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This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event March 19, 2008: Alleged Audio Recording of Bin Laden Claims Publication of Cartoon Showing Muhammad Worse than Bombing Civilians. 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.
The Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK) is expelled from Iran and takes refuge in Iraq. In exile, the group develops an overseas support structure and creates the National Liberation Army (NLA), which acquires tanks, armored vehicles, and heavy artillery. The group will receive support from Saddam Hussein until he is toppled by a US invasion in 2003 (see March 19, 2003). [US Department of State, 4/30/2003]
Entity Tags: People's Mujahedin of Iran, Saddam Hussein
Timeline Tags: US confrontation with Iran
The Committee for Peace and Security in the Gulf (CPSG), a bipartisan group made up largely of foreign policy specialists, sends an "Open Letter to the President" calling for President Clinton to use the US military to help Iraqi opposition groups overthrow Saddam Hussein and replace him with a US-friendly government. US law forbids such an operation. The group is led by, among others, former Representative Stephen Solarz (D-NY) and prominent Bush adviser Richard Perle, a former assistant secretary of defense. Largely Neoconservative in Makeup - Many of its co-signers will become the core of the Bush administration's neoconservative-driven national security apparatus. These co-signers include Elliott Abrams, Richard Armitage, John Bolton, Stephen Bryen, Douglas Feith, Frank Gaffney, Fred Ikle, Robert Kagan, Zalmay Khalilzad, William Kristol, Michael Ledeen, Bernard Lewis, Peter Rodman, Donald Rumsfeld, Gary Schmitt, Max Singer, Casper Weinberger, Paul Wolfowitz, David Wurmser, and Dov Zakheim. [CNN, 2/20/1998; Middle East Policy Council, 6/2004] The CPSG is closely affiliated with both the neoconservative Project for the New American Century (PNAC—see June 3, 1997 and January 26, 1998) and the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI), both of which boast Perle as a powerful and influential member. Jim Lobe of the Project Against the Present Danger later learns that the CPSG is funded in large part by a sizable grant from the right-wing Bradley Foundation, a key funding source for both the PNAC and the AEI. According to Counterpunch's Kurt Nimmo, the plan for overthrowing Iraq later adopted by the Bush administration, and currently advocated by the CPSG, will be echoed in the PNAC's September 2000 document, "Rebuilding America's Defenses" (see September 2000). [CounterPunch, 11/19/2002] Advocates Supporting Iraq-Based Insurgency - The letter reads in part: "Despite his defeat in the Gulf War, continuing sanctions, and the determined effort of UN inspectors to root out and destroy his weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein has been able to develop biological and chemical munitions.… This poses a danger to our friends, our allies, and to our nation.… In view of Saddam Hussein's refusal to grant UN inspectors the right to conduct unfettered inspections of those sites where he is suspected of storing his still significant arsenal of chemical and biological munitions and his apparent determination never to relinquish his weapons of mass destruction, we call upon President Clinton to adopt and implement a plan of action designed to finally and fully resolve this utterly unacceptable threat to our most vital national interests." The plan is almost identical to the "End Game" scenario proposed in 1993 (see November 1993) and carried out, without success, in 1995 (see March 1995). It is also virtually identical to the "Downing Plan," released later in 1998 (see Late 1998). In 2004, then-Defense Intelligence Agency official Patrick Lang will observe, "The letter was remarkable in that it adopted some of the very formulations that would later be used by Vice President [Dick] Cheney and other current administration officials to justify the preventive war in Iraq that commenced on March 20, 2003" (see March 19, 2003). The CPSG advocates: US support for Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress (INC—see 1992-1996) as the provisional government to replace Hussein's dictatorship; Funding the INC with seized Iraqi assets, designating areas in the north and south as INC-controlled zones, and lifting sanctions in those areas; Providing any ground assault by INC forces (see October 31, 1998) with a "systematic air campaign" by US forces; Prepositioning US ground force equipment "so that, as a last resort, we have the capacity to protect and assist the anti-Saddam forces in the northern and southern parts of Iraq"; Bringing Hussein before an international tribunal on war crimes charges. Carrying out these actions, Solarz says, would completely eliminate the threat of weapons of mass destruction that he claims Iraq owns. [Abrams et al., 2/19/1998; CNN, 2/20/1998; Middle East Policy Council, 6/2004]
Entity Tags: Richard Burt, Richard Armitage, Richard Perle, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Paula J. Dobriansky, Peter Rosenblatt, Project for the New American Century, Richard V. Allen, Peter Rodman, Robert A. Pastor, Saddam Hussein, Robert Kagan, William Jefferson ("Bill") Clinton, William Kristol, Zalmay M. Khalilzad, William B. Clark, Sven F. Kraemer, Stephen Solarz, Roger Robinson, Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Bryen, Robert C. McFarlane, Michael Ledeen, Patrick Lang, Fred C. Ikle, Dov S. Zakheim, Elliott Abrams, Frank Carlucci, Douglas Feith, Frank Gaffney, Donald Rumsfeld, Committee for Peace and Security in the Gulf, American Enterprise Institute, Ahmed Chalabi, Max Singer, David Wurmser, Bernard Lewis, Caspar Weinberger, Gary Schmitt, Kurt Nimmo, Leon Wienseltier, Martin Peretz, Joshua Muravchik, Frederick L. Lewis, John R. Bolton, Jeffrey T. Bergner, Helmut Sonnenfeldt, Jarvis Lynch, Jeffrey Gedmin, Jim Lobe, Iraqi National Congress
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion, Neoconservative Influence
During the first presidential debate between George W. Bush (R-TX) and Al Gore (D-TN), Bush accuses Gore of advocating a policy of aggressive foreign interventionism, a policy Gore does not support, but which Bush does (see December 2, 1999 and Spring 2000). "The vice president and I have a disagreement about the use of troops," Bush says. "He believes in nation-building. I would be very careful about using our troops as nation builders" (see March 19, 2003). (Apparently, Bush is conflating the idea of foreign interventionism with the concept of nation building, two somewhat different concepts.) [Unger, 2007, pp. 175-176] Bush will reiterate the claim in the next presidential debate (see October 11, 2000).
Entity Tags: George W. Bush, Albert Arnold ("Al") Gore, Jr.
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion, US International Relations
After the US invades Iraq (see March 19, 2003), the US Department of Defense begins drastically curbing its oversight of private contractors providing logistical support to US troops, while at the same time ramping up its outsourcing of critical troop support jobs. The prime beneficiary of the Defense Department's decisions is former Halliburton subsidiary KBR. While Army contracts will quadruple from $23.3 billion in 1992 to $100.6 billion in 2006, the Army halves its number of contract supervisors, from 10,000 in 1990 to 5,500 in 2007. As a result, fraud runs rampant (see October 2006 and Beyond). Subcontractor Christopher Cahill, whose company has spent a decade working under the LOGCAP logistics program, will say: "I think we downsized past the point of general competency. The point of a standing army is to have them equipped." Cahill will serve 30 months in prison for fraud. A KBR spokeswoman will say, "Ethics and integrity are core values for KBR." Monitoring - Military auditors claim they closely monitor the various layers of KBR subcontractors who actually perform most of the LOGCAP work, but prosecutors will show that US-based auditors can manage reviews that are limited at best over the plethora of deals constantly being brokered between KBR and a host of multinational subcontractors. One of KBR's Houston office buildings houses a 25-member team from the Defense Contract Audit Agency; in 2007 they will admit that they cannot perform any oversight because they have "no communications" with any "personnel on the ground" in Iraq or Kuwait. Consequences - Without oversight, many KBR officials begin openly displaying and bragging about the Rolex watches, leather jackets, prostitutes, and other "perks" provided to them by Middle Eastern businessmen. "[T]he KBR guys weren't shy about bragging about the fact that they were being treated to all that stuff," according to Paul Morrell, whose firm the Event Source ran several mess halls as a KBR subcontractor. In return, subcontractors become indispensable to the logistical functioning of the Army, and throw their weight around. Former KBR subcontract manager Harry DeWolf will say that when subcontracts came up for renegotiation, the firms would say: "'Fine, we're going to pull out all of our people and equipment.' They really had KBR and the government over the barrel." [Chicago Tribune, 2/20/2008; Chicago Tribune, 2/21/2008]
Entity Tags: US Department of Defense, Christopher Cahill, Harry DeWolf, Kellogg, Brown and Root, Paul Morrell
Timeline Tags: Iraq under US Occupation
On PBS's NOW with Bill Moyers, former ambassador Joseph Wilson explains why he does not believe the administration's impending war with Iraq is necessary or warranted. Wilson, as he has said before (see February 13, 2003), is for aggressive, coercive inspections and what he calls "muscular disarmament." But, Wilson says, President Bush does not want a disarmed Saddam Hussein: "I think he wants a dead Hussein. I don't think there's any doubt about it." Bush is giving Iraq no incentives to disarm because he is not interested in disarmament, he wants nothing less than to overthrow Hussein. "I think war is inevitable," he says. "Essentially, the speech that the president gave at the American Enterprise Institute (see February 26, 2003) was so much on the overthrow of the regime and the liberation of the Iraqi people that I suspect that Saddam understands that this is not about disarmament." 'Shock and Awe' - Moyers asks Wilson about the US tactic of "shock and awe" that he has heard is being considered for the opening strikes of the US invasion (see March 19, 2003). Wilson says: "From what I understand about shock and awe, it will be a several day air assault in which they will drop as much ordinance in four or five days as they did during the 39-day bombing campaign of the Gulf War.… Missiles, bombs, precision bombs. I believe the president and our military officials, when they say they will do everything to minimize casualties to the civilian population. But it was difficult to imagine dropping that much ordinance on a population of four million people without having a lot of casualties that are unanticipated. A lot of civilian casualties." Wilson is pessimistic that even such a massive opening assault might, as Moyers asks, touch off a rebellion against Hussein or a mass retreat and exodus of Hussein's ground forces. While "you might well have a bloody uprising in Baghdad in which pits essentially the Iraqi population against the Republican Guard in Saddam's palace, I think far more likely, is that most Baghdadis will just simply go into hiding and try and avoid getting hit by this American ordinance and/or getting killed by the Republican Guard." Redrawing the Map of the Middle East - Wilson believes that one of the biggest reasons why Bush is invading Iraq instead of working to disarm the Iraqi regime is because Bush is committed to what he calls "re-growing the political map of the Middle East." He explains: "[T]hat basically means trying to install regimes in the Middle East that are far more friendly to the United States—there are those in the administration that call them democracies. Somehow it's hard for me to imagine that a democratic system will emerge out of the ashes of Iraq in the near term. And when and if it does, it's hard for me to believe that it will be more pro-American and more pro-Israeli than what you've got now." Wilson says that Bush is implementing plans drawn up in the 1990s by neoconservatives such as Richard Perle (see July 8, 1996), which provide "the underpinning of the—of the philosophical argument that calls for basically radically changing the political dynamics in the Middle East and… to favor American national security interests and Israeli national security interests which are tied." Recipe for Anti-American Demagoguery - Such a grand agenda will be far more difficult to implement than Perle, Bush, and others believe, Wilson says. "I've done democracy in