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Transcript of ElBaradei's U.N. presentation
(CNN) -- Following is a transcript of International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei's March 7 presentation to the U.N. Security Council on the progress of the inspection effort in Iraq.
ElBaradei: Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. President, my report to the council today is an update on the status of the International Atomic Energy Agency's nuclear verification activities in Iraq pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1441 and other relevant resolutions.
When I reported last to the council on February 14, I explained that the agency's inspection activities has moved well beyond the reconnaissance phase -- that is, re-establishing our knowledge base regarding Iraq nuclear capabilities -- into the investigative phase, which focuses on the central question before the IAEA relevant to disarmament -- whether Iraq has revived or attempted to revive its defunct nuclear weapons program over the last four years.
At the outset, let me state on general observation, namely that during the past four years at the majority of Iraqi sites industrial capacity has deteriorated substantially due to the departure of the foreign support that was often present in the late '80s, the departure of large numbers of skilled Iraqi personnel in the past decade and the lack of consistent maintenance by Iraq of sophisticated equipment.
At only a few inspected sites involved in industrial research, development and manufacturing have the facilities been improved and new personnel been taken on.
This overall deterioration in industrial capacity is naturally of direct relevance to Iraq's capability for resuming a nuclear weapons program.
The IAEA has now conducted a total of 218 nuclear inspections at 141 sites, including 21 that have not been inspected before. In addition, the agency experts have taken part in many joint UNMOVIC [U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission]-IAEA inspections.
Technical support for nuclear inspections has continued to expand. The three operational air samplers have collected from key locations in Iraq weekly air particulate samples that are being sent to laboratories for analysis. Additional results of water, sediment, vegetation and material sample analysis have been received from the relevant laboratories.
Our vehicle-borne radiation survey team has covered some 2,000 kilometers over the past three weeks. Survey access has been gained to over 75 facilities, including military garrisons and camps, weapons factories, truck parks and manufacturing facilities and residential areas.
Interviews have continued with relevant Iraqi personnel, at times with individuals and groups in the workplace during the course of unannounced inspections, and on other occasions in pre-arranged meetings with key scientists and other specialists known to have been involved with Iraq's past nuclear program.
The IAEA has continued to conduct interviews, even when the conditions were not in accordance with the IAEA-preferred modalities, with a view to gaining as much information as possible -- information that could be cross-checked for validity with other sources and which could be helpful in our assessment of areas under investigation.
As you may recall, when we first began to request private, unescorted interviews, the Iraqi interviewees insisted on taping the interviews and keeping the recorded tapes. Recently, upon our insistence, individuals have been consenting to being interviewed without escort and without a taped record. The IAEA has conducted two such private interviews in the last 10 days, and hope that its ability to conduct private interviews will continue unhindered, including possibly interviews outside Iraq.
I should add that we are looking into further refining the modalities for conducting interviews to ensure that they are conducted freely and to alleviate concerns that interviews are being listened to by other Iraqi parties. In our view, interviews outside Iraq may be the best way to ensure that interviews are free, and we intend therefore to request such interviews shortly.
We are also asking other states to enable us to conduct interviews with former Iraqi scientists that now reside in those states.
Mr. President, in the last few weeks, Iraq has provided a considerable volume of documentation relevant to the issues I reported earlier as being of particular concern, including Iraq's efforts to procure aluminum tubes, its attempted procurement of magnets and magnets-production capabilities and its reported attempt to import uranium.
I will touch briefly on the progress made on each of these issues.
Since my last update to the council, the primary technical focus of IAEA field activities in Iraq has been on resolving several outstanding issues related to the possible resumption of efforts by Iraq to enrich uranium through the use of centrifuge. For that purpose, the IAEA assembled a specially qualified team of international centrifuge manufacturing experts.
With regard to the aluminum tubes, the IAEA has conducted a thorough investigation of Iraq's attempt to purchase large quantities of high-strength aluminum tubes. As previously reported, Iraq has maintained that these aluminum tubes were sold for rocket production.
Extensive field investigation and document analysis have failed to uncover any evidence that Iraq intended to use these 81-millimeter tubes for any project other than the reverse engineering of rockets.
The Iraqi decision-making process with regard to the design of these rockets was well-documented. Iraq has provided copies of design documents, procurement records, minutes of committee meetings and supporting data and samples.
A thorough analysis of this information, together with information gathered from interviews with Iraqi personnel, has allowed the IAEA to develop a coherent picture of attempted purchase and intended usage of the 81-millimeter aluminum tubes as well as the rationale behind the changes in the tolerance.
Drawing on this information, the IAEA has learned that the original tolerance for the 81-millimeter tubes were set prior to 1987 and were based on physical measurements taken from a small number of imported rockets in Iraq's possession.
Initial attempts to reverse-engineer the rockets met with little success. Tolerance were adjusted during the following years as part of ongoing efforts to revitalize a project and improve operational efficiency. The project language for a long period during this time became the subject of several committees, which resulted in the specification and tolerance changes on each occasion.
Based on available evidence, the IAEA team has concluded that Iraq efforts to import these aluminum tubes were not likely to have been related to the manufacture of centrifuge, and moreover that it was highly unlikely that Iraq could have achieved the considerable redesign needed to use them in a revived centrifuge program.
However, this issue will continue to be scrutinized and investigated.
With respect to reports about Iraq efforts to import high-strength permanent magnets or to achieve the capability for producing such magnets for use in a centrifuge enrichment program, I should note that since 1998 Iraq has purchased high-strength magnets for various uses.
Iraq has declared inventories of magnets of 12 different designs. The IAEA has verified that previously acquired magnets have been used for missile guidance systems, industrial machinery, electricity meters and field telephones.
Through visits to research and production sites, review of engineering drawings and analysis of sample magnets, the IAEA experts familiar with the use of such magnets in centrifuge enrichment have verified that none of the magnets that Iraq has declared could be used directly for centrifuge magnetic bearings.
In June 2001, Iraq signed a contract for a new magnet production line for delivery and installation in 2003. The delivery has not yet occurred, and Iraqi documentations and interviews of Iraqi personnel indicate that this contract will not be executed.
However, they have concluded that the replacement of foreign procurement with domestic magnet production seems reasonable from an economic point of view.
In addition, the training and experience acquired by Iraq in pre-1991 period make it likely that Iraq possesses the expertise to manufacture high-strength permanent magnets suitable for use in enrichment centrifuges. The IAEA will continue, therefore, to monitor and inspect equipment and materials that could be used to make magnets for enrichment centrifuges.
With regard to uranium acquisition, the IAEA has made progress in its investigation into reports that Iraq sought to buy uranium from Niger in recent years. The investigation was centered on documents provided by a number of states that pointed to an agreement between Niger and Iraq for the sale of uranium between 1999 and 2001.
The IAEA has discussed these reports with the governments of Iraq and Israel, both of which have denied that any such activity took place.
For its part, Iraq has provided the IAEA with a comprehensive explanation of its relations with Niger and has described a visit by an Iraqi official to a number of African countries, including Niger in February 1999, which Iraq thought might have given rise to the reports.
The IAEA was able to review correspondence coming from various bodies of the government of Niger and to compare the form, format, contents and signature of that correspondence with those of the alleged procurement-related documentation.
Based on thorough analysis, the IAEA has concluded with the concurrence of outside experts that these documents which formed the basis for the report of recent uranium transaction between Iraq and Niger are in fact not authentic. We have therefore concluded that these specific allegations are unfounded. However, we will continue to follow up any additional evidence if it emerges relevant to efforts by Iraq to illicitly import nuclear materials.
Many concerns regarding Iraq's possible intention to resume its nuclear program have arisen from Iraq's procurement efforts reported by a number of states. In addition, many of Iraq's efforts to procure commodities and products, including magnets and aluminum tubes, have been conducted in contravention of the sanctions specified under Security Council Resolution 661 and other relevant resolutions.
The issue of procurement efforts remains under thorough investigation, and further verification will be forthcoming. In fact, an IAEA team of technical experts is currently in Iraq, composed of custom investigators and computer forensics specialists, to conduct a -- which is conducting a series of investigations [through] inspection of trading companies and commercial organizations aimed at understanding Iraq's pattern of procurement.
Mr. President, in conclusion, I am able to report today that in the area of nuclear weapons, the most lethal weapons of mass destruction, inspections in Iraq are moving forward.
Since the resumption of inspection a little over three months ago, and particularly during the three weeks since my last ordered report to the council, the IAEA has made important progress in identifying what nuclear-related capabilities remain in Iraq and in its assessment of whether Iraq has made any effort to revive its past nuclear program during the intervening four years since inspections were brought to a halt.
At this stage, the following can be stated:
One, there is no indication of resumed nuclear activities in those buildings that were identified through the use of satellite imagery as being reconstructed or newly erected since 1998, nor any indication of nuclear-related prohibited activities at any inspected sites.
Second, there is no indication that Iraq has attempted to import uranium since 1990.
Three, there is no indication that Iraq has attempted to import aluminum tubes for use in centrifuge enrichment. Moreover, even had Iraq pursued such a plan, it would have encountered practical difficulties in manufacturing centrifuge out of the aluminum tubes in question.
Fourth, although we are still reviewing issues related to magnets and magnet-production, there is no indication to date that Iraq imported magnets for use in centrifuge enrichment program.
As I stated above, the IAEA will naturally continue further to scrutinize and investigate all of the above issues.
After three months of intrusive inspections, we have to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapon program in Iraq.
We intend to continue our inspection activities, making use of all additional rights granted to us by Resolution 1441 and all additional tools that might be available to us, including reconnaissance platforms and all relevant technologies.
We also hope to continue to receive from states actionable information relevant to our mandate.
I should note that in the past three weeks, possibly as a result of ever-increasing pressure by the international community, Iraq has been forthcoming in its cooperation, particularly with regard to the conduct of private interviews and in making available evidence that could contribute to the resolution of matters of IAEA concern. I do hope that Iraq will continue to expand the scope and accelerate the pace of its cooperation.
The detailed knowledge of Iraq capabilities that IAEA experts have accumulated since 1991, combined with the extended rights provided by Resolution 1441, the active commitment by all states to help us fulfill our mandate and the recently increased level of Iraqi cooperation should enable us in the near future to provide the Security Council with an objective and thorough assessment of Iraq's nuclear-related capabilities.
However, credible this assessment may be, we will endeavor, in view of the inherent uncertainties associated with any verification process, and particularly in the light of Iraq past record of cooperation, to evaluate Iraq capabilities on a continuous basis as part of our long-term monitoring and verification program in order to provide the international community with ongoing and real-time assurances.
Thank you, Mr. President.


