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Testimony :: Panayote Dimitras
Founding Member/ Spokesman - Greek Helsinki Monitor & Minority Rights
In order to help explain why, in its 2002 reports, Freedom House ranks Greece last among free countries in civil liberties and in media freedom, while the U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report ranks, again in 2002, Greece as a Tier 3 country –alongside countries considered as not free- indicating that there have not been significant efforts to meet minimum anti-trafficking standards, it is important to outline some basic features of Greek political culture.
Political science academic researchers like Adamantia Pollis and Thanos Lipovatz have written extensively on the incompatibility of the individualistic human rights culture with the traditional communalist Christian culture. In societies with an Eastern Orthodox tradition, the conflict between modernist and Enlightenment values on the one hand and traditional church-based values on the other has not led to the domination of the former at the expense of the latter, as it happened in societies with a Western (Catholic and Protestant) Christian tradition. So, while in the latter a rights-oriented civil society was able to develop in the last 100-150 years, in the former such a characteristic is for all practical purposes absent.
Moreover, the Greek Ombudsman wrote in its Annual Report 1999: "Human rights violations by the administration (…) can be codified with the words arbitrariness-indifference-bias-impunity; they take their most acute form when applied on vulnerable social groups. Often the administration arbitrarily uses public interest as an excuse to restrict individual rights or shows illegal idleness when there is a constitutional obligation to protect human rights [p.15]. These phenomena will not be eliminated as long as existing disciplinary procedures remain idle. (…) The administration, reproducing the most backward reflexes of our society, often shows its worst face when dealing with members of minority groups. The pathology of human rights in our country is mainly a problem of implementing existing constitutional and legal provisions rather than lack thereof. It is common wisdom that in the administration prevails a feeling of impunity, that in some cases favors occasional illegal actions, or in other cases it perpetuates a status of generalized anomy and corruption [pp. 55-56]." Another academic, criminologist and oftentimes government advisor Yannis Panousis, recently wrote that "in our country, anomy (no rules of the game) and zero guilt (no one is responsible to be held accountable) dominate"
During his visit to Greece, two weeks ago, Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, felt necessary to publicly remind Greek authorities that "Every country has its own share of human rights problems… The most important though is the attitude of state authorities –their reluctance to cooperate to help record the situation" "The priority is for the state to find the ability to recognize its human rights problems and start working towards their solution"
However, former Minister of Justice Mihalis Stathopoulos -a non-politician and an academic with a NGO background, who introduced the abolition of religion from the identity cards in 2000, only to lose his cabinet post a year later- said (on 29 June 2000, in a seminar in the Amphitheater of the Foreign Ministry) that "all those who boast for the absence of racism in Greece are people who are not used to criticism and self-criticism." He was in effect commenting on Greek government's rejection of the criticism by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)'s report on Greece released in June 2000.
Indeed, the relevant advisory body to the Prime Minister, the National Commission for Human Rights, in its first ever 2000 report, noted the tendency of Greek authorities to view NGO and IGO reports as "undermining the nation" and to treat them with either "secrecy or scorn." It also recommended instead that state reports or answers to criticism "should not be confined to banalities or exaggerated promises."
Perhaps the most revealing reaction to an IGO report is Greece's rejection of the multicultural character of Greek society, which the ECRI report (and other IGO reports since then) insisted upon. Indeed, in Greece, it is widely thought that "the concept of a multicultural society, which may suit young countries such as the USA, Canada or Australia, is less suited to Europe with its long tradition of nation-states," as stated a few days ago in a front page commentary of Greece's authoritative daily Kathimerini, whose English edition is inserted in the International Herald Tribune. The commentary's main line was an appeal for, inter alia, "the repatriation of migrants to their homeland."
The main consequence of this rejection of multiculturalism is Greece's persistent denial to acknowledge the presence of ethno-national minorities on its territory, namely the Turks and the Macedonians.
Instead, Greece insists that there is only one religious minority, the Muslims of Thrace. However, the most comprehensive description of the situation in Thrace is offered by an inter-governmental institution (the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe): "We hold the following assessment of the NGO Human Rights Watch to be correct: 'While it is indeed true that the minority is mixed on an ethnolinguistic basis, being made up of ethnic Turks, Pomaks … and Roma, the group overwhelmingly identifies itself as Turkish. Indeed many Pomaks and Roma will, especially to outsiders, even deny their ethnolinguistic origin in the belief that being called 'Pomaks' or 'Roma' is merely a state artifice to suppress them. One commentator [Professor Christos Rozakis, vice-president of the European Court of Human Rights, and former Deputy Foreign Minister in 1996] noted that, 'Due to the uniform way in which Greek authorities and local communities have treated Gypsies and Pomaks, the latter tend to identify with the stronger elements of the minority in Thrace, who are, of course, the Muslim Turcophones.'" An EU Euromosaic survey carried out in 1995 among minority members found that 80% of its members have a Turkish identity (vs. 10% who have a Greek identity). ECRI reported that "the majority within the Muslim minority identify themselves as Turks, although this general category includes Pomaks and Muslim Roma as well." The UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance stated that "the Muslim minority of Thrace … is composed largely of people of Turkish origin but also of Pomaks and Tziganes."
"As regards Greek citizens wishing to express and promote their ethnic Macedonian identity, ECRI notes that, in July 1998, the European Court of Human Rights found Greece in violation of the right to freedom of association, based on her refusal to register an association aimed essentially at promoting Macedonian culture . ECRI also notes reports of cases where the right to freedom of expression of this group has not been respected. ECRI encourages the authorities to ensure that all groups in Greece effectively enjoy the right to freedom of association and to freedom of expression, in accordance with international legal standards."
Four years after that court decision, the Macedonian association concerned, the "Home of Macedonian Civilization," has not yet registered as, until recently, all lawyers refused to take up its case, while the courts refused to appoint a lawyer. Only after the intervention of the Greek Ombudsman who pointed to the illegality of the situation, a lawyer was appointed a few months ago. In the meantime, a second Macedonian association, "Rousalii" was not allowed to register in 2000. These cases may have been reported by NGOs but have been systematically and deliberately ignored in the annual Department of State reports, which, on this issue that is a "taboo" for Greece, follow more or less the official and very intolerant Greek state line, including mentioning the references to defamatory statements by Greece on Macedonian activists and not their denials. On the contrary, the 2002 report refers to the refusal to register the "Political Association of Turkish Women of Rodopi" and the dissolution of the "Turkish Union of Xanthi." When Greece refuses the existence of Macedonian and Turkish minorities, it is consequent that its courts will do everything possible to disallow associations bearing these ethnic names to operate legally.
In 1999, the leaders of two minority Christian Churches confirmed the general negative climate against minority religions in Greece. "Legally, religious freedom is secure here," Antonis Koulouris, Secretary-General of the Greek Evangelical (Reformed) Church, said "but the attitude persists that citizens have a duty to be Orthodox, and that belonging to other denominations is unpatriotic and heretical." Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens, Nikolaos Foscolos, spoke of "practical discrimination," inter alia in the armed forces, where being Orthodox was the "first requirement" for officers: "Orthodoxy is the Church of the state, so non-Orthodox are considered incomplete Greek… Although the constitution guarantees citizens the same juridical status regardless of creed, religious discrimination exists." Later, on the occasion of public opposition by nationalist and Orthodox Christian Church circles to a possible visit of the Pope to Greece to celebrate the Millenium, Archbishop Foscolos declared: "Since 1989, an anti-Catholic and anti-Pope spirit has been growing in Greece. Do not forget statements a few years ago by a Minister and Orthodox Bishops that the Pope is a war criminal. Official statements never opposed by any official government or Church authorities. (…) There is certainly a situation of oppression of Catholics in Greece. Here the principle that dominated in the medieval West, … whoever owns the country also owns the religion, applies. For many people, Greek means Orthodox and it looks strange if someone is Greek without being Orthodox. Such mentality is nourished by both the state and the Orthodox Church."
The Greek Orthodox Church is also a major source of inherent anti-Semitism. While the Greek Orthodox Church formally condemns anti-Semitism, many of its clergy are openly anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist. Father Nectarios Moulatsiotis, who manages a highly popular "rock group" of singing monks called "Free", and runs a summer camp for 200 children at his monastery, has published several vehemently anti-Semitic treatises. The Archbishop of Greece Christodoulos, himself, declared that the Jews were behind the removal of the religion designation on official Greek identity cards, and were a threat to the Greek nation. Many Jewish graves and monuments were defiled following his mass protest rallies in 2000. The depth of anti-Semitism in Greek consciousness is evidenced by the ease with which it manifests itself in mainstream expression, unimpeded and seemingly unnoticed, during times of crisis. The Greek press has played a major role in this area. Since September 11th (2001) and, more so, with the increasing violence in the Middle East, blatant anti-Semitism regularly seen in fringe newspapers and magazines and on certain television stations has been consistently expressed in print (especially), on television/radio and in public by a spectrum of prominent government, union and cultural figures. So widely discussed was the rumor that 4,000 Jews working in the Word Trade Center were forewarned and thus escaped death, that a poll taken for state TV NET showed 43% of Greeks as believing the rumor, as opposed to 30% who did not.