Africa for 25 years," he says. "And I can tell you that doing democracy in the most benign environments is really tough sledding. And the place like Iraq where politics is a blood sport and where you have these clan, tribal, ethnic and confessional cleavages, coming up with a democratic system that is pluralistic, functioning and, as we like to say about democracies, is not inclined to make war on other democracies, is going to be extraordinarily difficult." Wilson provides the following scenario: "Assuming that you get the civic institutions and a thriving political culture in the first few iterations of presidential elections, you're going to have Candidate A who is likely going to be a demagogue. And Candidate B who is likely going to be a populist. That's what emerges from political discourse. Candidate A, Candidate B, the demagogue and the populist, are going to want to win elections of the presidency. And the way to win election is enflame the passions of your population. The easy way for a demagogue or a populist in the Middle East to enflame the passion of the population is to define himself or herself by their enemies. And the great enemy in the Middle East is Israel and its supplier, the United States. So it's hard to believe, for me, that a thriving democracy certainly in the immediate and near-term and medium-term future is going to yield a successful presidential candidate who is going to be pro-Israel or pro-America." Losing Focus on al-Qaeda - Wilson believes that the US has lost its focus on pursuing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. "The game has shifted to Iraq for reasons that are confused to everybody," he says. "We have been sold a war on disarmament or terrorism or the nexus between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction or liberation. Any one of the four. And now with the president's speeches, you clearly have the idea that we're going to go in and take this preemptive action to overthrow a regime, occupy its country for the purposes, the explicit purposes of fostering the blossoming of democracy in a part of the world where we really have very little ground, truth or experience. And, certainly, I hope along with everybody that the president in his assessment is correct. And that I am so wrong that I'm never invited to another foreign policy debate again.… Because if I am right, this could be a real disaster." [PBS, 2/28/2003; Wilson, 2004, pp. 320-321]
Entity Tags: Richard Perle, George W. Bush, Bush administration (43), Bill Moyers, Saddam Hussein, Joseph C. Wilson
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion, Niger Uranium and Plame Outing
The Tillman brothers (see May 23-June 1, 2002), Pat and Kevin, are sent to Iraq, where they will participate in the invasion (see March 19, 2003). [ESPN (.com), 4/2006]
Entity Tags: Kevin Tillman, Pat Tillman
Timeline Tags: War in Afghanistan
The cover of an April issue of Entertainment Weekly featuring nearly-nude depictions of the Dixie Chicks, all with words written on their skin used in commentaries about the band. [Source: Associated Press / Guardian]The Dixie Chicks, a modern country band from Texas, plays a concert in London. The band consists of three singers and multi-instrumentalists, Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Robison, and backing musicians. During the show, Maines says to the audience: "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas." The London Guardian, in a review of the show, reports the comments on March 12. Within days, Maines and the Dixie Chicks become the targets of intense and heavy criticism from conservative commentators and Bush supporters in the United States. Country music radio stations across the nation begin dropping their songs from their playlists, even though the Chicks currently have the top song in country music airplay, "Travelin' Man." Radio stations set up trash cans outside their stations for listeners to publicly discard their Dixie Chicks CDs, and some radio stations hold "disc-burning" and "disc-smashing" festivals featuring bonfires and tractors. Two radio station chains, Cox and Cumulus, ban the Chicks from being played on all the stations they own. Critics on Fox News and conservative radio shows nickname the band "the Dixie Sluts," "Saddam's Angels," and other monikers. Country musician Toby Keith, a conservative and frequent guest on Fox News and radio talk shows, begins using a backdrop at his concerts featuring a photo montage putting Maines together with Saddam Hussein. Maines reluctantly accepts 24-hour security from the barrage of death threats she receives. She quickly issues an apology, saying, "Whoever holds that office [the presidency] should be treated with the utmost respect," but the apology makes little difference to many. Indeed, the band does not back away from its position: Robison will later say: "Everybody talks about how this war was over quickly and not that many people died. Tell that to the parents of people coming home in body bags.… Natalie's comment came from frustration that we all shared—we were apparently days away from war (see March 19, 2003) and still left with a lot of questions." Maines will later say: "The thing is, it wasn't even a political statement. It was a joke made to get cheers and applause and to entertain, and it did. But it didn't entertain America." Maines will later say the controversy starts on a right-wing message board and blog called Free Republic. Music producer and comedian Simon Renshaw, a close friend of the band members, agrees with Maines, saying: "The extreme right-wing group, for their own political reasons, are attempting to manipulate the American media, and the American media is falling for it. The Free Republic is very well organized. There's definitely a Free Republic hit list with all of the radio stations they're trying to affect, and they are totally focused, and the girls are going to get whacked." Documentary maker Barbara Kopple, who is making a film about the group, will later say: "[The c]ountry music [industry] put[s] sort of their musicians in a box, and they're expected to be very conservative in their leanings, and these were three all-American girls that nobody ever expected this from. So when Natalie made her statement, it was as if she had betrayed country music. There was a massive boycott on playing any of their music. There was this group called the Free Republic that immediately got on Web sites and blogs and everything else to make sure that their music was not shown, their CDs were trampled, and for this, they even got death threats. So they had to have bomb-sniffing dogs, they had security, and nothing could stop these women from playing." Kopple cites one example of a very specific and credible death threat issued for a July 6, 2003 concert in Dallas, but the three band members insist on playing, and the concert goes off without incident. In April 2003, Maines says: "People think this'll scare us and shut us up and it's gonna do the opposite. They just served themselves a huge headache." [Guardian, 3/12/2003; Guardian, 4/25/2003; Democracy Now!, 2/15/2007] Eventually, their CD sales begin to rebound, and in 2007, they will win five Grammy awards, an accomplishment many will see as a vindication of the Dixie Chicks's music and their right to freedom of speech, as well as something of a repudiation of the Nashville-based country music industry. Music executive Jeff Ayeroff will note that "the artist community… was very angry at what radio did, because it was not very American." Music executive Mike Dungan, a powerful member of the country music industry, says of the awards, "I think it says that, by and large, the creative community sees what has happened to the Dixie Chicks as unfair and unjust." [New York Times, 2/13/2007]
Entity Tags: Martie Maguire, Dixie Chicks, Barbara Kopple, Emily Robison, Jeff Ayeroff, Simon Renshaw, Toby Keith, Mike Dungan, Natalie Maines, Free Republic
Timeline Tags: Domestic Propaganda
Craig Rosebraugh, the former publicist for the Earth Liberation Front (ELF—see 1997 and 2000 and After), issues a proclamation opposing the Iraq invasion (see March 19, 2003) that is posted on a number of left-wing Web sites. Rosebraugh, who remains influential in the environmental movement, says that "the only possibility of stopping this current military action is to engage in strategies and tactics which severely disrupt the war machine, the US economy, and the overall functioning of US society." He recommends large scale urban riots and attacks on financial and media centers, as well as US military establishments. Eleven days later, five cars and a van at the Navy recruiting headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama, are spray-painted with anti-war slogans, and a large truck is set afire. The graffiti is signed "ELF." The organization claims responsibility for the incident, saying, "This is the first specifically anti-war action carried out by the ELF in North America." [Anti-Defamation League, 2005]
Entity Tags: Earth Liberation Front, Craig Rosebraugh
Timeline Tags: US Domestic Terrorism
A building in Baghdad is bombed during the US invasion of Iraq. [Source: Reuters]The US begins its official invasion of Iraq (see (7:40 a.m.) March 19, 2003). While most observers expect a traditional air assault, the US planners instead launch what they call a "Shock and Awe" combination of air and ground assaults designed to avoid direct confrontations with Iraqi military forces and instead destroy Iraqi military command structures. [CNN, 3/20/2003; CNN, 3/20/2003; Unger, 2007, pp. 302] The initial invasion force consists of 250,000 US forces augmented by 45,000 British troops and small contingents from Poland, Australia, and Denmark, elements of the so-called "coalition of the willing." [BBC, 3/18/2003; Unger, 2007, pp. 302]
Entity Tags: United States
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, Events Leading to Iraq Invasion, Iraq under US Occupation
President Bush calls British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his central ally in the US's "coalition of the willing." After speaking to Blair, Bush goes to the White House Situation Room, where a videoconference with his field commanders in the Persian Gulf is set up. Bush asks if they are ready to commence hostilities against Iraq; each one answers in the affirmative. Bush then says: "For the peace of the world and the benefit and freedom of the Iraqi people, I hereby give the order to execute Operation Iraqi Freedom. May God bless our troops" (see March 19, 2003). He later goes for a walk outside his office. He will recall: "I prayed as I walked around the circle. I prayed that our troops be safe, be protected by the Almighty, that there be minimal loss of life.… I was praying for strength to do God's will.… I'm surely not going to justify war based upon God. Understand that. Nevertheless, in my case I pray that I be as good a messenger of His will as possible." [Unger, 2007, pp. 294-295]
Entity Tags: George W. Bush, Tony Blair
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion
US forces fire more than 40 Tomahawk missiles at the Dora Farms compound on the Tigris River, where intelligence intercepts have indicated that Saddam Hussein may be holed up in an underground bunker. The Tomahawks are accompanied by "bunker-buster" bombs from F-117 Stealth fighters. The strike is an attempt to "decapitate" Iraq's military and government by killing the dictator in the first hours of the assault (see March 19, 2003). The missile barrage destroys all of the building in the compound except the main palace. Unfortunately for the US military planners, Hussein is not at the compound; later intelligence learns that Hussein has not been at the Dora Farms complex since 1995. Hussein is at a safe house in Baghdad, watching the international television coverage of the strike and drafting a message to the Iraqi people. Hussein will remain in Baghdad for weeks, moving from safe house to safe house; though American forces will strike at numerous targets in Baghdad, none will come close to Hussein's locations. [CBS News, 5/28/2003; New York Times, 3/12/2006; Unger, 2007, pp. 295]
Entity Tags: Saddam Hussein, US Department of Defense