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With Robert Drysdale unable to fight at UFC 167, Cody Donovan will now instead meet Gian Villante.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, the Nevada State Athletic Commission denied Drysdale a license to fight after an out-of-competition drug test revealed an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio, leaving Donovan without an opponent. UFC officials today announced the new matchup.
UFC 167 takes place Nov. 16 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event's main card airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and MMAjunkie.com.
Donovan (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Villante (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) meet in the night's very first fight.
"Donnybrook" Donovan looks to rebound from a first-round knockout loss to Ovince St. Preux in August at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston. That loss snapped a four-fight winning streak, including a knockout win in his UFC debut against Nick Penner this past December and a win under the Bellator banner.
Meanwhile, Villante takes the fight on short notice seeking his first UFC win. The 28-year-old fought five times under the Strikeforce banner and earned a three-fight winning streak for the promotion with victories over Derrick Mehmen, Trevor Smith and Keith Berry. However, he fell short in his UFC debut, suffering a technical-decision loss to Ovince St. Preux in on odd fight that was shortened by an "OSP" eye poke just 33 seconds into the final round.
With the replacement opponent in place, the UFC 167 lineup is again complete. The fight card includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks – for welterweight title
- Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen
- Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald
- Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley
- Ali Bagautinov vs. Tim Elliott
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)
- Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham
- Ed Herman vs. Thales Leites
- Brian Ebersole vs. Rick Story
- Edwin Figueroa vs. Erik Perez
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie.com, 6:45 p.m. ET)
- Jason High vs. Anthony Lapsley
- Vaughan Lee vs. Sergio Pettis
- Cody Donovan vs. Gian Villante
For more on UFC 167, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Gian Villante)

subset: commoncrawl


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'Broken City' can't be repaired by mere star power
- Stars%3A Mark Wahlberg%2C Russell Crowe%2C Catherine Zeta-Jones
- USA TODAY review%3A * * out of four
- Rated R%3B Running time%3A 1 hour%2C 49 minutes. Opens Friday nationwide
Broken City is in serious need of repair.
And with all the talent involved, it's all the more disappointing. Allen Hughes directs, aiming for a gritty political thriller. But aiming is not achieving. Few, if any, of the characters are believable and the twists the story takes are telegraphed well beforehand, or fairly guessable. Much of the plot gets bogged down with excess exposition.
Mark Wahlberg plays a role that feels exceedingly familiar — both for him and for this kind of predictable saga of corruption. He's Billy Taggart, a zealous but boozy New York City cop who takes the law into his own hands— and gets away with murder. He's quietly booted off the force, but not imprisoned. He's lauded as a hero by the sleazy mayor (Russell Crowe), then kicked out of the department by Police Commissioner Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright). We knew in seconds that Crowe's Mayor Hostetler is slimy. It's evident at first sight, with his aura of power-grabbing menace, bad haircut and fake tan (which grows darker over the movie's course, particularly during a mayoral campaign debate).
The story mostly takes place seven years after Taggart's firing. Now a struggling private eye, he has sobered up and coupled with Natalie (Natalie Martinez). Taggart has avenged the rape and death of her sister, and their relationship hinges on that. Natalie is an actress making her first indie film and Taggart is not supportive, for no particular reason. He then grows ridiculously jealous watching her in a love scene with a co-star, in a subplot that goes nowhere.
The bigger story focuses on the venal mayor and his elegant wife Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The mayor hires Taggart to spy on her because he says she's cheating on him. He offers Taggart a tidy sum. Along the way we see a lot of banal bantering between Taggart and his youthful assistant Katy (Alona Tal). And then there are the dull clashes of Mayor Hostetler and his idealistic challenger, councilman Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper). Also key to the story are a real estate developer and top campaign contributor (Griffin Dunne) and Valliant's campaign manager (Kyle Chandler).
The dialogue is often cliched, which undercuts the sense of treachery the film tries to establish. Director Hughes posits too many unlikely scenarios and far-fetched coincidences for this tale to work. For instance, at the very moment Taggart arrives at a company he suspects of corruption, he sees workers throwing trash bags of evidence in a garbage bin. And a key incriminating contract mystifyingly is never shredded, unlike all the other documents that are being tossed out.
We're meant to root for Taggart as he stands up to a corrupt system. But after he falls off the wagon and behaves like a fool it's hard to really care as he is railroaded, framed, double-crossed and more.
Wahlberg had one of his best screen roles last year with Seth MacFarlane's rowdy comedy Ted. He has great comic timing and perhaps should focus his energies on more humorous parts. His flawed-cop roles are played out. He's far more compelling when riffing with a potty-mouthed teddy bear than tangling with a corrupt mayor.
Sure, Ted and Broken City are cinematic apples and oranges, but freshness is key in all genres. A cynical thriller about governmental corruption should not make cynics of its audience.


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A quick post, as I'm on vacation (sort of)… Institutional Review Blog has some absolutely terrific coverage of the proposed IRB rule changes, aka the ANPRM. The blogger, Zachary Schrag, is a historian who has made IRBs a focus of his research. In particular his Quick Guide to the ANPRM is a must-read for any social scientist considering writing public comments. All the coverage and commentary at his blog is conveniently tagged ANPRM so you can find it easily.
Also, thanks to Tal Yarkoni for a shout-out over at [citation needed].


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Why Charlie Sheen's Plea Deal Went South
Sources tell TMZ ... a woman who works in the Pitkin County Jail derailed Charlie Sheen's plea deal today, because she refused to honor the agreement -- even though her own boss signed off on it.
We're told the Pitkin County Sheriff signed off on the deal, as did the undersheriff, the lead prosecutor and Pitkin County District Attorney Marty Beeson. But the woman who supervises the work release program at the jail threw the monkey wrench before court today, saying she wasn't going to honor the deal because she had problems with the way it was structured. In short, she would not let Charlie do what all of the parties agreed he could do to complete his 30-day sentence.
We're told the woman made it clear ... she didn't care if her boss made a commitment -- she would not enforce it. We're told the Sheriff would not force the woman to honor the agreement.
At that point, attorney Yale Galanter, who brokered the deal for Sheen, pulled the plug.
Charlie is in Aspen tonight but we're told he will not be going back to court tomorrow.
If the parties work it out, a new court date is set for July 12.


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I finally had enough tomatoes between my garden and my friends' to make some salsa this year. It was a terrible year for my tomatoes, but everything else seems to be doing great in the garden. Better luck next year I hope.
Anyway, I couldn't wait to make some yummy salsa to put away in my pantry for my last minute canning before harvest season is over. This recipe does not require you to boil, peel, and core your tomatoes. That's why I'm calling it easy! Does it alter the taste of your salsa? Not in the slightest way (in my opinion)! It's delicious and is also a fantastic way to throw in those cherry tomatoes from your garden! They have such a delicious flavor and add just the right amount of sweetness. If you don't have them, don't worry; just use whatever tomatoes you've got on hand.
- 1 gallon of washed tomatoes chopped in half or in quarters to go into your food processor (if using cherry tomatoes, just leave them whole)
- 3 medium sweet onions
- 5 bell peppers any color
- 4-5 jalapeño peppers with seeds (or without if you don't like salsa with a kick)
- 3 tablespoons salt (I love to use pickling salt when preserving food)
- 1/2 c bottled lemon juice & 1/2 c bottled lime juice (you MUST use bottled juice and not fresh when canning)
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 2 cloves of garlic
1. How in the heck do you measure a gallon of tomatoes? My favorite way is to throw them into my gallon size Tupperware that clearly has a "1 G" printed on it. Don't have one? Maybe you have a quart size Tupperware or measuring cup laying around. Remember, four quarts in a gallon 😊 Wash your tomatoes and process them in batches in your food processor. I found 5 pulses worked for me on the cherry tomatoes, and 6 pulses for the regular tomatoes.
2. Here is where you're going to drain each batch of tomatoes through your strainer before putting into your pot. I used a silicone spatchula to press the juice out of the tomatoes. You can see how much juice is in there in the beginning vs the end after the spatchula/strainer.
3. Continue to run your peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro through the food processor and add to your tomatoes. There's no need to drain any of them, and you should pulse to the consistency you like. Personally, I like my salsa chunky.
4. Now add your salt and bottled lemon and lime juice. These babies are exactly 1/2 a cup each. You can choose to do all lemon or all lime if you like. I just like the flavor the mix gives them. ***IMPORTANT: You must never alter the amount of acidity in a recipe for tomatoes. They do not contain the acid they once did, and canning with incorrect acidity leads to botulism. You cannot smell or detect botulism on your own, so do not risk it. Also, the acidity of lemons and limes can change daily and are not reliable, so that is why it's important to use canned juice only. It is cooked and maintains a certain ph that is safe for preserving food.***
5. Bring to a boil and then summer for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking on the bottom.
6. Pour into your prepared jars. This recipe makes about 10 pint sized jars.
7. Wipe your rims before sealing and give them a 15 minute water bath (or more depending on your elevation). Voila! You have delicious salsa that is shelf stable and ready to eat all through the winter months 🙌🏻