Moreover, three mainstream dailies readily printed (one as its front-page headline) as unquestionable reality a heinous libel -supplied to the Athenian News Agency by a Palestinian organization in Greece- that Israelis were trafficking the organs of dead Palestinian fighters and performing medical experiments on Arab prisoners. During Spring 2002, there was an avalanche of anti-Semitic cartoons, comments, and even letters to the editor in many mainstream newspapers, inter alia with the –often certainly condemnable and probably criminal- activity of the Israeli army in Palestinian cities equated with the Holocaust, and Sharon with Hitler. The Speaker of the Greek Parliament, Apostolos Kaklamanis, used the term "genocide" when speaking about the events in the Middle East. To add insult to injury, as justification for this, Government Spokesperson Christos Protopapas subsequently claimed that the former was "expressing the sentiments of the Parliament and the Greek public." Sadly, this appears to be so.
The role of the media in the perpetuation of intolerance is indeed crucial. In a special study on Racism and Cultural Diversity in the Mass Media, the EU's European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia wrote about Greece: "Overall, Greek media, the rightwing press and private TV channels in particular, show little sensitivity towards cultural difference and tend to stigmatize and discriminate against minorities, claiming that they threaten the presumed cultural and ethnic 'purity' as well as the welfare of the Greek nation. Albanian immigrants and members of the Macedonian and Turkish minorities are the main targets of verbal harassment and racial discourse in the Greek media, followed closely by the Roma population and. Occasionally, religious minorities."
As for Greece's only anti-racist law, Law 927/1979 as amended with 1419/1984 and 2910/2001, it specifically states that "Whoever intentionally and publicly instigates, either orally or in the press or through written texts and illustrations or through any other means, acts or activities capable of provoking discrimination, hatred or violence against persons or a group of persons, solely because of their racial, religious or national origin, may be punished with imprisonment of up to two years or a fine or both." With the 2001 amendment, the prosecutor could ex officio file such charges. The law also prohibits discrimination on the basis of such criteria too. Yet, there is not one case that ever led to a conviction under that law. Hate speech is thus uninhibited. In 2002, GHM is testing the system with cases involving the country's major newspapers.
GHM, as well as all international press freedom organizations, have repeatedly asked for changes in the legislation so that libel be decriminalized and articles that criminalize the (even in extreme forms) expression of opinion (blasphemy, disturbance of international relations, etc.) or investigative reporting (publication of classified documents, etc.) be abolished, as they are internationally unacceptable restrictions of freedom of expression. In the International Press Institute report World Press Freedom Review 2001: Greece, the following is mentioned, inter alia: "Greece continues to be one of the few countries within the European Union (EU) that has consistently brought criminal defamation suits against journalists. IPI and other press freedom organisations have long campaigned for the repeal of such repressive laws, pointing out that handing down prison sentences in defamation cases impedes the free flow of information and ideas and the threat of imprisonment deters free and critical reporting. In addition, criminal defamation is in contradiction to Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, to which all EU members, including Greece are bound by law. However, representatives of the Greek government deny that criminal defamation, as applied in Greece, constitutes a threat to freedom of expression. At a meeting on Freedom of Expression in Europe, organised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on 12-13 March and attended by IPI, a Greek government representative said that Greek journalists prefer the current system since it is cheaper for them. The Greek delegate said that it in common practice, if an individual is found guilty of defamation, prison sentences are bought off for a small amount of money. As such, it is cheaper for the convicted than if a verdict were reached in civil court. After being presented with an IPI paper at the conference listing a number of press freedom violations in Greece, the Greek representative said that press freedom organisations have a biased picture of the situation for Greek journalists and that many of the reported incidents are not press freedom violations at all. IPI pointed out that, in practice, criminal defamation criminalizes free speech which goes against a number of international declarations and that the use of it in Greece reveals a deep-seated suspicion on part of the Greek authorities against a free and unfettered media. The attitude of the Greek representative was also evident in a protracted court case which dragged on last year."
Greece's most urgent human rights concerns however, as pointed out also by Alvaro Gil-Robles, are "the unacceptable detention conditions of deportees and the non-living conditions (since they have not even water) of the Roma." All that amidst a generalized anomy in the treatment of documented migrants and Roma, despite the existing legislation which generally offers satisfactory protection of their rights, if it is implemented in its entirety.
On 15 June 2002, 45 human rights NGOs from 21 Euro-Mediterranean countries –including Amnesty International, Article 19, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, Fédération Internationale des Ligues de Droits de l' Homme (FIDH), Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), and Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)- published an appeal expressing "their great concern about the frequent and grave violations of the rights of thousands of foreigners who arrive or live in Greece as (potential) asylum seekers or (un)documented migrants and are detained pending judicial or administrative deportation. Greek NGOs have documented an almost systematic absence of competent translators during examination by law enforcement officials or in court. Moreover, the Greek authorities frequently fail to inform foreigners of their rights, refuse them asylum application forms or even provide misleading information. Undocumented migrants or asylum seekers have often been tried without benefit of legal counsel, and sentenced to imprisonment or deportation after trials lasting only a few minutes. Detention conditions are in many cases degrading and inhumane, and access to lawyers and NGOs has been severely and arbitrarily limited. When authorized representatives of detainees have requested the full documentation for their cases, this has been denied by the authorities, on the grounds that this might hinder efforts to deport them." The NGOs "welcome last week's statement by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Alvaro Gil-Robles, that 'Greece should not forget that deportees are human beings, too;'" and they "appeal to the Greek authorities to radically revise their treatment of foreigners under arrest, detention, trial or deportation; and also call upon all inter-governmental organizations (UN, OSCE, CoE, EU) to use all of their mechanisms (expert committees, special rapporteurs, commissioners, etc.) to review this situation regularly and to urge Greece to honor its human rights commitments, in this as well as in many other areas. They should review Greece's record and judge it according to universal international standards which protect the rights of detainees, the right to fair trial and the rights of refugees."
Significantly, in 2001, the European Court of Human Rights –that had in previous years convicted Greece for the violation of the rights of all religious minorities (Jehovah Witnesses, catholics, Protestants, Muslims) and ethno-national minorities (Macedonians and Turks)- convicted Greece for violation of Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment) in detention facilities (Dougoz v. Greece 6 March 2001) and prisons (Peers v. Greece 19 April 2001). Also, on 8 May 2001, the UN's Committee Against Torture voiced the following concerns and issued the following recommendations for Greece: "The Committee expresses the following concern that, although the domestic legislation provides a satisfactory framework for protecting human rights in general and of certain Convention rights in particular, difficulties in effective implementation remain, which may amount to a breach of the Convention:(a) there is evidence that the police sometimes use excessive or unjustifiable force in carrying out their duties particularly when dealing with ethnic and national minorities and foreigners;(b) the harsh conditions of detention in general and, in particular, the long-term detention of undocumented migrants and/or asylum-seekers awaiting deportation in police stations without adequate facilities; (c) the severe overcrowding in prisons which aggravates the already sub-standard material conditions and which may contribute to inter-prisoner-violence; (e) the lack of comprehensive training of medical personnel and law enforcement officers at all levels, on the provisions of the Convention. The Committee recommends that:(a) urgent measures be taken to improve conditions of detention in police stations and prisons and that undocumented migrants and/or asylum seekers who have not been convicted of a criminal offence not be held for long periods in such institutions; (b) such measures as are necessary to prevent overcrowding of prisons should be taken as well as continuing steps to find alternative penalties to imprisonment and to ensure their effective implementation;(c) such measures as are necessary, including training, be taken to ensure that in the treatment of vulnerable groups, in particular foreigners, ethnic and national minorities, law enforcement officers do not resort to discriminatory practices; (d) steps be taken to prevent and punish trafficking of women and other forms of violence against women; (e) that steps be taken to create detention facilities for undocumented migrants and/or asylum seekers separate from prison or police institutions and urges the State party to complete its proposed new building construction for aliens as a matter of urgency." Very little has been done along those lines since. In particular, despite many draft bills to combat trafficking in persons have been announced, none has been debated in Parliament to this day, as if the state is reluctant to take any serious measures and only announces bills to mellow its critics.
