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Chestsnut hill Cemetery - Rhode Island
A young girl, Mercy Brown, died on January 18, 1892. Her father, said she visited him each night after that saying she was hungry. A month later he dug up her
body after many strange haunting's and occurrences happened to him. And in his madness thinking that she had become a living vampire or a hungry ghost. With local officials and friends and family at his side to help, they removed her body from it's haunted grave and the local medical doctor drained her organs of the remaining blood at her fathers insistence. Many people over the years have said that this violation of her body and grave has caused Mercy to appear, and haunt in the graveyard at all hours of the day and night. Many witnesses report seeing strange blue lights moving in the graveyard near her grave. And that Mercy appears dressed in a torn black dress disheveled and dirty. Recent EVP of a woman's voice has been heard to say clearly."Please Leave me to now, rest in peace!"
Established in 1862 the Lake Ronkonkoma Cemetery, aka: Five Corners Cemetery is known to have many burials for war veterans. This cemetery has no particular stories behind it as far as anything paranormal.
A very old and still used cemetery in Ronkonkoma. This cemetery has numerous graves from WWI and WWII as well as the 19th century.
The catacombs of this cemetery are located beneath Haunted Westminster Hall, and have long been the subject of ghostly tales. Many tell the tale of people buried alive and their ghost trying to show others of their plight. Don't forget the unexplained mystery of Poe himself. Many say they have seen him felt him and talked to him. Dressed completely in black, including a black fedora and a black scarf to hide his face, he carries a silver cats head walking stick and strolls into the cemetery every year on or around January 19, the birth date of Edgar Allan Poe.
Legend has it that the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe has been seen near his grave and in the catacombs of the church. The author died mysteriously in Baltimore and thus came to be buried there. He had lived in the city years before, but had only been passing through when he perished under mysterious circumstances. At the time of his death, Poe had been on his way to New York to meet his beloved mother-in-law.
He was bringing her back to Richmond, Virginia, where the author was to marry his childhood sweetheart. His first wife had perished from tuberculosis years before. The trip came to a tragic conclusion when, four days after reaching Baltimore, Poe was found barely conscious and lying in a gutter on East Lombard Street. He was rushed to a hospital but he died a short time later. The entire time in the hospital was spent with Poe crying and trembling and he once screamed the name "Reynolds"... although who this could have been also remains a mystery. He died on October 7, 1849.
A very old ghost story about the cemetery tells that this is where a skull known as the screaming skull of Cambridge, Maryland is buried. The haunted skull is said to be of a murdered minister. The Skull screams all night and day. That's why they hey buried the skull bound and gagged in a block of cement. To hear it scream they say will drive you mad!
Leona Wellesley the ghost of a wild crazed Lunatic buried in a straight jacket straight from the asylum is here too. Locals say her mad laugh and the feeling of being followed through the cemetery by her is ever present. And if you don't respect the well kept graves in this haunted cemetery then old Valence a long dead Western Burial Ground Cemetery Keeper and Gravediggers ghost will chase you out of this haunted Cemetery with a shovel in hand. Valences ghost is said to be a drunk ghost and will cuss you out or try to bury you alive .Visitors to the cemetery are advised to go there at their own risk.
Considered by locals, visitors and paranormal investigators world wide as actually the most haunted cemetery in the world and the No. # 1 haunted Cemetery in all the United States. Multiple ghosts are said to haunt this famous New Orleans cemetery, You can also visit the haunted tomb of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.
Before the introduction of modern drainage, the high water table of New Orleans made burials impractical: you could dig into the marshy ground and inter a corpse, but it would probably float past you after the next heavy storm. The solution was to bury people above ground, in tombs and mausoleums. In doing so, the people of New Orleans created some of the most evocative, and hauntingly beautiful, locations anywhere in the world. These sprawling and maze-like necropoli have been the home of many ghost stories, but one location dominates: Cemetery St Louis No. 1. is the most haunted.
The oldest cemetery in New Orleans, is a grand European mixture of ornate marble tombs, crumbling memorials and narrow, winding footpaths. Some visitors have heard weeping and groaning from inside the crypts, while many have seen a range of spectral phenomena, ranging from unusual mists to fully fledged transparent figures. An old male face is reputed to manifest on the walls of one particular tomb, but one ghost dominates all others: the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans.
This old New Orleans' graveyard is said to be haunted by the ghost of the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. Her spirit has been reported inside of the cemetery, walking between the tombs wearing a red and white turban with seven knots in it, and mumbling a original New Orleans Santeria Hoodoo Voodoo curse to Cemetery trespassers. Her Voodoo curse is said to be very loud and very audible, heard often by passerby's on nearby Rampart Street. Locals say this has started in recent years for she is alarmed by the many vandals and state of the cemetery.
Voodooist of her very own New Orleans Secret Hoodoo Voodoo Society ( still active in New Orleans in the 21st century) say her soul appears here often as a shiny large black Voodoo cat, with fire red eyes. If you see this Werecat run! One New Orleans Voodoo Manbo suggest upon seeing this Devil cat, cross your self three times and back away. One should never let the cat see your back. If Marie's spirit, or Devil cat sees it... you will be cursed for ever to do her bidding.
Others say Marie Laveaus' familiar, her large snake that she called Zombi, (or spelled Zombie, or Zomby) is buried in the tomb with her body. One voodooist says he was placed in the coffin alive with Marie's dead body by her daughter Marie Laveau II . A story or two have been told over the years of people seeing a large dark boa constrictor, or black anaconda over 12 feet long slithering amongst and between or through the tombs tight small allies. Always close to Marie Laveaus' tomb is Zombi, guarding it night and day. local New Orleans Voodooist say this is a great ghost snake spirit, her voodoo familiar and not a real live snake. A few young teenaged boys on a recent Haunted cemetery tour tried to catch Zombi, they said they chased him down a tight alley and Zombi just disappeared. Zombi's ghost has been said to be seen high atop Marie Laveaus' tomb basking in the noon day Sun. He protects her tomb from those that mock her, says many of the Voodooist of Marie Laveaus secret Society. One tale of this ghost snake tells that Zombi followed a recent New Orleans visitor back to her hotel room who made fun of the tomb and her legendary Voodoo magic. He appeared in bed with her as she slept and began to wrap his coils around her as she slept, Zombi frightened her out of her wits. The reason, she spit on Marie Laveaus grave.
Often stories or told of Ghostly nude Voodoo Pracaticioners in an eternal dark secret Voodoo hoodoo Ritual. Always after midnight voodoo drumming and screams well into the early morning hours. With Marie Laveaus' ghost dressed in white presiding over the ritual. Nude Voodoo Ghost dancers, male and female can be seen and heard in an orgy of spiritual Voodoo calling down the great powers.
Other know and un known ghost haunt this cemetery, there is a ghost called by some Henry. This haunted Cemetery Ghost story tells that he gave his tomb to the lady who owned a boarding house to keep the papers for him if he died. Local workers for the cemetery say she sold the tomb when he was away at sea. When he returned he died and was buried in potters field. Every day his ghost is said to walk up to someone visiting the cemetery asking if they know the where about's of the Vignes' tomb. Many a tour guide has related the tale of Henry and have said how he appears ragged and lost. And his blue eyes will look right into yours. The tall white shirt dressed man seems very real. Until he walk away into thin air. Sometimes he will tap you on the shoulder, or lead you to a lone tight alley between tombs asking " Do you Know anything about this Tomb here?" Then he disappears. Henry has also been known to have walked up to people at burials and asked if they think there's room in the tomb for him! His voice often appears on EVP's saying I "I need to rest!" And in ghost Photos he appears in a Dark suit with no shirt.
Another well known ghost of Sr. Louis No.1 is that of Alphonse he is a lonely young man and will take you by the hand telling you his name and asking can you help him find his way home. He is also known by some to be seen carrying flowers and vases from other tombs and placing them on his own. Those who have seen him say he is afraid of a tomb with the name Pinead on it and is said to warn visitors to stay away from it. He always has a smile on his face but is said to start crying then just disappear. Alphonse has been Known to turn up in many of a ghost Photo.
Ghost cats and dogs are said to prowl the cemetery daily. Very near the great walls of oven tombs. None of these ghost animals have ever shown signs of meanness. Several Tour guides say these are the animals of an 1800's cemetery keepers guard dogs and pets. Often they lurk the cemetery waiting for their owner who was buried in St. Louis No.2 to return to feed and care for them.
Many a strange tale tells of Madame Delphine Lalaurie being secretly buried here. a placque was once found stating that she was may not be far from the spooky truth. Many noble New Orleans society tombs and other notables lie here in eternal un-rest.
Mary Onieda Toups the witch queen of New Orleans once said, "The Dead walk the allies of St. Louis number1 more often then the living!"( Her remains are said to be buried here in a secret tomb.) " And when I passover I'll certainly Be one of them!"
Other ghost or that of a lost man that ask in help in putting flowers on his wife's grave then to only to fade into a mist. Jimmy, as he is often called is a large heavy set man with piercing blue eyes. He is said to smell bad or stale, and has a few missing teeth. His ghost's apparition is said to look very real and alive. Fagen has also been known to ask people for a ride home or even offer to carry small children for people. One Fagen ghost tale tell of him being a drunk ghost and that he sings off color songs and tells nasty jokes on EVP's.
Orbs, ghost photos, EVP"S, strange paranormal phenomena and ghost activity, Voodoo rituals, witchcraft, and haunting's to many to mention all happen in this the most haunted Cemetery in America. Visitors to the cemetery are advised to go there at their own risk.
A melancholy ghost haunts the rows at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery, 2900 Sullivant Avenue, on Columbus's west side. Her name, according to some, is Louisiana Rainsburgh Briggs, but she's better known as the Lady in Grey. She weeps quietly over the grave of one Benjamin F. Allen, a private in the 50th Tennessee Regiment, Company D. Allen's grave is number 233 out of 2,260 Confederate soldiers laid to rest in this two-acre plot in the capital city of a very Northern state.
At first, Camp Chase took only officers as prisoners, with enlisted men going to Fort Warren, near Boston Harbor. A large number of officers came from 1862 Union victories at Fort Donalson, Tennessee, and Mississippi Island No. 10. In 1863 a new stockade was built on Johnson's Island in Lake Erie, and most of the Camp Chase officers were sent there. By 1863 there were 8,000 men incarcerated behind the high, staked walls of the Camp.
Take a walk between the graves at the Camp Chase Cemetery and you'll find yourself among many soldiers who died in the smallpox epidemic of 1863. Overcrowding forced two or three men to share single-occupancy bunks, and led to severe shortages in food and medicine, as well as clothing and blankets. The men were malnourished and cold, and therefore highly susceptible to disease. In the February of 1863 alone, 499 men died from smallpox. People have said to feel sick to their stomach and suddenly get a headache and as soon as they leave they feel better. You can also get evp's of what sounds like gun shots and screaming. you also can see dark shadows.
Having recently seen a re-run of A Haunting, a series put out by the Discovery Channel.
The show in the series was from a few years ago and the episode was Legend Trippers. Three teens decide to test out the old legend where if you sit atop this particular mausoleum -...you get pushed off by a ghost. The series did a fairly good job of recreating the series of alleged events in these shows and they create some rather unnerving moments.
Dartford Cemetery is located in Greenlake, Wi. and is said to be haunted. Not only is local legend full of the pushing ghost, but others as well, including a native chef and a small girl. As with many cemeteries, there are children buried there who succumbed to polio and other ailments. Whenever we have a concentration of child deaths, the energy can be weird, to say the least.
The whispers of glowing gravestones and ghost lights are the stuff of campfires and have been debunked by a number of paranormal ghost hunting groups.
Graveyards are fun places to go ghost hunting, but you usually have to seek permission from the county to be there after dark. Dartford has its share of whispers.
The story was covered by the television series Unsolved Mysteries about a year ago. Many residents from Anson and the near town of Abilene have gone to witness these phenomenal lights. The cemetery is located going towards the country. The lights are viewed by driving down the dirt farm road equivalent of about a half mile or more. As you drive closer to the cemetery towards the lights they disappear. As for the actual story for this occurrence, is unsolved. Local myth says that this light is the ghost of a mother carrying a lantern looking for her missing child. The child had left the house on cold winter day and was lost and froze to death. The mother`s spirit still searches for her child.
The grave of the "Greatest Boxing Champion" to ever live ROCKY MARCIANO and his wife Barbara or here and many orbs and ghost photos of him and his lovely wife's ghost have often been seen here.. by visitors and ghost hunters alike. Many ghost are seen daily haunting the tall mausoleum. EVP's have recorded voices saying."leave me alone." to " Please, come back."
The haunted Cemetery has only been around since 1953 and many of the ghost or of recent burials and internments. The ghost of a young hippy type guy with long light hair haunts the outside graves. Running bare foot in bell bottoms and a tied dyed shirt. or seen sitting alone smoking. He just walks up to cemetery visitors and usually asks for a light. Many startled mourners say he will attend a funeral and walk up at the end of services tap you on the shoulder ask for a light. Simply it has been said that, you turn and he's not there. Many call him by Grover, because he is often seen all "over" the grounds. Another Ghost here is called by many Diane. Often the story of this lone specter tells of a woman dressed in a pink long gown with beautiful long hair and very over made up face, and that she pays no attention to cars and will walk out in front of your car from nowhere as you drive in to the haunted cemetery. Then to simply disappears before she is hit. Visitors to the cemetery are advised to go there at their own risk.
Another Ghost here is called by many Diane. Often the story of this lone specter tells of a woman dressed in a pink long gown with beautiful long hair and very over made up face, and that she pays no attention to cars and will walk out in front of your car from nowhere as you drive in to the haunted cemetery. Then to simply disappears before she is hit. Visitors to the cemetery are advised to go there at their own risk.


