woman are presented in Fig. 3. Under the experimental conditions, relevant detectable elements range from K-edge excitations of Z = 20–33 (Ca to As) and L-edge excitations of Z = 50–80 (Sn to Hg).
Figure 2: Simplified schematic of the synchrotron-based scanning X-ray fluorescence microscope. A monochromatic undulator-based X-ray source is focused by Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors. The focused beam passes through an aperture in the Maia detector onto the raster-scanned sample. The X-ray photon events are detected in a backscatter geometry and analysed to produce elemental and scatter maps. (Edgar Degas, French, 1834–1917, Portrait of a Woman (Portrait de Femme), c. 1876–80, oil on canvas, 46.3 × 38.2 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1937). Full size image
Figure 3: High-definition 31.6 megapixel X-ray fluorescence elemental maps of Portrait of a Woman. (a) Eleven elemental maps providing an overview of the construction of the painting (426 × 267 mm2 scan). The maps have been downsized by averaging over 4×4 pixels and displayed as the square root of the elemental counts with the threshold value displayed in square brackets (e.g., Zn has a maximum display threshold of 100 counts, corresponding to 104 photons per pixel). (b) Detail of zinc map, also in square-root counts. The fine brush work of the hidden sitter is clearly revealed. Image size shown is approximately 118×66 mm2 (~2.2 Mpixel). (Edgar Degas, French, 1834–1917, Portrait of a Woman (Portrait de femme) c. 1876–80, oil on canvas, 46.3 × 38.2 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1937). Full size image
XRF imaging can be used to deduce pigment use based on the elements observed within the context of the painting. However it cannot be used to unequivocally identify pigments. Pigment identification can be further supported when different elements are highly co-located. Co-located elements could indicate a pigment intrinsically containing different metals or a mixture of pigments used by the artist to achieve the desired colour. For instance, Fe and Mn are co-located in the hidden sitter’s hair (Fig. 3a), strongly suggesting the use of the brown pigment umber, a fine-grained rock consisting of manganese oxides and hydroxides (5–20% composition) with iron oxyhydroxides (~45–70%)32. The Fe:Mn atomic ratio of 6:1 determined from the XRF data is consistent with the composition of umber and its use in the hair.
The As and Cu maps suggest a possible headdress or adornment was attempted on the hidden sitter (Fig. 3a). Cu and As are often associated with green pigments belonging to the copper arsenite group32. A historic pigment commonly associated with the copper arsenites is Scheele’s green, which is considered to be a mixture of several components of varying composition, (e.g., copper diarsenite (2CuO·As 2 O 3 ·H 2 O), copper metaarsenite (CuO·As 2 O 3 ), copper arsenate (Cu(AsO 2 ) 2 ), etc.)32. In regions with high correlation of As and Cu, we find the atomic ratio of As:Cu as 2:1, consistent with the use of copper arsenite. Arsenic is also present in the hair and bonnet of the upper composition; however these areas are relatively free of Cu, barring a region of repair, suggesting the presence of another arsenic pigment. Potential arsenic pigments are likely arsenic-sulphur based such as realgar (As 2 S 2 , orange-red), pararealgar (As 4 S 4 , red-orange) or orpiment (As 2 S 3 , yellow to greenish-yellow), however the relatively low energy sulphur fluorescence (~2.3 keV) is below the low energy limit of the fluorescence detector to aid this line of reasoning.
The hidden sitter’s face consists of several elements. The Zn map provides the best overview of the face and showcases Degas’ brushwork (Fig. 3b). Here Zn would most likely be in the form of zinc white pigment (ZnO), which came into widespread use after 184532. Zinc appears to be the most thickly applied element detected on the face, and it also present in the ear and hair of the hidden sitter. Similar to the Zn map, Co defines the hidden sitter’s face and ear, and it is also present in the hidden sitter’s garment. Cobalt is probably present as a blue pigment, which is useful in defining flesh tones, with examples being cobalt blue (CoAl 2 O 4 ) or smalt (Co-doped alkali glass). Mercury is predominant in the facial area and would most likely correspond to the red pigment vermilion (HgS), which would contribute to a pink flesh tone. It is primarily used on the lips, face and ears of the hidden portrait. Cobalt is also present on the lips of the present portrait. Iron is also present in areas of the face that are free of Mn, suggesting another pigment besides umber as was postulated for the hair. Hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ) and goethite (FeO(OH)) are plausible pigments for use in the creation of flesh tones as they have the ability to generate red and yellow hues.
The background of the painting is defined by chromium, which is also present in some features of the hidden sitter’s face such as the eyes. Based on the background colour, several possibilities exist such as chrome yellow (PbCrO 4 , PbCrO 4 ·xPbSO 4 or PbCrO 4 ·xPbO). Chrome yellow has a tendency to darken with time and its degradation process with respect to the works of Van Gogh has been studied in detail33,34,35,36. The Zn:Cr ratio varies over the background, ranging from approximately 1:1 above the hidden sitter’s head to 5:1 on the left and right sides of the painting. Based on the 1:1 Zn:Cr ratio, another possibility is the use of zinc yellow (K 2 O·4ZnCrO 4 ·3H 2 O)32 or the green pigment viridian (Cr 2 O 3 ·2H 2 O) augmented with a Zn-containing pigment. Zinc yellow is also sensitive to degradation, with George Seurat’s masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte displaying the effect37,38.
The overall counts observed for Ni is low, suggesting Ni is present in low concentrations or in lower paint layers where its fluorescence would be more attenuated. At the cost of lower spatial resolution, an improved signal to noise was achieved by averaging the map over 4 × 4 pixels, which is an advantage of high definition mapping when counting statistics are low. The Ni map shows a general Ni distribution throughout the painting, and it appears that Ni is predominant in areas of the hidden sitter’s face. The rather uniform distribution throughout the remainder of the painting may suggest that Ni is present in the ground layer. Based on the rather low counts observed for Ni, it is unlikely a Ni-based pigment. Nickel is often present as an impurity in many pigments, with lead white or cobalt-based pigments being common examples39.
The hidden sitter’s garment forms an outline showing through the upper composition in the visible light image of the painting (Fig. 1a), and it is found to consist primarily of Mn, Co and Hg. These elements do not appear to cover the whole of the hidden garment, thus it may also consist of, for example, low Z inorganic pigments, carbon-based black or other organic dye-based pigments which are undetectable by XRF.
The black painted areas of the upper artwork have low concentrations of Ca (Fig. 3a). Thus the black pigment used is unlikely to belong to the cokes family of black pigments, such as bone black32. Bone black contains approximately 84 wt% Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 40, thus Ca fluorescence would be readily observed from the painting surface if bone black had been used. The upper portrait’s pigment composition is more likely to belong to the flame carbons family of blacks, such as lamp black, with the carbon source possibly from a hydrocarbon precursor32.
The Ba distribution image is particularly useful in identifying the location of the upper portrait relative to the earlier composition. Barium is routinely observed in art as barium sulphate (BaSO 4 ) and was in common use for preparation of commercial canvas grounds and used as a low-cost filler material or hue alteration in commercial pigment mixtures, including zinc white and viridian32.
X-ray scatter maps
The X-ray scatter maps (Fig. 4) provide further complementary information to the elemental maps. The inelastic (Compton) scatter is sensitive to the lighter elements and thus enables imaging of dense organic components such as the canvas (Fig. 4a)10. In contrast, the elastic (Rayleigh) scatter is more sensitive to the heavier elements such as lead and mercury (Fig. 4b). Here the elastic scatter provides an image of the ground layer and for example, the lead white paint brush stroke running across the hidden sitter’s forehead, and is complementary to the inelastic scatter map. Earlier damage and restoration is clearly identifiable in the scatter maps and is highlighted in Fig. 4. A negative image of the hidden sitter’s face is observed in both scatter maps. We attribute this primarily to the heavy application of zinc-based paint in this area (Fig. 3), which would attenuate the incident X-ray beam and then further attenuate (self-absorb) the scattered X-rays from the underlying ground layer and canvas. Overall these attenuation effects would yield lower sensitivity to materials below the zinc layer.
Figure 4: X-ray scatter maps. (a) Inelastic and (b) elastic scatter. The boxed areas are shown inset for greater detail, and reveal an approximate 21 × 13 mm2 puncture damage, previously restored by filling and overpainting, and not readily evident by visible light examination. Maps displayed in a linear count scale. Full size image
Pb Raman Imaging
X-ray Raman scattering is an inelastic scattering of X-rays from core electrons. It is normally a weak process, but can become considerably stronger through a resonance effect if the incident photon energy is immediately below the absorption edge of a matrix material41. The incident beam excitation energy, 12.6 keV, was chosen ~0.4 keV below the Pb L 3 edge to minimize the Raman scattering signal from the Pb-rich pigments and ground layer. Another consideration in the choice of energy was to remain above the Hg L 3 absorption edge at 12.284 keV and keep the incident energy high enough to minimise the inelastic scatter tail from interfering with fluorescence lines and thereby limiting sensitivity. We have previously used the 12.6 keV incident beam energy to successfully image a painting wholly covered in lead white paint10. The Maia 384A detector’s low energy sensitivity cutoff is approximately 4 keV, so (surface) Pb detection via the low energy Pb M fluorescence lines (~2.3 keV) was not possible. In this work we found that Raman scattering could be detected and used for imaging Pb.
To demonstrate the Raman scattering effect below the Pb L 3 edge (13.035 keV), Fig. 5a shows logarithmic plots of three spectra of a paint sample containing lead white (basic lead carbonate, 2PbCO 3 ·Pb(OH) 2 ) obtained at 12.6, 12.8 and 13.0 keV. Zn fluorescence, originating from the canvas preparation, is also indicated in the plot. The ratio of the integrated intensity of the most intense Raman scattering band to the elastic (Rayleigh) scatter I Raman /I elastic = 0.55 at 13.0 keV, and I Raman /I elastic = 0.034 at 12.6 keV, illustrating the rapid intensity drop of the Raman signal as a function of energy below the Pb L 3 edge. The change in elastic scatter intensity was negligible over this incident energy range.
Figure 5: Pb Raman imaging. (a) X-ray spectra obtained from a lead white-containing paint sample demonstrating Raman scattering for three excitation energies below the Pb L 3 absorption edge (13.035 keV). The spectra have been offset by factors of 10 for clarity. (b) Pb Raman scatter map (detail) indicates areas of lead-based paint application to the painting. Map displayed in a linear count scale. (c) Detail of Portrait of a Woman shows that the white brush strokes yield the strongest Pb Raman signal. The low intensity of the Raman scatter at 12.6 keV excitation energy renders surface Pb most sensitive to detection, as scatter from below the surface would be attenuated by the overlying high density paint layers. (Edgar Degas, French, 1834–1917, Portrait of a Woman (Portrait de Femme), (c). 1876–80, oil on canvas, 46.3 × 38.2 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1937). Full size image
Due to its relatively low intensity at 12.6 keV excitation energy, the Pb Raman scattering was best detected in areas of the portrait containing surface applications of Pb-based paint, in particular the white brush strokes below and to the right of the sitter’s face (Fig. 5b,c). A relatively low Pb Raman signal was observed for the Cr-containing background of the painting, which may support that a non-Pb based Cr-containing pigment such as zinc yellow or viridian was used rather than Pb-based chrome yellow (vide supra).
The Raman signal is likely not practical to use as a reliable imaging method for paintings given their highly variable nature. However it does highlight that the choice of excitation energy is an important experimental consideration when working immediately below an absorption edge of any painting component.
Colour Reconstruction
Elemental maps enable false colour reconstruction of concealed artworks, which provide insight to the colour palette of the artist. Previous researchers2,42 have attributed a false colour to their elemental maps, and were able to create a plausible colour representation of the underpainting. For instance, with the Van Gogh painting Patch of Grass the false colour effect was achieved by manually overlaying two elemental maps with manually assigned colour and transparency2.
A false colour image of the underlying painting from Portrait of a Woman was made using a methodology for layering multiple elemental maps. It was generated using custom-written software capable of merging the high resolution, high dynamic range elemental images manually assigned with colours most likely associated with each element (e.g., red for Hg, blue for Co). The colour is chosen based on published examples of the typical colour of a pigment. Pigment colour is not a standardized value, and varies considerably in natural pigments43. The resulting false colour image (Fig. 6) is a plausible representation of the artist’s work from the period44,45, and we have presented it to emphasise the underlying image.
Figure 6: The hidden portrait of Emma Dobigny. False colour reconstruction of Degas’ hidden portrait (detail). The image was created from the X-ray fluorescence microscopy elemental maps. (Edgar Degas, French, 1834–1917, Portrait of a Woman (Portrait de femme) c. 1876–80, oil on canvas, 46.3 × 38.2 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1937). Full size image
The Hidden Portrait
Based on the observed XRF elemental maps, we propose that the revealed underpainting is a previously unknown portrait of the model Emma Dobigny. Dobigny, whose real name was Marie Emma Thuilleux, modelled for Degas between 1869–1870 and is reported as a favourite model of Degas and other French artists of the period44. We observe strong resemblance between the revealed underpainting and several of Degas’ portraits of Emma Dobigny. Literature suggests that Degas had a special fondness for Emma Dobigny44 which may account for the otherwise unfinished or unsatisfactory painting being retained by Degas. ||||| A mysterious face that lay hidden beneath Edgar Degas’s Portrait of a Woman for 140 years has been identified for the first time as one of the impressionist’s favoured French models.
The features of the young woman emerged when scientists in Australia scanned the portrait with a technique called x-ray fluorescence, which picked out the subsurface elements of the pigments Degas used for the original composition.
The image bears a striking resemblance to Emma Dobigny, a French model who was popular not only with Degas but also with other French artists. Dark haired and fair-skinned, she looks down to her left, in the opposite direction to the later, overlaid portrait.
The scan reveals the model’s face in such fine resolution that the tracks of individual paintbrush bristles can be seen. They show that Degas painted most of the young woman’s face in one action, but spent time reworking what were originally pixie-like ears into a more conventional shape.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Degas’s Portrait of a Woman. The painting was criticised by art experts as early as 1922 because of the discolouration caused by the underlying image. Photograph: National Gallery of Victoria/the Australian Synchrotron
It was not unusual for artists of the time to overpaint older works, but Degas used such thin layers of oils for his 1876 Portrait of a Woman that the face of the model he sought to obscure soon began to show through. As early as 1922, art experts criticised the portrait on grounds of the discolouration produced by the underlying image.
Working with the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, researchers used a narrow, intense x-ray beam generated by a machine called a synchrotron to scan the 46cm by 38cm canvas. As the brilliant x-ray beam swept across the work, it made atoms in the paint compounds fluoresce in colours that betrayed the elements they contained.
The scan produced a series of “elemental maps” of the painting which, when overlaid, reproduced the original portrait of the young model Degas committed to canvas at least seven years before overpainting the work. It took 33 hours to produce a 31.6 megapixel map of the artwork, with each pixel measuring only 60 thousandths of a millimetre wide.
“When I first saw the scan I was over the moon, it was very exciting,” said Daryl Howard at the Australian Synchrotron in Victoria. “At the time I considered it to be one of the most exciting times in my scientific career.”
“The night we managed to get the image I did a search through Degas’s whole catalogue and found several instances of the hidden woman in the painting we scanned. I can’t say unequivocally that it is Emma Dobigny, but it’s very suggestive that it’s her.” Details of the study appear in Scientific Reports.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Portrait of a Woman being scanned. Photograph: National Gallery of Victoria/the Australian Synchrotron
Dobigny is thought to have posed for Degas for 20 years, during which she assumed a variety of roles from a bourgeoisie to a laundress. She posed for other artists too, including the symbolist Puvis de Chavannes and the realist Camille Corot.
But Degas appeared to have a particular fondness for Dobigny. In a letter he wrote to her, now held in a private collection, he pleaded: “Little Dobigny, another session and right away if possible.” Henri Loyrette, the former director of the Louvre, has suggested the two shared an affectionate relationship. Rather than depicting Dobigny as a professional model, Degas painted her as a more pensive young woman, an approach he employed particularly in the late 1860s for those of whom he was particularly fond, Loyrette has said.
The model’s face was rendered in zinc white pigment, with cobalt blue and red from iron-based haematite adding nuance to the skin tones. Flashes of vermillion, in the form of mercury sulphide, bring colour to her cheeks and lips. Iron and manganese compounds found around the head suggest Degas used the brown pigment umber for her hair. Meanwhile, maps of copper and arsenic suggest that green pigments made from copper arsenite had been used to paint a headdress or similar adornment.
In 2008, Joris Dik at Delft University of Technology used a similar x-ray technique to reveal a woman’s face beneath Van Gogh’s 1887 work, Patch of Grass. It is estimated that about one third of Van Gogh’s earlier paintings overlay older compositions.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The process of reconstructing the colour of the hidden face, based on the identification of subsurface elements of the pigments used by Degas. Photograph: National Gallery of Victoria/the Australian Synchrotron
Dik said the resolution of the Degas image is impressive. “The scan has really captured the detail of the hidden brushwork in terms of individual brush strokes with extraordinary detail. This goes beyond technical imaging. The scans are so detailed, you get the impression you’re at eye level with the artist at work,” he said.
Scientists hope to use the x-ray technique on further paintings that conceal older works. For art historians, the images can provide fresh insights into the way an artist’s style developed. But Dik points out that Degas’s Portrait of a Woman was better-suited for the analysis than many other paintings would be. Had Degas covered the original painting of Dobigny with a lead-rich ground layer, or used thicker oils, the image of the model may have been hard, or even impossible, to reconstruct.
Michael Varcoe-Cocks, head of conservation at the National Gallery in Victoria said the imaging procedure would have an impact on historians and technical researchers worldwide.
“There are many significant artworks which harbour long-standing questions related to attribution, authenticity or simply our desire to understand the hand of a masterful artist,” he said. “The high-definition, quantitative element analysis and resulting imagery produced by synchrotron x-ray fluorescence provides a new way for non-destructively probing into the layers of paint to see the otherwise unseen and measure the previously unmeasurable.
|
– In 2008, a researcher in the Netherlands used an advanced X-ray technique to show that Vincent van Gogh's 1887 work "Patch of Grass" was actually done over an earlier painting of a woman's face. The practice is thought to have been common for van Gogh, with an estimated one in three of his earlier paintings overlaying older works. Now, using a similar scanning technique, researchers in Australia are reporting in the journal Scientific Reports that they have uncovered the striking face of a woman that lay hidden beneath Edgar Degas’ "Portrait of a Woman" for 140 years, reports the New York Times. The painting had actually been criticized as long ago as 1922 for its discoloration, reports the Guardian. Researchers think the face belongs to one of Degas' favorite models, Emma Dobigny, and that it's only possible to see because the paints Degas used over it were so thin. The scanner employs a narrow, brilliant X-ray beam a million times brighter than the sun that's generated by a machine called a synchrotron, which is a type of particle accelerator. The technique forced atoms in the paint to fluoresce and reveal their elemental makeup. Mercury sulphide, for instance, provides the vermillion that colors the model's cheeks and lips, while iron and manganese hint at Degas' use of umber for brown hair. The image is so high-res that it even shows the imprints of the paintbrush bristles within each stroke. One researcher says when he first saw the scan it was "one of the most exciting times in my scientific career." (A computer is helping Rembrandt paint again.)
|
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Donald Trump faces an exodus of support from top Utah Republicans after the disclosure of a damning video showing him bragging about groping and kissing women in a way some believe would constitute sexual assault.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Rep. Jason Chaffetz said they can no longer vote for Trump, while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Chris Stewart said the Republican presidential nominee should drop out of the race.
The video, first reported by The Washington Post, is a bombshell in this highly unusual contest and it comes just two days before the second presidential debate. Among the offensive things Trump says in the three-minute video is that he tries to sleep with married women and that he is forceful with a woman he finds attractive.
"I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait," he says. "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything."
"Grab them by the p---sy," he says. "You can do anything." ||||| WASHINGTON ― Republican lawmakers are pulling their endorsements for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump after the Washington Post released a bombshell video Friday in which Trump makes lewd comments about women.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah) was the first GOP member of Congress to peel off Friday night, declaring on a local TV station, “I’m out.” He said he didn’t know who he was going to vote for now, but it wouldn’t be Trump or Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. That was right after his home state governor, Gary Herbert (R), said he, too, was dropping his support for Trump after seeing the tape of him claiming he tried to have sex with a married woman and boasting of groping women because of his celebrity.
The floodgates were open by Saturday morning. Here’s a running list of the GOP members of Congress, senators and governors rescinding their endorsements for Trump or calling on him to step down, one month before the election, after seeing the video.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah)*
Rep. Martha Roby (Ala.)
Rep. Chris Stewart (Utah)
Rep. Bradley Byrne (Ala.)*
Rep. Joe Heck (Nev.)
Rep. Cresent Hardy (Nev.)
Rep. Scott Garrett (N.J.)*
Rep. Ann Wagner (Mo.)
Rep. Rodney Davis (Ill.)
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (Neb.)
Rep. Tom Rooney (Fla.)
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.)
Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho)
Sen. John Thune (S.D.)*
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.)
Sen. Deb Fischer (Neb.)*
Sen. Dan Sullivan (Alaska)
Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.)
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.)
Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio)
Gov. Gary Herbert (Utah)
Gov. Dennis Dauggard (S.D.)
Gov. Robert Bentley (Ala.)
There’s also some GOP lawmakers who didn’t support Trump before but are now taking it a step further and saying he needs to drop out. They include Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Mike Lee (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Reps. Mike Coffman (Colo.), Barbara Comstock (Va.), Fred Upton (Mich.), Charlie Dent (Pa.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Will Hurd (Texas), John Katko (N.Y.), Erik Paulsen (Minn.), Pat Tiberi (Ohio) and Kay Granger (Texas).
UPDATE: Oct. 27 ― Some of the lawmakers in the list above now have asterisks next to their names. That means they changed their minds! Again. They’re back to endorsing Trump. Even Chaffetz went back.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified Rodney Davis as a congressman from Missouri. He is from Illinois.
|
– The Republican backlash to the crude Donald Trump comments that surfaced Friday has been strongest in Utah, where leading politicians were slow to endorse him and have been quick to abandon him. "I'm out. I'm pulling my endorsement," Rep. Jason Chaffetz tells the Salt Lake Tribune. "I cannot support in any way, shape, or form the comments or approach Donald Trump has taken. This is so over the top, it is not even acceptable in locker rooms. It shouldn't be acceptable anywhere. We are talking about the president of the United States. I want someone of high moral values." Gov. Gary Herbert has also withdrawn his endorsement, saying he can't vote for Clinton but won't vote for Trump, while other top Utah Republicans, including Sen. Mike Lee and former Gov. Jon Huntsman, are calling for Trump to drop out of the race. The Huffington Post notes that Chaffetz and Herbert are the first elected Republicans to withdraw their support for Trump since the remarks surfaced—and Chaffetz's position as chair of the House Oversight Committee, which investigated Hillary Clinton's emails, makes his defection especially damaging. (Trump issued an apology late Friday night.)
|
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Chagas disease may be obscure, but the economic burden it imposes on the world is greater than that of better-known diseases, like cervical cancer or cholera, according to a new study. Even in the United States, the authors said, the costs of Chagas are commensurate with those of more publicized diseases, like Lyme disease.