Likewise, the government regularly launches impressive multi-million euro programs to help Roma integrate Greek society, but they seem to aim at appeasing critics more than anything else as very little has been done to alleviate the burden of the Roma in Greece. Their plight has been very well summarized in a recent report by the National Human Rights Commission: "The Roma are the most underprivileged and marginalized social group in Greece, a victim of everyday and recurring racial discrimination. The tent-dwellers also have an acute survival problem. The living conditions in the settlements, are, by any standards, miserable. The Gypsies live in shanties, amidst garbage, without water, toilets, electricity, in the mercy of weather phenomena and epidemics. The efforts of the Gypsies to integrate are subverted dramatically by the racial reactions of a society, which is nevertheless convinced that it is not racist! The municipal authorities regard the Roma who live within their borders as a burden and instead of solving the problem, they simply try to get rid of them in any way -even illegally. With the opportunity of the Olympic Games they have organized the eviction of the Gypsies from many areas. The local societies invoke (usually falsely) the need for the construction of sport facilities in order to evict the Roma, just like it happened in Mexico in 1968. Roma are not even accepted in the public hospitals nor treated like the rest of the patients. When the hospitals demand some medical expenses, they try to ensure them by withholding the identity cards of the Gypsies. The result is that even those Gypsies that do hold an identity card, necessary for their transactions, are left without one in the end! In reality, the access to education, that is the possibility for a future social and economic integration, is literally denied to the Gypsies. The racist practices against those Roma who attempt to get educated are of two kinds: a) open attempts to exclude the Gypsy children by mobilizing the society, the parents, the students and the teachers; b) their passive exclusion within the classroom by marginalization. Roma children are treated by students and teachers as bothersome outcasts who delay the materialization of the program and undermine the image of the school. Under these awful conditions, it is only natural that the Roma children feel undesired, get disappointed and drop out of school. No administrative measure has been taken to avoid the incidents of educational exclusion, because the strategy of the program in the first phase of materialization had been the avoidance of conflicts. Their exclusion from the labor market has chained effects on their life in general, given that it does not only condemn them to poverty but gradually pushes them to delinquency and namely drug trafficking. The result is the dramatic worsening of their health and their relationship with the rest of the Greek citizens and authorities. 50% of the Roma population had not been registered in the municipal rolls. An unregistered citizen simply does not exist for the state. The municipal authorities on the other hand take advantage of the problem of illiteracy and lack of familiarity of the Gypsies with the bureaucracy and do not try to facilitate their legalization procedure. This way, since they are not even registered in their municipalities, they get rid of them more easily. There is therefore a vicious circle that strengthens the conviction of the Gypsies that the Greek state is hostile towards them. The Gypsies are condemned to living in conditions of apartheid. Moreover, the phenomenon of the Gypsies and their children becoming the target of vicious evictions and illegal actions that jeopardize their physical integrity is not at all rare in the framework of the efforts by the local societies to get rid of them. The usual policy that offers an easy social alibi is to blame the Gypsies in general for offences that only a small minority of them has committed. Media speech has attributed to them en bloc characteristics of marginalized and criminal persons. Most municipalities follow the same strategy. They do not facilitate the legal transactions of the Gypsies with the offices and keep the Gypsies under sordid conditions so as to make them move outside of the municipal borders. In almost no case was a viable alternative solution provided to those evicted, following their eviction. Whenever an alternative solution is suggested by the municipal authorities, it is either completely unsatisfactory or concerns only a few Gypsies -mainly the few residents registered in the municipality. In the same context, the municipal authorities also take advantage of any differences between the local and non-local Gypsies in order to divide them and neutralize them more effectively. Police officers uncritically resort to use of disproportionate violence, without being afraid of being exposed to the eyes of the public opinion. A public opinion which in any case considers the Gypsies en masse to be thieves and drug dealers, thus justifying any illegal action of the police. Furthermore, the police forces often do not conclude the investigations in relation to violent incidents against the Roma nor do they punish police officers who have abused their power. In cases when those who have been wronged try to initiate legal procedures for their defense, their status as powerless, second-class citizens renders them susceptible to extortion to drop them. As Dimitrina Petrova, director of the European Center for the rights of the Gypsies [sic], stated in 1998, 'the Roma in Greece are not considered to be humans.'"
Indeed, most of the human rights problems in Greece were presented here using texts from Greek state or intergovernmental institutions. In the last three years, they have all described the exact same dire situation that GHM has being consistently reporting since its creation ten years ago.
1 http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2002/essay2002.pdf
2 http://www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2002/pfs2002.pdf
3 http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2002/
For example see: Adamantia Pollis "Eastern Orthodoxy and Human Rights" Human Rights Quarterly May 1993 (volume 15 number 2); and Thanos Lipovatz "Orthodox Christianity and Nationalism: Two Sides of Contemporary Greek Political Culture" Greek Political Science Review October 1993 (number 2) –in Greek.
4 http://www.synigoros.gr/annual_1999_gr.htm (all texts which are in Greek in their original were translated into English by GHM)
"Zero Guilt?" in Ta Nea, 10 June 2002, p. 6
5 http://ta-ea.dolnet.gr/neaweb/neafile.print_unique?e=A&f=17358&m=N06&aa=2
6Interview to Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia, 2 June 2002, p. 50
8Interview to Kyriakatiki Avghi, 16 June 2002, p. 12 http://188.8.131.52/cgi-bin/hwebpressrem.exe?-A=290581&-w=&-V=hpress_int&-P
9Vasilis Angouras, "We, the Franks, and Racism" Dikaiomatika July 2000,
10 Then competent Alternate Foreign Minister Elisabeth Papazoi, also in charge of Greece's answers to related criticism in/by intergovernmental organizations, insisted upon the release of the ECRI Report on Greece, "that there are only isolated instances of racism in Greece and the Greek society is not possessed by an inclination to xenophobia" (Greek Center of European Studies and Research Immigrants, Racism and Xenophobia: from Theory to Practice Athens 2000, p. 5). Not surprising, as she also declared a few months later that "Greece has nothing to fear in the area of human rights protection; evidence of that is that in our country no major human rights violations are observed or denounced" (Pontiki 9 November 2000). Also, the day after the report was released, then government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said that: "Greek society is tolerant of any difference, it is a society that has accepted any possible difference in all areas. Be they morals, culture, religious or other beliefs… In that field Greeks are pioneers. I believe that Greeks, as citizens, accept citizens from other countries, accept they can coexist with persons who have very different views than themselves. I consider [ECRI's] accusations exaggerated. I cannot accept that Greece can be accused, at least for discrimination in that area" (Government's press briefing, 28 June 2000, http://www.hri.org/news/greek/kyber/2000/00-06-28.kyber.html).
11See report available in Greek at http://www.ananeotiki.gr/dikaiwmata/ekthesi2000.htm
12ECRI recommendation: "ECRI considers, however, that there is a serious need to educate the Greek public to the benefits of a multicultural society. (…) Specific courses focusing on issues of tolerance and respect for differences should be offered and teachers should be trained in this area. In addition, in its general policy recommendation N° 1 on combating racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and intolerance, ECRI recommends member States 'to ensure that school-curricula, for example in the field of history teaching, are set up in such a way to enhance the appreciation of cultural diversity." (European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), Second Report on Greece, released on 27 June 2000, http://www.coe.int/T/E/human_rights/Ecri/1-ECRI/2-Country-by%2Dcountry%5Fapproach/Greece/default.asp#TopOfPage p 9); Greek government answer: "The policies of the Greek Government in the fields falling in the purview of the ECRI (…) of course … do not imply adherence by the Greek Government to the notion of a multicultural character of the Greek society." (Ibid, p. 26.)
13Stavros Lygeros, "Focus on illegal migration" Kathimerini 14 June 2002 p. 1
14PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (Rapporteurs: Domenico Contestabile and Valdimir Solonari) Situation of the Muslim Minority in Thrace (AS/Jur (2000) 12 rev, 7 March 2000 –made public on 7 September 2000) (http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/organizations/ajdoc12.2000rev.doc).
15Greece: The Turks of Western Thrace Vol. 11, No. 1 (D) (http://www.hrw.org/hrw/reports/1999/greece/index.htm) p.11.