text: Healthy Recipes Skinny Clementine Martini Recipe E-mail recipe Print recipe To save this recipe, register now! Quick Info: Servings Nutritional Info (Per serving): Calories: 130, Saturated Fat: 0g, Sodium: 10mg, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Total Fat: 0g, Carbs: 10g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Protein: 0g Carb Choices: 0.5 Recipe Source: Prep Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins Ingredients 1 ounce(s) gin, or citrus vodka, or light (clear) rum, (2 tablespoons) 1/2 ounce(s) liqueur, St. Germain© elderflower, or clear orange liqueur, (1 tablespoon) 3 tablespoon clementine juice, fresh, or pink grapefruit juice, or pomegranate juice 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh 2 tablespoon club soda 2 slice(s) orange(s), clementine, thinly sliced, or pink grapfruit wedge on a pick, pomegranate seeds, or lime wedge, for garnish Preparation Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add gin, elderflower liqueur, clementine juice and lime juice. Cover and shake; strain into martini glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with Clementine slice. Makes 1 cocktail E-mail recipe Print recipe To save this recipe, register now!

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My Pie Monday: Chocolate, Flowers, Cashews, and More!
This My Pie Monday brought Slice'rs out of the woodwork! Not only has Adam Kuban, the creator of all things Slice, joined the folds, but this round also includes Slice heavyweight Pizzablogger, and the return of Ev. Always great to have you guys. And there's been a whole lot of pizza making going on. This week we are seventeen strong! Among the longtime regular MPMers we have jimmyg, amusebouche1, Norma427, Imwalkin, dmacavanagh, and dhorst. Representing the newer regulars are RobynB, Redwgn67, and Steve Viterali. There's always room for more pie makers around here, so we're happy to welcome npinto, brando, and ccleon. Enough with the introductions, let's get to those fantastic looking pies! More


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Search for new dean narrowed down to 5
IRONTON -- The search for a new dean at Ohio University's Southern campus in Ironton has been narrowed to five candidates, according to Hayley Haugen, chair of the search committee.
Thirty people applied for the dean's job and about 11 of them had an initial interview via Skype, Haugen said Monday. Haugen, an English teacher, is faculty coordinator at the Southern campus.
The five remaining candidates are:
Jay Albayyari, associate vice chancellor for research, engagement and sponsored program, professor of mechanical engineering, technology at Indiana University Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Ind.
Fran Dickson, professor of communication studies and chair of the department of communication studies, Chapman University, Orange, Calif.
Douglas Fiore, associate provost for extended education and general and continuing education, a professor of education, Virginia State University.
Donald Fuller, professor of communication disorders, department of communication disorders, Eastern Washington University.
A local candidate, Nicole Pennington, associate director of nursing at Ohio University Southern.
Times are being arranged for all five candidates to visit the Ironton campus and the main campus in Athens, Haugen said. That could take a month or so. The search committee then will choose the top three and submit the names to Ohio University Provost Pam Benoit.
Dan Evans, former Southern campus dean and former executive dean at Ohio University, is serving as interim dean until a new dean is named.
"We are hoping the new dean could start as soon as possible; by June 1 at the latest," Haugen said.
Bill Willan, former Southern campus dean, took the position as executive dean for regional higher education for Ohio University last year. He served as dean at the Southern campus for five years before taking the executive dean's job.
The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.


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Globales Montemar Apartments
Cala Llonga, Ibiza, Balearic Islands
Globales Montemar Apartments Introduction
If you're looking for a fun-filled and lively atmosphere for your beach holiday base as well as being within easy reach of Cala Llonga's attractions, the Globales Montemar Apartments is the perfect choice. This welcoming family-friendly complex is set on a lovely wooded hillside with views of the mountains and is close to restaurants, shops and outdoor cafés. The golden sandy beach offering a range of watersports is just 500 metres away. All apartments are fully equipped and feature either a balcony or terrace. This complex has all the facilities you would expect, like an appealing swimming pool and separate kids' pool, jacuzzi, gym and sauna as well as tennis court. There is a lively entertainment programme for both adults and children with great evening shows too. Set in tiers, with access by steps and pathways, the hilly location of the Globales Montemar Apartments is not suitable for the less mobile.
Globales Montemar Apartments Facilities
• Studio for up to 2 adults consists of • Twin beds • Kitchenette • Fridge • 2 electric rings • Microwave • TV • Bath or shower and wc • Ceiling fan • Balcony or terrace • Maid service 5 times a week • One bedroom apartment for up to 4 (max 3 adults/1 child) similar to studio with • Twin room • Lounge area with single sofa beds • Two bedroom apartment for up to 6 adults similar to one bedroom apartment with • 2 twin rooms
• Table tennis • Pool table • 2 tennis courts • Gym • Sauna • Jacuzzi
• Daily day and evening entertainment • Occasional shows
• Swimming pool • FREE sunbeds and parasols • TV area • WiFi access
For Children
• 2 separate children's pools • Playground • FREE cots
Key Facts
• Nearest beach: 700 metres • Main resort area: 700 metres • Nearest supermarket: 50 metres • 130 apartments • Child age: 2-11 years • Official rating: 2 key • Some facilities and activities may incur a local charge
Meals and Drinks
• Restaurant • A la carte menu available • Pool bar serving snacks


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"Rosewood Creek Restoration" – Ashley Vander Meer
In the fall of 2012, I worked on the restoration of Rosewood Creek for my service learning. The main cause of the restoration is to reduce sediment loading into Lake Tahoe by restoring a 7,200 foot section of Rosewood Creek between Northwood Boulevard and Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village, Nevada. For my service, I took daily turbidity measurements of the creek above and below the construction site. I also visually documented the construction process, and learned to write the daily construction reports.
As a guest speaker in Andy Rost's sustainability class, I gave a presentation on river restorations and led the class on a walking tour of the Third Creek restoration. My final project for service learning was a video about the Rosewood Creek restoration that I compiled from my visual documentation.