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I can't believe that February is already over… where is 2019 going?!
I got a new MacBook this month and it's fab. My old MacBook was nearly seven years old and while it was still going okay the screen wasn't helping my eyes. The Retina display on this new Mac is fabulous and much easier to look at. I'm also finding the new butterly keyboard easier to type on so while I do still use voice software a lot I'm hoping that easier typing might mean I can continue blogging when WordPress forces me to use the update that I've so far had to avoid.
I'm mortified to discover that WordPress wasn't running right on my old MacBook and I now see that I've had a lot of lovely comments on my blog over the last few months that I hadn't seen before. There's no way I can catch up with them all but I will make sure to read them and will reply where I can manage to. Hopefully things will run smoothly now and I can reply to comments as they arrive. Thanks so much to all of you who've commented on any of my posts, I can only apologise for not replying to them.
Here are the 21 that books I read in January:
Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami
This was a fab short story that I got for my birthday in January and I loved it. It reminded me why I love Murakami's writing and has made me want to pick up the novels of his that I so far haven't read.
The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton
This was an interesting insight into how criminal psychology came to be used more in modern policing in this country. It's one man's story and look back over the cases he's worked on.
Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox
This was a great read, so fast-paced and twisty. I hope to get a review written and posted before too much longer.
Trauma by Dr. Gordon Turnbull
This book is fascinating and I'm so glad I read it. It's a look at how PTSD came to be a diagnosis in this country, and how the treatment of the condition has changed over the years. I definitely recommend this one!
East of England by Eamonn Griffin
I loved this book. It was so different to my normal kind of read but I very much enjoyed it. I've already reviewed this one so click the book title above if you'd like to know more.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
I part listened and part read this book and I found it so interesting. It's a doorstop of a book but I seemed to get through it in no time as it's really engaging.
All the Little Lies by Chris Curran
I loved this book too and as I've already reviewed it you can find out more about if you click the title above.
This book is brilliant and I already feel sure it'll be in my best books of this year! I reviewed it this week so click the title above if you'd like to know more.
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
I can't believe I'd never read this book before as I really enjoy Gaskell's writing, but better late than never as I loved it.
Manhunt by Colin Sutton
I picked this book after recently watching the TV adaptation. I found it interesting but it wasn't quite as interesting as I'd hoped it would be.
Don't Turn Around by Amanda Brooke
This was such a gripping read, I found it hard to put down. Hopefully I'll get a review posted on here soon.
This was another great read in February! I've reviewed this one so click on the title if you want to know more.
I Invited Her In by Adele Parks
I enjoyed this book but it wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped. I spotted all the twists early on but the writing was still great and that's what kept me reading.
The One by John Marrs
I part read and part listened to this book and it was an okay read. I was expecting a bit more but at the same time I found it hard to put down so it definitely kept me engaged all the way through.
The Girl Next Door by Phoebe Morgan
This was such a good read. I listened to the audio book and it was one of those reads that made me begrudge real life interfering with me book listening time!
The Bridal Party by J. G. Murray
I really enjoyed this book! It was another book that was hard to put down and I love that it all turned out differently than I was expecting.
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald
This book was so good! It was gripping from start to finish and was also a much more emotional read than I was expecting. I loved it and will definitely review it soon.
Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah David-Goff
This isn't my usual kind of read but I loved it. It had so much depth to it and made me think, I really enjoyed it.
Are You The F**king Doctor? by Dr. Liam Farrell
This was another good read. It was funny and engaging and witty, I recommend it!
'Kill The Black One First' by Michael Fuller
I listened to this on audio and found it so interesting. It was shocking to read of the author's experiences in the police force as a young black man but inspiring to see how he dealt with it and overcame it. The audio is narrated by the author too, which is always great with a memoir. I definitely recommend this one!
The Golden Child by Wendy James
I've had this ARC on my TBR for a few months now and finally picked it up yesterday. I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting, it's such a good read!
January Blog Posts & Reviews:
I blogged 14 times in February which I'm happy with. Only six of those posts were reviews though which I need to improve on as I'm reading a lot and just haven't been managing to get reviews written and posted. I think my new MacBook will help with that as it's easier for me to use, and faster. Anyway, here are my blog posts and reviews from February…
That Was The Month That Was… January 2019
Review of Senseless by Anna Lickley
Review of East of England by Eamonn Griffin
Review of All the Little Lies by Chris Curran
Review of My Last Lie by Ella Drummond
Review of Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Review of Waco: A Survivor's Story by David Thidebeau
The state of my TBR:
Well my TBR has got a little bit out of control during February. My plan to reduce it by 200 books from the total at the start of the year to the total at the end as gone a bit awry. To be on target my TBR should now be down to 2407 owned books but it's actually at 2482! Oops! In fairness though I am part-way through having a book sort out so I think there will be some books going to the charity shop that I no longer want to read. Other than I just need to keep reading, and perhaps be a bit better at not buying all of the books at once! Haha!
How was your February? I hope you all had a good month and that you read lots of good books. Did you read many books? What was your favourite book of the month? Please tell me in the comments, I'd love to know. Also, if you have a blog please feel free to leave a link to your month's wrap-up post and I'll be sure to read and comment back. 🙂


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Los Angeles is a fascinating place to live for its diversity of peoples. In the shopping mall, on the Santa Monica pier, the Venice Beach boardwalk (above photo), and other public spaces, I blend in with the crowd. I am at home amidst the range of skin color pigments and English-speaking accents.
In spite of our rich cultural diversity, racism, misogyny, and xenophobia still circulate beneath our thin skin. At a local coffee shop, I've had to wait much longer for my coffee than my white companion. At a writers' meeting, a white female club member told me not to touch her. "It's offensive," she said with an angry tone.
On a sunny, windy, Sunday morning in Santa Monica, someone in a passing vehicle threw water in my face as I crossed the busy boulevard. Was it the color of my skin that the stranger considered offensive or was it…
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At one time the grandest of medieval townhouses in London, the history of the Savoy Palace, also known as the Palace of the Savoy, goes back to at least the 13th century.
A mansion was built here by Simon de Montfort, the ill-fated Earl of Leicester, in 1245. Following his death, it and the land between the Strand and the Thames were gifted by King Henry III to Peter, Count of Savoy, and it was renamed the Savoy Palace (apparently originally spelt Savoie).
The uncle of the king's young wife Eleanor of Provence, Peter had accompanied his niece to London for her wedding to the king at Canterbury Cathedral on 14th January, 1236, and decided to stay. In 1241, the king named him the Earl of Richmond and in 1246 granted him the land upon which the property was built.
After being briefly given to a religious order, Queen Eleanor gifted the property to Prince Edmund ("Edmund Crouchback" – a term referring to his entitlement to wear a crusader's cross, not a hunchback), the 1st Earl of Lancaster and younger brother to King Edward I.
It was subsequently occupied by Edmund's successor earls and, later, dukes. Among the 'guests' to visit the palace during the 14th century were the French King Jean (John) II, held there for three years following his capture by the Black Prince at the Battle of Poitiers during the Hundred Years War in 1356.
Interestingly, as the property of the Dukes of Lancaster, the precinct around the palace was considered part of County Palatine of Lancaster (created in 1351), meaning that the rule of the dukes was applied here instead of that of the king – a situation which remained in place until the 1800s.
The palace eventually became the property of John of Gaunt, the 2nd Duke of Lancaster and third son of King Edward III. The richest and most powerful man in the kingdom (he was all but king in name during the younger years of King Richard II in whose name he ruled), Gaunt's home was said to be sumptuous.
It's perhaps not surprising then that it become a focus of the rebels during the Peasant's Revolt in 1381 (it had been attacked unsuccessfully a few years earlier). They attacked and destroyed the property, razing it to the ground. (The story includes the tale that 32 men drank themselves to death after becoming trapped in the cellar while the palace burned).
The site, however, continued to be referred to as that of the Savoy and in the early sixteenth century King Henry VII, by order of his will, financed the founding of the Savoy Hospital on the site for the poor people (the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy is a relic of this building – see our earlier post here). The hospital closed in 1702 and was later demolished (we'll deal with this in more detail in a later Lost London post).
The site, which stands on the north side of the Thames just west of Waterloo Bridge, is now occupied by the salubrious Savoy Hotel (the entrance of which is pictured above) and the Savoy Theatre, which, like the hotel, was founded by impressario Richard d'Oyly in the 1880s (the theatre was the first building in the country to be entirely lit by electric lighting).
The name of the Savoy Palace is also remembered in street names around the site including Savoy Street, Savoy Hill, Savoy Steps, Savoy Way and Savoy Place.


