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Friday, March 4, 2011
Sunrise over Barnegat Bay
I am convinced that my dog believes my husband's name is He Who Must Not Be Awakened. If she has to go out in the early morning or the middle of the night, she cries and whimpers at me. This morning at 5 am, that's exactly what happened. I woke up without having slept away the stress and tension of the past few days. My dog, Chi, didn't seem to care. She nudged me down the stairs and ignored my grumbles.
But... I opened up the front door and I saw the sunrise. I even walked down the street to take a picture -- and I did this pre-coffee.
The picture is dark, but if you look carefully you can see the sea grass in the front, the Barnegat Bay in the middle. And way up at the top, there's a morning star.
Current status: Me: Awake and drinking copious amounts of caffeine.
Chi: Sound asleep.
7 comments:
- Dana Carey said...
Really nice sunrise , Nan. Did you say "thanks" to Chi? ;)
- March 4, 2011 at 7:55 AM
- Nikki said...
Gorgeous!! And pre-coffee? impressive.
- March 4, 2011 at 8:56 AM
- nanmarino said...
Dana, It was a nice sunrise. Oh and of course I thanked Chi ;)
Nikki, Yep. Pre-coffee and a cell phone camera. - March 4, 2011 at 1:19 PM
- Unknown said...
Beautiful picture. And you know I really like sunrise and sunsets.
- March 4, 2011 at 9:49 PM
- nanmarino said...
Ritch, I think it was your sunset pictures that inspired me.
- March 5, 2011 at 7:26 PM
- MG Higgins said...
Our pets aren't so dumb, yes? Lovely picture. I especially like the hint of light on the grass in the foreground.
- March 6, 2011 at 9:01 PM
- nanmarino said...
MG, I know I'm reading into this, but when we walked down to the end of the street, Chi appeared to be very proud of herself. It was probably because she thought she taught her human a new trick -- how to go for a walk at 5 am. But I'd like to think that she knew about the sunrise.
- March 7, 2011 at 5:30 AM
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Shortly after the Bush administration decided to end the shuttle program (no later than 2010), we decided that it would be a good idea to have the people who actually worked in the shuttle program write a book detailing our shared experience. Heaven knows that there are enough books on the shuttle already, and no doubt more to come. But by and large these books have been written by people who are external to the program: historians, journalists, and the like. Several individuals, most of them former astronauts, have written books, but they are necessarily the point of view of a single individual, and therefore can tell only part of the story.
So we decided to write a book on the breadth of the shuttle program, from beginning to end, the good, the bad, and the ugly, with only a couple of rules: (1) it had to be totally honest, (2) it had to be technically accurate, (3) it had to fit in one volume, and (4) it had to be written by insiders.
Tuesday we had the final editorial board meeting which put a seal on the contents. From this point on the book is in the hands of the proof readers, the indexers, the graphics designers, and the printer. We expect the Government Printing Office to have copies on the shelf for sale in January 2011. Sections will subsequently be posted on the NASA web pages, including any updates from the last couple of flights which exceeded the Bush closing date by maybe as much as a year.
The toughest part of the job was cutting material. Once our folks got started writing, they couldn't hold back. We could have written a 5 volume mini-encyclopedia; or probably a 30 volume real encyclopedia. But we stuck with our rule to have one volume, approximately 700 pages.
So what is in there? We tried to tell the "so what" of the shuttle. What did it accomplish, what did it fail to do, why was it so complex, and why did it cost so much. Future spacecraft designers may find some instruction here; both what to do and what not to do.
About one third of the book is devoted to the engineering innovations that were required to bring this unique vehicle – and its support systems – into being. Some of those innovations have now pervaded aerospace engineering as new standards. About a third of the book is the province of the scientists who used the shuttle to study the universe and smaller things as well. And the remaining third of the book is all the other stuff; history of the development and operations of the shuttle, a long description of the accidents, an obligatory description of the shuttle and its systems, and some contemplation of the social impact that the shuttle program had on America and the world.
We have quotations or sections written by over 30 astronauts, Presidents, Nobel Prize winners, scientists, program managers, NASA administrators, and flight directors. More importantly, the vast majority of the book was written by over 100 of the folks who actually did the work: designed, built, maintained, and operated the space shuttle; civil servants and contractors alike.
I think you will find it interesting. Some of the engineers cannot write coherently but we hired a few English majors to try to translate their jargon into something understandable by non-experts. We tried to hit the level of Scientific American or National Geographic text, so this is not going to be very simplistic, but perhaps thought provoking. The illustrations are outstanding. And there will be a comprehensive appendix for all those who desire statistics and details.
There should be something for everybody interested in the shuttle. I hope you like it. We've been working on it in our spare time for over four years now. Or maybe that should really say we've been working on it for our whole careers.
Information on how to pre-order the book will appear on the NASA web page in a month or so.

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Following a fall during mistletoe picking, Druid Panoramix decides that it is time to secure the future of the village. Accompanied by Asterix and Obelix, he undertakes to travel the Gallic world in search of a talented young druid to transmit the Secret of the Magic Potion . —Hugo Van Herpe如果您喜欢玄天影视(www.tshflz.com)分享的《高卢英雄:魔法的秘密国语》,别忘了推荐给你的好友!
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WASHINGTON – Christopher Paul, a/k/a Abdul Malek, a/k/a Paul Kenyatta Laws, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen born in Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for conspiring with others to use a weapon of mass destruction, namely explosive devices, against targets in Europe and the United States.
The sentence, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Gregory L. Frost in the Southern District of Ohio, was announced by Matthew G. Olsen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Gregory G. Lockhart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Executive Assistant Director Arthur M. Cummings, II, of the FBI's National Security Branch; and Keith L. Bennett, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Cincinnati Division.
On June 3, 2008, Paul pleaded guilty to count two of a three-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives); and providing material support and resources to terrorists. At his guilty plea, Paul agreed to a sentence of 20 years in prison. The government agreed to dismiss counts one and three of the indictment.
"Today's sentence brings an end to the long, militant career of Christopher Paul, an Ohio native who joined al Qaeda in the early 1990s, fought in Afghanistan and Bosnia and conspired with others to target Americans both at home and abroad," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen. "His lengthy prison term demonstrates our continuing resolve to protect the American public against terrorism."
"The Paul case represents the culmination of extraordinary efforts by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force as a whole and, in particular, the JTTF Paul case agents: FBI Special Agent Latisha Hartsough, Westerville Police Detective Mike Shaheen, and Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Goetz. Without the JTTF's efforts and those of our international law enforcement counterparts, this case would not have been possible," said U.S. Attorney Gregory G. Lockhart.
"Thanks to the work of the agents and officers at our Columbus Joint Terrorism Task Force, American-born Christopher Paul's actions in support of al Qaeda were disrupted and exposed. Through our partnerships around the country, we will continue to investigate and bring to justice those like him who threaten the safety and welfare of American citizens," said Executive Assistant Director Arthur M. Cummings, II, of the FBI's National Security Branch.
According to a statement of facts read by the case agent during the change of plea hearing for Paul in June 2008 and acknowledged to be true by the defendant:
In the early 1990s, Paul traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan to join the mujahedeen. At an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, he received initial training in, among other things, the use of assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and small unit tactics. After successfully completing this training, he joined al Qaeda and stayed at the Beit ur Salam guesthouse, which was exclusively for al Qaeda members. Having distinguished himself to al Qaeda, Paul was then selected for and obtained advanced training in explosives, climbing, and military history. Paul then fought in Afghanistan alongside other mujahedeen.
After fighting in Afghanistan, Paul returned to Ohio, where he began instructing individuals in martial arts in Columbus. He also began recruiting local individuals with extremist intentions in order to establish a jihadist group in Ohio. Over time and through his association with al Qaeda, Paul became dedicated to committing jihad and furthering the objectives of al Qaeda and other radical Islamic fundamentalists.
From 1993 through 1995, Paul, using various passports and names, traveled to the Balkans in Europe and fought in conflict zones such as Bosnia, establishing further contact with radical Islamic fundamentalists, and creating a master list of al Qaeda leaders and other Islamic radicals worldwide. This list and bomb-making information was seized during the execution of a search warrant at the defendant's home.
Paul returned to Columbus after fighting in the Balkans, and, in 1997, received a fax from two al Qaeda co-conspirators in Europe asking, on behalf of "the brothers," for Paul to find them a "true group and place to make jihad." While in Columbus, Paul conducted training operations in Burr Oak State Park in Ohio with several members of his local group, replicating terrorist training he had received in Afghanistan and Bosnia.
Preparing to travel again overseas, Paul obtained a new passport after claiming his old passport – in one of his other aliases – had been damaged by water. Beginning in March 31, 1999, and continuing through Jan. 31, 2000, Paul made 44 calls to an Islamic fundamentalist co-conspirator in Europe, who was arrested in 2003 and later convicted of a terrorist conspiracy.
On April 16, 1999, Paul traveled to meet with members of an Islamic terror cell in Germany, who knew him as an expert in bomb-making/detonation devices. In Germany, Paul provided explosives training to the cell knowing that it was planning to use this training to construct bombs, car bombs, and similar devices to be used against Americans while they vacationed at foreign tourist resorts. The German terrorist cell also planned to use bombs against Americans in the United States, and against U.S. facilities abroad, such as U.S. embassies, diplomatic premises and military bases in Europe.
Upon his return to Ohio from Germany, Paul had a member of his group in Columbus purchase a printer / scanner in May 1999. The printer/scanner was then sent to one of the German terror cell members in order to help the cell manufacture fraudulent documents to facilitate worldwide travel. The cell member did not claim the package in Germany and it was sent back to Paul. During this time, Paul also bought other equipment to be used by extremists, including night vision equipment and a laser range finder. Additional similar items were found during the execution of search warrants by the Columbus FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Furthermore, in November 1999, bank records show that Paul wire transferred $1,760 to one of the principal members of the German cell.
The Paul investigation was conducted by the Columbus FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, a multi-agency operation led by the FBI that includes agents and officers from 10 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio and the Justice Department's National Security Division.