(In the same league, perhaps, but not quite equal. In their study, published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, the authors calculated that Chagas cost the American economy $900 million a year. A 1998 study estimated that Lyme disease cost $2.5 billion.)
Chagas disease is caused by a trypanosome parasite transmitted by the bloodsucking “kissing bug,” which bites victims as they sleep. Transmission is endemic in much of Latin America, from central Mexico to northern Argentina. Kissing bugs have been found in the southern United States; the bugs tend to live in substandard housing and animal pens.
The parasites cause an initial flulike illness that can be cured if it is caught. But it is often not diagnosed, and the infection may become chronic. It may be silent for decades and then emerge as long-term damage to the heart or intestines. It can be fatal. ||||| Obscure Chagas' Disease Takes Costly Toll
There's been a lot of talk recently about an old malady that seems to be on the rise.
It's called Chagas' disease, and it's transmitted by the so-called kissing bug, a bloodsucking insect that bites your face and lips.
Health economists have now put a price tag on the global cost of Chagas, and the illness is taking a heavier toll than previously appreciated.
Chagas costs the world about $7 billion annually, says the analysis just published in the The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
That's more than the global cost of cervical cancer or cholera.
Most Chagas cases occur in Latin America, but the disease is spreading northward. About 300,000 Americans, mostly Texans, are thought to carry the Chagas parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi.
Those U.S. infections could be running about $800 million each year in health care costs and lost productivity, the study estimates.
Of course, all these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.
They're rough approximates based on computer models for how much it costs to treat Chagas and losses incurred when sick people can't work or die prematurely — two things that are really tough to nail down.
"The main thing is to view the order of magnitude," Dr. Bruce Lee, of the University of Pittsburgh, tells Shots. "The numbers are based on some assumptions, but we tried to be conservative and underestimate the costs."
These high costs could offer some incentive to pay more attention to Chagas, Dr. Peter Hotez, who also worked on the study, tells Shots.
Hotez thinks of Chagas as "the new HIV of the Americas": They're both chronic conditions that require long-term treatment, and they get transmitted through blood transfusions and during pregnancy, he says.
But the parallels don't go much further than that. If caught early, Chagas is curable, and many people infected show few or no symptoms.
Chagas does cause serious heart problems in about 20 to 30 percent of cases. "Once the heart symptoms appear, they often are irreversible," Hotez says. "The drugs are toxic, and they don't work very well."
Kissing bugs are widespread in Texas, he says, and a high percentage of them carry T. cruzi.
But right now, doctors in the U.S. aren't looking for Chagas. So it's tough to say just how common it is. "There's an astonishing lack of awareness with doctors about this disease," Hotez says. "They misdiagnose it as a form of cardiomyopathy. Unless you specifically look for it, you won't find it."
|
– A little-known parasitic disease from Latin America costs the US economy $900 million a year, the New York Times reports, even though you've probably never heard of Chagas disease. To put the figure in perspective, the much more publicized Lyme disease costs the US about $2.5 billion, a study reported. And worldwide, Chagas costs some $7 billion—more than cervical cancer or cholera. Chagas, spread by bites from the bloodsucking "kissing bug," is widespread from Mexico south to Argentina, and the bugs have appeared in the southern US. As NPR notes, about 300,000 Americans carry the bug; most are Texans. Some 10 million people across the globe may have the disease, including some Latin American emigrants to the US, Canada, and Spain, among other European countries. Costs in the study were associated with the health care involved and the number of lost healthy years. Researchers hope that emphasizing the economic impact of Chagas will encourage more work on vaccines. (In other unusual health news, a mystery brain disease is striking US women.)
|
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Barack Obama last night shattered the record for fastest time to reach one million followers on Twitter, after his new verified account @POTUS reached the figure in less than five hours.
The US President already has the account @BarackObama , which has amassed nearly 60 million followers. However, the new @POTUS account is associated with the presidential office - or as Obama puts it: "The handle comes with the house."
Obama's latest social media achievement beats a record previously held by Ironman star Robert Downey Jr., a feat the movie star achieved in 23 hours and 22 minutes back in April 2014.Downey Jr.'s Twitter debut was recognised in the 2015 edition of the Guinness World Records book.
"The @POTUS Twitter account will serve as a new way for President Obama to engage directly with the American people, with tweets coming exclusively from him," wrote the White House Deputy Director of Online Engagement for the Office of Digital Strategy, Alex Wall, in a blog post.
Twitter's official account for government and politics statistics earlier this morning released an animated diagram showing how the President's new account quickly amassed followers across the globe. To view the diagram, click here.
||||| CARTO
This visualization only works in modern browsers. Upgrade yours and enjoy. ||||| Add a location to your Tweets
When you tweet with a location, Twitter stores that location. You can switch location on/off before each Tweet and always have the option to delete your location history. Learn more
|
– President Obama has set a Guinness World Record as the fastest user to reach 1 million followers on Twitter. After joining the platform with a personal @POTUS account on Monday, he managed to crush Robert Downey Jr.'s record of 23 hours and 22 minutes set last April in five hours, Guinness reports. An impressive animated graphic shows the location of followers amassed during Obama's first 20 minutes online. Since then, the account has nabbed more than 2 million followers. Obama has tweeted that the account will be passed on to the next president when he exits the White House. (Obama has already burned Bill Clinton on Twitter.)
|
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] |
(Adds details, quotes)
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A five-storey apartment block collapsed on Friday in the Indian financial centre of Mumbai, killing at least thirteen people.
Rescuers worked into the night to pull out survivors and casualties from the concrete rubble. City authorities said 46 people were rescued by evening. It was not clear how many more were still in the rubble.
Employees of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, also known as the BMC, were housed in the building.
A neighbour in the next block said she heard a loud cracking sound as the building caved in.
“As dust settled, I realised the BMC building was gone,” the neighbour, Catherine James, told Reuters.
Rescue workers used six cranes to remove debris. The building was believed to have been about 35-years-old and home to about 20 families.
“Five members from my family were trapped inside. So far, two have been rescued. I am praying to God others will also come out alive,” said Preeti Pawar, who was standing among crowds of relatives and onlookers outside the collapsed block.
The cause of the collapse was not known.
Mumbai mayor Sunil Prabhu said the block was not on an official list of dilapidated buildings.
In April, a building collapse killed 72 people in Thane, just outside Mumbai. Officials later said the structure had been built using poor materials and did not have proper approvals.
A shortage of cheap homes has led to a rise in illegal construction by developers who use substandard materials and shoddy methods and then offer cheap rents to low-paid workers.
A rise in property prices in densely populated Mumbai over the past five years has put affordable housing out of reach of tens of thousands of people, many of them migrants who move to the city for work.
“Again and again, the same kind of tragedies are striking but the government is not learning anything,” said Vinod Tawde, a politician from the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The government should evacuate all people staying in dangerous buildings.”
Onlookers cheered and clapped as emergency workers rescued residents. Others climbed onto walls to get a better look at the collapsed block. ||||| Image caption Rescuers pulled out only one survivor from the rubble on Saturday
At least 42 people are now known to have died when a four-storey residential building collapsed in the western Indian city of Mumbai.
Some 33 survivors have so far been pulled from the rubble of Friday's disaster, some with serious injuries.
Between 83 and 89 people were in the building near Dockyard Road in the east of the city when it collapsed.
The collapse is the latest in a series in Mumbai. Poor construction practices have been blamed in earlier incidents.
As rescuers equipped with cranes searched the rubble, a young girl was dragged alive from the the ruins on Friday, nearly 12 hours after the collapse, and a 50-year-old man was pulled out on Saturday with serious injuries.
The cause of the collapse is not yet known.
Municipal employees
"Five members from my family were trapped inside. So far, two have been rescued. I am praying to God others will also come out alive," Preeti Pawar, among crowds of relatives and onlookers outside the ruins, told Reuters news agency.
Rescuers worked for six hours to free the survivor found on Saturday. The man's leg had been crushed by a wall.
Alok Awasthi, local commander of the National Disaster Response Force, said rescuers had not found signs of life recently but vowed to continue the search.
The building had been home to more than 20 families of employees of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.
Officials say the municipality asked the residents to vacate the property earlier this year.
Property prices and rent in Mumbai are among the highest in Asia. Many citizens are forced to live in old, dilapidated properties in a land-scarce city.
More than 100 people have been killed in five building collapses in Mumbai between April and June alone.
And between 2008 and 2012, there were 100 building collapses in the city in which 53 people died and 103 others were injured, authorities say.
Image caption Officials have said up to 90 people could have been in the building
Image caption The cause of the collapse is not yet known
|
– The death toll in the collapse of a multi-story residential building in Mumbai, India, yesterday has risen to 42. Another 33 have been pulled from the wreckage alive, though some are seriously injured, reports the BBC. One young girl was found alive after 12 hours under the rubble. Between 83 and 89 people were in the building when it went down for reasons that are still unknown. "Five members from my family were trapped inside," one onlooker at the site told Reuters. "So far, two have been rescued. I am praying to God others will also come out alive."
|
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] |
A Provisional Guide for Observing a Weekly Day of Rest
What is this?
The Sabbath Manifesto is a
creative project designed to slow
down lives in an increasingly
hectic world.
The National Day of Unplugging is on March 1-2, 2019. Join us in taking the pledge to unplug from technology regularly. Take the pledge at NationalDayofUnplugging.com. We want to know what you will do when you UNPLUG. Download the I UNPLUG TO _____ poster, take a photo with it and upload your image to NationalDayofUnplugging.com. Share your picture on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For our Sabbath Manifesto, we created 10 core principles completely open for your unique interpretation. We welcome you to join us as we carve a weekly timeout into our lives and to continue the momentum of the National Day of Unplugging throughout the year.
Powered By Reboot |||||
Starting Friday evening, a campaign largely spread via Twitter Facebook , and all things new media wants you to do something counter-intuitive. It wants you to log off from Twitter, Facebook, and all things new media. Close your laptop. Stop checking your e-mail. Leave the house without your cell phone -- intentionally. Interact with real people -- for a whole 24 hours. No, there's no app for that.This 24-hour period of Luddite zen is the "Sabbath Manifesto," a project of the Jewish think-tank Reboot . But, just like Levy's Jewish Rye, you don't need to be Jewish to enjoy the benefits of putting away the goddamn iPhone for a spell and looking your significant other in the eye when he or she is talking again.Reboot is a New York-based organization -- but they've got their eye on you, San Francisco. It's you they're thinking of when they ... you're not paying attention, are you. You're checking into Foursquare . See what we're talking about?"People get on their laptops, they're surrounded by technology, and they go on Facebook and say 'I'm at this cafe!'" said Tanya Schevitz, Reboot's San Francisco program coordinator (if you recognize her name, it might be the 12 years she spent at the Chronicle . Thanks for reading!). "In the olden days, people would bring sick friends soup. Now they post on Facebook: 'Sorry you're sick.'"
|
– There might be a reality show in this: Take a full day off from your gadgets, starting tonight at sundown. No computer, smartphone, or digital camera for 24 hours—can you hack it? The "National Day of Unplugging" is the brainchild of Reboot, a New York-based think tank that's been spreading the word through a couple of the worst offenders, Facebook and Twitter. "This 24-hour period of Luddite zen is the 'Sabbath Manifesto,'" explains SF Weekly. "Essentially, you just need to turn off, tune out, and drop out." Although Reboot is a Jewish group and Saturday the Jewish sabbath, the effort isn't religious. Asks the manifesto's own website: "Are you sick of having conversations with people with their noses buried in an iPhone? Are you that person?"
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But for all their enthusiasm — so many C.I.A., F.B.I. and Pentagon spies were hunting around in Second Life, the document noted, that a “deconfliction” group was needed to avoid collisions — the intelligence agencies may have inflated the threat.
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The documents, obtained by The Guardian and shared with The New York Times and ProPublica, do not cite any counterterrorism successes from the effort. Former American intelligence officials, current and former gaming company employees and outside experts said in interviews that they knew of little evidence that terrorist groups viewed the games as havens to communicate and plot operations.
Games “are built and operated by companies looking to make money, so the players’ identity and activity is tracked,” said Peter W. Singer of the Brookings Institution, an author of “Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know.” “For terror groups looking to keep their communications secret, there are far more effective and easier ways to do so than putting on a troll avatar.”
The surveillance, which also included Microsoft’s Xbox Live, could raise privacy concerns. It is not clear exactly how the agencies got access to gamers’ data or communications, how many players may have been monitored or whether Americans’ communications or activities were captured.
One American company, the maker of World of Warcraft, said that neither the N.S.A. nor its British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters, had gotten permission to gather intelligence in its game. Many players are Americans, who can be targeted for surveillance only with approval from the nation’s secret intelligence court. The spy agencies, though, face far fewer restrictions on collecting certain data or communications overseas.
"We are unaware of any surveillance taking place," said a spokesman for Blizzard Entertainment, based in Irvine, Calif., which makes World of Warcraft. "If it was, it would have been done without our knowledge or permission."
A spokeswoman for Microsoft declined to comment. Philip Rosedale, the founder of Second Life and a former chief executive officer of Linden Lab, the game’s maker, declined to comment on the spying revelations. Current Linden executives did not respond to requests for comment.
A Government Communications Headquarters spokesman would neither confirm nor deny any involvement by that agency in gaming surveillance, but said that its work is conducted under “a strict legal and policy framework” with rigorous oversight. An N.S.A. spokeswoman declined to comment.
Intelligence and law enforcement officials became interested in games after some became enormously popular, drawing tens of millions of people worldwide, from preteens to retirees. The games rely on lifelike graphics, virtual currencies and the ability to speak to other players in real time. Some gamers merge the virtual and real worlds by spending long hours playing and making close online friends.
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In World of Warcraft, players share the same fantasy universe — walking around and killing computer-controlled monsters or the avatars of other players, including elves, animals or creatures known as orcs. In Second Life, players create customized human avatars that can resemble themselves or take on other personas — supermodels and bodybuilders are popular — who can socialize, buy and sell virtual goods, and go places like beaches, cities, art galleries and strip clubs. In Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, subscribers connect online in games that can involve activities like playing soccer or shooting at each other in space.
According to American officials and the documents, spy agencies grew worried that terrorist groups might take to the virtual worlds to establish safe communications channels.
In 2007, as the N.S.A. and other intelligence agencies were beginning to explore virtual games, N.S.A. officials met with the chief technology officer for the manufacturer of Second Life, the San Francisco-based Linden Lab. The executive, Cory Ondrejka, was a former Navy officer who had worked at the N.S.A. with a top-secret security clearance.
He visited the agency’s headquarters at Fort Meade, Md., in May 2007 to speak to staff members over a brown bag lunch, according to an internal agency announcement. “Second Life has proven that virtual worlds of social networking are a reality: come hear Cory tell you why!” said the announcement. It added that virtual worlds gave the government the opportunity “to understand the motivation, context and consequent behaviors of non-Americans through observation, without leaving U.S. soil.”
Mr. Ondrejka, now the director of mobile engineering at Facebook, said through a representative that the N.S.A. presentation was similar to others he gave in that period, and declined to comment further.
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Even with spies already monitoring games, the N.S.A. thought it needed to step up the effort.
“The Sigint Enterprise needs to begin taking action now to plan for collection, processing, presentation and analysis of these communications,” said one April 2008 N.S.A. document, referring to “signals intelligence.” The document added, “With a few exceptions, N.S.A. can’t even recognize the traffic,” meaning that the agency could not distinguish gaming data from other Internet traffic.
By the end of 2008, according to one document, the British spy agency, known as GCHQ, had set up its “first operational deployment into Second Life” and had helped the police in London in cracking down on a crime ring that had moved into virtual worlds to sell stolen credit card information. The British spies running the effort, which was code-named Operation Galician, were aided by an informer using a digital avatar “who helpfully volunteered information on the target group’s latest activities.”
Though the games might appear to be unregulated digital bazaars, the companies running them reserve the right to police the communications of players and store the chat dialogues in servers that can be searched later. The transactions conducted with the virtual money common in the games, used in World of Warcraft to buy weapons and potions to slay monsters, are also monitored by the companies to prevent illicit financial dealings.
In the 2008 N.S.A. document, titled “Exploiting Terrorist Use of Games & Virtual Environments,” the agency said that “terrorist target selectors” — which could be a computer’s Internet Protocol address or an email account — “have been found associated with Xbox Live, Second Life, World of Warcraft” and other games. But that document does not present evidence that terrorists were participating in the games.
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Still, the intelligence agencies found other benefits in infiltrating these online worlds. According to the minutes of a January 2009 meeting, GCHQ’s “network gaming exploitation team” had identified engineers, embassy drivers, scientists and other foreign intelligence operatives to be World of Warcraft players — potential targets for recruitment as agents.
At Menwith Hill, a Royal Air Force base in the Yorkshire countryside that the N.S.A. has long used as an outpost to intercept global communications, American and British intelligence operatives started an effort in 2008 to begin collecting data from World of Warcraft.
One N.S.A. document said that the World of Warcraft monitoring “continues to uncover potential Sigint value by identifying accounts, characters and guilds related to Islamic extremist groups, nuclear proliferation and arms dealing.” In other words, targets of interest appeared to be playing the fantasy game, though the document does not indicate that they were doing so for any nefarious purposes. A British document from later that year said that GCHQ had “successfully been able to get the discussions between different game players on Xbox Live.”
By 2009, the collection was extensive. One document says that while GCHQ was testing its ability to spy on Second Life in real time, British intelligence officers vacuumed up three days’ worth of Second Life chat, instant message and financial transaction data, totaling 176,677 lines of data, which included the content of the communications.
For their part, players have openly wondered whether the N.S.A. might be watching them.
In one World of Warcraft discussion thread, begun just days after the first Snowden revelations appeared in the news media in June, a human death knight with the user name “Crrassus” asked whether the N.S.A. might be reading game chat logs.
“If they ever read these forums,” wrote a goblin priest with the user name “Diaya,” “they would realize they were wasting” their time.
Even before the American government began spying in virtual worlds, the Pentagon had identified the potential intelligence value of video games. The Pentagon’s Special Operations Command in 2006 and 2007 worked with several foreign companies — including an obscure digital media business based in Prague — to build games that could be downloaded to mobile phones, according to people involved in the effort. They said the games, which were not identified as creations of the Pentagon, were then used as vehicles for intelligence agencies to collect information about the users.
Eager to cash in on the government’s growing interest in virtual worlds, several large private contractors have spent years pitching their services to American intelligence agencies. In one 66-page document from 2007, part of the cache released by Mr. Snowden, the contracting giant SAIC promoted its ability to support “intelligence collection in the game space,” and warned that online games could be used by militant groups to recruit followers and could provide “terrorist organizations with a powerful platform to reach core target audiences.”
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It is unclear whether SAIC received a contract based on this proposal, but one former SAIC employee said that the company at one point had a lucrative contract with the C.I.A. for work that included monitoring the Internet for militant activity. An SAIC spokeswoman declined to comment.
In spring 2009, academics and defense contractors gathered at the Marriott at Washington Dulles International Airport to present proposals for a government study about how players’ behavior in a game like World of Warcraft might be linked to their real-world identities. “We were told it was highly likely that persons of interest were using virtual spaces to communicate or coordinate,” said Dmitri Williams, a professor at the University of Southern California who received grant money as part of the program.
After the conference, both SAIC and Lockheed Martin won contracts worth several million dollars, administered by an office within the intelligence community that finances research projects.
It is not clear how useful such research might be. A group at the Palo Alto Research Center, for example, produced a government-funded study of World of Warcraft that found “younger players and male players preferring competitive, hack-and-slash activities, and older and female players preferring noncombat activities,” such as exploring the virtual world. A group from the nonprofit SRI International, meanwhile, found that players under age 18 often used all capital letters both in chat messages and in their avatar names.
Those involved in the project were told little by their government patrons. According to Nick Yee, a Palo Alto researcher who worked on the effort, “We were specifically asked not to speculate on the government’s motivations and goals.” ||||| To the National Security Agency analyst writing a briefing to his superiors, the situation was clear: their current surveillance efforts were lacking something. The agency's impressive arsenal of cable taps and sophisticated hacking attacks was not enough. What it really needed was a horde of undercover Orcs.
That vision of spycraft sparked a concerted drive by the NSA and its UK sister agency GCHQ to infiltrate the massive communities playing online games, according to secret documents disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The files were obtained by the Guardian and are being published on Monday in partnership with the New York Times and ProPublica.
The agencies, the documents show, have built mass-collection capabilities against the Xbox Live console network, which has more than 48 million players. Real-life agents have been deployed into virtual realms, from those Orc hordes in World of Warcraft to the human avatars of Second Life. There were attempts, too, to recruit potential informants from the games' tech-friendly users.
Online gaming is big business, attracting tens of millions of users worldwide who inhabit their digital worlds as make-believe characters, living and competing with the avatars of other players. What the intelligence agencies feared, however, was that among these clans of elves and goblins, terrorists were lurking.
The NSA document, written in 2008 and titled Exploiting Terrorist Use of Games & Virtual Environments, stressed the risk of leaving games communities under-monitored, describing them as a "target-rich communications network" where intelligence targets could "hide in plain sight".
Games, the analyst wrote, "are an opportunity!". According to the briefing notes, so many different US intelligence agents were conducting operations inside games that a "deconfliction" group was required to ensure they weren't spying on, or interfering with, each other.
If properly exploited, games could produce vast amounts of intelligence, according to the NSA document. They could be used as a window for hacking attacks, to build pictures of people's social networks through "buddylists and interaction", to make approaches by undercover agents, and to obtain target identifiers (such as profile photos), geolocation, and collection of communications.
The ability to extract communications from talk channels in games would be necessary, the NSA paper argued, because of the potential for them to be used to communicate anonymously: Second Life was enabling anonymous texts and planning to introduce voice calls, while game noticeboards could, it states, be used to share information on the web addresses of terrorism forums.
Given that gaming consoles often include voice headsets, video cameras, and other identifiers, the potential for joining together biometric information with activities was also an exciting one.
But the documents contain no indication that the surveillance ever foiled any terrorist plots, nor is there any clear evidence that terror groups were using the virtual communities to communicate as the intelligence agencies predicted.
The operations raise concerns about the privacy of gamers. It is unclear how the agencies accessed their data, or how many communications were collected. Nor is it clear how the NSA ensured that it was not monitoring innocent Americans whose identity and nationality may have been concealed behind their virtual avatar.