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Home » Tools for Writers » MFA Programs » University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Poetry: Lisa Chavez, Emily Rapp, Luci Tapahonso, Diane Thiel
Fiction: Daniel Mueller, Julie Shigekuni, Sharon Oard Warner
Nonfiction: Lisa Chavez, David Dunaway, Greg Martin, Diane Thiel
Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Assistantships, Scholarships
Blue Mesa Review, University of New Mexico Press
This program hosts the Taos Summer Writers' Conference. Courses are offered in pedagogy, arts administration, and publishing. Students are also required to complete a service project.
Students have the opportunity to participate in the Blue Mesa Review/Works-in-Progress Reading Series, which pairs a faculty member with three graduate students for readings throughout the semester.
Lisa Gill, Gary Jackson, Juan Morales, Richard Vargas, Israel Wasserstein


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Michigan racks up the offense in win
Denard Robinson put up 397 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns in No. 17 Michigan's 63-16 rout of Massachusetts on Saturday. Robinson, who came out of the game with Michigan (2-1) leading 56-13 late in the third quarter, rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown and completed 16 of 24 passes for 291 yards and three scores.
Find out more about: Michigan vs. Massachusetts, Rapid Recaps


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Gender Studies Database combines the Women's Studies International and Men's Studies databases with the coverage of sexual diversity issues. Source documents include professional journals, conference papers, books, book chapters, government reports, discussion and working papers, theses & dissertations and other sources. Several hundred links provide access to carefully selected and important websites. This database includes more than 921,000 records, with coverage spanning from 1972 and earlier to the present.
Photographs, newspaper clippings, maps, postcards, and other ephemera depicting life at Miami and in Oxford during the 1960s.
Exhibit on display in King 321.
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Undergraduate Study
At Cardiff, teaching and learning take place in an environment in which students benefit from interaction with researchers working at the frontiers of knowledge in their disciplines.
In the early stages, students are given a flavour of the research activities in their subject.
As they progress, they participate increasingly in learning activities which are influenced by staff research and scholarship.
For example, there may be option modules offered in areas of particular staff research interest. Case-studies or experiments used in class may derive from live research projects.
Learning activities may be offered which develop and test the techniques and skills of research and scholarship at a level appropriate to undergraduate work - for example, through project or dissertation work.
The benefit of this approach is indicated by the high success rates of Cardiff students in pursuing their studies. Traditionally, the University has a progression rate among undergraduates which compares favourably with other leading universities and which is the strongest in Wales.
The outcome is a stimulating, successful and dynamic undergraduate community that is one of the strengths of the University.
Full details of undergraduate study opportunities at Cardiff can be found in the Prospective Students area.
Degree Structure
Degree programmes at Cardiff - with the exception of only medical and dental degrees - operate on a modular structure and this holds many potential benefits for students.
Students are expected to complete a minimum of twelve modules for each year of their degree programme. Each module consists of tuition and associated assessment.
The Cardiff programme is designed to provide opportunities for transfers to or from other programmes of study or institutions during the school year and it enables students to receive appropriate recognition for work already completed successfully.
Each School produces information for students on their programme of study, usually in the form of a module catalogue. Please see the Module Catalogue for full information.


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Weekender 24/7
News and views from the Express-News' arts and entertainment writers.
Yearly Archive for 2009
'New Moon' review (SPOILER ALERT)
(Summit Entertainment) Kristen Stewart spends lots of quality time with Taylor Lautner in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." The second "Twilight" film, which was screened last night across the country, including the Palladium in S.A., opens tonight with a flood of midnight screenings. About this time last year, I left the midnight showing of "Twilight" […] [Read More]
Maxim lists country's 18 hottest women
(Associated Press) Kellie Pickler is one of Maxim's 18 hottest women in country music. By John Goodspeed Like other magazines, Maxim, which tries to show young male readers that it's as hip and cool as they are, makes a routine of naming the best this or biggest that. For its latest, Maxim lists the hottest […] [Read More]
'Buddha' not swinging at the Cameo any more
Update: Jim Zaccaria, owner of the Cameo, says the cancellation was "a mutual decision…We hope to do something else in the future with Overtime." "Buddha Swings," the Overtime Theater's original show blending swing music with Buddhist philosophy, was to have a three week run in the cozy Zumbro Lounge, the cozy sister space to the […] [Read More]
Fonseca gets his new chair
(Courtesy Photo) Comedian Chris Fonseca tries out his new wheelchair Tuesday night as Roy Lopez (center), Ben Granato and Margo Uriegas look on. They did it! Last night's drive to raise the rest of the funds for comedian Chris Fonseca's new wheelchair (he broke his old one at a show in San Antonio on Nov. […] [Read More]
'Nutcracker' ticket deal
Arts San Antonio is offering a ticket deal through Dec. 6. Those who buy a $49 or $80 ticket to the Metropolitan Classical Ballet's performance of "The Nutcracker" will get a free ticket to any other performance in the Arts San Antonio season. The deal is not available through Ticketmaster; it can only be gotten […] [Read More]
Toby Keith returning to San Antonio rodeo
(Associated Press) Toby Keith will play the San Antonio Rodeo on Feb. 18. Country star Toby Keith, who released his 13th studio CD, "American Ride," in August, has been added to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo's 2010 entertainment lineup. Keith is the biggest name on a list of acts released today. Also coming […] [Read More]
The 'Twilight' effect: Another obscure Pattinson movie surfaces
(Summit Entertainment) Robert Pattinson's Edward may be one of the "Twilight" franchise's marquee attractions, but he takes a back seat to Taylor Lautner (right, with Kristen Stewart) in "New Moon," which opens just after midnight Thursday night. Since British actor Robert Pattinson became one of the faces of the "Twilight" movie franchise last year, it […] [Read More]
A new wheelchair for Chris Fonseca
Here's something that's not very funny — you're a comedian with cerebral palsy who performs in a wheelchair, and the wheelchair breaks as you're being helped onstage. That happened to Chris "Crazy Legs" Fonseca on Nov. 8, when he was in town to perform at Enchilada Warehouse as part of a benefit. Here's how Roy […] [Read More]
Bargain alert! Two-for-one deal for "High Hair"
The revival of "High Hair and Jalapeños" that opened last weekend at the Josephine Theater is offering a two-for-one ticket deal through the end of the month. Through Nov. 30, two tickets can be snapped up for $33. The show, which includes several new numbers as well as a few new cast members (fret not, […] [Read More]
Random marathon thoughts: It's the heat, AND the humidity
(J. Michael Short/Special to the Express-News) Grand Funk members Max Carl (left) and Bruce Kulick (no they're not original members) play at Sunday's post-marathon concert in the Alamodome. Odd and ends from someone who kept track of the Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio Marathon from a safe distance (and with a bit of jealousy, since […] [Read More]
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Nylabone Advanced Oral Care Liquid Tartar remover alters the ph of as dog's saliva to control tartar production and curtail offensive mouth odors.
Simply mix with your dog's regular water.
Scientifically proven to reduce bacteria-harboring plaque and fight doggy breath.
Size: 16 ounces.
Directions: Mix 1 Tablespoon per 32 ounces of water.
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DogSupplies.com Outlet Store - 2960 St Rose Pkwy Ste 170, Henderson, NV 89052 Mon - Sat 9:30am to 7:00pm, Sun 10:00am-6:00pm.


