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AP video journalist Simone Camilli killed in Gaza
BEIRUT -- Simone Camilli was a consummate storyteller -- a passionate, talented newsman with an eye for detail and the ability to convey events with powerful video images that touched people around the world.
As an Associated Press video journalist, he covered popes in the serene splendor of the Vatican and the horrific violence on battlefields from the former Soviet republic of Georgia to the Middle East.
But he could also capture the simple joy of a smiling child.
Camilli once said a favorite story of his was about a group of clowns performing for young Syrian refugees, bringing moments of happiness to the lives of the boys and girls who fled the civil war.
The 35-year-old newsman was killed Wednesday in the Gaza Strip when leftover ordnance believed to have been dropped in an Israeli airstrike blew up -- the first foreign journalist to die while covering the Gaza conflict that began last month.
Also killed was freelance Palestinian translator, Ali Shehda Abu Afash, and four Gaza police engineers. Four people, including AP photographer Hatem Moussa, were badly injured.
"He was a very good cameraman and editor and a lot of his best work was not from the battlefield. He was passionately interested in art and music, and it was in these areas that he turned in some of his best work," said Chris Slaney, former senior producer in Jerusalem.
His father, Pier Luigi Camilli, the mayor of the Italian town of Pitigliano and a former journalist himself, spoke of the work that his son did in "all the most dangerous places."
"I'm proud of my son, who did a job that he had since forever in his blood," the elder Camilli told reporters in Rome. "I spoke to him the other day and told him to be careful. 'Be careful, be careful.' He said, 'No, here everything is calm. Don't worry.'"
Simone Camilli's death came at the peak of a thriving career full of promise.
An Italian national, he had worked for the AP since being hired as a freelancer in Rome in 2005 while taking Islamic studies and learning Arabic at Sapienza University. One of his first assignments was covering the illness of Pope John Paul II.
He covered major stories across Europe, including the independence of Kosovo, the war in Georgia and the arrest of Bosnian Serb military leader Radko Mladic. He also had assignments in some of the world's most violent conflict zones in Lebanon, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories.
"Simone was well known throughout Europe, and especially to our video team in London, where his death has hit AP deeply," Gary Pruitt, the AP's chief executive, said in a memo to the staff.
Pope Francis prayed for Camilli in front of journalists on the papal plane to South Korea.
"I have to make a silent prayer for Simone Camilli, one of yours, who today left us in service. Let us pray in silence," said Francis, clearly moved.
"These are the consequences of war," he added.
Camilli relocated to Jerusalem in 2006, and often covered assignments in Gaza, and moved to Beirut in early 2014.
He was a welcome face in Gaza and loved the story so much that he recently turned down an assignment in Iraq to cover the seaside strip, said Najib Jobain, the AP's chief producer in Gaza. He said Camilli was like a brother.
"He was so happy to be with me working in Gaza," Jobain said. "He was asked, 'Do you want to go to Irbil or Gaza?' He said, 'I'll go to Gaza.'"
Other colleagues remembered Camilli as a warm, charming and sensitive man who wanted to be where the news was.
"From the moment he arrived in the Rome bureau, he wanted to learn everything, falling in love with the job," said Maria Grazia Murru, senior producer in Rome.
"He wanted to learn everything and be the first," she said. "I had the greatest admiration for him and what he was doing. I will miss his enthusiasm, his Roman accent and his smile."
Camilli arrived in Jerusalem in 2006 amid a surge in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
While in Jerusalem, Camilli became involved with two Palestinian partners in running an exhibition space and workshop for young artists, Slaney said.
"Simone was largely self-taught in the visual sense, and whenever I was faced with some tricky problem that with 30 years of professional experience I couldn't solve, he was my go-to guy in editing and image manipulation," he said.
While in Beirut, Camilli produced pieces about the more than 1 million Syrians who have fled to Lebanon from a war that has ripped apart their homeland.
His work had "an incredible eye for detail and was able to personalize stories and portray human drama," said Tomislav Skaro, the AP's Middle East regional editor for video.
Camilli's pieces in Gaza told "the narrative of a destroyed Strip trying to get back to life," Skaro said.
"He was incredibly calm, mature beyond his age, gentle and the friend that everybody wants to have," he added.
Camilli is survived by a longtime partner and a 3-year-old daughter in Beirut, as well as his parents and two sisters.
The day before he left Beirut for Jerusalem and what would be his final assignment in Gaza, Camilli spoke happily over coffee about visiting his father during a recent vacation in Pitigliano, a Tuscan town of about 4,000 people between Florence and Rome.
He sported a new haircut, which made him look younger and more mischievous. But then he gave his signature timid smile, eager to get to his new story.
Diaa Hadid, a longtime colleague who worked with Camilli most recently in Irbil, Iraq, described him as "warm, lovely, funny."
"I can't think of the past tense and Simone," she said.
Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield traveling aboard the papal plane contributed to this story.


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LOS ANGELES – Former Los Angeles Lakers star Robert Horry was behind the wheel of a car that collided with a motorcycle on the eastbound Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway in the southwest Los Angeles area near Inglewood, leaving the rider hospitalized, the California Highway Patrol reported Wednesday.
Horry, 43, was driving a 2014 Infiniti that collided with a 2013 Yamaha motorcycle driven by Xerxes Baldonasa, 44, of Long Beach, about 5:10 p.m. Tuesday on the 105, west of Normandie Avenue, according to the CHP.
Baldonasa was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderate injuries, the CHP reported.
Horry whose city of residence was listed as Richmond, Texas, wasn't injured.
According to the CcHP's preliminary investigation, Horry was in the No. 1 lane, and Baldonasa was riding "between two sets of double yellow lines that separate the High Occupancy Vehicle lane and the No. 1 lane, approaching the left rear of (the Infiniti)."
"(Horry) attempted to change lanes from the No. 1 lane into the HOV lane, crossing over the double yellow lines as (the motorcycle) approached (the Infiniti)," the CHP reported. "This movement caused (the Infiniti) to collide into (the motorcycle)."
The accident remains under investigation. Neither motorist was arrested.
Horry played for the Lakers from 1997-2003. He has also played for the Houston Rockets, the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs.

subset: commoncrawl


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312 members8 Likes
Ronald C. Porter has not received any gifts yet
Thanks for the add! Let me know if you need any help. Also, I recommend that you upload a profile pic of anything you like. This will make it easier to meet new people here. See you around, M
Perhaps we should check to see what type of grip Saleh is holding when he hits his slice backhand. It might be a continental grip. Have you noticed?
I am out of touch until Saturday. All next week I am open.
The Bull Red was caught on the same day that Tiger Woods hit the tree.
I had a better day than he did. It was out of the water for less than 30 secs.
I am a teacher and off for the summer. I can hit in the mornings or evenings if you like. I often go to Brandeis High School. The courts are behind the track. The gate is always open.
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Maples v. Thomas
|Docket No.
|Op. Below
|11th Cir.
Oct 4, 2011
|Jan 18, 2012
Holding: Death row inmate Cory Maples has shown the requisite "cause" to excuse his procedural default, which occurred when his lawyer missed a filing deadline in state court.
Judgment: Eleventh Circuit reversed, 7-2, in an opinion by Justice Ginsburg on January 18, 2012. Justice Alito filed a concurring opinion. Justice Scalia filed a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justice Thomas.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Academic round-up (Amanda Frost)
- The October sitting, week one: In Plain English (Amy Howe)
- Argument recap: Maples will get, at least, a remand? (Amy Howe)
- Argument preview: What "cause" will excuse default in capital case? (Amy Howe)
Briefs and Documents
Merits Briefs for the Petitioner
Amicus Briefs in Support of the Petitioner
- Brief for Deborah A. DeMott
- Brief for the Constitution Project and Cato Institute
- Brief for Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Brief for NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.
- Brief for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers et al.
- Brief for Alabama Appellate Court Justices and Bar Presidents
- Brief for Legal Ethics Professors and Practicioners and the Ethics Bureau at Yale
Merits Briefs for the Respondent
Amicus Briefs in Support of the Respondent
Certiorari-stage documents
- Opinion below (11th Circuit)
- Petition for Certiorari
- Amicus brief of Alabama Appellate Court Justices et al.
- Amicus brief of the Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Amicus brief of the Constitution Project
- Amicus brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Brief in opposition (unavailable)
- Second supplemental brief for petitioner (unavailable)
- First supplemental brief for petitioner (unavailable)
- Supplemental brief for respondent (unavailable)
- Petitioner's reply (unavailable)


