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Frequent flyers entering John Wayne Airport's Terminal C have the routine down: Park in the adjacent structure. Check in at a free-standing kiosk. Walk directly to security screening. Go to the gate and board the flight. On a good day, it can take 20 minutes or less.
The process may not sound extraordinary except that a year ago John Wayne passengers couldn't do any of those things – or at least not as seamlessly.
Terminal C opened on Nov. 14, 2011 as part of a $543 million expansion project of Southern California's third largest airport. Supporters hailed the expansion as a forward-looking plan in anticipation of passenger growth, while detractors saw an ill-conceived facility whose half-billion dollar cost outweighed its usefulness.
A year later, the airport has scored several successes, including the long-awaited addition of Mexico flights and new customs service. Passenger growth, however, has been modest, up 1.7 percent through September, behind an upswing in passengers at LAX, San Diego International and Long Beach Airport. Orange County's passenger traffic remains well below the airport's 2007 high of just under 10 million travelers.
Airport Director Alan Murphy said he is pleased with the progress so far and that opportunities abound to add flights to more destinations – with Hawaii at the top of the list.
"June, July and August each had 4 percent to 5 percent growth," Murphy said. "September was up 1 percent, but it's always a little off the summer months, and October was very strong, which is a good sign heading into the holidays."
Lucy Dunn, chief executive of the Orange County Business Council, said she loves John Wayne but recognizes that the local airport so close to residential neighborhoods has its limitations.
"You have natural constraints at John Wayne like the runway length," said Dunn, who also sits on a new regional commission that wants to expand nearby Ontario Airport. "It's not likely to ever get flights to Paris or Dubai."
The expanded John Wayne fills an important niche in Southern California, said Michael Boyd, chairman of the Colorado aviation consulting firm Boyd International Group.
"It's a compatible airport that plays an important role in the L.A. basin," Boyd said. "And 78 percent of the seats are full out of John Wayne so it's going to continue to be an economic asset for the county."
After Terminal C opened last November, it took the better part of a year for the new operation to be fully completed. The terminal's baggage system initially failed to get Transportation Security Administration certification, so passengers with luggage to check were diverted to Terminal B for about a week after opening. The opening of some new restaurants and concessions was delayed for several months. Customs services did start until early summer.
The airport got a boost in June when AirTran, a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines, launched the airport's first service to Mexico with one daily flight each to Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas. Last month, Interjet, a Mexican airline, initiated once-a-day service to Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Murphy said Mexico travel demand has been strong, accounting for about one-third of the airport's passenger growth and already making up for the $900,000 in rent breaks the county gave the two airlines to initiate service.
The Mexico flights primarily serve Latino travelers coming to John Wayne from Mexico, but Murphy predicts that as word gets out, there will be increased demand by other travelers flying from Orange County. He thinks the airlines likely will be adding other Mexican destinations next year.
John Wayne's management has a financial incentive to increase travel to Mexico. The airport currently covers the cost of customs processing. If the airport can get at least 15,000 Mexico travelers, it can seek designation as a U.S. port of entry and the federal government will pick up the customs tab. Murphy said the airport already has exceeded the 15,000 threshold and he plans to request a port of entry designation next year.
Travelers and passenger surveys give the airport high marks.
"I love it," said Magid Javer, a business traveler from Ladera Ranch. "This airport is never crowded, it's so much easier." His one complaint: not enough destinations.
Airport critics say John Wayne officials have been slow to promote demand at the airport out of deference to the surrounding community. A coalition of neighboring residents in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa fought airport expansion for years before reaching a settlement that established noise restrictions and capped current capacity at 10.8 million passengers.
"I wouldn't have spent a half-billion-dollars on a facility expansion if I wasn't taking efforts to fill it," said Dana Point activist Len Krasner, who began as an opponent of the proposed El Toro Airport and has pushed for expansion of John Wayne. "They've added more seats in the terminal, but not more planes."
For years, John Wayne had a waiting list of airlines seeking to provide service in Orange County but that changed as the airline industry consolidated and cut capacity. Now the airport is actively seeking out airlines and new destinations.
"Before we just looked at the waiting list to see who want to go where," Murphy said. "Now we're moving into air service development and we're getting the hang of it."
In particular, he said the airport continues to seek service to Hawaii. The last direct Hawaii flights ended in March 2008 when Aloha Airlines filed for bankruptcy and abruptly terminated service. Continental had a connector flight to Hawaii, but ended it earlier this year after its merger with United Airlines.
Murphy said the airport also is looking at more East Coast destinations, including JFK, Philadelphia and all three airports in the Washington, D.C. area.
Contact the writer: 714-796-3646 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Friday, October 30, 2020
Israeli forces shut down ten Palestinian media offices on incitement allegations
Rhiannon F.
- October 20, 2017
Main News
Freedom of Speech
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Israeli forces have raided and shut down three media companies and their branches across Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, and Bethlehem.
At 2am on October 18, Israeli army soldiers simultaneously stormed a total of 10 offices of Pal Media, Trans Media and Ramsat.
The Director of Trans Media in Hebron Amer Al-Ja'bari, and the managing director of the same company, Ibrahim Al-Ja'bari were both arrested.
After ransacking the offices, the forces confiscated all of the organisations' equipment and closed off the entrances to the buildings with metal sheeting.
The equipment seized by the army is used for television work, including cameras, editing, lighting and audio equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Military orders were hung on the metal panels declaring the media outlets had been shut for six months on allegations of inciting terrorism.
Trans Media financial manager, Ibrahim Bishara Alhusari told Palestine Monitor this had been the third time the organisation had been raided.
"We continued working last time because there is no reason for them to close Transmedia," Alhusari said in a phone interview.
"We don't have any equipment to work now. We give services for satellite TV, so this is a big issue."
Trans Media provide services for Palestine Today, TRT Turkish Arabic and English, AlGhad Al Arabi, the Arab channel, Orient, as well as European channels such as the BBC.
Pal Media also provides content to several channels including Alquds, Russia Today, Al-Mayadeen, Almanar and stations in Syria.
In total, 94 journalists and employees are working across the organisations shut down on Wednesday.
Trans Media alone has 40 employees in the company. "This means 40 families relying on these salaries for their homes," Alhusari continued.
"We don't have any money if we don't work. My main problem is it's going to affect my family, very badly," Alhusari said sadly, contemplating the six-month closure of Trans Media.
Talking only one day after the raid, Alhusari has no bearing on what the plan will be from now.
For those who are arrested, the organisations along with lawyers and the Red Cross are trying to find their locations.
"We don't have any news from him, to know why he is in jail. We can't see any legal reasons to arrest him," Alhusari talks of Trans Media director Amer Al-Ja'bari.
The Palestine Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) see the raids and closure of media organisations as "drastic violations ... of media freedoms in Palestine," as stated in a press release.
They believe Israel have executed a new "harsh blow" in an "attempt to exile and silence the Palestinian media through shutting it down, incurring it huge loses and prosecute it under the allegation and pretext of incitement."
MADA are calling on all international media and human rights organisations to hold the Israeli authorities accountable and pressure them to reopen the media outlets in Palestine and repair all losses.
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The list of actresses reportedly in the running to star in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie has grown, with a new front-runner for leading lady, industry site TheWrap reported this week.
Her name: Dakota Johnson. Don't recognize her? She's the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, and had a small, scene-stealing role with Justin Timberlake in "The Social Network."
The 23-year-old former model is supposedly a "serious contender" and "a favorite" for the coveted role of innocent-til-coaxed Anastasia Steele, the site said.
It also named a new contender to play sadomaso billionaire Christian Grey. (You'll have to picture the actor without his usual TV costume of biker leather).
See the slideshow below for more details, and for who else has been linked as contenders for the set-in-Seattle, kinkfest movie.


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Vatican City, Nov 10, 2013 / 02:40 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis' Sunday Angelus message emphasized the unique concern God has for every human person.
"The name of God is linked to the names of men and women with whom he unites himself, and this bond is stronger than death," the Pope told crowds in St. Peter's Square on Nov. 10.
"And so we can say that (about) the relationship of God with us, with every one us. He is the God of each of us, as he carries within himself our name."
The Pope reflected on the Gospel story in which Jesus encounters the Pharisees who try to trick him into disproving the resurrection of the dead. They ask him about a woman who was married seven times as one after another of her husbands died. "In heaven, whose wife will she be?" the Sadducees demand.
"Jesus, always gentle and patient, at first responds that the life after death does not have the same parameters of this earth," recounted the Pontiff.
"Eternal life is another life in another dimension where, among other things, there will no longer be marriage that is related to our existence in this world."