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For Vietnam: VIETNAM GDP Growth (%) FDI in million US$ CPI 9 months 2011 (%) Export Growth Rate (%) Import Growth Rate (%) International Tourists (arrivals) Retail Sales Growth (%) - Real Retail Sales Growth Y-o-Y change 5.76 9,900 16.63 35.4 26.9 4,312,100 22,8 3,9 Degree of change The economic outlook for Vietnam remains negative in the short term due to short-term economic and financial instability risks. Recently, Standard & Poor's lowered Vietnam's long-term credit rating from BB to BB- while the short-term rating remained unchanged at BB-. The risks for the foreseeable future of the economy are: budget and trade deficit, dearth of capital, high interest rates, inflation, foreign debts and currency depreciation. Concerns over these risks have been implicated in the recent revision of the GDP growth rate forecast for the year by the government, from 6.5% to 6% - the second revision this year. Forecasts on Vietnam's economic growth rate for 2011 ADB 5.8% EIU 6% IMF 5.8% Vietnam's government 6%
Degree of change
HA NOI GDP Growth (%) FDI (registered) in million US$ CPI (%) Export Growth Rate (%) Import Growth Rate (%) International Tourists (arrivals) Retail Sales Growth (%) - Real Retail Sales Growth
Y-o-Y change 9.4 999.6 21.74 26.2 18.7 898,000 23.4 4.7
The slowdown in GDP growth, tightened credit policies and especially the soaring inflation rate are causing troubles to the consumers in their routine daily shopping. The cumulative CPI growth rate of the period 2007-2010 was recorded at 50.7% while this year's forecast ranges from 18% to 24%. Since the pressure on the consumers is growing stronger, Colliers is of the opinion that the retail market as a whole would not sustain high-level growth, at least until the macro-economy outlook is brighter. For Hanoi: Basically, the city's economy growth mimics that of the nation, with regards to growth path, outlook, risks and structure. A few indices, including FDI, were positive in the last quarter, but risks are looming larger if the government cannot take control of inflation and the financial
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 1
system. CPI has become more of a threat, clouding the real significance of growth indices. Specifically, in this quarter, gold price surge was the single real driver of CPI. The city's government disbursed VND475 billion (US$24 million) to curb the price increase of the main commodities. Weary of seeing the currency devaluate, consumers now tend to buy more local made and affordable goods.
On the 26th of July 2011, the PM signed into effect the General Planning of Construction of Hanoi Capital until 2030, vision 2050. This planning is instrumental in the regulation of real estate projects in Hanoi. Before its signing, hundreds of projects had been put on hold. According to this, Hanoi will have 5 satellite townships and 8 bridges and underground In the first nine months of 2011, Hanoi recorded a retail sales tunnel crossing the Red River. y-o-y growth rate of 23.4% vs. same period of last year's rate of 20.4%. Real growth rate, excluding the CPI impact, was Ring Road 4's detailed construction planning was approved 4.7%. This proved that inflation has been greatly influencing by the PM. To be completed in 2020, it will define the boundpeople's purchasing power. ary for the metropolitan expansion of Hanoi to the west and south. Coffee and petroleum were the main drivers of export growth. The main outlets for Hanoi's exports were China and the US, The city mayor instructed the related city bodies to design while the city imported mainly from China and Japan. Petroand submit the detailed planning for all functional areas of leum and fertilizer were the main import items. Hanoi in Q2 2012, as the next step to implement the General Planning of Construction of Hanoi toward 2030-2050. This Industry and construction still paid a critical role in the city's will include the planning of underground space which is misseconomy growth. On the other hand, agriculture is becoming ing now. less significant. It is noteworthy that real estate development has claimed the majority of cultivating land. During the period 2011 � 2015, Hanoi will build 50 parking buildings to ease the current congestion problem. On the 10 th As for tourism, the number of local and international tourists of August, the People's Committee started evaluating the dropped, although Smart Travel Asia named Hanoi and Hoi proposal of Megastar E&C to build smart parking lots. An two of the best destinations of Asia in 2011, and ranked Sofitel Metropole Hotel in Hanoi first in the list of 25 best hoThe construction of the connection road linking Nhat Tan tels and resorts in Asia in 2011. bridge to Noibai airport was started in August. Upon completion in 30 months, it will shorten the distance from Noibai to downtown Hanoi from 35km to just 15km. The work on railway line No 4 from Cat Linh to Ha Dong is ongoing, with the purpose to complete it in 2015. Work will also begin soon on line No 1 and 2 in order to complete in 2018. In August, TEDI corporation proposed 3 options for the construction of the flyover at Vong crossroad. The construction and expansion project of Ring Road 2 from Vinh Tuy to Nga Tu So was accelerated with the city's approval of the road boundary landmarks.
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 2
The grade A office sector continued to perform well in Q3/2011 with average occupancy at 95.3% (0.9 percentage point higher than the last quarter). Average asking rate still remained at over US$42/sqm/month. It could be said that this is a positive sign because the market has shown good performance in two successive quarters in spite of the economic slowdown and credit control. In addition, limited current vacancy and land fund in the CBD continue to be in favor of the grade A office buildings there. Average rent and occupancy rate of grade A office, Q3 2011
48.00 100% 95%
Average rent and occupancy rate of grade B office, Q3 2011
$29 $28 94% 92% 90%
$26 $25 $24 $23
Q2-09 Q3-09 Q4-09 Q1-10 Q2-10 Q3-10 Q4-10 Q1-11 Q2-11 Q3-11 Average rent Occupancy rate
88% 86% 84%
82% 80%
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
90% 85%
Hoan Kiem district still ranks first in term of supply and performance (average asking rent rate at US$40/sqm/month and average occupancy at 94%) thanks to good location and building management service. Hai Ba Trung district came in the second position with average rate of US$29/sqm/month and Ba Dinh district followed with rent at US$26/sqm/month. Dong Da, Cau Giay and Tu Liem district have average rent ranging from US$21 to US$23/sqm/month. Regarding occupancy rate, the suburban districts such as Cau Giay and Tu Liem (with increasing office supply during the last 2 years) are struggling with finding tenants while occupancy floundered around 70%. The current market, so to say, is in the hands of the tenants. They now have a lot more options and can demand conditions in their favor. On the other hand, it takes time and better economic conditions for the west to become a new centre of attraction. The majority of tenants at Cau Giay and Tu Liem districts are Vietnamese companies because they require large floor area with reasonable rates. They even purchase the whole floor for long � term rent, capitalizing on the favorable discounts and incentives. Otherwise, this area is also favored by Asian companies from Korea, China or Japan.
38.00 36.00
80% 75%
Average rent
Occupancy rate
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
Two new grade B office buildings came on line in this quarter including Oriental Tower at 324 Tay Son and Han Viet Tower at 203 Minh Khai. Despite this new supply, the average occupancy rate increased by 3.8 percentage point compared to the last quarter and reached 87.4% with the average asking rate of US$25.5/sqm/month. However, for six quarters, the sector's performance has not matched grade A sector's acceleration with occupancy below 90% and rents at around US$25.5/sqm/month. Facing this situation, the landlords are actively offering attractive promotion campaigns, flexible leasing terms, and even accepting small office space requirements or offering the whole floor for longterm lease (floor selling) in order to gain a quick capital return.
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 3
Average rent and occupancy by district, Q3 2011
250,000 200,000 45 38
31 24
17 10 Hoan Hai Ba Ba Dong Cau Tu Kiem Trung Dinh Da Giay Liem Tay Ho Long Bien
50,000 0
Property: Developer: Location: Grade: GFA: NFA: Officially opened: Asking rent rate:
Geleximco Office Building Geleximco 36 Hoang Cau str., Dong Da dist. B 27,000sqm 21,600sqm Q1/2011
(including SC, excluding VAT)
Vacant Area
Leased area (sqm)
Average Rent
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
In Q4/2011, Colliers anticipates that there will be 200,000sqm new office supply from both grade A and B, primarily from EVN Tower and Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower which will provide massive floor areas. In the next three years, the market will have about 1.5 million sqm new office supply, boosting office stock nearly three-fold. The future supply converges in Tu Liem district. Colliers anticipates that competition will toughen in this area. Grade A office buildings like Keangnam Hanoi Landmark and Indochina Plaza Hanoi are currently offering for lease a total of 112,500sqm, which is significant. Besides, some grade B office buildings like Nam Cuong Building and Detech Tower will also add to the vacant space available for lease. Facing this situation, the developers are increasingly adopting initiatives such as floor selling or short-term lease of whole floor. This has proven to be a quick way to fill up the vacancy, recoup investment and save time.
Property: Developer: Location: Grade: GFA: NFA: Officially opened: Asking rent rate:
Han Viet Tower Space 21 Fonexim 203 Minh Khai str., Hai Ba Trung dist. B 19,500sqm 13,000sqm August 2011
(including SC, excluding VAT)
Estimated future supply of office space in Hanoi
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 4
Land prices
The land prices of Hanoi vary largely from location to location. They also depend on the future urban development of the city, and in many case, on speculation-driven rumors. Often, the information about land transactions is not transparent. Therefore it is difficult to provide exact and precise figures about this market. The city's districts can be divided into three groups. Group 1 consists of the suburban districts Tu Liem, Ha Dong (in the west of Hanoi), Long Bien (in the East) and Hoang Mai (in the south). It has a land price range from US$968 to US$8,329/sqm. The range of the secondary districts (group 2) of Hanoi, including the districts of Thanh Xuan, Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Dong Da and Tay Ho, is from US$2,590 to US$18,940/sqm. The last group is comprised of two CBD districts Hai Ba Trung and Hoan Kiem with land prices in the range of US$2,611 � US$27,200/sqm. Average land prices by district, Q3 2011
US$/sqm 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Tu Ha Long Hoang Thanh Ba Liem Dong Bien Mai Xuan Dinh Average minimum price Cau Giay Dong Tay Ho Hai Ba Hoan Da Trung Kiem
Furthermore, these districts are still developing their infrastructure and have lower living standards and less favorable socio-economic conditions.
Average land prices of Hanoi by street width, Q3 2011
Street Pho Hue Hai Ba Trung To Ngoc Van Ton Duc Thang Kim Ma Cau Giay Truong Chinh Giai Phong Nhan My Hamlet (My Dinh) Quang Trung (Ha Dong) Duc Giang 2,840 - 3,146 3,100 - 3,259 3,411 - 4,036 4,432 - 10,600 2,153 - 2,539 5,957 3,063 - 4,333 3,900 - 4,348 7,770 3,185 - 4,659 4,086 - 6,095 3,300 - 4,976 4,700 - 5,105 4,223 - 5,059 10,159 - 14,409 7,688 - 10,600 7,858 - 10,730 5,711 - 6,871 15,434 - 15,793 Average land price by street width (US$/sqm) in Q3 2011 <2 m 5,050 2 - 3.5 m 6,267 - 6,753 16,850 - 21,700 3.5 - 8 m >= 8m
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
Colliers recorded the average price levels on some of Hanoi's main roads in the table above. Land at the central roads is always expensive, for example land prices in the alleys of Hue Street (Hai Ba Trung district), where many boutique fashion shops are located, are even equal to or higher than those of the street-front houses of Ton Duc Thang, Cau Giay, Truong Chinh streets; Hai Ba Trung street (Hoan Kiem district) has an average price of US$21,700/ sqm, 1.5-2 times higher than that of Kim Ma and Giai Phong streets. The urban development of Hanoi according to government's plan will head west. Heavy investments in this area's infrastructure have boosted property prices tremendously. However, the ranges at My Dinh and Cau Giay areas are similar. Ha Dong district used to be the chief town of Ha Tay province, therefore it has a good infrastructure and similar levels to My Dinh area. To Ngoc Van can be considered a beautiful road of Tay Ho district with rows of glossy villas let to foreigners. Land prices of this street are thus even higher than in some central locations. Meanwhile, the East is still developing, so prices in some streets like Duc Giang average about US$2,100/sqm.
Average maximum price
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