The California-based producer of World of Warcraft said neither the NSA nor GCHQ had sought its permission to gather intelligence inside the game. "We are unaware of any surveillance taking place," said a spokesman for Blizzard Entertainment. "If it was, it would have been done without our knowledge or permission."
Microsoft declined to comment on the latest revelations, as did Philip Rosedale, the founder of Second Life and former CEO of Linden Lab, the game's operator. The company's executives did not respond to requests for comment.
The NSA declined to comment on the surveillance of games. A spokesman for GCHQ said the agency did not "confirm or deny" the revelations but added: "All GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that its activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate, and there is rigorous oversight, including from the secretary of state, the interception and intelligence services commissioners and the intelligence and security committee."
Though the spy agencies might have been relatively late to virtual worlds and the communities forming there, once the idea had been mooted, they joined in enthusiastically.
In May 2007, the then-chief operating officer of Second Life gave a "brown-bag lunch" address at the NSA explaining how his game gave the government "the opportunity to understand the motivation, context and consequent behaviours of non-Americans through observation, without leaving US soil".
One problem the paper's unnamed author and others in the agency faced in making their case – and avoiding suspicion that their goal was merely to play computer games at work without getting fired – was the difficulty of proving terrorists were even thinking about using games to communicate.
A 2007 invitation to a secret internal briefing noted "terrorists use online games – but perhaps not for their amusement. They are suspected of using them to communicate secretly and to transfer funds." But the agencies had no evidence to support their suspicions.
The same still seemed to hold true a year later, albeit with a measure of progress: games data that had been found in connection with internet protocol addresses, email addresses and similar information linked to terrorist groups.
"Al-Qaida terrorist target selectors and … have been found associated with Xbox Live, Second Life, World of Warcraft, and other GVEs [games and virtual environments]," the document notes. "Other targets include Chinese hackers, an Iranian nuclear scientist, Hizballah, and Hamas members."
However, that information wasn not enough to show terrorists are hiding out as pixels to discuss their next plot. Such data could merely mean someone else in an internet cafe was gaming, or a shared computer had previously been used to play games.
That lack of knowledge of whether terrorists were actually plotting online emerges in the document's recommendations: "The amount of GVEs in the world is growing but the specific ones that CT [counter-terrorism] needs to be methodically discovered and validated," it stated. "Only then can we find evidence that GVEs are being used for operational uses."
Not actually knowing whether terrorists were playing games was not enough to keep the intelligence agencies out of them, however. According to the document, GCHQ had already made a "vigorous effort" to exploit games, including "exploitation modules" against Xbox Live and World of Warcraft.
That effort, based in the agency's New Mission Development Centre in the Menwith Hill air force base in North Yorkshire, was already paying dividends by May 2008.
At the request of GCHQ, the NSA had begun a deliberate effort to extract World of Warcraft metadata from their troves of intelligence, and trying to link "accounts, characters and guilds" to Islamic extremism and arms dealing efforts. A later memo noted that among the game's active subscribers were "telecom engineers, embassy drivers, scientists, the military and other intelligence agencies".
The UK agency did not stop at World of Warcraft: by September a memo noted GCHQ had "successfully been able to get the discussions between different game players on Xbox Live".
Meanwhile, the FBI, CIA, and the Defense Humint Service were all running human intelligence operations – undercover agents – within Second Life. In fact, so crowded were the virtual worlds with staff from the different agencies, that there was a need to try to "deconflict" their efforts – or, in other words, to make sure each agency wasn't just duplicating what the others were doing.
By the end of 2008, such efforts had produced at least one usable piece of intelligence, according to the documents: following the successful takedown of a website used to trade stolen credit card details, the fraudsters moved to Second Life – and GCHQ followed, having gained their first "operational deployment" into the virtual world. This, they noted, put them in touch with an "avatar [game character] who helpfully volunteered information on the target group's latest activities".
Second Life continued to occupy the intelligence agencies' thoughts throughout 2009. One memo noted the game's economy was "essentially unregulated" and so "will almost certainly be used as a venue for terrorist laundering and will, with certainty, be used for terrorist propaganda and recruitment".
In reality, Second Life's surreal and uneven virtual world failed to attract or maintain the promised mass-audience, and attention (and its user base) waned, though the game lives on.
The agencies had other concerns about games, beyond their potential use by terrorists to communicate. Much like the pressure groups that worry about the effect of computer games on the minds of children, the NSA expressed concerns that games could be used to "reinforce prejudices and cultural stereotypes", noting that Hezbollah had produced a game called Special Forces 2.
According to the document, Hezbollah's "press section acknowledges [the game] is used for recruitment and training", serving as a "radicalising medium" with the ultimate goal of becoming a "suicide martyr". Despite the game's disturbing connotations, the "fun factor" of the game cannot be discounted, it states. As Special Forces 2 retails for $10, it concludes, the game also serves to "fund terrorist operations".
Hezbollah is not, however, the only organisation to have considered using games for recruiting. As the NSA document acknowledges: they got the idea from the US army.
"America's Army is a US army-produced game that is free [to] download from its recruitment page," says the NSA, noting the game is "acknowledged to be so good at this the army no longer needs to use it for recruitment, they use it for training".
|
– It's not just us humans who have faced NSA surveillance: Orcs and elves were also among its targets. The agency, along with its British cousin GCHQ, did some of its spying in the virtual world, through games like World of Warcraft and Second Life, the Guardian reports, based on the latest Edward Snowden documents. A 2008 NSA document labeled the virtual worlds a "target-rich communications network" that could allow targets to "hide in plain sight." The document argued that the games offered terrorists a place to communicate and even shift funds in secret, the New York Times notes. Second Life, for instance, had anonymous texting, in-game calls, and noticeboards in the works that could facilitate covert communications. Amongst the agencies' collection was reams of data from the Xbox Live network. There were enough NSA agents working in the games that officials had to develop a "deconfliction" group, the Guardian notes, in order to prevent accidental snooping on each other. Yet there's no evidence that the agencies' in-game activities stopped any terror—or even that the virtual worlds were being used for such purposes. Notes a cybersecurity expert, games "are built and operated by companies looking to make money, so the players' identity and activity is tracked. For terror groups looking to keep their communications secret, there are far more effective and easier ways to do so than putting on a troll avatar." World of Warcraft maker Blizzard says any surveillance "would have been done without our knowledge or permission."
|
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Tyler Hamilton, an American cyclist who accused former teammate Lance Armstrong of taking performance-enhancing drugs, turned in his 2004 Olympics gold medal to the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Hamilton, 40, tested positive for blood doping at the 2004 games in Athens and was allowed to keep the medal in the individual time-trial event because no back-up test could be done. He returned the medal to the USADA, the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based agency said today in an e-mailed statement.
“USADA continues its ongoing investigation into the sport of cycling,” the agency said in the release. “Where there is credible evidence of doping, a fair and thorough process exists for resolving such violations.”
Chris Manderson, Hamilton’s lawyer, said in a telephone interview that the cyclist voluntarily delivered the medal to USADA last week because he did not want it to be a distraction from his recent admission to doping or his comments about Armstrong in a “60 Minutes” television interview.
“Tyler didn’t want to hand it in for any reason other than he knew people were going to make a stink about it,” Manderson said.
Hamilton and Armstrong were teammates on the U.S. Postal Service team in 1999, 2000 and 2001. In an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley, airing on CBS on May 22, Hamilton said Armstrong used erythropoietin, or EPO, during the first of his seven Tour de France victories in 1999, and again to prepare for the race in 2000 and 2001.
Hamilton, who was suspended in 2005 and 2009 for doping, said he saw EPO in Armstrong’s refrigerator, and witnessed Armstrong inject himself with the drug multiple times. EPO boosts the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells and improves stamina.
Armstrong denied the accusation through his spokesman, Mark Fabiani.
“Hamilton is actively seeking to make money by writing a book, and now he has completely changed the story he has always told before so that he could get himself on ‘60 Minutes’ and increase his chances with publishers,” Fabiani said in an e- mailed statement. The spokesman noted that Armstrong has taken and passed more than 500 doping tests over 20 years of competitions.
USADA, which said it does not comment on the details of active investigations, said it is working with the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as appropriate “concerning the final implications of our overall investigation.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Eben Novy-Williams in New York at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at [email protected] ||||| Photo Advertisement Continue reading the main story
The American cyclist Tyler Hamilton, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the time trial, has voluntarily surrendered his gold medal to the United States Anti-Doping Agency after admitting to doping during his cycling career, the International Olympic Committee said Friday.
“The I.O.C. has been in touch with Usada, which indicated that the athlete has already rendered his gold medal — Athens 2004 time-trial race — and that they are currently pursuing an inquiry,” Emmanuelle Moreau, a spokeswoman for the I.O.C., wrote in an e-mail. “The I.O.C. has taken note of Hamilton’s confession and will, of course, study any potential Games-related implications.”
Usada confirmed in a statement Friday that Hamilton had returned the medal and said, “We will continue to work with the I.O.C. and the U.S.O.C. as appropriate concerning the final implications of our overall investigation.”
Hamilton, 40, was a teammate of Lance Armstrong’s on the United States Postal Service team, and helped Armstrong win the Tours in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Armstrong won seven consecutive Tours from 1999 to 2005.
On Thursday, in a report on the “CBS Evening News,” Hamilton said he had seen Armstrong inject himself with the banned performance-enhancing drug EPO to win those Tours. A full interview with Hamilton will be broadcast Sunday on “60 Minutes” on CBS.
“I saw him inject it more than one time,” Hamilton said. “Yeah, like we all did. Like I did many, many times.”
Hamilton, who has been sanctioned twice for doping, is the latest teammate to say he witnessed Armstrong’s use of performance-enhancing drugs. One year ago, Floyd Landis — who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping — shook the world of cycling by saying he and Armstrong were part of a systematic doping scheme while racing for the Postal Service team.
Armstrong, who retired from competitive cycling this year, is the focus of a federal investigation into doping in cycling. The inquiry aims to prove that Armstrong and his associates committed fraud against the government, among other crimes. No indictment has been announced, but people with knowledge of the investigation, who are not authorized to speak publicly about it, say Armstrong may be facing charges of fraud, money laundering, corruption, drug trafficking and wire fraud. A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has been investigating the matter since last summer.
After Hamilton’s admission became public on Thursday, Armstrong posted on Twitter an early and perhaps presumptive congratulatory note to his former teammate Viatcheslav Ekimov for being elevated to gold medalist from silver medalist in the 2004 Olympic time trial.
“Congratulations to @eki_ekimov on his 3rd Olympic Gold Medal!!” Armstrong wrote.
The Russian Olympic Committee appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2006, asking the court to strip Hamilton of his medal and award it to Ekimov, but its request was denied.
In this case, the silver medal would go to the American Bobby Julich and the bronze to the Australian Michael Rogers, the world champion from 2003 to 2005.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
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An initial blood sample submitted by Hamilton to the I.O.C. after the Olympic time trial tested positive for a banned blood transfusion, but the I.O.C. lab mishandled the backup sample and could not verify the initial positive test.
A month later, though, Hamilton tested positive for a blood transfusion during the Vuelta a España. Although he vehemently denied ever doping, he was subsequently banned from the sport for two years. Hamilton, now a cycling coach in Colorado, is serving an eight-year ban from the sport after testing positive for the banned substance DHEA, which he said he ingested because it was in a herbal supplement he was taking to battle depression.
Mark Fabiani, Armstrong’s spokesman, said in a statement Thursday that Hamilton’s accusations were not to be believed because Hamilton was not credible.
Fabiani said the Web site Facts4Lance.com would have “clear proof that the on-camera ‘60 Minutes’ interviewees are just not credible.”
He also said in a statement that Hamilton should not be believed because he “is actively seeking to make money by writing a book, and now he has completely changed the story he has always told before so that he could get himself on ‘60 Minutes’ and increase his chances with publishers.”
|
– Congratulations, Viatcheslav Ekimov of Russia. It looks like you've won the gold medal in cycling at the 2004 Olympics. The US cyclist originally awarded the medal, Tyler Hamilton, surrendered it last week and has admitted to doping, reports Bloomberg. Hamilton also is making headlines by accusing former Tour de France teammate Lance Armstrong of doping as well. Armstrong, who previously had been accused by teammate Floyd Landis, continues to deny the allegations. If he's proven to be a liar, it's more than just a matter of handing in old trophies, notes the New York Times. Under a case now being investigated by a federal grand jury, he could face charges of fraud, money laundering, corruption, and drug trafficking.
|
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ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that police in Ferguson and St. Louis County used excessive force and falsely arrested innocent bystanders amid attempts to quell widespread unrest after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
The five plaintiffs in the suit in St. Louis include a clinical social worker who said she and her 17-year-old son were roughed up and arrested after not evacuating a McDonald's quickly enough. They also include a 23-year-old man who said he was shot multiple times with rubber bullets and called racial slurs by police while walking through the protest zone to his mother's home, and a man who said he was arrested for filming the disturbances.
"The police were completely out of control," said attorney Malik Shabazz of Black Lawyers for Justice, a group whose members sought to quell tensions at the nightly protests that stretched for more than week after Ferguson officer Darren Wilson, who is white, shot the unarmed Brown, who is black. "In those initial days, it was virtually a police riot."
The lawsuit seeks $40 million in damages and names Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, Ferguson officer Justin Cosma, several unnamed officers identified collectively as John Doe, and the city and county governments.
Shabazz said the suit could be broadened to include additional plaintiffs. A St. Louis County police spokesman referred inquiries to County Counselor Patricia Redington, who said she had not seen the suit and declined comment. A public relations consultant working for the city of Ferguson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the immediate days after Brown's shooting, local police in riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who refused to disperse and, at times, broke into nearby stores. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon eventually placed the State Highway Patrol in charge of securing Ferguson with a more relaxed approach. Nixon later imposed a curfew that was lifted after several nights of clashes between police and protesters, and called in the National Guard, whose members have since departed Ferguson.
Plaintiff Tracey White said she and her son, a high school junior, were waiting for a ride from her husband at a West Florissant Avenue McDonald's after attending an Aug. 13 "peace and love" rally at a Ferguson church when several rifle-carrying officers told her she was being arrested because she would not "shut up." White said she and her son were detained for five hours at the county jail on charges of failing to disperse, but she said she was not provided with any records reflecting that charge or a future court date.
"It was so horrifying," she said. "We did nothing wrong."
Dwayne Anton Matthews Jr. said he was confronted by eight officers that same night while walking to his mother's home after the bus route he normally takes stopped short of his destination because of the unrest. The suit alleges that after Matthews was shot multiple times with rubber bullets, he fell into a creek or sewer, where police officers "pounced on him, slammed his face into the concrete and pushed his head under water to the point that he felt he was going to be drowned."
Matthews, who styles his hair in long dreadlocks, told reporters at a Thursday press conference outside the St. Louis federal courthouse that he was called a "coon" and a "mophead," among other racial slurs.
Meanwhile, St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez told The Associated Press in an interview that Lt. Ray Albers resigned Thursday. Albers was the police officer shown on cellphone video pointing his rifle at demonstrators on Aug. 19 in Ferguson and threatening them.
On the video, a man is heard saying, "Oh my God! Gun raised!" as the officer approaches. The officer walks near the man, gun pointed, and appears to threaten to kill him. A St. Louis County police sergeant forced the officer to lower the weapon and escorted him away.
A message left on Albers' home phone Thursday was not returned.
___
Associated Press reporter Jim Salter in St. Ann, Missouri, contributed to this report.
___
Follow Alan Scher Zagier on Twitter at http://twitter.com/azagier . ||||| Story highlights The office of the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney declined comment
A lawsuit accuses police of violating rights and making unjustified arrests
Five people arrested in Ferguson, Missouri, are seeking $40 million in damages
Police in Ferguson and St. Louis County are defendants in the federal lawsuit
In a $40 million federal lawsuit, five people arrested recently in Ferguson, Missouri, accuse police of using "wanton and excessive force" and treating U.S. citizens "as if they were war combatants."
A complaint filed Thursday alleges that police officers from Ferguson and St. Louis County used unnecessary force and made unjustified arrests as they cracked down on protests after the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown earlier this month.
The lawsuit lists Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, Ferguson officer Justin Cosma, several unnamed officers and the city and county governments as defendants.
A St. Louis County police spokesman declined to comment Friday, referring inquiries to the county prosecuting attorney's office. The St. Louis County prosecuting attorney's office told CNN it has no comment on the lawsuit.
The suit -- which includes accusations of intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent supervision, and assault and battery -- details circumstances allegedly surrounding several arrests between August 11-13:
-- Tracey White was about to buy an ice cream sundae at McDonald's when officers "in what appeared to be army uniforms, carrying rifles and sticks and wearing helmets" entered and ordered her to leave, according to the lawsuit. She was told to shut up, thrown to the ground and handcuffed after criticizing officers for the way they were treating her son, the lawsuit claims.
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-- Dewayne Matthews was walking to his mother's house when a group of officers in military uniforms shot rubber bullets at him, the lawsuit alleges. He fell into a creek or sewer, the suit says, where officers "pounced on him, slammed his face into the concrete, and pushed his head into the water to the point that he felt he was going to be drowned."
-- Kerry White was shooting footage and holding his camera out his car window when an officer snatched his camera, "took out his memory card and threw it to the ground," the lawsuit says.
-- Damon Coleman and Theophilus Green were peacefully protesting, the lawsuit says, when police in riot gear fired tear gas and what appeared to be stun grenades in their direction, then "hurled racial epithets at them, while punching and kicking them the entire time."
CNN has not independently confirmed details of the arrests.
Police tactics to calm the crowds drew sharp criticism, including a rebuke from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
"At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message," Holder said as the protests unfolded.
As criticism of police tactics mounted, Gov. Jay Nixon Missouri tapped State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson to head up security in Ferguson on August 14.
Belmar, the St. Louis County Police Chief, told reporters on Wednesday that he doesn't regret his agency's decisions to fire tear gas at protesters. That approach, he said, was much better than using nightsticks or dogs.
Even though President Barack Obama has called for a review of military equipment sales to local police departments in light of the clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Belmar said that such equipment is often necessary.
"I never envisioned a day that we would ever see that kind of equipment used against protesters," he said. "But I also never imagined a day in 28 years when we would see that kind of criminal activity spin out of peaceful demonstrations."
|
– A Missouri man who says he was just trying to get to his mom's house and a woman who says she was waiting for a ride and a sundae at McDonald's with her teenage son are among the five plaintiffs who have filed a $40 million lawsuit against Ferguson and St. Louis County police alleging "excessive force" in the wake of the Michael Brown shooting, reports the AP. The suit filed yesterday charges cops with "intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent supervision, and assault and battery" and for treating local citizens "as if they were war combatants," reports CNN. Tracey White says she was waiting for her husband to pick up her and her son, a high school junior, from McDonald's when police with rifles reportedly burst into the fast-food restaurant and arrested her because she wouldn't "shut up," the suit says, according to the AP. Meanwhile, Dwayne Matthews Jr. says that his bus couldn't drop him off near his mom's house because of the protests and that he was confronted by eight cops as he was walking, shot with rubber bullets, face-slammed into concrete, pushed underwater "to the point that he felt he was going to be drowned," and insulted with racial slurs. "The police were completely out of control. … It was virtually a police riot," says attorney Malik Shabazz, adding that other plaintiffs may join the suit. (In related news: Ray Albers, a local officer who allegedly threatened protesters on camera with a rifle, resigned yesterday, reports the AP.)
|
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Welcome!
As a member of the Utah Food Allergy Network (UFAN) and mom of an allergic kid, I've learned food allergies are easier to handle with information, a few handy tools, and a community of friends who “get it.” I post a new article most Mondays. Thanks for stopping by!
Kelley
||||| FILE - This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Peter Rabbit, voiced by James Corden and Cottontail in a scene from "Peter Rabbit." The filmmakers and the studio behind it are apologizing for insensitively... (Associated Press)
FILE - This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Peter Rabbit, voiced by James Corden and Cottontail in a scene from "Peter Rabbit." The filmmakers and the studio behind it are apologizing for insensitively depicting a character's allergy in the film that has prompted backlash online. Sony Pictures... (Associated Press)
FILE - This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Peter Rabbit, voiced by James Corden and Cottontail in a scene from "Peter Rabbit." The filmmakers and the studio behind it are apologizing for insensitively depicting a character's allergy in the film that has prompted backlash online. Sony Pictures... (Associated Press) FILE - This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Peter Rabbit, voiced by James Corden and Cottontail in a scene from "Peter Rabbit." The filmmakers and the studio behind it are apologizing for insensitively... (Associated Press)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Peter Rabbit" filmmakers and the studio behind it are apologizing for insensitively depicting a character's allergy in the film that has prompted backlash online.
Sony Pictures says Sunday in a joint statement with the filmmakers that "food allergies and are a serious issue" and the film "should not have made light" of a character being allergic to blackberries "even in a cartoonish, slapstick way."
In "Peter Rabbit" which was released this weekend, the character of Mr. McGregor is allergic to blackberries. The rabbits fling the fruit at him in a scene and he is forced to use an EpiPen.
The charity group Kids with Food Allergies posted a warning about the scene on its Facebook page Friday prompting some on Twitter to start using the hashtag #boycottpeterrabbit. The group said that allergy jokes are harmful to their community and that making light of the condition "encourages the public not to take the risk of allergic reactions seriously."
Kenneth Mendez, the president and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, wrote an open letter to the studio Saturday asking for the opportunity to educate the company and the film's cast on the realities of food allergies and urged the studio to "examine your portrayal of bullying in your films geared toward a young audience."
The studio and filmmakers say that they, "Sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologize." ||||| There has been a lot of talk in the food allergy community about the new The Smurfs 2 movie because of a certain scene involving peanut allergy. Allergic Living asked me to see the movie and review it, from the allergy perspective. Along for her point of view was my 12-year-old daughter, who has severe allergies to dairy, egg, peanut, all tree nuts and most legumes.
So off we went. While I was prepared to be outraged, I also wondered whether the movie would prove a sign that the entertainment industry was starting to pay lip service to food allergies. With statistics like 1 in 13 children having food allergies, would this turn out to be an example of tokenism?
Let’s cut to the big scene in question: the birthday party. In the scene, the Smurf’s human friends, Patrick and Grace Winslow, are hosting the party for their son and are reviewing their checklist of cautions. The food is gluten-free, vegan, no peanuts or strawberries, produced humanely and served on BPA-free dishes. So far, so good.
When the man’s stepfather, the owner of a corndog company, arrives with corndogs for partygoers, parents ask about peanuts. He assures everyone that his company does not put peanuts in the corndogs. The peanut-allergic child takes a bite before the man can finish his sentence – that they are, though, cooked in peanut oil. With lips swollen, the child is rushed off to the hospital. Later the audience learns that he’s OK. This is portrayed as a relief to the host because both of the child’s parents are lawyers, and that was mildly annoying.