"But then Jesus, so to speak, turns to the counter-attack," continued the Pope. "And he cites Sacred Scripture to them, with a simplicity and an originality that leaves us full of admiration for our Teacher, the only Teacher!"
It is in the episode of Moses and the burning bush that Jesus finds proof of the resurrection. There "God reveals himself as the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob."
By naming the people with whom he has made a covenant, God shows that he is not "the God of the dead, but of the living, because everyone lives for him."
"And this decisive bond, the fundamental covenant is that with Jesus: He himself is the Covenant, He himself is the Life and the Resurrection, because with his cross he has overcome death," underscored Pope Francis.
The Pontiff went on to explain that the bond between Jesus and the individual Christian is different than earthly bonds like marriage because it is eternal, as God himself is eternal.
"In fact, if God is faithful and loving, there can't be a temporal limit. Faithfulness is eternal: it can't change. The love of God is eternal: it can't change. He isn't limited by time, he is forever…He is faithful forever, according to his time, which is eternity," insisted the Holy Father.
"The life that God prepares for us isn't simply an embellishment of this present one: it is beyond our imagination because God continually surprises us with his love and with his mercy."
"Therefore, what will happen is exactly the opposite of what the Sadducees expected. It is not that this life acts as a reference to eternity, but it is eternity that enlightens and gives hope to the earthly lives of each of us!" he exclaimed.
"But already on this earth, in prayer, in the Sacraments, in brotherhood, we meet Jesus and his love and in this we can have a foretaste of risen life."
The crowds clapped as Pope Francis enthused, "The fullness of life! We are on the way and in pilgrimage towards that fullness of life, and that full life is that which illuminates our way!"
After leading crowds in the Angelus prayer, the Pontiff greeted various pilgrim groups who had come to Rome, as well as taking a moment of prayer for victims of the typhoon that hit the Philippines on Friday.
The Pope also recalled the "Night of broken glass," on Nov. 9-10, 1938, in which Jews were persecuted.
"We renew our closeness and solidarity to the Jewish people and we pray to God that the memory of the past help us to be ever vigilant against all forms of hatred and intolerance," he said.
The Pope concluded the audience by wishing everyone a good Sunday and a "good lunch."


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Jeff Zucker's Quest for the Fountain of Youth
CNN boss scrambles to scare up a younger audience
While CNN worldwide president Jeff Zucker is looking to draw a younger, more cosmopolitan audience, he acknowledges that reaching people who fit that description is a challenge in a cord-cutting universe.
"We don't have to have everybody in the world watching CNN, but we have to be essential to enough people," Zucker said, in a Q&A with All Things Digital's Walt Mossberg. "If we're essential enough to them, they'll pay for that service."
Trouble is, it's getting increasingly more difficult to get the 18-24 set to plug into linear TV. And as robust as CNN's digital portfolio is, the real money remains tied up in the boob tube. "The television platform… [is] where the highest advertising rates are and the highest CPMs," Zucker said.
Since becoming president in January, Zucker has made a series of changes designed to win the hearts and minds of a younger audience that is increasingly disinterested in, and even disdainful of, cable news.
In doing so, the network seems to be eliminating the vestiges of shoe-leather journalism, shuttering foreign bureaus and embracing more entertainment-leaning programming.
The most recent casualty of CNN's shifting focus is its Baghdad bureau, which was quietly shuttered in May. CNN was the last U.S. TV news organization to have a bureau in Iraq.
"While CNN is departing its current brick-and-mortar location in Baghdad, the network continues to maintain an editorial presence in Iraq through a dedicated team of CNN stringers and correspondent assignments as news warrants," a CNN spokesperson said.
Perhaps CNN will use the resources formerly dedicated to staffing its Baghdad bureau to fund its new BuzzFeed YouTube channel.
In addition to cutting his losses, Zucker has attempted to revive the low-rated network by focusing on younger, telegenic anchors like Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan, the faces of the upcoming morning show New Day With Chris & Kate (June 17).
Word around the campfire is that CNN is gradually cutting 65-year-old Wolf Blitzer's airtime. CNN staffers claim that The Situation Room host will lose his top position at the network and be replaced by new hires like Cuomo and Jake Tapper.
"Wolf is going to be gradually phased out and replaced with a younger, hipper host," an anonymous source told the New York Daily News.
Since Zucker fired James Carville, Mary Matalin and Roland Martin, rumors abound that Zucker has it in for older anchors. Martin also claimed that Zucker and the network's "largely white male" execs are uncomfortable with promoting minorities, pointing out that CNN has not had a prominent African-American anchor for years. (Don Lemon might beg to differ.) Zucker even bumped longtime anchor Soledad O'Brien from her morning perch; her future interactions with CNN will be limited to the documentaries she develops for the network via her indie production company, Starfish Media Group.
CNN closed out May up 68 percent in prime-time ratings, averaging 650,000 viewers per night. While it topped MSNBC (down 20 percent year-over-year to 528,000 viewers), CNN's deliveries are a fraction of those enjoyed by Fox News Channel (1.92 million viewers, up 16 percent).
That said, CNN made some headway on FNC in the news demo, averaging 221,000 adults 25-54 (nearly double its year-ago 113,000) to its rival's 301,000 (down 6 percent).


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Garage Door Repair Newbury Park CA 91319
A broken or a stuck garage door can be the result of years of wear on its mechanisms or an abrupt break of its opener hardware. Whatever the reason, a malfunctioning garage door can affect your schedule as well as your garage security. Whenever such awkward circumstances arise, Same Day Garage Doors responds quickly. At Same Day Garage Doors, we understand how devastating a malfunctioning door can be, which is why we will respond to your call instantly to offer exceptional services. With years in business, we stand at the top of the industry thanks to our expertise, experience and state-of-the-art equipment.
Garage door repair
An average garage door is raised and lowered more than a thousand times a year and goes several years without many repairs. But you need to realize that garage doors do not last forever, the unthinkable happen, components are worn, and springs can break. When that happens, you need professionals that can quickly evaluate the damage and repair it. At Same Day Garage Doors, we will repair your garage door fast and professionally. We believe that customer is the key to any successful company, which is why we strive to meet their needs. This has made Same Day Garage Doors the most trusted garage door repair Newbury Park CA has to offer.
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We know that a garage door is one of the most outstanding features in any house, which is why we are committed to providing quality work and products. We believe delivering quality products and services is crucial to sustaining the reputation of our business. Our services consist of the installation of new springs, cables, locks, rollers, handles and hinges. As part of every installation, we check all the parts, make changes to fit the garage door and service all components. In addition, we check to ensure all elements are in good working order after the installation. If you are considering replacing your garage door, look no further.
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With dozens of independently moving components, the garage door is the most complex piece of equipment in your home. In order to prevent unexpected malfunctions, it is advised to perform tune-up to ensure reliable, safety and smooth operation. Every step of the tune-up takes less than 10 minutes and is worth it to keep the garage door in a good working condition. A routine tune-up by Same Day Garage Doors will prevent unforeseen break-downs and extend the lifespan of your door for many years to come. For years, homeowners around Newbury Park have called on us for fast assistance with garage door maintenance. We boast the skills, experience and resources to tune-up any type of garage door.
Garage Door Openers
Most malfunctioning garage door openers can be repaired. Repairing your existing garage door opener may be a cost-effective option than replacing the entire unit. This is why we often recommend repairing the unit over replacement. For garage door openers that are reliable, durable and safe, make Same Day Garage Doors your first call. Standard services include assessment, adjustment repair and lubrication if needed. We also check the installation of the unit and its attachment to the door to identify and prevent future break downs. Like other technologies today, garage door openers are changing fast. Count on us to expertly inform you about the latest garage door openers trends on the market.
Does your garage door need replacement, repair or maintenance? Don't worry, we can help. Give us a call today to learn more about our services. We will be more than glad to answer any further questions that you may have.
FULL SERVICE AREA: https://samedaygaragedoors.com/cities-serviced/


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10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics
What's happening in the world of social media? That's not a simple question to answer, as this space is quickly becoming one of the busiest, most interesting aspects of our digital lives.
However, if we had to choose the best way to present the wealth of recent information on social media — how companies are using it to improve their business, how individuals are interacting with its many facets and how it's affecting our lives — the simplest way would probably be to showcase the best social media infographics from the last few months, and that's exactly what we did.
We've gathered 10 amazing infographics, which are still quite fresh and contain very relevant info. We hope you enjoy them! Let us know which ones you find most insightful in the comments below.