The New York Times reveals that CIA analysts acknowledge being pressured to shape their intelligence reports on Iraq to conform to Bush administration policies. In particular, they were pressured to find or create evidence that Iraq had links to al-Qaeda. [New York Times, 3/23/2003] In 2004, Times editor Daniel Okrent will admit that the story was "completed several days before the invasion (see March 19, 2003) and unaccountably held for a week," not appearing until three days after the war began, when it "was interred on Page B10." [New York Times, 5/30/2004; Rich, 2006, pp. 192] For months, some CIA analysts have privately expressed concerns over the forcible shaping of their reports to colleagues and Congressional officials, but until now have not revealed those concerns to reporters. "A lot of analysts have been upset about the way the Iraq-al-Qaeda case has been handled," a senior intelligence official says. The revelation that the claims of Iraq's attempt to buy uranium from Niger were false (see March 7, 2003) sparked some analysts to come forward. One government official says, "The forgery heightened people's feelings that they were being embarrassed by the way Iraqi intelligence has been handled." The intelligence official says: "As we have become an integral component informing the debate for policy makers, we have been asked a lot of questions. I'm sure it does come across as a pressured environment for analysts. I think there is a sense of being overworked, a sense among analysts that they have already answered the same questions. But if you talk to analysts, they understand why people are asking, and why policy makers aren't accepting a report at face value." Other analysts have discussed leaving the agency over their frustration with the way intelligence is being manipulated by the Bush administration. Another government official says, "Several people have told me how distraught they have been about what has been going on." A CIA official says no analysts have resigned in protest over the management of Iraqi intelligence. [New York Times, 3/23/2003]
Entity Tags: Daniel Okrent, Bush administration (43), Al-Qaeda, Central Intelligence Agency, New York Times
Lieutenant-General Michael Moseley gives a briefing assessing the lessons of the war with Iraq to US and allied military officers at Nellis airbase in Nevada. He says that as part of Operation Southern Focus, US and British aerial attacks on Iraq southern and northern no-fly zones laid the foundations for the invasion of Iraq. He explains that during the nine-month period spanning mid-2002 to early 2003 (see June 2002-March 2003), US and British planes flew 21,736 sorties, dropping 606 bombs on 391 carefully selected targets. The pre-invasion bombing campaign made it possible for the official invasion (see March 19, 2003) to begin without a protracted bombardment of Iraqi positions. "It provided a set of opportunities and options for General Franks," Mosely says. [New York Times, 7/20/2003; London Times, 6/27/2005; Raw Story, 6/27/2005]
Entity Tags: Michael Moseley
Former ambassador Joseph Wilson pens his second op-ed for the San Jose Mercury News, titled "Seeking Honesty in US Policy." Wilson writes that the Bush administration is dragging the country "down a rabbit hole," a reference to Alice in Wonderland, "all the while trying to convince the American people that life in newly liberated Iraq is not as distorted as it seems." He accuses President Bush and his top officials of attempting to "misrepresent reality—and rewrite history—to mask its mistakes" in Iraq. If the US wants to fight terrorism, as Bush claims, it needs to go elsewhere, Wilson asserts. 'Dangerous, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy' - But, Wilson writes, "[b]y trying to justify the current fight in Iraq as a fight against terrorism, the administration has done two frightening things. It has tried to divert attention from Osama bin Laden.… And the policy advanced by the speech is a major step toward creating a dangerous, self-fulfilling prophecy and reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the facts on the ground." Powerful Insurgency, Growing Terrorist Presence - Wilson notes that the US is fighting an ever-growing insurgency in Iraq, largely composed of "an angry but not yet defeated Sunni Muslim population who, although a minority in Iraq, had been in power for a century." He notes that the US is "beginning to face terrorists there, but it is our own doing. Our attack on Iraq—and our bungling of the peace—led to the guerrilla insurgency that is drawing jihadists from around the Muslim world. The 'shock and awe' campaign so vividly shown on our television screens (see March 19, 2003) has galvanized historic Arab envy, jealousy, and resentment of the United States into white-hot hatred of America." Redefining Rationale for War - Instead of correcting its mistakes and pursuing terrorists where they actually congregate, Wilson says, "the administration is trying to redefine why we went to Iraq, because we have accomplished so little of what we set out to do—and severely underestimated the commitment it would take to deal with the aftermath of war." No longer does the administration make its claims that Iraq had WMD that pose a threat to the Middle East or even the US itself. Now it claims that we invaded Iraq because it had WMD programs (see July 9, 2003). Wilson writes, "In other words, we're now supposed to believe that we went to war not because Saddam's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction threatened us, but because he had scientists on his payroll." The cost in American lives and tax dollars has been staggering and continues to rise virtually unchecked. Large sections of Iraq are in chaos. Imposed Democracy, Security for Israel - "The truth is, the administration has never leveled with the American people on the war with Iraq," Wilson writes. Powerful members of the administration wanted war no matter what, Wilson writes, because it was always their intention to overthrow Saddam Hussein and impose democracy on Iraq as a first step towards democratizing the entire Middle East. And at worst, some believed that even if the experiment in imposed democracy failed, Israel would be more secure because it would be surrounded by small, less powerful Arab states too busy bickering with one another to form a solid bloc in opposition to it. Playing It Straight - Wilson concludes: "[B]efore we can hope to win back international trust or start down a truly new path in Iraq, the administration has to start playing it straight, with the American people and with the world. Recent administration statements, including the president's speech, suggest that it still prefers to live in a fantasy world." [Mercury News (San Jose), 9/14/2003] Scowcroft Won't Share Op-Ed with White House - Wilson sends the editorial to White House adviser Brent Scowcroft and asks if he will share it with administration officials; Scowcroft laughingly demurs, saying that he is in enough trouble with the administration already (see March 8, 2003). [Wilson, 2004, pp. 375]
Entity Tags: Saddam Hussein, Bush administration (43), George W. Bush, Brent Scowcroft, Joseph C. Wilson
Timeline Tags: Iraq under US Occupation, Niger Uranium and Plame Outing
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh informs his listeners of a Harris poll showing a majority of those surveyed believe that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction when the war began over a year before (see March 19, 2003). Limbaugh blames the misconception on the "liberal media," not on the government officials and conservative pundits, including Limbaugh, who pushed the idea of Iraqi WMD on the public before the invasion (see July 30, 2001, Mid-September, 2001, Mid-September-October 2001, October 17, 2001, November 14, 2001, December 20, 2001, 2002, February 11, 2002, Summer 2002, July 30, 2002, August 26, 2002, September 4, 2002, September 8, 2002, September 8, 2002, September 12, 2002, September 12, 2002, September 24, 2002, September 28, 2002, October 7, 2002, December 3, 2002, December 19, 2002, January 2003, January 9, 2003, February 5, 2003, February 17, 2003, March 16-19, 2003, March 23, 2003, May 21, 2003, May 29, 2003, and June 11, 2003), and uses the incident to warn his listeners about getting their news from the "liberal media." [Jamieson and Cappella, 2008, pp. 151]
Entity Tags: Rush Limbaugh, Saddam Hussein
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says that the violence in Iraq has reached the point of civil war and that his country is nearing a "point of no return." Allawi, who leads a 25-member coalition of representatives in the Iraqi National Assembly, says: "It is unfortunate that we are in civil war. We are losing each day, as an average, 50 to 60 people through the country, if not more." Answering claims that Iraq is not locked in such a conflict, Allawi says, "If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." General George Casey, commander of US forces in Iraq, contradicts Allawi, claiming, "We're a long way from civil war." Vice President Dick Cheney, part of an administration that is marking the three-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by US and coalition forces (see March 19, 2003) by presenting a unified front, echoes Casey's remarks, and adds that the war must be viewed in a broader context. "It's not just about Iraq, it's not about just today's situation in Iraq," he says. "It's about where we're going to be 10 years from now in the Middle East and whether or not there's going to be hope and the development of the governments that are responsive to the will of the people, that are not a threat to anyone, that are not safe havens for terror or manufacturers of weapons of mass destruction." Cheney blames the news media for the perception that the war is going badly: "I think it has less to do with the statements we've made, which I think were basically accurate and reflect reality, than it does with the fact that there's a constant sort of perception, if you will, that's created because what's newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad," he says. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld compares the Iraq war to the two great conflicts of his generation, World War II and the Cold War. "Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing postwar Germany back to the Nazis," he writes in an op-ed published by the Washington Post. "It would be as great a disgrace as if we had asked the liberated nations of Eastern Europe to return to Soviet domination." [New York Times, 3/19/2006]
Entity Tags: George Casey, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Iraqi National Assembly, Iyad Allawi
Admiral William Fallon. [Source: US Navy]Admiral William Fallon, named to replace General John Abizaid as head of the US Central Command (Centcom) for the Middle East and Southwest Asia (see March 16, 2007), reportedly privately opposes the proposed addition of a third US aircraft carrier group in the Persian Gulf, and vows that there will be no war against Iran as long as he is chief of Centcom. Fallon's opposition to a military strike against Iran results in a shift in the Bush administration away from its aggressive, threatening posture towards Iran, and instead moves the administration's rhetoric incrementally towards diplomatic engagement with that nation. Historian and author Gareth Porter writes, "That shift, for which no credible explanation has been offered by administration officials, suggests that Fallon's resistance to a crucial deployment was a major factor in the intra-administration struggle over policy toward Iran." Fallon's resistance to further naval buildups in the Gulf apparently surprises Bush officials; in January, Defense Secretary Robert Gates publicly suggested that Fallon's appointment gives greater emphasis on the military option for Iran. Gates said in January, "As you look at the range of options available to the United States, the use of naval and air power, potentially, it made sense to me for all those reasons for Fallon to have the job." A third carrier group deployment would have pushed the US naval presence in the region to the same level as it was during the last months of the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Apparently, the deployment of a third carrier group was envisioned as a means of pressuring the Iranian government, in a plan to engage in a series of operations that would appear to Tehran to be war preparations much like those that presaged the invasion of Iraq (see March 19, 2003). But Fallon's opposition scotched those plans. Fallon recently told an informed source that an attack on Iran "will not happen on my watch.… You know what choices I have. I'm a professional." And Fallon indicated he is not alone: "There are several of us trying to put the crazies back in the box." Fallon's position weakens the belligerent posture adopted by Vice President Dick Cheney and his aides, and strengthens that of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is now preparing to make high-level diplomatic contacts with Iranian officials. [Inter Press Service, 5/15/2007]
Entity Tags: John P. Abizaid, Bush administration (43), Condoleezza Rice, Gareth Porter, Robert M. Gates, US Central Command, William Fallon, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Saddam Hussein