I asked my daughter what she thought as someone with allergies. She felt that the birthday party scene was important as it helped to define the stepfather’s character – he’s an insensitive man who pushes his way into situations and manages to cause problems. Her one major issue was that no one administered epinephrine the allergic child. That would have been easy to include.
If this scene was the only reference to allergies, I might have felt that the writers had gone for a cheap laugh. But the concept of allergies runs through this film in a respectful way. In fact allergies play a pivotal role in a touching turning point that ties up several subplots.
So no, we didn’t have a big issue with the depiction of food allergies in The Smurfs 2. My daughter did not notice the fact that the stepfather didn’t take the reaction very seriously, and I simply found it realistic. Not all of our relatives ‘get it’ either and this reflected poorly on the older man. I’m pleased to report that I doubt many parents or kids living with food allergies would be offended by this movie.
As for the film as a whole, we thoroughly enjoyed it. There is plenty going on in the subplots to keep the adults’ attention. For the children, they will no doubt enjoy the juvenile humor with plenty of references to farts and name-calling. There isn’t any real violence but poor Gargamel is the butt of a lot of slapstick comedy. Hank Azaria and Neil Patrick Harris return to their roles and don’t disappoint. So yes, it was worth the price of admission.
Susan Clemens is the moderator of Allergic Living’s online Forum and Facebook page. Please let us know your own thoughts of how allergies were depicted in the movie – in the comments below or on our social media.
||||| Image copyright Columbia/Sony Pictures/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Image caption The scene in the new Peter Rabbit film involving blackberries led to calls for a boycott
The makers of the new film Peter Rabbit have apologised after facing a backlash over their depiction of a character's allergy.
A scene in the film shows a character who suffers a blackberry allergy being pelted with them by a gang of bunnies.
In a joint statement, Sony Pictures and the filmmakers said they "should not have made light" of the issue.
Campaigners condemned the scene and some Twitter users adopted the hashtag #boycottpeterrabbit.
The charity Kids with Food Allergies Foundation said in a Facebook post "food allergy 'jokes' are harmful to our community".
A petition calling on Sony Pictures to apologise also attracted thousands of signatures.
Image copyright Columbia/Sony Pictures/REX/Shutterstock Image caption Characters Cottontail, Flopsy and Mopsy use catapults to fire fruit and vegetables in one scene
The offending scene is shown in a film adaptation of the Beatrix Potter book Peter Rabbit, which was released in US cinemas this weekend.
The human character Tom McGregor, who has an allergy to the berries, is attacked by Peter and his friends who shower him with the fruit, even shooting one into his mouth, until he is forced to use an EpiPen to treat his reaction.
On Sunday, Sony Pictures said in a statement that it was wrong for the filmmakers to include the segment, "even in a cartoonish, slapstick way".
"We sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologise," the statement said.
Food allergies ||||| You probably remember Peter Rabbit as the lovable, impish star of wholesome childhood stories, but is he now a bully?
That’s what some parents are arguing after seeing the new Peter Rabbit film starring James Corden and directed by Will Gluck. The film, released on Friday in the U.S., grossed an estimated $25 million in its first weekend, out-earning every other film except the decidedly more grown-up Fifty Shades Darker, the final installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.
The latest update to the classic children’s story features Peter Rabbit engaged in battle with the nephew of his traditional nemesis, the farmer Mr. McGregor. This nephew, as it turns out, has a blackberry allergy, a weakness Peter and his accomplices exploit in one battle scene. The rabbits pelt the younger Mr. McGregor with the berries and one goes into his mouth, causing him to go into anaphylactic shock and administer an EpiPen to himself.
Parents and advocacy groups have taken exception to this portrayal, calling it “allergy bullying” and saying it mocks allergy sufferers. The CEO of Allergy UK told The Telegraph the scene is irresponsible as it doesn’t portray the life-threatening danger of allergies and anaphylactic shock. On Saturday, the U.S.-based Food Allergy Research & Education organization warned on its Facebook page that the scene “might be upsetting” for viewers who have allergies.
Calls to boycott the film soon took off on Twitter, with people using #BoycottPeterRabbit to air their disappointment.
#PeterRabbitMovie @SonyPictures Would you laugh at a person with diabetes force fed sugar? No. But that's exactly what you're doing in your movie: continuing to marginalize people with #foodallergies. So throw an allergen at someone? I’m coming for you.#BoycottPeterRabbit — ☘️ Jamie ☘️ (@jamiefid) February 10, 2018
As a mother of a toddler allergic to several foods, I am disgusted that Sony would make a joke out of flicking an allergen at a food allergic individual. Doing so is felony aggravated assault! What kind of message does that scene send to kids?! #boycottpeterrabbit — hydrogirl71 (@hydrogirl71) February 10, 2018
But others soon began using the hashtag to criticise those encouraging a boycott for being too sensitive.
Just read this drivel today, #boycottpeterrabbit people getting offended over kids films. I remember violent cartoons as a child and I don’t recall brutally killing anyone growing up. Have some faith in your kids, breathe, and remember its just a stupid film about talking rabbits — Nick Fitzpatrick (@nicknogger) February 11, 2018
Sony Pictures and the filmmakers have issued an apology for the scene, saying they “should not have made light” of the issue.
|
– If you're wondering why there's a hashtag to boycott a new children's movie, ask parents of kids with allergies. The BBC reports on the pushback against Sony Pictures' Peter Rabbit, which includes a scene in which Mr. McGregor, who's allergic to blackberries, gets the fruit hurled at him by the title character and his bunny pals. One berry ends up in McGregor's mouth, causing him to go into anaphylactic shock and forcing the use of his EpiPen. "I'm pretty sure Beatrix Potter will be turning in her grave about now," one mom of a child with allergies tells the New York Times. She notes allergies are already often dismissed or ignored by people who aren't affected by them, and that "to have them trivialized on the big screen by such a popular character is immensely disappointing." Other parents and advocacy groups agree the film, with James Corden voicing Peter, is partaking in "allergy bullying," per Fortune. Kenneth Mendez, president of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, penned an open letter to the filmmakers and Sony, noting that "we strongly urge you to refrain from the type of programming that mocks food allergies in the future." Mendez also points out that Sony has portrayed food allergies as a "punchline" before in children's films, citing one of the Smurfs movies and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs as two examples. Per the AP, Sony has issued a joint statement with the filmmakers apologizing for the scene, admitting the flick shouldn't have "made light" of the character's allergy, "even in a cartoonish, slapstick way." (New guidelines are out on giving babies peanuts.)
|
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According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Gilbert Phelps was pulled over for speeding at around 2 a.m. last Thursday, and was taken into custody for a breath test after the officer, Ben Hektoen, noticed “an odor of ingested alcohol coming from the cabin of the vehicle.” From Hektoen’s filed police report, which you can view at the Smoking Gun:
The defendant admitted to smoking marijuana prior to driving and displayed measurable impairment on Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. He gave a preliminary breath test and DataMaster test result of 0.000% BrAc. A Certified Drug Recognition Expert conducted an evaluation and determined the defendant was under the influence of cannabis and was unsafe to operate a motor vehicle. During the testing process the defendant requested to take a SnapChat selfie with me to which I happily obliged. He said he captioned the photo using emoji icons showing a police car, next to a passenger car, next to a tow truck.
Here is the full arrest selfie:
Truly adorable. What a lovely friendship between arrested civilian and arresting officer. Lovely of that cop to realize that humans are more than their mistakes, etc. ||||| AUGUST 7--After being taken into custody for driving while under the influence of marijuana, a 20-year-old Iowa man asked his arresting officer to pose with him for a Snapchat “selfie,” a request that the cop “happily obliged,” according to a criminal complaint.
Gilbert Phelps was behind the wheel of a 2000 Toyota Camry around 2 AM yesterday when the vehicle was pulled over for speeding and having an obstructed registration sticker.
During his questioning of Phelps, Iowa City Police Department Officer Ben Hektoen detected the odor of “ingested alcohol” inside the car. Hektoen reported that Phelps copped to “smoking marijuana prior to driving,” adding that the suspect displayed “measurable impairment” during a series of field sobriety tests.
After a Breathalyzer test registered a .0 blood alcohol content, Phelps was examined by a “certified Drug Recognition Expert” who concluded that Phelps was “under the influence of cannabis and was unsafe to operate a motor vehicle.”
While Phelps was being tested, Hektoen noted, “the defendant requested to take a SnapChat selfie with me to which I happily obliged.” That selfie, seen above, shows a beaming Phelps in the foreground, while Hektoen gives the camera a thumbs-up sign.
The officer added that Phelps told him he “captioned the photo using emoji icons showing a police car, next to a passenger car, next to a tow truck.”
Phelps posed later for a second photo (seen at left) that was snapped by a jail employee.
Phelps was charged with operating while under the influence, a misdemeanor. Free on bond, he is scheduled for an August 17 preliminary hearing in District Court. (1 page)
|
– You're probably familiar with the selfie and even the groufie, but what about the "arrest selfie"? Jezebel reports Gilbert Phelps, 20, has surely started a new trend after snapping a photo with an Iowa cop who pulled him over for speeding. Officer Ben Hektoen says Phelps admitted to "smoking marijuana prior to driving," and showed "measurable impairment" in field sobriety tests. As he was tested by a drug expert, though, he "requested to take a SnapChat selfie with me to which I happily obliged," per the Smoking Gun. It shows a smiling Phelps, later charged with DUI, and Hektoen giving the thumbs up. Phelps' smile had vanished by the time his booking photo was taken.
|
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false modesty Okay, Steve Carell’s Willful Humbleness Is Starting to Get a Little Weird
Steve Carell cannot believe that anybody cares he is leaving The Office. What is the big deal? He’s just the most important, likely irreplaceable character on a well-rated, beloved TV show that is one of the few bright spots in a network's entire lineup, working in a town that's interested even when a totally replaceable actress leaves a CSI spinoff, but, heck, who could care? "I'm surprised by it, frankly. I didn't think it would be that big a deal. I'm just not renewing my contract. I'm surprised there's any sort of hubbub about it,” Carell told the L.A. Times. This would be easier to believe if Carell is playing contract-negotiation games, which he doesn't seem to be, or if he is playing a character whose leading characteristic is intentional obliviousness, which we are starting to think he might be. [24 Frames/LAT] |||||
For an actor with such a flourishing television career, Steve Carell has been pretty active on the big screen. As he's worked on "The Office" over the past six seasons, the actor has also found time to star in half a dozen live-action features and voice two animated films, including his newest hit "Despicable Me" and his upcoming comedy "Dinner for Schmucks," slipping in movie shoots during his short television hiatuses.
In reporting on a story about his new film "Dinner for Schmucks," we asked Carell about the upcoming shift in his career that will take him off the "Office" to an even more fertile big-screen life. Although he's starred in a reasonably wide range of films -- "Get Smart," "Dan in Real Life" and "Evan Almighty" among them -- Carell has worked a similar tactic in many of them: the gap between what his character believes and what the audience knows, milking that alternately for comedy and drama.
But Carell, who next stars in a marital-crisis comedy opposite Julianne Moore called "Crazy, Stupid, Love," says that when he makes his big-screen decisions post-"Office," he won't be looking to branch out for its own sake.
"I just never want to be precious or pretentious about choosing something in order to switch it up, or do a 180 just to show people what I'm capable of," he told 24 Frames. (Incidentally, he didn't sound like a man who had an interest in returning to the series, as some of the bargaining-ploy theorists have had it.)
As for the reaction to his departure from "The Office" and his landmark Michael Scott character -- which has ranged from abject horror to mournful head-shaking to those conspiracy theories -- Carell said it's caught him a little off guard.
"I'm surprised by it, frankly. I didn't think it would be that big a deal," the actor said. "I'm just not renewing my contract. I'm surprised there's any sort of hubbub about it."
--Steven Zeitchik
Twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT
Photo: Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in "Dinner for Schmucks." Credit: Paramount
RECENT AND RELATED:
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'Despicable Me' eclipses 'Twilight'
|
– For some reason, despite the fact that he’s the lead character and best-known actor on the show, Steve Carell is just shocked that anyone would be upset that he's leaving The Office. “I'm surprised by it, frankly,” he tells the Los Angeles Times of the uproar surrounding his decision. “I didn't think it would be that big a deal. I'm just not renewing my contract. I'm surprised there's any sort of hubbub about it.” Um…riiiiiight. Steve Carell, are you living on the planet of False Modesty? You are the “most important, likely irreplaceable character on a well-rated, beloved TV show,” writes Willa Paskin for New York. “This would be easier to believe if Carell is playing contract-negotiation games, which he doesn't seem to be, or if he is playing a character whose leading characteristic is intentional obliviousness, which we are starting to think he might be.”
|
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Children Lost and Found
Growing up in Bridgeport, Conn., Nejdra Nance suspected she wasn't really related to the woman she called "Mom." Finally, she found her baby picture on a missing children's website. She was born Carlina Renae White and was less than a month old when she was snatched from a New York City hospital in 1987. Now 23, she has been reunited with her birth parents. Click through for other cases.
Julia Xanthos, NY Daily News / Getty Images
Julia Xanthos, NY Daily News / Getty Images ||||| A North Carolina woman who raised a child kidnapped 23 years ago from a New York hospital surrendered to authorities on a parole violation charge Sunday, days after a widely publicized reunion between the biological mother and the daughter taken from her as a baby.
In this undated photo provided by the North Carolina Department of Correction, Ann Pettway is shown. Pettway, the woman who raised a child kidnapped from a New York hospital two decades ago has violated... (Associated Press)
This poster released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shows Carlina White as an infant, left, and what she might have looked like as an adult, right. White, who was kidnapped... (Associated Press)
In this May 24, 2010 photo provided by the Wake County (N.C.) Bureau of Identification, Ann Pettway is shown. Local, state and federal authorities are searching for Pettway, who is involved in raising... (Associated Press)
Ann Pettway surrendered Sunday morning to the FBI and Bridgeport, Conn., police on a warrant from North Carolina, FBI supervisory special agent William Reiner said.
Pettway, who has family in Bridgeport, was on probation because of a conviction for attempted embezzlement and wasn't allowed to leave North Carolina. She remained in custody in Bridgeport on Sunday afternoon and couldn't be reached for comment.
North Carolina officials said Friday they believed Pettway was on the run from authorities. Correction officials had tried repeatedly to contact Pettway after finding out investigators wanted to question her in the 1987 abduction of the infant, Carlina White, who's now grown and has reunited with her long-lost family.
The Department of Correction said Sunday it will seek Pettway's extradition to North Carolina.
White had long suspected Pettway wasn't her biological mother because she could never provide her with a birth certificate. No suspects were ever identified in White's disappearance from Harlem Hospital in New York. White is now 23 years old and has been living under the name Nejdra Nance in Bridgeport.
Her biological family says it believes Pettway was the kidnapper.
Her parents, Joy White and Carl Tyson, said a woman who looked like a nurse had comforted them at the hospital. The girl was just 19 days old and had been admitted in the middle of the night with a high fever. Her parents left the hospital to rest and found she was missing when they came back.
Nance would periodically check the website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, looking through photos of missing infants in Connecticut, she told the New York Post. She left Connecticut for Atlanta years ago and has a 5-year-old daughter of her own, her family said. Her family said she worked as a dispatcher and hoped to have a modeling career.
On Jan. 4, Nance checked the website again, but this time she searched through New York's missing children and saw a baby photo that looked nearly identical to hers, police said. She contacted the site, which contacted Joy White. The two exchanged photos and talked. After a DNA test, it was all confirmed.
White and her family met Nance before the DNA test was confirmed because she was sure Nance was her child. Nance was in New York recently with her daughter but returned to Atlanta.
After the DNA test results came back Wednesday, Nance returned to New York and was with her mother at a hotel.
Authorities are considering whether federal investigators should take the case because the statute of limitations may have expired in New York, New York Police Department chief spokesman Paul Browne said. There is no limitation in federal missing-children cases.
A woman who lives near Pettway in North Carolina, Sonova Smith, said Pettway mentioned that she had a daughter in Connecticut but had moved to Raleigh with her son. Smith and Pettway both had teenage sons who would often play together, and Smith said her neighbor seemed to be a good mother.
"She was friendly. She was kind. She loved her son," Smith said. "We talked about our boys often. She talked about family. So, it's just really been surprising."
|
– Ann Pettway, the woman who raised kidnapped child Carlina White as her own for 23 years, surrendered to authorities today, the AP reports. Police, who are considering whether to prosecute the kidnapping, had a warrant for Pettway on a parole violation charge, since the terms of her probation did not allow her to leave North Carolina. She surrendered to the FBI in Connecticut, and the Department of Correction will seek extradition to North Carolina, the AP reports. Click for more on Carlina White and what she faces next.
|
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More than 117 million adults included in ‘virtual, perpetual lineup’, which authorities can use to track citizens, raising concerns over privacy and profiling
Half of US adults are recorded in police facial recognition databases, study says
Half of all American adults are included in databases police use to identify citizens with facial recognition technology, according to new research that raises serious concerns about privacy violations and the widespread use of racially biased surveillance technology.
A report from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology found that more than 117 million adults are captured in a “virtual, perpetual lineup”, which means law enforcement offices across the US can scan their photos and use unregulated software to track law-abiding citizens in government datasets.
Numerous major police departments have “real-time face recognition” technology that allows surveillance cameras to scan the faces of pedestrians walking down the street, the report found. In Maryland, police have been using software to identify faces in protest photos and match them to people with warrants, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The report’s findings, along with revelations from the ACLU on police monitoring in Baltimore, suggest that the technology may be violating the rights of millions of Americans and is disproportionately affecting communities of color, advocates said.
“Face recognition, when it’s used most aggressively, can change the nature of public spaces,” said Alvaro Bedoya, executive director of Georgetown’s privacy and technology center. “It can change the basic freedom we have to go about our lives without people identifying us from afar and in secret.”
The center’s year-long investigation, based on more than 100 police records requests, has produced the most comprehensive survey of facial databases to date and raises numerous questions about the lack of transparency and privacy protections.
Law enforcement biometric databases have traditionally captured DNA profiles related to criminal arrests or forensic investigations. What’s alarming about the FBI’s “face recognition unit”, according to the report, is that it is “overwhelmingly made up of non-criminal entries”.
The FBI database photos come from state driver’s licenses, passports and visa applications, meaning police can easily identify and monitor people who haven’t had any run-ins with the law.
“In the case of face recognition, there appear to be very few controls or safeguards to ensure it’s not used in situations in which people are engaged in first amendment activity,” said Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU’s legislative counsel.
The ACLU recently found that police in Baltimore may have used the recognition technology along with social media accounts to identify and arrest people with outstanding warrants during high-profile police protests last year. That alleged surveillance relied on tools from Geofeedia, a controversial social media monitoring company that partners with police.
Eye in the sky: the billionaires funding a surveillance project above Baltimore Read more
The ACLU, which on Tuesday urged the US Department of Justice to investigate facial recognition, also revealed last week that Facebook and Twitter had provided users’ data to Geofeedia, with records suggesting that the social media sites had aided police in surveillance of protesters. The firms have since cut off Geofeedia’s special access to their data.
In addition to concerns about illegal monitoring and the targeting of lawful protesters, research has found that the facial recognition algorithms can be biased and inaccurate – with serious consequences for innocent people.
“This technology is powerful, but it is not neutral,” said Bedoya. “This technology makes mistakes.”
The FBI’s own statistics suggest that one out of every seven searches of its facial recognition database fails to turn up a correct match, meaning the software occasionally produces 50 “potential” matches who are all “innocent”, the report said.
Additionally, a 2012 study co-authored by an FBI expert found that leading facial recognition algorithms were up to 10% less accurate for African Americans compared with white people, the ACLU noted.
What’s more, the flawed algorithms can amplify biased policing practices since they rely on mugshot databases that disproportionately represent people of color.
For example, the Maricopa County sheriff’s office in Arizona arrests black residents at a rate three times higher than their share of the state population, and a federal judge found that police have racially profiled Latinos.
Those disparities feed into the databases, and Arizona has no law restricting police use of facial recognition, according to the ACLU. The Maricopa sheriff’s system does not even require an officer to have reasonable suspicion of a crime before searching a face in the database.
In Baltimore, some policing strategies have resulted in tens of thousands of arrests for minor offenses, with prosecutors ultimately dropping the cases.
That means many people, the vast majority of whom are people of color, may remain in facial databases even if they weren’t charged, said David Rocah, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Maryland.
“A great many of those folks ... never should’ve been arrested in the first place and were innocent of any wrongdoing.”
Advocates are “playing catch up” with the technology, which has rolled out across the US with little oversight or restriction, Guliani said. “That’s really a backwards way to approach it … This is already being used against communities it’s designed to protect.”
Baltimore and Maricopa police officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Stephen Moyer, secretary of the Maryland department of public safety and correctional services, which operates the state’s facial recognition database, defended police use of the software, saying in a statement: “Maryland law enforcement agencies make use of all legally available technology to aggressively pursue all criminals.” ||||| “This is unprecedented and highly problematic,” said the report, by the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown’s law school.
Facial recognition technology, long used overseas by the American military and intelligence agencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, is seen by local law enforcement as a tool for identifying criminals, but it has also raised concerns among privacy advocates.
Because African-Americans disproportionately come into contact with, and are arrested by, law enforcement officials, the report said, their police photos will most likely be overrepresented in facial recognition databases.
The authors of the report said the aim was not to stop the use of the software, which they acknowledged had been effective in investigations. Nor did they fault law enforcement officers, who they said “are simply using every tool available to protect the people that they are sworn to serve.”
Rather, they called for Congress and state legislatures to pass laws creating stricter regulations on the technology. Researchers found, for instance, that just one agency — the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation — specifically prohibited using the software to track people engaging in political or religious speech. No state has a law regulating use of the software.
“There is a real risk that police face recognition will be used to stifle free speech,” the report said. ||||| Chris was arrested for trespass, a misdemeanor. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office took her to a local station, fingerprinted her, took her mug shot, and released her that evening. She had never been arrested before, and so she was informed that she was eligible for a special diversion program. She paid a fine, did community service, and the charges against her were dropped.
Chris was not told that as a result of her arrest, her mug shot has likely been added to not one, but two separate face recognition databases run by the FBI and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. These two databases alone are searched thousands of times a year by over 200 state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies.
The next time Chris participates in a protest, the police won’t need to ask her for her name in order to identify her. They won’t need to talk to her at all. They only need to take her photo. FBI co-authored research suggests that these systems may be least accurate for African Americans, women, and young people aged 18 to 30. Chris is 26. She is black. Unless she initiates a special court proceeding to expunge her record, she will be enrolled in these databases for the rest of her life.
What happened to Chris doesn’t affect only activists: Increasingly, law enforcement face recognition systems also search state driver’s license and ID photo databases. In this way, roughly one out of every two American adults (48%) has had their photo enrolled in a criminal face recognition network.