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Voters approve downtown streetcar tax
Measure moves city closer to trolley service downtown
Voters in a special downtown transportation district in Kansas City have approved a measure that would impose a sales tax increase to help pay for a $100 million downtown streetcar line.
The measure passed with 64 percent of the vote.
The proposed route would run between the River Market and Union Station, mostly along Main Street.
Supporters said it would be a boost to economic development downtown, offering a transportation option for people who live and work in the area. Critics have said that the benefits of the proposal have been exaggerated.
The only people eligible to vote in the election were those who live in the area and requested a mail-in ballot in advance. About 700 people requested ballots to participate in the vote, and those ballots were due by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
This story is developing. Refresh this page for updates.


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Join the Master's Advisory Council (MAC) to lead and represent the interests of your fellow MS students. MAC is committed to the continuous improvement of Simon's MS programs. The council's main function is to increase the visibility and involvement of Simon's Full-Time MS students, as well as advise staff on how to enhance services. Students are elected during the Pre-Fall term and MAC representatives collaborate with the Graduate Business Council throughout the academic year.
As part of the Master's Advisory Council, you'll have the opportunity to:


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Empowering Excellence in Government through Great People.
We lead and serve the Federal Government in enterprise human resources management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted effective civilian workforce.
Find out more about Federal compensation throughout your career and around the world.
Staffing to align with your agency's mission
Review the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Handbook
Answering your questions about Healthcare and Insurance
Manage your retirement online.
Human Resources and Security Specialists should use this tool to determine the correct investigation level for any covered position within the U.S. Federal Government.
"...The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall serve as the Suitability and Credentialing Agent..." ~Executive Order 13467, as amended
OPM's Human Resources Solutions organization can help your agency answer this critically important question.
Developing senior leaders in the U.S. Government through Leadership for a Democratic Society, Custom Programs and Interagency Courses.
Visit this federal site to search for our regulatory notices, proposed and final rules.
See the latest tweets on our Twitter feed, like our Facebook pages, watch our YouTube videos, and page through our Flickr photos.
Degree: soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science.
Combination of education and experience: at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown in A above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science.
Evaluation of Education: Education that provided specialized knowledge and skills in soil and water conservation is more valuable than education that imparted broad but general knowledge and skills. Courses in soil fertility, soil chemistry, soil genesis, plant physiology, plant science, and field crops are examples of specialized courses that contribute towards meeting the required 12 semester hours as described above. Courses in the physical sciences or engineering such as geology, civil engineering, and hydrology also meet the soils, crops, or plant science course requirements where such courses included a complete introduction to the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils.
Evaluation of Experience: Experience that included the application of techniques, principles, and methods from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields is appropriate, given the interdisciplinary character of the soil conservation occupation. For example, experience gained in a specialized field such as soil science, forestry, or agronomy is as fully acceptable as experience directly obtained in soil conservation work.
Use the Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Professional and Scientific Positions for this series in conjunction with the Individual Occupational Requirements described below.