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From the New York Times, August 20, 2010
by Judith Warner
With the battle over whether to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy shaping up as the major political event of the fall, opponents of repeal were handed a bounteous gift this summer when Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and 38 others announced that they formed a pact to give at least half their wealth to charity. After all, what better illustration could there be of the great social good that wealthy people can do when the government lets them keep their hard-earned dollars to spend as they please?
The problem is that the exceptional philanthropy of the superwealthy few doesn't apply to the many more people defined as rich in the current debate over the Bush tax cuts — individuals earning over $200,000 and couples with revenues over $250,000. For decades, surveys have shown that upper-income Americans don't give away as much of their money as they might and are particularly undistinguished as givers when compared with the poor, who are strikingly generous. A number of other studies have shown that lower-income Americans give proportionally more of their incomes to charity than do upper-income Americans. In 2001, Independent Sector, a nonprofit organization focused on charitable giving, found that households earning less than $25,000 a year gave away an average of 4.2 percent of their incomes; those with earnings of more than $75,000 gave away 2.7 percent.
This situation is perplexing if you think of it in terms of dollars and cents: the poor, you would assume, don't have resources to spare, and the personal sacrifice of giving is disproportionately large. The rich do have money to spend. Those who itemize receive a hefty tax break to make charitable donations, a deduction that grows more valuable the higher they are on the income scale. And the well-off are presumed to have at least a certain sense of noblesse oblige. Americans pride themselves on their philanthropic tradition, and on the role of private charity, which is much more developed here than it is in Europe, where the expectation is that the government will care for the poor.
But in the larger context of "the psychological culture of wealth versus poverty," says Paul K. Piff, a Ph.D. candidate in social psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, the paradox makes sense. Piff has made a specialty of studying those cultures in his lab at the Institute of Personality and Social Research, most recently in a series of experiments that tested "lower class" and "upper class" subjects (with earnings ranging from around $15,000 to more than $150,000 a year) to see what kind of psychological factors motivated the well-known differences in their giving behaviors. His study, written with Michael W. Kraus and published online last month by The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found that lower-income people were more generous, charitable, trusting and helpful to others than were those with more wealth. They were more attuned to the needs of others and more committed generally to the values of egalitarianism.
"Upper class" people, on the other hand, clung to values that "prioritized their own need." And, he told me this week, "wealth seems to buffer people from attending to the needs of others." Empathy and compassion appeared to be the key ingredients in the greater generosity of those with lower incomes. And these two traits proved to be in increasingly short supply as people moved up the income spectrum.
This compassion deficit — the inability to empathetically relate to others' needs — is perhaps not so surprising in a society that for decades has seen the experiential gap between the well-off and the poor (and even the middle class) significantly widen. The economist Frank Levy diagnosed such a split in his book "The New Dollars and Dreams: American Incomes and Economic Change," published in the midst of the late-1990s tech boom. "The welfare state," Levy wrote, "rests on enlightened self-interest in which people can look at beneficiaries and reasonably say, 'There but for the grace of God. . . .' As income differences widen, this statement rings less true." A lack of identification with those in need may explain in part why a 2007 report from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University found that only a small percentage of charitable giving by the wealthy was actually going to the needs of the poor; instead it was mostly directed to other causes — cultural institutions, for example, or their alma maters — which often came with the not-inconsequential payoff of enhancing the donor's status among his or her peers.
Given all this, it's tempting to believe that there's something intrinsic to the rich or the poor that explains their greater or lesser generosity and empathetic connection to others (i.e., rich people get rich because they like money more and are less distracted from their goals by the relational side of life), but Piff's research points in a different direction. Piff found that if higher-income people were instructed to imagine themselves as lower class, they became more charitable. If they were primed by, say, watching a sympathy-eliciting video, they became more helpful to others — so much so, in fact, that the difference between their behavior and that of the low-income subjects disappeared. And fascinatingly, the inverse was true as well: when lower-income people were led to think of themselves as upper class, they actually became less altruistic.
"These patterns can be changed," Piff says. What this means is that whatever morality tale can be spun by the giving patterns for rich people and poor people, it shouldn't turn on the presumed nobility of the needy or essential cupidity of the fortunate. Instead, we should look at what has pushed rich and poor (or, more accurately, the rich and everyone else) to such opposite extremes of existence. A generation of political decisions — regarding big business and labor, the deregulation of the financial industry and, yes, tax cuts for the wealthy — have brought our society to this sharply divided, socially and economically polarized place we now find ourselves, says the political scientist Jacob Hacker, co-author, with Paul Pierson, of the coming book "Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer — and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class." And, just as with the behavior of Piff's subjects in the lab, political decisions can be changed. "Runaway inequality," he says, has led to "a pulling away of the very wealthy from the rest of American society. Do we believe the rich should be trusted to tithe, or should we have a society with a basic taxing-and-spending structure that ensures a modicum of economic security for all people?"
In a more equitable society, the very well off might indeed have less cash to give. But if a rising tide lifts all boats, that may not matter so much.
Judith Warner is the author, most recently, of "We've Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication."