18 United Nations Distr. GENERAL A/51/542/Add.1 7 November 1996 prepared by Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 50/183 of 22 December 1995 (http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/a487fe023d3fe5fd8025671b005b82b3?Opendocument)
19 See Case of Sidiropoulos and others v. Greece, (57/1997/841/1047)
20 http://ecri.coe.int/en/02/02/12/e0202120036.htm
21 Complete file of the case: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/special_issues/home_of_macedonian_civilization.html
22 Complete file of the case in Greek: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/greek/special_issues/rousalii.html
23 "The most serious flaw, though, is the treatment of Macedonians, in a way that gives the impression the State Department (DOS) wants to conform with what may be bearable to Greek authorities. Macedonians do not speak a Slavic dialect, as mentioned in the report, but the Macedonian language, as it is known and respected internationally; use of the Slavic term in fact shows bias in favor of Greece; worse, saying that Macedonians complain that "the government discourages them to use their dialect" is a distortion of what they say, as they never use the term dialect for their language. The report also mentions government concerns about "separatist aspirations of some Macedonian activists." It does not mention though the repeated denials of such allegations by all activists. In fact, as there has never been even one such statement, the mere mention in the report of the Greek government's defamatory allegation cannot but do service to the government. Such impression is strengthened by the absence of any reference to the case of the non-registration of the Home of Macedonian Civilization (and of the Rousali association), in both the 2000 and the 2001 reports, although references to similar problems of Turkish associations are reported. In the 2000 report, it was even mentioned that "complaints of government harassment had ceased in 2000" … All that despite the fact that GHM and MRG-G had organized a special briefing of the US DOS delegation to the OSCE meeting in Warsaw in 2000 with the participation of Macedonian activists present in that meeting; and that all related documentation on the non-registration is available in the GHM and MRG-G website, and was given to DOS in mid-2001. DOS' attitude towards Macedonians in Greece, as reflected in the annual reports, cannot therefore be considered an oversight, or a result of lack of information; on the contrary it is a sustained and deliberate policy of complacency towards Greek authorities on the most sensitive human rights issue in Greece. Such complacency is not shown towards Bulgarian authorities that have a similar sensitivity for Macedonians, whose problems are mentioned in the relevant chapter." See GHM and Minority Rights Group-Greece Comments on the US Department of State Report on Greece, 18 March 2002, 24http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/organizations/ghm/ghm_18_03_02.rtf
25 ENI (03.03.1999) / HRWF (06.03.1999) (http://www.hrwf.net)
26Eleftherotypia 31 August 1999.
27Poll conducted by KAPA Research among 622 households in the Greater Athens area for the program "Protagonistes" aired 18/10/2001 on NET (New Hellenic Television).
28"They sell organs of dead Palestinians: they went even further than the Nazi atrocities" front page Apogevmatini 2 April 2002 http://www.in.gr/innews/kiosk/nkiosk.asp?ord=6&date=2/4/2002&nid=7; also covered, on 2 April 2002, with shorter articles in the interior pages of the two largest selling newspapers "They denounce trade of organs of dead Palestinians" Eleftherotypia http://www.enet.gr/online/online_p1_text.jsp?dt=02/04/2002&c=111&id=69099908; and "They steal organs from the dead" Ta Nea
29 Examples from Eleftherotypia: http://www.enet.gr/online/online_p1_fpage_text.jsp?dt=23/03/2002&id=76940756;
http://www.in.gr/innews/kiosk/nkiosk.asp?ord=2&date=1/4/2002&nid=3; and
30See Eleftherotypia 3 April 2002 http://www.enet.gr/online/online_p1_text.jsp?dt=03/04/2002&c=111&id=68856500
33Coverage of his press conference in Eleftherotypia 6 June 2002 p. 45
35 http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CAT.C.XXVI.Concl.2.Rev.1.En?OpenDocument
36 Available in Greek at the GHM web page: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/greek/articles_2002/rep_25_02_02.rtf


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Perhaps Yogi Berra said it best: It's like deja vu all over again.
On the heels of ugly, public dust-ups with both the Utah Attorney General and the President of the Utah State Senate, Jack Thompson is taking his pursuit of video game legislation to Louisiana.
On Friday Sen. A.G. Crowe (R, at left) will introduce SB 152. The bill, with the addition of a few bells and whistles, is essentially the same truth in advertising measure that passed the Utah legislature in March, only to be vetoed by Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Last week Thompson circulated a press release indicating that a bill "nearly identical" to his failed Utah legislation would be proposed in Louisiana. While he did not name the sponsor, GamePolitics has learned that it is Sen. Crowe. In the press release, Thompson said that he expects to testify before the Louisiana legislature along with "four experts."
Sen. Crowe is apparently untroubled by the acrimony that marked Thompson's 2006 attempt to legislate video games in Louisiana. At that time a Thompson-authored bill unanimously passed both houses of the Louisiana legislature and was signed into law by then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco. The measure was eventually ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge, but not before Thompson got into an ugly, public dispute with the Louisiana Attorney General's Office (see: Suddenly Thompson is Feuding With Former Louisiana Allies).
Since Thompson's last chaotic go-round in Louisiana, he was permanently disbarred by the Florida Supreme Court for more than two dozen professional misconduct violations. Thompson has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
While the failed 2006 legislation ultimately cost Louisiana $91,000 in video game industry legal fees, it also provided some typically bombastic Thompson quotes, including: Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hit man or a video gamer.
For more background on Thompson's earlier Louisiana experience, check out The Circus Comes to Louisiana, a piece I wrote for Joystiq in 2006.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
DSV-3 First Impressions
Posted 01 February 2013 - 06:46 PM
I am using it on a Stellarvue heavy duty surveyor's tripod with a 5/8-11 mounting bolt. The mount attached solidly to the top plate and the whole assembly seems very sturdy. I am using the mount primarily with an EON 120 refractor, 900 mm FL and about 15 lbs. loaded up. I plan to add an AT72 refractor or a C8 SCT to the other side occasionally.
I did a quick set up of the QBS balancing system with my range of eyepieces from an ES 14 mm 100 deg to an ES 34mm 68 deg to an WO 4 mm UWAN. The setup was pretty straight forward. I need to spend more time with it since the largest eyepieces were slightly out of balance when pointing the scope vertically. The mount can also be used without the QBS, you just need to balance the tube back and forth as usual. I found that to change eyepieces without having the mount move in altitude requires you lock down the altitude lock pretty tight.
When the scope is balanced, moving it in both axes is very smooth either by pushing on the scope or using the panning handle. The slow motion controls work with a clutch mechanism so there is no lock to engage when you switch from panning to using the slow motion controls. I adjusted the axial tension slightly on the altitude control because the tension when turning the knob was a little more than I liked. When the scope is balanced there is no stutter in the altitude axis.
This is a very solid mount that I think has been well thought out. The proof of course, will be how it works under the stars. But from the look and feel of it I think it will be a keeper for me. Also, Raul has been great to work with. He has patiently and promptly answered all my questions. When I can get it outside, I'll write up my thoughts about how it performs.
Posted 01 February 2013 - 09:26 PM
Posted 02 February 2013 - 07:38 AM
Posted 02 February 2013 - 08:58 AM
Posted 12 February 2013 - 06:19 AM
Posted 16 February 2013 - 05:28 PM
I found the mount to be solid with very little or no vibration when focusing or tracking with the slow motion controls. Panning when using the finder was very smooth. There is a handle included with the mount, but I panned by pushing on the scope. I had adjusted the tension on both axes so that there is just a tiny bit of play when changing direction in the az axis and none in the alt axis. The tension is adjusted by turning a knob at the end of the work gear and then locking the knob in place with the set screw. The slow motion knobs are positioned so i can reach them easily and I found that after a while, I was putting my fingers right on them when reaching for them.
There is no stutter in the alt axis. The pier is tall enough and the arms are long enough so that there was no issue with the scope bumping into the tripod when turning on the az axis. The mount has stops on the alt axis the prevent the scope from going much below horizontal or much beyond vertical.
The QBS works as advertised, although you need to be careful to engage the alt axis lock when changing eyepieces or else the scope will take a nose dive. All my eyepieces balanced without needing to engage the alt clutch, except my ES 14mm 100 deg. When near vertical I need to engage the clutch for that eyepiece. Raul says I may need to add another weight to the QBS (the DSV-3 comes with two weights). Leveling the mount is important for the QBS to work at its best. There is a bubble supplied on the top of the mount.
I tried the mount without the QBS and had no real problems, I needed to slide the scope back and forth to balance it when changing eyepieces and need to engage the alt clutch when most eyepieces were pointing near vertical.
Overall I am very satisfied with the mount. I really want to get it out more and get to where it fades into the background and its use becomes second nature. I'm sure that will come with time.
- Very solid, well thought out design and attention to detail in the build.
- Slow motion controls are precise with no backlash, the knobs are large and easy to grip.
- Lockless panning is very smooth
- There are stops on the altitude axis to keep the scope from going much below horizontal and much past vertical.
-Plenty of clearance provided by the column. My scope does not come close to the tripod legs.
- Axial adjustment of the worm gear is very simple, if you need to adjust the slow-motion tension.