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Tribune Co.'s $2.73 billion acquisition of 19 television station's from Local TV Holdings includes a major player in Pennsylvania, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ABC affiliate WNEP.
The station, a prominent source for local news in the coal region, is among those Tribune is acquiring in a deal announced Monday that would make the Chicago company the largest TV station owner in the United States.
The deal also significantly increases Tribune's stake in Pennsylvania. Tribune, which publishes The Morning Call, already owns WPHL in Philadelphia and WPMT in York. WNEP will expand the reach of the company's television assets into 21 northeastern Pennsylvania counties, the state's fourth-largest television market.
That area has a total of 581,020 homes with television viewers, making it the No. 54 market in the country, according to the Nielsen Co.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-tribune-buys-tv-stations-20130701,0,5253381.story#ixzz2XuuiHSK7
Follow us: @mcall on Twitter | mcall.lv on Facebook


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Poltava pəltä´və [key], city (1989 pop. 315,000), capital of Poltava region, E Ukraine, on the Kiev-Kharkiv highway and on the Vorskla River, a tributary of the Dnieper. It is an industrial center and important rail junction in the rich black-earth agricultural region. The city has railroad shops, food- and tobacco-processing plants, and factories that produce machinery, railroad equipment, automobiles, tractors, building materials, footwear, leather goods, textiles, and wood products. One of the oldest Ukrainian cities, Poltava was the site of a Slavic settlement in the 8th and 9th cent. It became part of Lithuania in 1430. In the 17th cent., under Bohdan Chmielnicki, it was the chief town of a Ukrainian Cossack regiment. Poltava was a flourishing commercial center in the 18th and 19th cent., a principal focus of the Ukrainian literary and national movement, and, under Czar Nicholas I, a place of exile. Nearby lies the battlefield where Czar Peter I defeated Charles XII of Sweden and the hetman Mazeppa of Ukraine in 1709 (see Northern War) in a battle that marked Russia's emergence as a major European power. Poltava was the home of the writer Nikolai Gogol, many of whose stories are set in the nearby village of Dikanka. The city is the location of the gravitational observatory of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: CIS and Baltic Political Geography


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We all know what this means. In a crisis we either fight or we run. Which would you do? Lately I've been running or rolling as it would be. And I'm not a 'roller'! I've always been a fighter. And definitely not a quitter, which is also what I have been doing as of late. I know that the fight is inside of me. I was physically attacked many moons ago in front of my apartment building. I fought and the guy ran away. So, I know the fight is there, I just need to find her again. This is not to say there will be many days I want to quit, but I am looking for my little fighter again. I know that if my PPMS were a person I would have kicked the shit of out her a long time ago. Fighting the MS will be tricky as 'she' is not a tangible being. But when has that stopped me before?
The past week has been very rough and it is not over yet. Hands still shaking, legs still weaker than normal, transferring is tough, fatigue is kicking my ass. I'm still quite depressed, as being in this fucking chair is really getting old. The first thing I see when awakening is my chair and it is the last thing I see when I go to sleep. A HUGE reminder that I am crippled. I think it is so hard because I know what it is like to walk, to be able to go when I please, have Independence… ALL of which was ripped out from under me, literally!
I am hoping the 'fight' in me comes back. I cannot make any promises as I have no idea what each day is going to bring. I am terrified of going to sleep as I never know when waking if my body will have finally succumbed to the MS. Will I wake up totally paralyzed? What then? I know there will be days and blogs where my pain will come through like a punch in the face, so be prepared.
I only have myself and my inner strength to count on. I know I have family and friends, but this fight is solely up to me. No one can 'fix' my emotions but myself. Some have suggested counseling… sorry but talking to someone in high heels and who is healthy is NOT for me. I do not care how many books they have read or how many people they know in a wheelchair, they are not living it so they have no clue! This is FACT not fiction!
Well the hands are getting weak and my head is staring to nod, so I'm out!
But, before I go, good luck with the Rapture! I know I'll still be here tomorrow as will everyone else. Well, maybe not the quacks that believe this, hopefully they will go! 😛


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- "Someone just sold the Associated Press a bag of magic beans." – John Gruber hits the nail on the head regarding the AP's news "DRM".
By day, I'm a product manager serving a group of fantastic engineers at Square.
By night, I fight crime and solve mysteries with a robot pal of my own creation.
By midday, I like a snack, generally a cookie.
Part of this biography isn't true (hint, I like cookies and engineering, I don't own a robot).
Recent Posts


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The Swish-e README FileSwish-e version 2.4.7
Table of Contents
If you are upgrading Swish-e, please review the CHANGES file before installation. The index format may change and existing indexes may need to be re-created before use.
Swish-e is Simple Web Indexing System for Humans - Enhanced. Swish-e can quickly and easily index directories of files or remote web sites and search the generated indexes.
Swish-e is extremely fast in both indexing and searching, highly configurable, and can be seamlessly integrated with existing web sites to maintain a consistent design. Swish-e can index web pages, but can just as easily index text files, mailing list archives, or data stored in a relational database.
Swish is designed to index small- to medium-sized collection of documents, Although a few users are indexing over a million documents, typical usage is more often in the tens of thousands. Currently, Swish-e only indexes eight bit character encodings.
Swish-e version 2.2 was a major rewrite of the code and the addition of many new features. Memory requirements for indexing have been reduced and indexing speed is significantly improved from previous versions. New features allow more control over indexing, better document parsing, improved indexing and searching logic, better filter code, and the ability to index from any data source.
Swish-e version 2.4 includes a major rewrite of the C API and a new Perl
module for accessing the Swish-e C library. In addition, Swish-e 2.4 uses
the GNU Auto Tools. The significant changes are where files are installed,
and the use of Libtool to create the Swish-e library as a shared library on
many platforms. Basically, installation is easier than previous versions,
and more files are installed in "standard" locations (e.g. documentation
is installed in
Note: Due to the new build and installation system in Swish-e 2.4, some documentation may incorrectly list the location of files. Please report any documentation errors to the Swish-e Discussion list.
Swish-e is not a "turn-key" indexing and searching solution. The Swish-e distribution contains most of the parts to create such a system, but you need to put the parts together as best meets your needs. This gives you the power to index and search your documents the way you wish and to seamlessly integrate a search engine into your web site or application.
To use Swish-e, you will need to configure Swish-e to index your documents, create an index by running Swish-e, and setup an interface such as a CGI script (a script is included) to search the index and display results. Swish uses helper programs to index documents of types that Swish-e cannot natively index. These programs may need to be installed separately from Swish-e.
Swish-e is an Open Source (see: http://opensource.org ) program supported by developers and a large group of users. Please take time to join the Swish-e discussion list at http://Swish-e.org .
Key features
Quickly index a large number of documents in different formats including text, HTML, and XML.
Use "filters" to index other types of files such as PDF, gzip, or PostScript.
Includes a web spider for indexing remote documents over HTTP. Follows Robots Exclusion Rules (including META tags).
Can use an external program to supply documents to Swish-e, such as an advanced spider for your web server or a program to read and format records from a relational database.
Document "properties" (some subset of the source document, usually defined as a META or XML elements) may be stored in the index and returned with search results.
Document summaries can be returned with each search.
Word stemming, soundex, metaphone, and double-metaphone indexing for "fuzzy" searching
Phrase searching and wildcard searching
Limit searches to HTML links.
Use powerful Regular Expressions to select documents for indexing or exclusion.
Easily limit searches to parts or all of your web site.
Results can be sorted by relevance or by any number of properties in ascending or descending order.
Limit searches to parts of documents such as certain HTML tags (META, TITLE, comments, etc.) or to XML elements.
Can report structural errors in your XML and HTML documents.
Index file is portable between platforms.
A Swish-e library is provided to allow embedding Swish-e into your applications for very fast searching. A Perl module is available that provides a standard API for accessing Swish-e.
Includes example search script with context summaries and search term and phrase highlighting. Can be used with popular Perl templating systems.
Swish-e is fast.
It's Open Source and FREE! You can customize Swish-e and you can contribute your fancy new features to the project.
Supported by on-line user and developer groups.
Where do I get Swish-e?
The current version of Swish-e can be found at:
Please make sure you use a current version of Swish-e.
Information about Windows binary distributions can also be found at this site.
How Do I Install Swish-e?
Read the INSTALL page.
Building from source is recommended. On most platforms, Swish-e should build without problems.
A list of platforms where Swish-e has been built can be found in the INSTALL page.
Information on building for VMS and Win32 can be found in sub-directories of the
src directory.
Check the Swish-e site for information about binary distributions (such as for Windows).
In addition to the INSTALL page, make sure you read the SWISH-FAQ page if you have any questions, or to get an idea of questions that you might someday ask.
Problems or questions about installing Swish-e should be directed to the Swish-e discussion list (see the Swish-e web site at http://Swish-e.org).
Please read
Where do I get help with Swish-e? below before posting any questions to the
Swish-e list.
The Swish-e Documentation
Documentation is provided as HTML pages installed in $prefix/share/doc/swish-e where $prefix is /usr/local if building from source, or /usr if installed as part of a package from your OS vendor. Under Windows $prefix is selected at installation time.
A subset of the documentation is installed as system man pages as well.
Documentation is also available on-line at http://swish-e.org.
Patches or updates to the documentation should be done against the POD files, located in the pod directory of the distribution, or (preferably) against the CVS repository.
Where do I get help with Swish-e?
If you need help with installing or using Swish-e, please subscribe to the Swish-e mailing list. Visit the Swish-e web site (listed above) for information on subscribing to the mailing list.
Before posting any questions, please read QUESTIONS AND TROUBLESHOOTING.
Speling mistakes
Please contact the Swish-e list with corrections to this documentation. Any help in cleaning up the docs will be appreciated!
Any patches should be made against the
.pod files, not the
.html files.
Swish-e Development
Swish-e is currently being developed as an Open-Source project on SourceForge http://sourceforge.net.
Contact the Swish-e list for questions about Swish-e development.
Swish-e's History
SWISH was created by Kevin Hughes, circa 1994, to fill the need of the growing number of Web administrators on the Internet - many of the indexing systems were not well documented, were hard to use and install, and were too complex for their own good. The system was widely used for several years, long enough to collect some bug fixes and requests for enhancements.
In Fall 1996, The Library of UC Berkeley received permission from Kevin Hughes to implement bug fixes and enhancements to the original binary. The result is Swish-enhanced or Swish-e, brought to you by the Swish-e Development Team.