A new audio recording is released, allegedly from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The voice on the tape directs the message to "the intelligent ones in the European Union" and discusses a cartoon said to be offensive to Muslims—showing the prophet Muhammed with a bomb in his turban—that was recently re-printed by all major Danish newspapers. The tape, which criticises US-led bombing of "those modest mud villages which have collapsed onto our women and children," says that the "morals of fighting" should be observed in conflict, but the west has abandoned them, "even if you hold aloft its slogans in theory." However, the publication of the cartoon and other similar ones is worse than bombing innocent civilians: "Although our tragedy in your killing of our women and children is a very great one, it paled when you went overboard in your unbelief and freed yourselves of the etiquettes of dispute and fighting and went to the extent of publishing these insulting drawings. This is the greater and more serious tragedy, and reckoning for it will be more severe." The voice also claims that, despite the publication, "you haven't seen any reaction from the one and a half billion Muslims." [Council on Foreign Relations, 3/19/2008] In actual fact, when the cartoons were first published there were protests around the world in which dozens were killed, and Danish diplomatic offices were destroyed in two cities. [BBC, 3/20/2008] The voice argues that the cartoons should not have been published under freedom of expression, as US troops in Europe are not subject to European law, and, according to the voice, those who question the amount of Jews killed in the holocaust are suppressed. In addition, when the King of Saudi Arabia told Britain to stop its investigation of the corrupt al-Yamamah deal, British Prime Minister Tony Blair complied. [Council on Foreign Relations, 3/19/2008] The message comes on the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq (see March 19, 2003). [BBC, 3/20/2008] However, the man thought to be bin Laden makes no mention of Iraq on the tape. [Council on Foreign Relations, 3/19/2008] The audio message is released in video form with a graphic showing a still image of bin Laden holding an AK-47 and bearing the logo of as-Sahab, al-Qaeda's media wing. There is a written translation of the message in English. It is unclear when the message, released by posting at an Islamist website, was recorded. [BBC, 3/20/2008]
Entity Tags: As-Sahab, Osama bin Laden
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline
A man thought to be Osama bin Laden releases a new audio message urging Muslims to join the insurgency in Iraq, as this is the "nearest jihad battlefield to support our people in Palestine." The message comes one day after the previous communication thought to be from bin Laden (see March 19, 2008) and just over five years after the invasion of Iraq (see March 19, 2003). According to the person thought to be bin Laden, "Palestine cannot be retaken by negotiations and dialogue, but with fire and iron," and Arab leaders were complicit in Israeli attacks on Gaza. "The people of the blessed land should sense the great favour God has bestowed upon them and do what they should do to support their mujahideen brothers in Iraq," the speaker says. "It is a great opportunity and a major duty for my brothers the Palestinian emigrants [in Arab countries], between whom and jihad on the plains of Jerusalem a barrier has been built." [BBC, 3/20/2008]
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden
The Senate Armed Services Committee releases a classified 261-page report on the use of "harsh" or "enhanced interrogation techniques"—torture—against suspected terrorists by the US. The conclusion of the report will be released in April 2009 (see April 21, 2009). The report will become known as the "Levin Report" after committee chairman Carl Levin (D-MI). Though the report itself is classified, the committee releases the executive summary to the public. Top Bush Officials Responsible for Torture - One of the report's findings is that top Bush administration officials, and not a "few bad apples," as many of that administration's officials have claimed, are responsible for the use of torture against detainees in Guantanamo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. Began Shortly after 9/11 - The report finds that US officials began preparing to use "enhanced interrogation" techniques just a few months after the 9/11 attacks, and well before Justice Department memos declared such practices legal. The program used techniques practiced in a US military program called Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE—see December 2001), which trains US military personnel to resist questioning by foes who do not follow international bans on torture. As part of SERE training, soldiers are stripped naked, slapped, and waterboarded, among other techniques. These techniques were "reverse-engineered" and used against prisoners in US custody. Other techniques used against prisoners included "religious disgrace" and "invasion of space by a female." At least one suspected terrorist was forced "to bark and perform dog tricks" while another was "forced to wear a dog collar and perform dog tricks" in a bid to break down their resistance. Tried to 'Prove' Links between Saddam, Al-Qaeda - Some of the torture techniques were used before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq (see March 19, 2003). Much of the torture of prisoners, the report finds, was to elicit information "proving" alleged links between al-Qaeda and the regime of Saddam Hussein. US Army psychiatrist Major Paul Burney says of some Guantanamo Bay interrogations: "Even though they were giving information and some of it was useful, while we were there a large part of the time we were focused on trying to establish a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq. We were not being successful in establishing a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq. The more frustrated people got in not being able to establish this link… there was more and more pressure to resort to measures that might produce more immediate results." Others did not mention such pressure, according to the report. [Senate Armed Services Committee, 12/11/2008 ; Agence France-Presse, 4/21/2009] (Note: Some press reports identify the quoted psychiatrist as Major Charles Burney.) [McClatchy News, 4/21/2009] A former senior intelligence official later says: "There were two reasons why these interrogations were so persistent, and why extreme methods were used. The main one is that everyone was worried about some kind of follow-up attack [after 9/11]. But for most of 2002 and into 2003, Cheney and Rumsfeld, especially, were also demanding proof of the links between al-Qaeda and Iraq that [former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed] Chalabi (see November 6-8, 2001) and others had told them were there.… There was constant pressure on the intelligence agencies and the interrogators to do whatever it took to get that information out of the detainees, especially the few high-value ones we had, and when people kept coming up empty, they were told by Cheney's and Rumsfeld's people to push harder." [McClatchy News, 4/21/2009] Warnings of Unreliability from Outset - Almost from the outset of the torture program, military and other experts warned that such techniques were likely to provide "less reliable" intelligence results than traditional, less aggressive approaches. In July 2002, a memo from the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JRPA), which oversees the SERE training program, warned that "if an interrogator produces information that resulted from the application of physical and psychological duress, the reliability and accuracy of this information is in doubt. In other words, a subject in extreme pain may provide an answer, any answer, or many answers in order to get the pain to stop" (see July 2002). [Senate Armed Services Committee, 12/11/2008 ; Agence France-Presse, 4/21/2009] Ignoring Military Objections - When Pentagon general counsel William Haynes asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to approve 15 of 18 recommended torture techniques for use at Guantanamo (see December 2, 2002), Haynes indicated that he had discussed the matter with three officials who agreed with him: Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, and General Richard Myers. Haynes only consulted one legal opinion, which senior military advisers had termed "legally insufficient" and "woefully inadequate." Rumsfeld agreed to recommend the use of the tactics. [Senate Armed Services Committee, 12/11/2008 ]
Entity Tags: William J. Haynes, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Richard B. Myers, Paul Burney, Joint Personnel Recovery Agency, Douglas Feith, Donald Rumsfeld, Ahmed Chalabi, Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin, US Department of Justice, Bush administration (43)
Timeline Tags: Torture of US Captives
According to a poll just released by Dartmouth professor Benjamin Valentino, 63 percent of self-identified Republicans still believe that Iraq under Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction when the US invaded in March 2003 (see March 19, 2003). Twenty-seven percent of self-identified independents and 15 percent of self-identified Democrats hold that view. The question was: "Do you believe that the following statement is true or not true? 'Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the United States invaded in 2003.'" Reporter Dan Froomkin, commenting on the poll results, writes: "The Bush administration's insistence that the Iraqi government had weapons of mass destruction and might give them to terrorists was a key selling point in its campaign to take the country to war (see September 30, 2001, 2002-2003, July 30, 2002, August 26, 2002, September 4, 2002, September 8, 2002, September 8, 2002, September 12, 2002, September 12, 2002, October 7, 2002, December 12, 2002, January 2003, January 9, 2003, 9:01 pm January 28, 2003, February 5, 2003, February 8, 2003, March 16-19, 2003, March 21, 2003, March 22, 2003, March 22, 2003, March 23, 2003, March 24, 2003, March 30, 2003, Late March 2003 and After, April 10, 2003, April 20, 2003, Between April 20, 2003 and April 30, 2003, May 28, 2003, May 29, 2003, June 2003, June 1, 2003, June 3, 2003, June 9, 2003, June 11, 2003, July 31, 2003, September 14, 2003, January 22, 2004, and March 24, 2004). It turned out to be untrue.… There is no reality-based argument that Iraq actually had WMD, after extensive searches found none (see 2002-March 2003, 2002, Mid-January 2002, March 22, 2002, May 2002-September 2002, September 2002, Late September 2002, September 24, 2002, September 28, 2002, Before October 7, 2002, December 2002, End of December 2002, December 3, 2002, January 9, 2003, January 28-29, 2003, February 20, 2003, March 7, 2003, March 8, 2003, May 4, 2003, May 25, 2003, May 30, 2003, June 2003, Early June 2003-Mid-June 2003, Between June 3, 2003 and June 17, 2003, Mid-June 2003, Early July 2003, July 11, 2003, July 20, 2003, July 29, 2003, July 30, 2003, August 16, 2003, October 2, 2003, October 2003, November 2, 2003, December 2003, December 2003, December 17, 2003, Mid-January 2004, January 20, 2004, January 23, 2004, January 27, 2004, January 28, 2004, February 8, 2004, and July 9, 2004), but this is hardly the first time many Americans have been certain of something that simply wasn't true" (see May 14, 2003-May 18, 2003). The 65-question poll was conducted by YouGov from April 26 through May 2, 2012, and surveyed 1,056 respondents. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 3.18 percent. [Valentino, 6/20/2012 ; Jim Lobe, 6/20/2012; Huffington Post, 6/21/2012]
Entity Tags: Dan Froomkin, Saddam Hussein, Benjamin Valentino
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Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai were the first victims of a new American Idol rule which led to their double elimination on Wednesday night. The two spoke to People about being eliminated and their plans for life after American Idol.
Rounds, 24, began the competition as a clear judges' favorite, and is still trying to understand why she fell out of favor. "I kind of got to the point where I was like, 'Okay, I don't know if I can win with them,'" she said. "I can honestly say I went up there and gave it everything I had each time my foot touched that stage."
Rounds, a married mother of three, plans on going back home to her new townhouse in Memphis. Her husband also got her a new puppy as part of their pact, that she would get one if she made it on the show.
Desai has no immediate plans to return to his master studies at the University of North Carolina. "I plan on pursuing any record deal I can get," said Desai, "Right now that's my no. 1 priority. My only priority. My wildest dream was that I would be a pop star. And thanks to this show, that dream is going to become a reality. I have faith in my own ambition."