One can notice that the central districts have a wider range of land prices. This is because the street frontage in these business districts provides a huge business advantage � home owners can supposedly earn money by opening shops or restaurants or other outlets. Meanwhile, houses in the alleys or sub-alleys are more often than not used as a residence. Houses with a corner position facing two streets in the proximity of Hoan Kiem Lake are the most expensive � sometimes even equal to the levels seen in Tokyo or Paris. For example, street-front houses on Cau Go, Hang Gai or Hai Ba Trung streets have sold for between US$21,000 and US$27,000/sqm. The land prices at the suburban districts Tu Liem, Ha Dong, Long Bien and Hoang Mai have a narrower range due to lesser business advantage. Sometimes the advantage is even unclear because the areas are pending planning approval, or have no official titles, or worse still, under dispute.
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 5
In general, Q3/2011 was quieter than the previous quarter with fewer successful transactions. Land prices in some areas showed decrease; however the number of transactions was low. In the West, especially for the housing projects located along the incomplete Highway 32, properties have lost 15% - 20% value compared to the previous quarter. Likewise, a smaller amount of new stock came on line. The reason for this slump might include the continued credit crunch and unfavourable economic outlook, together with the psychological phenomenon called the ghost month. It is noteworthy that in Vietnamese lunar calendar, the month of July (which falls in August) is perceived as dedicated to the lone spirits of the other world. In consequence, Vietnamese people tend not to transact housing sales in this month. It can be said that the approval of the Master Plan of Ha Noi in July did not bear positive impacts on the market as expected.
Units launched in Q3 2011 vs. Q2 2011 by grade
Units Launched by Grade
5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500
2,000 1,500 1,000 500 High-end Units Q2/2011 Mid-end Units Q3/2011 Low-end
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
From 2011 to 2014 the new supply will amass in the West of Hanoi. By district, 28% of it will come from Ha Dong district, 15% from Tu Liem, 15% from Cau Giay, 10% from Hai Ba Trung, 6% from Long Bien, 6% from Thanh Xuan, 8% from Tay Ho, 6% from Dong Da, 5% from Hoang Mai and 1% from Ba Dinh.
New supply from 2011 to 2014 by district
6% 10%
In Q3/2011, the number of units launched was approximately 5,500 from fifteen projects, such as Green Park Tower, Golden Land, Richland Southern, Nam Do Complex, etc. Most of the new supply comes from current projects. The high-end apartments numbered about 1,500, while midend and low-end apartments accounted for 3,400 and 600 units respectively. There was, therefore, a significant change in the proportion of the segments compared to Q2/2011: the mid-end in this quarter outnumbered the highend, while the low-end offers remain the same. The reduction in the number of stock coming into the market is because supply from large projects was offered for sale in the previous quarter. Some small scale projects in this quarter offered a limited number of apartments as a trial.
Currently, most buyers in Vietnam are investors (60-70%). However, when the economy is sluggish, these investors change to a prudent strategy, giving way to the end-users. In theory, prices should therefore verge on the real value. At the current time, apartments priced under $150,000/unit get more attention from the customers. The State Bank is on firm ground with its tight credit control to rein the stock and real estate market. The lofty interest rates and restricted access to bank loan have been squeezing out investments from the market and put significant pressure on the developers who have to pay their outstanding loan.
5% 6% 6%
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
Segment-wide, the supply in the next three years will be mainly in the mid to high end segments, in spite of the fact that they have lost ground to the low end segment recently. Actually, due to the long process of project implementation, it will take a few years for the market to respond to the change.
The apartment for sale market experienced a reduction in price in all segments, however the change is insignificant. Comparing with the previous quarter, prices were reduced by about 2% on average. The tightened monetary policy and the attraction of other
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 6
KNOWLEDGE REPORT | Q3 2011 | RESIDENTIAL | HANOI investment tools like gold or bank deposit led to the scarce capital in the real estate market and many mortgaged properties have been sold. These factors reflected on the downward trend in the residential market.
Market prices by segment
2000 1500 1000
Property : Developer : Location: Total units: Launching time: Current market price:
Green Park Tower Constrexim--Hod Yen Hoa � Cau Giay 400 July 2011 US$1,840 - US$1,900/sqm
Source: Research and Consultancy, Colliers International, Hanoi
The downturn in quarter 3/2011 showed the market instability and strong impacts of the financial markets on the real estate market. Although the market prices have decreased, it is unlikely that the residential market in the next quarter will be as warm as the first half of the year due to the limited number of affordable products for the end users - currently most of the offers are in mid to high end segments. The residential market in Q4/2011 will need a boost from the financial market and credit policies of banks to regain momentum.
Property : CT15 Viet Hung Developer: PVR Location: Viet Hung new urban town Total units: 456 Launching time: July 2011 Current market price: US$1,050 - US$1,200/sqm
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 7
On September 23rd, the market witnessed the opening of Hang Da Galleria shopping center, providing two basements and five above-ground floors, three of which house a modern fashion center featuring a variety of international brands. Hang Da Galleria introduced a new concept of combining a wet market (located in the basements) and a modern shopping center (with GFA of nearly 7,000 sqm on the upper floors). However, the traditional market, which started operation in September 2010, has proven to be ineffective, attracting too few shoppers, and a lot of kiosk owners are moving out. On the contrary, the shopping center has filled up as much as 95% of its leasable areas with well-known brands like Nine West, Axara, FCUK, Morgan de toi, Easy Spirit, Elise. This initial success could be partly explained by the fact that the landlord applied simultaneously fixed rental rates and revenue sharing schemes for tenants. Oriental Tower also entered the market in Q3/2011 as a complex building with office and retail components. The whole 5,000-sqm area over five retail floors has been leased to Pico Plaza, a prominent electronics retail chain of Hanoi. Accordingly, Pico Plaza would take up 100% of the area until 2030 and enjoy low monthly rents which are similar to those applied for the office component above. Pico Mall on Tay Son Street also launched a re-opening at the beginning of September. The first ceremony of this shopping center took place in Q2/2011 without much success. However, whereas other components of the MIPEC Tower complex are still under construction, Pico Mall might find it difficult to attract shoppers, at least until Megastar Cineplex, an anchor tenant comes into operation this October. As at the end of the third quarter of 2011, the total supply of modern retail space in Hanoi increased by 3.83% against Q2/2011 thanks to the addition of Hang Da Galleria and Oriental Tower and stood at approximately 325,000 sqm. Shopping centers, a popular destination of Hanoi shoppers, account for 44.3% of the total retail area. The major decrease of CBD Shopping Centers' average rental rates could stem from the appearance of Hang Da Galleria, which offers both fixed rents (ranging from US$4576/sqm/month) and a revenue sharing program. Rentals at the thriving CBD Retail Podiums, as always, remained stable as these areas continued to be fully occupied despite seemingly extravagant rents. Shopping centers in non-CBD areas also faced a decrease in average rental rates due to the low rents in Oriental Tower. Pico Plaza - an electronics supermarket chain is its only tenant, occupying the five retail floors of this building under a 20-year contract with modest rents. Meanwhile, the Grand Plaza department store raised its asking rents by an average of 20% after hiring another professional agent and deciding to renovate the whole facility. This lead to an increase of 5.17% in non-CBD department stores' average rents.
Due to the significant shortage of modern retail space in the CBD, especially in upscale and large projects, current CBD retail centers have attained full occupancy and a healthy clientele. The new entrant � Hang Da Galleria recorded an occupancy rate of nearly 95%, and after the food court starts operation, this shopping center will attract more shoppers. Non-CBD retail centers posted an average occupancy of 86.85%, down 0.92 percentage point against Q2/2011. The majority of the vacant area comes from Grand Plaza Department Store, which was performing poorly. The performance of this Department Store could be explained by unattractive design and low ceiling (since the property was not designed to be a shopping centre), together with inferior marketing strategies. Shopping activities in The Garden, on the contrary, are intensifying thanks to the presence of anchor tenants like Big C supermarket, Platinum Cineplex and Star Fitness Center, and other major public events.
The retail component of the Keangnam Landmark Tower missed its scheduled opening in September. The new schedule is for the last quarter of 2011. The majority of its enormous retail space of approximately 81,000sqm has been leased out, and 80% of the leased area belongs to the sub-lessor Parkson Department Store. Together with The Garden, Keangnam Tower is expected to become a popular shopping destination in the West. However, it remains uncertain as to whether they could compete with their CBD competitors on equal ground.
Except for the Department Stores, all other retail categories were becoming cheaper to rent
(US$ psm per month)
CBD Asking Rent % Q-o-Q change Non-CBD Asking Rent % Q-o-Q change
Department Store $76.2 5.17%
Shopping Center $78.5 -3.88% $46.9 -8.84%
Retail Podium $98.4 -0.46% $40.0 0.00%
Average $94.1 -1.09% $51.6 -5.34%
The Eastern side of Hanoi is also on the move. Vincom Center Long Bien sees approximately 90% of its leasable areas
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 8
KNOWLEDGE REPORT | Q3 2011 | RETAIL | HANOI registered and/or contracted while its first eight tenants started fitting out and preparing for the opening. To attract tenants, the landlord applied flexible programs such as low rental rates, free rent for first year or discount for those tenants currently located in Vincom City Towers. Savico Mega Mall is also accelerating its leasing activities to meet the scheduled operation in November. More than 80% of the areas have been leased while the rental rates are on the rise prior to the opening date. Big C hypermarket has the ambition to open at the end of October as consumer goods are stacking on the shelves at the moment.
Property: Hang Da Galleria Shopping Centre Developer: Quan Nhan JSC Location: Cua Dong Str., Hoan Kiem Dist. GFA: ~8,000sqm Officially opened: September 2011 Occupancy status: Approx. 95% Major tenants: Nine West, Axara, Levi's, Morgan, Valencia, Easy Spirit, FCUK. General concept: A fashion shopping centre with various wellknown international brands. A food court will soon be opened. Traditional wet market is located in the basement.
Although the domestic economic outlook remains gloomy, the retail industry still develops as people's living is improving and the desire for high-quality goods is alive. Due to the limited land fund in the CBD, new supply in nonCBD districts continue to exceed that in the CBD. In addition, the popularity of shophouses and established shopping centres in the CBD may force non-CBD shopping centres to differentiate themselves by introducing new brands and services as well as stepping up their marketing activities. With continued growth in consumer demand and heavy residential development, sizable shopping centres, especially those in the New Urban Areas or multi-purpose complexes will become prevalent. Meanwhile, large-scale shopping centres can provide a full range of merchandise/services such as spa, fitness centre, game zone, food court, cinema, fashion shops, etc, creating a one-stop shopping experience that can meet all shoppers' needs. This will gradually make Hanoi's retail market more mature and comparable to the more developed markets in other Southeast Asian cities. To keep up with the changing pace of the market, small-scale retail centres will have three options: leasing out the whole space to one large tenant (e.g electronics retailer as seen in Pico Plaza), dividing space into smaller shops or kiosks to become a retail lobby (Metropole Arcade), or engaging an anchor tenant (Big C, Saigon Coopmart, Hapro) that will sublease to individual tenants (caf�, restaurant, etc.).
Property: Oriental Tower � Pico Plaza Developer: BRG Group JSC. Sub-lessor: Pico Plaza Location: 324 Tay Son Str., Dong Da Dist. GFA: ~5,000sqm Officially opened: July 2011 Occupancy status: 100% General concept: Pico Plaza Electronics occupies all five stories to open its fifth branch.
www.colliers.com/vietnam Pg 9