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Editor's Notes:
– Email Summary: Vaccines: The Week in Review is available as a weekly email summary: please send your request to firstname.lastname@example.com.
– pdf version: A pdf of the current issues is available here: Vaccines_The Week in Review_27 October 2012
– Twitter: Readers can also follow developments on twitter: @vaxethicspolicy.
– Support: If you would like to join the growing list of individuals who support this service and its contribution to their roles in public health, clinical practice, government, IGOs/NGOs, research, industry and academia, please visit this page at The Wistar Institute, our co-founder and fiduciary. Thank you…


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Friday, April 3, 2009
Friday Rock Out (Not Really a Rock Out) - Ok Blue Jays!
Kudos to the ever-grinding Go Jays Go tumblr for tracking down this nostalgic nugget from the days when the Jays wore blue and were on their climb to the top for the first time.
We get a little misty eyed looking at the cast of characters in this video. Key! Moseby! Willie Freaking Upshaw! Ernie! (All is forgiven!) Buck Martinez with his broken leg and porn stache tagging out Gorman Thomas!
With all of the pissing and moaning that's gone on over the offseason, it's easy to lose sight of the reason why any of us spend 12 months per year agonizing over every minor league free agent deal, and every Spring demotion or Fake Game homer hit by someone who was never going to make the team anyhow.
We do it because, goddamnit, we love this game, and the fact that the real games are finally almost here has put an extra spring in our step.
A few housekeeping items
-Jeff Pearlman clarifies what his book actually said about this whole Clemens-Cito imaginary battle royale (but thanks to the Canadian media for the free pub!) Meanwhile Neate (who has actually read Pearlman's book) digs a little deeper.
-Paul Beeston, who is absolutely 100% full of shit and we love him for it, says that the Jays will boost the payroll to $120 million if the team has a shot of winning. So, if we've got this straight: They'll spend money to win if they are winning, but only if they are winning and not to help them win. Awesome!
-The Drunks have produced another of their absolutely indispensible Guides, The DJF Guide to the 2009 Home Opener. If you are attending Monday's game, please be certain to review this material. There will be a quiz.
-Sportsnet will introduce innovative live entertainment platform interactivity into their Jays broadcasts this year that will make you feel like it is 1993 and you are playing NTL Trivia at a bar over wings and pitchers of Moosehead. Progress! There's no stopping it now!
Closing thoughts for this final weekend of the offseason
You know what folks? This week has been fucking awesome. You guys have rocked it out in the comments section over the past week (Voodoo Whammy!), and we truly appreciate all of your patronage over the offseason. It's been more than 135 posts since we've had actual game action to discuss, but we're happy that you've stuck with us over this long winter. Whatever happens this season, let's all have a bit of fun, okay?
Don't forget that TSN has the broadcast of a fake game on Saturday, and if the crick don't rise again (literally), the Ack should be on the job this weekend.
17 comments:
- The Ack said...
I am going to be fucking EPIC this weekend, sandbaggin' or no.
OK, maybe not, but I'll be sure to throw down my brand of bloggarhea on the readership. Sorry in advance, yo.
- April 3, 2009 at 1:12 PM
- dave said...
No no no, Tao! You can't be cynical about the bump up in payroll. It's going to happen!
It's not even a bump up really, they're just using the $20mil they saved this year and adding it to next year when they go back to the $100mil payroll. It's a brilliant strategy, IMO.
Anyway, I love the love in this post. The Jays blogsphere is awesome! So excited for Monday!
- April 3, 2009 at 1:57 PM
- Tao of Stieb said...
Ack, you're always EPIC.
We just expect that this weekend, you'll be ever EPIC-er.
- April 3, 2009 at 2:40 PM
- Darren Priest said...
How high's the water, Mama?
- April 3, 2009 at 2:56 PM
- Navin Vaswani (@eyebleaf) said...
Tao, I love nostalgic nuggets.
Ack, looking forward to it, brother!
Just a few more sleeps until I get to see Doc in action.
- April 3, 2009 at 4:58 PM
Yeah! Voodoo Whammy! This weekend I'll be sitting by my door expecting my pony.
- April 3, 2009 at 5:45 PM
- Adam said...
OMFG GAME IN THREE DAYS!!! Good thing I got an extension on my essay, nothing is getting done when the game is on! :D
- April 3, 2009 at 5:51 PM
i would definately trade Scott Richmond for Juan Pierre.
LEGITIMATE SPEED off the bench, a pinchrunner to spice things up, a player to take advantage of cathers like our ol' buddy Zaun.
Not small ball but a little spark. The great Jays of 98 did a ton of runnin. Not comparing by any means (loved that team 4 the record)
Whats the downside of using ONE bench spot for that?
I think Dave Roberts is a free agent...just joking
- April 3, 2009 at 9:04 PM
- Ian Hunter said...
It's good to see that I'm not the only person who calls it a "crick".
- April 3, 2009 at 9:54 PM
- DaveC said...
Isn't Juan Pierre making $9 million a year? He'd be good at about one-ninth of that for what he does well.
- April 3, 2009 at 10:38 PM
- The Ack said...
This is the height of fucking bullshit. Like, the home fucking opener pre-empted for a fucking regular season hockey game?
- April 3, 2009 at 10:43 PM
I don't know how it is in the Peg but here in T-Dot we get Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Ontario. Do you get the Ontario channel in your section?
- April 3, 2009 at 11:36 PM
hey ack, if you look hard enough, you can find a feed of the game somewhere online. i could usually find em last year on the days rogers was too gay to broadcast. the quality isn't that good, but it beats radio
- April 3, 2009 at 11:55 PM
you might have some luck here, these things can be sketchy sometimes though.
- April 4, 2009 at 12:04 AM
link got cut off, it should read:
- April 4, 2009 at 12:06 AM
- The Ack said...
^^ thanks dude, I will most def resort to those measures.
I mean - the Home Opener! Am I overreacting, or is that not a load of shit?
- April 4, 2009 at 12:48 AM
That video is still amazing! Len freaking Matuzek's in it (his trade for Al Oliver was genius Gillick; although starting the year with Burroughs and Matuzek as DH wasn't as smart). I had no idea Doyle Alexander had such a strange delivery.
Roy is going to rock this year.
- April 4, 2009 at 5:41 PM