- Hardly any vibration when tracking with the slow-motion or focusing.
- None
- You need to remember to lock the alt axis when changing eyepieces. This is more of a learned process.
- Setting up the QBS can be tricky, you need to carefully balance the scope and make sure the mount is level.
The attached photo shows the scope balanced near vertical with an ES 14mm 100 deg eyepiece.
Attached Files
Posted 16 February 2013 - 05:32 PM
Attached Files
Posted 16 February 2013 - 05:38 PM
BTW, the mount sits on a Stellarvue heavy duty surveyors tripod with a 5/8-ll mounting bolt. I have the legs extended a little less than half way.
Attached Files
Posted 16 February 2013 - 05:46 PM
Attached Files
Posted 16 February 2013 - 05:49 PM
Attached Files
Posted 17 February 2013 - 04:27 AM
Posted 17 February 2013 - 07:07 AM
Posted 17 February 2013 - 11:17 AM
Clear Skies,
Posted 17 February 2013 - 01:07 PM
I have never had any concern of the setup tipping over, it is very stable in that regard. The QBS is fairly heavy, but even without it attached, I didn't notice any tendency to tip.
My scope weighs a bit under 18 lbs with the 11 mm eyepiece and Barlow that I used last night. It has a 900 mm FL and is 950 mm tip to tail with the dew shield extended. Depending on the tripod you will use I think your scope is doable IMHO. Raul at Desert Sky Astro could tell you for sure.
Posted 17 February 2013 - 01:14 PM
Posted 17 February 2013 - 07:09 PM
The vibration at 191x was not enough to bother me and I probably wouldn't have payed any attention to it if I wasn't looking for it. I have a longer knob I picked up from focusknobs.com a while ago. It's five or six inches long. If it fits on the shaft, I'll give it a try some time.
As far as slow motion cables go I don't know if Raul sells any. I think Agena sells some and they may work. I am 5'10 and the knobs are in easy reach for me when seated, but I'm sure your scope is longer than mine.
Posted 17 February 2013 - 07:31 PM
Posted 17 February 2013 - 08:01 PM
Posted 18 February 2013 - 06:24 AM
Posted 18 February 2013 - 05:16 PM
Attached Files
Posted 19 February 2013 - 07:57 AM
Thanks again, Kevin!
Posted 19 February 2013 - 11:34 AM
Posted 20 February 2013 - 11:53 AM
Posted 20 February 2013 - 07:43 PM
Posted 21 February 2013 - 10:24 AM


text:
We cannot anticipate every emergency but we have developed some emergency action bulletins to assist members of the campus community deal with many emergency situations appropriately. While it is impossible to produce a document that is all inclusive, these emergency action bulletins address the most common emergencies you are likely to encounter.
Your judgment often determines whether or not an incident is an emergency. If you consider a situation to be an emergency, then it is an emergency and the procedures in these bulletins should be followed. If in doubt, err on the side of safety.
If you have an emergency situation merely dial 911 or (864) 656-2222 from a campus telephone. The University Emergency Dispatcher, Campus Law Enforcement, and Fire and Emergency Medical Services are staffed 24 hours a day for your assistance and protection. These services are provided seven days a week, year round.
Emergency call boxes are placed in various locations around campus. Each box is equipped with a push button that directly dials the University Emergency Dispatcher.
Any questions regarding emergency procedures or these bulletins should be addressed to the Director of Emergency Preparedness and Fire Chief at email@example.com or (864) 656-2322.


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4.Ready to play? Select mode of play above to get started.
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text:
What model DirecTV receiver is this on?
One of the things I've noticed that I find very interesting are on my recorded shows and also live shows that if you rewind back to the audio dropout point it is very often gone, not always but alot.
Currently there is still a problem like this with the HR24-500. This is a software problem that will be resolved with the next update coming out "soon".
Those that are always at the same place, are from the SAT feed, but any that don't repeat, have to do with the receiver & software.


text:
Barn Quilts
Stabe Barn: "Family Foundation" 29294 Lynx Ave, Hinton
To commemorate Vernon Stabe's 50th year of auctioneering, his family surprised him with a barn quilt square for the families barn on their century farm. With a cross in the center, and different colored squares placed throughout, the quilt, designed by Vernon Stabe's daughter Louann Langel, represents multiple generations.
Listen here
The quilt came as a surprise to Vernon and his wife, after their kids spent time painting it together.
Listen here
Vernon Stabe was born, raised and still lives on the farm where the barn isl ocated. The family has the original deed for the farm which was signed by Ulysses S. Grant. Daughter Louann tells us what the barn was used for.
Listen here
Louann says designing the quilt was a joy not only to see how touched her parents were to have it, but also because of what it means for the county.
Listen here
Ahlers Barn: "Windmill" 22558 K49, Le Mars
A tribute to family history is the intention behind the barn quilt on the farm of John and Debra Ahlers. The farm became a century farm in 2008 when the quilt was raised. The quilt was part of the back drop for a large celebration including generations of family, as the farm has been in the family since 1908.
Debra says her son Daniel created the "Windmill" design after the family decided they needed to tear down their 68 foot landmark wind mill that stood on the land for years.
Ahlers shares the symbolism surrounding the details of the quilt.
The steel that's around the barn quilt frame came from the legs from Debra's father's windmill. The building that the quilt hangs on is the oldest structure on the farm, now used as storage for equipment, it was once a corn crib.
Ahlers says that Plymouth County residents aren't the only people who visit their quilt.
Harrington Barn: "From There to Here" 26705 170th St, Le Mars
In 2009 the quilt "From There to Here" was hung on Vernon and Karen Harrington's barn in rural Le Mars. The quilt features German and American flags surrounding a heart in the center and pays tribute to Vernon's great-grandfather, Peter Reese. Reese immigrated from Germany in 1874 and purchased the land the quilted barn stands on today. Vernon says the barn was built sometime in the late 18 to very early 1900's.
Currently the barn is used for storage and is inhabited by farm cats.
Karen says that they became interested in the Barn Quilt program after traveling around Iowa and seeing the quilts on other barns.
The Harrington's are proud that the buildings and land has been passed down in the family, and the plan is to keep it that way. Preserving their rural life heritage is important to them, and that's one of the reasons creating a barn quilt and supporting the program has been a priority.
The quilts design represents generations past, was created by current generations, and is intended to stay for the generations to come.
Westergard Barn: "Pale Star" 21915 120th St, Ireton
The second barn quilt to color the countryside of Plymouth County went up on the barn of Carl and Colleen Westergard near the intersection of C12 and K22. The quilt was put up in 2006, and the barn was originally built in 1915 by Ben and Minnie Borchers.
Colleen Westergaurd said the family chose the design called "Pale Star" to paint on their quilt.
Westergaurd's two oldest daughters painted the quilt as part of a 4-H Project.
The Westergaurd's decided to participate in the Barn Quilt program after having seen other quilts driving to Ames. At the time they put up the Pale Star, only one other quilt existed in Plymouth County.
There are now estimated to be 50 or more quilts in the county when you include the smaller "Welcome Quilt" designs.
Hoffman Barn: "Iowa Star" 28163 200th Street, Le Mars (seen from K42)
The first Barn Quilt in Plymouth County went up on a barn on the Ted Hoffman Farm on K42 between Merril and Brunsville in 2006. Hoffman's daughter, Mary Roder, tells us a little bit about the farm.
Mary is the leader of the Plymouth Pros 4-H club of Merrill and owner of "The Quilt Works." Getting her 4-Hers involved in this Plymouth County project was only natural. She says she chose her quilt patter because it could be easily seen from the road, and it's Iowa connection.
Over 50 barn quilts have been painted and hung around Plymouth County since the Hoffman quilt went up in 2006. Roder feels that the Barn Quilt Program is important to help preserve Iowa's history.
History Behind the Quilts
The celebration of agriculture through art...go for a drive and you'll see it all over Iowa. Barn quilts starting popping up in Plymouth County beginning in 2006. Ruth Barker has been part of the program promoted and developed in conjunction with the Le Mars Arts Center and Plymouth County ISU Extension. She says that the idea originated in Adams County, Ohio.
After a tour of those barns, Ruth began working with Kathy Moore at the Arts Center, Carol Schneider of Plymouth County Extension and a committee of others to help farmers in Plymouth County find patterns, and even people to paint. There are many quilts in the county that have been done by area 4-H Groups. Since 2006, more than 50 have been painted and put on barns, sheds and even houses throughout the area. Ruth says the quilt idea is meant to enhance old farm buildings that have been well taken care of.