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Category: Museums
Reviews The Porto Seguro Museum
The Porto Seguro Museum
Known as the Museum of Discovery because of the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese in 1500, the Porto Seguro Museum is housed in an old building formerly known as the Porto Seguro House of Representatives and jail. A signature of the Bahia history, the museum building is well preserved and was built by the Jesuits in 1722. The exhibits contain artifacts of how the Portuguese discovered Brazil and many other educational and cultural programs.
Nature Reserve


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Define a function procedure.
Syntax [Public [Default] | Private ] Function name([arg_List]) [statements] [name=expression] Exit Function [statements] [name=expression] End Function Key Public Extend the scope of this function to all procedures in the project. Public Default Define a method as the default member of a class (Only for public functions defined within a class.) Private Restrict the scope of this function to procedures within the same module. name The name of the function. arg_List Argument variabless passed to the function, comma separated. By default, each local variable=argument (ByRef) To have each local variable=value of the argument prefix the argument with 'ByValue'. statements Program code expression The value to return.
Function DemoFunc(Arg1, ByRef Arg2) ' Return the two arguments in a single string DemoFunc = "First: " & Arg1 & " second: " & Arg2 End Function 'Now call the function above myDemo = DemoFunc("Hello","World") wscript.echo myDemo
"The most important thing in an argument, next to being right, is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face" ~ Sydney J. Harris
Sub - Start a subprocedure
IsMember.vbs - Function to determine group membership
Equivalent in PowerShell: Functions


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florida street rod builder
Rate this!
March 25, 2011 04:49 PM - 5124 ViewsPrevioulsy on this board when I asked about finding a good street rod builer in FL to help me finish my 39 Ford the name Ross Ballytine was given to me along with two numbers. However neither one seems correct. Does anyone know this gentlemen or how I can reach him? thanks
- Newest Post: January 20, 2013 03:13 PM
- Comments
March 26, 2011 05:11 PM
March 26, 2011 10:18 PM
March 28, 2011 12:34 PM
Dave......Last time we visited Ross, he was dug in at West Palm Beach. Nice shop, great builder. Just called both phone numbers....no luck.
Maybe he went back to Ohio ?
Google Kenneth Ross Ballantyne.
Eddie York & Bob Shay are excellent builders in Davie/Hollywood, Fla.
Steve Keller, Red Stauffer, Len Tousaint, Chris Chambers, Henry & Nancy Dana..........
I will look in my NSRA Fellow Pages for a rodder in WPB that might know where Ross is............Neil McNeal, Tom Brown Jim
April 01, 2011 03:20 PM
Contact this guy he will know how to reach Ross; email@example.com
If you don't have any luck finding him I might be inerested in finishing your car for you. I am doing a 39 Ford Deluxe for myself right now.
April 01, 2011 08:25 PM
thanks for the email address. Will keep your offer in mind!
April 14, 2011 02:09 PM
Dave, Just found this site. If you still need your car worked on I'm still in West Palm. 561-602-7677. Thanks, Ross.
April 14, 2011 09:58 PM
January 14, 2013 06:40 PM
One of the best Rod and bike builder in Fla. and the U.S. Never seen a bad job, Boyd Cottington quality work, If I need Rod work I would contact Mr. Ballentyne. Simply the Best.
January 15, 2013 08:30 AM
January 15, 2013 09:20 AM
January 18, 2013 10:42 AM
January 20, 2013 03:13 PM
thanks for the message and his number. I will look him up soon.
Da34guy you dont know me well, My wife says my middle name is procrastinator. That and another project (65 GTO drag car) distracted me a bit. Looking forward to getting in touch with Ross
thanks again guys
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Millennium Cataloging provides your staff with the tools needed to create, edit, and refine the information that describes your collections. This fully integrated staff module allows for precise metadata handling, in-client connection to vendors and content providers, and flexible reporting. Cataloging lets staff work how they want to rather than locking them in to a given workflow. Staff can also add seamless handling of non-MARC standards like OAI-PMH by integrating Innovative's MetaData Builder product.
The built-in Millennium Editor provides either guided record creation or work forms that cater to expert catalogers. At the touch of a button, Create Lists provides customized reports on anything catalogers want to know about the database—without leaving the client or relying on systems administrators. And to make database maintenance and authority control easy, Global Update allows staff to alter large numbers of records in a single stroke.
With libraries providing a wide variety of print and digital materials and staff time at a premium, cataloging features have to be user friendly and powerfully simple. For example, Automatic Authority Control keeps your database clean, while Millennium Scheduler makes library-selected updates without staff intervention. In short, Innovative designed Millennium Cataloging for ease and efficiency without compromising an ounce of functionality.


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Describe if you will, a "real" Star Trek battle...
View Single Post
December 16 2012, 02:42 AM
Re: Describe if you will, a "real" Star Trek battle...
newtype_alpha wrote:
Interestingly, a tumbling object in zero gravity only has so much momentum regardless of its mass; a grand piano tumbling through an open space in zero gravity packs a wallop, but a lot less than a ROLLING piano in the same space, which is accelerating at a constant rate instead of simply moving from a single brief impulse.
The piano (or whatever) would only be accelerating due to gravity if it were going downhill in a sufficiently steep manner. Don't think there are many hills in a starship. Gravity only accelerates in one direction: down. Unless the redshirt is terribly unlucky (something that cannot be discounted), "down" is not the direction that causes issues. Also, the ground makes a whole lot more friction than air (or vacuum!)
You perceive wrongly. I feel unimaginable happiness wasting time talking with women. I'm that type of human.
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What Is the Best Animated Movie of 2009?
Buzz In: Which Animated Movie Is Most Oscar-Worthy?
What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday
Box Office: Madea Makes Money
Box Office: Jason's Back as Audiences Make Him No. 1
Box Office: Everyone's Into He's Just Not That Into You
Pretty Dakota Brings Coraline Back to Its Portland Home
Coraline: Spooky and Awe-Inspiring
Meet BuzzSugar's Coraline Box
Coraline the Game Looks As Creepy As the Movie
New Full-Length Trailer For Coraline!
Creepy Sneak Preview of Neil Gaiman's Coraline