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Working off the back of his recent 'Flowers At The Scene' album, Tim Bowness will shortly set out on a live lope around Europe for the summer months.
During the decade-long lull in his No-Man activity, Tim's bloom of solo albums have all been half-hidden treasures. They belong to a current, mysterious class of brilliantly-crafted labour-of-love pop records – the ones which make decent chart performances (in a chart which no longer obeys the simple rules of earlier generations) but which remain strangely invisible, apparently known only to cult audiences. They're part of a kind of parallel-universe pop culture, only distinguished from our own by luck and chance.
When he was singing sweetly over dance beats for mid-'90s No-Man (a mixture of blush and bleak, stark and swoon), I was creating stubborn little write-ups dragging their art pop over into the prog rock court, armed with some of my suspicions and certainties regarding their eclectic musical appetites, their taste for a bit of well-spoken Anglo grandeur, their cinematic sensibilities. Gradually, over a couple of decades, I was proved right. Tim (like his No-Man partner Steven Wilson) now commands considerably proggy audiences; in Tim's case, he also generously stewards art-rock megaboutique Burning Shed (something which gives him the additional blending of goodwill and cachet that helps attract silvering art-rock aristocrats like Peter Hammill, Kevin Godley or Ian Anderson into guesting on his records). All of this culminated in the epic kitchen-sink-Ziggy multitrack saga of 'Lost In The Ghost Light', in which Tim revisited the imprints of his '70s heroes and spikily reinvented them as an embittered, failing dreamshadow self.
Still, call me wayward or a backtracker, but for a while I've been wishing that there was less outright prog in the picture. Coincidentally, Tim seems to agree, as 'Flowers At The Scene' tempers and bounces away from the progginess of recent years, possessing a delicacy of musical touch to match his lyrical subtlety. At times it's a missing link between several of his old touchstones (The Smiths, Kate Bush) while at others it flirts with the fan-dance flutters and delay guitars of '80s art pop, indulges the odd florid arena-rock burst, or touches on glacial latterday synthpop. It's also a possible curtain-raiser to more No-Man activity. Steven Wilson, always a friendly presence or passing mix wizard on previous Tim albums, quietly shared the full production chair and an open No-Man credit on this one. The songs, too – while recognisably Bownessian in their portraits of make-do-and-mend, subtly cultivated angst and discreet English agonies – have a lapping No-Man urgency to them, the exquisite solipsistic portraits and summaries refitted with a pulsing pop drive.
In keeping with the spotty, sporadic live patterns of cult artisty and cottage-industry songsmith, Tim's tour is less of a tour than a series of temporary outbreaks – a couple of one-off shows at odd-matched English venues, two more in Poland, a festival appearance in the Netherlands, a raid on Berlin. His band continues to exemplify that stylistic spread I mentioned earlier. They're a collection of friends with sympathies dotted across various British movements – current bassman John Jowitt represents a strand of classy neoprog veterans; regular drummer Andrew Booker flies the flag for the clean-cut clever bastards; a pair of multidisciplinarians (guitarist Michael Bearpark and violinist Steve Bingham) pull the ensemble towards the flexible art rock yearnings which are Tim's genuine home, and to refresh things, Brian Hulse (Tim and Michael's companion in recently revived '80s Manchester art-pop trio Plenty, and a major co-writer on 'Flowers…') is now covering keyboards, laptop and second guitar.
OK, I'm a malcontent. It still feels as if it would be be good, at this stage, to see Tim elsewhere, in a different less cosy, less 'Prog' magazine context – wrangling over stage space with spikier arty acts like Rufus Wainwright or St Vincent; Eyeless In Gaza or John Greaves; even Momus. He'd fit in – different moves and intimations might flex within the live show; the tart angst and great-battles-in-small-spaces tone underlying his songs could be seen better for what they are. But we have what we have. He's appreciated. He has, at least, this home; and he's making generous use of it in both senses, with several of the upcoming shows (bar the Bowness-only Poland gigs) providing support acts interesting to proggies and non-proggies alike.
For the London gig at Dingwalls, there are slots for Ms Amy Birks and Nick Beggs. A 'Prog Magazine' chart-topper last year in the female vocalist stakes (and having already made an upcoming name for herself as frontwoman for chamber-prog/classical projects Beatrix Players and Birks&Kroon), Amy is now fitting in space for a solo career, some of which will get an early preview at this show. Refreshingly free of diva blather and of irksome vocal histrionics (both on and offstage), she's shaping up as a prime exponent for that thoughtful breed of songs pulled up immaculately from source; cool, clear material polished to a classical drawing-room sheen which only increases its impact.
Nick, meanwhile, was initially infamous as the hair-beaded beanpole bassist for Kajagoogoo during the early 1980s. He's long since been unmasked as a serious and dedicated muso with a vibrant musicality and the requisite interesting arty quirks to put the right kind of distance between himself and the workaday session cat. Having spent his post-Kaja time travelling through Iona and Ellis Beggs & Howard (scoring a hit with the latter via slo-funk effervescer Big Bubbles No Troubles') he's more recently been playing backup in the live bands for John Paul Jones and Steven Wilson, and fronting mildly dystopian prog-poppers Mute Gods. For this concert, he'll be playing a solo set on Chapman Stick – an instrument on which he's one of the prime British performers.
With John Jowitt in the Bowness band lineup, the Worcester show marks a fleeting IQ rhythm section reunion: IQ's onetime drummer Andy Edwards is joining in for a couple of songs and is, in addition, the mentor behind the two support acts. The assured young Brummie power trio Hey Jester offer contorting, slightly grunge-y but always theatrical prog-pop something in the vein of Muse – or, to pick another budding band, Tonochrome. Imogen Bebb (better known as one of the British synthpop community's superfan commentators via her Sound Of The Crowd blog plus her writing for 'The Electricity Club' and various Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark sites) finally unleashes a musical project of her own. I can't scrape up many details on this, but you might expect something rooted in her love for OMD. Alternatively, it might well be a live outing for her singer-songwriter project Music For Your Tape Recorder, which slipped a few tracks out onto Bandcamp last year: promising, shapeshifting piano or guitar ballads, like a nascent Tori Amos or Rickie Lee Jones coming up through British indie-folk.
The Netherlands gig is a double-headliner, shared with Anneke van Giersbergen. Another assured no-fuss singer (with a clean, bell-clear voice that can soar across grand pop, arena rock and experimental metal with equal facility), Anneke came up via Dutch doom metal act turned alt-rockers The Gathering (whom she fronted for twelve years between 1995 and 2007). She's since forged a solo path, as well as being a frequent performer in ongoing rock opera project Ayreon and an equally frequent collaborator with Devin Townsend as guest vocalist, as well as fronting her own prog-metal project VUUR. It's a little like getting Peter Hammill or David Sylvian to split a show with Nancy Wilson; but Tim's already got form for gracious stage-sharing with female singers whom you might have thought didn't fit his precise, rail-thin aesthetic, having already done so with iamthemorning's Marjana Semkina a few years ago.
If you were hoping for something a little less prog'n'hearty – and a lot less rock – as a support act, you'd be better off getting yourself over to Germany for the Berlin gig, where the opening performer is Bernhard Wöstheinrich. Formerly a collaborator with Tim in ongoing avant-electric trio centrozoon, Bernhard's primarily a visual artist. However, he's been transposing that way of thinking onto keyboard and programming styles which (over more than twenty years) have been fearlessly and frankly swaying and transmuting between instrumental synthpop, a kind of foregrounded ambient method, faux-tribal rattlings, fierce dance barrages and what's best described as a kind of pushy shape-building (like a restlessly, rapidly built pop-up city sprouting out of electronic pilings). Here's a selection…
In late July, Tim and co. are back in Germany for the Night of the Prog festival in Loreley. In this case they don't get to call the shots on who they play with, or how, being fourth on the bill for a day of Europrog (headlined by Nick Mason's revival of psych-era Pink Floyd via Saucerful of Secrets, and also featuring Overhead, the interesting world/electro-tinged Lazuli, Czech instrumental sphere rock band Fors, Afro/classical-touched Canadians Karcius and the live debut of Thomas Thielen's "T" project). That said, it does give them option of wheedling away some new fans from the more restless strands of a more traditionally proggy audience…
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Tim Bowness dates:
- Worcester Arts Workshop, 21 Sansome Street, Worcester, WR1 1UH, England – Sunday 26th May 2019, 7.00pm (with Hey Jester + Imogen Bebb + Andy Edwards) – information here and here
- CreativeColors Stage @ Cultuurpodium Boerdiij, Amerikaweg 145, 2717 AV Zoetermeer, The Netherlands – Friday 31st May 2019, 7.30pm (co-headline show with Anneke van Giersbergen) – information here, here and here
- Klub Firlej, ulica Grabiszyńska 56, 53-504 Wrocław, Woj. Dolnośląskie, Poland – Sunday 2nd June 2019, 8.00pm – information here and here
- Club Progresja, Fort Wola 22, 01-258 Warsawa, Poland – Monday 3rd June 2019, 8.00pm – information here and here
- Prachtwerk, Ganghoferstrasse 2, Neukoln, 12043 Berlin, Germany – Tuesday 4th June 2019, 7.30pm (with Bernhard Wöstheinrich) – information here, here and here
- Dingwalls, 11 Middle Yard, Camden Lock, London, NW1 8AB, England – Friday 7th June 2019, 7.00pm (with Ms Amy Birks + Nick Beggs) – information here and here
- Night Of The Prog Festival @ Freilichtbühne Loreley, St. Goarshausen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany – Saturday 20th July 2019, show begins 12.00pm (with Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets + Lazuli + Karcius + T + Overhead + Fors) – information here and here