Barn Quilts measure 8' by 8' and if you have a smaller space on a home or other out building that is "square" worthy there are also 4' by 4' Welcome Square patterns. Folks on the committee would be happy to help you pick out a pattern. Information including maps and a list of barn owners are available at the Le Mars Chamber, ISU Extension Office and the Arts Center. The Arts Center also has information on their website. www.lemarsarts.com
If you have a barn that could use some sprucing up, let the Le Mars Arts Council walk you through the barn quilt process. Folks on the committee would be happy to help you pick out a pattern. Information including maps and a list of barn owners are available at the Le Mars Chamber, ISU Extension Office and the Arts Center.


text:
3-cup: 6"H, 1 lb. Makes about two 8oz cups (16 fl oz).*
6-cup: 5-1/4"H, 1-1/4 lb. Makes about 3-1/2 8 oz cups (28 fl oz).*
9-cup: 7-1/2"H, 2 lb. Makes about six 8 oz cups (48 fl oz).*
12-cup: 8-1/2"H, 2-1/4 lb. Makes about eight 8oz cups (64 fl oz).*
*Everyone measures a cup of coffee differently. We included how many 8 oz cups of coffee the percolator will make.
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Our users are reporting that they cannot get logged in to Zimbra WebMail using IE10. All of our users on IE10 are having the same problem. Here is the typical user configuration:
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text:
Miracle surgery
Medicine | Success and sadness proceed from dramatic decision to separate conjoined twins, abandoned by their parents, at a 122-year-old mission hospital in India's central highlands
Thirty years after graduating from Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, India, six medical school classmates and their teacher had an unlikely reunion in June. At the request of classmate Rajiv Choudhrie, medical superintendent of Padhar Hospital, a 122-year-old mission hospital in rural Betul, they came together to write medical history: Their team plus 16 other doctors from India and Australia would attempt to separate a pair of conjoined twin girls, an operation never before completed in rural India.
For 12 hours, the surgical team bent over 1-year-olds Stuti and Aradhana, carefully cutting the tissue joining their chest and abdomen together. They saw abnormal anatomy-two hearts stacked on top of each other in a common pericardial sac, each beating at its own rate. A good amount of Stuti's blood was flowing through her sister's body.
They separated the hearts and created two sacs from the existing one, placing a heart into each girl. They then divided the liver, which had two separate blood supplies but were joined by a bridge of liver tissue. Then, with the cutting of the sternum and the closing of the wound, the surgery was complete.
Everyone in the hospital cheered at the successful operation, which many had decried as an impossible medical operation for the mission hospital. For the staff, the successful surgery was much more personal than proving a point: Stuti and Aradhana had become like their own children.
The girls, whose names mean "praise" and "worship" in Hindi, first came to Padhar last May, when their mother was pregnant. She had trouble delivering them at a government hospital, so they sent her to Padhar. During the Caesarian section, the obstetrician jumped back when she realized that the twins were attached at the chest. The young parents felt overwhelmed and unable to care for the girls, and "donated" them to the hospital.
From then on, Choudhrie's wife, Deepa, a 1982 CMC Vellore grad and a radiologist, took on the dual role of mother and doctor for the girls. A number of the nurses and staff also quickly grew attached to the girls, often coming in after hours to play with them.
Despite being conjoined, the girls each developed their separate personalities. "Aradhana, I think, is quicker to smile," Choudhrie said. "Stuti would look at you and wonder whether you were worthy of her smile." Stuti was thinner, while Aradhana was taller and plumper.
The media descended on the hospital, wanting to get pictures and videos of the twins. But the Choudhries and hospital staff worked to protect the girls from the hovering eye of the media: "These are not freaks, this is not a circus. These are humans beings, for us they were God's creation."
Padhar Hospital's decision to spend so much time, money, and energy to save two abandoned girls was news itself. Padhar first opened in 1890 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madhya Pradesh, located in India's central highlands. Its rural site seemed an unlikely place for groundbreaking surgery, but the hospital has a long history of treating polio and AIDS, and of providing dialysis and other specialized services. Recently Padhar has worked with Smile Train to perform cleft lip and palate surgeries.
Another factor weighing on hospital staff: The girls were born right as the national census revealed a serious demographic crisis-for every 1,000 boys under the age of 6, there were only 914 girls. In the past decade, parents have aborted between 3 million and 6 million baby girls, as women are seen as merely a financial burden on the family.
The state's chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, hoped to reverse the trend by launching a program that provided girls aid for education and food. He was a big supporter of Stuti and Aradhana, donating to the surgery and later visiting them on their first birthday.
From the beginning, the doctors discussed whether separation was viable for the girls. Without the operation, the girls would never lead normal lives and the risk of death was high-if one girl got sick and died, the other would die as well.
Once scans revealed that each of the girls had her own set of internal organs and could be separated, Choudhrie called on his old classmates for help. He contacted Gordon Thomas, a pediatric liver transplant surgeon in Sydney; Sanjeeth Peter, a heart surgeon; Anil Kuruvilla, the head of neonatology at CMC Vellore; and their former anesthesiology professor, Rebecca Jacob. Choudhrie also contacted psychiatrist Prabahkar Thyagarajan to try to reunite the girls with their family.
Choudhrie wanted the team's opinion on whether it were possible to do the operation at Padhar. While larger hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, England, and Singapore had offered to do the surgery, Choudhrie felt that Padhar could give the girls something the other hospitals lacked-love.
"The children had become ours by then, we were also attached to them," he said.
At first, Jacob thought the Padhar operation seemed like a remote possibility: The hospital was not equipped for two babies, and if anything went wrong, they were four to five hours from the nearest major hospital. But after a November visit to Padhar, she changed her mind: "Seeing the hospital, seeing the devotion of everybody around and in the hospital to the children, the way the children were looked after, they wouldn't have gotten the same love if they were at a big hospital. They'd just be another set of twins."
To perform the surgery in Padhar, the doctors would have to ensure facilities, equipment, and personnel at the same level-or greater-than the best hospitals in the country. So each doctor wrote up a list of needed equipment-from ventilators to monitors to sutures-and the team worked to get them, at times asking companies to donate or lend them expensive machines. As word of the surgery spread, money poured in from hospital supporters and locals. Ten months later, the team had all the equipment it needed.
The classmates also pulled in other specialist doctors, including Albert Shun from Sydney, a pediatric surgeon who had previously done three conjoined twin separations. The team of 23 doctors started, planned, and discussed the operation over Skype and email, motivated by love for the girls but also by a common faith.
"All of us were Christians," Jacob recalled. "All of us had a common goal that we were to give the best care to these children. If we were not assured of the best care we wouldn't go ahead."
Arriving at Padhar from all corners of the world, they joked with one another, recalling the five years spent together in their tight-knit class of 60. But this reunion was about more than memories and storytelling.
The doctors performed the operation successfully on June 20. Twelve days later, the staff celebrated the girls' first birthday with cake, new dresses, and a visit from Chief Minister Chouhan.
By now, Stuti had improved so much that they took her off the ventilator, but Aradhana, who had been sick before the operation, remained on it. Her health fluctuated and Choudhrie noticed that it was taking a lot of effort for her to breathe. She went back to the operating room after an infection, and seemed to get better, but a few days later she fell into cardiac arrest and the doctors could not revive her.
She died July 5.
For the hospital staff, it felt like losing a family member.
"In the hospital, people are dying all the time. ... But we were family, and the rules can be anything, but when it's your own family, it changes the whole thing," Choudhrie said in a Skype interview, tears falling from his eyes.
"It shook my faith a bit when we lost one," he continued. "I never thought in my wildest dreams with all the prayer support that we had that we would lose one. To my mind they were meant to be for the glory of God. But God's ways-you can't explain them, I have not understood it."
Her parents buried Aradhana in early July in their hometown. Three carloads of Padhar staff attended the burial and Choudhrie said a prayer for the girl. The parents had started visiting the girls months before the surgery, and after several meetings with psychiatrist Thyagarajan, had decided to take the girls back after the operation. Stuti will return home after a few more months of recuperation.
While Aradhana's death has hit the hospital staff hard, Choudhrie believes they are starting to heal and move forward."I don't know what God's plans are, I hope I can just trust in them, that He brings us out of this time as the Great Healer."
Despite the grief, the surgery has a widespread impact: While the team of specialists was at Padhar for the operation, the doctors were also able to conduct more than a dozen more surgeries for children with abnormal disorders. Much of the donated equipment and updated infrastructure at the hospital will allow for more surgeries in the future, helping more patients.
Jacob said the separation showed the world that mission hospitals should be taken seriously.
"Most people seem to write off the small hospital as 'Oh you can't do anything there and no one cares,' ... but I think this just proved that everyone cared and that we could do it."