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Peter Watkins' films have consistently been in the 'difficult to see' category, stirring up controversy mostly in absentia. British film critics openly attacked his Privilege, a film with dangerous prophecies (a pop star becomes a shill for a political power broker) that now seem tame. Watkins has bucked the censors ever since his The War Game, an honest look at the unfeasibility of Nuclear War, was kept off the BBC because its candor was deemed detrimental to the public good. There are artists who work within accepted guidelines and visionaries who boldly question the political world around them. Even though Watkins' Punishment Park and The Gladiators are key political science fiction films about repressive democracies and feasible totalitarian states, their distribution has been next to nil.
But those thrillers were relatively easy to see compared to Watkins' masterpiece Edvard Munch, a Norwegian film originally done for television. This biography of the great painter is assembled in a consistently brilliant free-association style that resembles a cinematic version of what the late 19th century painters were doing -- tearing down conventions and exploring new ways of looking at the world. Edvard Munch is a long film but a fascinating one, an honest work of conceptual art that follows no rules but its own. There was nothing like it in 1974.
Edvard Munch is a movie one begins in trepidation and then quickly becomes hooked on. It's one of the few films with a radical editing style that Savant can say works 100% -- after a couple of minutes to get one's bearings one is drawn into the story for the same reason one might be drawn into a conventional melodrama -- we empathize with the leading character and care what happens to him.
The stylistic difference allows us to observe Munch from several viewpoints at once. We see his family life, his associates in the bohemian art society, and some less fortunate Kristiania citizens all at the same time. A narrator identifies people and recounts facts about living conditions, and also gives us a running account of Edvard Munch's art works in progress. The actor Geir Westby looks remarkably like Munch (sort of a cross between James Dean and James Spader) and doesn't talk much. Peter Watkins instead layers on narrated sections from Munch's diaries, in which the artist often referred to himself in the third person. The result is that we get inside Munch's head without the actor having to 'interpret' the character for us, at least not as a quantifiable whole.
That really places Edvard Munch in its own category. A standard artist biopic like Lust for Life still confronts us with a strong personality like Kirk Douglas, doing his utmost to externalize Vincent van Gogh's internal conflicts for our appreciation. Edvard Munch encourages us to think about Munch and not the acting of the lead role. Chances are that actually "being there" and hanging out with van Gogh or Munch for a day wouldn't necessarily impress many of us that we were in the presence of a great man. Edvard Munch would rather explore the artist from the facts, rather than emotional inventions.
Most attempts to use free-association cutting in linear narrative film are either restrained or unsuccessful, the main culprit being the 'flash forward' trick which hardly ever works. Edvard Munch cuts all over the temporal map and communicates its intentions with pinpoint accuracy. A dozen formative memories and traumatic incidents are everpresent in Munch's work, and they recur time and again.
We also see fascinating recreations of Munch's working style. One key image starts as a charcoal drawing and eventually becomes a picture of two women sitting in remorseful poses. Along the way Munch paints and repaints most of the canvas several times, eventually eliminating all peripheral details -- which still seem to be present behind his dark obliterations and light blank-outs. As a last step he appears to torture the oil surface with scars and pencil lines, making his painting the antithesis of 'just so' order and balance.
While this is happening, Watkins will intercut those stark free-association images of Munch's past: The deaths of his mother and sister from consumption, the grim mood at his house, the bliss of his relationship with Mrs. Heilberg and its eventual dissolution. The images become repetitive-obsessive, working far better than actor's speeches or a narrator's emphasis. Munch's diary readings hint at these influences without pointing to them like street signs.
The result is that 'great artist' Edvard Munch is observed intimately without distortion. The picture leaps into motion at the beginning and doesn't invent a big emotional moment for its finish. Without the typical biopic framework that embalms great people, from John F. Kennedy to Johnny Cash, Edvard Munch lets us learn something real about the struggle of a real person with his art.
New Yorker's DVD of Edvard Munch is a product of extremely high quality. The Project X Company released its first Peter Watkins film Punishment Park independently in Canada before moving its distribution deal to New Yorker films. As the disc production and mastering is still handled by Project X the quality is superb, something that cannot be said of many New Yorker discs. The excellent 1:33 image always looks stunning and the encoders offer a selection of subtitle options for this movie split between Norwegian dialogue and English narration. Besides a French sub track, there are two English subtitle tracks: One track covers only the Norwegian content, and the other covers everything. That kind of viewer-friendly thoughtfulness is rare.
The 174 minutes go by faster than one would think. The show was originally longer for television but Watkins trimmed it for a theatrical release that more or less never happened. Watkins is an activist filmmaker, an outspoken proponent of his films and the ideas in them. He's clearly embracing the DVD medium in hopes of disseminating his work widely, a luxury most of his films never enjoyed. Edvard Munch was grudgingly shown by its Norwegian sponsors and (according to Watkins) aggressively repressed, to the extent that some of his attempts to access the materials were met with hostile (and untrue) stories that they could not be found, etc. The main extra on this DVD is a lengthy booklet containing what Watkins calls a self-interview. Given Watkins' consistent artistic achievement his stance as a combative artist is wholly justified. If one's life work has been suppressed and one has a choice, why stew bitterly or remain silent? Why leave critics to effect a toothless 'rediscovery,' essentially turning your story into theirs?
Watkins is as sick of the media establishment as he is of the various commercial-political entities that suppressed most of his films, and he starts his insert booklet with a legally binding "Peter Watkins Standard Copyright and Usage Notice" aimed directly at journalists and editors he feels have consistently distorted his message. He doesn't want his words quoted at all unless the full content of his message is included. He's sick of hearing his comments about production and creative matters quoted, while his thoughts about the meaning of his work are ignored -- specifically the flaws in mass media that all of his films address.
I don't know what this bold stance will do for Watkins' work, or whether the media will continue to consider him marginalized, but I'm impressed. 99% of filmmakers throw their work onto the waters and abandon them. It's unfair to decide that an artist defending his work is necessarily an egotist. Watkins' self-interview is a fascinating look at an artist sharing his thought processes in a useful way. His production stories are absorbing. His views about the promise of television expression being crushed and nullified by a timeslot-regulated sameness he calls the 'monoform' are radical only in that they make sense and go against the order established by the commercial media.
Project X and New Yorker are going to continue with more Peter Watkins films, which Savant will be eagerly awaiting. I've seen The War Game on PBS and was present at a UCLA showing of the excitingThe Gladiators back in 1971 or so, and his other titles hold equal promise.
On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Edvard Munch rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent Sound: Excellent Supplements: Filmmaker's self-interview in 24-page insert booklet, filmography Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: February 24, 2006
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Olympus BioScapes competition
The open 'mouth' of a floating humped bladderwort plant (Utricularia gibba) took first prize in Olympus' microscope image competition. Igor Siwanowicz, a researcher from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia, took the winning image of the carnivorous plant, beating more than 2,000 entries from 71 countries.
In its 10th year, the Olympus BioScapes Competition celebrates images and movies of human, plant, and animal subjects as captured through light microscopes. See the top 10 in our gallery. Also, check out the honorable mentions on the BioScapes winners gallery.
(above) Photographer: Igor Siwanowicz
Location: Ashburn, Virginia, United States
Specimen: Open trap of aquatic carnivorous plant, humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba, with single-cell organisms inside.
Technique: Confocal imaging, 100x


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Bellewaerde - Attraction
Looking for a fun and entertaining trip for the whole family? Visit Bellewaerde and enjoy the perfect balance between
adventure, thrills and discovery. Squealing with fun in the nicest attractions, admiring exotic animals and unwinding in
beautiful nature? In Bellewaerde you can do it all, in 1 singe day!
Small or a little less small?
Bellewaerde has attractions for young and old. In KidsPark, the little ones are in for a great time, in a completely safe
environment. Want to get more thrills? Even if you're looking for an adrenaline kick, Bellewaerde is your place to be. Need
some cooling after all that excitement? Get into one of the super cool water attractions!
Have some true animal lovers in your family?
Come and admire the mischievous lemurs up close on lemurs' island, and keep your calm during the exciting birds of prey
demonstration. In Bellewaerde you will also find out that there are only 65 Amur Leopards left in the wild and that giraffes
usually only sleep for ten minutes at a time. Awesome. With every visit to Bellewaerde you'll discover something new about
exotic animals!
Just want relax a little?
You can also just take a break and relax in Bellewaerde. Walk through the extensive park and enjoy the beautiful green
surroundings and soothing nature to the fullest.
What is not to be missed?
The blood-curdling, breathtaking stunts of the divers in the Stunt & Dive Show. Cold shivers, luckily alternated with a good
dose of humour. Also make sure to watch the 4D movie 'The Son of Bigfoot', a unique film experience with special effects
you'll never forget.
For information
Meenseweg 497, Ieperweb. More information


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The lovely Cuckmere River on South Downs WaySome time ago…. From London's Victoria Station we board the bus and head off to Eastbourne, a 3 hr trip to the south coast. Most of the time was snoozing time. At Eastbourne, we then walked the 1and ½ miles to the Beachy Head Youth Hostel (no longer … [Read more...]
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Emily Schwing
Emily Schwing comes to the Inland Northwest by way of Alaska, where she covered social and environmental issues with an Arctic spin as well as natural resource development, wildlife management and Alaska Native issues for nearly a decade. Her work has been heard on National Public Radio's programs like "Morning Edition" and "All things Considered." She has also filed for Public Radio International's "The World," American Public Media's "Marketplace," and various programs produced by the BBC and the CBC. She has also filed stories for Scientific American, Al Jazeera America and Arctic Deeply.
Emily got her start in radio as an intern at KUER-FM 90 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also pursued internship opportunities at National Public Radio and Deutsche Welle Radio in Bonn, Germany. After graduating with a Geology degree from Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota, she went on to study Natural Resource Management at the graduate level at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
When she is not chasing down quirky news stories, you can find her off the beaten path skiing, biking or running in the backcountry with her long-time canine companion, Ghost. Emily also has 300 hours' worth of certified interdisciplinary training in Hatha Yoga from the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica.


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July 2, 2013
Edward Joseph Snowden
Dear Edward:
I, Bruce Fein, am writing this letter in collaboration with your father in response to the statement you issued yesterday in Moscow.
Thomas Paine, the voice of the American Revolution, trumpeted that a patriot saves his country from his government.
What you have done and are doing has awakened congressional oversight of the intelligence community from deep slumber; and, has already provoked the introduction of remedial legislation in Congress to curtail spying abuses under section 215 of the Patriot Act and section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. You have forced onto the national agenda the question of whether the American people prefer the right to be left alone from government snooping absent probable cause to believe crime is afoot to vassalage in hopes of a risk-free existence. You are a modern day Paul Revere summoning the American people to confront the growing danger of tyranny and one branch government.
In contrast to your actions, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper responded last March as follows to an unambiguous question raised by Senator Ron Wyden:
"Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?" Clapper testified, "No sir, it does not." Wyden asked for clarification, and Clapper hedged: "Not wittingly. There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly."
Director Clapper later defended his stupendous mendacity to the Senator as the least untruthful answer possible. President Obama has not publicly rebuked the Director for frustrating the right of the people to know what their government is doing and to force changes if necessary through peaceful democratic processes. That is the meaning of government by the consent of the governed. "We the people" are sovereign under the U.S. Constitution, and government officials are entrusted with stewardship (not destruction) of our liberties.
We leave it to the American people to decide whether you or Director Clapper is the superior patriot.
The history of civilization is a history of brave men and women refusing to bow to government wrongdoing or injustice, and exalting knowledge, virtue, wisdom, and selflessness over creature comforts as the North Star of life. We believe your actions fall within that honorable tradition, a conviction we believe is shared by many.
As regards your reduction to de facto statelessness occasioned by the Executive Branch to penalize your alleged violations of the Espionage Act, the United States Supreme Court lectured in Trop v. Dulles (1958): "The civilized nations of the world are in virtual unanimity that statelessness is not to be imposed as punishment for crime."
We think you would agree that the final end of the state is to make men and women free to develop their faculties, not to seek planetary domination through force, violence or spying. All Americans should have a fair opportunity to pursue their ambitions. Politics should not be a football game with winners and losers featuring juvenile taunts over fumbles or missteps.
Irrespective of life's vicissitudes, we will be unflagging in efforts to educate the American people about the impending ruination of the Constitution and the rule of law unless they abandon their complacency or indifference. Your actions are making our challenge easier.
We encourage you to engage us in regular exchanges of ideas or thoughts about approaches to curing or mitigating the hugely suboptimal political culture of the United States. Nothing less is required to pay homage to Valley Forge, Cemetery Ridge, Omaha Beach, and other places of great sacrifice.
Very truly yours,
Bruce Fein
Counsel for Lon Snowden
Lon Snowden