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The Semiconductor Industry serves as a driver, enabler and indicator of technological progress. Developments in the industry determine the way we work, transport ourselves, communicate, entertain ourselves and respond to our environment. The PCs we work on, the cars we drive, the phones we communicate with, the electronic gadgets on which we watch movies, listen to music and play games on, and the planes and weapons used to transport or protect us use semiconductor devices.
As environmental issues have become more of a concern today, semiconductor devices are being made to reduce power consumption, reduce heat dissipation, capture solar energy, create more efficient lighting solutions and so forth.
The past decade has seen big changes in the industry, with most players streamlining operations and transferring more routine production to low-cost locations. This led to the development of the Asian market, where most memory production and backend operations have shifted.
However, since innovation remains largely within the country, the sector is one of the biggest employers of labor, with a corresponding significant impact on the overall economy.
End Market Drivers
The computing and consumer end markets together consume around 60% of total semiconductors sold. Therefore, they have a significant influence on total sector performance.
A number of factors, in combination, are bringing about a complete turnaround in the computing market. The near-term outlook is bleak for semiconductor manufacturers, with IHS iSuppli expecting sales to decline 1.9% this year. The negatives (tablet cannibalization, weaker-than-expected spending by both consumers and enterprises) are outweighing the positives (cloud computing, Windows 8) for now but things are expected to get better next year.
Emerging Markets, such as China, India, Brazil and Russia remain a positive for sector growth. However, this growth is coming at the cost of profits because of poorer purchasing power in these regions. Additionally, the macro weakness in developed regions is also impacting certain emerging markets.
With ultra-portable computing devices gaining popularity, the distinction between consumer and computing markets is blurring in some cases. Of course, the consumer electronics market also includes other gadgets such as LCD TVs, Blu-ray players and smartphones.
The Consumer Electronics Association ("CEA") expects global consumer electronics sales to be up 5.9% this year, driven by growth in tablets (up 83% from 2011), smartphones (up 24%), networked-enabled TVs (20%) and 3D-enabled displays (75%). A growing number of consumer electronic devices are now being sold into /factory-installed on automobiles.
IHS iSuppli is very positive about semiconductor sales into the communications market and expects both the wireless and wireline segments to make a positive contribution. Wireless is expected to be the stronger of the two, increasing 10.4%, with wireline relatively flat at 0.7%. Increasing data volumes across the world and infrastructure build-outs in emerging regions are positive drivers.
Industrial consumption of semiconductors is expected to be one of the strongest this year, driven by the need for production efficiencies, which in turn is increasing demand for power management semiconductor solutions. IHS iSuppli expects semiconductors for industrial applications to be up 7.7% this year, just slightly short of the 9.3% growth in 2011. Medical Devices (normally included in this segment) is an emerging area where semiconductor usage continues to increase.
The automotive end market is an emerging area for semiconductors. The growing electronic content within this market is a secular trend, as demand for safety, infotainment, navigation and fuel efficiency continue to increase. As a result, semiconductors serving this market should grow stronger than the industry over the next few years, although, we may see some changes in days to come, since nearly a fifth of vehicle production has moved to China and we may expect more to follow.
While 2012 started off well, conditions deteriorated for suppliers somewhat because of the protracted weakness in Europe and sluggish recovery in the U.S. Therefore, IHS iSuppli expects the market to grow just 2.7% for the full year, down from the 10.0% growth recorded in 2011.
The aerospace and defense markets are considerably dependent on government spending and policy making. The commercial aerospace market (which lags an economic downturn or recovery) has started looking up. Production increases should be slightly positive for the semiconductor industry this year.
The outlook for defense spending on the other hand is not encouraging, with focus remaining on intelligence systems and basic weaponry. Electronic weaponry remains a bright spot. So semiconductor manufacturers serving these markets continue to see mixed results, depending on the customers served.
Forecast for the Full Year
Semiconductor sales in the first half of 2012 remained below the level generated in the first half of 2011.
Overall, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) projections (based on WSTS data) places worldwide semiconductor sales growth at 0.4% in 2012 and 7.2% in 2013. The Americas region is expected to be up 3.2% in 2012, Japan 1.7%, Asia/Pacific 0.1% and Europe down 3.5%.
IHS iSuppi is even more negative about growth this year, expecting the PC market slowdown to result in a 0.1% decline in global sales.
Major Players
The major players in the industry may be categorized into chipmakers (OEMs-whether fabless or otherwise), equipment and material suppliers and foundries.
According to estimates from IHS iSuppli, Intel ( INTC ) and Samsung remained the top two semiconductor suppliers in 2011, while Texas Instruments ( TXN ) overtook Toshiba Corp. to attain the number three position (helped by the National Semiconductor acquisition).
Renesas remained at number 5, followed by Qualcomm ( QCOM ), which moved up from the ninth position in 2010. STMicroelectronics ( STM ) remained at number 7, with Hynix, Micron Technologies ( MU ) and Broadcom ( BRCM ) in the eighth, ninth and tenth positions, respectively. Applied Micro Devices ( AMD ) crept up from number 12 to number 11.
Equipment Makers
Gartner estimates that spending on semiconductor capital equipment increased 13.7% in 2011, on top of the 118.4% increase in 2010. The increase was almost totally driven by wafer fab equipment ("WFE"), with other segments declining mid-single-digits.
However, the research firm expects the equipment market to decline 19.5% to around $52 billion in 2012, growing 19.2% the following year. The decline is expected to be across all segments, with WFE declining 22.9%, automated test equipment ("ATE") declining 16.5% and packaging assembly equipment ("PAE") declining 13.5%.
SEMI estimates are slightly different. The research firm expects semiconductor equipment sales to decline 10.8% this year, following a 4.7% increase in 2011. The research firm expects all geographies except South Korea to decline in 2012 and rebound thereafter in 2013.
The increased spending on technology upgrades during 2011 resulted in sufficient capacity for 2012 and 2013. However, the growing demand for semiconductors is likely to encourage the next wave of spending some time in 2013. At that time, we are likely to see some new fabs, spending on which was averted to an extent in the current cycle through the use of superior technology.
Latest research from VLSI shows that ASML Holdings ( ASML ) surpassed Applied Materials ( AMAT ) to attain the number one spot in 2011. This was possible because of increased spending on lithography tools during the year. Therefore, while the top 15 equipment suppliers grew just 13%, ASML and Nikkon (another supplier of lithography tools) together grew 27%. Tokyo Electron, KLA-Tencor ( KLAC ) and Lam Research ( LRCX ) occupied the next three positions, respectively.
However, the story could change again in 2012, because of consolidation in the market. This year, Applied will include Varian (number 13 from 10 months as an independent company in 2011), Lam will include Novellus (number 10 in 2011) and Advantest (number 8) will include a full year of Verigy.
The pureplay Foundry segment has undergone significant changes over the past few years although the top five positions have not changed much, according to research from Gartner. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company ( TSM ) remains the leader by far, followed by Taiwan-based United Microelectronics Corp ( UMC ). GlobalFoundries remains at number three, with Chinese foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp ( SMI ) at number four. The only change was with respect to specialty foundry TowerJazz ( TSEM ), which displaced Dongbu Hi-Tech to jump to the fifth position.
A few clear leaders are emerging in the foundry segment - Taiwan Semiconductor at the trailing edge, GlobalFoundries at the leading edge and Tower Semiconductor in the specialty category (analog). Additionally, Intel and Texas Instruments' foundries make them two strong contenders with leading edge capabilities.
One of the primary beneficiaries of the growth in mobile phones, tablets and the like is ARM Holdings ( ARMH ), with its power-efficient, low-performance chip architecture. With new versions of ARM chips coming to market, it is likely that the chips will gradually spread to the server segment as well (not a 2012 phenomenon). Others would be Qualcomm ( QCOM ), Samsung and Texas Instruments, all of which are big semiconductor manufacturers that use ARM architecture.
Although we remain cautious about Intel's growth initiatives in mobile and believe that the macro situation remains a deterrent to Ultrabook sales, the company's market position, cash balance, technology lead, and management strategy and execution are positives.
Analog companies with a focus on the communications, mobile and networking technologies such as Broadcom Corp ( BRCM ) and TriQuint Semiconductor ( TQNT ) may be expected to hold up better than others in the next few months.
The largest foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor is also likely to do well and valuation is attractive. Additionally, the patent war between Apple ( AAPL ) and Samsung may have Apple moving production to another foundry and Taiwan Semiconductor could be the beneficiary.
We believe that inventory rebalancing and adjustment continue to date. Given the uncertainties in demand, we think that semiconductor manufacturers will curtail investment in capacity although technology purchases could continue. In this environment, we would avoid investment in equipment companies, such as Applied Materials, KLA-Tencor, Lam Research, etc.
APPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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- This event has passed.
December 15, 2019 @ 11:00 am - 11:30 am
An event every week that begins at 11:00 am on Sunday, repeating indefinitely
Event Navigation
Please plan to linger after worship so that we may greet you. We gather outside the sanctuary in good weather, or in Room 8, across the garden from the sanctuary.
Pastries and beverages are provided.
Once a month there's an all-church luncheon following the worship service. It's usually on the first Sunday, but may shift occasionally. Everyone is welcome—even if you are worshiping with us for the first time. There is always plenty of food. Never hesitate to join us or to bring a guest!


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If you're the parent of a child in a Surrey public school, you've no doubt grown accustomed to having the kids out of class for two weeks each spring.
And like it or not, the extended spring break vacation is here to stay – not just for next year, but until 2017.
For the first time, the Surrey Board of Education has approved its district-wide school calendars for the next three consecutive schools years – 2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017.
Each of the three school years, approved at the board's last meeting on March 13, includes six non-instructional days throughout the year, as well as four or five extra school closure days in Surrey to extend the normally week-long provincial spring break in March.
The extra spring break days add up to a savings of at least a half-million dollars for the school district.
Spring break will be March 9-20 next year, March 14-24 in 2016 and March 13-24 in 2017.
Trustee Reni Masi said the district consulted with parents, students and employees about the school calendar proposals and all were supportive.
The School Amendment Act (Bill 36) enacted in spring 2012, established new rules wherein there is no longer a standard B.C. school calendar and each district is required to establish its own school schedules following consultation with stakeholders.