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Send your party pals home with a piece of Sesame Street that they can continue to enjoy long after your Sesame Street themed party is over. You can make your loot bags extra special with the Sesame Street Favor Kit! A plastic cup with a red inside and a ravenous blue Cookie Monster devouring cookies on the outside will give you guests a special cup to drink from with the wiggly plastic Krazy Straw. Make some noise with the included whistle that features one of your favorite Sesame Street residents. Your bathtime will be lots of fun with the included rubber ducky and the bath tablets that will make your water change colors. All this comes included with the kit, and to make your loot bags extra special, throw in a handful of confetti or candy!
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MORRISON, IL (AP) - Testimony is set to continue for a fifth day at the second murder trial of a man accused of killing eight people in Illinois and Missouri in 2008.
Proceedings are scheduled for Friday in Whiteside County, where Nicholas Sheley has pleaded not guilty in the death of 93-year-old Russell Reed of Sterling. Sheley has already been sentenced to life in prison for the bludgeoning death of a Galesburg man.
The (Sterling) Daily Gazette reports that the doctor who performed Reed's autopsy described his injuries during testimony Thursday.
Scott Denton says he found defensive wounds on Reed's left hand, dislocated bones, bruises and five broken ribs among other injuries. The doctor says some wounds came from a blunt object.
Information from: The Daily Gazette, http://www.saukvalley.com
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Associated Press


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Game as started and is alreay a 3 and out!
Clone Zone broadcast is working well...
Not so sure about the new pants...
but looking good so far!!!
Originally Posted by DareDevil
Game as started and is alreay a 3 and out!
Yup and this Clone Zone broadcast kicks @ss!
What the hell? Two good running plays in a row?
A few mistakes, but not bad. Can't wait to see the defense again.
no score but several decent plays on the first drive
TwoNine Brand
Well, we got the cobwebs out now...so lets go get em.
Cyclone Pride on the South Side
does any one know where I can listen on the internet
Defensive line= thumbs up
Banks has had 2 nice tackles for loss already.
only with yahoo subscription I think, How bout Rubin on that reverse
God...we need to stop it with the muffed punts already.
Defense is very encouraging, although Kent State has been pretty conservative.
Anybody else using the gamecast on ESPN.com? It shows our running back as alexander robinson. Who do we have in at running back?
I really like the look of the Gold pants vs last year.
This Clone Zone broadcast has made my day!! I mean week!
"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him."
John Steinbeck
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Endometrial cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the uterus. The uterus is the hollow, pear-shaped pelvic organ in women where fetal development occurs.
Endometrial cancer begins in the layer of cells that form the lining (endometrium) of the uterus. Endometrial cancer is sometimes called uterine cancer. Other types of cancer can form in the uterus, including uterine sarcoma, but they are much less common than endometrial cancer.
Endometrial cancer is often detected at an early stage because it frequently produces abnormal vaginal bleeding, which prompts women to see their doctors. If endometrial cancer is discovered early, removing the uterus surgically often cures endometrial cancer.
Signs and symptoms of endometrial cancer may include:
Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience any signs or symptoms that worry you, such as vaginal bleeding or discharge not related to your periods, pelvic pain, or pain during intercourse.
Doctors don't know what causes endometrial cancer. What's known is that something occurs to create a genetic mutation within cells in the endometrium — the lining of the uterus.
The genetic mutation turns normal, healthy cells into abnormal cells. Healthy cells grow and multiply at a set rate, eventually dying at a set time. Abnormal cells grow and multiply out of control, and they don't die at a set time. The accumulating abnormal cells form a mass (tumor). Cancer cells invade nearby tissues and can separate from an initial tumor to spread elsewhere in the body (metastasize).
Factors that increase the risk of endometrial cancer include:
Changes in the balance of female hormones in the body. Your ovaries make two main female hormones — estrogen and progesterone. Fluctuations in the balance of these hormones cause changes in your endometrium.
A disease or condition that increases the amount of estrogen, but not the level of progesterone, in your body can increase your risk of endometrial cancer. Examples include irregular ovulation patterns, such as can occur in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity and diabetes. Taking hormones after menopause that contain estrogen but not progesterone increases the risk of endometrial cancer.
A rare type of ovarian tumor that secretes estrogen also can increase the risk of endometrial cancer.
Endometrial cancer can spread to other parts of your body, making it more difficult to treat successfully. Endometrial cancer that spreads (metastasizes) most often travels to the lungs.
Make an appointment with your primary care doctor or a gynecologist if you have signs and symptoms that worry you. If you're diagnosed with endometrial cancer, you're likely to be referred to a doctor who specializes in cancers of the female reproductive system (gynecologic oncologist).
Because appointments can be brief and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared. Here's some information to help you get ready, and what you can expect from your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions ahead of time can help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For endometrial cancer, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask additional questions during your appointment.
Your doctor will likely have questions for you. If you're ready to answer them, it may help reserve time to go over points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
Tests and procedures used to diagnose endometrial cancer include:
If endometrial cancer is found, you'll likely be referred to a doctor who specializes in treating cancers involving the female reproductive system (gynecologic oncologist).
Once your cancer has been diagnosed, your doctor works to determine the extent (stage) of your cancer. Tests used to determine your cancer's stage may include a chest X-ray, a computerized tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan and blood tests. The final determination of your cancer's stage may not be made until after you undergo surgery to treat your cancer.
Stages of endometrial cancer include:
Your options for treating your endometrial cancer will depend on the characteristics of your cancer, such as the stage, your general health and your preferences.
Surgery to remove the uterus is recommended for most women with endometrial cancer. Most women with endometrial cancer undergo a procedure to remove the uterus (hysterectomy), as well as to remove the fallopian tubes and ovaries (salpingo-oophorectomy). A hysterectomy makes it impossible for you to have children in the future. Also, once your ovaries are removed, you'll experience menopause, if you haven't already.
During surgery, your surgeon will also inspect the areas around your uterus to look for signs that cancer has spread. Your surgeon may also remove lymph nodes for testing. This helps determine your cancer's stage.
Radiation therapy uses powerful energy beams, such as X-rays, to kill cancer cells. In some instances, your doctor may recommend radiation to reduce your risk of a cancer recurrence after surgery. In certain situations, radiation therapy may also be recommended before surgery, to shrink a tumor and make it easier to remove.
If you aren't healthy enough to undergo surgery, you may opt for radiation therapy only. In women with advanced endometrial cancer, radiation therapy may help control cancer-related pain.
Radiation therapy can involve:
Hormone therapy involves taking medications that affect hormone levels in the body. Hormone therapy may be an option if you have advanced endometrial cancer that has spread beyond the uterus. Options include:
Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. You may receive one chemotherapy drug, or two or more drugs can be used in combination. You may receive chemotherapy drugs by pill (orally) or through your veins (intravenously). Chemotherapy may be recommended for women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer that has spread beyond the uterus. These drugs enter your bloodstream and then travel through your body, killing cancer cells.
After you receive a diagnosis of endometrial cancer, you may have many questions, fears and concerns. Every woman finds her own way to cope with an endometrial cancer diagnosis. In time, you'll find what works for you. Until then, you might try to:
To reduce your risk of endometrial cancer, you may wish to:
Original article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/endometrial-cancer/basics/complications/con-20033696
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I need help installing Zimbra for multiple networks. I have gotten it to work just fine on a single network but we need our email server to stratle two different networks.
eth0 -> internet side with local clients who can surf and email etc.
eth1 -> private secure network that just needs access to send and receive email.
I am using the latest version of Zimbra CE and running RHE 4.0. If anyone can offer some assistance I would really appreciate it.


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May 24, 2016
Most of the early birds were looking to buy ammunition since stocks in other stores in town have been depleted.After opening remarks and official ribbon cutting ceremony customers were welcomed into the store.
The opening of the newly renovated store has created around 150 new jobs for the area and will hopefully bring more foot traffic to the shopping center.
"I believe it will at least get us 300 to 350 thousand dollars a year in the city. And it will attract more people to this shopping center, so there sales will go up also," said Panama City Mayor Greg Burdnicki.
Even though Walmart limited customers to 3 boxes of ammo each, by Wednesday afternoon the shelves were nearly empty.
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Out of Stock
Item # TYR0051
Don't worry though, we have a lot more Race Bags in stock than that.View Similar Products
TYR Rucksack $0.00
Traveling with your triathlon gear is already a hectic, worrisome experience without having to worry about the vessel that's holding it. That's why TYR constructed the Rucksack from a durable Ripstop nylon with a 70D polyurethane coating. As a result, the bag was made to resist the wear-and-tear that accompanies traveling with your gear. For storage, the Rucksack features a 20.5 x 12 x 9 inch dimension with front, lid, and side compartments/pockets to house all of your gear. More impressively, though, the Rucksack is quite easily transformed from a backpack to a briefcase of sorts. With a few folds and a couple of rolls, the Rucksack is easily transformed into a size that's more suitable for air travel, or for any transport that's short on space.