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Time to restore confidence in U.S.
Published 11:00 pm Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Help us, we're falling and we can't get up again.
Once upon a time – in 1988 and 1998 to be exact – the United States was the best country for a baby to be born and raised in, at least according to The Economist magazine.
But the 2013 edition of the magazine's "where-to-be-born" index has us down at No. 16 — tied with Germany and one spot ahead of the United Arab Emirates.
Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Denmark — nice countries but not exactly world famous as destinations for millions of people seeking opportunity – are ranked 1 through 5.
The Economist's annual ranking tries to quantify what country "will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead."
It crunches and weighs the numbers for 11 indicators – everything from geography and demography to GDP per capita, the cost of living and future economic growth prospects. And, unfortunately for the United States, it weighs government debt.
The Economist doesn't factor a debt-related reason America will likely continue to slide in these rankings – no one today has any confidence in our political leaders to solve our economic problems.
Our economy is stuck on a reef. Growth is too low. The prospects of a real recovery coming anytime soon are dim and getting dimmer, not brighter.
It's so bad, even illegal aliens are losing confidence in America and leaving the country. And Citigroup just announced it is laying off 11,000 employees. Obviously, its bosses don't have much hope for a better future, either.
Back in the 1980s, we had more confidence in our political leaders because they actually earned it from time to time.
When my father was in the White House and Democrats controlled Congress, both parties fought bitterly with each other.
But when it came time to work out a solution to get the economy moving forward, they sat down and cut deals to lower or simplify taxes and to ease or eliminate onerous regulations.
In the 1990s, the roles were reversed. Clinton was president, Republicans ran Congress and partisanship was fierce. But when they had to do it, the leaders of both parties worked out a way to balance the budget and reform welfare.
In the old days, conservatives and liberals – loyal R's and die-hard D's – buried their hatchets and ultimately found a way to work together.
Today, we don't seem to even want both parties to cooperate. We demonize the other side so much we can't imagine ever working with them to fix the Capitol Building's roof, much less the economy.
Fast-forward to 2012. Does anyone have confidence in our leaders to work together to pull the Supertanker of State off the reef, much less turn it around?
We know what makes America work better for everyone today and in the future – or we used to. It's when government is smaller and the private sector is bigger, not vice versa.
The American people have lost confidence in their leaders for good reasons. Politicians from both parties in Washington have to join to clean up the economic mess they created or that confidence will never be restored.
If they don't do it soon, being ranked No. 16 on The Economist's "best place to be born" index will look pretty good to our grandkids.
Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "The New Reagan Revolution" He is the founder and chairman of The Reagan Group and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation.


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Hi Guys,
Here is my perspective on sitting with itchy noses, aching legs and backs, crawly spiders and such ...
Let me mention first that one day I was sitting at Sojiji (head temple of Soto Zen in Japan) in a 150 year old wooden building, with rafters nibbled by termites and with an overly heavy roof, when a big earthquake hit ... the roof is swaying. Everyone but me was Japanese. I looked around to see if folks would run for the door ... nobody moved from Zazen or even looked around but me! There is a great cultural tendency in Japanese culture to just "bear up" with pain and disturbances, and I have rarely if ever seen an experienced Japanese sitter move, shift legs or scratch during Zazen. In fact, my Japanese dentist tells me that there are two main difference between his Western patients and Japanese patients: (1) Westerners ask a lot more questions about the dental procedure and everything else; (2) Westerners moan and scream much more easily. :shock:
So, I have to balance my recommendations by taking into consideration what is just "Japanese culture", what is "Zen teachings", and what may be "BOTH"!
Generally, our Way of Shikantaza Zazen is about "just sitting" with whatever is, just how it is. As in life-in-general, not every moment is peaches and cream, fun and games. So, it is wonderful Practice for us to sit with discomforts, pain, annoyances. We drop all thought of the words "discomfort", "pain", "annoyance", "like" "dislike" "good" "bad" ... and just sit with what is.
On the other hand, the Buddha's way was never one of masochism or asceticism, complete denial of the body. In fact, ours is the Middle Way, the path of moderation in all things. Furthermore, we do not harm the body.
Thus, my advice is to just "sit with" the itches, discomforts and spiders (unless a highly poisonous spider!) . Note it, then move back to open, spacious sitting. In fact, you will find that the more your mind fixates on it, and thinks about it, the more of a problem it becomes. By not thinking about it, the so-called "problem" may even fade away on its own, or not be experienced as a problem.
But if you reach the point that there is truly the risk of harm to the body, then please give a small "Gassho" and discreetly and quietly change position (even do your Zazen standing or do Kinhin walking), or move the giant killer spider away.
Furthermore, our Way is not about ALWAYS having discomfort, so if your legs or back hurt all the time, you may have to change your sitting position or wait for your legs and back to adjust. We do not sit with leg pain every day or most days.
But, on the other-other hand, if you have a physical condition that means you ALWAYS have pain and there is absolutely no way to avoid that (for example, if you have arthritis that is always there), you just sit with that. You allow it, not thinking "good" or "bad".
You have to decide for yourself when is the time to sit with the ache or spider, when is the time not to.
Oh, and in case of earthquake ... I recommend "duck and cover" Zazen under a table, with one's Zafu placed over one's head! Notice the small prayer of "holding gratitude" at the end too.
Gassho, Jundo
PS- Wonderful true story about the Dali Lama and a mosquito, ...


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• gigantomachy •
Pronunciation: jai-gæn-tah-mê-kee • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. Ancient Greek battle of the titans against the god of the heavens, Zeus. 2. A war of giants, a battle between titans of any ilk.
Notes: Although this Good Word is seldom seen in print today, there should be use for it in this period of hostile takeovers, struggles between government and corporations, and similar struggles between financially powerful individuals and organizations.
In Play: Titans today are rich people who like to push others around with their wealth: "After a rather drawn-out gigantomachy between Rupert Murdoch and the Bancroft family behind the scenes, the Australian media mogul finally acquired the Dow Jones company and its Wall Street Journal." If the struggle is between two nations, the level of power is considerably higher: "The Cold War was a gigantomachy between two superpowers with incompatible politico-economical systems."
Word History: Today's Good Word came from the title of a poem by Claudian, Gigantomachia. It is a compound comprising gigas (gigant-) "giant" + mache "battle". The origin of Greek gigas is a mystery, but we see it in various forms in English borrowings, where gig(a)- has become a prefix meaning "billion": gigabyte, gigahertz. In fact, it is becoming a noun on its own: "I have a gig of memory in my computer" for gigabyte. Giant is the result of French smoothing out gigant in its own inimitable way. Gigant remains the word for "giant" in Russian and gigante in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Mache is probably related to English might in the sense of "power, strength", but the evidence is thin.
P.S. - Register for the Daily Good Word E-Mail! - You can get our daily Good Word sent directly to you via e-mail in either HTML or Text format. Go to our Registration Page to sign up today!


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Group Lesson: Chess 101 4pm
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September 4, 2024 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
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This class develops young students to become better overall players and is intended to prepare them for growth and tournament play. Curriculum covers a wide variety of tools and topics, covering everything from openings and endgames to psychology and tactics.
Classes are every Tuesday and Wednesday. Class One starts at 1:30 p.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Class Two starts at 4:00 p.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m.
Registration is $65 for one student or $100 for two siblings per month. Attend as many classes as you like during the month!


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Majestic Theatre
219 W. Wisconsin Avenue,
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The Majestic Theater was built in 1908 and closed in 1932.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The MAJESTIC theater was a 1908 vaudeville house with its auditorium at right angle behind its 14-story MAJESTIC office building. The box office and lobby occupied the center bay of the office building and one proceeded through it to the white marble foyer of the auditorium behind, unless one went to the gallery in which case he had to use the declasse gallery box office and staircase off the alley. The center of the gallery rail was occupied by a half circle projection on which was placed the incandescent follow spotlight with its six-color revolving light filters. In the auditorium one found 1900 some seats in a wide house with six boxes on each side of the stage with curving fronts enriched with gilded fruit festoon moldings. Bentwood chairs with padded seats filled each box, each of which was draped in a simple rectangle of a fringed lambrequin. Three levels of leather seats faced a spacious stage the arch of which was adorned with molded festoons and Greek key designs. The switchboard backstage was the old marble-faced type, but the double row of footlights and other abundant lighting was adequately served, and the fully rigged wood-covered concrete stage saw use for much Vaudeville until 1930.The 20 dressing rooms served by a back stage elevator were complemented by the cellar under the alley for keeping the animal acts.
Orpheum vaudeville made frequent use of this theatre until they commissioned the architects who designed it, Kirchoff & Rose of Milwaukee, to create a much larger and fancier venue just a block eastward in 1928: the RIVERSIDE theatre. The MAJESTIC may have been glamorous 20 years earlier, but the movie palaces coming upon the scene with their elaborate decors and stages suitable also for vaudeville, made the MAJESTIC look like an unadorned old dowager. It struggled with hastily installed movies for two more years before it was demolished to become a parking lot for the very office building in front of it! That office building still stands as part of the Grand Avenue mall, but the theatre is long forgotten but for an old timer I met on the street one day who had a tear in his eye as he recalled the many years of his youth when he had enjoyed shows in the once MAJESTIC.
Interestingly, the photo here shows the upper facade of the white terra cotta MAJESTIC office building, and also the brown building to the left is the adjacent MERRILL office building (razed in 1935) which was like the MAJESTIC: the box office/lobby portion of the MERRILL theatre was through it, with the auditorium behind it, the shell of which still stands as a bank building as part of the Grand Avenue mall. If one gets permission, he can go to the attic and see the original steel gridiron and the rigging sheaves and blocks still up there.
The Majestic was the Milwaukee home of B.F. Keith's vaudeville circuit. Milwaukee was one of only a handful of cities in which the Keith's chain overlapped with Martin Beck's Orpheum circuit. The Milwaukee Orpheum (later the Fox Palace) stood three blocks west at Sixth and Grand. When Keith's merged with Orpheum in 1926, having two houses only blocks apart was extravagant, but times were good.
Keith-Orpheum segued into RKO in 1928 and the emphasis changed from stage acts to films, thus the push to build movie-oriented houses like the Riverside. When the depression hit, RKO unloaded some of its older, stage-oriented houses. In Milwaukee, the Orpheum-Palace passed to Fox in 1931, and the Majestic closed soon afterward.
Anyone know what happened to that Golden Toned Barton Theater Pipe Organ?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.