text: Lloyd Park, London, England, UK. Hundreds attend the Walthamstow Garden Party. A free festival returns for its fourth year to celebrate east London's creative and cultural communities, showcasing some of the finest music and performance from around the world, Host by Barbican Centre at Walthamstow.Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download


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!! History Commons Alert, Exciting News
This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event 8:00 a.m.-9:03 a.m. September 11, 2001: CIA Briefs Senior Officials on Terrorist Threat to US Telecommunications. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, along with then-President Gerald Ford, April 28, 1975. [Source: David Hume Kennerly / Gerald R. Ford Library] (click image to enlarge)Throughout the 1980s, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld are key players in one of the most highly classified programs of the Reagan administration. Presently, Cheney is working as a Republican congressman, while Rumsfeld is head of the pharmaceutical company G. D. Searle. At least once per year, they both leave their day jobs for periods of three or four days. They head to Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, DC, and along with 40 to 60 federal officials and one member of the Reagan Cabinet are taken to a remote location within the US, such as an underground bunker. While they are gone, none of their work colleagues, or even their wives, knows where they are. They are participating in detailed planning exercises for keeping government running during and after a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Unconstitutional 'Continuity of Government' - This highly secret "Continuity of Government" (COG) program is known as Project 908. The idea is that if the US were under a nuclear attack, three teams would be sent from Washington to separate locations around the US to prepare to take leadership of the country. If somehow one team was located and hit with a nuclear weapon, the second or third team could take its place. Each of the three teams includes representatives from the State Department, Defense Department, CIA, and various domestic-policy agencies. The program is run by a new government agency called the National Program Office. Based in the Washington area, it has a budget of hundreds of million dollars a year, which grows to $1 billion per year by the end of Reagan's first term in office. Within the National Security Council, the "action officer" involved in the COG program is Oliver North, who is a key figure in the mid-1980s Iran-Contra scandal. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, also supervises some of the program's efforts. As well as Cheney and Rumsfeld, other known figures involved in the COG exercises include Kenneth Duberstein, who serves for a time as President Reagan's chief of staff, and future CIA Director James Woolsey. Another regular participant is Richard Clarke, who on 9/11 will be the White House chief of counterterrorism (see (1984-2004)). The program, though, is extraconstitutional, as it establishes a process for designating a new US president that is nowhere authorized in the US Constitution or federal law. After George H. W. Bush is elected president in 1988 and the effective end of the Soviet Union in 1989, the exercises continue. They will go on after Bill Clinton is elected president, but will then be based around the threat posed by terrorists, rather than the Soviet Union (see 1992-2000). According to journalist James Mann, the participation of Rumsfeld and Cheney in these exercises demonstrates a broader truth about them: "Over three decades, from the Ford administration onward, even when they were out of the executive branch of government, they were never too far away; they stayed in touch with its defense, military, and intelligence officials and were regularly called upon by those officials. Cheney and Rumsfeld were, in a sense, a part of the permanent, though hidden, national security apparatus of the United States." [Mann, 2004, pp. 138-145; Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004; Washington Post, 4/7/2004; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 85] No Role for Congress - According to one participant, "One of the awkward questions we faced was whether to reconstitute Congress after a nuclear attack. It was decided that no, it would be easier to operate without them." Thus the decision is made to abandon the Constitutional framework of the nation's government if this plan is ever activated. [Dubose and Bernstein, 2006, pp. 198] Reactivated after 9/11 - The plan they rehearse for in the COG exercises will be activated, supposedly for the first time, in the hours during and after the 9/11 attacks (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Post, 3/1/2002] Mann subsequently comments, "The program is of particular interest today because it helps to explain the thinking and behavior of the second Bush Administration in the hours, days, and months after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001." [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004]
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Oliver North, National Program Office, James Woolsey, Kenneth Duberstein, Donald Rumsfeld, George Herbert Walker Bush
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline, Civil Liberties
An E-4B Airborne Command Post. [Source: US Air Force] (click image to enlarge)During the 1980s, top-secret exercises are regularly held, testing a program called Continuity of Government (COG) that would keep the federal government functioning during and after a nuclear war (see 1981-1992). The program includes a special plane called the National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP). This is a modified Boeing 747, based at Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, DC that has its own conference room and special communications gear. Nicknamed the "Doomsday" plane, it could act as an airborne command post from where a president could run the country during a nuclear war. One of the COG exercises run by the Reagan administration involves a team of officials actually staying aloft in the NEACP for three days straight. The team cruises across the US, and up and down the coasts, periodically being refueled in mid-air. [Schwartz, 1998; Mann, 2004, pp. 144] Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld participate in the COG exercises, though whether they are aboard the NEACP in this particular one is unknown. [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004] The plan that is being rehearsed for in the exercises will be activated in response to the 9/11 attacks (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Also on 9/11, three Doomsday planes (then known as "National Airborne Operations Center" planes) will be in the air, due to an exercise taking place that morning called Global Guardian (see Before 9:00 a.m. September 11, 2001). [Schwartz, 1998; Omaha World-Herald, 2/27/2002]
Entity Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, Richard ("Dick") Cheney
Richard Clarke, who will be the counterterrorism "tsar" on 9/11, regularly participates in a series of highly secret "Continuity of Government" (COG) exercises. [Washington Post, 4/7/2004] Throughout the 1980s, the COG exercises rehearse how to keep the federal government running during and after a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (see 1981-1992). After the fall of the Soviet Union, the exercises continue, but based instead around a possible terrorist attack on the United States (see 1992-2000). [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004] In 2004, Clarke will reveal that he has participated regularly in these exercises over the previous 20 years. He recalls that he had "gone off into caves in mountains in remote locations and spent days on end in miserable conditions, pretending that the rest of the world had blown up, and going through the questions, going through the drill." He adds: "Everyone there play acts that it's really happened. You can't go outside because of the radioactivity. You can't use the phones because they're not connected to anything." He also describes the COG plan requiring coded communications, saying: "There's an elaborate system for the people in this network, first of all, to verify each other's identity. That person on the other end has a certain password and information that they have to pass for us to believe that they're who they say they are." [Washington Post, 4/7/2004; ABC News, 4/25/2004] Clarke was a senior analyst at the State Department since 1979, and rises to prominence during the Reagan administration when he becomes deputy assistant secretary of state for intelligence. [Washington Post, 3/13/2003; BBC, 3/22/2004] After being a member of the National Security Council since 1992, in 1998 he is appointed as counterterrorism "tsar" (see May 22, 1998). [9/11 Commission, 3/24/2004 ; New York Review of Books, 5/13/2004; Independent, 6/14/2004] According to journalist James Mann, the COG program is of particular interest because it helps explain the thinking and behavior of the Bush administration "in the hours, days, and months after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001." [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004] On the morning of 9/11, Clarke is in fact responsible for activating the COG plan, the first time it is ever implemented (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8; ABC News, 4/25/2004] Also participating in the COG exercises, at least throughout at 1980s, are Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who on 9/11 are the vice president and secretary of defense, respectively. [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004]
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline
President Ronald Reagan signs a directive that contributes to the modern era of "continuity planning," which will ensure the maintenance of a functioning government in the event of a catastrophic attack on Washington, DC. This Continuity of Government (COG) plan will be activated for the first time on 9/11, in response to the terrorist attacks that day (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Post, 3/1/2002; ABC News, 4/25/2004] National Security Decision Directive 188 (NSDD 188), "Government Coordination for National Security Emergency Preparedness," states that it is the policy of the United States to have capabilities at all levels of government to respond to a range of national security emergencies, "from major natural calamities to hostile attacks on the nation." The US policy "includes an emergency mobilization preparedness program which provides an effective capability to meet defense and essential civilian needs during those emergencies." The National Security Council (NSC) is assigned as the "principal forum" where the national security emergency preparedness policy will be considered, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is to "assist in the implementation of this policy through a coordinating role with the other federal agencies." NSDD 188 also assigns responsibility for continuity planning to an interagency panel that includes the Office of Management and Budget, and the Defense, Treasury, and Justice Departments. [US President, 9/16/1985; Washington Post, 3/1/2002] A subsequent executive order in 1988 will apply the COG plan to "any national security emergency situation that might confront the nation" (see November 18, 1988), and a presidential directive in 1998 will update it to specifically deal with the emerging threat posed by terrorists (see Early 1998 and October 21, 1998). [US President, 11/18/1988; Clarke, 2004, pp. 166-167 and 170; Washington Post, 6/4/2006]
Entity Tags: Ronald Reagan