They may not know it, but Chris Wilson and over 117 million American adults are now part of a virtual, perpetual line-up. What does this mean for them? What does this mean for our society? Can police use face recognition to identify only suspected criminals—or can they use it to identify anyone they want? Can police use it to identify people participating in protests? How accurate is this technology, and does accuracy vary on the basis of race, gender or age? Can communities debate and vote on the use of this technology? Or is it being rolled out in secret?
FBI and police face recognition systems have been used to catch violent criminals and fugitives. Their value to public safety is real and compelling. But should these systems be used to track Chris Wilson? Should they be used to track you? ||||| A broad coalition of over 50 civil liberties groups delivered a letter to the Justice Department’s civil rights division Tuesday calling for an investigation into the expanding use of face recognition technology by police. “Safeguards to ensure this technology is being used fairly and responsibly appear to be virtually nonexistent,” the letter stated. The routine unsupervised use of face recognition systems, according to the dozens of signatories, threatens the privacy and civil liberties of millions — especially those of immigrants and people of color.
These civil rights groups were provided with advance copies of a watershed 150-page report detailing — in many cases for the first time — how local police departments across the country have been using facial recognition technology. Titled “The Perpetual Lineup,” the report, published Tuesday morning by the Georgetown Center on Privacy & Technology, reveals that police deploy face recognition technology in ways that are more widespread, advanced, and unregulated than anyone has previously reported.
“Face recognition is a powerful technology that requires strict oversight. But those controls by and large don’t exist today,” said Clare Garvie, one of the report’s co-authors. “With only a few exceptions, there are no laws governing police use of the technology, no standards ensuring its accuracy, and no systems checking for bias. It’s a wild west.”
Of the 52 agencies that acknowledged using face recognition in response to 106 records requests, the authors found that only one had obtained legislative approval before doing so. Government reports have long confirmed that millions of images of citizens are collected and stored in federal face recognition databases. Since at least 2002, civil liberties advocates have raised concerns that millions of drivers license photos of Americans who have never been arrested are being subject to facial searches — a practice that amounts to a perpetual digital lineup. This report augments such fears, demonstrating that at least one in four state or local law enforcement agencies have access to face recognition systems.
Among its findings, the report provides the most fine-grained detail to date on how exactly these face recognition systems might disproportionately impact African-Americans. “Face recognition systems are powerful — but they can also be biased,” the coalition’s letter explains. While one in two American adults have face images stored in at least one database, African-Americans are more likely than others to have their images captured and searched by face recognition systems.
In Virginia, for instance, the report shows how state police can search a mug shot database disproportionately populated with African-Americans, who are twice as likely to be arrested in the state. Not only are African-Americans more likely to be subject to searches, according to the report, but this overrepresentation puts them at greatest risk for a false match.
These errors could be compounded by the fact that some face recognition algorithms have been shown to misidentify African-Americans, women, and young people at unusually high rates. In a 2012 study co-authored by FBI experts, three algorithms that were tested performed between 5 and 10 percent worse on black faces than on white faces. And the overall accuracy of systems has been shown to decrease as a dataset expands. The Georgetown report interviewed two major facial recognition vendors which said that they did not test for racial basis, despite the fact that systems have been shown to be far from “race-blind.”
A slideshow on San Diego’s privacy policy obtained by the researchers reveals that people of color in the county are between 1.5 and 2.5 more likely to be targeted by its surveillance systems. San Diego County uses a mugshot-only system, and repeated studies have shown that African-Americans are twice as likely as white people to be arrested and searched by police.
Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AFP/Getty Images
First Amendment Concerns
The Georgetown report shows for the first time that at least five major police departments have “run real-time face recognition off of street cameras, bought technology that can do so, or expressed a written interest in buying it.” They warn that such real-time surveillance tracking could have serious implications for the right to associate privately.
“This is the ability to conduct a real time digital manhunt on the street by putting people on a watchlist,” explained Alvaro Bedoya, the executive director of the Georgetown Center and one of the report’s co-authors. “Now suddenly everyone is a suspect.” Real-time recognition, he added, could have a chilling effect on people engaging in civil conduct. “It would be totally legal to take picture of people obstructing traffic and identify them.”
Indeed, as the ACLU revealed last week, face recognition systems were used to track Black Lives Matter protesters in Baltimore. “There’s a question of who is being subjected to this kind of facial recognition search in the first place,” David Rocah, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Maryland, told the Baltimore Sun. “Is it only Black Lives Matter demonstrators who get this treatment? Are they drawing those circles only in certain neighborhoods? The context in which it’s described here seems quintessentially improper.”
Bedoya pointed out that these systems in Baltimore uploaded social media photographs of protestors into these systems to conduct real-time street surveillance. “It turns the premise of the Fourth Amendment on its head,” he added.
The Georgetown report shows that some departmental policies allow for face recognition algorithms to be used in the absence of an individualized suspicion, which means the technology could conceivably be used to identify anyone. At least three agencies, according to the report, allow face recognition searches to identify witnesses of a crime in addition to criminal suspects.
As privacy organizations have previously noted, the FBI’s federal database includes and simultaneously searches photographic images of U.S. citizens who are neither criminals or suspects. The Georgetown report likewise shows that some state databases include mug shots, while others include both mug shots and driver’s license photos.
In a landmark Supreme Court decision on privacy, in which the justices unanimously concluded that the prolonged use of an unwarranted GPS device violated the Fourth Amendment, Justice Sotomayor wondered whether “people reasonably expect that their movements will be recorded and aggregated in a manner that enables the government to ascertain, more or less at will, their political and religious beliefs, sexual habits, and so on.”
Of the 52 agencies found by the report to have used face recognition, however, only one department’s policy explicitly prohibited officers from “using face recognition to track individuals engaging in political, religious, or other protected free speech.”
Apart from some news stories focusing on the policies of specific departments, most notably those of San Diego County, reporting on law enforcement’s use of face recognition technology has been scarce. Departments themselves have not been forthcoming about their use of the technology to identify suspects on the streets and to secure convictions. And many of the documents obtained by privacy organizations about face recognition programs largely date to 2011, prior to the federal face program’s full implementation.
No Oversight, Little Data
This is partly due to how little information is available. There is no national database of departments using these programs, how they work, what policies govern them, who can access them, and how the passive information is being collected and queried. The Georgetown report, compiling tens of thousands of records produced in response to Freedom of Information requests sent to fifty of the largest police departments across the country, provides the most comprehensive snapshot to date of how and on whom face recognition systems are used — and what policies constrain their use, if any. But even this picture continues to be partial, given the continued lack of transparency of several large law enforcement agencies with some of the most advanced systems.
The researchers state that despite several news articles and descriptions of the New York Police Department’s face recognition program, the NYPD denied their records request entirely, arguing that the records fell under a “non-routine techniques and procedures” exemption. Likewise, while the Los Angeles Police Department has claimed to use real-time, continuous face recognition and has made decades of public statements about the technology, the department found “no records responsive to [their] request” for information about this or any other face recognition system. “We followed up with a number emails and calls inquiring what that meant,” Garvie said. “The final word was that they found no records responsive.”
Of the 52 agencies that did provide responsive records to the researchers, at least 24 did not provide a face recognition use policy. Four of those two dozen agencies admitted that they expressly lacked any policy whatsoever to govern their face recognition systems.
Civil rights groups have long described the difficulties of calling for greater oversight for a system whose contours, uses, and abuses are unknown. The amount of up-to-date public records collected by the Georgetown researchers has the potential to change this and spark a national conversation on oversight, Bedoya said.
“I genuinely hope that more and more of the American public has a chance to see what’s at stake here,” Bedoya said, describing face recognition as “an extraordinarily powerful tool.” “It doesn’t just track our phones or computers. It tracks our flesh and our bones. This is a tracking technology unlike anything our society has ever seen. You don’t even need to touch anything.”
No national guidelines, laws, or polices currently regulate law enforcement’s use of face recognition technology. To fill this gap, the Georgetown report proposes protective legislation for civil liberties, limits on the amount and types of data stored, and a push for independent oversight and public notice procedures.
Among their recommendations, the Georgetown researchers advise that mug shots, rather than driver’s license and ID photos, be used to populate photo databases for face recognition, and for those images to be “periodically scrubbed to eliminate the innocent.” They also suggest that financing for police face recognition systems be contingent “on public reporting, accuracy and bias tests, legislative approval—and public posting—of a face recognition use policy.”
In Seattle, where a face recognition program was funded by a $1.64 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security, some of these model guidelines are already in place. Only specially trained officers use the software, real-time use is banned, and the software’s use is limited to scanning suspicious subjects only.
The ACLU, when it first investigated nascent uses of face recognition technology back in 2002, presciently warned that the “worst-case scenario … would be if police continue to utilize facial recognition systems despite their ineffectiveness because they become invested in them, attached to government or industry grants that support them, or begin to discover additional, even more frightening uses for the technology.”
The Georgetown report offers a glimpse into this worst-case scenario, but Bedoya is hopeful that the Model Face Recognition Act proposed by the report and endorsed by the letter’s signatories provides a “deeply reasonable” solution. He pointed to the fact that state legislatures have previously passed laws to limit geolocation technology by police, automatic license plate readers, drones, wiretaps and other surveillance tools. “This is very feasible. It’s not about protecting criminals. It’s about protecting our values.”
|
– About half of US adults—more than 117 million people—are part of a "virtual, perpetual lineup" thanks to the increasing and unregulated use of facial recognition technology by the country's law enforcement agencies, according to a report released Tuesday by Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy and Technology. The center's executive director tells the Guardian the use of this surveillance technology "can change the basic freedom we have to go about our lives." The big difference between this new virtual lineup and traditional databases of fingerprints and DNA is that it is "overwhelmingly made up of" innocent people. Sixteen states let police use driver's license photos of residents for facial recognition purposes without a warrant, the New York Times reports. Others use passports, visa applications, and more. And while the report calls the current use of facial recognition technology "highly problematic," it recognizes it as a useful tool—provided there's more oversight. According to the Intercept, 52 law enforcement agencies admitted using facial recognition technology in the report; 51 of them say they are doing so without legislative approval. The report worries the technology will be used to crackdown on freedom of speech—police have used it to scan faces at anti-police protests, and only one agency in the country says it can't be used to track people exercising their right to political or religious speech. Facial recognition technology also disproportionately affects people of color for multiple reasons, including that its algorithms are 10% less accurate for black faces than white ones. (Disney gets patent to take pictures of park guests' feet.)
|
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Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Nov. 12, 2016, 3:25 PM GMT / Updated Nov. 12, 2016, 6:51 PM GMT By Erik Ortiz
An Ohio judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a white former police officer accused of murdering an unarmed black driver during a traffic stop last year.
The jury on Saturday was unable to reach a verdict for Ray Tensing, 26, charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of 43-year-old Samuel DuBose — an incident caught on police bodycam.
Related: What to Know in Case Against Cincinnati Cop
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan accepted the jury's deadlock Saturday morning. The case is now back in the hands of prosecutors, who must decide whether they will retry the case or dismiss it.
In the meantime, Tensing remains free on a $1 million bond.
Al Gerhardstein, an attorney for DuBose's family, said they are "incredibly upset" and will ask for another trial.
"They are at their wit's end. They have been on hold since Sam was killed," he said after the verdict.
"With the video evidence as clear as it was, [jurors] should not have been stuck," Gerhardstein added.
Tensing, who was fired from the University of Cincinnati's police force, faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the murder charge.
The decision came on a fourth day of deliberations by 10 white and two black jurors, who were tasked with weighing whether the shooting was a justifiable use of force after Tensing testified he feared for his life.
Related: Officer Who Fatally Shot Black Motorist Called 'Extremely Proactive'
The trial was a rare example of a police officer being charged in such a case — after several high-profile deaths of African-Americans at the hands of cops has caused deep divisions between law enforcement and communities of color.
Protesters chant outside the Hamilton County Courthouse after a mistrial was declared due to a hung jury in the murder trial against Ray Tensing on Nov. 12 in Cincinnati. John Minchillo / AP
The defense said Dubose used his car as a weapon, and Tensing pulled his gun when he feared for his life when he was dragged.
Prosecutors, however, maintained he was not dragged — and bodycam footage doesn't show that key point, they argued.
Dubose, a father of 13, was pulled over after Tensing said he noticed his car was missing a front license plate. DuBose was shot once in the head.
The city of Cincinnati, on edge during the trial, was placed on high alert Friday in the event of impromptu demonstrations. Protesters affiliated with Black Lives Matter planned to gather in response on Saturday afternoon and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley called for peaceful protests.
After the verdict, the University of Cincinnati's interim president said in a statement: "We cannot and will not let the outcome of this trial divide us."
"Our campus and our community will come together to listen, to heal and to partner for positive and lasting change," Beverly Davenport said. "More than ever, our communities need us — and we need each other — to be beacons of a better and brighter future." ||||| Ray Tensing leaves court on the third day of jury deliberations in his murder trial, Friday, Nov. 11, 2016, in Cincinnati. The former University of Cincinnati police officer is charged with murdering... (Associated Press)
Ray Tensing leaves court on the third day of jury deliberations in his murder trial, Friday, Nov. 11, 2016, in Cincinnati. The former University of Cincinnati police officer is charged with murdering Sam DuBose while on duty during a routine traffic stop on July 19, 2015. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (Associated Press)
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Latest on deliberations in the murder trial of a white officer in the shooting of an unarmed black man (all times local):
11 a.m.
An Ohio prosecutor says jurors were leaning toward convicting a white former police officer on a lesser charge but couldn't agree in the case involving the fatal traffic stop shooting of an unarmed black motorist.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters says the jury in Cincinnati was tilting toward a voluntary manslaughter conviction and an acquittal on the murder charge.
A judge declared a mistrial Saturday after the jury said it was deadlocked deliberating some 25 hours after getting the case Wednesday.
Twenty-six-year-old University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing shot 43-year-old Sam DuBose in the head after pulling him over for a missing front license plate on July 19, 2015. Tensing was later fired.
Deters says he'll decide within the next two weeks whether to try the case again.
___
10:15 a.m.
An Ohio judge has declared a mistrial after the jury said it was deadlocked in the case of a white former police officer charged with murder in the fatal traffic stop shooting of an unarmed black motorist.
The Hamilton County jury had deliberated some 25 hours after getting the case at noontime Wednesday following Judge Megan Shanahan's instructions. Twenty-six-year-old University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing shot 43-year-old Sam DuBose in the head after pulling him over for a missing front license plate on July 19, 2015.
Tensing testified he feared he was going to be killed. Prosecutors said repeatedly the evidence contradicted Tensing's story.
The jury of 10 whites and two blacks was seated Oct. 31.
The shooting is among those across the nation that have raised attention to how police deal with blacks.
___
8:30 a.m.
Jury deliberations are going into a fourth day in the murder trial of a white former police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man during a traffic stop near the University of Cincinnati.
Hamilton County Judge Megan Shanahan sequestered the jury of 10 whites and two blacks for a third night Friday. They arrived Saturday morning to resume deliberations.
Twenty-six-year-old Ray Tensing has said he feared for his life when he shot 43-year-old Sam DuBose who was trying to drive away in July 2015.
The judge on Friday deflected a jury question related to what conditions they could consider that DuBose was evading arrest. The judge has twice told jurors they had all the information they needed to reach a verdict.
___
12:30 a.m.
A jury is set to resume deliberations in the murder trial of a white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man near the University of Cincinnati.
Hamilton County Judge Megan Shanahan plans to reconvene the panel Saturday for its fourth day of consideration.
Jurors appeared to struggle Friday, telling Shanahan around noon that they couldn't reach a decision on murder or voluntary manslaughter charges against Ray Tensing, who was fired from his job after the shooting.
Later Friday Shanahan deflected a jury question related to conditions under which victim Sam DuBose could have been considered to be evading arrest.
The judge told the jury both times to keep working, saying they had all the information they needed to reach a verdict. ||||| The murder trial of a white former University of Cincinnati police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black driver last year ended in a mistrial on Saturday after the jurors told the judge they were unable to reach a verdict.
The jurors first informed the judge on Friday that they were deadlocked, but they were told to continue deliberations. On Saturday morning, the judge declared a mistrial.
|
– A mistrial has been declared in the case of a white Ohio cop who shot and killed an unarmed black driver during a traffic stop, sparking outrage and protests last year, NBC News reports. According to the AP, jurors deliberated for 25 hours but couldn't come to a decision on the charges faced by 26-year-old former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing. Tensing pulled 43-year-old Samuel DuBose over in July 2015 because DuBose was missing a front license plate. During the traffic stop, DuBose—who police say had marijuana in the car and had previously been convicted of dealing—began to drive away, the New York Times reports. Tensing claims he was being dragged by the car and shot DuBose in the head out of fear for his life. But footage from Tensing's body camera doesn't show Tensing being dragged, and prosecutors say none of the evidence backs up Tensing's story. Prosecutor Joseph Deters calls it a "senseless, asinine shooting." Tensing was charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter. Jurors were leaning toward convicting him on the lesser charge but couldn't agree if Tensing had "acted in a fit of rage or sudden passion." Deters says prosecutors will decide in the next two weeks whether to retry the case or dismiss the charges. Meanwhile, Tensing is free on $1 million bond.
|
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Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
/ Updated By Jonathan Allen, Pete Williams, Nicolle Wallace and Julia Ainsley
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whose job hangs in the balance, will meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday.
"We'll be determining what's going on," Trump said Monday afternoon before a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in New York. "We want to have transparency, we want to have openness. I look forward to meeting with him." The president also said he had talked with Rosenstein earlier Monday.
Rosenstein had been expected to learn his fate during a visit to the White House on Monday, but, with Trump in New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, any decision on his future was postponed. Rosenstein attended a regularly scheduled meeting at the White House and was still deputy attorney general when he left at midday.
The deputy attorney general spoke on Saturday with White House Counsel Don McGahn and the subject of Rosenstein's departure came up, NBC News' Pete Williams reported, though it was unclear who raised it first. Rosenstein made clear he would not accept being terminated by John Kelly, the chief of staff, according to one personal familiar with the conversation, and said it needed to come from the president himself.
However, multiple sources told NBC News that over the weekend, Trump made the decision, in conversations with staff and outside allies, not to fire Rosenstein. Among those advising Trump on this matter were the Fox News host Sean Hannity and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. Meadows wants Rosenstein to testify under oath about whether he ever contemplated wearing a wire in the presence of Trump or discussed a plan to win support from other Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president.
A person close to the White House described the current situation among the president's allies as "chaos." A second person close to the president said that if Rosenstein leaves, under any circumstances, "then the burden's on President Trump to make sure that Mueller is allowed to finish his job without interference."
Sources close to Rosenstein say he spoke to friends and former colleagues over the weekend as he raised the possibility of resigning in the wake of The Times story. One person said Rosenstein felt personally betrayed by the sources for the story, calling it a "knife in the back." Another person said Rosenstein continued to defend himself by calling the allegation that he suggested using the 25th Amendment against the president "absurd."
Rosenstein's hold on his job was imperiled after reports surfaced last week that he had discussed wearing a wire to record Trump and the possibility of organizing a push to remove the president through a process outlined in the 25th Amendment to the Constitution.
"At the request of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he and President Trump had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories," Sanders said in a statement. "They will meet on Thursday when the president returns to Washington, D.C."
Thursday is also the day Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school, are scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Kavanaugh has denied her allegation.
Rosenstein's departure would throw into doubt the future of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe — including whether Mueller's eventual report is ultimately delivered to Congress and made public. Trump has long been frustrated with Rosenstein over that investigation and the Justice Department's lack of action in investigating agency officials who the president believes conspired against him.
Jay Sekulow, one of Trump's personal lawyers, said on his radio show Monday that Rosenstein's ouster would demand a re-examination of the special counsel's probe.
"I think it's really important that there be a step back taken here, and a review, and I think it's a review that has to be thorough and complete, and a review that has to include an investigation of what has transpired," Sekulow said, terming such a reassessment "a timeout on this inquiry."
A new deputy attorney general should "look at all of these allegations that are both surrounding this inquiry, and that initiated this inquiry, including the Christopher Steele dossier, and the appointment of the special counsel, and how all that plays in," he said.
But it was the discussion of a wire and the 25th Amendment, first reported by The New York Times, that formed the proximate cause for Trump to justify forcing Rosenstein out.
Rosenstein said Friday that there is "no basis" for finding the president unfit to serve and that he never pursued any effort to record Trump.
Two administration officials told NBC News Friday that Rosenstein had talked about a wire sarcastically, but people who have discussed the matter with then-Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was in the meeting in question with Rosenstein, say he recalls the deputy attorney general being serious about surreptitiously taping conversations with Trump.
In an interview with Geraldo Rivera taped over the weekend, Trump said he was considering removing Rosenstein.
"Certainly it's being looked at in terms of what took place, if anything took place," Trump said. "I’ll make a determination sometime later but I don’t have the facts."
Democrats were quick to argue that Congress should intervene to shield Mueller from interference by the president.
"Congress must take immediate steps to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law — which protects all of us — by shielding the Mueller investigation against President Trump’s obstruction," Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., said in a statement released before the announcement of the Thursday meeting between Trump and Rosenstein.
McCabe, who was fired by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, made a similar appeal.
"There is nothing more important to the integrity of law enforcement and the rule of law than protecting the investigation of Special Counsel Mueller," he said in a statement. "I sacrificed personally and professionally to help put the investigation on a proper course and subsequently made every effort to protect it. ... If the rumors of Deputy AG's Rosenstein’s departure are true, I am deeply concerned that it puts that investigation at risk.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had "no comment" when asked about Rosenstein on Monday. Mueller's office also declined to comment on reports that Rosenstein might soon be out. ||||| ‘As You Were’
WASHINGTON—In a shocking development revealed just moments ago, sources confirmed that—oh, wait, sorry, false alarm. Multiple reports confirmed that, despite late-breaking suggestions to the contrary, you can actually forget about this news item and return to whatever you were doing before seeing this. In fact, sources have now informed reporters that we kind of jumped the gun on publishing this article at all, let alone labeling it “breaking” news. Frankly, sources concluded, this was our bad for getting you all worked up over nothing. Although, hold on one second, because several reports are now suggesting that it might still be worth keeping an eye on this story to see if—no, hold on, on second thought, just forget we said anything. ||||| Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein to meet with President Trump Thursday over Times article 4:41 PM ET Mon, 24 Sept 2018 | 01:25
President Donald Trump will meet with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Thursday amid swirling reports that the No. 2 Justice Department official's departure is imminent.
"At the request of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he and President Trump had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
"Because the President is at the United Nations General Assembly and has a full schedule with leaders from around the world, they will meet on Thursday when the President returns to Washington, D.C."
Axios published a bombshell report Monday that Rosenstein is resigning, citing sources with knowledge.
But the report was contradicted by other news outlets, including from NBC News' Pete Williams, who reported that Rosenstein would not resign of his own accord after his off-the-cuff comments about possibly recording and removing Trump were revealed last week.