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Mexico airport shooting exposes ongoing safety issue
(AP) MEXICO CITY - From cash in chili pepper cans to cocaine in cardboard boxes, Mexico City's international airport has long been considered the capital's main transport hub for drugs and other contraband that seem to move as smoothly as any cargo and usually with no fuss for passengers.
A deadly shootout among federal police on Monday changed that, drawing attention to a darker side of the country's premier airport generally considered safe and efficient in its handling of more than 27 million passengers and 400,000 tons of cargo a year.
Tourists passing Tuesday through the modern Terminal 2, where the shooting occurred, seemed unfazed. But airport workers in the building, with giant walls of white concrete perforated with thousands of decorative holes, said the fatal shooting had shattered their sense of safety.
"I couldn't believe it because there was so much security," said Maria Eugenia Cruz, 52, who has worked as a custodian for five months but was on her day off when the shooting occurred. "I'm afraid of another shootout."
Two federal police officers suspected of working for drug traffickers opened fire on fellow officers in a crowded food court Monday, killing three policemen as panicked witnesses dove for cover.
The slain officers were on an anti-narcotics mission as they sought to catch the suspected criminals in the act of drug trafficking, said a federal police official who wasn't authorized to speak on the record. A police statement said the suspects, who were identified in surveillance camera video, were involved in a small-time drug ring. They remain at large.
"It was a huge error to try to capture people inside an airport because it's a sensitive area," said security expert Raul Benitez at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. "It can cause a tremendous international scandal that hurts the image of the police and the airport."
3 cops killed in Mexico City airport shooting
Mexico troops detain son of most-wanted drug lord
Cartels are known to pay off police, cargo companies, security firms and even pilots and flight attendants to carry drugs and money, including more than $1 million packed into food cans and more than half a ton of cocaine in 13 cardboard boxes with tape bearing the logo of Mexicana Airlines.
Last year, customs agents found $2.5 million rolled up in spools of telephone cable headed for Venezuela, and an Aeromexico pilot was stopped in Madrid carrying 90 pounds of cocaine. That was several months after three Aeromexico flight attendants were caught in the Madrid airport with 300 pounds of cocaine in their luggage, a case that also saw the arrests of private security company employees operating the security checkpoints in Mexico City's airport.
In 2008, federal police chief Edgar Millan was gunned down inside his Mexico City home possibly in retaliation for investigating drug trafficking at the airport. The previous year, the severed heads of three employees of a customs brokerage firm were found near the airport and in the nearby state of Mexico. The decapitations were apparently retaliation for the seizure of a half-ton of Colombian cocaine at the airport, officials said at the time.
Benitez said Mexico's main airport has, in fact, become an alternative route for drugs from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador headed to Europe, while cash comes in from the United States.
It's the same problem in many international airports. U.S. federal agents swept through Puerto Rico's largest airport earlier this month, arresting dozens of baggage handlers, airline workers and others suspected of smuggling millions of dollars' worth of cocaine aboard commercial flights for at least a decade. Airline workers have been arrested in international smuggling operations involving airports in Detroit, Houston and New York, to name a few in the U.S.
Monday's shooting added another deadly chapter to the Mexico City airport's problems. The federal Public Safety Department said the slain agents were taking part in an 18-month investigation into corrupt federal and local officials who were part of a cocaine trafficking ring. The operation has seized 648 pounds (294 kilograms) of cocaine at the airport.
Mexico's customs agency said it doesn't keep a running total of all confiscations at the airport.
The police official said the wanted officers may have once belonged to the federal highway police, a separate agency that was absorbed into general federal forces. While Mexico has dramatically expanded its federal police force with newly trained and vetted officers, some veterans of earlier forces still work under the old corrupt system in which officers routinely collaborate with criminal organizations.
Despite Monday's violence, U.S. Embassy officials said they have no plans to issue a separate travel warning for the airport, aside from their standing recommendations for Mexico.
Tourists passing through Terminal 2 on Tuesday also said they weren't worried, at least not yet.
Mario and Luisa Ortiz, of Argentina, said they vacation in Mexico every year and were on their way to the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta.
"The narcos and the violence don't affect us, " said Mario Ortiz, a 51-year-old banker. "That's a Mexican problem."


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Magnetic Speed Controller MSC 50
The magnetic speed controller MSC 50 is a purely mechanical speed controller that ensures a controlled, slow speed on gravity conveyors with materials weighing from 0.5 kg (1 lb) to a maximum of 35 kg (77 lbs). The magnetic speed controller operates without a gear box, thus enabling startup for very lightweight containers. Heavy containers are transported at a controlled speed thanks to the consistently high braking performance.