President Ronald Reagan signs a directive that details the US government's plan for dealing with national emergencies, including a nuclear attack against the country. Executive Order 12656, "Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities," sets out the specific responsibilities of federal departments and agencies in national security emergencies. [US President, 11/18/1988] It deals with the nation's Continuity of Government (COG) plan, which would ensure the federal government continued to function should such an emergency occur. [Washington Post, 3/1/2002; Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004] The order states, "The policy of the United States is to have sufficient capabilities at all levels of government to meet essential defense and civilian needs during any national security emergency." It defines a "national security emergency" as "any occurrence, including natural disaster, military attack, technological emergency, or other emergency, that seriously degrades or seriously threatens the national security of the United States." The order directs the head of every federal department and agency to "ensure the continuity of essential functions" during such an emergency by, among other things, "providing for succession to office and emergency delegation of authority." According to Executive Order 12656, the National Security Council is "the principal forum for consideration of national security emergency preparedness policy," and the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is to "assist in the implementation of national security emergency preparedness policy by coordinating with the other federal departments and agencies and with State and local governments." [US President, 11/18/1988] The COG plan this directive deals with will be activated for the first time on 9/11, in response to the terrorist attacks that day (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Post, 3/1/2002; ABC News, 4/25/2004] Author Peter Dale Scott will later comment that, by applying the COG plan to "any national security emergency," Executive Order 12656 means that the attacks of 9/11 will meet the requirements for the plan to be put into action. [Scott, 2007, pp. 185-186] In fact, a presidential directive in 1998 will update the COG plan specifically to deal with the threat posed by terrorists (see Early 1998 and October 21, 1998). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 166-167 and 170; Washington Post, 6/4/2006]
During the 1980s, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were regular participants in top-secret exercises, designed to test a program called Continuity of Government (COG) that would keep the federal government functioning during and after a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (see 1981-1992). Despite the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the COG exercises continue into the 1990s, being budgeted still at over $200 million per year. Exercises Prepare for Terrorist Attacks - Now, terrorists replace the Soviet Union as the imagined threat in the exercises. The terrorism envisaged is almost always state-sponsored, with the imagined terrorists acting on behalf of a government. According to journalist James Mann, the COG exercises are abandoned fairly early in the Clinton era, as the scenario is considered farfetched and outdated. However another journalist, Andrew Cockburn, suggests they continue for longer. Exercise Participants Are Republican Hawks - Cockburn adds that, while the "shadow government" created in the exercises had previously been drawn from across the political spectrum, now the players are almost exclusively Republican hawks. A former Pentagon official with direct knowledge of the program will later say: "It was one way for these people to stay in touch. They'd meet, do the exercise, but also sit around and castigate the Clinton administration in the most extreme way. You could say this was a secret government-in-waiting. The Clinton administration was extraordinarily inattentive, [they had] no idea what was going on." [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 88] Richard Clarke Participates - A regular participant in these COG exercises is Richard Clarke, who on 9/11 will be the White House chief of counterterrorism (see (1984-2004)). [Washington Post, 4/7/2004; ABC News, 4/25/2004] Although he will later come to prominence for his criticisms of the administration of President George W. Bush, some who have known him will say they consider Clarke to be hawkish and conservative (see May 22, 1998). [Boston Globe, 3/29/2004; US News and World Report, 4/5/2004] The Continuity of Government plan will be activated, supposedly for the first time, in the hours during and after the 9/11 attacks (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Post, 3/1/2002]
Entity Tags: Clinton administration, Andrew Cockburn, Richard A. Clarke, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, James Mann, US Department of Defense
Government officials say the highly classified "doomsday" project, also known as the Continuity of Government (COG) program, is being shut down. The secretive program was first designed during the cold war to keep the government functioning in the event of a nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union. "The nuclear tensions of that era having subsided, the project has less than six months to live," the New York Times reports, citing Pentagon officials. [New York Times, 4/18/1994] Despite the claims, the classified plans will not be discontinued. The Clinton administration will actually update the protocols and place a new emphasis on weapons of mass destruction and counterterrorism (see June 21, 1995, October 21, 1998 and Early 1998). The COG program will be officially activated for the first time during the 9/11 attacks and later extended indefinitely (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Post, 3/1/2002]
Entity Tags: Clinton administration
Timeline Tags: Civil Liberties
Richard Clarke, the chair of the White House's Counterterrorism Security Group, updates the US Continuity of Government (COG) program. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger has become aware that terrorism and domestic preparedness are now major issues. He suggests the idea of a "national coordinator" for counterterrorism, and that this post should be codified by a new Presidential Decision Directive (PDD). Clarke therefore drafts three new directives. The third, tentatively titled "PDD-Z," updates the COG program. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 166-167] This program, which dates back to the cold war, was originally designed to ensure the US government would continue to function in the event of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004] Clarke will later say it "had been allowed to fall apart when the threat of a Soviet nuclear attack had gone away." [Clarke, 2004, pp. 167] He will explain: "We thought that individual buildings in Washington, and indeed perhaps all of Washington, could still come under attack, only it might not be from the former Soviet Union.… It might be with a terrorist walking a weapon into our city." [CBS, 9/11/2001] Therefore, "If terrorists could attack Washington, particularly with weapons of mass destruction, we needed to have a robust system of command and control, with plans to devolve authority and capabilities to officials outside Washington." [Clarke, 2004, pp. 167] President Clinton will sign "PDD-Z" on October 21, 1998, as PDD-67, "Enduring Constitutional Government and Continuity of Government Operations" (see October 21, 1998). The two other directives drafted by Clarke will become PDD-62 (see May 22, 1998) and PDD-63. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 170; Washington Post, 6/4/2006] By February 1999, according to the New York Times, Clarke will have written at least four classified presidential directives on terrorism, which "expand the government's counterterrorism cadres into the $11 billion-a-year enterprise he now coordinates." [New York Times, 2/1/1999] Clarke is a regular participant in secret COG exercises (see (1984-2004)), and will activate the COG plan for the first time on the day of 9/11 (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001).
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke, Sandy Berger
President Clinton issues Presidential Decision Directive 67 (PDD-67), which updates the US Continuity of Government (COG) program in line with the emerging threat posed by terrorists. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 166-167 and 170; Washington Post, 6/4/2006] PDD-67, "Enduring Constitutional Government and Continuity of Government Operations," requires agencies to plan for governmental continuity if the US is hit by a major terrorist attack. [Knight Ridder, 11/17/1999; Federation of American Scientists, 12/12/2000] The directive is classified and there is no White House fact sheet summarizing its contents. [Federation of American Scientists, 12/12/2000; US Congress. House. Committee on Government Reform, 4/22/2004] But according to Energy Department documents, the new COG plan "could be triggered by an event worse than what's expected from the Y2K problem and comparable to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing." [Knight Ridder, 11/17/1999] According to the Washington Post, the result of PDD-67 will be that "every single government department and agency [is] directed to see to it that they could resume critical functions within 12 hours of a warning, and keep their operations running at emergency facilities for up to 30 days." [Washington Post, 6/4/2006] The directive puts the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—which is responsible for planning for and responding to disasters—in charge of the COG program. [US Congress. House. Committee on Government Reform, 4/28/2005, pp. 4 ] Within FEMA, the Office of National Security Affairs will specifically be responsible for COG activities. [Larson and Peters, 2001, pp. 103] FEMA's responsibilities will include providing guidance for agencies to develop their continuity plans (see July 26, 1999), and the coordination of interagency exercises. [US Congress. House. Committee on Government Reform, 4/28/2005, pp. 4 ] Richard Clarke, who has now been appointed counterterrorism "tsar" (see May 22, 1998), drafted PDD-67 earlier in the year (see Early 1998). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 166-167] The COG plan will be activated for the first time on the morning of 9/11 (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [ABC News, 4/25/2004]
Entity Tags: William Jefferson ("Bill") Clinton
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issues a circular that provides guidance for government agencies to develop plans for continuity of government operations in the event of an emergency, including a terrorist attack. The circular, FPC 65, goes out to the heads of federal departments and agencies, senior policy officials, and emergency planners. It confirms FEMA's coordinating role in the nation's Continuity of Government (COG) program, and contains criteria for agencies to develop their continuity plans. It states that an agency's continuity of operations (COOP) capability "Must be maintained at a high level of readiness"; "Must be capable of implementation both with and without warning"; "Must be operational no later than 12 hours after activation"; "Must maintain sustained operations for up to 30 days"; and "Should take maximum advantage of existing agency field infrastructures." [Federal Emergency Management Agency, 7/26/1999; US Congress. House. Committee on Government Reform, 4/22/2004] Presidential Decision Directive 67 (PDD-67), issued in October 1998 (see October 21, 1998), required agencies to prepare plans to allow the government to continue functioning in the event of a major terrorist attack on the US, and had placed FEMA in charge of the COG program. [Knight Ridder, 11/17/1999; Washington Post, 6/4/2006] The COG plan detailed in that directive will be activated for the first time on the morning of 9/11 (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [ABC News, 4/25/2004]