He will only depart if the White House fired him and will refuse to resign if asked to do so, Williams reported. News of Rosenstein's potential departure was a "huge shock" to the Justice Department, Williams added.
Although Trump has sharply criticized Rosenstein over the Russia probe, his departure could create a big problem for the White House: filling the position six weeks before the crucial midterm elections.
A Justice Department official told The New York Times that if Rosenstein is out, then Solicitor General Noel Francisco would oversee the Russia investigation.
Shortly after the resignation reports, Rosenstein was at the White House for a previously-scheduled principals meeting, a Justice Department official told NBC. Trump arrived in New York City on Sunday for the United Nations General Assembly. He was scheduled to have dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that evening. ||||| FILE - In this July 13, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. Rosenstein is expecting to be fired, heading... (Associated Press)
FILE - In this July 13, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. Rosenstein is expecting to be fired, heading to White House Monday morning.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (all times local):
1 p.m.
The White House says President Donald Trump and his embattled Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein spoke on Monday and will meet Thursday at the White House amid uncertainty about Rosenstein's fate.
Thursday is the same day that Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, and a woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, are set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump and Rosenstein had "an extended conversation" Monday "to discuss the recent news stories" at Rosenstein's request.
Rosenstein, who oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia election meddling, had been expecting to be fired Monday following after critical comments he made about Trump.
Trump is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, so the two will meet Thursday "when the President returns to Washington, D.C."
__
12:01 p.m.
Former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe says that if Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein leaves his post, it puts the special counsel's Russia investigation "at risk."
The Associated Press has confirmed that Rosenstein is heading to the White House with the expectation that he will be fired. Rosenstein oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia election meddling and has been the probe's chief public defender.
The development comes just days after reports that in the days after the firing of FBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein had raised the idea of secretly recording President Donald Trump and of invoking the 25th Amendment to have the Cabinet remove the president from office.
McCabe says in a statement that he had "no role" in providing information of "any kind" for those news reports.
__
10:50 a.m.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expecting to be fired Monday at the White House, after critical comments about President Donald Trump.
That's according to a source familiar with his thinking who wasn't authorized to speak on the record and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
It follows reports Friday that Rosenstein floated the idea of secretly recording Trump last year and that he raised the idea of using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump as unfit for office. Rosenstein has denied the reports.
___
10:40 a.m.
President Donald Trump has not decided whether to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for reportedly questioning the president's fitness to serve.
Trump told Geraldo Rivera in an interview aired Monday that he's looking at what, if anything, to do about Rosenstein's reported actions. The New York Times first reported that in 2017, Rosenstein had proposed secretly recording Trump and suggested his removal from office. Trump laid blame for the controversy at the feet of his attorney general.
"He was hired by Jeff Sessions," Trump said in the interview, which was aired on "Fox & Friends." As for Rosenstein's future, Trump says, "We will make a determination. It's certainly a very sad story."
Rosenstein issued a pair of denials, saying The Times report is inaccurate. ||||| FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives at Springfield-Branson National Airport before attending a campaign rally in Springfield, Mo. Trump polled staff,... (Associated Press)
FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives at Springfield-Branson National Airport before attending a campaign rally in Springfield, Mo. Trump polled staff, called his outside network of advisers and kept a careful eye on what his favorite hosts on his favorite... (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein headed to the White House on Monday expecting to be fired by President Donald Trump, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
Trump himself was in New York for a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.
The development comes three days after news reports indicating that last year Rosenstein had raised the idea of secretly recording Trump and of invoking the Constitution to have his Cabinet remove him from office.
Any termination or resignation would have immediate implications for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of possible collaboration between Russia and the Trump campaign before the 2016 election. Rosenstein appointed Mueller and oversees his investigation.
Trump had previously contemplated firing Rosenstein in April after FBI raids of the office and home of the president's longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who has since pleaded guilty to several felonies and taken part in hours of interviews with Mueller. But the latest move comes after a New York Times report of Rosenstein comments early in 2017. That report and an unsigned opinion piece by a senior official in the Republican administration played to some of the president's worst fears about a secret "Deep State" trying to undermine him from within the government.
The administration official, whom Trump has called for a federal investigation to unmask, wrote that there was a group of officials working to safeguard the country from the president's most dangerous impulses. And Trump's behavior had prompted "whispers" in the Cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, a move that was backed away from due to concerns it would "precipitate a constitutional crisis," the writer said. ||||| SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share Tweet Post Email
President Donald Trump said he’s looking forward to meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Thursday to discuss his future, after a person familiar with the matter said Rosenstein told Chief of Staff John Kelly that he was resigning.
“We’ll be determining what’s going on,” Trump told reporters at the United Nations on Monday. “We want to have transparency, we want to have openness and I’m looking forward to meeting with Rod at that time.”
Rosenstein’s current status and future intentions were mired in confusion on Monday afternoon in the aftermath of reports that he’d suggested to colleagues last year that he would secretly record conversations with Trump.
Rod Rosenstein Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Kelly and Rosenstein discussed the veteran prosecutor’s resignation late last week, and the White House accepted it and considered Rosenstein’s departure a done deal, the person said. A second person familiar with the matter said earlier Monday that Rosenstein had been expected to be gone from the job by day’s end.
But the second person now says Rosenstein is still the deputy attorney general and no formal resignation was tendered.
Trump didn’t answer a question about what may happen to Rosenstein.
“I spoke with Rod today and we’re going to have a meeting on Thursday when I get back to the White House,” he said.
Rosenstein, who oversees the Russia probe run by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, visited the White House Monday for a previously scheduled meeting. Other media reports said that the deputy attorney general expected to be fired.
“At the request of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he and President Trump had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
The disputed details of what Rosenstein discussed with his colleagues last year about covertly taping the president set off a firestorm in Washington.
A person who was present at that meeting said he was joking, but the New York Times, which first reported the incident on Friday, cited secondhand accounts indicating Rosenstein was serious about the proposal. The Times said Rosenstein also discussed identifying cabinet members willing to invoke the 25th Amendment, which provides for the removal of a president who’s unfit for office.
The departure of Rosenstein, who named Mueller to be special counsel in May 2017, has enormous implications for the Russia investigation and for the president. A successor to Rosenstein would have the power to fire Mueller or rein in his investigation. Rosenstein’s resignation was reported earlier Monday by Axios.
QuickTake: All You (and Trump) Should Know About Impeachment
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said Mueller’s probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election -- including whether anyone close to Trump colluded in it and whether Trump sought to obstruct the inquiry -- needs additional protection in light of Rosenstein’s expected departure.
Protecting Mueller
“The Senate must step up to protect the Special Counsel immediately,” she said in a tweet. “We must pass the bipartisan bill to protect the Mueller investigation. The American people deserve answers about Russian interference in our democracy.”
Current and former government officials, including lawmakers, had long warned Trump against firing or pushing out Rosenstein. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned Trump against seizing on the report that Rosenstein suggested covertly taping him.
Robert Mueller Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg
“This story must not be used as a pretext for the corrupt purpose of firing Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein in order install an official who will allow the president to interfere with the Special Counsel’s investigation,” Schumer said. He added that many “White House and cabinet officials have been reported to say critical things of the president without being fired.”
A number of Republicans also voiced support for Rosenstein.
John Cornyn, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said Rosenstein has “done a good job in a tough position. But it’s not my call.” He added, though, that it would be “problematic” for Trump to win Senate confirmation of a successor as deputy attorney general.
Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said,“I like Rosenstein, and I think the president does too.”
‘Witch Hunt’
Mueller has charged 25 Russian people and companies for election interference. He also has won guilty pleas and cooperation agreements from people around Trump, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Trump has often dismissed as a “witch hunt” the inquiry into possible collusion with Russia and whether Trump conspired to obstruct justice.
Rosenstein made the decision to name a special counsel days after he took charge of the Russia probe, which he inherited when Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the matter. Trump has mocked and criticized Sessions for doing so.
Naming Replacement
Trump can install a temporary replacement as deputy attorney general until he nominates a successor to Rosenstein who would have to be confirmed by the Senate.
Donald Trump Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
However, the Justice Department has a line of succession that could let Solicitor General Noel Francisco assume control of the investigation. One question is whether that would be considered inappropriate given that Francisco is a former partner of the Jones Day law firm, which has represented Trump for years.
As solicitor general, Francisco has staunchly defended Trump administration policies while pursuing long-held conservative legal goals.
He successfully defended Trump’s travel ban, drawing criticism for saying at argument that the president had “made crystal clear” he wasn’t trying to impose barring Muslims. Francisco later sent the court a letter saying he had misstated the date on which Trump supposedly made those comments.
He reversed what had been the Obama administration’s position on a number of high-profile issues in the court’s last term.
Earlier this year, Francisco was photographed having dinner in downtown Washington with Sessions and Rosenstein in what some viewed as a show of support for an attorney general who was being sharply criticized by the president.
Francisco has been studiously silent about the Mueller probe, at least in public.
Rosenstein, 53, was chosen by Trump to be the No. 2 official at the Justice Department last year. He previously served for 12 years as U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland during the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Rosenstein joined the Justice Department in 1990 and has been viewed as a respected public servant, credited with helping reshape the department’s priorities.
Republican Critics
In May, he stood up against Republican lawmakers who drafted articles of impeachment against him for refusing to turn over internal Justice Department documents that they said would reveal the questionable origins of the Russia probe.
“There are people who have been making threats, privately and publicly, against me for quite some time,” Rosenstein said at a Law Day event in Washington. “I think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted. We’re going to do what’s required by the rule of law.”
Republican Representative Jim Jordan, a House Judiciary member who has been among the lawmakers most critical of Rosenstein and the Russia probe, said on Twitter Monday that the deputy attorney general needs to appear before the panel regardless of whether he keeps his job.
“You can’t have the head of the Justice Department (even if it’s sarcasm) talking to subordinates about recording the Commander in Chief,” Jordan said. “He needs to answer our questions.”
But Rosenstein also riled some of Trump’s critics in 2017, when he wrote a controversial letter outlining the case for firing then-FBI Director James Comey, saying he made “serious mistakes” in his handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. Trump cited Rosenstein’s letter in firing Comey, although he later said it was because of the Russia investigation.
Trump grew increasingly angry at Mueller’s investigation, and at Rosenstein’s supervision of it. He discussed dismissing Rosenstein with aides at the White House in April, a person familiar with the matter said.
Trump and some Republican lawmakers have pressed the argument that Mueller’s inquiry should be shut down because it was irreversibly tainted by improper actions early in the inquiry, well before Mueller was appointed.
Rosenstein named Mueller as special counsel after Trump fired Comey, who had been overseeing the investigation. Rosenstein took control of the inquiry because Attorney General Sessions, an early Trump campaign supporter, recused himself from any matters related to the 2016 election, a move the president has openly derided.
“I don’t have an attorney general. It’s very sad,” Trump said in an interview with Hill.TV, the Capitol Hill newspaper’s online TV channel, that aired on Sept. 19.
— With assistance by Terrence Dopp, Jennifer Epstein, and Sahil Kapur ||||| Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, expressed more consternation, saying on Twitter that she was “concerned” by reports of Mr. Rosenstein’s fate and that he “plays a critical role” overseeing the Russia inquiry.
On his radio show on Monday, the president’s personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said he did not know whether Mr. Rosenstein was going to be pushed out. But he used the confusion to call for a pause in the Russia investigation, saying that if Mr. Rosenstein did resign, it “clearly becomes necessary and appropriate” that “there be a step back taken here” and a “time out on this inquiry.”
Word began leaking out of the White House that Mr. Rosenstein had joined a previously scheduled meeting of top administration officials in the West Wing — evidence that he had not resigned or been fired. At the Justice Department, Mr. Sessions returned around the time it became clear that Mr. Rosenstein was not being fired.
Speculation continued until 12:48 p.m., when Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, tweeted a statement that said that Mr. Rosenstein had requested a conversation with the president.
“Because the president is at the United Nations General Assembly and has a full schedule with leaders from around the world, they will meet on Thursday when the president returns to Washington,” Ms. Sanders said.
Within the hour, Mr. Rosenstein left the White House and was captured by news cameras being escorted to his black SUV by Mr. Kelly. The motorcade swiftly drove back to the Justice Department, where the deputy attorney general went back to his scheduled meetings, including one on white-collar crime, and other law enforcement officials turned back to preparing for Tuesday’s meeting between Mr. Sessions and state attorneys general about tech companies.
The release that Ms. Flores drafted did not go out.
But the fact that Mr. Rosenstein may be on the job for at least another 72 hours is unlikely to be the end of the story. A departure by Mr. Rosenstein this week would thrust the administration into further turmoil only weeks before the midterms. ||||| White House officials said Monday that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein will stay in his job for now, following a chaotic morning of speculation that he was about to resign — a development that would have further destabilized a Justice Department already under siege because of the Russia investigation.
Job insecurity has been a regular feature of Rosenstein’s life for more than a year, as the president and his allies have publicly attacked him over special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and whether any Trump associates conspired with those efforts.
But his hold on his job never seemed as tenuous as on Monday morning, after reports last week that Rosenstein, the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, had suggested secretly recording the president and mounting an effort within the Cabinet to remove him from office. Rosenstein has disputed the accuracy of those accounts, but his denials have left plenty of room for interpretation.
Now, President Trump plans to meet with Rosenstein on Thursday to discuss the situation — and the deputy attorney general’s fate remains uncertain.
[A chaotic opening to what could be a fateful week]
Multiple officials said that during weekend conversations between and among White House and Justice Department officials, Rosenstein indicated that he was considering resigning. During some of those conversations, Rosenstein said his resignation might be warranted to end the controversy, according to people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about internal deliberations.
Some Trump aides had counseled the president against quickly firing Rosenstein, arguing that such a move could be exploited politically by the Democrats and would be better done after the midterm elections.
Friday night, Rosenstein spoke with White House counsel Donald McGahn, according to a person familiar with the discussions. In that conversation, Rosenstein said he was willing to resign, but McGahn urged him to wait until they could talk further Monday morning, this person said.
By Sunday, some senior Justice Department officials had concluded that Rosenstein was about to be out of his job and began planning for Solicitor General Noel Francisco to take over supervision of the Russia probe. As part of that contingency plan, Matthew Whitaker, chief of staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, was slated to assume the other responsibilities of the deputy attorney general, according to the people familiar with the discussions.
When Rosenstein went to the White House on Monday morning, senior Trump advisers expected him to resign, according to several advisers. A Justice Department official, however, said Rosenstein had no intention of resigning but went there expecting to be fired.
Before the meeting, one news outlet reported that Rosenstein had “verbally resigned.” That led Justice Department officials to believe he was going to be forced out, and they drafted a statement about his expected departure.
As often happens in government, the two sides heading for a high-stakes confrontation decided instead to hold another meeting. “At the request of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, he and President Trump had an extended conversation to discuss the recent news stories,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. “Because the President is at the United Nations General Assembly and has a full schedule with leaders from around the world, they will meet on Thursday when the President returns to Washington, D.C.”
After Rosenstein met with White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, he went to a meeting of senior administration officials, the first sign that, at least for now, he was staying on the job.
[McCabe memos say Rosenstein considered secretly recording Trump]
Rosenstein appointed and has been overseeing Mueller, and ousting the deputy attorney general would probably raise concerns that the president or his allies were kneecapping the Russia investigation.
One Trump adviser said the president has not been pressuring Rosenstein to leave. The person said Rosenstein had expressed to others that he should resign because he “felt very compromised” and the controversy hurt his ability to oversee the Russia inquiry, said a person close to Trump.
Trump’s attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, said Monday that if Rosenstein is replaced, “they should put a brief hold on the investigation and review it from beginning to end.”
Rosenstein has been a target of Trump’s public ire and private threats for months, but uncertainty about his future deepened after it was revealed Friday that memos written by Andrew McCabe, then deputy FBI director, said that in May 2017, Rosenstein suggested secretly recording the president and invoking the 25th Amendment to replace him.
McCabe memorialized discussions he had with Rosenstein and other senior officials in the stress-packed days immediately after James B. Comey’s firing as FBI director. At that moment, the bureau was deeply suspicious of Rosenstein’s role in the decision, and the Justice Department was worried that it had lost credibility with Congress for giving Trump a memo that said the FBI needed new leadership.
Others involved in those May 2017 discussions said Rosenstein’s comments about secretly recording Trump were sarcastic and came as McCabe was pressing the Justice Department to investigate the president’s firing of Comey as possible obstruction of justice.
[How removal under the 25th Amendment works: A beginner’s guide]
In statements Friday, Rosenstein denied that he ever seriously contemplated secretly recording Trump or pursuing the 25th Amendment to replace him, as was first reported by the New York Times.
“The New York Times’s story is inaccurate and factually incorrect,” Rosenstein said. “I will not further comment on a story based on anonymous sources who are obviously biased against the department and are advancing their own personal agenda. But let me be clear about this: Based on my personal dealings with the president, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment.”
In a second statement hours later, Rosenstein said: “I never pursued or authorized recording the president and any suggestion that I have ever advocated for the removal of the President is absolutely false.”
That second statement was issued after a tense meeting at the White House between Rosenstein and Kelly, according to people familiar with the encounter. Those people said Kelly had urged Rosenstein to issue a more forceful denial, but officials in the White House and the Justice Department said they thought the second statement was in some ways weaker than the first — putting Rosenstein on even thinner ice.
For more than a year, Trump’s comments about the Russia investigation have fueled demands on the right that Rosenstein be forced out of his job — countered by alarm on the left that his removal would signal a collapse of the traditional independence of the Justice Department.
Trump congressional allies who have been hammering Rosenstein over access to Justice Department documents, including McCabe’s memos, said reports that he might resign or be fired highlight their need to see such documents.
“The latest reports on Rod Rosenstein underscore the desperate need for transparency at the DOJ,” Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) wrote in a tweet Monday. “Release the documents. Declassify everything. Stop the games and show Americans the truth about this Russia investigation. If they have nothing to hide, they should act like it.”
Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have also called for Rosenstein to come back to Capitol Hill to testify this week, as the House is set to break for the campaign season soon.
“We’ve got to have Rod Rosenstein in front of the Judiciary Committee answering questions,” Jordan said in an interview.
There are no indications that leading Republicans have agreed to call Rosenstein to testify, and House Judiciary Committee Democrats said Monday that they had received no notice from Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) about an official summons.
That makes it unlikely that Rosenstein will head to Capitol Hill before his expected meeting with Trump on Thursday to discuss his fate.
Democrats said Rosenstein should hang tough. “Under no circumstances should Rod Rosenstein resign,” Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, wrote in a tweet. “This would place the Mueller investigation in even greater jeopardy. Rosenstein should continue to do his job, protect the independence of the DOJ, and if the President intends to obstruct justice, force Trump to fire him.”
Rosenstein, a Republican and career Justice Department official who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, came into office on a wave of bipartisan support, but Comey was fired soon afterward, and Rosenstein was immediately drawn into fierce partisan battles surrounding the Russia inquiry.
He became deputy attorney general in April 2017 and assumed oversight of Mueller’s investigation after Attorney General Jeff Sessions — who did not disclose to Congress that he had met during the 2016 campaign with Russia’s ambassador to the United States — recused himself from the inquiry.
Just days into his job as the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, Rosenstein wrote a memo criticizing Comey’s handling of the earlier investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for government work when she was secretary of state.
The White House used Rosenstein’s memo to justify Comey’s firing. Days later, Rosenstein appointed Mueller, and the special counsel has since been examining the firing of Comey and whether it was part of a pattern of behavior that amounts to obstruction of justice by the president.
Karoun Demirjian, Josh Dawsey, Robert Costa, Sari Horwitz, Matt Zapotosky and Robert Barnes contributed to this report. ||||| Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has verbally “offered to resign” in discussions with White House Chief of Staff Kelly, according to a source close to Rosenstein, but as of now, it’s unclear whether his resignation has been accepted.
Background: Rosenstein talked last year about invoking the 25th Amendment and wearing a wire during Trump meetings, the N.Y. Times' Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt reported last week. He denied both allegations.
Clarification: This article and headline have been updated to add that it's unclear whether the resignation offer has been accepted.
|
– That Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would end the day without a job seemed all but certain Monday morning, with major media outlets variously reporting he had either resigned, planned to do so, or would be fired before the day was out. Instead, it looks like he'll end Monday still in his job, with NBC News reporting a decision on his job status has been "postponed." Though Rosenstein visited the White House Monday, President Trump is in New York for a UN General Assembly meeting. Sarah Sanders says the two will now meet Thursday, which NBC News points out will likely be a very newsy day. The AP reports that Sanders said the men did speak Monday, however, in an "extended conversation" that occurred at Rosenstein's request. The developments come in the wake of reports that Rosenstein had floated the idea of clandestinely recording President Trump. A sampling of the jumping-the-gun that occurred in the AM (now being roundly mocked by the Onion): Axios reported by way of one source that Rosenstein verbally resigned to chief of staff John Kelly. Bloomberg's sources also said he resigned and the White House had accepted that resignation. The Washington Post's sources said he told the White House he would be willing to resign. The New York Times reported it was unclear whether he'd resign or be fired. CNBC reported that NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams said Rosenstein would actually refuse to resign. The AP reported Rosenstein was expecting to be fired.
|
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LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry says he once "wanted out" of the British royal family.
In an interview published in the Mail on Sunday, the prince said the time he spent in the army was "the best escape I've ever had" and that he once considered giving up his title.
He said: "I felt I wanted out, but then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself."
Harry is fifth in line to the throne.
The comments followed an interview published in Newsweek in which he said he doubted anyone in the royal family wanted to be king or queen.
He said his family "will carry out our duties at the right time" and that they're "not doing this for ourselves, but for the greater good of the people." ||||| In an extraordinary interview, Prince Harry, pictured, has given an astonishing insight into how he once felt directionless, and sought an escape from the pomp and pageantry surrounding him
Prince Harry has admitted that he once ‘wanted out’ of the Royal Family and considered turning his back on the privilege he was born into to live an ‘ordinary life’.
In an extraordinarily candid interview, the 32-year-old Prince opens up about his troubled 20s and says how, after leaving the Army, he ‘didn’t want to grow up’ and struggled to find a meaningful role for himself.
Speaking to journalist Angela Levin – who revealed last week that Harry believes ‘no one in the Royal Family wants to be King or Queen’ – the Prince gave an astonishing insight into how he once felt directionless, and sought an escape from the pomp and pageantry surrounding him.
‘I spent many years kicking my heels and I didn’t want to grow up,’ he admitted.
Several years of partying, drinking and heavy smoking followed – which he has previously described as ‘total chaos’ – and Harry admitted coming ‘very close’ to a breakdown several times.
And when he finally decided to be more constructive, he even questioned whether remaining a junior Royal would allow him to use his talents effectively – and considered life as a commoner instead.
‘I felt I wanted out but then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself,’ he said, making it clear he was primarily motivated by his loyalty to the Queen.