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When the President of the United States of America is reduced to quoting propaganda nonsense fabricated by his own neocon supporters, that's pathetic.
When he does so specifically in order to justify failed policies which continue to see dozens, if not hundreds, dead every day in Iraq, that's worse than tragic. It's criminal.
Here's what President Bush just said today:
The missions I described are only the opening salvos in what is going to be a sustained effort. Yet, the Iraqi people are beginning to say -- see positive changes. I want to share with you how two Iraqi bloggers -- they have bloggers in Baghdad, just like we've got here -- (laughter) -- "Displaced families are returning home, marketplaces are seeing more activity, stores that were long shuttered are now reopening. We feel safer about moving in the city now. Our people want to see this effort succeed. We hope the governments in Baghdad and America do not lose their resolve."That's a direct quote from the Fadhil brothers' Wall Street Journal piece I just linked to five minutes ago. Bush is really scraping the bottom of the propaganda barrel here, folks.
Where do I start? Let's hope Bush's remarks shine some long-overdue light on the neocons' favourite fantasists.
For anyone not familiar with the story, which is a long-running saga on this blog, Omar and Mohammed Fadhil run a blog called Iraq The Model (ITM). They have a brother named Ali Fadhil who angrily departed the blog under very odd circumstances just before the 2004 US election, when Omar and Mohammed went to Washington to meet with Bush and Wolfowitz in the Oval Office. The White House meeting was organized by a bogus US "charity" called Spirit of America (SoA), whose CEO Jim Hake was also present.
Ali Fadhil alleged that the SoA staff were using the Fadhil brothers for propaganda purposes. He said that SoA CEO Jim Hake and his former "Director of Logistics and Procurement" Kerry Dupont were "stealing donors money" and lying to both Iraqis and Americans. He said Dupont offered the brothers $300,000 "that we could use to do what we want".
Mohammed seemed to recall her saying tht it was Kerry's personal money while I recall her saying it wasn't.As I have said previously:
Three hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money to be throwing around, folks. And let's remember, this was happening while Paul Bremer was (supposedly) running Iraq and US$800 million was disappearing! Add two and two together and you would have to think that the money Dupont was offering came from those same taxpayer-funded coffers. But how the hell did Kerry Dupont get authorised to hand it out? Prior to her (extensive) involvement with Iraq The Model, Dupont was (as far as I can tell) just a plain old mother of two from Topsham, Maine. What happened on the way to Baghdad, Kerry?When Ali complained to Jim Hake about Dupont's behaviour, Hake dumped him from the trip to the USA. Afterwards he promised Ali "any position I wanted and any salary I would find suitable". Instead of taking the offer, Ali went public with a barrage of blog posts exposing SoA projects where he claimed money had gone missing and SoA's claimed goals had proved illusory. Then suddenly - after discussions with his two brothers - Ali deleted his blog posts, aplogized for causing any trouble, and refused to discuss his allegations any further.
Ali maintained a blog of his own for a while, but the URL later pointed to a porn site and now suggests that Ali may be living in "freedom" in Germany. His brothers quickly removed Ali's blog link from their Iraq The Model site and no longer even mention his name.
That's just the start of it! When you look at the people who were behind setting up Iraq The Model and Spirit of America, a whole new ball game opens up.
Spirit of America was originally set up and supported by Cyber Century Forum (CCF), a group dedicated to spreading US influence worldwide, with a particular emphasis on covert cyber-intelligence measures. Cyber Century Forum's three ageing members are old guard warhorses from the Cold War days. And they used oil company finances to set up Spirit Of America:
Cyber Century Forum's tax return for 2003 shows that it holds $109,440 in corporate stocks from Schlumberger Ltd, "the leading oilfield services technology company supplying technology, project management and information solutions to the oil and gas industries". It also holds a further US$9,292 in stocks from Transocean Sedco Forex, the world's largest offshore drilling company. Now isn't that a big surprise? "Freedom and Democracy for Iraq", sponsored by the US oil and gas industry.There is even more if you want to keep digging. For example, two of the three members of Cyber Century Forum are also members of a top-level think-tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which is also dedidicated to spreading US influence.
And Spirit of America is a client of Direct Impact, a "grassroots marketing" organisation, whose marketing involves creating a "Buzz" by getting seemingly ordinary people (or better yet, influential people) to promote a product by word-of-mouth. Online promoters include people like Jeff Jarvis, who also helped set up Iraq The Model.
And Jim Hake went on to set up a media company called SignalOne media with people like Ahmad al-Rikaby (from Baghdad's own Radio Dijla and formerly U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe) and former US Ambassador and Kissinger speech-writer Mark Palmer (a member of the Committee for Present Danger).
I am not suggesting that Bush is familiar with this whole ITM/SoA story, but the fact that he is reduced to quoting such blatant propagandists just goes to show how desperate he now is.
For more information, use the search box in the top left of this blog, or check out feedback from other (genuine) Iraqi bloggers like Iraqi Konfused Kid. Any comments are welcome.
UPDATE: Jeebus! I posted this at TPM Cafe ten minutes ago and I am already getting hits from the US military's Directorate of Automation Services! Let's hope I make it home tonight!
UPDATE 2: Reuters picks up the story and the SMH runs with it. Well done! Even better, the article suggests that Reuters staff have questioned the Bush White House about their source:
In a speech, Bush did not identify them, but the White House said he was referring to an opinion article published March 5 in the Wall Street Journal by the two bloggers, Omar and Mohammed Fadhil.
UPDATE 3: RawStory is also on the case:
During his speech, Bush also quoted from an editorial written by bloggers from Iraq the Model published in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago to argue that his "surge" or escalation plan has already been successful.UPDATE 4: JuliaAnn at Kos has picked up the story, but the "kids" in the comments are running all over the place with it (points for enthusiasm). Someone has the good sense to link to this post but it's obvious others have not followed the links. FYI, Kos folks: the Texas-based blog registration address for ITM has previously been explained as a result of US-based bloggers like Jarvis and the decidedly dodgy Tom Villars very thoughtfully "helping" to get the blog started.
And meanwhile there seems to have been a "surge" in propaganda from the Fadhils. An editorial in Investors Business Daily cited their upbeat blog on March 14th. A week later, Omar Fadhil was spreading even more "good news" for the Christian views section of World Magazine:
Is the change in U.S. military strategy evident on the streets of Baghdad?Notice how the Fadhils never even mention these media scoops (I'm thinking WSJ more than IBD or WM) on their blog. As I write, they have not even bothered to post a story mentioning that Bush is quoting them. You'd think that might be a memorable thing for a couple of humble Iraqi dentists, wouldn't you?
Fadhil said: "Absolutely! A lot more troops, Iraqi and American, are available and visible in Baghdad than there were a couple months ago—checkpoints are more abundant and security measures are far stricter than before. And yes, civilian activity is much better now than before...
But without focussing too narrowly on these bogus bloggers, the real issue here is surely the very sad fact that George W. Bush, the President of the United States of America, is living in a dreamy cocoon of fictional fantasy. Where does he get his information? Who fed him the quotes from the Fadhil brothers (please tell me he is not a regular reader at ITM!)? Does he really believe this crap, or is he just bullshitting for all he is worth?
UPDATE 5: The New York Times has this rather thin story. Associated Press's story is also laced with scepticism but assumes readers are a few years behind the times:
Blogs are Web sites that tend to be narrow in focus and directed at a niche audience. Most operate without editors and give instant reaction to the news. Their freewheeling, open nature makes them popular but also ripe for unverified statements.Greg Mitchell does a better job, quoting White House spokeswoman Dana Perino defending Bush's decision to quote bloggers:
"I think that maybe somebody found it compelling, the President wanted to include it in his speech..."Oh my God, he does read ITM, doesn't he?! Or maybe just the WSJ (not much better)? I guess if you are desperate to believe your own "surge to victory" fantasy, where else are you going to go?
Meanwhile, Jillian at Kos reminds us that paid blogging propaganda is most certainly a happening thing, citing this Austin Statesman story:
These days, even the U.S. State Department is blogging.When I suggest that people get paid to post comments, I am called a Conspiracy Theorist. When Karen Hughes admits it, she's a genius.
[Karen] Hughes' video blogs are one way the State Department seeks to improve America's image overseas. It's an acknowledgement that while terrorism materializes in violent attacks, it's rooted in anti-American ideas and perceptions. The department is trying to challenge those ideas before they take root.
It's why Hughes, the State Department's undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, hired a half-dozen Arabic speakers to surf international blogs and post messages that counter "propaganda and rumors with facts," she said.
What's really tragic is that these fools in the White House today think they can win a war with nothing but pure spin. They got hit by bloggers early on, so they have come back with blogs of their own. But it was never the blogs that were the real problem: it was the inconvenient FACTS the bloggers were highlighting.
UPDATE 6: Mo Fadhil has updated ITM with a predictable post aimed more at dismissing his critics than celebrating his propaganda victory:
I've seen some of them publish stories full of lies and accusations they can't support and I think it's pathetic to throw the "you're a sold-out propaganda" accusation at people just because they don't share the same point of view. This only reflects their lack of knowledge and the bankruptcy of ideas they suffer.Facts, Mo? The fact is that you routinely ignore inconvenient facts (like another hundred plus dead in Baghdad today, where you are supposedly having beers and a BBQ) and relentlessly push a line of propaganda which has been consistently in tune with the US neocons since you first chose the name "Iraq The Model". The fact is that you have never bothered to answer or explain Ali's allegations, or your shady relationship with Spirit of America and other US financial backers. The fact is that your opinions are totally out of touch with the vast majority of Iraqis, your fans are in the redneck States and Tel Aviv, and (more importantly) the US military action which your charlatan blog advocates has already killed over 600,000 of your countrymen and continues to reap more innocent victims every day.
We speak the language of facts, supported by images and statistics and more important, we live here while they don't.
UPDATE 7: This is turning into quite a trip down memory lane. There was a big, bitching, blogger-bashing brouhaha back in January 2005 when Martini Republic and Sarah Boxer at the NYT first picked up on my ITM criticisms and Juan Cole backed her up. Jeff Jarvis called Cole pond scum and screamed that my reckless allegations had foolishly endangered the Fadhil brothers' lives (as if a White House visit was not guaranteed to place a target on your back in Baghdad). Even the BBC weighed in (ever so gently, of course).
Now we have Zionist blogs like KesherTalk wading back into the fray, and media whores like Michelle Malkin pulling up the rear. My concern is that this might all come to be seen as another unsightly dustup between rival bloggers (last time the allegations against the Fadhils were being countered with claimes that Riverbend was a fake).
The most important issue here is not whether ITM is a CIA blog, or a money-making scam, or a desperate trick to earn the Fadhils a couple of US Green Cards. It's not whether SoA is a clever bit of US PsyOps, or a neocon money-laundering operations. It is the fact that this foolish nonsense is all Bush has got left in his propaganda armoury. The man is a fool, a fake and a shameless stooge. Impeach now!!!.
UPDATE 8: Glenn Reynolds jumps on the bandwagon:
Is there any enemy of America that the left won't side with? Or any friend that the left won't oppose? No.But the wingnut response seems pretty muted so far. Meanwhile, Ryeland at Kos has compiled the DC's efforts into a single decent post which begins to open the doors on Spirit of America's involvement (let's see what you Kos Kids can do with that, eh?). And for a bit of light relief, Attaturk has provided this video. To quote one dental patient:
It's your professionalism that I respect!Wo ist der weisse Engel? Hey, did somebody just mention the Nazis?
UPDATE 9: Whoo hoo! Gandhi gets linked at the world best blog site: Antiwar.com! And that, ladies and gentlemen, should be enough to push my hits on this blog over the magic 100,000 mark! I'd like to thank the Academy, my family, and of course the brothers Fadhil...! Oooh, this is just embarrassing now, isn't it George?
Let me express a little hope and a prayer here. I am an ordinary, working class Aussie father of three who has simply become so outraged by the Bush administration and my own government's War Crime participation in the invasion of Iraq that I have been compulsively blogging against these bastards for about four years. I know poor little Dubya is facing a whole host of big, nasty problems right now, from his failed war in Iraq to his failed manipulation of the justice system in the USA, but I dare hope - and pray - that this little story might just be the straw that breaks the big, fat, oil-guzzling camel's back.
Seriously, what could be more emblematic of Bush's pathetic situation today than the fact that he is reduced - nay, he chooses it because he is so out of touch! - to quoting these charlatan bloggers for proof of his desperate last "surge" policy's success?
I have been derided by wingnuts as a misguided idealist. I do not deny that I dare to dream. But it is really Bush and his supporters who are the the wilfully ignorant idealists: their fantasy vision of Iraq, an ideal that will never, ever be realised, has already cost over 650,000 lives. How many more must die before the people of the USA bring this sad horror to an end?
Impeach. Now!
UPDATE 10: Amazing coincidences are a regular thing in BushWorld. One day the President is quoting your words, the next day US troops are raiding your home. A pretty transparent effort to establish some credibility, IMHO:
At the end we stood to take some pictures together.Oh yeah, that's right. The Fadhil's cannot possibly appear in photos. It's far too dangerous! Even though everything in Baghdad is just fine these days. And even though they previously had their photos in USA Today and other major publications.
These are bloggers dude, cover your face if you don't want to be seen nude on the internet tomorrow! One soldier said to his colleague as I snapped this photo, and we all chuckled.
And I know what you're thinking; Mohammed and I do not appear in this one.
The photo above was taken from their now-defunct political party website (still publicly available here). Yeah, they started their own political party, the grandly named Iraqi Pro-democracy Party, for the 2005 elections. Donations poured in from eager wingnuts. Surprise! Political party disappeared without trace. But hey! Don't let the fact that they got less than zero percent of the vote stop you from thinking that these guys represent the true hopes and dreams of intelligent Iraqis who yearn for Freedom (TM). M'kay?
Meanwhile, somebody at the Boston Herald needs a good kick in the pants:
The brothers, who met Bush in the Oval Office in 2004, are widely respected on the Internet and have become regulars on sites such as www.pajamasmedia.com, www.instapundit.com and www.memeorandum.com, with their reports on how Iraqis are experiencing life in Baghdad.What's that all about? I thought the Boston Herald used to be a decent paper.
You know, I used to think the ITM blog was a CIA operation, but that's obviously not the case. If an operation ever became this compromised, the CIA would have had the good sense to shut it down long ago.
UPDATE 11: Ryeland at Kos helps explains the timely US raid on the Fadhil's house with a link to this story:
US forces are conducting realistic mock raids of Iraqi businesses in order to "hide in plain sight," i.e. to gain access to the businesses on the US payroll in order to take stock of the progress, without revealing that the business is working with the Americans.I am still not even totally convinced the Fadhil brothers are even living in Baghdad. There are large US military bases in Germany, an Iraqi named Omar Fadhil on German radio, and Ali - whose latest blog is in German - has previously done interviews with German media. It would be easy enough to get photos and news stories from soldiers and other contacts in Iraq and then compile them in Berlin. But that's not really the point, is it? Whether it's a Baghdad-based PsyOps or not, it is clearly a farce.
And what all this reveals, as my good friend Winter Patriot says, is that THERE'S NOTHING LEFT BUT SPIN.
UPDATE 12: Omar Fadhil is now officially Pajamas Media's "Baghdad Editor". The results are totally predictable: even more of the same. Should we judge a man by the company he keeps?
I hope that by the time you read this, the cruise missiles have already impacted; the stealth bombers have taken out radar and missiles sites; the land and sea blockade is in place … nothing moving in or out of an Iranian port and any road traffic that doesn't risk death from above. I hope, by the time you read this, the destruction of Iran's military infrastructure is underway.How long before Bush starts quoting bloggers from Tehran?
Because we are magnanimous, and more importantly are concerned about the long-term price of oil, operations to reduce Iran's oil production facilities can await a later phase. It's not clear to me what the holdup has been.