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News Story
States Brace for Utilities, Solar Advocates Clash
Abita Brewing Co. in Louisiana installed a rooftop solar system last fall to power its brew house. The growing popularity of solar energy is worrying some utility companies. (AP)
Someone is installing a solar power system in the U.S. every four minutes. Generous state and federal tax credits for hooking up solar panels on roofs or in fields make solar energy attractive to homeowners and businesses.
Another bonus is that those who generate solar energy can roll over what they don't use as credit against their next utility bills, like rollover minutes on a cell phone bill, or sell excess energy back to the utilities.
Utility companies aren't happy.
As the solar industry thrives, states are bracing for more showdowns this year between solar advocates and utility companies over how to balance reimbursing those who generate solar energy with supporting the country's power grid.
The battles are heating up in sun-soaked states like California, Arizona and Hawaii where solar projects are surging, but also in less expected places, such as Kansas and North Carolina.
Driving the debate is the rapid growth in solar installations, up 76 percent in 2012 from 2011, according to the most recent data available from the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Solar is still a small piece of the energy pie in the U.S., at around 1 percent of total energy produced. Just four states accounted for more than two-thirds of grid-connected solar system installations in 2011: Arizona, California, New Jersey and New Mexico.
New Jersey, while not considered as sunny as other states, has one of the most aggressive renewable portfolio standards in the country. The state, for example, requires suppliers and providers to procure at least 4.1 percent of sales from qualifying solar electric generation facilities by the year 2028.
At Issue: Net Metering
Various state and federal tax credits for installing solar panels on homes, businesses and farms make economic sense for those willing to make the investment, as Stateline has reported. Solar system users in Hawaii, for example, can take 35 percent of installation costs off their state tax bills and another 30 percent in federal tax credits. The average cost of installing a 600-square-foot solar system to power a typical home is ,000.
What concerns utilities is the system of rolling over credits for excess electricity to future utility bills, called net metering. Currently, 43 states and the District of Columbia have policies encouraging the practice.
More than 323,000 homeowners and businesses used solar panels in net-metering programs in 2012, compared with 151,000 in 2010, federal data show.
The Coalition for Solar Rights, which advocates for solar, called net metering "one of the most important state policies for empowering Americans to generate their own power from the sun."
Utilities, however, say many solar customers aren't paying their fair share. While net-metering polices vary by state, customers with solar systems are usually credited at the full retail electricity rate, which includes not just the cost of the power, but all the fixed costs of the poles, wires, meters and other infrastructure that make the electric grid safe and reliable.
An average residential customer paying $110 a month for electricity is receiving worth of grid service, according to a report from the Edison Electric Institute, a trade group that represents U.S. utility companies.
"Through the credit, net-metered customers effectively are avoiding paying these costs for the grid," the institute wrote. These costs then are passed on to other customers, it said.
In California, which leads the country in solar production, the state's net-metering program could end up costing state ratepayers .1 billion a year by 2020, according to a report last fall from the California Public Utilities Commission.
Utilities Want Surcharges
Some utilities are now pressing state regulators or legislatures to charge solar customers a fee or to reduce the rollover credits with the money going to help maintain the power grid. That was the issue last year in Arizona, where the state's largest electric utility, Arizona Public Service Co., succeeded in attaching a fee to new solar installations. The company estimated that each of the state's 20,000 solar rooftop customers costs $1,000 in upkeep to the grid, which was shifted to other nonsolar customers.
The Arizona Corporation Commission, the state's public utility commission, voted 3-2 last November to impose a 70-cents-per-kilowatt charge on new solar installations. The cost amounts to about $4.90 a month for solar customers.
"The Arizona Corporation Commission has taken an important step in reforming the state's net-metering policy," Don Brandt, APS president, said at the time. "The ACC determined that net metering creates a cost shift."
Tom Kuhn, president of EEI, the utility trade group, also praised the ruling. "The ACC decision recognizes that it's only fair that everyone who uses the grid and benefits from its services should help pay to support it and keep it operating reliably at all times," he said.
The action was a limited victory, however. APS had sought to charge to a month to future customers who install solar panels.
In another dispute, solar proponents in Kansas have launched a campaign this year against legislation that would reduce the amount of money solar customers would get for their excess power. The issue also is brewing in North Carolina, where Duke Energy wants to charge solar customers more to help maintain the grid.
Possible changes that could affect the benefits of solar to customers from current net-metering policies sparked protest rallies last year in Arizona, California and Colorado.
Expanding Caps
Another flashpoint deals with capping the number of solar installations that can qualify for reimbursements. When states first set up net metering in the 1980s, the approach was new and unproven so some states limited the programs. Once a state reaches its cap, businesses and residents still can put solar panels on their buildings and homes, but they won't get reimbursed at the same level.
Solar advocates want to increase the caps while utilities largely do not. Last year, several states acted on this front:
- New York raised net-metering caps as part of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's NY- Sun Initiative to 3 percent of peak load from 1 percent.
- California was poised to meet its cap as early as this year, so lawmakers passed legislation that orders state regulators to craft a new net-metering system by 2017, opening the door for regulators there to remove all caps.
- Minnesota raised the limit on net metering to 1,000 kilowatts from 40 kilowatts.
- Efforts are underway this year in Massachusetts and Vermont to raise their caps.
"Net metering remains a pivotal policy issue in 2014," Ken Johnson, a spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group, said. Among actions at the state level his group is watching this year include a series of net-metering workshops to be held by the Arizona Corporation Commission and studies in Colorado and Nevada to evaluate the costs and benefits of net metering.
A Partisan Issue?
In the days leading up to the Arizona Corporation Commission's decision on net metering, a conservative group called 60 Plus Association ran a controversial television ad that suggested that solar companies are against changes in net metering because the companies rely heavily on government subsidies. The ad compared solar companies to Solyndra, the failed solar startup that received some $500 million in federal loan guarantees that conservatives say epitomizes what is wrong with the Obama administration's stimulus and other policies.
Some conservative groups, including the American Legislative Exchange Council and the Heartland Institute are calling on states to change net-metering polices.
In the past, Republican governors have been proponents of solar. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, for example, launched a Million Solar Roofs Program with the goal to provide California with 3,000 megawatts of clean, renewable energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gases by 3 million tons. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty endorsed and signed in 2007 a "25 by 2025" law requiring that 25 percent of the state's electricity be produced from renewable sources by 2025, including solar.
Some of the most vocal supporters of expanding solar and net metering are currently Democrats.
Research from the Pew Research Center found that since April 2009, there has been a 30-point decline in the percentage of Republicans and Republican leaners supporting more federal funding for research into alternative energy technologies, such as solar. Most Republicans and GOP leaners (59 percent) told Pew that businesses will produce technology without government investment. (The center is a sister organization of Stateline.)
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, pleaded for more solar projects in his 2014 budget address. "When we see solar panels on rooftops in our neighborhoods or on our fields, we are often looking at projects made possible by our net-metering program," he said last month. Shumlin said he was committed to expanding net metering this session.
Solar could become an issue in the Florida gubernatorial race with the involvement of former Gov. Charlie Crist, then a Republican and now running for the Democratic nomination. Solar advocates gave Crist in 2009 the "Golden Meter" award when he was governor for Florida's net-metering rules adopted the previous year. Republican Gov. Rick Scott has endorsed renewables, but has not been vocal on net-metering programs.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.


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The Japanese architectural firm Edward Suzuki Associates has designed a project, which they say "is the first case of an industrialized house in Japan designed by an architect, Edward Suzuki, and built by a major housing manufacturer, Daiwa House Kougyo, in a collaborative effort." The house is named after the architect's nickname and also stands for Edward Daiwa-House Design Innovation.
Here is some description from the architects, "Pre-designed and pre-fabricated and sold as a ready-made "product," the buyers' characteristics, lifestyles, site conditions, etc. are not known at the time of design. As such, the architect has opted to design under the assumption that the site on which the house would be placed is not surrounded by environment friendly conditions, as has been so proven more often than not through the architect's experience over the years, and that the house should look not outward but inward. As a result, the design concept is "Go in to go out," meaning that the house has an outside patio at the center of the house onto which each and every room looks out. Furthermore, a balcony is placed above and adjacent to the central patio overlooking it such that this combination of open spaces creates an "interface" between the outside proper and the inside that acts a filter, a buffer, or a cushion between the two zones. In this way the design is such that the house does not need to depend on the contextual conditions in which it is to be situated. No matter how unfavorable the surroundings may be, the house would function comfortably within the mini-cosmos of its own boundaries. Should the outside conditions be favorable for a change, all that a buyer needs to do is to request extra openings onto the outside in order to bring the assets of the outside into the house. The house with its central patio is designed to allow as much of not only direct natural sunlight but also cross ventilation as possible to provide for maximum energy efficiency. EDDI's House now boasts six basic types of plans with sixty-nine variations to accommodate as much of the varying site conditions and characteristics."


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I was very intrigued when listening this week to a recorded presentation by Dr. Joe Dispenza and Bruce Lipton Ph. D. If you don't recognize these guys, they are specialist in conveying the understanding that you are what you think. Another way to say this is they are specialist in epigenetics. The name of the recording is "Get Your Shift Together".
I have many times discussed epigenetic action on the genes. This recording is an 'eye opener' in how our biology is transformed by our thinking. I have said that it is essential to get correct vitamins and minerals in the correct amounts. However, this is only part of the necessity of our biology for healing. As we all know, the placebo effect is very real. Our thinking and interaction with our environment is responsible for this effect.
As I now understand epigenetic action, it may be that the thinking is the largest part of creating who we are and our health from our gene maps. That's right; genes don't cause action, but are only directions for our biological processes. As discussed in the presentation, another way to describe genes is to think about them as blueprints. You cannot simply throw a set of blueprints on the ground and have a building spring forth. It is the interpretation and action of craftsmen that the building takes shape. There will be as many different types of buildings as there are interpretations and actions.
A gene can have as many as 30,000 expressions depending on the inputs of our environment. Now consider that there are 23,000 genes, then, we can expect at least 690,000,000 outcomes. But it does not stop there. It is the combination of those 690 million outcomes that makes you – you. This gives us a number of unique individuals so large that you cannot even imagine. That is 690 million expressions taken 23 thousand at a time. I tried 690 million factorial to find the odds of being one type and stopped my Windows calculator after five minutes. Fifty two playing cards taken five at a time give approximately 2.6 million combinations. One in a million does not even come close to your uniqueness or your possibility.
Your thinking drives your emotions and the emotions release hormones that allows genes to express themselves into you as a unique individual. If you have an emotion and you hold onto it for several days you may say you are in a mood. If you continue to hold onto that emotion you may say that you have reached a state. If you continue after that it becomes a personality trait. Typically we get into trouble by holding onto foul moods that eventually turn into a chronic disease. You have to decide if you want to make yourself sick by hanging onto foul emotions.
It is important to have a physical environment that is beneficial to your desired being. However, all of the vitamins and minerals or medicine for that matter in the world cannot overcome your thinking. They can help you think better and remove some physical pain, but it is up to you to decide if you truly want to make a contribution to the world. The key is to think of beneficial things while giving up judgment and ill will. Consider Galatians chapter 5.
There two things that I have learned as a Christians that many have not or refuse to accept. First from the first sentence in the Bible – "In the beginning, God….". Second, there can be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood from Hebrews chapter eleven. Jesus has shed all of the blood that is necessary to be shed for forgiveness. If you don't forgive, then it is on you. Our Lord said it best when he was healing the two blind men: "According to your faith (or belief) let it be done to you.." Mt. 9:29, NIV. I have heard this discussed many times as to whether you have to have belief or faith to be healed. I now know that this is indeed the case as Christianity and quantum physics begin to arrive at the same conclusion. You are what you think and you define that by the truth of your self-observation. – Pandemic Survivor