It was obvious his life in the ‘goldfish bowl’ had left its mark. He added: ‘We don’t want to be just a bunch of celebrities but instead use our role for good.’
Harry, who was just 12 when his mother Princess Diana died, admitted feeling most at home during his years in the Army.
Prince Harry, pictured right, at one point questioned whether remaining a junior Royal would allow him to use his talents effectively – but chose to stay because of his loyalty to his grandmother the Queen, pictured left. The pair are pictured in May 2015 at the Chelsea Flower Show in London
Prince Harry, pictured right with the Queen in a video clip to promote the 2016 Invictus Games, has admitted that he once ‘wanted out’ of the Royal Family
Prince Harry pictured with some of the Royal Family in 2013. Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, holds her son Prince George seated next to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William. Back row from left, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry - as well as Kate's family Pippa Middleton, James Middleton, Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton.
He was devastated in 2007 when, after ten weeks in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, his position was leaked by a magazine and he had to be hastily withdrawn for security reasons.
‘I felt very resentful,’ he said. ‘Being in the Army was the best escape I’ve ever had. I felt as though I was really achieving something.
'I have a deep understanding of all sorts of people from different backgrounds and felt I was part of a team.’
Tellingly, he added that while in the Army, ‘I wasn’t a Prince, I was just Harry’.
But with professional help, recommended by his brother William, Harry found a way to reinvent himself and carve out a role which has won public respect and affection: promoting the cause of injured servicemen and women, and tackling mental health issues, among other things.
Prince Harry admitted feeling most at home during his years in the Army. He is seen patrolling in a town in southern Afghanistan in January 2008
He said that he and William were ‘incredibly passionate with our charities and they have been chosen because they are on the path shown to me by our mother’.
But when asked whether his girlfriend Meghan Markle had in any way advised him on mental health issues, he replied: ‘Absolutely she did not.’
In a sure sign of his maturity, Harry showed he had given serious thought to the future of ‘The Firm’ in the 21st Century.
‘We want to make sure the Monarchy lasts and are passionate about what it stands for,’ he said. ‘But it can’t go on as it has done under the Queen. There will be changes and pressure to get them right.’
Perhaps surprisingly, he also claimed to be an avid viewer – along with millions of commoners – of The Crown, the hugely popular Netflix drama about his grandmother and the House of Windsor.
‘It’s great but I wish they’d stopped at the end of the first series,’ Harry said. ‘They absolutely must not move on to the younger generation.’
Writer who spent hours with Prince Harry and revealed his desire to quit The Firm says 'he's not a whinger - he's a wounded warrior'
By Angela Levin for The Mail on Sunday
There is a moment in the controversial stage play, King Charles III, when Prince Harry renounces his Royal life to become a commoner.
It proves to be a brief departure, and the fictional Harry soon resumes his proper role. Yet there is more than a grain of truth in the drama, which was adapted for TV this year.
Because Harry’s search for a role has been long and fraught, and there was indeed a period, however brief, when the young Prince did consider trying to make his mark outside the Royal Family– or ‘The Firm’ – as he told me frankly when we met: ‘There was a time when… I wanted out.’
Prince Harry, pictured speaking in May 2016, is guilty of no more than thoughtfulness and honesty – about an emotional past that binds the younger Royals together
Over the last three years Prince Harry has faced his demons, worked hard to overcome them and grown into an extraordinary young man who has kept some Royal magic. Left, Harry is pictured attending the wedding of close friend Jamies Murray Wells at Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire. Right, the Prince is pictured on a visit to South Africa in 2015
Harry’s battle for a role was at the heart of my Newsweek interview with the Prince last week, when he made the seemingly unguarded suggestion that no one in the Royal Family would wish to accept the crown, given free choice.
Criticism rained down as he was accused of being a whinger, of failing to give due respect to the institution which has brought him so much privilege.
But I believe he was guilty of no more than thoughtfulness and honesty – about an emotional past that binds the younger Royals together.
After two meetings at Kensington Palace, and having accompanied the Prince to a series of engagements, I know that the true measure of Prince Harry lies in something else he told me. I suspect it goes to the heart of his brother William, too.
Harry disliked the formality of Eton and said that during his time there he had only wanted to be a ‘bad boy’. This official portrait taken by Mario Testino was released in 2005 to mark the Prince's 21st birthday on September 15th
Halfway through our first meeting, Harry stopped, looked me in the eyes and, out of the blue, said: ‘William and I were 14 and 12 when our mother died and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television.
'I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. It certainly wouldn’t happen today.’
It was a burst of openness and maturity that belies his reputation of the past. For I believe him to be not a ‘clown Prince’ or a moaner, but a wounded Prince.
And who would not be scarred to lose a mother at such a young age?
Harry was in his element during his decade-long stint in the Army and was devastated when in 2007, after ten weeks working in Afghanistan, guiding fighters to suspected Taliban targets, his position was leaked and he was withdrawn for security reasons. He is pictured laying a wreath at the Armistice Day Service in November 2016
Harry is both compassionate and jokey, confessing that he missed the black humour and camaraderie of Army life. He is seen running to an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan's Camp Bastion in January 2013
Harry, 32, has reached an age where he understands this too. Indeed, it is this empathy for those in trouble which makes him such an inspiring figure – finally giving him the role he longs for.
In our time together, he was full of self-recognition: laughing at his impatience and admitting how difficult the past had been. At Eton, he said, he just wanted to be a ‘bad boy’.
And most tellingly, he summed up those lost years when his beloved career in the Army was taken from him. ‘I spent many years kicking my heels,’ he said. ‘And I didn’t want to grow up.’
We first met earlier this year in a smart sitting room in Kensington Palace, home not just to Harry but to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Harry says that he was motivated to do something to help his grandmother, the Queen, and charity work came to his rescue - for example with Heads Together
Wearing an open-necked, immaculately pressed ice-blue shirt and brown chinos, he leapt out of one of the pale peach armchairs and strode towards me, smiling and with a hand outstretched.
‘I’ve seen you following me about,’ he said, ‘and wondered if you’d like to ask me any questions. But first have you seen The Crown? [the Netflix drama about the House of Windsor].
'It’s great but I wish they’d stopped at the end of the first series. They absolutely must not move on to the younger generation.’
There would be plenty to go on if they did – as would become clear in the course of our interview.
Harry was just 12 when his mother Princess Diana died. The pair are pictured together in May 1995
The loss of his mother has gnawed at Prince Harry, who is pictured with her in August 1995, and it is little wonder it has taken so long for him to deal with it
Prince William, pictured left, and Prince Harry are seen bowing their heads as their mother's coffin is taken out of Westminster Abbey following her funeral service in September 1997
Certainly, he was happy to acknowledge his own weaknesses.
‘I can do most things with my hands. My next challenge is to learn to play the guitar. But I get very agitated if I am stuck in front of a computer for long.
‘The passion in me, I can give some of that to other people… well, anyone I am with – but I can sometimes get too impatient.
‘I love to see people excel and succeed. If you give care and consideration to younger people they will flourish. Anyone can do anything if you put your mind to it. You just need passion and belief.
'If you want to be a success you have to be a team player. No one can do anything by themselves. I was taught that in the Army.’
He had loved his military career and felt its loss keenly. Harry found himself directionless. ‘I spent many years kicking my heels and I didn’t want to grow up,’ he admits.
But that was to change. He sought counselling. And determined to be more constructive, he began to think more widely.
It is empathy for those in trouble which makes Prince Harry such an inspiring figure – finally giving him the role he longs for. He is seen speaking to veterans Clive Smith, left, and Jack Cummings, right at a service in St Paul's Cathedral in October 2015
Harry even questioned whether life as a junior Royal would allow him to use his talents effectively, perhaps with a civilian role.
‘There was a time I felt I wanted out,’ he says. ‘But then I decided to stay in [The Firm] and work out a role for myself.’ More than anything else, he says, that he was motivated to do something to help his grandmother, the Queen, and charity work came to his rescue.
‘We are incredibly passionate with our charities and they have been chosen because they are on the path shown to me by our mother,’ he says. ‘I love charity stuff and meeting people.’
Harry particularly dislikes ‘feeling I live in a goldfish bowl’, saying: ‘I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children they can have one too. We don’t want to be just a bunch of celebrities but instead use our role for good.’
Much attention has been drawn to his comment: ‘Is there any one of the Royal Family who wants to be King or Queen? I don’t think so but we will carry out our duties at the right time.’
Yet the truth is that Harry is surprisingly thoughtful about the future of the Monarchy, saying that he and William would like to pull it into the 21st Century.
‘We want to make sure the Monarchy lasts and are passionate about what it stands for,’ he explains. ‘We feel that the British public and the whole world needs institutions like this – but it can’t go on as it has done under the Queen.
Harry readily admits he is not academic, but instead is exceptionally good at connecting with people of all types and ages. Here he is meeting British soldiers competing in the warrior games in May 2013
Harry particularly dislikes ‘feeling I live in a goldfish bowl’, saying: ‘I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children they can have one too.' Pictured, Prince Harry plays cricket during a youth sports festival at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, during his November 2016 tour of the Caribbean
‘There will be changes and pressure to get them right. Things are moving so fast, especially because of social media, so we are involved in modernising the Monarchy.
‘We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people and the Monarchy we represent. There is so much negative in the world – we as a family try to bring something positive.’
Does he mind dropping from third to fifth in line to the throne after William and Kate’s children, George and Charlotte?
‘The reason I am now fifth is because of my nephew and niece and I could never wish them away,’ he says. ‘They are the most amazing things ever.’
In addition to these formal interviews, I spent about a year accompanying Harry on engagements around the country. He is a remarkable operator.
There were a few techniques he used. One was to leap from the official car, rush towards whoever is in charge and firmly shake their hand.
It gives the genuine impression that he couldn’t wait to get there and is delighted to see them.
Another is to completely focus on the individual he talks to – them and only them. He doesn’t look around, or over their shoulder, and instead engages them totally, and listens carefully to what they say.
Harry, pictured, is surprisingly thoughtful about the future of the Monarchy, saying that he and William would like to pull it into the 21st Century
Harry, pictured at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London in May 2016, is reassuring, encouraging and knows what to say, how to say it and when. He has a knack of making people feel good about themselves in both significant and small ways
Harry readily admits he is not academic, but instead is exceptionally good at connecting with people of all types and ages.
He is reassuring, encouraging and knows what to say, how to say it and when. He has a knack of making people feel good about themselves in both significant and small ways.
He particularly excels with former soldiers who have been affected by injuries sustained in battle. It was obvious that by helping others he was also helping himself.
‘I see a lot of myself in these guys,’ he said. ‘They want an opportunity to prove themselves and be someone,’ he said.
We went to the Help For Heroes recovery centre at Tedworth House, Wiltshire, where ex-soldiers who had been seriously wounded in battle and suffer psychological wounds come for help with depression, stress, anger, anxiety and problems with alcohol.
Harry was both compassionate and jokey, confessing that he missed the black humour and camaraderie of Army life.
The effect was extraordinary, almost as if he had given them an injection of hope and confidence.
Jokes and slaps on the back are essential part of his repertoire. He asks direct questions without seeming intrusive.
Does Harry mind dropping from third to fifth in line to the throne after William and Kate’s children, George and Charlotte? ‘The reason I am now fifth is because of my nephew and niece and I could never wish them away,’ he says. ‘They are the most amazing things ever.’ Pictured, Prince Harry watches a performance of a play in Nottingham in October 2016
Harry had loved his military career and felt its loss keenly. Harry found himself directionless. ‘I spent many years kicking my heels and I didn’t want to grow up,’ he admits. This photograph was released for his 21st birthday in 2005
For example, his first question to Mike ‘Doris’ Day, 34, formerly a sniper section commander in the 4 Rifles, who was hit by a grenade in Afghanistan in 2009 and whose injuries included a broken back and shrapnel in his head and body, went right to the core: ‘So what has been the biggest effect on you?’ he asked. Day thought for just a moment. ‘I am no longer me,’ he replied quietly.
Harry nodded sympathetically. ‘One of your biggest struggles must be living rather than just existing,’ he continued.
Certainly, he would be happy talking to veterans all day. There was less interest in formal meetings. He would sit politely, but occasionally one of his legs would tap up and down and a shadow would pass across his face.
Harry similarly disliked the formality of Eton and told me that during his time there he had only wanted to be a ‘bad boy’.
Instead, he was in his element during his decade-long stint in the Army and was devastated when in 2007, after ten weeks working in Afghanistan, guiding fighters to suspected Taliban targets, his position was leaked and he was withdrawn for security reasons.
‘I felt very resentful,’ he told me. ‘Being in the Army was the best escape I’ve ever had. I felt I was really achieving something.
‘I have a deep understanding for all sorts of people from different backgrounds and felt I was part of a team… I also wasn’t a Prince, I was just Harry.’
Yet this brings me back to 1997, and that image he evoked of a young boy walking in the glare of millions, part of his mother’s cortege.
Prince Harry during his visit to Southern African Wildlife College, a flagship centre close to Kruger National Park, in December 2015
Prince Harry is pictured with a Ranger Tracker dog as he visits the South African Wildlife College on December 2, 2015 in Hoedspruit, South Africa
The loss has gnawed at him and it is little wonder it has taken so long for him to deal with it.
‘My search began when I was in my mid-20s,’ Harry said. ‘I needed to fix the mistakes I was making and what was going on with me.’
In April he revealed that bottling up his grief had affected every area of his life, bringing him close to a breakdown several times.
For years he seemed lost. He partied with a dubious set of rich friends, and drank and smoked heavily.
But it didn’t help him drown his feelings. ‘Instead of dealing with it I buried my head in the sand and let everything around me tear me to pieces,’ he said.
Eventually, when he was 28, on William’s advice, he sought professional help.
Has his relationship with Meghan Markle helped him? It is a subject he does not wish to discuss, feeling she already has too much unfair scrutiny.
But asked whether she advised him on mental health issues, as some have suggested, there was an answer, sharp and clear: ‘Absolutely she did not.’ The decision has been his, showing a different sort of strength to the courage required in Afghanistan.
Over the last three years he has faced his demons, worked hard to overcome them and grown into an extraordinary young man who has kept some Royal magic, is charming, energetic, sincere and longs to help those who are damaged by war, by accident – or by dysfunctional families.
There is still some way for him to go, but by helping them, this wounded warrior is helping himself – in the best way possible.
|
– Prince Harry says he once "wanted out" of the British royal family. In an interview published in the Mail on Sunday, the prince said the time he spent in the army was "the best escape I've ever had" as "I wasn't a prince, I was just Harry." He also says that he once considered giving up his title. "I felt I wanted out, but then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself." The candid comments followed an interview published in Newsweek in which he said he doubted anyone in the royal family wanted to be king or queen. Harry is fifth in line to the throne, notes the AP. Harry said his family "will carry out our duties at the right time" and that the royals are "not doing this for ourselves, but for the greater good of the people." Harry also described the funeral of his mother, Princess Diana: "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today."
|
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A coalition of more than 60 organizations affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement called for policing and criminal justice reforms in a list of demands released ahead of the second anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
The agenda was released Monday by the Movement for Black Lives after both the Republican and Democratic conventions, during which Black Lives Matter activists were noticeably absent from protest lines.
"We seek radical transformation, not reactionary reform," Michaela Brown, a spokeswoman for Baltimore Bloc, one of the group's partner organizations, said in a statement. "As the 2016 election continues, this platform provides us with a way to intervene with an agenda that resists state and corporate power, an opportunity to implement policies that truly value the safety and humanity of black lives, and an overall means to hold elected leaders accountable."
The agenda outlines six demands and offers 40 recommendations on how to address them. To address criminal justice reform, for example, organizers are calling for an end to the type of militarized police presence seen at protests in cities like Ferguson, and the retroactive decriminalization and immediate release of all people convicted of drug offenses, sex work related offense and youth offenses.
The group also is calling for the passage of federal legislation, already proposed in Congress, that would create a commission to study reparations for descendants of slaves.
The platform also touches on economic justice, saying, "We demand economic justice for all and a reconstruction of the economy to ensure Black communities have collective ownership, not merely access."
Among the economic demands are: A progressive restructuring of tax codes, federal and state job programs that specifically target the most economically marginalized black people, and the right for workers to organize in public and private sectors.
This is the first time Black Lives Matter has articulated its demands. A year ago, groups held a two-day meeting in Cleveland in the wake of several high-profile killings of black men and boys by police. The shootings sparked racial tensions and protests that evolved into a national conversation about disparities in policing. Since then, the groups met to come up with the final agenda.
Fueled largely by social media, the Black Lives Matter movement has grabbed the attention of elected officials, including President Barack Obama -- who has invited activists to the White House to discuss their grievances and possible solutions. Several police departments are currently under Justice Department review or reform. Their efforts also have forced criminal justice reform and policing disparities to become election issues, and were credited, in part, with the ouster of district attorneys in Illinois and Ohio earlier this year.
Black Lives Matter also has drawn criticism and faced backlash from groups who say the organization is unfairly critical of -- and even endangers -- law enforcement. The counter slogan Blue Lives Matter has become a rallying cry, and even led to the passage of legislation in Louisiana to include the targeting of police officers in the state's hate crime law, which was passed this spring and took effect Monday.
The Black Lives Matter movement dates to 2012, but ignited two years later when 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white, on August 9, 2014.
Releasing the platform near the anniversary of the Ferguson shooting is a powerful statement, said Dara Cooper, an organizer with the National Black Food & Justice Alliance, one of the partner groups.
"It's us saying that we're not backing down," she said. "In the tradition of our ancestors and elders who have been in this very long struggle, we're going to keep working toward what we deserve."
The platform represents an articulation of the collective state of black people that goes beyond policing, presented by the people who are being directly impacted in communities, Cooper said.
"Black life is undervalued and assaulted in myriad ways," Cooper said. "Policing and mass incarceration has so much to do with it, but it's also the education we receive, the type of food we have access to, the ability to be self-determining through land ownership. ... We fight against things, but we also need to be fighting for something." ||||| Platform
Black humanity and dignity requires Black political will and power. Despite constant exploitation and perpetual oppression, Black people have bravely and brilliantly been the driving force pushing the U.S. towards the ideals it articulates but has never achieved. In recent years we have taken to the streets, launched massive campaigns, and impacted elections, but our elected leaders have failed to address the legitimate demands of our Movement. We can no longer wait.
In response to the sustained and increasingly visible violence against Black communities in the U.S. and globally, a collective of more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black people from across the country have come together with renewed energy and purpose to articulate a common vision and agenda. We are a collective that centers and is rooted in Black communities, but we recognize we have a shared struggle with all oppressed people; collective liberation will be a product of all of our work.
We believe in elevating the experiences and leadership of the most marginalized Black people, including but not limited to those who are women, queer, trans, femmes, gender nonconforming, Muslim, formerly and currently incarcerated, cash poor and working class, disabled, undocumented, and immigrant. We are intentional about amplifying the particular experience of state and gendered violence that Black queer, trans, gender nonconforming, women and intersex people face. There can be no liberation for all Black people if we do not center and fight for those who have been marginalized. It is our hope that by working together to create and amplify a shared agenda, we can continue to move towards a world in which the full humanity and dignity of all people is recognized.
While this platform is focused on domestic policies, we know that patriarchy, exploitative capitalism, militarism, and white supremacy know no borders. We stand in solidarity with our international family against the ravages of global capitalism and anti-Black racism, human-made climate change, war, and exploitation. We also stand with descendants of African people all over the world in an ongoing call and struggle for reparations for the historic and continuing harms of colonialism and slavery. We also recognize and honor the rights and struggle of our Indigenous family for land and self-determination.
We have created this platform to articulate and support the ambitions and work of Black people. We also seek to intervene in the current political climate and assert a clear vision, particularly for those who claim to be our allies, of the world we want them to help us create. We reject false solutions and believe we can achieve a complete transformation of the current systems, which place profit over people and make it impossible for many of us to breathe.
Together, we demand an end to the wars against Black people. We demand that the government repair the harms that have been done to Black communities in the form of reparations and targeted long-term investments. We also demand a defunding of the systems and institutions that criminalize and cage us. This document articulates our vision of a fundamentally different world. However, we recognize the need to include policies that address the immediate suffering of Black people. These policies, while less transformational, are necessary to address the current material conditions of our people and will better equip us to win the world we demand and deserve.
We recognize that not all of our collective needs and visions can be translated into policy, but we understand that policy change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision. We have come together now because we believe it is time to forge a new covenant. We are dreamers and doers and this platform is meant to articulate some of our vision. The links throughout the document provide the stepping-stones and roadmaps of how to get there. The policy briefs also elevate the brave and transformative work our people are already engaged in, and build on some of the best thinking in our history of struggle. This agenda continues the legacy of our ancestors who pushed for reparations, Black self-determination and community control; and also propels new iterations of movements such as efforts for reproductive justice, holistic healing and reconciliation, and ending violence against Black cis, queer, and trans people. ||||| "We recognize that not all of our collective needs and visions can be translated into policy, but we understand that policy change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision, a world where freedom and justice is the reality," said another platform writer, M Adams, who is co-executive director of Madison, Wis.-based Freedom, Inc. The nonprofit works with poor minorities and youth. ||||| SEATTLE (Reuters) - A coalition affiliated with the anti-racism Black Lives Matter movement called for criminal justice reforms and reparations for slavery in the United States among other demands in its first policy platform released on Monday.
Policemen walk on the sidelines as protesters hold a sign which states "Black Lives Matter," during a march against police brutality in Manhattan, New York, U.S., July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Bria Webb
The six demands and roughly 40 policy recommendations touch on topics ranging from reducing U.S. military spending to safe drinking water. The groups aim to halt the “increasingly visible violence against Black communities,” the Movement for Black Lives said in a statement.
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The agenda was released days before the second anniversary of the slaying of unarmed black teen Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s death, along with other fatal police shootings of unarmed black men over the past two years, fueled a national debate about racial discrimination in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Issues related to race and violence took center stage at the Democratic National Convention last week, though the coalition did not endorse the party’s platform or White House candidate, Hillary Clinton.
“We seek radical transformation, not reactionary reform,” Michaela Brown, a spokeswoman for Baltimore Bloc, one of the organizations that worked on the platform, said in a statement.
“As the 2016 election continues, this platform provides us with a way to intervene with an agenda that resists state and corporate power, an opportunity to implement policies that truly value the safety and humanity of black lives, and an overall means to hold elected leaders accountable,” Brown said.
Baltimore Bloc is among more than 50 organizations that developed the platform over the past year, including Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the Black Youth Project 100 and the Black Leadership Organizing Collaborative.
This is the first time these black-led organizations linked to the decentralized Black Lives Matter movement have banded together to write a comprehensive foundational policy platform.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, was not listed among them.
The agenda calls for an end to the death penalty, decriminalization of drug-related offenses and prostitution, and the “demilitarization” of police departments. It seeks reparations for lasting harms caused to African-Americans of slavery and investment in education and jobs.