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This American Life is pleased to offer two six-month fellowships per year, one beginning in January and the other in July.
This American Life is a weekly, nationally-distributed public radio program that's a mix of documentaries, investigative reporting, interviews and stories. The show is part of WBEZ Chicago, but its offices and this position are located in New York City.
The fellowship program focuses on every facet of producing This American Life—from reporting and copyediting to technical production and data management to administrative duties. The fellows observe and participate in the weekly production of the show by sitting in on meetings and edits with producers, while honing their production skills. Please note: this is not an entry-level position. This American Life fellows are required to have experience with Pro Tools or similar digital editing software and are responsible for producing rerun episodes, weekly promos and show segments out of the gate. Our fellows transcribe tape, learn to structure and mix a radio story, and perform assorted menial tasks that are true signs of an apprentice program like this. By the end of the program, fellows are encouraged to produce their own pieces, including editing and mixing voice, sound and music. The diversity of tasks depends largely on initiative and self-motivation. If you have no radio and/or audio editing experience, this program is not for you.
The fellow will be provided a monthly wage of $3,750, before taxes for the duration of the fellowship. We are committed to providing payment in part because the work hours are long. We feed the show on Friday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern time, so as we get closer to the end of the week, the hours become longer. The typical work week varies between 50-60 hours. As a result, we feel strongly that this be our fellow's sole commitment during these months, i.e. no other jobs or classes. Also important to note: we do not offer college credit or assistance in obtaining work visas for international applicants.
The Fall 2014 term starts July 7. Applications must be received by April 1, 2014; decision by May 1.
The Spring 2015 term starts January 5. Applications must be received by Oct 1, 2014; decision by November 1.
The Application:
To apply for the fellowship program, send a cover letter of no more than 500 words explaining why you should be selected to take part in the program and letting us know something about yourself and why you'd like to work in public radio. You should include a resume and the names, phone numbers and email addresses of two references we may contact. We ask that you also answer the questions below. You can be brief with your responses—the point of the exercise is both to get an idea of the kind of thinking and work that go into the fellowship while also allowing us to get to know you a little better.
Application questions:
Briefly describe any previous radio and/or documentary journalism experiences.
What is your familiarity with Macintosh computers, recording equipment and digital editing? Have you worked with Pro Tools? If not, have you worked with other digital editing programs? Have you ever transcribed tape?
Suggest two documentary/reporter pieces for This American Life. Please explain each story as a whole, along with specific characters and scenes. This probably sounds harder than it actually is. We're not looking for award-winning war stories or anything, rather stories that you find genuinely interesting, no matter how small. Details are helpful. Don't forget to include why these stories would work specifically work on This American Life.It may be very useful for you to read our submission guidelines, as they lay out what we're looking for in stories on our show.
Last, tell us your favorite personal story. This can be anything from a something you heard at a party to a story your family loves to tell to something that happened in your life that you find particularly amusing, surprising or emotional. It doesn't have to be a story that would work on This American Life or even on radio; this is about your personal taste. And please tell us why you like this story so much even if the real reason makes no sense to anyone but you. Again, try to be brief; we get hundreds of applications and do read them all.
The application is now paperless! Send answers to the questions above, along with your cover letter and resume, to email@example.com by no later than 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on the day of the deadline. Please attach the entire application as a PDF, and also paste your application in the body of the email, indicating which session you are applying for (Spring or Fall) in the subject line.
PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL OR CALL WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION. We are a small staff and simply don't have the time to respond to individual inquiries. You will be automatically notified by email when we receive your application, and we'll follow-up with finalists in a timely fashion. We will notify all applicants of our decision by the dates listed above. We apologize in advance for the informality of email notification, but, like we said, paperless. Good, right?


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Audi has added to its e-tron series of electric and hybrid concept cars with the unveiling of the A6 L e-tron concept at 2012 Beijing Motor Show. Joining the Frankfurt, Detroit, A1, Spyder and A3 e-tron models, the A6 L e-tron concept is the company's first luxury-class e-tron concept vehicle. Based on the new A6 L, it is a plug-in hybrid that boasts an electric-only driving range of 80 km (49.71 miles).
Audi chose Beijing to unveil the A6 L e-tron concept as the A6 L, which is produced at its Changchun plant in a joint venture with Chinese automaker, First Automobile Works (FAW), is the company's bestselling model in China.
The concept vehicle combines a 2.0 TFSI engine outputting 155 kW (211 hp) and an electric motor generating a peak output of 70 kW (95 hp). It can be driven powered only by the internal combustion engine, only the electric drive, or in hybrid mode, with a hybrid control module choosing the best mode to maximize driving range.
An energy flow indicator on the instrument panel lets the driver know the current operating mode and which hybrid drive components are currently active. The display screen also shows the average fuel economy and amount of energy recovered over five-minute intervals.
Audi has also replaced the tachometer with a powerometer that indicates the total power of the drive system on a scale of zero to 100 percent. An auxiliary instrument displays the current charge state of the liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that is located in a collision-protected space at the rear of the vehicle.
In electric mode, the vehicle boasts a range of 80 km (49.71 miles) at a constant speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). This is a big step up from the 3 km (1.86 mile) electric-only range offered by the electrified drive systems found in the company's current Q5 Quattro, A6 and A8 hybrids.
The concept car has a body that is around 10 percent aluminum and is identical to that of the A6 L business sedan, with a 3.01 m (9.88 ft) wheelbase, 5.02 m (16.47 ft) length, 1.87 m (6.14 ft) width, and 1.46 m (4.79 ft) height. A single-frame grille with slender cross-bars and nearly-covered air intakes that are common to all e-tron models visually differentiate it from the production A6 L.
Audi says the use of aluminum results in a body that is around 15 percent lighter than comparable all-steel designs, and that all future Audi models will be lighter than their predecessors. This will be achieved through the use of combinations of lightweight materials, including carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
As the first luxury e-tron concept, the interior of the vehicle boasts all of the A6 line's luxury-class features, including seat ventilation and massage functions, Bose surround sound system, deluxe air conditioner with air ionizer, and MMI navigation plus navigation system with touchpad character input and the ability to recognize 29,000 Chinese characters.
Driver assistance and safety systems include active lane change assist, parking assist, night vision assistance that highlights detected pedestrians, and a pre sense system designed to reduce the severity of accidents.
Although Audi designed the A6 L e-tron concept specifically around Chinese requirements, there's no word on whether the car will make the leap from concept to production vehicle there or in other markets. However, the company has revealed the e-tron Frankfurt – also known as the R8 e-tron - will get a short production run later this year, while the A3 e-tron will enter full production in 2014. Audi says these will be followed by other "New Energy Vehicles."
Source: Audi


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Each Box contains Three StickWork Authentic Game-Used Stick Cards!
Only 2500 Boxes Produced!
Game-Used Stick:
The Game-Used Stick insert features past, present and future hockey stars. Each player is featured in 19 silver versions and one gold version. Some of the players featured are Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Raymond Bourque, Evgeny Malkin, Trevor Linden, Joe Sakic, Mark Messier and Brian Leetch to name a few.
Vintage Game-Used Stick:
The Vintage Game-Used Stick insert set is so exquisite, I thought I would show you two of them, Doug Harvey and Terry Sawchuk. These cards are part of hockey's history and are limited to nine silver versions and one gold version. Others in this insert set include Frank Brimsek, Jacques Plante, Maurice Richard, Bill Mosienko, Tim Horton and Ted Kennedy to name a few.
Enshrined Game-Used Stick:
The Enshrined Game-Used Stick insert features pieces of sticks from Hall of Famers. A who's who of hockey's greatest stars. Ron Francis, Mats Sundin, Bobby Hull, Cam Neely, Denis Potvin, Doug Gilmour, Marcel Dionne and many, many more will be featured in this insert set.
Goalie Game-Used Stick:
Some of the most colorful players in the game use some of the most colorful
sticks. The Goalie Game-Used Stick insert includes Goalie Game-Used Sticks and Goalie Paddles The Goalie Game-Used Stick and Goalie Game-Used Paddle checklists are impressive including Arturs Irbe, Carey Price, Jimmy Howard, Kari Lehtonen, Mike Richter, Kelly Hrudey, Grant Fuhr, Richard Brodeur, Patrick Roy and John Vanbiesbrouck to name a few.
Stick Tape Insert:
That's right, In The Game is finally brining the tape right from the game-used sticks to collectors. There are four different tape inserts: Tape Job, Tape To Tape, 500 Goal Scorers' Tape and Vintage Stick Tape.
Stick Rack Insert:
Stick Rack Inserts will consist of three different sets. Stick Rack Dual, Stick Rack Triple and Stick Rack Quad.
In The Game brought the Lumbergraphs concept to the hobby and this product takes it to another level.
Stick Handles:
An insert set that is made up of 1/1's from the players' names on their stick shafts or "handles". The list of cards in this insert set is mouth watering, especially for the player collector.