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Explore the earliest English settlements in North America, Revolutionary War and Civil War sites, and the nation's capital in the Mid-Atlantic States map. Published in October 1976 as part of the "Close-up: U.S.A." series, this map is half of a two-map set. It appeared with its companion map, "Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia: Beckoning Land Beside Bay and Sea" and two articles on the Potomac River.
Coverage Area: Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia


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Hyla versicolor (Gray Treefrog)
Hyla chrysoscelis (Cope's Gray Treefrog)
This photo shows the two sister species of grey treefrogs. Hyla chrysoscelis is on the left and Hyla versicolor is on the right. The variation in color is common to both species, individuals of either species can range from green to grey. The difference in pupil size is an artifact of the lighting, both have similar pupil shape.
James Harding (photographer; copyright holder; identification), Michigan State University
This resource may not be downloaded and used without permission of the copyright holder except for educational fair use.
The Animal Diversity Web team is excited to announce ADW Pocket Guides!
Help us improve the site by taking our survey.
To cite this page: Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2020. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed at https://animaldiversity.org.
Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. Additional support has come from the Marisla Foundation, UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Museum of Zoology, and Information and Technology Services.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.


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I've setup a virtual host on XAMPP 1.7.3a, to test my custom application I need to access it via https.
I've tried a lots of tutorials and troubleshooting. nothing works (and no idea why?)
Some times in Firefox, I get the error (Error code: ssl_error_rx_record_too_long) and some other times "can't find the server at blabla"
and https://localhost also not working, though XAMPP says, "Starting Apache with SSL.." on start
Please somebody help me here to get it working.
I've tried
<VitrualHost *:443>, <VitrualHost localhost:443> etc.
Now my working virtual host(without ssl) look like this.
- Code: Select all
NameVirtualHost *
<VirtualHost *>
DocumentRoot /opt/lampp/htdocs
ServerName localhost
<VirtualHost *>
ServerAdmin firstname.lastname@example.com
DocumentRoot /home/iloveit/sites/example.com
ServerName example.com
DirectoryIndex index.php
ServerAlias *.example.com
ErrorLog logs/example.com-error_log
CustomLog logs/example.com-access_log common
<Directory "/home/iloveit/sites/example.com">
RewriteEngine on
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php?q=$1 [L,QSA]
and my host file
- Code: Select all
127.0.0.1 example.com
any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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Ikbal Beef Franks
Made with 100% halal beef to provide the healthiest product with the finest taste. Once you start to eat, you will not want it to end. Enjoy it during barbecue or picnic, or whenever you spend time with your family and friends or watch your favorite game. Don't forget your favorite toppings like mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise or any combination you desire.
Barcode: 881428002018
Net Weight: 13 oz (369 g)
Packages/Box: 16
Boxes/Pallet: 96
Box Size: 12x10x6 ¾
Storage Conditions: Keep refrigerated between 35°F – 39°F (2°C – 4°C)
Packaging Details: Easy open vacuum pack