subset: commoncrawl


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Jacksonville, Fla. --- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team fell to Atlantic Sun member Jacksonville, 87-66, Wednesday night in Swisher Gymnasium.
Tennessee State (1-7) only committed 16 turnovers in the contest but gave up 52 second-half points. Jacksonville improved to 3-2 on the season.
Chelsea Hudson led TSU with 18 points while Alana Morris added 10. Rachel Allen rounded out the top three scorers with nine points and seven rebounds.
JU had five players to post double-figures led by Queen Alford's 24 points and 13 rebounds. Madison Scott (18), Stephanie Edwards (11), Jade Cargill (11), and Briona Brown (10) also tallied double-figures.
Both teams came out with high energy to start the first half. The score remained close until Jacksonville created a little distance and went ahead, 21-15, halfway through the frame. Over the next five minutes, TSU went on a 9-2 run, fueled by seven straight points from Chelsea Hudson.
The Lady Tigers were leading, 24-23, when the Dolphins responded with eight unanswered points, to reclaim the advantage, 31-24.
With two-and-a-half minutes left in the half, Alana Morris ended TSU's scoring drought before Hudson scored two more buckets to pull the Lady Tigers, within three, 35-32, at halftime.
Jacksonville scored eight quick points to extend its lead up to, 43-32, at the 18:44 mark of the second half. TSU cut the deficit down single digits behind consecutive buckets from I'mani Davis but the Dolphins used another spurt to add to their lead.
After being outscored, 22-9, through the first seven minutes of the second half, TSU fell behind, 57-41. From there it was an uphill battle for the Lady Tigers.
Jayda Johnson closed the gap to 14 points after connecting in the paint but that would be as close as TSU would get as JU used a, 16-9, run to close out the game.
Tennessee State shot 43.1 percent from the field but only made one three-pointer on 10 attempts in the contest. The Lady Tigers also struggled from the free-throw line (9-of-18) and lost the battle of the boards, 46-29.
Jacksonville shot 53.1 percent from the field and registered 48 points in the paint.
The Lady Tigers will have a break before returning to action on Dec. 15 at home against Martin Methodist. Game time is slated for 2:30 p.m. in the Gentry Center.


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Sometimes I look through our old photo-shoot files and find some images that I honestly had forgotten that we even had. So, I thought it would be a good idea to get those photos out to the public. This edition will be limited to silk drapery images and I'll post photos of our Linen Drapes, Velvet Drapes and the rest of our photos in later posts. I'll try to give you some perspective of where each photo was taken and some of the background of each as well. I hope you enjoy.
Well, I guess the best place to begin is…the beginning. This is the very first photo of a silk drapery panel that we ever took. Back in 2006, when we took this photo, we used to shoot on large-format 35mm film.
The film would have to be sent off to be developed and then when we got the final photos back, we would have to send them out to be professionally scanned. It would take us 2-3 weeks, and a lot of money, until we
finally had a "digital" photo that we could use for our young website. The photographer who took this photo went on to take photos for us for over 10 years. These drapes are Sea Blue Dupioni with French Pleat.
From the same photo-shoot. When we have a photo-shoot we use a lot of high-powered lights. This photo taught us that when we are going to use a drapery panel for a photo-shoot we need to make sure that
we use blackout lining to prevent the flash from being seen through the panel. If we would have used blackout lining on this panel, as we do on all of our photo panels now, the blackout would have
blocked the flash from being seen through the panel.
Same photo-shoot. Chocolate silk dupioni drapes with a now vintage tie-back in Schumacher Fabric.
One of the many things that I love about our Business is being fortunate enough to have amazing Clients who invite us into their homes to photograph the drapes that we have made for them.
We have never paid for a photo-shoot location. Almost every shoot that we have had (and we have had many) are shot in the home of one of our Clients. No "Sets" nothing is fake.
Just great Clients who have welcomed us into their amazing homes.
When we started DrapeStyle one of our most popular fabrics was Embroidered Silk. We made some amazing drapes in these fabrics that we import directly from India.
Over the years the price of these fabrics has increased by about 5 times what we used to pay for them in the early 2000's which has made them really expensive.
Because the fabrics have become so expensive, many of the Weavers in India won't even make it any longer as they can't sell enough of it to make the
weaving run profitable for them.
New Photo-Shoot, New House. Embroidered Silk Drapes with Inverted Pleat.
This is a simple single-width rod-pocket Embroidered Silk Drape. We added a 2″ Flange to the top of the Rod-Pocket.
Here is a similar Rod-Pocket Single-Width Panel without the 2″ Flange. These are typically used as "side-panels" and would be decorative as opposed to functional drapes.
For some reason this has always been one of my favorite photos. This fabric was discontinued shortly after the photo was taken so we really never used the photo very much. To me it is a very
warm and "homey" photo. One of the things that I do notice when looking at these older shots that were taken on film is that they do seem to be richer and warmer in tone.
You would really be amazed to know how hard it is for us to get our hands on really good silk stripes anymore. Because silk production is now so low, most of the Mills that are making
any silk at all are just making solids. Very few mills are even making simple stripes that used to be so popular. We loved these wide soft stripes that were very subtle. These were gorgeous drapes.
One of our popular Bordered Silk Drapes in Salaam Green and Chocolate. We split the length into thirds. The top-color goes on the top two-thirds of the panel and the border fabric comprises the balance.
We loved this color combination and with all of the silk fabrics that we have you can create thousands of combinations to suit almost any interior. It's also fun to mix the fabric types, so silk on the top,
Linen on the bottom or vice versa. Don't be afraid to take some fashion risks! Our Designers can help design an amazing set of draperies for you!
Schumacher has always been one of our favorite Fabric Mills. We've been making drapes, Roman Shades and Pillows out of their fabrics forever. This Hot House Flowers Fabric was a true classic!
We can make Tie-Backs in any of our fabrics, just give us a call to order over the phone.
The French Pleat is one of the most popular pleats we make. Really, the French Pleat has been a popular pleat for hundreds of years.
So, if we can make some great Bordered Drapes, we can certainly make Double-Bordered Drapes, so, we did! If one border is good, Isn't two borders even better?
Here are a couple of fun photos of us taking photos!