Entity Tags: Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Special Routing Arrangement Service (SRAS), which is run by the National Communications System (NCS), is turned on for "exercise mode," meaning it is ready to be utilized the following day in response to the terrorist attacks. [9/11 Commission, 3/16/2004 ] The NCS, which is part of the Department of Defense, is a relatively small agency established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and which is intended to ensure the uninterrupted availability of critical communications networks during times of national crisis. It is mandated to insure that critical telephony and data continue to flow, even when the US is under attack. [Verton, 2003, pp. 136; Clarke, 2004, pp. 20; National Communications System, 10/21/2007] System Is 'Miraculously' Ready to Function on September 11 - Brenton Greene, the director of the NCS, will tell the 9/11 Commission that "[o]n the 10th of September, miraculously, the SRAS… system was turned on for exercise mode, and thus it was ready to function on September 11." A summary of Greene's interview with the Commission will indicate that the SRAS is related to the highly secret Continuity of Government (COG) plan. [9/11 Commission, 3/16/2004 ] This plan aims to ensure that the federal government will continue to function in the event of an attack on the US, and it will be activated for the first time on September 11 (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004; ABC News, 4/25/2004] The SRAS reportedly provides "a vehicle for continuity of operations by providing survivable communications linkages to federal and defense end users over the public network." [Department of Homeland Security, 5/2007 ] Whether the SRAS is turned on for "exercise mode" because the NCS or its National Coordinating Center (NCC) in Arlington, Virginia, are conducting or participating in a training exercise is unstated. SRAS Relates to Continuity of Government Program - Greene will tell the 9/11 Commission that one of the NCS's three main programs relates to COG. "The main communications system of the country must be kept going or no one can communicate," he will say. Therefore, "There is a separate network linking the National Coordinating Center and the major carriers and networks as a backup." According to Greene, "In the situation where Continuity of Government is put into play, there is a communications system where no one can trace the site of the call on either end." (Presumably this is a reference to the SRAS.) This backup communications network, according to Greene, will prove "its value as a separate link on 9/11, because it coordinated network use between Network Operations Centers while the network was saturated." [9/11 Commission, 3/16/2004 ] NCS Plays Important Role on 9/11 - Robert Kenny, the director of media relations for the Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, will later recall, "We found that [the NCS] program was very helpful during September 11." [CNET News, 1/16/2009] The NCC will be activated that day in response to the attacks (see (8:48 a.m.) September 11, 2001) and will support subsequent recovery efforts. [9/11 Commission, 3/16/2004 ] Earlier that morning, the CIA will actually be giving a briefing to the NCS about the international terrorist threat to the US's telecommunications infrastructure (see 8:00 a.m.-9:03 a.m. September 11, 2001). [Verton, 2003, pp. 135-139]
Entity Tags: Continuity of Government, National Communications System, Brenton C. Greene, Robert Kenny, Special Routing Arrangement Service
Brenton Greene. [Source: National Communications System]CIA representatives give a briefing to a little-known government agency called the National Communications System (NCS) at a facility just outside Washington, DC, where they discuss the threat that international terrorists pose to the US's telecommunications infrastructure. The NCS is a relatively small agency that works to ensure the uninterrupted availability of critical communications networks during times of national crisis. It will play an important role in the response and recovery efforts following the terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon, when damage to the World Trade Center area severely impairs the local telecommunications infrastructure. [Verton, 2003, pp. 135-137; National Communications System, 2004, pp. 56 ] Briefing Attended by Public and Private Sectors Representatives - The briefing is held at what journalist and author Dan Verton will call "a secure facility outside of Washington, DC." Presumably this is the NCS's National Coordinating Center in Arlington, Virginia. Attendees include Brenton Greene, the director of the NCS since April 2001, and representatives from seven other federal agencies and over 40 technology and communications companies that operate many of the US's most critical communications networks. The representatives from the private sector, according to Verton, are all "senior executives from their respective companies, and all had government security clearances that granted them access to the most sensitive intelligence data pertaining to threats to the infrastructures that formed not only the lifelines of their businesses but the lifelines of the nation as well." CIA Outlines Threat to Telecommunications Infrastructure - Although Greene is a 25-year veteran of the Navy's submarine force and is "used to classified briefings and operating in the shadows," the current briefing, according to Verton, promises "to be different from any other he had taken part in." The CIA representatives begin it at 8:00 a.m. by outlining the growing international terrorist threat to the US telecommunications infrastructure. Terrorists Aware of Benefits of Targeting Telecommunications - Verton will describe that the briefing participants then agree that there is "a growing body of evidence relating to the increased sophistication in information warfare (IW) capabilities of foreign nations." Additionally, a cyber-attack against computer systems in the US "would likely involve a major disruption of key telecommunications infrastructures serving other sectors of the economy, including banking and finance, electric power, and air traffic control." Greene will later comment: "Everything runs on telecom. If it's a major cyber-event, it's going to have a physical tail. If it's a major physical event, it's going to have a cyber-tail." The CIA representatives say that some terrorist organizations are also becoming aware of the potential offered by targeting the telecommunications infrastructure. Briefing Continues despite News of First Crash - Shortly after 8:46 a.m., when the first plane hits the WTC, Navy Captain J. Katharine Burton enters the briefing room and whispers to Greene the news of what has happened. With no further information available and no evidence that the crash was anything more than an accident, Greene calmly passes on the news to the other people in the room, and then orders the briefing to continue. The CIA representatives therefore go on until news arrives of the second plane hitting the WTC at 9:03 a.m., and televisions are turned on to CNN, which is showing live coverage from New York. Greene will later recall: "It was clear then that there was some threat. When the second plane hit, I said: 'I'm leaving. I need to go look at the implications of this.'" [Verton, 2003, pp. 135-139, 141] 9/11 Attacks Are 'the Most Significant Challenge' to the NCS - The NCS will play a key role in the government's response to the 9/11 attacks, which result in severe damage and impairment to the telecommunications infrastructure serving the area around the WTC. [National Communications System, 2004, pp. 56 ] Greene will later recall that the destruction caused by the attacks becomes "the most significant challenge that the National Communications System had ever seen." [Verton, 2003, pp. 151] The NCS's National Coordinating Center is activated, and supports response and recovery efforts (see (8:48 a.m.) September 11, 2001). After leaving the briefing, Greene will head to his "Continuity of Government" site, from where the status of the communications network is constantly monitored, and priorities and repairs are coordinated. [9/11 Commission, 3/16/2004 ]
Entity Tags: National Communications System, Brenton C. Greene, Central Intelligence Agency, J. Katharine Burton
Logo of the National Communications System. [Source: National Communications System]The National Coordinating Center (NCC) in Arlington, Virginia, which is the operational arm of the National Communications System (NCS), is activated in response to the terrorist attacks and supports the recovery efforts. [9/11 Commission, 3/16/2004 ] The NCS is a relatively small government agency that works to ensure the availability of critical communications networks during times of crisis. [Verton, 2003, pp. 136] Center Conducts Non-Stop Operations - An NCS publication will later describe, "Immediately," in response to the attacks, "the NCC began non-stop operations to support NS/EP [national security and emergency preparedness] communications between federal, state, and local responders, to restore damaged communications lines in Arlington, Virginia, and New York City, and to provision new lines for the recovery and investigation activities." The NCC operates at four sites: the NCC itself, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Defense Department's Global Network Operations Support Center headquarters, and a remote "continuity of operations" location. Brenton Greene, the director of the NCS, goes to his "Continuity of Government" site, where personnel operate around the clock to monitor the status of the telecommunications network, and coordinate priorities and repairs. The NCS, which is part of the Department of Defense, also deploys military reservists to three FEMA regional operations centers. Time Center Activated at Unclear - Greene will tell the 9/11 Commission that the NCC is activated at 8:48 a.m. [National Communications System, 2004, pp. 56 ; 9/11 Commission, 3/16/2004 ] However, other accounts will indicate that the center is not activated until later on. According to journalist and author Dan Verton, Greene—who is attending a briefing on the terrorist threat to the US's telecommunications infrastructure, apparently at the NCC—initially believes the first plane hit the World Trade Center by accident, and therefore orders the briefing to continue (see 8:00 a.m.-9:03 a.m. September 11, 2001). It is only when the second plane hits the WTC at 9:03 a.m. that he realizes "there was some threat," and responds to the crisis. [Verton, 2003, pp. 139, 141] Counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke will write that he himself gives the instruction to activate the NCS, at around 12:30 p.m. Then, according to Clarke, his colleague Paul Kurtz calls Greene and instructs him to tell all the major telephone companies that "they need to support Verizon." [Clarke, 2004, pp. 19-20] Center Coordinates Emergency Communications during Crises - The NCS was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, in order to provide better communications support to critical government functions during emergencies. An executive order signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 broadened the NCS's capabilities, and listed its duties as "the planning for and provision of national security and emergency preparedness communications for the federal government under all circumstances, including crisis or emergency, attack, recovery, and reconstitution." [US President, 4/3/1984; National Communications System, 10/21/2007; CNET News, 1/16/2009] The NCS consists of 22 federal agencies, 100 full-time civilian employees, and 10 military employees. [Computerworld, 11/7/2002] The mission of the NCC is to assist "in the initiation, coordination, restoration, and reconstitution of national security or emergency preparedness telecommunications services or facilities under all conditions of crisis or emergency." The center is composed of members from the US government and the telecommunications industry. [US President, 4/3/1984; National Communications System, 3/2001, pp. 4, 6 ] There are 150 private sector contractors from 21 companies working at the NCC. [Computerworld, 11/7/2002]