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|« Back to Article
Ice cream truck driver cited after running over child
By Mark D. Wilson : January 7, 2014 : Updated: January 7, 2014 11:15pm
Photo By Mark D. Wilson / San Antonio Express-NewsApril Nicole Soliz fell off the back bumper of this snack truck and got caught under a tire, police said. The driver didn't know she had jumped on.
Photo By CourtesyApril Nicole Solis died Thursday afternoon after being run over by a snack truck on the Southwest Side.
SAN ANTONIO — The man who ran over a child on the Southwest Side after she fell from his ice cream truck was cited for driving with an expired license after the incident, police said.
The man, 50, was driving an ice cream truck in the 5300 block of Prairie Flower Drive when 6-year-old April Solis jumped onto the back of the truck, according to a Texas Department of Transportation report.
The report said Solis and a friend were trying to get the attention of the driver.
Solis fell from the back of the truck as it backed up.
According police at the scene, the driver did not know Solis had jumped onto the vehicle and rolled over her.
Solis was pronounced dead at the scene.
Citations for expired licenses can be dismissed pending proof of renewal within 20 days of the citation and a $20 fee, according to the city's Municipal Court website.
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Lt Gen Barno: First of all I would like to echo what President Bush said two days ago. Primarily that Afghanistan is no longer a sanctuary for terrorists, a place where they train in safety and comfort.
Note – conference switches from audio only to a video-teleconference.
(Off mike) -- around -- (off mike). This traditional Taliban heartland in Afghanistan has been dominated by U.S. Marines-- in concert with the Afghan National Army and other -- (off mike).
During this operation, more than 80 terrorists -- (off mike) -- have been killed -- (off mike) -- ammunition caches were seized and civil affairs projects carried out. Perhaps most importantly, the 44,000 Afghan citizens there joined more than 3-1/2 million of their fellow citizens in Afghanistan and registered to vote. It's an area where registration was thought to be in jeopardy. And these operations continue as we speak.
Voter registration nationwide now is topping 4 million Afghans. It's up to 90,000 a day registering across the country -- a key barometer of the commitment of the individual Afghans to their democratic future, which is a future clearly that the Taliban and al Qaeda remnants would deny them.
On the Afghan military side, the Afghan National Army continued to expand, further enhanced its reputation throughout Afghanistan. The ANA has now met long-established goal of 10,000 soldiers by the end of June 2004 and is on track to meet its longer-term goal of 20,000 soldiers by June of next year.
This accomplishment is not only a matter of quantity but of quality. The Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police continue to grow and mature, taking on more and more of the responsibility of defending the Afghan people.
Terrorist remnants are becoming increasingly wary of taking them on, because when they do, the terrorists come out second best.
In the Afghani-Pakistan border areas, I would give a strong commendation to the ongoing aggressive efforts of the Pakistani government and military to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries. Their operations against al Qaeda, foreign fighters in the Waziristan region have been well-conducted, relentless combined-arms operations into a region once considered a terrorist refuge. Pakistan's actions clearly underscore the President's announcement of Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally. Pakistan is and will continue to be a key partner in regional security in the area, and the global war on terror.
We've recently established communications capabilities with the Pakistani military at the tactical level so that commanders on both sides of the border can stay in close communication with each other. The coalition fully supports Pakistan's efforts, that continue today, to rid the tribal areas of all terrorist threats. We look forward to the final resolution of this menace, which not only threatens their government and leadership, but affects Afghanistan as well.
As a result of these operations on both sides of the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other terrorists are becoming -- are facing increasing pressure across our area of the theater. Unable to mount major military attacks against the coalition or Afghan forces, their recourse has been to mount cowardly attacks against innocent civilians, aid workers, and non-governmental organizations. They hope to intimidate the Afghan people. In this, too, they're failing. The Afghan people are not swayed from their commitment to realize the vision of democracy that they are so readily embracing here across the country. With more than 1,000 voter registration sites up, and almost 2,000 voter registration teams countrywide, the momentum leading up to the Afghan nationwide election in the fall is accelerating.
The coalition military here will continue to work to set conditions for the upcoming historic elections. In conjunction with the Afghan National Army, National Police, NATO's International and Security Assistance Force, and local leaders and elders, the coalition will do its part to ensure that the right of the Afghan people to choose freely their leaders will not be stolen. Those bitter few, the remnants of the despised Taliban regime here, would return all Afghans back to the dark days of terror and tyranny. Anticipating the terrorists' increased spoiling efforts, the Afghan people remain courageous and committed to their democratic future now in their hands, and we stand firmly beside them in their steadfast resolve.
On the reconstruction front, our plan is to establish 15 provincial reconstruction teams, or PRTs, by the end of June, and the plan is on track. Our new PRTs in the west at Farah and Lashkar Gah have achieved their initial operating capability. They're already busy identifying projects that will help the population of these provinces and extend the reach of the national government.
The groundwork is now laid for the PRT in Karona (sp) and Paktika province, which should be established by the end of the month, taking us to our coalition summer target of 15 coalition PRTs, in comparison with only four in the country just a year ago. PRTs will help provide the framework for the security of the upcoming election.
After the elections, continued success in the rebuilding of Afghanistan into a democratic nation will come from the combined efforts of the Afghan government, coalition, the international community, NATO, and of course, most importantly, from the Afghan people, who will always be our center of gravity.
What's the way ahead? Clearly, we all know challenges continue, but as we speak very clearly here day to day, those challenges will be faced and overcome.
Challenges include expanding the capacity of local government, eliminating the menace of narcotics, demobilizing regional militia forces, continuing the reconstruction of Afghanistan and expanding the NATO presence.
Meeting these and other challenges that this emerging democracy here in this very critical part of the world faces will not be easy. But the Afghan people will not be facing these challenges alone. To echo Secretary Rumsfeld earlier this week, the United States and our coalition partners are committed to helping the Afghan people accomplish the task of building their new nation.
With that, I'd be happy to take your questions.
STAFF: Sir, this is Lieutenant Colonel Keck. I was wondering if you could do us a favor. At the beginning, we had a lot of audio problems. Could you e-mail that statement to Lieutenant Commander Hetlage?
GEN. BARNO: You bet. We can send it out to you here a little bit later on this evening.
Q General Barno, this is Will Dunham with Reuters. I want to ask you about U.S. policy toward poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Why has the United States not launched aggressive operations to destroy the crop in Afghanistan? And how much of a concern is it to avoid antagonizing Afghan warlords, as well as the numerous ordinary farmers who grow the poppies?
GEN. BARNO: Well, I would tell you that there's a significant effort under way now to dramatically revisit the strategy and work up a very aggressive plan for the coming year. There's been a new counternarcotics coordinator appointed here in the U.S. embassy, Mr. Doug Wankel, who's got extensive DEA experience. He's on the ground right now to do the preliminary coordination. And I think this is going to be an increasingly critical effort as we look to our long-term policy successes here in Afghanistan.
Clearly, drugs is (sic) a huge threat to the overall success of the Afghan effort here, particularly as we go into next year. And so on the military side, we're playing key roles there in intelligence, in sharing information, in turning over caches when we find them and laboratory when we find them or destroying them on the spot, and I think that effort is only going to expand here as we move forward to the future. But it's an integrated effort that requires all elements of the international community as well as the military.
On the connections to warlords, regional leaders and militias out there, clearly we look to the future. You know, there's a great deal of money in this particular threat, and it's one that potentially can jeopardize local government officials, local police officials, as we see in other areas of the world. We're going to work very hard to put together the right integrated strategy with the Afghan government to overcome that.
Q General, this is Sandra Erwin with National Defense. You said one of your challenges is to get more NATO support. Why are you having difficulties getting additional NATO support? Any specific reasons? And what's expected in the near future from NATO?
Lt. Gen. Barno: Well, in some ways that's probably a better question to ask the NATO leadership. This is the top priority for NATO. You know, they've been working -- I mean, I've been engaged with this well with our NATO high staff commander, Lieutenant General Rick Hillier, in looking to identify the needs and help accelerate them coming into Afghanistan.
Now with the Istanbul summit coming up here at the end of this month and with the movement we see in country, I expect there will be some announcements fairly soon about a NATO expansion here across perhaps the northern-center part of Afghanistan as soon as in the next 30 days. So I think that part, which has taken a tremendous amount of effort, is now moving forward. And we'll see some significant accomplishments there here fairly soon.
In the greater scheme of things, NATO has a longer-term role and a longer-term expansion year, which for our end again in Afghanistan -- we worked very hard to try and identify for the NATO leadership out there and the secretary general and the SACEUR on the military side what's required and assist in any way we can in helping to marshal that forward. But that's really on the NATO nations out there to help put those horses together, and that's been a challenge.
Q General, it's Brett Baier at Fox News Channel. Al-Jazeera yesterday broadcast a videotape. It said -- showed al Qaeda members receiving military training at a camp in Afghanistan. I'm wondering, if you saw the tape, number one if you believe it's possible that this is genuine. They're citing it as the first evidence that al Qaeda had regrouped to train to carry out operations. And does it suggest -- or do you see any renewed confidence in al Qaeda or Taliban there along the border?
Lt. Gen. Barno: Brett, I have not seen the tape, I have heard that it's out there. I take those reports with a great deal of skepticism, and I think it's -- from my perspective, fairly unlikely that that tape was made in Afghanistan. But we have a significant presence throughout the border areas. They're extremely rugged, mountainous. So there's no telling where that may have come from.
In terms of al Qaeda's efforts, I will tell you that between operations here in Afghanistan, which have been very aggressive in the last three months with Operation Mountain Storm, and the current Pakistani operations, which are the most robust that they've ever executed with large numbers of forces, over 10,000 members of the Pakistani military working now over a number of targets throughout south Waziristan, I think al Qaeda and its network is under tremendous pressure here, and that will continue to squeeze them as we operate effectively on both sides of the border with some very significant combat operations.
Q General, this is Jim Mannion from Agence France-Presse. Referring to that, there were reports this morning of a fairly major Pakistani attack in the border areas against -- apparently -- well, I thought maybe you might be able to fill us in on who they're attacking, the degree to which you're coordinating your operations with the Pakistanis, and what sort of assistance the U.S. has been able to provide.
Lt. Gen. Barno: I can give you some degree of visibility on that. The Pakistanis, as I noted, are undertaking the most significant military operations in the tribal areas that they've ever done. That includes use of attack helicopters, jet fighters dropping bombs on a variety of targets there. This is their operation. They're focusing in on foreign fighters and al Qaeda elements that they've identified in those tribal areas. We have a very good system of coordination with the Pakistanis, both at the tactical level, as I mentioned, talking back and forth across the border between commanders on both sides, and also I think in terms of coordinating at the headquarters level back in Islamabad.
But I would also emphasize that this is very much a Pakistani-owned and focused and directed operation, and they're picking these targets. Their soldiers are out there taking the risk. They've taken a number of casualties. And they're pressing forward with tremendous resolution, the most I've ever seen over there. So it's a very impressive operation.