The Movement for Black Lives said in a statement that “neither mainstream political party has our interests at heart.”
“By every metric – from the hue of its prison population to its investment choices – the U.S. is a country that does not support, protect or preserve Black life,” the statement said.
|
– A coalition of more than 60 groups, including Black Lives Matter, is demanding slavery reparations—encompassing free tuition to public universities, among other things—in its first policy platform released Monday, reports the Los Angeles Times. The platform is the result of a year’s work and touches on everything from safe drinking water to military spending. It also calls for criminal justice reforms, the "demilitarization" of police, decriminalization of drug offenses and prostitution, the release of individuals convicted of those crimes, an end to capital punishment, investments in education and jobs for black Americans, and “a reconstruction of the economy to ensure Black communities have collective ownership, not merely access,” report Reuters and CBS News. "We seek radical transformation, not reactionary reform," says an activist. The goal is to stop "increasingly visible violence against Black communities," the Movement for Black Lives adds in a statement. "Neither mainstream political party has our interests at heart." the coalition says. Even some of the most progressive politicians are against slavery reparations, for example. But the platform is seen as a response to the racial justice movement's lack of specific policy proposals, for which it had been criticized by the likes of Hillary Clinton, who last year said "I don't believe you change hearts. I believe you change laws." While "we recognize that not all of our collective needs and visions can be translated into policy," says one activist, "we understand that policy change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision, a world where freedom and justice is the reality."
|
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1 of 15. HSBC Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Irene Dorner (L) and HSBC Holdings Chief Legal Officer Stuart Levey are sworn in before testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington July 17, 2012.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Officials of HSBC Holdings Plc pledged to a U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday that the bank is changing the way it polices illicit funds, but senators were skeptical the bank could deliver on promises it had broken before.
HSBC's top compliance officer announced he was stepping down and that the bank will shut down businesses in secret havens such as the Cayman Islands, but those offers did not blunt the senators' allegations that the bank sacrificed propriety for profits.
The hearing by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations came a day after it released a 400-plus-page report detailing how the British bank acted as a financier to clients routing funds from the world's most dangerous corners, including Mexico, Iran and Syria.
While money laundering problems at HSBC have been flagged by regulators for nearly a decade, the criticism comes at a sensitive time for the banking industry.
Banks are facing accusations of greed tied to allegations that international banks for years tried to rig the global lending benchmark rate Libor and other scandals, including a trading bet gone awry at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The hearing brought HSBC's own scandal squarely into the political spotlight.
Senator Carl Levin, who chairs the panel, read what he said was a 1993 statement from HSBC that asked its group members to comply with the letter and spirit of laws, and said it sounded similar to the commitments offered by HSBC on Tuesday.
"Do you agree, given past commitments have not been kept, that the bank has a heavy burden of proof that they mean what they say?" Levin asked one panel of witnesses consisting of HSBC's top legal officer and the head of HSBC's U.S. operations.
Levin later added that others would judge HSBC's accountability. "We are not in the prosecution business here, we are in the oversight business."
The bank is still facing a Justice Department investigation, with a potential fine that dwarfs the record $619 million that ING agreed in June to pay to settle similar claims.
Reuters own investigation into HSBC found persistent lapses in the bank's anti-money laundering compliance since 2010, after years of being scolded for lax practices.
Levin, who suggested the bank's charter could be at risk if it did not do better, pressed HSBC officials on whether they looked the other way on suspicious activity if it meant profits.
"Your test apparently for opening an account is first, how much revenue it would produce. But what about the second test Mr. Lok?" Levin asked former executive Christopher Lok. "What about a test of, is the bank involved in wrongdoing?"
NOT CONSISTENT
David Bagley, the outgoing compliance executive, told the hearing that while reforms had been made, it was time for him to go. "I recommended to the group that now is the appropriate time for me and for the bank, for someone new to serve as the head of group compliance," he said.
Bagley also told the panel the bank would close thousands of Caymans accounts as part of its renewed compliance efforts.
The Senate report said HSBC had little oversight of client accounts housed in a shell operation in the Cayman Islands, well known for offering secret accounts and a limited tax regime. By 2008, the Cayman accounts held $2.1 billion.
Bagley was on a panel with other executives, but some of the toughest questions were reserved for Stuart Levey, who joined the bank in January as chief legal officer. He had been the Treasury Department's top official on terrorism finance from 2004 to 2011 -- during which time he was involved in cracking down on HSBC for Iran-related transgressions.
Levin battered Levey with questions about whether the bank would follow U.S. law or Cayman law in cases of conflict and whether HSBC would improve its own internal sharing of information to help cut down on illicit activity.
Levey placed much of the blame on HSBC's rapid expansion, but said the bank is now better at spotting risky activities.
To some extent Levey and HSBC Bank USA CEO Irene Dorner were able to deflect the harshest criticism by pointing out that they were relatively new to their jobs, and had taken them up after the worst of the bad acts had happened.
"We've committed within the company ... to maximize the sharing of info for risk management purposes," Levey said. "We've decided that's the value that we're going to pursue, we need to share information."
The changes Bagley and Levey talked about are coming at a significant cost to the bank, as spending on anti-money laundering systems and staff have increased substantially. Dorner said the bank now has 892 full-time anti-money laundering compliance professionals.
FAILED TO MEET STANDARDS
HSBC shares closed 1.7 percent lower in London trade. Analysts warned that the bank faced huge financial penalties but said political risk may be a greater threat.
"(The) most important consequence is that the bank is now under the microscope ... at a very bad time where banks are used as scapegoats by politicians globally," analysts at Italian bank Mediobanca said in a research note, adding that they expect HSBC to face a $1 billion fine as well.
The Senate report alleged that HSBC did regular business in areas tied to drug cartels, terrorist funding and tax cheats.
It detailed how between 2007 and 2008, HSBC's Mexican operations moved $7 billion into the bank's U.S. operations. Both Mexican and U.S. authorities warned HSBC that the amount of money could only have reached such a level if it was tied to illegal narcotics proceeds, the report said.
It also examined banking HSBC did in Saudi Arabia with Al Rajhi Bank, which the report said has links to financing terrorism.
HSBC had company in the Senate's harsh spotlight -- the report was also highly critical of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a major U.S. bank regulator.
The OCC took enforcement action against HSBC in 2010, more than seven years after the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the New York State Banking Department issued their own criticism of HSBC's money-laundering detection systems.
Levin pounced on Grace Dailey, the former deputy comptroller for large bank supervision at OCC, demanding to know why more action had not been taken and sooner.
"We probably did not appreciate the systemic nature of some of those issues," Dailey said. "We could have and should have taken formal enforcement action, with the benefit of hindsight."
Levin was quick to dismiss the notion of hindsight and put one of his sharpest comments of the day to Thomas Curry, who took over as Comptroller of the Currency less than four months ago and who expressed his regrets for the OCC's inaction.
"This is pretty feeble enforcement," Levin said.
(Reporting by Carrick Mollenkamp and Aruna Viswanatha in Washington and Steve Slater in London; Writing by Ben Berkowitz in Boston; Editing by Karey Wutkowski and Tim Dobbyn) ||||| A man walks past a logo of HSBC Holdings PLC at the bank's headquarter in Hong Kong Monday, March 2, 2009. HSBC PLC plans to scale back its consumer lending operations in the United States and to close hundreds of branches there, British and U.S. newspapers reported Sunday. (Vincent Yu/AP)
The U.S. affiliate of global banking giant HSBC was for years a haven for foreign money laundering, drug-trafficking money and potential terrorist financing activities, largely because of the bank’s woefully inadequate monitoring practices, according to a 340-page Senate report scheduled for release Tuesday.
The report chastises the bank’s primary U.S. regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, for failing to take more aggressive enforcement measures against the bank after the OCC became aware of illicit activities.
“Banks that ignore anti-money-laundering rules are a big problem for our country,” said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who chairs the permanent subcommittee on investigations. “But also troubling is a bank regulator that does not adequately do its job.”
Both HSBC executives and top officials from the OCC are expected to encounter stiff questioning Tuesday when they face Senate lawmakers during a hearing on Capitol Hill. The report comes as HSBC, which has faced a string of alleged money-laundering lapses in the past, works to overhaul its practices and rehabilitate its image.
The Britain-based bank’s chief executive last week acknowledged in a memo to employees that the firm’s anti-money-laundering controls in recent years “should have been stronger and more effective, and we failed to spot and deal with unacceptable behavior.” In addition, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday that HSBC has been locked in settlement talks with the Justice Department over a probe into whether bank officials were complicit in laundering activities by Mexican drug cartels.
The year-long Senate investigation, which could serve as a blueprint for similar inquiries into other firms, involved interviews with scores of HSBC officials and bank regulators and a review of more than 1 million documents, including internal e-mails. Investigators focused primarily on HSBC’s U.S. affiliate, HSBC Bank USA (HBUS), which functions as a hub for the firm’s vast global network.
According to the report, investigators discovered a persistent lack of internal oversight that left the U.S. banking system vulnerable to abuse from bad actors around the globe. Said Levin: “HSBC’s compliance culture has been pervasively polluted for a long time.”
Among the findings:
●HBUS treated some high-risk affiliates like low-risk clients. A key example was HSBC Mexico, which despite its location in a country rife with money laundering and drug trafficking, was allowed to transport $7 billion in U.S. currency to HBUS between 2007 and 2008, raising suspicions that the money came from illegal drug sales.
●Some overseas HSBC affiliates circumvented government safeguards meant to block funding for terrorists, drug lords and unsavory foreign regimes. In one case, investigators found that HSBC allowed two foreign affiliates to shield the fact that thousands of transactions involved links to Iran. In addition, the investigation found that HBUS did business with certain banks in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, despite evidence of links to terrorist financing.
●HBUS cleared hundreds of millions of dollars in suspicious travelers checks for a Japanese bank that benefitted Russians claiming to be in the used car business. When the Japanese bank could not explain why its clients sometimes deposited more than $500,000 a day in sequentially numbered travelers checks, all bearing the same illegible signature, HBUS continued to clear the transactions, the report states. The bank eventually stopped cashing them under pressure from regulators.
Senate investigators also leveled harsh criticism at the OCC. The report states that the agency tolerated anti-money-laundering deficiencies for years and allowed national banks to delay or avoid correcting their internal problems. In October 2010, the OCC finally issued a “cease and desist” order requiring HBUS to overhaul its monitoring controls, but Levin insisted that the agency should have been more proactive and even draconian in cracking down on those shortcomings.
Comptroller Thomas J. Curry, who took office in April, said in a statement that his agency agrees wholeheartedly with the recommendations offered by Senate investigators and that anti-money-laundering compliance “is crucial to our nation’s efforts to combat criminal activity and terrorism.”
In a separate statement, HSBC said it takes such compliance “very seriously” and that the firm’s new management has taken “concrete steps” to change its culture.
“We will acknowledge that, in the past, we have sometimes failed to meet the standards that regulators and customers expect,” the company’s statement said. “We will apologize, acknowledge these mistakes, answer for our actions and give our absolute commitment to fixing what went wrong.”
Levin welcomed that sentiment, and said the bank had cooperated with the recent investigation. He also said that new leaders at both HSBC and the OCC have a chance to right past wrongs, but that the right words alone won’t be enough.
“Apologies are important,” Levin said. “But accountability is essential, and that’s what’s been missing here.” ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Senator Carl Levin: "HSBC's chief compliance officer knew what was going on"
HSBC provided a conduit for "drug kingpins and rogue nations", according to a US Senate committee investigating money laundering claims at the bank.
Its report said suspicious funds from countries including Mexico, Iran and Syria had passed through the bank.
The president and chief executive of HSBC Bank USA, Irene Dorner, apologised to the committee for the behaviour which she said deeply regretted.
Earlier, HSBC's head of compliance, David Bagley, resigned at the hearing.
Ms Dorner apologised "for the fact that HSBC did not live up to the expectations of our regulators, our customers, our employees, and the general public".
Some of the things I found frankly took my breath away Paul Thurston, HSBC executive King criticises Barclays' boardBernanke says Libor system flawed
She said she had worked hard to change the culture at the bank.
The bank also said it was in the process of closing 20,000 accounts in the Cayman Islands as a result of the investigation.
The US Department of Justice said it is conducting a criminal investigation into HSBC's operations.
Dangerous environment
Senator Carl Levin said HSBC's lack of controls at its US and overseas units had been "a recipe for trouble".
Mr Levin is chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which looked into HSBC's activities.
Mr Levin said an audit had found that: "From 2001 to 2007, HSBC affiliates sent almost 25,000 transactions involving Iran worth over $19bn dollars through HBUS and other US accounts, while concealing any link with Iran in 85% of the transactions."
HSBC senior executives in London knew what was going on, he said, but allowed the "deceptive conduct" to continue. Key HBUS officials were also informed early on, he said.
Analysis When it comes to HSBC's flawed operation in Mexico, where it bought a bank in 2002, the company's defence seems to be that it didn't know what it was getting into. Paul Thurston, who arrived there in 2007, said some of the things he discovered "took my breath away". Sounding naive may work at a human level, but for an organisation that markets itself as "the world's local bank", it's fairly, well, breathtaking. Faced with the report's catalogue of errors - failure to heed warnings that vast dollar transfers from Mexico to the US almost certainly involved drug money, or the fact that 41% of the bank's accounts in the Cayman Islands had no customer information attached - it was hardly surprising that HSBC's head of compliance, David Bagley, announced meekly that he was moving on. The spotlight here was on HSBC, but this is a test case. The two Senators make it clear that other big banks need to take note.
US government rules prohibit financial transactions with Iran and certain other countries, the committee said the bank's actions in getting round these had in some cases assisted terrorism.
According to the Senate committee, HSBC accepted more than $15bn in cash from subsidiaries in Mexico, Russia and other countries at high risk of money laundering but failed to conduct any monitoring of these bulk cash transactions between mid-2006 and mid-2009.
The report also found that HSBC knew of lax anti-money laundering practices at its Mexican subsidiary HBMX, which had dated back to its purchase in 2002.
HBMX was warned, on at least two occasions, by Mexican authorities that drug money was probably being laundered through HBMX accounts.
The hearing comes at a time when the standing of banks is already at rock bottom, says BBC New York business correspondent, Michelle Fleury.
She says: "The scandal over the manipulation of the Libor inter-bank lending rate hasn't exactly inspired confidence and has also been under scrutiny in Congress on the same day. The idea though that one of the world's biggest banks would be facilitating violent crime threatens to cast an even darker shadow over banks and bankers."
'Painful and embarrassing'
One HSBC executive, Paul Thurston, who was head of retail banking and wealth management, said the bank had taken wrongdoing seriously, and had taken action on many occasions, including dismissing staff.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "Now is the appropriate time for someone new to head group compliance"
He told the hearing of the difficulties of working in Mexico, which, he said, was a dangerous environment where kidnapping of bank staff was widespread and employees came under pressure from criminals who would attempt to corrupt them.
Mr Thurston referred to substandard record-keeping and the difficulty of knowing who the bank's clients were. He said: "Some of the things I found frankly took my breath away."
Before the hearing began, HSBC said in a statement, that it expected to be held accountable for what went wrong.
"We will apologise, acknowledge these mistakes, answer for our actions and give our absolute commitment to fixing what went wrong," HSBC said.
Senator Levin spoke of a "polluted" system that allowed black-market funds to move through the US banking system.
"In an age of international terrorism, drug violence in our streets and on our borders, and organised crime, stopping illicit money flows that support those atrocities is a national security imperative," said Mr Levin.
The report also concludes that the US bank regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, failed to properly monitor HSBC.
Many of HSBC's breaches of US anti-money laundering relate to its use of bearer share accounts. Under the rules for these accounts, ownership of shares and the income they incur can be passed from person to person in secrecy.
HSBC's US subsidiary HBUS had opened more than 2,550 accounts for bearer share corporations.
These businesses are commonly set up in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands.
|
– Terrorists, drug lords, and pariah regimes looking for a way into the US financial system found British banking giant HSBC willing to assist, according to a damning report from a Senate probe. The report, the result of a year-long inquiry, found that safeguards at the bank's American affiliate were woefully inadequate and the bank ignored warnings about its business partners' links to Saudi terrorist supporters, Iranian groups trying to dodge sanctions, and Mexican drug traffickers, Reuters reports. The report also slammed the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for failing to regulate HSBC properly. "The culture at HSBC was pervasively polluted for a long time," said Sen. Carl Levin, chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. "Banks that ignore anti-money-laundering rules are a big problem for our country," he said. "But also troubling is a bank regulator that does not adequately do its job." HSBC issued a statement admitting it had "sometimes failed to meet the standards that regulators and customers expect" and saying it had taken "concrete steps" to change its culture. Execs from HSBC and the OCC will be grilled by lawmakers at a Senate hearing today, reports the Washington Post. The BBC adds that HSBC plans to apologize during that appearance. "We will ... acknowledge these mistakes, answer for our actions, and give our absolute commitment to fixing what went wrong," said the company in a statement.
|
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Newt Gingrich stepped up his attack against President Barack Obama as he campaigned in Florida Monday, accusing the Democratic administration of declaring a “war against Christianity” with a new regulation requiring employers to cover birth control in their health policies.
Newt Gingrich greets supporters at a rally on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)
At airport rallies in Pensacola and Fort Myers, Mr. Gingrich added a new pledge in his stump speeches, saying he would sign an executive order overturning all “anti-religious” federal policies on his first day in office.
Mr. Gingrich, a Catholic convert, also sought to drag his main rival Mitt Romney into the controversy, saying that as governor, Mr. Romney had imposed a similar requirement on Catholic hospitals. Mr. Gingrich appeared to be referring to abortion provisions in the state health-care overhaul law passed in Massachusetts. The Catholic Church opposes abortion and the use of contraception.
Mr. Gingrich also accused Mr. Romney of cutting kosher meals to elderly Medicaid recipients in Massachusetts in a cost-saving effort.
“He has no understanding of the importance of conscience or the importance of religious liberty in this country,” said Mr. Gingrich of Mr. Romney, who is a Mormon. “I will make religious liberty your right, to go with God with no government interference.”
Andrea Saul, a Romney spokeswoman, said that it was “sad to see Speaker Gingrich lashing out in a desperate attempt to try and save his floundering campaign. ”
Mr. Gingrich said that the regulation had been condemned in a letter from church leaders that was read as he attended Mass Sunday night at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Jacksonville with wife, Callista.
Religious leaders have been rallying against the new requirement since it was announced 10n days ago.
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||||| (Image Credit: Charles Dharapak/AP Photo)
The most recent showdown between Roman Catholic Church leaders and the Obama administration over contraceptive services threatens to alienate the president's liberal religious supporters at a time when discontent with Washington is surging.
In letters read to parishioners Sunday, Catholic Church leaders across the country openly denounced the administration's recent decision mandating faith-based hospitals, charities and schools to provide birth control and reproductive services in health insurance plans.
The Catholic Church had lobbied against the new requirement, which will go into effect January 2013.
The wording in the letters, penned by individual clergy, varied widely but the theme was distinctly anti-Washington. Bishop Alexander K. Sample of Marquette, Mich., for example, accused the administration of casting aside the First Amendment, "denying to Catholics our nation's first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty" and treating people of faith as second-class citizens. Others threatened to not comply with the new rule, which provides exemption to churches and "religious employers."
The mandate is particularly worrisome to supporters of President Obama, who had coalesced behind him despite his liberal views on abortion and reproductive rights.
"This has hurt the case that some Catholics have made that voting for Obama in some ways is a vote for Catholic social teaching," said Mathew N. Schmalz, a professor of religion and comparative studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reportedly based its decision on an Institute of Medicine study, which concluded that birth control is medically necessary to "ensure women's health and well being." The independent, nonprofit organization recommended in a July report that contraception, sterilization and reproductive services, including the controversial "morning-after" pill, should be available to all women under health insurance plans, echoing similar recommendations by other medical organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Public Health Association.
Among Catholics, birth control is relatively popular and most are against Church leaders' intervening in that decision. Ninety-five percent of Catholic women used contraceptives, per a report by the Catholic University of America. Eighty-five percent of all Catholics support expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it, higher than the 82 percent of the general population who favors this, according to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, D.C.
"Rank-and-file Catholics also have some reservation about how prominently they want the bishops to be involved in politics," said Robert P. Jones, chief executive and founder of the institute, which found that more than half of Catholics are against their religious leaders' pressuring politicians. "There's some possibility that some Catholics could perceive this as overreaching."
At the same time, some Catholics also feel the same way about the federal government and that it is stepping on religious liberties.
"For a majority of Catholics who don't necessarily follow Church teaching in this area, its significance is more symbolic in the sense that the broader issue is not just, say, contraception or providing health case for contraception, but creating a space within civil society for the expression of religion conscience," professor Schmalz said.
Religious groups, particularly Catholics, have had a mixed relationship with the president.
Obama, who had Joe Biden, a Catholic, as his running mate, won a majority of the Catholic vote in 2008, thanks to support from Hispanics. Seventy-one percent of Catholics of color voted for the senator from Illinois, according to an analysis of exit poll data by Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life.
But he lost among white Catholics with only 47 percent support, becoming the first candidate since 1976 to lose white Catholics but win the presidency.
Democrats courted the religious bloc, including Catholics, heavily in 2008. Candidate Obama spoke openly and candidly about his faith, often linking to his views on issues such as executive pay. But even then, religious groups were wary of Obama because of his abortion-rights stance.
The most recent showdown isn't the first for this administration. The administration took much heat in December for rejecting the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' request for a grant to help victims of sex trafficking, because it doesn't provide full gynecological services such as family planning, contraception and abortion. The conference, which got the second-highest rating from an independent review panel, received the same five-year grant in 2006.
It's too soon to tell how the recent kerfuffles will come to play in November but, religious experts say, it doesn't bode well for Obama. Even if he keeps his liberal base, he will have a hard time reaching out to the group at large.
"I don't think Catholic liberals are en masse going to leave Obama but they are disappointed," Schmalz said. "High-profile Catholics who have supported Obama are put in a more difficult position because of this."
|
– Newt Gingrich's latest campaign pledge is to overturn all "anti-religious" policies on his first day in office. On the campaign trail in Florida yesterday, the candidate—a prominent opponent of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque—portrayed himself as the candidate of religious freedom, the Wall Street Journal reports. He accused Obama of declaring "war on Christianity" with a regulation requiring employers to cover birth control in their health policies. The Catholic Church, which Gingrich joined in 2009, denounced the policy in a letter read to parishioners across the country Sunday, ABC notes. Gingrich also slammed Romney for a similar policy introduced while he was governor of Massachusetts—and accused him of cutting off funds for kosher meals for elderly Jews on Medicare. Romney "has no understanding of the importance of conscience or the importance of religious liberty in this country,” Gingrich said. “I will make religious liberty your right, to go with God with no government interference."
|
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