Entity Tags: National Communications System, National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications, Brenton C. Greene, Paul Kurtz, Richard A. Clarke
At some point after the White House is ordered to evacuate and while Air Force One is preparing to take off in Florida, counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke activates the Continuity of Government (COG) plan. The coordinator for Continuity of Government has joined Clarke in the White House Situation Room. Clarke asks, "How do I activate COG?" Recalling this conversation, he will later comment, "In the exercises we had done, the person playing the president had always given that order." But the coordinator replies, "You tell me to do it." Soon after, Clarke instructs him, "Go." [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8] First Time COG Plan Activated - The Continuity of Government plan, which dates back to the Reagan administration, had originally prepared to set up a new leadership for the US in the event of a nuclear war. This is apparently the first time it has ever been put into effect. Clarke will recall, "Every federal agency was ordered… to activate an alternative command post, an alternative headquarters outside of Washington, DC, and to staff it as soon as possible." Cabinet officers are dispatched around the country, and people in Congress are taken to alternative locations. Clarke Regularly Particiated in COG Exercises - Since the 1980s, Clarke has in fact been a regular participant in secret COG exercises that rehearsed this plan (see (1984-2004)). [Washington Post, 4/7/2004; ABC News, 4/25/2004] Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld also participated (see 1981-1992). [Atlantic Monthly, 3/2004] Kenneth Duberstein, formerly President Reagan's White House chief of staff, who took part in the exercises as well, will recall: "I said to myself, as we proceeded through the day [of 9/11], 'It's working.' All those days of patriotic duty were coming back and they were working." According to ABC News, "If executive branch leaders and large numbers of congressmen had been killed in an attack on the United States, the plan could have gone further, officials suggest, perhaps even with non-elected leaders of the United States taking control and declaring martial law." [ABC News, 4/25/2004] According to a White House timeline of the events of 9/11, it is in fact Cheney that "orders implementation of Continuity of Government and Continuity of Operations procedures," at 9:55 a.m., although, according to the Washington Post, Cheney only "officially implemented the emergency Continuity of Government orders," rather than activating the plan. [White House, 2001; Washington Post, 1/27/2002]
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke, Continuity of Government, White House, Kenneth Duberstein
Don Evans. [Source: US Department of Commerce]Authorities fail to evacuate Secretary of Commerce Don Evans from his office at the Commerce Department in Washington, DC, in line with "Continuity of Government" (COG) plans and so Evans eventually decides to go home of his own accord. [Arkin, 2013, pp. 173-174] The COG plan was apparently activated by White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke shortly after 9:45 a.m. (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8] Whereas, earlier in the day, "executive agents and protective details all across the government had been operating in precautionary mode," military expert and author William Arkin will later describe, "now everything was official, mandatory, and automatic." And yet no one comes to move Evans to an alternate location, even though he is 10th in line for the presidency. The commerce secretary therefore stays in his office all morning, waiting for someone to contact him and tell him what to do. [Arkin, 2013, pp. 173-174; NBC News, 9/11/2016] Furthermore, while other government departments are evacuated, no one takes the initiative to evacuate the Commerce Department, where 5,000 people work (see Before 9:37 a.m. September 11, 2001). [Draper, 2007, pp. 143] Apparently, "those in charge had completely forgotten about [Evans] and his department," Arkin will comment. Eventually, Evans arranges for an aide to drive him to his home in McLean, Virginia, where he spends the rest of the day watching television. Arkin will criticize authorities for their failure to move Evans to an alternate location, writing, "After almost 50 years of preparations and practice, after constructing an elaborate and foolproof edifice, the executive agents had overlooked a major branch of the executive office, or were too busy—or had their own plans." [Arkin, 2013, pp. 174; NBC News, 9/11/2016]
Entity Tags: US Department of Commerce, Continuity of Government, Donald L. Evans
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL), who is third in line for the presidency, is evacuated from the US Capitol building and flown to a secret underground bunker in Virginia, where he remains until late in the afternoon. [ABC News, 9/11/2001; ABC News, 9/15/2002] Around 9:48, the Capitol building had begun evacuating (see 9:48 a.m. September 11, 2001). At that time, Hastert was on the House floor. Two members of his security detail now enter the chamber and tell him, "We're going to evacuate the Capitol, and you're going to a secure location." They take him out of the building and drive him hurriedly to Andrews Air Force Base, ten miles southeast of Washington. After he arrives there, Hastert is finally able to communicate with Vice President Dick Cheney, who is at the White House. (Hastert had been trying to contact Cheney earlier on, but without success (see (9:04 a.m.-9:45 a.m.) September 11, 2001.) Cheney tells Hastert: "There's a real danger. I want you to go to a secure location." [Hastert, 2004, pp. 8-9] Hastert gets on a helicopter and is flown to the secret underground bunker at Mount Weather in Bluemont, Virginia, 48 miles outside Washington—about 20 minutes journey by air. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 11/2001; ABC News, 9/15/2002; Bamford, 2004, pp. 81] In the following hours, other top members of the House and Senate leaderships will join him there (see (Between Late Morning and Early Afternoon) September 11, 2001). [ABC News, 9/11/2001; Hastert, 2004, pp. 10] Hastert remains at the secure facility for several hours, and will return to Washington late in the afternoon (see (Between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), 9/11/2002] Hastert's evacuation to Mount Weather is the result of "Continuity of Government" (COG) orders, which provide for evacuating the third and fourth in the line of presidential succession during a national emergency, in order to protect the nation's constitutional leadership. [Washington Post, 1/27/2002] Counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke activated the COG plan shortly before 10:00 a.m. this morning (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8]
Entity Tags: Mount Weather, Dennis Hastert, Richard ("Dick") Cheney
According to the 9/11 Commission: "An Air Force lieutenant colonel working in the White House Military Office [joins] the [NMCC's air threat] conference and state[s] that he had just talked to Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. The White House request[s]: (1) the implementation of Continuity of Government measures, (2) fighter escorts for Air Force One, and (3) the establishment of a fighter combat air patrol over Washington, DC." [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004] Counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke gave the order to implement the Continuity of Government plan a few minutes earlier, from inside the White House Situation Room (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Before that, he had requested a fighter escort for Air Force One (see (Between 9:30 a.m. and 9:37 a.m.) September 11, 2001) and combat air patrols over all major US cities (not just Washington), according to his own recollection (see (Between 9:38 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 7-8]
Entity Tags: Stephen J. Hadley, Richard A. Clarke, National Military Command Center
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz leaves the Pentagon and relocates to the alternate military command center outside Washington, DC. Wolfowitz evacuated from his office to an area in front of the Pentagon after the building was hit, but then went back inside and joined Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others in the National Military Command Center (NMCC). [Vanity Fair, 5/9/2003] With smoke seeping into the center, Wolfowitz advises Rumsfeld to leave the NMCC (see (10:40 a.m.-11:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). But instead Rumsfeld orders Wolfowitz to leave and fly to Site R, the alternate command center, which is located inside Raven Rock Mountain, about six miles north of Camp David, on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 11/2001; Vogel, 2007, pp. 441] Wolfowitz will later recall that he "was not happy about" receiving this order. [Vanity Fair, 5/9/2003] Minutes later, a helicopter lands outside the Pentagon, and carries Wolfowitz and several others off to the alternate command center. [Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 132] Site R was designed as a duplicate of the NMCC, and if the NMCC were ever destroyed in an attack or needs to be evacuated, it would serve as the Pentagon's primary command center. [Creed and Newman, 2008, pp. 174] It has "more than 700,000 square feet of floor space, sophisticated computer and communications equipment, and room for more than 3,000 people." [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 11/2001] Others who will relocate to Site R on this day include Army Secretary Thomas White and personnel from the office of the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, though White will return to the Pentagon later on (see (11:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Post, 1/9/2002; MSNBC, 9/11/2002; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 135] According to journalist and author James Mann, Rumsfeld's decision to order Wolfowitz to leave Washington has its roots in a top secret program Rumsfeld was involved in during the 1980s, which serves to ensure the "Continuity of Government" (COG) in the event of an attack on the US (see 1981-1992). [Mann, 2004, pp. 138-139] Counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke activated the COG plan shortly before 10:00 a.m. this morning (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8]
Entity Tags: Paul Wolfowitz, Site R, Donald Rumsfeld