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Oakland, Berkeley, And East Bay News, Events, Restaurants, Music, & Arts
It is often written of Harrison Ford that he's the most profitable movie star in history, to the tune of some $3.8 billion in box-office receipts worldwide. Of course, once one subtracts from that total the first three Star Wars movies, the Indiana Jones trilogy, and two outings as CIA agent Jack Ryan, not to mention such B-rated hits as Working Girl and Air Force One, that number diminishes significantly -- and so does the quality of the filmmaking. There are the occasional detours into interesting territory -- his movies with Peter Weir, say, or early exercises with Francis Ford Coppola -- but the franchise player seems more content to retrace footsteps laid down on the road well traveled. For every Mosquito Coast or Blade Runner, there are too many Random Hearts or Six Days Seven Nights -- ill-conceived and poorly executed concepts that strand him with nothing to do except stare at the camera like an intruder caught trying to jimmy open the ATM after dark.
So estimable is Ford's star power that it's almost painful to see him wasted in shabby parts in meaningless movies; Han Solo deserves better. It's astounding to find so many ordinary movies on his résumé, because we take it for granted that he's better than that. To see him meander through a movie like Firewall, yet another vacant film in which he plays a regular guy in a tie who must maim and murder in order to save his family, is to watch a movie star act too ordinary. We don't buy it, because he doesn't seem to; the hero seems to be boring himself, having to do this thing one more goddamned time.
Firewall may well be the most dreary thing Ford has ever done; even its title hits the ear with a dull thud. (Would that it came with antivirus software, which would at least render it practical.) It plays like a cheap amalgam of movies he's already made, chief among them Roman Polanski's Frantic, in which he scurried about the streets of Paris in search of the wife snatched from his hotel room, and Andrew Davis' The Fugitive, in which he scurried about the streets of Chicago in search of the killer who framed him for his wife's murder. Here, he scurries about the streets of Seattle (and its hilly, lakeside climes) to find his kidnapped family and the killer who framed him for his partner's murder. Firewall will sit nicely on the "F" shelf at Blockbuster alongside its predecessors -- the "F" standing for "formula."
But those things happen later in the movie. First, there is the larger story that finds Ford, playing bank security expert Jack Stanfield, having to empty his employer's vaults of some $100 million, lest bad guy Cox (Paul Bettany) kill Jack's wife (Virginia Madsen) and two children. Cox' plan is strictly hackwork, too: He wants Jack to tap into the computers, find the accounts of the richest clients, and steal from them $10,000 each -- amounts they will never even miss, so large are their bottom lines. It's reminiscent of the dastardly plot hatched by Richard Pryor in Superman III, later appropriated and mocked in Office Space. One pities the movie that takes seriously a storyline already rendered punch line by various predecessors.
Ford is not the only one wasted here. Bettany, all straight-faced sneers and it's-just-business snarls, and Madsen, who set her poor career Sideways after too many parts like this, will forget all about this movie once they chat it up at their requisite Tonight Show appearances. Robert Forster and Alan Arkin, the cagey vets loaning their credibility to a film in need of more than their combined forces can offer, probably have forgotten it already. Even director Richard Loncraine can do better, but hasn't lately. After making the creepy, Bizarro World Richard III with Ian McKellen in 1995, his has been a résumé teeming with mediocrities, including but not limited to 2004's Wimbledon with Bettany, who clearly learned nothing from that experience.
The participants deserve no grudge for Firewall's existence. Perhaps on paper it read like something gripping and au courant, this thriller about breaching servers and downloading code onto iPods and other things involving Harrison Ford mumbling techno gobbledygook. It ought to play to the twelve-year-old nerd; certainly sounds like one wrote it. But its execution is stultifying, laughable, and ultimately a little offensive -- especially the scene in which Bettany tries to kill Ford's kid with a cookie made with peanuts; nothing screams laziness in a screenplay like the attempted murder of a child to garner our sympathies, which Firewall so clearly doesn't deserve.
Contact the author of this piece, send a letter to the editor, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
News - October 22, 3:09 PM
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Study confirms how the body regulates high levels of CO2 in the blood
In a recently published study in the journal Experimental Physiology, Brazilian researchers have confirmed the importance of a specific group of neurons found in a region of the brain known as the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) in detecting changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and in modulating the activity of the neuronal groups that control respiratory activity.
Scientists from the Biomedical Sciences Institute of the University of São Paulo (USP) and the School of Dentistry at the São Paulo State University (Unesp) participated in the study.
"CO2 is important for regulating the acid-base balance of the blood. When the concentration of this gas becomes higher than normal, the blood tends to become more acidic, which promotes the activation of specialized sensors called chemoreceptors," said Eduardo Colombari, professor at the School of Dentistry at Unesp.
"Some of these chemoreceptors are located in the central nervous system; more precisely, on the ventrolateral surface of the medulla oblongata [the region of the brain responsible for neurovegetative control that forms the interface between the spinal cord and the mesencephalon] in the RTN," he explained.
According to Colombari, the neurons in this region express a specific marker that allows them to be identified. This marker consists of a transcription factor called Phox2b, which is involved in the cell differentiation of autonomic and respiratory neurons, that communicate with other neural groups responsible for controlling respiratory activity in order to keep CO2 levels within the physiological range.
Previous studies in the scientific literature, said Colombari, have suggested that various neuronal groups, such as the nucleus of the solitary tract, the raphe nuclei (which secrete serotonin), and the pontine and hypothalamic areas, were involved in the control of chemoreception (in this case, the detection and modulation of CO2 levels).
The group's work has demonstrated, however, that the respiratory changes caused by the increase in CO2 levels are compromised during the occurrence of selective destruction of the RTN neurons that express Phox2b.
The researcher further explained that the work illustrated how a small region of the brain contains neurons with a classic biochemical signature (Phox2b) which are involved in detecting and maintaining adequate levels of CO2, thus allowing the maintenance of homeostasis.
According to Colombari, advances in understanding the mechanisms involved in the perception of CO2 levels in the central nervous system could help prevent cases of sudden death in infants and adults in the future.
Explore further


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« How Following Sports Can Improve Teacher Evaluation | Main | Teachers at Risk for PTSD? »
NEA 2012: It's All About Obama
Campaign rally or Representative Assembly? At some points yesterday it was hard to tell. The 8,000 or so delegates of the nation's largest teachers' union gathered in Washington for their annual convention heard one message above all others: Vote for Obama in November.
Just outside the assembly hall, attendees traded off Sharpees to write notes to the president on a massive banner entitled "NEA Educators for Obama." A portrait of Obama and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel hung above the hall entrance.
The RA began in its usual raucous fashion, with blaring pop music (Shania Twain's "I Feel Like a Woman" was playing as I found my seatI'm assuming the songs weren't chosen for their topical relevance) and a flurry of confetti. Nearly everyone was wearing Mardi Gras beads. Green Man wandered the aisles.
As Stephen Sawchuk reported, Van Roekel's keynote was tame as NEA keynotes go, and overarchingly positive. He spoke of the need to respect educators, to partner with parents and community members, and to "maintain a rich curricula that includes art, music, history, sports, drama. ... " And, at the crux of the speech, he talked about the need to influence education policy through the political process. "We must do everything we can to re-elect President Obama," he said to the cheering delegates. Van Roekel did not mention Secretary of Education Arne Duncan even once during the speechno doubt a very purposeful omission given the ire the secretary's name inspired at last year's convention.
The audience was perhaps most vocal when speakers brought up the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. "We stand for equityand when we say equity, we're not talking about the Bain Capital Private Equity Corporation," said Van Roekel, to which the audience roared. (For those of you who may not know, Romney once headed Bain, which has been charged with outsourcing jobs overseas.)
It's notable that while the RA has devoted much time to championing the current president, it is Vice President Joe Bidenand not Obamawho will be speaking at the assembly tomorrow. I'll try to get some details on whether that was a logistical or tactical decision on NEA's part, or, more likely, a declined invitation.