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"From its roots in the pulp novels of the early 1900s to its contemporary ubiquity, Superheroes! provides intriguing fodder for those of us who wonder how this age of adolescence dawned, and why it's stuck around so long. . . . colorfully and copiously illustrated . . . the companion volume to the three-part PBS documentary series Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle. If the television series represents an express ride through 75 years of comics history, its more comprehensive coffee-table iteration is ideally suited to those of us nerds who'd prefer to take the local."–The New York Times Book Review
"A deeply knowledgeable, engaging, and respectful history . . . will enlighten the casual fan and challenge lifelong fans."—Mark Squirek, New York Journal of Books
"Exceptionally comprehensive"—ComicsGrinder.com
"A breezy, imaged-filled narrative perfect for someone who wants a single volume history of comic superheroes. . . . I enjoyed it. If you have someone who still can't believe you read superhero comics, this is a nice volume to explain the power and history of the genre."–dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com


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"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" is a fantastical battle between Good and Evil, with the souls of unsuspecting mortals serving as both pawns and prize -- and for fans of director Terry Gilliam, it's a heartening recovery from the misstep of "The Brothers Grimm."
The film opens with the 1,000-year-old Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his troupe of players having fallen on hard times. Making matters worse is the arrival of the Devil, aka Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), who has come to collect on a bargain he made with Parnassus many ages ago. One dark and stormy night (naturally), Parnassus, et al., happen upon Tony Shepherd (Heath Ledger) in a highly compromised state. Considering Ledger's untimely demise, the condition in which we first see him is jarring, to say the least.
Ledger died of an overdose in 2008, having only completed about two-thirds of the film. After the derailment of his "Don Quixote" movie, Gilliam likely would have done anything to see this project through. It's a testament to both Ledger and Gilliam that Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp and Jude Law all signed on to fill the void left by the late actor. It can be hard enough getting that kind of talent and star power to lead a film, much less play second-, third- and fourth-string. The four actors together create a character who progresses almost seamlessly from mysterious stranger to handsome savior to slippery conman. What could have felt like a gimmicky or unfortunate attempt to salvage the project comes off rather smoothly, with Dr. Parnassus' power to let people live their imaginations and Gilliam's strengths as a storyteller making it all work.
U.S. & World
Tom Waits is great as Mr. Nick. There are few personalities so singular, so arch in American culture as Waits. There's just no pretending he's not Tom Waits. And yet he manages to craft a new spin on himself, with all of his carnival barker's charm to the role, without grumbling and growling his way into a caricature of himself.
At the center of the tug of war between Mr. Nick and Dr. Parnassus is the latter's daughter, Valentina, played by supermodel Lily Cole, who was born to star in a Terry Gilliam film. At nearly 5-11, with long, red hair and a Kewpie-doll face, she looks like something out of a fairy tale. Cole has been very open about feeling out her depth among talents like Plummer, Ledger, Depp … but her performance stands up. She convincingly plays the beautiful, flirtatious young girl longing for more of the world. Andrew Garfield, who won a BAFTA (a British Oscar) in 2007 for his work in "Boy A," gives maybe the best performance in the film as the fellow player who pines longingly for Valentina and is immediately suspicious of Tony.
"Parnassus" most resembles Gilliam's early masterpiece "Time Bandits," both visually and thematically: the yearning for home and wealth, the symbiotic relationship between God and Satan, etc … As is his custom, Gilliam very nearly loses the plot towards the end (right around the time Peter Stormare shows up in a wheelchair for a role too small for even him). But he comes back to us just in time to salvage the film.
Filled with dwarfs, bums, monsters, shattered mirrors, bottomless voids, trippy colors, the odd explosion and all manner of surreal landscapes that would make Salvador Dali dance like a little girl, "Parnassus" is vintage Gilliam.
"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" opens in New York and Los Angeles on Christmas Day and nationally on Jan. 8


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Warts and all: This nasty problem a real downer
Surprises lurk around each corner. Some surprises are wonderful: flowers on your desk, an unexpected inheritance, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul back together on The X Factor. Other surprises are not so much: an IRS notice saying you owe back taxes, a fender-bender, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul back together on The X Factor.
How's this for a big surprise? Finding warts on your genitals and anus.
Clinically known as condylomata acuminata, these warts are #1 viral sexually transmitted disease in the US. Caused by HPV, the human papilloma virus (in particular types 6 and 11), they can occur around the anus, inside the anus (perianal) and on the genitals (i.e. penis, vulva, vagina).
Typically, they are pink or skin-colored warts that usually look like cauliflower or caviar droppings on a cracker. The warts can also be smooth and flat, and may be confused with secondary syphilis.
(Men with an unrelated condition called acral angiofibromas have benign, pearly bumps on the head of the penis that can be confused with genital warts. I have had patients ask me to give them a letter to state their condition is not genital warts. Can you imagine carrying around your driver's license, credit cards, and a proof of acral angiofibromas?)
The warts we're discussing, however, are usually contracted through sexual or anal intercourse, though sometimes they can be transferred from finger to anus, mouth to anus, mouth to vagina, and finger to vagina. The risk of having anogenital warts increases with the number of sexual partners, as well as being immunocompromised (e.g. HIV+).
The incubation period ranges from three weeks to eight months. Depending on where the warts pop up, the number of warts, and the size of the warts, symptoms can vary. I've had patients think they just had a skin tag or hemorrhoid when in fact they were anogenital warts. These warts can cause itchiness, pain, burning, bleeding, and vaginal discharge.
If the condylomata acuminata grows inside the anus, it can block bowel movements. High-resolution anoscopy is the best way to see if any pre-cancerous or cancerous cells develop. Because more than one type of HPV can be contracted along with the condylomata acuminata type, cervical cancer or squamous cell carcinoma on the penis or vulva are possible.
For lucky folks, the warts spontaneously disappear within two years. The problem with anogenital warts is they often come back and recur within six months about 30-70 percent of the time. This is very distressing to patients who want to be free of this highly contagious malady.
Chemical or physical destruction of the warts is usually the first approach, unless they're too extensive or invasive, in which case surgery is indicated. Chemicals to burn off the warts combined with cryoablation (removal by freezing with liquid nitrogen) are up to 50 percent effective after three months. Because the warts tend to come back, more rounds of treatment are often warranted.
Immunological treatments are being studied and might offer better results. Surgical excision is often done when nothing else is working, though recurrence is still an issue.
Gardisil is a vaccine to help prevent genital warts and reduce the risk of cervical cancer. Since condylomata acuminata occurs in both sexes, and since males give females HPV that can cause cervical cancer, Gardisil might be a way to lower the number of STD "surprises" out there, especially among the young and the restless.
May your surprises be the flowers on your desk and not the warts on your…well, warts.
Dr. Hook cracks a joke or two, but he's a respected physician with an interesting website, drjohnhong.com. Email him with your questions!Read more on: genital wartssexually transmitted disease


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KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian economist Azrul Azwar gave a presentation in Singapore last week that cost him his job.
His analysis, outlining risks for investors from a narrow election victory for Malaysia's opposition, was reported by a Malaysian online news site as a prediction the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition government would fall this year.
The response from his employer, government-linked Bank Islam, was swift. It suspended him on Monday and Azrul, who was its chief economist, told Reuters he would resign this week.
As Malaysia prepares for an election that Prime Minister Najib Razak must call by the end of April, the prospect of the biggest challenge to the coalition's rule in 56 years is unnerving some government officials, emboldening the opposition and raising risks for investors.
"The BN leaders are so afraid. They put tremendous pressure on my boss," Azrul told Reuters.
Bank Islam said in a statement that Azrul had been suspended because it had "reasonable grounds" to believe he had breached the bank's internal policy.
A win for an opposition front led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim would put Malaysia into uncharted political territory, placing economic policy in doubt and likely triggering a short-term plunge in financial markets.
Every government since independence in 1957 has been formed by the same alliance, led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in partnership with parties representing ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
That alliance, rebranded in 1973 as BN, was seen as formula to balance social and political interests of different ethnic groups, to maintain harmony in a country where Chinese dominate the business community.
The informal opposition front, the Pakatan Rakyat, has problems of its own, including divisions over religion and social policy between its ethnic Chinese and Islamist parties.
Few investors expect an opposition victory. The BN has deep pockets and an electoral system skewed in its favour. But the expectation, held by many investors, that the BN will score a solid parliamentary majority could prove foolhardy given the uncertainties.
Najib has delayed calling the polls to almost the last minute, suggesting he lacks confidence in bettering the coalition's worst-ever election in 2008 despite a slew of government handouts to poorer voters over the past year.
The 2008 result triggered a 10-percent one-day plunge in the main Kuala Lumpur stock index as investors were swept up in what the opposition calls its "political tsunami."
"I think the risks are not fully priced in," said Vincent Khoo, head of research at brokerage UOB Kay Hian. "In the short term you will see potentially a sharp selloff."
After driving the main Kuala Lumpur stock index up 11 percent last year, investors have begun taking some money off the table with an eye on the election. The main index is little changed from November 1, compared with gains of around 9 percent in Thai stocks and 12 percent in the Philippines.
Foreigners withdrew $42 million from Malaysian offshore equity funds in the last six months of 2012, while adding a net $129 million and $230 million to Philippine and Thai funds respectively.
Kuala Lumpur emerged as a regional equities darling last year, hosting a string of high-profile initial public offerings that were bolstered by heavy state backing. Plans for IPOs this year, including power company Malakoff and port operator Westports Malaysia, have been pushed back due to political uncertainty, bankers say.
Even if the opposition falls short of a majority, a poor result for the coalition would threaten Najib's leadership, putting his reform programme in doubt.
Among crucial reforms that investors are expecting from Najib if he wins are a reduction in food and fuel subsidies that bloat the budget deficit and the introduction of a consumption tax to reduce Malaysia's dependence on oil revenues. He is also closely associated with the $444 billion Economic Transformation Program that aims to lift Malaysia to developed status by 2020 through public and private investments.
Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, still an influential force in UMNO, told Reuters in a interview in late November that the minimum requirement for Najib was an improvement on the 140 parliament seats out 222 that the coalition won in 2008.
Anything less could prompt a revolt by UMNO conservatives, many of whom view Najib as a weak leader, due in part to his efforts to dismantle draconian security laws, loosen some media restrictions and appeal to younger voters.
"I think there will definitely be instability," said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, head of the IDEAS thinktank in Kuala Lumpur, who expects Najib to win but with a smaller majority that would likely prompt a leadership challenge from within UMNO.
Most worrying for Najib is a haemorrhage of support from ethnic Chinese voters, who make up over a quarter of the multi-ethnic country's population and have been alienated by corruption and policies favouring ethnic Malays.
Chinese voters deserted the BN in droves in 2008, raising concerns about racial polarisation in a country with a history of communal violence. The trend appears to have intensified as they increasingly see the opposition as a viable alternative.
A national poll released last week by the respected Merdeka Center found that 52 percent of Malaysians thought the country was heading in the right direction, down from 58 percent last April. Just 16 percent of Chinese respondents agreed things were going well, despite robust economic growth of around 5 percent last year, plunging from 41 percent last February.
Support from majority ethnic Malays, UMNO's bedrock, remained high at 70 percent, as did backing from ethnic Indians who make up about 15 percent of the country's 28 million people.
The opposition's confidence was on display on Saturday when up to 100,000 supporters rallied at Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka stadium, where the country declared independence in 1957. Police and state-controlled media tallied the crowd at just 45,000.
Khoo said that despite the uncertain outcome, few investors were entertaining thoughts of an opposition victory.
"At the end of the day, money talks, and there's been a lot of money poured into this election," said Khoo, referring to government handouts that have included cash for poor families, bonuses for civil servants and new tyres for taxi drivers.
But Azrul, the former Bank Islam economist, said in his Singapore presentation that a narrow opposition win was the most probable scenario based on a surge in new, younger voters, the collapse in Chinese support and the trend in recent local elections. He gave a lower probability to two other scenarios - a narrow BN win and a big opposition victory.
"It's not a wild, crazy dream," Azrul said of an opposition victory. "It's highly possible."
The opposition would not necessarily need to win an outright majority to take power. A slim win by a few seats for the ruling coalition could trigger intense horse-trading as Anwar seeks to persuade coalition members to jump ship.
An opposition win would likely set off short-term market turmoil on uncertainty over its ability to take over the reins of government smoothly and overcome institutional resistance from the UMNO-dominated civil service.
"The top layer of the civil service is already entrenched with UMNO culture," said Wan Saiful of the IDEAS institute. "It will be chaotic if change happens."
Additional reporting by Angie Teo and Siva Sithraputhran in Kuala Lumpur; Nishant Kumar in Hong Kong; editing by Simon Cameron-Moore