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The US Army bars re-enlistment for whistle-blowing Guantanamo guard David Hicks credits with having saved his life. More shocking revelations from Truthout's Jason Leopold.
The US Army has told a reservist who has spent half his life in the military that he is barred from re-enlisting, asserting he "leaked" classified information to this reporter during an interview in which he spoke candidly about his experiences working as a guard at Guantanamo Bay eight years ago.
"In accordance with your security clearance agreement during 2003-2004, you are not authorized to freely talk to the press about your duties at GITMO or what you might think have occurred there to the press," states an April 2 "developmental counselling form" presented to Pfc. Albert Melise that was signed by Alphonso Holt, a lieutenant colonel in the US Army reserves and the battalion commander of Melise's reserve unit. "I have reported your actions to the security manager and I am initiating a bar to re-enlist."
It's unknown whether Holt's recommendation to bar Melise from re-enlisting was approved by the Department of the Army. Melise said he still has not received a copy of his administrative file despite being honourably discharged on June 27. An Army Reserve spokesman, who declined to confirm or deny whether the re-enlistment bar was accepted, told Truthout to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in order to obtain additional information about Melise's status.
Truthout conducted a series of interviews with Melise beginning last November, after being told by former detainee David Hicks, who had just published a memoir about the five-and-a-half years he spent at the prison facility and gave his first interview to Truthout, that Melise was one of the guards to whom he owed his life.
Melise, 40, a former Massachusetts Housing Authority officer who has been an Army reservist for nearly 19 years and was attached to the 623 Transportation Company in West Palm Beach, Florida, had never spoken publicly before about the ten months he spent at Guantanamo where his first job was to escort detainees held in Camp Delta to interrogation rooms and "chain them down" to the floor.
In describing his duties as a detainee escort, Melise, who had secret security clearance, said he was also ordered to adjust the temperature in the interrogation rooms to low levels, turn the volume on the music up to excruciatingly loud levels and flick on the strobe lights, which were part of the Defense Department's standard operating procedure designed to "break" detainees.
While at Camp Delta, Melise said he was aware that "fake" detainees were planted in cells to try and gather intelligence from the "real detainees." He said he knew some detainees were "fake" because they were "placed in cells for two or three months and then they would "pretend to be going to another camp for interrogations." But, Melise said, "I would see them shopping, dancing or ordering a sandwich or hanging out at McDonald's during that time." Then the "fake" detainees would return to their cells.
Melise said detainees were also bribed with prostitutes as incentive to get them to work as agents for the US government. He said there was a camp at Guantanamo that just housed children, some of who were as "young as 12 and over 8" years old, called Camp Iguana. There was also a camp where CIA interrogators worked out of called Secret Squirrel.
Maj. John Adams, a spokesman for the 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) based in Orlando, Florida, which oversees more than 10,000 reservists throughout the country, told Truthout it appeared that Melise's comments violated the terms of a "Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement" he signed when he left Guantanamo in 2004.
Exactly what information Melise disclosed that the Army Reserves considers classified is unknown and Major Adams would not discuss it. He did, however, provide Truthout with a blank copy of the nondisclosure form (also referred to as SF 312) Guantanamo guards are required to sign.
Eugene R. Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, reviewed the nondisclosure agreement as well as Melise's counselling forms. He said the agreement is designed "to deter people from disclosing classified information to the media or anyone else and to prevent them from benefiting financially if they do so".
But Fidell adds that "uncertainty about just what is classified means that these agreements are likely to have a broader chilling effect, discouraging people from disclosing information that is not classified simply out of an abundance of caution".
"There is inevitably a grey area," Fidell said, and "that's a problem". Without having access to the relevant official "classification guide" and a security expert to interpret and apply it, Fidell warns that a soldier who has signed such an agreement "may be traversing a legal minefield".
The nondisclosure agreement has been cited by more than two dozen former Guantanamo guards and officers with whom Truthout has spoken over the past two years as the primary reason they will not discuss anything publicly about the time they spent working at the prison facility.
Former Guantanamo guard Brandon Neely, who, along with Melise, was also featured in Truthout's story on Hicks, said he is not surprised
"Since I have spoken publicly about my time at Guantanamo I have spoken with roughly 20 to 25 former Guantanamo guards and one psychologist who all have stories about the abuse and mistreatment of detainees," said Neely, one of the first active duty Army soldiers sent to Guantanamo when the facility first opened in January 2002. "But they won't speak publicly because they are in fear of being prosecuted due to the nondisclosure agreement they signed."
"Two days before I left Guantanamo in 2002, I was told I had to sign this form or I would not be able to return home," Neely added. "I was also told I could never speak with the media, write a book, or make a movie or I could face prosecution. I am seriously considering legal action against the United States government. The truth has the right to be told and should not be suppressed because of this document."
Inside the Wire
Melise said he was torn up about the job he was forced to perform at Camp Delta and began to drink heavily – two bottles of Bacardi 151 per night – to deal with his own pain and suffering.
"When you see people broken down so much, you tend to drink a little to cope with what you're seeing," Melise said during the interview. "I couldn't deal with what they were putting me through."
He was eventually transferred to Camp Echo, which is where he met Hicks. To "redeem" himself, Melise gave Hicks and some of the other Camp Echo detainees, extra food. He also sneaked a handheld DVD player into their cells and screened movies for them to make them feel more comfortable. Additionally, Melise told Hicks he would mail a letter Hicks had written to his father that revealed details of the Australian's abusive treatment and the pressure he was under to plead guilty to crimes he said he did not commit. Melise took the letter with him when he left Guantanamo but he never mailed it, fearing he "would have been arrested" if he had.
Major Adams told Truthout that giving detainees "extra food" was considered a violation of the 2003 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). To do so, Major Adams said, would be considered a violation of Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) — failure to obey order or regulation.
"If a service member admits to doing something against UCMJ and even admits to that later on actions can be taken against that service member," Major Adams said. "Based on [Melise's] quotes [in the Truthout report on Hicks] that is grounds for discharge."
Truthout reminded Major Adams that Melise's developmental counselling form specifically stated that Lieutenant Colonel Holt initiated a bar to re-enlist for Melise due to the fact that he "leaked classified information" and violated his security clearance, not for any alleged UCMJ violation.
Upon reviewing Melise's counselling form, which Major Adams requested Truthout send him a copy of, he said, "as far as I can tell, the only accusation was that the Soldier gave an unauthorized press interview where he leaked classified information. He in fact 'Agreed' to that characterization of his actions in the counselling form. The Soldier waived his right to make a rebuttal to the [re-enlistment] Bar (it's in the form) on April 2, 2011."
But Melise said he was "under duress" when he signed the form and after consulting with his attorneys he had filed a rebuttal and submitted a statement via email opposing the charges within the seven-day deadline. Major Adams did not respond to additional questions about whether Army Reserve officials reviewed Melise's statement.
Haunted By The Past
Melise was previously a sergeant in the reserves for two-and-a-half-years. But in January 2009, he showed up "to one drill with all my gear and just handed it in and left and never came back," meaning he was AWOL.
He said he did not return to his unit because he was battling what sounds like post-traumatic stress disorder and was overwhelmed by a laundry list of personal problems, fuelled by his father's deteriorating health (he died last year). Melise said he had recurring nightmares about the ten months he spent at Guantanamo and the incidents he witnessed and participated in there. Again, he turned to alcohol to numb out. Melise broke down and sobbed as he recounted that point of his life during an interview this week.
In December 2010, Melise was asked by a recruiter to return to the Army reserves. He accepted, however, he was penalized for leaving his unit in 2009 and busted down to a Pfc.
Although Truthout originally offered Melise anonymity, he said it was important to him to have his name attached to his comments. He hoped that doing so would encourage other military personnel to step forward and speak up about their own experiences.
Melise said during the course of his interviews with Truthout last November that, after eight years of recurring nightmares that continue to this day, he felt relieved about "getting this stuff off my chest."