The TYR Rucksack is available in one size and in the colors Black/grey and Black/red.


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If Strikeforce had official post-fight bonus awards, this one was in the bag.
Miesha Tate (13-3 MMA, 6-2 SF) and Julie Kedzie (16-11 MMA, 0-2 SF) on Saturday lit things up to close out the preliminary card of Saturday's Strikeforce show in San Diego. The two engaged in a back-and-forth slugfest that included a near-finish for Kedzie in the third when she landed a kick to Tate's face – only to have Tate turn the tables to finish with an armbar.
Full fight video highlights are now available of the bout.
'Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman" took place at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The preliminary card, including Tate-Kedzie, aired on Showtime Extreme ahead of a main card on Showtime.
Tate lost the women's bantamweight title to Ronda Rousey this past March by Rousey's now-famous first-round armbar. After the fight, Tate appreciated the irony of her beating Kedzie with an armbar, though she said her overall performance doesn't warrant her a title-shot rematch yet.
Check out the embedded clip for the highlights.
For more on "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman," including the official event results, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.


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Home > Our Services > Heart Care > Tests and Treatments > Vascular Screening Program
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Your vascular system is a complex subject that deserves comprehensive care. Thankfully, Avera Sacred Heart is here to offer testing and care to keep your vascular system working its best.
8 a.m – 4 p.m.No physician referral necessary
Vascular disease affects your circulatory system and puts you at risk for stroke, heart disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Avera Sacred Heart offers three different Vascular Screenings to detect for the conditions of vascular disease.
All tests will be read by a board-certified radiologist, with results mailed to you.
All done right here at Avera Sacred Heart, your local hospital.
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So far the 2007 hasn
DOGS DOWNED | Canberra came from the clouds to down Canterbury in the National Capital this afternoo...
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NOT JOSHING | NSW Blues have confirmed the omission of Josh Dugan from the Game One squad after he s...
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DRAG(O)N A COWBOY | The St George-Illawarra Dragons have claimed a narrow win over the reigning prem...
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@ Noon today (Saturday) you will hear it here. Go in hard, and let's bust their server. LeagueUnlimi...
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TIGERS TAME BABY BRONCOS | A Mitchell Moses field goal has proven the difference at Suncorp Stadium ...
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Batley have crossed for a try but it's VR Sam Ansell to make the decision and its:
RT @MMcInerney89: Sekope Tua charges up the #BundyRL16 top try-scorers' board #rugbyleague @LeagueUnlimited https://t.co/wntMw6EnRT https:…
Dewsbury get the opening try of the match through Crooks - Sykes converts and they lead 6-0 #SummerBash
Off to the Video Referee for the first time today on a possible Rams try - referee says TRY... up to rookie VR Sam Ansell to decide
10 hours ago
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|New hospital district CFO to start soon
|Written by April Peregoy
A new CFO has been hired for East Phillips County Hospital District by administrator John Ayoub, who informed hospital board members of the selection at the meeting Wednesday, May 27.
Greg Was will be stepping into the position in the early part of June, said Ayoub, who added Was is very qualified and has excellent experience working in rural health districts. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., he is moving to Holyoke from Douglas, Ariz., where he oversaw three rural health clinics.
During his time there, Was used the NexGen Software that MMH is currently switching to, and Ayoub cited that as one of the benefits of hiring him.
However, to help ease the transition to a new CFO, Ayoub requested the hospital board pass a resolution to allow interim CFO Jim Rush to stay 30 more days and help Was.
Rush has been the district's interim CFO since January, following the resignation of Shelly Larson.
Ayoub also announced Melissa Memorial Hospital recently welcomed a new lab manager. Cliff Bonner joined the hospital staff Wednesday, May 27. According to Ayoub, he's originally from Georgia, but comes to Holyoke from Texas. He has worked in large, urban hospitals as well as rural ones. "He has a fantastic educational background," said Ayoub, "and was a high-caliber candidate."
He again emphasized the other lab manager, Deb Tatum, is not leaving, but rather stepping back a bit for personal reasons.
In his search to find a new CFO and lab manager, Ayoub contacted several different recruitment firms, agreeing to pay only the one who finds the candidates they hire. On Wednesday night, Ayoub asked the board to pass a resolution allowing him to pay the chosen recruitment firm a total of $40,000 for both positions.
Possible new physician candidate Dr. John Hall, currently of Illinois, is expected to visit MMH June 12 to tour the facility and meet the staff. Ayoub said he has also initiated preliminary talks with another doctor, just in case things don't work out with Hall.
The administrator is also talking with a pharmacist out of Parker to see if he could step in as the new consultant pharmacist for MMH. The hospital's former consultant pharmacist, who worked for Banner Health, recently resigned his position.
In addition, a discussion was held by board members on Wednesday night regarding possible staff options. Ayoub said, over the past year, the district has seen an increase in patients. As a result, board members are looking at whether the current staff arrangements are sufficient for providing the best care possible, or if changes should be made.
Equipment changes planned
In May, Melissa Memorial Hospital officially made the switch to wireless service in preparation for its transition to an Electronic Medical Records system. Ayoub noted the wireless service is for NexGen software products only. People trying to access the internet from their personal laptops in the hospital will be unable to do so.
The new system will allow doctors to access their patients' medical charts right away from anywhere in the hospital and clinic. It will also allow the hospital to do its own billing rather than rely on another company to do it for them.
The transition to the new system begins this month.
EPCHD is also trying to improve its pager service since there are a few dead spots in the hospital. Ayoub said he hopes the problem can be fixed by simply moving the antenna, but added if that doesn't work, they may have to buy new software.
At Wednesday night's meeting, hospital board members approved the purchase of a storage unit to house the district's records. The unit will have temperature and air controls to help preserve the documents.
Ayoub said he is also in negotiations with another organization on the sale of the district's modular clinic.
Staff looks to improve disaster planning, patient satisfaction
The tornado siren that sounded Monday, May 25 turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the hospital, according to Ayoub. It was the first drill the hospital staff has run since the move into the new building.
"It provided us with an opportunity for improving tornado preparedness," said Ayoub, who added, as a result, a tornado drill was planned for the following week. Based on how that drill goes and the drill run on May 25, the staff will be looking at any possible changes that need to be made to improve its reaction.
Also in May, several hospital employees, including Ayoub, attended a live disaster planning and training session at Fort McClellan in Anastin, Ala. The session provided live staging of several different mock disasters and participants had to act out what they should do in those situations.
Ayoub also provided a monitoring report to the board Wednesday night on weekly care conferences being held every Monday. Staff members began holding these conferences last year to discuss patient satisfaction, the reasons people are visiting the hospital and patient statistics such as waiting times.
Ayoub said there has been great participation from the doctors and nurses in these conferences.
HUD requirement unmet
In the loan covenance EPCHD has with HUD on the new facility, there are nine requirements the district must make in order for HUD to consider it financially sound. One of them requires the district to have not more than a one-percent loss in operating revenue for two years.
While EPCHD has recorded a positive net income the last two years, that has included the addition of grants and donations, which are not calculated in operating expenses. Because of this, the district has recorded a loss in its operating revenue the past two years, therefore not meeting the HUD requirement.
Board members agreed Wednesday night to write a letter to HUD explaining how the district plans to meet these requirements in the future. Ayoub said the addition of new doctors and services has attracted more patients, and more revenue, for the hospital—information that will be included in the letter.
Also included will be information on the expected sale of the modular clinic and ways in which the district tries to keep costs to a minimum. Ayoub added he does not expect HUD to take any action against them at this time.
Other business
In other business, EPCHD board members:
—held a 10-minute executive session for the purpose of discussing contract negotiations.
—met new physician, Dr. Danielle McClellan, who will be joining the Family Practice Clinic in July. McClellan and her family happened to be visiting the town on Wednesday and stopped by the board meeting to say hello.
—discussed whether to give district employees discounts on medical care received at the hospital or clinic. The idea was brought up by a visitor in attendance at the board's April meeting. Since then, the district's attorney had a memo written up to help them with the issue. However, no decision was made Wednesday night.
—approved the Red Flag Policy mandated by the state to prevent identity theft.
—heard a report from the Community Linkage Committee on an educational session held at Highline
Electric Association in May.
—noted Melissa Memorial Hospital Foundation is selling memorial bricks that will be on the clock tower being built as an FBLA project.
—filled out conflict of interest forms.
—took a practice board quality test as part of the 5 Million Lives Campaign.