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The lessons of Scouting are best learned, and most fondly remembered, when taught in the outdoors. We have a great resource in the beautiful land around us all over Northern California. Marin Council is particularly fortunate to have three outstanding pieces of property: Camp Tamarancho outside Fairfax in Marin County, Marin Sierra near Emigrant Gap in the Sierra Nevada, and Slane's Flat on the edge of the Yolla Bolly Wilderness.
We encourage Scouts to take advantage of both of these camps as often as possible. Both camps are also available to non-Scouting groups, and make outstanding locations for a retreat or other getaway.
Call the Scout Service Center for details and to request your reservation. Go here to register and find information for Boy Scout Resident Camp at Camp Marin Sierra.
To work at either camp, download the camp staff application.
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First Flatiron
Boulder is known for its Flatirons, the sky-carving, purplish rock faces on the south end of town that wow you as you roll up Highway 36 from Denver. Why not hike to the top of one? Don't be scared off by the hordes of people at Chautauqua Park, where this and several other popular trails begin – the crowds will fizzle out the farther up the wide, gravelly Chautauqua Trail you hike. Before long, you'll come to a fork at the Bluebell-Baird junction; keep right and follow the signs for Flatiron #1. Here it gets more dicey, switchbacking tightly over an uneven, rocky path. You'll duck under and around several hanging boulders until you reach what you'll think is the top. But then comes the real bonus, as you swing around to the opposite side of the rock top and scope sensational views of the Continental Divide. Round trip is 2.9 miles. Be careful in the late fall and early spring, because there are many sunless spots where snow and ice can linger.
More Information: For trail details, visit bouldercolorado.gov.
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Dealer Comments
This 2017 Dyna us a Genuine Aussie delivered One Owner example purchased New from us, and is in great condition! It has S&S Slip-on exhausts fitted, Moustache Engine Guards, as well as a Quick Release Sissy Bar and Rack.
It has two good tyres, good clean paint and Queensland registration until July 2020.
It has a good service history with us, and has been serviced this year, two thousand kilometres ago! This is a very clean, great value Dyna! ^^Search for Australia?s oldest Harley-Davidson dealership! Call us today, we have friendly and experienced sales people, Harley-Davidson parts and motorclothes specialists, finance and insurance professionals, fully trained Master Technicians all under the one roof. Visit us for a dealership experience like no other, we've been in business in Australia for over 100 years! Test ride this amazing Harley-Davidson, there's no other brand that represents true freedom and build quality. We can help you with H-D finance, insurance, warranty and freight to almost everywhere in Australia. When you purchase a motorcycle from us, you are buying from the oldest Harley-Davidson dealership in Australia, and outside of the USA, the oldest dealership in the world. We build and sell the best Harley-Davidson Cruisers, Tourers and Customs in the country. We continue to exceed your service expectations and fulfil your dreams of motorcycling freedom as we have since 1917.


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Solar Telescopes & Accessories
The #1 Source for Solar Telescopes & Solar Filters Online
Our assortment of solar gear includes something for everyone. When you want something as simple as solar eclipse glasses or something as advanced as a Coronado SolarMax III, we've got you covered! Our solar experts are standing by to help you find the solar filters for telescopes and solar telescopes you need. Order the telescope solar filters you need online at High Point Scientific.
We offer an assortment of solar viewing accessories to suit your needs. Whether you are a seasoned solar astronomer or would like to gaze upon a solar eclipse for the first time, we have you covered. Solar glasses are the most popular solar viewing accessory among amateur enthusiasts. They are inexpensive and come in cardboard or plastic for reinforced durability. High Point Scientific carries many accessories to outfit your nighttime viewing telescope for solar observations, including filters, wedges, eyepieces, and even solar film, so you can customize your own equipment.
You can outfit your solar telescope with two kinds of solar filters: white light or hydrogen-alpha. Accessories with white light filters transmit the entire visible spectrum of light but restrict it to a level that makes observing safe. H-alpha filters, on the other hand, transmit only the H-alpha line of light from the visible spectrum. H-alpha filters tend to produce more clear, detailed images and are a favorite among astrophotographers.


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Matthew Sandoval
Managing Director
Matthew Sandoval is a member of Barings Alternative Investments, a global real estate, private equity and real assets platform. Matt is a part of the Private Equity / Real Assets team and is responsible for sourcing and underwriting Telecom investments. Matt has worked in the industry since 1994. Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Matt worked at Kroll Zolfo Cooper where, among other duties, he was an Associate Director at Enron Corporation and was responsible for asset and liability evaluation, company restructurings and asset distribution. Prior to Kroll Zolfo Cooper, Matt worked in the investment banking divisions of Bear, Stearns & Co. and Salomon Brothers where he was responsible for mergers and acquisitions, debt financings and public and private equity offerings. Matt started his career as a submarine officer in the United States Navy. He holds a B.S. in Physics from the United States Naval Academy, a J.D. and an M.B.A. from Columbia University and is a certified insolvency and restructuring advisor.
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Amazing, great purchase!
Known worldwide as the premier manufacturer of classic board games, Silverman & Co. continues the tradition of excellence with their new collection of Double 9 domino sets. Take a closer look at this thrilling combination of quality materials and craftsmanship, at an unbeatable price!
This Double 9 set of dominoes comes in a red leatherette case, and contains 55 black dominoes with spinners.
If you're looking for large "bones", these dominoes offer exactly that and so much more. Each domino measures a hefty 2-3/16" tall, by 1-1/16" wide, and a full 1/2" thick. In addition to their great size, these dominoes feature a smooth and polished surface, the result of using high quality polishing agents imported directly from Japan. The results are simply spectacular!
Dominoes this beautiful require more than an ordinary storage box. Silverman & Co. have crafted a one-of-a-kind jewelry style storage box that not only looks stunning, it actually is designed to keep these dominoes well protected after game play. As seen in the photos above, each layer of dominoes is divided by a thick and smooth felt separator for added reassurance.
When you first open the case lid, you'll notice that the dominoes are covered with a felt insert, easily removed with a classy satin pull tab. The case lid is also padded, and is secured with hidden magnets when closed. Such quality craftsmanship and attention to detail are not found in any other product.
Available exclusively from GammonVillage, the Silverman & Co. dominoes sets are ideal gifts when you need to impress, or if you simply need to have the best for yourself.
|Domino Dimensions:
|Domino Size:
|2 3/16" x 1 1/16" x 1/2"
|Domino Back:
|Domino Face:
|Pip Color:
|Domino Case Dimensions:
|Case Type:
|Jewelry Box - Red
|Case Size:
|9 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 4"
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I think it turned out ok. This is the first project, although small, I did after moving to Northern California. My new oven is slow at preheating, and never reaches the correct temperature until 20 minutes after it says it did. So I got an oven thermometer to be safe.
I made these cupcakes for my husband's new co-workers. Most of them are men, so this is kinda girly, but I felt like making flowers. So this is what they are going to get!
So, since I have made both carrot cupcakes and fondant flowers. Here are the links to them if you feel adventurous and want to try this project out!
I hope you have fun making either of the recipes.