Q General, John Lumpkin with the Associated Press. Can you update us on each of the investigations into the deaths of detainees since 2002?
Lt Gen. Barno: There are ongoing investigations that track back to the two deaths in December 2002 at the Bagram Collection Point here. Those are still under way. They're based out of the continental United States, and they are, as I understand it from the reports I get back over here, continuing to interview a number of different elements out there that have now, in some cases, been demobilized back into civilian life, are located throughout the U.S. and have also, in some cases, been sent back overseas into other assignments. That's been one of the significant challenges to bringing that investigation to closure. I'm told that it's moving towards a conclusion here in the fairly near future, but I don't have more details than that.
I would also tell you, as I think all of you know, that we've -- on our part here in Afghanistan, I've directed a top-to-bottom review of all of our detention facilities. It will be conducted by Brigadier General Chuck Jacoby, who is our deputy commander for support in Bagram there with Combined Joint Task Force 76. He's wrapping up that top-to-bottom review now. I'll be getting a report out on where we stand today by the end of the month on all of our facilities vice the standards we've set to make sure we're in complete compliance with our own standards.
So that's a very important effort that looks at the current situation vice looking back at some of the investigations that continue to be ongoing from earlier days, too.
Q General, Julian Barnes from U.S. News & World Report. I wonder if you could tell me a little bit about how, in advance of elections, U.S. policy is evolving regarding warlords and militias in Afghanistan, if the military is doing anything to strengthen the central government's control in advance of elections?
Lt Gen Barno: I'll tell you, one of the key elements of that is our PRT expansion. And again, as you look across the south and east of the country, a year ago we had one PRT down there in Gardez; today we have, you know, eight to 10 PRTs in this area of security concerns. But the PRTs are also located in the west and the north in areas where there's -- the strong regional leaders are warlords, as you characterize them.
What the PRTs do is provide an opportunity to reinforce the capabilities and the connection of the central government officials there back to Kabul to provide a conduit both of aide, of advice, of mentorship, and if necessary, to provide a conduit for U.S. military and coalition forces to assist in those areas out there. They've been very valuable, the PRTs, in the national government's decision to send A&A out to Herat, in the case of some civil disturbances out there that were back in the March timeframe, and also up to Maimana in the north, where A&A were deployed in a very rapid fashion to meet civil disturbances up there that were related to militias and factional issues.
So PRTs are probably the most important thing we have out there to help extend the reach of the national government and to facilitate, you know, more strength and more capability out there with the governors in the provinces and with the district officials out there who are working on behest of the government here in Kabul.
Q Thanks, General. Bryan Hartman with ABC News. Going back to an earlier question about poppy cultivation, you sort of hinted at things expanding there, your role in combating opium production there. Are you saying that in the future, we might see U.S. troops actively going on operations to eradicate poppy crops? Is that what you're hinting at?
Lt Gen Barno: I don't think I'd speculate too far out on that. I think that we all realize here collectively that the growth of opium production and agriculture in the country has the risk out there of threatening to undercut all of the other great efforts that are going on right now. The military component here is still a finite force. We're at the largest size of coalition military we had here during our operation in Afghanistan with just over 20,000 right now. But I think our role, our active role in the fight against narcotics will be charted out as we look to the strategies available over the next year.
I think we'll continue to primarily still play an enabling role, which is sharing intelligence, perhaps providing some additional transport and logistics support in certain cases for interdiction forces and things of that nature. But to get much beyond that, I think it's too early to tell how that'll develop.
Q General, its Mike Mount with CNN. Like you just said, you've got a rather large contingency there with 20,000 troops. Thus far, what have they accomplished? There's been a number of missions that we've reported on as well, but can you give a breakdown of what they have been doing since we've -- since you've bolstered the troops to 20,000? And how's the hunt for Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden going?
Lt Gen Barno: I think probably the best way to answer that is that we've had a significant offensive operation being run here since the early spring timeframe called Mountain Storm. A critical component of that was to bring in over 2,000 Marines of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit as a surge force for that operation. We focused them in Oruzgan Province and northern Zabul Province in the south of the country, which were known to be some of the long-term footholds and long-term territory that the Taliban had deep roots in. Their operations recently, that I mentioned earlier, have seen the largest contacts with Taliban forces and the largest number of Taliban who've been killed and captured since last summer in the August time frame, September time frame. So a very successful operation from that standpoint.
Across the rest of the south and the east, Mountain Storm has been more decentralized and it's tied into our area ownership strategy, where our units in the country now have actually pieces of territory that they own, they operate in. They stay there, they gain connections with the local leaders, they visit the same elders over and over again, and they develop intelligence and then move against targets in those areas based on the intelligence they get from the local population. They really build a bond with the people out there. And our PRTs are nested inside of that effort.
So I think collectively that's probably the best way to describe some of our effects here this spring of Mountain Storm, which we've been very, very pleased with.
On the account of the leaders of some of the terrorist movements, you know, that hunt continues. We have a focused effort here that's dedicated on a daily basis to looking for those leaders that are at the tops of these organizations, but it's important to get at the organization, the network, and to take down those terrorist networks as attacking the leadership. We'll continue to focus on finding the key leaders in these organizations and bringing them to justice, but we also are very aware that taking down their network is going to be critical to making sure that their ability to threaten others is not continued.
Q General, this is Scott Foster with NBC News. I wanted to get your take on how concerned you are about terrorists, Taliban, al Qaeda remnants increasing their attacks and trying to disrupt the upcoming September elections.
Lt Gen Barno: That's a great question and it's one that we look at on a daily basis. It's clear to us that given the limited capabilities of some of the terrorist organizations now, that they're in many ways almost forced to go after softer targets because they take severe beatings when they encounter coalition forces or Afghan National Army forces. What that also means, though, is they realize that the election is about the future of the Afghan people, that the Afghan people are fully committed to seeing through a political democratic process that includes this election. So we are seeing indications of Taliban remnants, al Qaeda remnants, looking at ways to create perceptions of instability that would cause the international community to have second thoughts about being able to fully support the election effort.
I spent an hour today meeting with the U.N. secretary-general's senior rep here, Jean Arnault. We have a very close coordination relationship with the U.N. who is, along with the Afghan Joint Electoral Management Bureau, doing the logistics and the execution of the election process. That will continue through the election. As we all realize, that's where the political future of the country is. So I'm confident that the Afghan people are going to see this through, and we're going to provide them the enablers to make that happen.
Q Hi, General. John L'eng (ph) with InsideDefense.com. How would you characterize the status of Operation Mountain Storm? Do you think you're still sort of in the throes of it? Are you close to -- is sort of more winding down? Where are you, if you can even sort of be able to say that?
Lt Gen Barno: I'd say we're in the last third of the operation, would probably be the best way to characterize it. How long it continues, it will be based upon how we develop the intelligence and assess what the enemy's reaction has been and where he's going next. So our challenge continues to be to look around the corners and find out what the enemy's thinking and doing out there. So how we shape our operations and how long they continue and where they focus is really based upon getting out there in front of the enemy and out- thinking him and being there to be able to destroy him when he's making his move.
So, not clear right yet how far that's going to go, but I think having been going on now since the March time frame, we're probably towards the last third or so of the operation at least.
Q General, this is Will Dunham with Reuters again. I want to follow up on the earlier questions about the poppies. You mentioned possible future operations. But could you explain the thinking behind why the United States has not to this point acted aggressively to destroy the poppy crop? I mean, is it a decision that you simply don't want to alienate the farmers or alienate the warlords?
Lt Gen. Barno: I guess from a military standpoint I would make the argument that our capacity here has got to continue to focus on the counterterrorist fight with the number of forces we have in country. We have significant military operations going on around the country that require the forces we have today. The PRT buildup across the south and the east requires a network of forces out there to support that. It's linked in with the local populations.
So in terms of the actual attack on the cultivation and eradication efforts, that's being done by an Afghan-led poppy-eradication force the U.S. is supporting through the Department of State International Narcotics Law Enforcement right now, as well as a British-led effort that's funded and trained an interdiction force that works around the country.
So against the military standpoint, our role is a supporting role. Our primary focus continues to be counterterrorist operations in sustaining and improving security around the country.
Lt Col Keck: One more question.
Q John Lumpkin with AP again. There was a couple of other possible death investigations I wanted to ask about: first one in Jalalabad -- I'm sorry; I can't recall the date. And there was another we had I believe that was in western Afghanistan; that we'd received a death certificate for a prisoner for but there hadn't been any information about that incident. Is there any light you can shed on either of those?
Lt Gen. Barno: Probably need to get a little bit more specifics on those. The two that we know were as a result of military custody were the two that I mentioned in December '02. There are two others out there, and I'm going to have to check locations. They were both in the cases of prisoners that were turned over to us after having been detained by others outside of the military channels who then died shortly after we received them in our custody, as I recollect. So a little bit different investigation profile for those. We could get back to you on what we have on that, but again that -- each of those is not based upon military custody as we have examined it so far.
Lt Col Keck: Okay. Sir, we thank you for your time today and hope we will see you again soon.
Lt Gen Barno: Thanks very much.
And again, we got a lot of great Americans and great coalition partners out here that are doing a difficult task in some arduous conditions. So I encourage you all to write about them and come out and visit them, and any of you are always welcome to come see us face to face what we're doing out here, and we'll get you out to see soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
Thanks for your time today. Best of luck.


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August 4, 2015
Pope Benedict has celebrated his final public Mass as pontiff.
He presided over Ash Wednesday services at St. Peter's Basilica.
The retiring 85-year-old pope was wheeled down the central aisle as a choir sang, preceded by dozens of cardinals.
In his homily, Benedict referred to his pending Feb. 28 resignation and asked for prayers.
At the end of the Mass, the pope's longtime deputy, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, thanked him for being an example of a "simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord." Those were the words Benedict himself used when he was elected pope in April 2005.
As the pope made his exit, the basilica erupted in a standing ovation.
Earlier in the day, during his weekly catechism lesson, the pope explained why he had broken with 600 years of tradition and decided to retire, saying he was doing so "for the good of the church."
In Bryan, many people attended Ash Wendesday services, and some spoke to News 3 about their feelings towards the pope's resignation.
"My initial reaction was surprise. I was surprised. But the more I thought about it, the more I was kind of pleased he in a way set this precedent," said St. Joseph Catholic Church's Matt Rice, a youth minister for the congregation. "I'm basically happy that he was able to do this with what was obviously a clear conscience."
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