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Pets age an average of five to seven times the rate of humans, which suggests that health problems in your pet may develop at a faster rate than you might assume, making them senior citizens by the age of seven. As a result, it is increasingly more important to take your older pet in for regular examinations and check ups. After all, no one knows your pet better than you do, so pay attention to all changes in health and activity as they age.
As with people, as pets age there is a decline in organ function, mental abilities, sensory function and immunity. With the advances in diagnostic procedures available for pets, having some prior knowledge about these procedures can help with your pet's visit to the veterinarian. Here are some common tests you should discuss with your veterinarian every time you take in your pet:
Physical Examination
Try to get your pet in to the veterinarian for a through wellness examination a minimum of every six months. This will help you and your veterinarian stay on top of the small changes in your pet's health before they become bigger problems. Most veterinarians believe that regular examinations are important in helping your pet to achieve a long and happy life, even if our pets may appear to be healthy based on outward appearance and activity.
Diagnostic Blood Work
Blood work gives the veterinarian a look at the internal functions of your pet in a non-invasive manner to obtain a better and more complete picture of your pet's health. Since pets can't tell us whether or not they feel completely normal, and they have a natural instinct to "hide" their signs of illness, blood tests allow your veterinarian to detect early signs of disease that do not otherwise become apparent until late in the disease process.
Complete Blood Cell Count
This test provides information about the various types of blood cells, like the red blood cells that carry oxygen to tissues, the white blood cells that act as the pet's primary defense against infection, and the platelets that are involved in the blood clotting process. Any changes in these cells can help detect serious health problems such as anemia, inflammation, and acute or chronic infection.
Comprehensive Serum Chemistry Profile
This is a series of individual tests that analyzed together give us valuable information concerning the kidneys, liver, pancreas, intestinal tract, endocrine diseases, and other body systems. Other diagnostic tests, like ultrasounds, ECG (Electrocardiogram) and x-rays are used to help identify various other illnesses.
Dental Exam
As pets get older dental disease becomes more of a concern. Since they don't remember to brush after every meal our pets develop dental tartar and gingivitis much more rapidly than humans do. Left unattended these conditions can lead to the development of periodontal disease and ultimate tooth loss. Periodontal infections can also cause kidney, liver, and heart problems. Regular dental evaluations and teeth cleaning are important factors in improving your pet's overall health and longevity.
Heartworm Tests
Because we live in a heartworm endemic area, heartworm disease is a constant concern. Our mild, humid climate is ideal for the mosquitoes that carry the heartworm parasite. All pets in our area should be on heartworm prevention year-round and since no protection is 100% effective pets should be tested for heartworms annually.
Developing an open and honest dialog and partnership with your veterinarian will help improve the quality of life for your pet and is the best way to ensure that your pet will live a healthy, long and full life.


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CATIE-Alzheimer's Disease Trial
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00015548
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : April 23, 2001
Last Update Posted : June 17, 2015
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Alzheimer's Disease
|Drug: Olanzapine Drug: Quetiapine Drug: Risperidone Drug: Citalopram
|Not Applicable
There are four phases.
Phase I: In the initial treatment phase (Phase 1), patients will be randomized to one of the three atypical antipsychotics or placebo in the ratio 100:100:100:150 respectively. After two weeks, the investigator can move the patient to the next phase because of lack of efficacy or tolerability. At week 12, the investigator can decide whether the current medication is sufficiently optimal or it would be more beneficial to try another randomized medication.
Phase 2: Phase 2 starts when the patient is randomized to a second medication, i.e., olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, or citalopram. Patients will be randomized from an antipsychotic treatment to another antipsychotic treatment or citalopram in the ratio 3:3:2, or from placebo to an antipsychotic treatment or citalopram in the ratio 1:1:1:3 respectively. Therefore, 50% of patients who took placebo in Phase 1 will be randomized to an antipsychotic in Phase 2, and 50% will be randomized to citalopram in Phase 2. After the initial two weeks in Phase 2, the investigator can move the patient to the next phase, due to lack of efficacy or tolerability. After the patient has been on the Phase 2 study drug for approximately 12 weeks, the investigator can decide whether the current medication is sufficiently optimal or whether it would be more beneficial to try another randomized medication.
Phase 3: Phase 3 is randomized open-label treatment of one of the medications not previously received, i.e., olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, or citalopram. Treatment failures to the second treatment can be switched to a third open-label treatment. During Phase 3 patients will be maintained on their treatments openly and managed clinically until week 36.
If the investigator determines that the patient's response is not sufficiently optimal to the randomized open-label medication, then after the first two weeks of Phase 3, the investigator can prescribe another medication (of the investigator's choice) to the patient. If this occurs then patients are classed as being in the Open-Choice Phase.
Open-Choice Phase: The Open-Choice Phase can be entered at anytime during the 36-week study and directly from any of the three phases. There are four reasons a patient can enter the open choice phase:
- Withdrawal from Phase 1 or Phase 2 with the patient or surrogate decision-maker refusing to proceed to the next randomized phase;
- Withdrawal from Phase 3;
- Withdrawal from current study drug from any of the three previous phases due to antipsychotic medication no longer being required in the opinion of the investigator; or
- Withdrawal due to concomitant treatment with an exclusionary medication.
The Open-Choice Phase is designed to keep patients monitored in the trial for the 36-week duration.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Enrollment :
|450 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Comparative Effectiveness of Antipsychotic Medications in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease (CATIE Alzheimer's Disease Trial)
|Study Start Date :
|March 2001
|Study Completion Date :
|October 2004
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Older Adult
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type
- Ambulatory, Outpatients who have an informant living/visiting at least 8 hours/week over 3-4 days.
- Presence of delusions, hallucinations, agitation impacting functioning and requiring medication treatment
- Agitation or psychotic symptoms began after signs or symptoms of dementia
Exclusion (prospective participants must not:)
- Be benefiting from psychotropic medication, antidepressants or anticonvulsants
- Be diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder or mood disorder with psychotic features.
- Have severe or unstable medical illness requiring active treatment
- Have hypersensitivity or intolerance of any of the study medications
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00015548
|Principal Investigator:
|Lon Schneider, MD
|University of Southern California
|Principal Investigator:
|Pierre Tariot, MD
|University of Rochester
Other Publications:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|April 23, 2001 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|June 17, 2015
|Last Verified:
|February 2009
antipsychotic treatment
Alzheimer's disease
behavioral symptoms
Alzheimer Disease
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurocognitive Disorders
Mental Disorders
Quetiapine Fumarate
Serotonin Antagonists
Serotonin Agents
Neurotransmitter Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Antipsychotic Agents
Tranquilizing Agents
Central Nervous System Depressants
Psychotropic Drugs
Dopamine Antagonists
Dopamine Agents
Autonomic Agents
Peripheral Nervous System Agents
Gastrointestinal Agents
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors


text:
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A panel of 11 judges has selected the best among the best wines, in a collection that will be presented as BlueShore Financial's Top 25 Wines at a reception at Whistler's Cornucopia Festival.
The Top 25 Celebratory Reception celebrates the contributions of some of the region's top wineries.
The top wines to be tasted at Cornucopia include Charles de Cazanove Brut Premier Cru NV (Top bubble); Fort Berens Estate Winery Chardonnay 2012 (Top white), Stoneboat Vineyards Pinot Noir 2011 (Top red).
Other wineries to be represented include Michael David, Mission Hill, Noble Ridge, Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars, 8th Generation, and Tightrope Winery, among others. Wine lovers who want to taste these winning wines will have the opportunity on Saturday, Nov. 9 in a casual setting at the Whistler Public Library.
Cornucopia Festival takes place Nov. 7 to 17.
Tickets for the event are $35 and can be purchased online at www.whistlercornucopia.com.