Moreover, he said he did not believe he was doing anything wrong by speaking out about his tenure at Guantanamo and took issue with Lieutenant Colonel Holt's claim that all or part of his comments were considered classified.
But the Army Reserves disagreed.
Internal Investigation
Two months after the story on Hicks was published, Melise reported to his reserve unit for duty in Florida and was told by Sgt Eric Wright, who is in charge of operations for the 623 Transportation Company, that he was being "flagged" for counselling.
The issue was serious enough that it resulted in Lieutenant Colonel Holt, who is based in another state, making a personal trip to Florida to discuss the charges against Melise. Melise told Truthout that Lieutenant Colonel Holt spoke to him for about 20 minutes, informing him that he was being barred from re-enlisting in the Army reserves and would not be eligible for any promotions while he continued to serve with his reserve unit because he "spoke to the press" about his service at Guantanamo.
At the time, Melise had two months left as a reservist and intended to re-enlist for at least another year, which would have made him eligible for a full pension.
Lieutenant Colonel Holt then handed Melise a copy of the five-page counselling form and urged him to sign it.
"On 16 Feb 2011, you conducted a SKYPE interview with a news source and leaked classified information," the form signed by Lieutenant Colonel Holt charged, without identifying the substance of the classified information. "During the interview, you claimed detainees were tortured even though you never witnesses [sic] torture. Your hearsay has negatively impacted the United States Army and violated the conditions of your security clearance."
Truthout's interview with Melise, however, took place in November 2010, a month before he re-enlisted with the Army Reserves. February 16 was the date Truthout's report on Hicks was published.
The counselling form went on to state that if Melise continued to speak with the media he could face a dishonourable discharge and lose all of the benefits he had earned during his nearly two decades of service, including the GI Bill funding he depends upon to pay for nursing school.
Melise was advised, according to the counselling form, that he should
"not give any more interviews to the press about your duties at GITMO or what you might think have occurred there."
Attached to the counselling form was a "Bar to Reenlistment Certificate," recommending
"the soldier named below be barred from reenlistment for continuing service as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve in any status or category".
Major Adams said he confirmed with a Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) that an investigation into Melise was conducted following the publication of Truthout's report on Hicks. Major Adams would not disclose what the findings of that investigation were or whether any aspect of that probe included a determination that his comments were deemed classified.
Melise said details of the investigation were never shared with him.
Shocked at the assertions levelled against him and frightened that he would be prosecuted, Melise said he signed the bar to re-enlist without reviewing it, which meant he essentially agreed with the charges against him and declined to submit a statement in his own defence.
"I was tired," Melise said. "By the time they called me in I had just worked 16 hours straight between my civilian job as a security guard and the 8 hours I spent with my unit. I didn't read that I was barred from re-enlistment until the very next day. Once I did read that I was furious, I was mad. I honestly didn't realize what the hell I did."
He sought out legal advice and with the help of an attorney, drafted a response that he sent to Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs), Sgt Wright and other military officers in his reserve unit, stating he was "ill advised to check the box which waived my right to make a statement within 7 days" and that he now wished "to make a statement".
His letter cited "significant defects in the forms that I was given which should lead to the denial of the recommendation to bar my re-enlistment".
A former Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer with more than a decade of military justice experience reviewed Melise's "developmental counselling form" and said it appears Melise was under pressure to "settle" his case by signing the bar to re-enlist form.
"The counselling form informs [Melise] he could get dishonourably discharged," said the former JAG officer, who has represented hundreds of service members on these types of cases and was also tasked with disciplining military personnel. "The only way to get this type of punitive discharge, the worst the military has to 'award,' is via a court-martial. The worst administrative (non-court-martial) discharge he could receive is an Other Than Honourable.
"By informing [Melise] that they were notifying the security manager, that indicates they were threatening an investigation into matters involving classified information," the former JAG officer said. "It sounds like they were pressuring him to 'settle' this matter by signing the counselling forms and not rebutting the bar to re-enlistment, with a guaranteed honourable discharge, and if he didn't then they'd initiate a full-fledged investigation and prosecution."
The former JAG officer added that the Army Reserve's own records indicate Melise has a "clean disciplinary record", "so why deny this almost 19-year veteran re-enlistment?"
"Clearly the disclosures [to Truthout] irked" Army Reserve officials.
None of the reserve officials Melise contacted after he submitted his statement responded to his emails or numerous phone calls between April and June, in which he sought help in hopes of remedying his situation, he said.
Under Pressure
On June 6, Melise said he received a phone call from a sergeant who told Melise he needed to immediately report to his unit to sign documents and he needed to do it that day because it was the last shot at receiving an honourable discharge. Melise said the paperwork he was given was already filled out and included false statements indicating that he personally requested to be discharged from the Army Reserves and that it was due to "personal reasons".
"I didn't write that," Melise said. "I didn't write anything they said came from me in those papers. I told them I did not want to leave the reserves. I wanted to stay in and was ready to do anything to do so."
Melise said he was told by the sergeant and another officer that he was "barred" and would not be eligible to re-enlist.
"They told me, 'this meeting was to let you know you only have this time to get an 'honourable discharge' and if I didn't sign the papers I would face further trouble," he said.
Still, Melise signed the discharge papers.
"I felt like I had no choice," he said. "I did not want to go through whatever it was they had planned for me if I decided to continue fighting."
The documents included another "developmental counselling form" that stated,
"soldier is flagged due to security violation; resulting in soldier being [sic] disqualified for reenlistment".
"No action is deemed necessary as soldier is requesting to be released from the US Army Reserves."
Melise declined to check the box indicating he was in agreement with the security violation charge and instead wrote, "there was no security violation on my behalf. I would like some type of trial to prove my innocence."
Army Reserve officials never responded to Melise's request, Maj. Adams said, because Melise signed the discharge papers that stated he did not wish to re-enlist and requested to be discharged.
"The soldier has no need to clear his name of anything," Maj. Adams said, declining to respond to allegations by Melise that statements attributed to him in the separation agreement were written by reserve officers. "Our records regarding the soldier are confidential. Again, he was discharged with an Honourable Discharge" on June 27.
The former JAG officer, however, said the papers Melise signed shows the Army Reserves "initiated Administrative Separation on June 7th, but it doesn't indicate why".
"It appears they were going to 'ad sep' him for whatever reason and he decided to submit his voluntary separation papers to avoid the risk of getting a less than honourable discharge via the administrative separation process they had initiated," the former JAG officer said.
Melise sank into a deep depression. He isolated himself in his apartment, shut out his friends, family and the attorney who was advising him and he began to drink heavily again. In July, he was hospitalized for acute pancreatitis.
In a follow-up telephone interview two days prior to the publication of this story, Major Adams, the Army Reserve spokesman, dramatically shifted his position about the circumstances behind any re-enlistment bar Melise may have. Major Adams, who spoke to Truthout in the presence of an SJA, said if Melise is barred from re-enlistment it is likely due to Melise's weight, stating that Melise was 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds.
"I'm speculating," Major Adams said about the possible reason Melise is barred from re-enlisting. "But it's those dimensions that are probably the factor."
Melise's military identification card and Florida driver's license state, however, that he is 5 feet, 6 inches tall — not 5 feet, 2 inches. Moreover, Melise said he lost 30 pounds during the month of May in preparation for an Army physical fitness test.
Major Adams failed to respond to questions about the contradictions with his statement about Melise's weight possibly playing a role in his bar to re-enlist and Melise's June 6 separation agreement that said he was being "flagged for security violations" and was "disqualified" from re-enlistment.
The former JAG officer said, based on what he read in Melise's "developmental counselling form", "it certainly looks like they barred [Melise] from re-enlisting solely because of the 'leak.'"
Despite all of the turmoil, Melise said his decision to speak publicly was cathartic and he doesn't have any regrets.
"I told the truth and I was punished for it," Melise said. "I gave half my life to a service that is now turning its back on me. I don't feel I did anything wrong and I stand by that."
(This story was originally published in Truthout on Thursday 25 August 2011 and has been republished with permission.)