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SURPRISE – This is not an April Fool's joke
Clean Teen Publishing is hosting a Goodreads Giveaway April 1 – June 23. On June 23 – coincidentally on my birthday – three ARCs of Minutes Before Sunset will be given away to lucky and awesome readers (such as yourself). Enter here or below.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Minutes Before Sunset
by Shannon A. Thompson
Giveaway ends June 23, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
#WW The Doubtful Writer – Who Says I Can Do This?
This first paragraph is more or less an intro, but I feel like it was important to add it. I don't normally have an intro for my posts, but this one wasn't written in my usual, positive self. I wrote it about two weeks ago, which – coincidentally – was also the same day of the anniversary of my mother's death. It has been 12 years since she passed, but the day still affects me in many ways, and I had a day full of doubt. I wrote down how I felt about it, and since I know many writers have many days full of doubts, I decided I wanted to share it on here. Hopefully, it allows fellow writers to feel less alone, more normal, and accepting toward an array of other emotions I think we've all had at one point. The photo you see below is of my father and my mother. It's one of my favorite photos of them, and if you follow me on Facebook, then you already know how much these two people have influenced me by encouraging me to follow my dreams. Encouragement is a never-ending type of love.
I'm having one of those days – you know them, I'm sure. The days where we doubt ourselves can seem like the longest, most dreadful days. I am already counting the seconds between now and tomorrow, knowing that I will, most likely, feel better tomorrow, but for this singular moment in time, I am writing out how I feel because writing has always helped me slow down those overwhelming emotions that drown you with fear and frustration and frivolous ideas like, "why did I ever think I could do this anyway?"
I don't think I've ever believed I could do this – this writing thing – but then again, I'm not sure it's about thinking you can do something but rather doing it anyway and trying to do your best every day, even during the days where you question it. I love writing. I love sharing my writing with readers. I love connecting with fellow writers and readers. I love everything that revolves around words and sharing them. That's what matters. And most days, that's enough to push me forward, but hard days still happened.
I can't remember the last time I felt this unsure, but I'm sure I had another day just like this not too long ago. I'm only 23 years old, after all. Any life experience in writing I can think of is probably (at most) a little over a decade away. I, hopefully, have many more decades to go, but I know I've always believed I don't have many decades in front of me at all. Perhaps it stems from watching three of my grandparents, three dogs, and my mother die before I was a teenager. I just can't bring myself to believe in a long and prosperous life, so I've focused all of my attention on a meaningful one, no matter how long or prosperous it could be.
I'm uncharacteristically sad today, but that knowledge doesn't lessen the depression much more. I normally write about continuing forward and confidence and love and a peaceful state of mind. I want this website to be a cheerful place, an encouraging place, and I promise I'm still trying to bring out the inspiration for the day.
There will be days that doubt takes over. There might even be weeks or seasons or years. But there will be another good day if you let it come, and there will always be more to say, to think about, to write about. It's a matter of picking up that pen, accepting the doubt, and writing down your words anyway. It's a matter of doing exactly this – expressing it, even if you don't know if you should – and moving forward into the future, knowing you're one word closer to meeting a new goal.
My goal today was to continue forward, no matter how much doubt suddenly rushed into me, and I did, and I will, and I do so by reminding myself of the love and passion that goes into my writing career as well as all of my readers who've shown support and care to me.
We stick together, and we keep our pens up until we run out of ink.
(And when we run out of ink, we walk to the nearest CVS and pick up more pens.)
Thank you for loving me – I love you in the same way I love this peace that has come by sharing it.
Also, who else is looking forward to writing during the rainy month of April?
Personally, I write at night, but during the day, I help authors find readers and interviewers. I also edit manuscripts and manage social media accounts. I can even create promo photos for you.
Feel free to check out my services as well as some reviews.
Message me at firstname.lastname@example.com if you have any questions – or even just to say hi!


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Benjamin Wachs: Paying taxes is a patriotic duty
For the past year now we've been treated to the spectacle of people screaming that they won't pay for their country.
I've never heard of anything so unpatriotic.
Some Americans are willing to fight and die for their country — to put life and limb on the line and sacrifice for the good of America. Other Americans think that paying their taxes is too great a sacrifice to make. Oh sure, other people can die for America, but these people won't spend a cent if they can get out of it.
"Lower our taxes!" they scream, while our soldiers fight.
Some of these protesters dress up like patriots, like Revolutionary War figures, and it's a slap in the face to everything this country stands for. The Revolutionary War wasn't fought against taxes — it was fought for representative democracy. The slogan was "No taxation without representation," not "No taxation." And when America was newly free and a group of farmers decided they should get to decide what taxes they would and wouldn't pay, George Washington himself ordered them to be put down.
George Washington wasn't a tyrant — he was a democratically elected president, and he was right. Taxes, so long as they're set by a legitimate legislative budgeting process in a genuinely representative democracy, are a sacrifice we make so that our country can be strong and our democracy can do the people's will.
Anyone who wants to put their wallet above their country, raise your hand and hang your head.
If you're not paying your fair share of taxes, you don't support the troops. Not just in the field, where taxes buy the body armor and bullets needed to fight the wars you supported, but also at home, where taxes pay for the care and services veterans need to return to society after years of sacrifice.
If you're trying to lower taxes to the point where they can't support our troops in the field or at home, you're hanging our troops and veterans out to dry. Breaking America's promise to them.
It's not just the troops that are on the line, either; it's our way of life.
Does anyone want a second financial crisis like the one we went through in 2008 and 2009? The best way to prevent it is by going after the banks and businesses that triggered it — and making sure they can never do it again. What does that take? Manpower: Regulators, accountants, lawyers and law enforcement. An economic security force. What pays for our economic security forces? Tax dollars. Tax dollars keep predatory companies in line.
If you're not angry that so many businesses aren't paying their fair share of taxes (like Exxon, which didn't pay a cent of federal income taxes for 2009), then you're making an economic collapse more likely for your children and grandchildren.
The more wealthy people scream at the government to lower their already low taxes during a time of economic crisis, the more cuts to Medicare and Social Security become inevitable. Tax cheats, and their political supporters, are kicking the elderly out of their homes and snatching the medicine from their hands. If the anti-tax protesters want to cut taxes and Medicare, well, that's their right I guess. Personally, I think the elderly should be supported and cared for. But one thing is clear: People who support anti-tax protests are making it harder to retire in America.
People who protest against taxes are protesting against adequate funding to protect the American border from criminals, terrorists and illegal immigrants.
Paying taxes is one of the few patriotic duties we all share as Americans. Every April 15, those of us who pledge allegiance to the flag are asked to put our money where our mouth is. It's civics 101 — for democracy to work, we all have to pitch in.
I'm tired of people claiming to be "patriots" right after they've shouted that they won't pay their fair share.
Aren't you?
Benjamin Wachs writes for Messenger Post Media's print and online editions. Read his work at www. TheWachsGallery.com.


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Today a necropsy, or animal autopsy, found that brain changes may have killed Knut, the Berlin zoo's beloved 4-year-old polar bear.
The zoo said in a press release:
"The preliminary results show distinctive anomalies at the brain, which could be seen as the cause of the ice bear's sudden passing ... Other irregularities on the organs could not be found from the pathologists."
Animal rights activists are accusing the zoo of causing Knut's death by failing to notice his strange behavior over the past few weeks. Thomas Schröder, director of the German Animal Welfare Association, told Time:
"Knut was subjected to enormous stress, not just by the media hype and public scrutiny, but also by the fact that he was kept in an enclosure with three females ... Polar bears tend to be loners ... Knut was looking apathetic, he lay in a corner of his enclosure - someone should have picked up on this."
Heiner Klös, who cared for Knut since he was born, says that it's normal for polar bears to be placed together in zoos and, "He had a fantastic experience and he was growing quickly and he showed absolutely normal behavior of a polar bear." The necropsy isn't complete, but he says of today's findings, "We are absolutely sure there was no stress and no heart attack, and no broken heart, if it's possible to find something like this."
Autopsy Ties Knut's Death To Brain Problems [LiveScience]
Did Negligence Kill Knut the Polar Bear? [Time]


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