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There was no small amount of head-scratching when Gov. Schwarzenegger visited Shanghai over the weekend and touted the building of a big piece of the Bay Bridge's new eastern span. Since when, asked Politico, does an American politician tout the value of Chinese labor?
The answer is this: the Bay Bridge is overdue and over budget. So real progress is to be celebrated. And like any major infrastructure project, it's a global project, with parts and pieces being manufactured in seven foreign countries and more than two dozen U.S. cities (12 of them in California). An excellent description of the entire project was published by the McSweeney's newspaper project known as Panorama last year, and is worth a look here.
Why China? The ability to build such a span, and price. Only Shanghai's Zhenhua Port Machinery Co. (ZPMC) had the manufacturing capacity to do such a big structure; if such forging and construction was to be done domestically, a new facility would have to be built. And that had an effect on price. Panorama concluded: "Chinese steel and labor was $400 million cheaper than it was for domestic steel fabrication."


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A comparison of doctrine of Satan in the Bible and the Qur'an
Brackney, William
Acadia University
Master of Arts
Acadia Divinity College
Only three major religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, have ideas of Satan that are historically and theologically connected with one another. This thesis investigates Satan in the Hebrew/Christian Bible and the Qur'an. The study demonstrates that people who adhere to the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, or the Qur'an share similar conceptions about Satan. Theologians of the three different faiths agree on the idea that Satan is a person who was created by God to serve a fundamental purpose in human life. However, how he has been used by God is debated across the three religious traditions. Iwill also show that Satan is one of the religious figures theologians of different faiths have used to form their theology in their attempts to understand God and His relation with His creation. This study presents useful details to understand Satan and his role according to what is found in the holy books; the Hebrew/Christian Bible and the Qur'an. In addition, it provides a collection of different images and ideas about him introduced by Christian and Islamic theologians. I argue that, while there is still much to be examined, the Hebrew/Christian Bible and the Qur'an share very similar views about Satan.
The author grants permission to the University Librarian at Acadia University to reproduce, loan or distribute copies of my thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats on a non-profit basis. The author retains the copyright of the thesis.


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With the holidays behind us and election season upon us for the foreseeable future, this is the perfect time to divert our attention to the edifying pursuit of creative fulfillment. And what better way to do that than with this extra bulky edition of ArtCenter Alumni Notes.
Guy Bove (BS 96 Product Design) was recently featured in a Tatler Magazine Hong Kong article about watch design. Hong Kong Tatler
Edward Eyth (BS 85 Product Design) was on a panel discussion for his concept designer work on Back to the Future Part II as part of the Toyota Mirai premier event. Toyota Newsroom


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The wait is finally over: The iPhone is coming to Verizon.
Verizon announced Tuesday that it is partnering with Apple -- and bringing the iPhone 4 to its wireless network.
"Today, two innovators are coming together," said Lowell McAdam, president and COO of Verizon, according to Endgadget.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
The iPhone 4 for Verizon will be Feb. 10, McAdam said. Customers can pre-order the device on Feb. 3.
Verizon will charge $199 for the 16GB version and $299 for the 32GB version -- the same as AT&T. But Verizon will allow users to use their phone as a mobile hotspot for free -- AT&T charges extra for that.
"We've designed an iPhone 4 which connects to the CDMA network -- and it has all the features you'd expect, like Facetime, like Apple's stunning Retina Display," Apple COO Tim Cook said. "This is just the beginning of a relationship between Apple and Verizon. I'm very optimistic about what the future holds."
For years, even as iPhone sales have surged, users have often complained about poor service and dropped calls on AT&T's network. But Apple launched the iPhone in 2007 with an exclusive agreement with the wireless provider.
"I can't tell you the number of times we've been asked, 'When will it work on Verizon,'" Cook said.
Of course, nobody knows how much better Verizon will be. Some experts have suggested that the problem lies with the phone's design, and not its network . If that's the case, poor service and dropped calls could continue on Verizon, vindicating AT&T and giving Apple a black eye.
Others suggest because iPhone users eat through lots of data, they weight down an otherwise strong network -- and an influx of iPhone users could turn Verizon's reliable network into one that more closely resembles AT&T.
Verizon officials were confident that there wouldn't be problems.
"We have designed this network for customers to have an optimum experience," Verizon executive Dan Dee said. "We have been test driving this on our network. We have advanced the capacity and built margin into it. We're ready for this launch."


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Midwest Braces for Potentially Dangerous Storm
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Hundreds of snow plows and salt spreaders are hitting roads and highways across the nation's heartland, preparing for a winter storm that could dump up to a foot of snow in some areas and bring dangerous freezing rain and sleet to others.
Winter storm warnings were issued from Colorado through Illinois. By midday Wednesday, heavy snow was falling in Colorado and western Kansas.
Jayson Gosselin of the National Weather Service says parts of Colorado, Kansas and northern Missouri could get 10 to 12 inches of snow. Further south, freezing rain and sleet could make driving treacherous.
The winter storm could be the worst in the Midwest since the Groundhog Day blizzard that started Feb. 1, 2011, forced the closure of Interstate 70 across Missouri due to white-out conditions.


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Howard Nemerov
Howard Nemerov (29 February 1920 – 5 July 1991 / New York City, New York)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Life Cycle Of Common Man
Roughly figured, this man of moderate habits,
This average consumer of the middle class,
Consumed in the course of his average life span
Just under half a million cigarettes,
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Pleased that SCEE land won't be sold
Although the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education board recently announced that it gave up the potential for tens of millions of dollars if its land had been sold to a developer, in reality I had already stopped that option in my successful petition (to the Pennsylvania Orphans Court) in which the SCEE Board is not allowed to sell any of the 345 acres without permission from the court.
The above court case was finalized in May 2009, and, among other items, it stopped the sale of any of the approximately 325 acres donated by my mother, Eleanor Houston Smith and remaining acres donated by her sister, Margaret Houston Meigs. In previous years there had been board members wishing to sell.
I, Eleanor (Houston) Smith Morris, had been an SCEE board member for 12 years. It was in my last three years, after my late husband's death, that I fought almost singlehandedly to require the SCEE board to preserve my mother's gift as natural open space for wildlife.
Although I am pleased that the board has finally adopted environmental easement measures to preserve the land, the board members are not the angels they are pretending to be. Worrying is the 84 acres of Standard and Minimum Easement Protection property.
Although these acres cannot be sold without permission from the court, it is my understanding that the SCEE board wishes to use them for urban farming and other uses, such as the recently proposed commercial composting facility – permitted uses under standard and minimal easement protection.
This was not the intention of the major donor, my mother, Eleanor Houston Smith, who gave most of the existing SCEE land. She did not give the land for urban farming or other uses destroying wildlife habitat. Her desire was to protect it for wildlife.
This has been rightly pointed out by Christina Kobland, president of the native landscaping company, Native Return, LLC (www.NativeReturn.com) and founder of the organization East33.org (www.East33.org), who claims that all of the land not already built upon should have been put under the highest level of protection as anything else is detrimental to the wildlife on the site.
As co-chairman of the Friends of the Schuylkill Nature Center, I would like to see the highest protection applied to all the land to protect the wildlife.
Eleanor (Houston) Smith Morris
Chestnut Hill
Kudos for 'brilliant' Super Bowl column
Thank you for the column on the Super Bowl by Jim Harris. It is so brilliant and funny.
I am not a football fan and could not care less who wins or loses these silly games where huge people puffed up with steroids run into each other and try to do as much physical and psychological harm as possible. This country is crazy to make such a big deal out of it. It is all about the money – nothing else.
It seems like an awful lot of these immature, ultra-macho multi-millionaires have criminal records for drunk driving and/or abuse against women. Their values are a mess, as are ours to make heroes out of people like Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger who have done so much harm to innocent victims.
Kudos to Jim Harris for poking fun at these "heroes." And not taking their silly games so seriously. It made my day.
Shirley Harper
Bocelli restaurant says farewell
The main constant in life is change.
And so it is with Bocelli 2 Restaurant in Chestnut Hill.
It is with great regret that we announce the closing of Bocelli 2 Restaurant in Chestnut Hill. These have been an incredible three years and will remain in our hearts forever. We hardly can find the words to express our gratitude for being part of this wonderful experience. We send a huge thanks to all of you, our incredible customers who have faithfully supported us week after week. We also send an enormous thanks to our staff.
It's been a fantastic and truly unbelievable experience. We are so grateful to you all for having shared your lives with Bocelli 2 Restaurant and for all the empty plates. After "lovely compliments," we are looking forward to welcoming you back at the original Bocelli at the Gwynedd Valley train station in Ambler, with our promise of great food and service.
Raphael and Roberto
Bocelli management
Deer kill backers 'cold and uncaring'
Regarding the current slaughter of deer in the Wissahickon, the public should know how cold and uncaring all the pro-kill people are about this ongoing travesty in our backyard. They don't even pretend to care about the cruel deeds they are doing, couching it all in scientific terms of "forest sustainability" and all that mumbo jumbo.
There was no hunting in the Wissahickon Valley for over 150 years, from the park's inception in 1854 until 2000, and it "sustained" just fine. This park is not the private preserve of any one group, but they impose their own set of values on it.
There's never any mention of even exploring alternative means of dealing with the deer – why not? A dialogue in this regard needs to begin. And then, worst of all, the Friends of the Wissahickon elite smugly proclaim that we protesters are "misinformed," and that we "don't have our facts straight."
Here are the facts: they're destroying beautiful, sentient beings in our park, and we find it morally repugnant. What's not to understand? We don't get grants to study ferns or to repair trail damage caused by mountain bikers from New Jersey. We live here, We pay taxes here and We don't want our sacred space turned into a killing ground.
Jim Harris