Mount Weather. [Source: Department of Homeland Security]Congressional leaders are evacuated from Washington and flown to Mount Weather, a secret and secure bunker in Virginia, where they remain until late in the afternoon. [Los Angeles Times, 9/12/2001; Washington Post, 1/27/2002; ABC News, 9/15/2002] The Capitol building was evacuated shortly after the Pentagon was hit (see 9:48 a.m. September 11, 2001). Most of the leadership teams of both parties subsequently assemble at the Capitol Police building. [Daschle and D'Orso, 2003, pp. 112] Around late morning or early afternoon, orders are given to take them to a secure location outside Washington. The Congressional leaders return to outside the Capitol building, and from there are flown by military helicopter to Mount Weather. [Washington Post, 1/27/2002] Each is allowed to bring one staff member with them. [Daschle and D'Orso, 2003, pp. 114] The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Facility in Bluemont, Virginia, is located 48 miles—about 20 minutes journey by air—from Washington. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 11/2001; ABC News, 9/15/2002] It was originally built to serve as the new seat of government if there was a nuclear war. [ABC News, 9/11/2001] The underground complex contains about 600,000 square feet of floor space, and can accommodate several thousand people. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 11/2001] It has extensive communication systems linking it to the nationwide network of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) bunkers, relocation sites, and the White House Situation Room. [Center for Land Use Interpretation Newsletter, 3/2002] Members of Congress taken to the facility include House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX), House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO), House Minority Whip David Bonior (D-MI), Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), Assistant Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and Senate Minority Whip Don Nickles (R-OK). [Hastert, 2004, pp. 10] Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) was taken there earlier on (see (9:50 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Bamford, 2004, pp. 80-81] The Congressional leaders will remain at Mount Weather until later in the afternoon, and then return to the Capitol around 6:00 p.m. (see (Between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [ABC News, 9/15/2002; Daschle and D'Orso, 2003, pp. 116; Hastert, 2004, pp. 10] The decision to send them outside Washington on this day has its roots in a top secret program dating back to the cold war, which serves to ensure the "Continuity of Government" (COG) in the event of an attack on the US (see 1981-1992). [United Press International, 9/11/2001; CNN, 9/11/2002; Mann, 2004, pp. 138-139] Counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke activated the COG plan shortly before 10:00 a.m. this morning (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8]
Entity Tags: Richard Gephardt, Harry Reid, David Bonior, Mount Weather, Tom DeLay, Dick Armey, Tom Daschle, Don Nickles, Trent Lott
Air Force One departs Barksdale Air Force Base. [Source: Reuters]Air Force One takes off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to fly President Bush to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. While Bush has been at Barksdale, base personnel have refueled Air Force One and restocked it with provisions for its continuing journey, on the basis that it may have to serve as the president's flying command center for the foreseeable future. [Associated Press, 10/2/2001; 2d Bomb Wing, 6/30/2002 ; BBC, 9/1/2002] Reduced Number of Passengers on Board - For security reasons, the number of people traveling on Air Force One has been reduced (see (1:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [Fleischer, 2005, pp. 145-146] Those continuing with the president include Bush's chief of staff Andrew Card, his senior adviser Karl Rove, his communications director Dan Bartlett, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, and assistant press secretary Gordon Johndroe. The number of Secret Service agents accompanying the president has been reduced, as has the number of reporters. The five remaining journalists are Ann Compton of ABC Radio, Sonya Ross of the Associated Press, Associated Press photographer Doug Mills, and a CBS cameraman and sound technician. [Salon, 9/12/2001; Associated Press, 9/12/2001] President Given Thumbs-up by Airmen - Lieutenant General Thomas Keck, the commander of the 8th Air Force, has been at Bush's side for most of his time at Barksdale, and accompanies the president as he is being driven across the base to Air Force One. The president passes a row of B-52 bombers and is given a thumbs-up by the planes' crew members. Keck explains to Bush that this means the troops "are trained, they're ready, and they'll do whatever you want them to." Military police salute and other Air Force crew members cheer the president as he passes them. [American History, 10/2006 ] Fighter Escort Rejoins Air Force One - Air Force One is being guarded by soldiers with their guns drawn when Bush reaches it, and a pack of military dogs is patrolling the tarmac. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 117-118] After the plane takes off, two F-16 fighter jets pull up alongside it to provide an escort. [American History, 10/2006 ] These are presumably the same fighters, belonging to the 147th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, that escorted Air Force One as it came in to land at Barksdale (see (11:29 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Filson, 2003, pp. 87; Bombardier, 9/8/2006 ] Destination Chosen Due to 'Continuity of Government' Plan - Bush's destination, Offutt Air Force Base, is home to the US Strategic Command (Stratcom), which controls the nation's nuclear weapons. [Associated Press, 9/11/2001; Woodward, 2002, pp. 19] Bush will later say the decision to head there was based on Offutt's "secure housing space and reliable communications." [Bush, 2010, pp. 133] The base's secure teleconferencing equipment will allow the president to conduct a meeting of his National Security Council later in the afternoon (see (3:15 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [Sammon, 2002, pp. 119; Woodward, 2002, pp. 19, 26] According to the 9/11 Commission Report, Offutt has been chosen as the president's next destination "because of its elaborate command and control facilities, and because it could accommodate overnight lodging for 50 persons. The Secret Service wanted a place where the president could spend several days, if necessary." [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 325] But according to White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke, the decision to head to Offutt instead of back to Washington, DC, was due to a plan called "Continuity of Government." This program, which dates back to the Reagan administration, originally planned to set up a new leadership for the US in the event of a nuclear war. It was activated for the first time shortly before 10:00 a.m. this morning (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Post, 4/7/2004; ABC News, 4/25/2004]
Entity Tags: Dan Bartlett, Barksdale Air Force Base, Thomas Keck, Ann Compton, Ari Fleischer, Doug Mills, George W. Bush, Gordon Johndroe, US Secret Service, 147th Fighter Wing, Sonya Ross, Karl C. Rove, Andrew Card, Richard A. Clarke
Former 9/11 Commission co-chair Lee Hamilton. [Source: CBC]Lee Hamilton, the former co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, gives a wide-ranging interview to the CBC about Without Precedent, a book he recently co-authored about his time on the 9/11 Commission (see August 15, 2006). In the interview he discusses the various "conspiracy theories" surrounding the events of 9/11. The interviewer, Evan Solomon, mentions to him a recent Zogby poll (see May 17, 2006) that found that 42% of Americans agreed that "the US government, and its 9/11 Commission, concealed or refused to investigate critical evidence that contradicts the official explanation of September 11th." Hamilton calls this lack of trust in the Commission's report "dispiriting," but attacks the "conspiracy theory people," saying, "when they make an assertion they do it often on very flimsy evidence." He addresses some of the various "conspiracy theories" that have been put forward about 9/11: In order to contradict the allegation that the Twin Towers were brought down deliberately with pre-planted explosives, Hamilton says the WTC collapsed (see 8:57 a.m. September 11, 2001) because "the super-heated jet fuel melted the steel super-structure of these buildings and caused their collapse." He adds, "There's a powerful lot of evidence to sustain that point of view, including the pictures of the airplanes flying into the building." With regard to the collapse of WTC Building 7 (see (5:20 p.m.) September 11, 2001), which some people claim was also caused by explosives, he argues, "[W]e believe that it was the aftershocks of these two huge buildings in the very near vicinity collapsing. And in the Building 7 case, we think that it was a case of flames setting off a fuel container, which started the fire in Building 7, and that was our theory on Building 7." However, the interviewer points out that the 9/11 Commission's final report does not actually mention the collapse of Building 7, and Hamilton says he does not recall whether the Commission made a specific decision to leave it out. In reply to a question about why the debris of Building 7 were moved quickly from the scene without a thorough investigation, even though nobody died in Building 7 and there was no need for rescue operations there, Hamilton responds, "You can't answer every question when you conduct an investigation." When asked whether Saeed Sheikh sent Mohamed Atta $100,000 for the 9/11 plot (see Early August 2001 and Summer 2001 and before), Hamilton replies, "I don't know anything about it." When the interviewer presses him about whether the Commission investigated a possible Pakistani Secret Service (ISI) connection to the attacks, Hamilton replies, "They may have; I do not recall us writing anything about it in the report. We may have but I don't recall it." Asked about Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta's claim that Vice President Dick Cheney was in the presidential bunker beneath the White House at 9:20 a.m. on 9/11 (see (Between 9:20 a.m. and 9:27 a.m.) September 11, 2001), almost 40 minutes earlier than the Commission claimed he had arrived there, Hamilton replies, "I do not recall." When pressed, he expands, "Well, we think that Vice President Cheney entered the bunker shortly before 10 o'clock. And there is a gap of several minutes there, where we do not really know what the Vice President really did. There is the famous phone call between the President and the Vice President. We could find no documentary evidence of that phone call." When the interviewer points out that Richard Clarke's account conflicts with the Commission's over what time authorization was received from Dick Cheney to shoot down Flight 93 (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001 and (Between 10:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.) September 11, 2001), Hamilton retorts, "Look, you've obviously gone through the report with a fine-toothed comb, you're raising a lot of questions—I can do the same thing." The interviewer also asks Hamilton whether he has any unanswered questions of his own about 9/11. Hamilton's response is: "I could never figure out why these 19 fellas did what they did. We looked into their backgrounds. In one or two cases, they were apparently happy, well-adjusted, not particularly religious - in one case quite well-to-do, had a girlfriend. We just couldn't figure out why he did it. I still don't know." [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 8/21/2006]
Entity Tags: Saeed Sheikh, World Trade Center, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Pakistan Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, Lee Hamilton, 9/11 Commission, Richard A. Clarke, Mohamed Atta, Norman Mineta
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Science overview
During his six-month mission, Luca and crewmates took part in around 20 ESA experiments on the International Space Station. The results will bring benefits to people on Earth and pave the way for future space exploration missions.