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Greetings and Happy Labor Day everyone. It's September y'all – wow, so hard to believe. And the last four months always seem to go the fastest right? I'm headed home to California tomorrow but wanted to pop in and share the not to miss posts from July and August, including a few DIY projects and the highlights from our ongoing home renovation.
The Nevada home makeover began by removing the popcorn ceilings; two great topics took place in the comments, first 2) counter vs. bar height in kitchens and then 3) disappearing microwaves. A few DIY projects 4) quotes with watercolor paints, 5) decorative box charging stations and 6) a new wall gallery and daybed in my daughter's room.
7) We finally finished the porcelain wood plank tile floors, 8) thoughts about installing an outdoor shower, 9) the new teal blue sectional and 10) favorite contemporary fireplaces.
Enjoy the rest of the long weekend!


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Doha, and a perfect storm of tipping points
The U.S. government submission to the FFD process makes some interesting points, but pretty much ignores the issue of international taxation. The NGOs' talking points, by contrast, contain recommendations such as "Reform tax policy to close tax havens, revise tax treaties and use revenue-raising tariffs more productively" - a very, very different approach. The U.S. will be fielding a formidable team at Doha which we believe may (though we would be delighted to be wrong on this) push hard against the tax justice agenda. Some NGO partners have indicated they are pessimistic about the possibility of pushing for change on international taxation - simply because to some it seems impossible to counter the truly staggering size and power of the vested interests that oppose TJN.
There is no need at all to be daunted. First, the power of ideas should never be underestimated - and the vested interests that oppose us have never been able to mount a solid, coherent intellectual defence against TJN's agenda. Second, we see the process of preparing for the Doha conference as being at least as important as the outcomes - it is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness in a number of new constituencies, whether or not vested interests succeed in derailing beneficial outcomes on tax. Third, and perhaps more importantly, dramatic changes are now well underway in the world which will put an almighty wind in the sails of the tax justice agenda. Several crucial "tipping points" have recently been, or are being, reached - and the world will never be the same.
We recently wrote about the appearance of one tipping point, referring to the Liechtenstein scandal and how it appears to have led to a change of mood and what TJN's Richard Murphy describes in a blog
I think that we have passed a tipping point; the occasion when the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.
A new story in the New York Times illustrates how worried Switzerland is, or should be, containing this quote from a Swiss banker:
"It is obvious," said Mr. Borer, now a lobbyist, "the government and the banks, really, are heavily underestimating the impact of this scandal." "There may be an avalanche coming, and we are not ready," he added
One seasoned observer went as far as to suggest, only partly in jest, that we should no longer define time using "B.C." and "A.D" but as "B.L." (before Liechtenstein) and "A.L." Well, we will have to see a lot more deep reform before we can go that far.
But other tipping points are now crowding in. The FT's chief economics commentator Martin Wolf identifies what is likely to be an even bigger and more important one:
Remember Friday March 14 2008: it was the day the dream of global free- market capitalism died. For three decades we have moved towards market-driven financial systems. By its decision to rescue Bear Stearns, the Federal Reserve, the institution responsible for monetary policy in the US, chief protagonist of free-market capitalism, declared this era over. It showed in deeds its agreement with the remark by Josef Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, that "I no longer believe in the market's self-healing power". Deregulation has reached its limits.
He is not alone: the lead article in the latest edition of The Economist had a similar tone:
Something important happened on Wall Street this week. It was not just the demise of a firm that traded through the Depression. Financiers discovered that they had created a series of risks that the market could not cope with.
As we have argued recently, regulation is intrinsically tied up with the tax justice agenda. What is more, the current credit crisis marks the end of a long-term transformation in the global political climate which was first driven forwards by powerful ideologues such as former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This long historical tide is now receding fast, and the tax justice agenda will undoubtedly benefit.
Yet other powerful transformations are underway. At long last, development institutions are beginning to wake up to what has curiously been ignored for far too long in the debates about aid and development: the role that taxation plays in fostering political accountability and more effective government. We have already explored this in detail on the TJN website, and we recently recommended a new book about these crucial issues. Last month, the OECD published a short briefing paper very much along the same lines. To quote a few excerpts:
Taxation systems can contribute significantly to shaping accountability relationships and strengthening state capacities. This remains true and becomes more of a concern when countries receive large volumes of external assistance.
The negative proposition—that governments which do not need to tax their citizens have little incentive to be accountable, responsive or efficient—is equally well supported.
(Aid) has some of the same effects on the incentives of governments, freeing them from the imperative of raising taxes from a wide range of economic agents and from the scrutiny of tax-paying ordinary citizens and thus from an important kind of pressure to improve general economic and social conditions. Donors' preoccupations with pro-poor expenditure may also take attention away from the longer term challenge of domestic resource mobilisation.
A recent speech by South Africa's finance minister Trevor Manuel clearly illustrates how developing countries are now waking up to the all-important role for taxation in the development process. Meanwhile, behind the scenes for now, NGOs have been contacting TJN in increasing numbers to get involved with these campaigns. In a fascinating article in the forthcoming edition of TJF, we will be looking at some of the reasons why so many NGOs have taken so long to engage in the tax justice agenda, and why they are starting to engage now. About ten years ago NGOs "woke up" to debt campaigning, and we hope and believe that a similar tipping point is now being reached on taxation.


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In a small bowl, beat and cream butter until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture; beat on high speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
In another large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture.
Pour into crust. Chill for at least 6 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and crushed reserve graham crackers and or chocolate shavings or chunks.


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If you ask Britney Spears, it's not about the money but apparently the principle of the matter.
E! News has learned that the pop superstar's family has run up a nearly $1 million tab to pay for the eight-person legal team defending her in her defamation trial.
That amount, ironically, is what her former manager, Sam Lutfi, is seeking after suing Spears and her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, in February 2009 for breach of contract, libel, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, especially after what he said were "false statements" about him in Lynne's book Through the Storm.
The Los Angeles lawyers defending the "Oops" singer include Leon Gladstone, Stephen Rohde, Joel Boxer and Bonita Moore, whose going rate is typically $500 an hour, but when they're in court, about $700 an hour. Additionally, Spears has her conservatorship attorneys in tow, Geraldine Wyle and Andrew Wallet.
There's also a lawyer on hand specializing in appeals in case Britney's camp needs to file one, should Lutfi's attorney attempt to revisit the issue of getting Spears to testify (a probate judge has forbidden this as she is still under a conservatorship).
Doing the math, having eight lawyers defend her will cost the hitmaker around $50,000 a day, or close to a whopping $1 million for what's expected to be a 20-day trial. That's not including all the pretrial hours such representation has no doubt already racked up.
And of course, let's not forget Spears spent roughly $1 million in legal bills in 2010 stemming from her conservatorship and other legal snafus, such as the sexual harassment suit she settled with her ex-bodyguard.
For his part, Lutfi was asking 15 percent of the $800,000 Spears earned each month for the eight months he served as her manager, which ends up being about $960,000.
So the bottom line is the Britster is paying either way. However, if Lutfi loses, she could bring a frivolous lawsuit against him asking a judge to reimburse her for her legal fees.
We'll know soon enough.
—Additional reporting by Melanie Bromley


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Dir: Barry Levinson. US. 2012. 85mins
Veteran filmmaker Barry Levinson takes a distinct change of cinematic direction with The Bay, a smartly made found-footage style creature feature that eschews big-star casting and instead goes of natural performances and slow-burn chills. The Bay is an environmental catastrophe movie that feels all too real, and given the right word-of-mouth is the sort of film that could creep up on audiences and give them a shock.
Levinson succeeds with his mission to both entertain and inform.
The found-footage horror movie is, of course, very much en vogue these days, but Levinson wisely resists layering on the blood, gore and mayhem, and instead he allows his small-town tale of something nasty mutating in the waters to build with admirable tension. Likely to feature at genre festivals – the film screened in Midnight Madness in Toronto – The Bay could also work as a multiplex movie if campaign and images are handled right.
Levinson – whose hefty filmography includes Rain Man, Diner and Good Morning Vietnam – astutely uses multiple supposed media sources in telling his chilling tale, including video diaries, Skype, webcams, closed-circuit cameras, television channels and of course the ever-reliable hand-held video camera, with the different tones and textures of the material enhancing the eco-apocalyptic mock-doc style.
Against the rather morbid backdrop of millions of dead fish being washed ashore and blackbirds falling from the sky, on July 4, 2009, the quaint seaside town of Claridge, Maryland, celebrates Independence Day with its usual events, such as street fairs, a crab-eating contest, fun'and'games and bathers frolicking on the waterfront.
But a deadly catastrophe struck the town, claiming more than 700 lives, and it is only now, three years later, that journalist Donna (Kether Donohue) – who as a young naïve intern was there when it all happened – has pieced together footage revealing the cover-up and the deadly killer… a mysterious parasitic outbreak.
The story of what happened unfolds over a 24-hour period, with Levinson teasing together supposed footage from mobiles, 911 calls, web cams etc., as well as adding in material from a video report – suppressed by the authorities – by two scientists (played by Nansi Aluka and Christopher Denham) who investigated flesh-eating bacteria in the bay and who – sadly for them – run into tongue-eating isopods that have been mutated due to pollution in the water, mainly from toxic waste from a nearby chicken factory.
The footage follows efforts by police to take control of the situation; of the local mayor trying to play things down; of an overwhelmed doctor at the hospital as he attempts to find out what is happening by skyping with the Centre for Disease Control, and video and messages from ordinary people caught up in the nightmare.
Closer to Contagion that pure horror films such as Slither, initially the film feels rather low-key, but there is a moment of terror in the middle of the film (when a group of fishermen have a close encounter with an isopod) that puts audiences on edge, and sets up the slow-burn horror of what is happening.
Levinson succeeds with his mission to both entertain and inform. The eco-horror story has it origins in fact (tongue-eating isopods, which enter a fish through its gills and eats away until it replaces the fishes tongue with its own body, do exist) and dead fish have been showing up in their thousands in Chesapeake Bay. He also shows great dexterity in wrangling 21 digital platforms and a relatively unknown cast to craft a film that is rich in tension and is a cautionary tale that is both thrilling and provocative.
Production companies: Baltimore Pictures, Haunted Movie, Alliance Films, IM Global, Hydraulux Entertainment, Automatik
International sales: IM Global, www.imglobalfilm.com
Producers: Barry Levinson, Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, Oren Peli
Executive producers: Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Jason Sosnoff, Colin Strause, Greg Strause
Screenplay: Michael Wallach, story by Barry Levinson and Michael Wallach
Cinematography: Josh Nussbaum
Editor: Aaron Yates
Production designer: Lee Bonner
Music: Marcelo Zarvos
Main cast: Will Rogers, Kristen Connolly, Kether Donohue, Frank Deal, Stephen Kunken, Christopher Danham, Nansi Aluka


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Each Box contains Six Autograph or Patch Cards - at least Four Autographs!
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6 Autograph or Patch Cards Per Box


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