The crew devoted considerable time to scientific activities using laboratories such as ESA's Columbus. Columbus is Europe's entrance ticket to the Space Station and ESA's largest single contribution to the orbital outpost.
The Station offers something that researchers on Earth cannot recreate in a laboratory: weightlessness. To understand our world, scientists isolate phenomena to inspect aspects of it. Just like solving algebra sometimes, removing elements from an equation helps to understand natural phenomena.
For example, to find out if a chemical process reacts in a certain way due to gravity or the air around it, it would be necessary to remove one of the elements in a laboratory. Whereas many factors can be switched off in a normal laboratory, the effects of gravity are present everywhere on Earth.
Scientists wishing to conduct research in space can submit their proposals to ESA. A review process looks at the scientific merits, whether the experiment requires the Station and the impact its results could have, as well as keeping the safety of the Station in mind.
Ideally, the researchers themselves would conduct the experiment in space but it is not practical to train hundreds of researchers to become astronauts. Instead, Luca and other astronauts perform the experiments for them. Luca is trained on all the experiments he does in space.
I will be the eyes, ears and arms of the scientists on ground.
Researchers on Earth can follow progress and even control some experiments through User Support and Operations Centres. There are nine dedicated Centres in Europe that provide researchers with a link to their experiments running on the Station.
A full list of ESA experiments can be browsed on the left.


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Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Bene Pharmachem Gmbh To Collaborate On Clinical Studies For MucopolysaccharidosesMay 15, 2013
May 15, 2013 – The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has signed an agreement with bene pharmaChem GmbH to collaborate to conduct clinical studies of pentosan polysulfate (PPS) in patients with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS). The company, based in Germany, is the sole producer of pharmaceutical pentosan polysulfate.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 15, which is International MPS Awareness Day. MPS are a group of inherited metabolic diseases in which a defective or missing enzyme causes large amounts of complex sugar molecules to accumulate in harmful amounts in the body's cells and tissues. This accumulation causes permanent, progressive cellular damage that affects appearance, physical abilities, organ and system functioning, and, in most cases, mental development. Currently there is no cure for these disease syndromes. Medical care is directed at treating systemic conditions and improving the person's quality of life. (To learn more:https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/mucopolysaccharidoses/mucopolysaccharidoses.htm).
The original discoveries demonstrating the utility of (PPS) for the treatment of MPS and other lysosomal storage diseases were made in the Mount Sinai laboratories of Calogera M. Simonaro, MPh, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Edward H. Schuchman, MPh, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences. Dr. Simonaro and Dr. Schuchman have demonstrated in MPS animal models that PPS has the effect of reducing the chronic inflammation associated with substrate accumulation, resulting in improved motility and a slowing of bone/cartilage disease. These effects were superior to other anti-inflammatory drugs such as anti-TNF alpha antibody therapy. Their study, "Pentosan Polysulfate: A Novel Therapy for the Mucopolysaccharidoses," was published by PLOSOne on January 24, 2013.
The agreement between Mount Sinai and bene also includes a clinical trials collaboration to support approval and commercialization of PPS for MPS patients as well as future licensing and supply arrangements. The agreement was negotiated by Mount Sinai Innovation Partners.
"We are excited by the potential of pentosan polysulfate (PPS) for the treatment of MPS and other lysosomal storage disorders," said Dr. Simonaro and Dr. Schuchman. "Our primary goal has been to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this drug, first in MPS animal models, and now, in a collaboration with bene, in clinical trials in MPS patients. We are very pleased that bene will collaborate with us to test PPS for MPS in a formal clinical trial setting, so that the therapy can be approved and available for use by all patients. We will continue to inform the MPS patient community of our efforts."
"We are encouraged by this agreement between Mount Sinai and bene, which has the potential to benefit patients with MPS and their families," said Barbara Wedehase, Executive Director of the National MPS Society. "We are long-time supporters of Dr. Simonaro's research and look forward to the results of this collaboration."
Mount Sinai and bene are working with leading MPS clinicians to design an appropriate clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PPS. Dr. Simonaro and Dr. Schuchman are working to identify an optimal administration of PPS for clinical study in MPS patients. Ongoing studies include an assessment of the pharmacokinetic, biodistribution and toxicological properties of pentosan polysulfate in the specific context of MPS disease, as well as identifying the optimal formulation.
The Ryan Foundation for Orphan Disease Research will be funding an initial study on MPS I, and anticipates starting to enroll MPS patients later this year. "We have been following this research from Dr. Simonaro's presentations at WORLD and the National MPS Society Conference, and are aware of Mount Sinai's progress with PPS as it applies to MPS I. We look forward to this exciting collaboration, and helping people," states Mark Dant, President of The Ryan Foundation (on Facebook at The Ryan Foundation for Orphan Disease Research.)
About bene pharmaChem
bene pharmaChem is a manufacturer and supplier of high quality products for medication and represents the highest degree of technological competence in the production of pharmaceutical ingredients. bene pharmaChem combines state-of-the-art research and development with long-standing medical and pharmaceutical expertise supported by a global network of external partners. bene pharmaChem is known for its investment in the future of medicine and for its concern in accepting social and ecological responsibilities.
bene pharmaChem is a member of the bene corporation and has been owned by the Benend family for two generations. Since its foundation in 1949 bene's name has come to represent innovation and high-quality in the manufacture of medicines. The foundation for bene's success today was laid some 50 years ago with the development of pentosan polysulfate sodium and ben-u-ron. Both established bene's reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality medicines and they are still marketed successfully today.
For more information, visit https://www.bene-pharmachem.de/en/company.php.
About Mount Sinai Innovation Partners
Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (Mount Sinai IP), as part of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, facilitates the transfer of discovery from the laboratory to the marketplace, acting as the interface with commercial entities.
Mount Sinai IP is responsible for the full spectrum of commercialization activities required to bring the Icahn School of Medicine's inventions to life. These activities include evaluating, patenting, marketing, and licensing new technologies, while also negotiating agreements for sponsored research, material transfer, and confidentiality. For more information on Mount Sinai IP, visit: https://www.otbd.org
The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Established in 1968, the Icahn School of Medicine is one of the leading medical schools in the United States. The Medical School is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 14 research institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and by U.S. News & World Report.
The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2011, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital 16th on its elite Honor Roll of the nation's top hospitals based on reputation, safety, and other patient-care factors. Of the top 20 hospitals in the United States, Mount Sinai is one of 12 integrated academic medical centers whose medical school ranks among the top 20 in NIH funding and U.S. News & World Report and whose hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 560,000 outpatient visits took place.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org
Find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube


text:
All the boys from One Direction are taking a couple...
2 is better than 129423233
- by Magcon love 💖💛
- Rating:
- Published: 24 Mar 2014
- Updated: 10 Aug 2014
- Status: In Progress
When 15 year old Arielle Simpson, gets a strange job as a body guard for one of the Magcon boys. Who will she fall for? Will business come before pleasure or will she quit to be with the one she loves? I guess you will have to read and find out!
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