text:
Helen Bass enjoyed an ordered if unremarkable life. The 42-year-old vocational nurse worked the second shift at the state hospital in the north Texas town of Wichita Falls. A tidy woman who lived alone, Bass occasionally entertained a friend in the evening but mostly kept to herself. After work, according to her neighbors, she would often bathe before settling down for the night with a book, a Coors Light and a pack of Benson & Hedges.
When Bass failed to show up at her job on November 30, 1989, her associates grew increasingly worried -- she rarely missed a day and always called in advance if she had a problem. Mary Barnes, a fellow nurse who frequently carpooled with Bass and had dropped her off at home the evening before, called a neighbor, Sharon Mergerson. Would she check on her friend?
Despite the November chill, the door to the small wood-frame house on Harding Street was wide open when Mergerson arrived. But her surprise turned to alarm when she encountered the chaos inside. In the bedroom she saw Helen Bass. Mergerson called the police.
Officers found the body lying on the bed, covered with blood. The victim had been bludgeoned with a rifle butt and another heavy object, stabbed and shot in the head. Blood was splattered throughout her bedroom and smeared in other parts of the house. Sperm in her vagina indicated she'd been sexually assaulted. To gain access to the house, the killer had kicked in a rear door with such force that the frame had been torn from the wall.
The savage killing was but the latest in a series of shocks that month to residents in the East Side community, already reeling from a string of violent crimes that included a murder-rape just five days earlier. Police were feeling pressure to make an arrest.
Within a day investigators had a suspect: Odell Barnes, Mary's son, who had been released from prison several weeks earlier after serving less than 20 months of an eight-year sentence for robbery. According to police reports, an anonymous telephone tipster linked Barnes to the murder, and a witness placed him at the scene of the crime the night Bass was killed.
The investigation moved forward quickly. A pinkie fingerprint found on a lamp that may have been used to beat the victim belonged to Barnes. Another witness told police he saw Barnes with the gun that may have been used in the crime. A partial bloody sneaker print on a checkbook cover was consistent with the pattern on a pair of basketball shoes owned by the suspect (though several million similar pairs were walking around the country at the time). A spot of blood found on his coveralls matched the victim's blood type; lab tests indicated that the semen in the body could have come from Barnes, though the science of DNA testing had not yet advanced enough to prove either link conclusively.
And his guilt in other violent crimes lent credence to his involvement in the murder.
The case fell an eyewitness short of a slam dunk for the prosecution, but the evidence proved compelling enough to a jury. Barnes was convicted of capital murder in 1991 and sentenced to death.
Barnes admits to a number of crimes, including robbery and rape. He admits using crack and stealing to support his craving. He admits that he has screwed up almost every chance he has had to straighten himself out. But he doesn't admit to murder. "I'm no angel," Barnes says, "but I didn't do this."
Of course, almost all convicts profess innocence, especially if their lives are on the line. But Barnes has far more than mere words to back his claim. Recent lab tests and extensive looks at the evidence have ripped away key elements of the case against him, and new witnesses have contradicted the prosecution's version of what happened that night.
The team of attorneys and investigators working to save Barnes contend that the verdict resulted from a deadly combination of factors: a botched investigation, ineffective trial lawyers and a convict-at-all-cost attitude on the part of police and prosecutors. They cite a pattern of corners cut, testimony changed, evidence ignored. "What happened to actually working a case?" asks Mike Ward, a private investigator and former cop who has dissected the initial investigation. "What happened to following every possible lead? When did it change to 'Let's just get a conviction, period'?"
The defense may be biased, but scientific analysis confirms at least some of those impressions. Blood-preservative expert Kevin Ballard tested the spot of blood found on Barnes's coveralls (which DNA testing eventually confirmed came from the victim). His conclusion: The blood was either accidentally spilled from a vial onto the coveralls by the state crime lab -- or deliberately planted there. "This is the most blatant case of tainted evidence I've ever seen," Ballard says.
But anything short of a confession by someone else may do Barnes no good. His various appeals have been rejected. Barring a last-minute reprieve, Odell Barnes will be executed by lethal injection on March 1.
Within hours of discovering the body of Helen Bass, police began methodically building a murder case against Barnes. They cataloged the evidence and dusted for fingerprints. Several officers filed reports describing their findings in detail: a bloody knife, a damaged lamp, bloody rags, bloodstains on furniture, several discarded cigarette butts, $200 in cash, a broken rifle stock that was apparently used to club the victim's head, a bloody towel lying on the ground outside the house. "The rear east door kicked in by the suspect was observed to have a shoe print near the lock area," wrote officer Stephen Thayer.
The next morning investigators transferred the body and some of the evidence to the Southwest Institute of Forensic Science for an autopsy and analysis. By then Barnes had been fingered as the suspect based on conversations with witnesses who had stopped by the crime scene during the investigation. One was neighborhood teenager Robert Brooks, who told police he'd seen Barnes jump the victim's fence the night of the murder.
With that statement, anonymous tips and Barnes's criminal history, police obtained warrants to arrest him and search for evidence at his home and elsewhere. While riding in a car with his brother on December 1 -- one day after the body was discovered -- Barnes was taken into custody near his home. Police seized a pair of his coveralls that were in the backseat.
Also in the car was Johnny Ray Humphrey, a longtime running buddy who worked with Barnes as a roofer. Several days later Humphrey told a detective that Barnes had given him a gun the afternoon the body was found. The gun, which had belonged to Bass, was then allegedly swapped between several friends in exchange for crack or cash before being recovered by police.
Since Barnes had no money, his defense was assigned to the Wichita County Public Defender's office. But it soon became clear that the attorneys there didn't have the experience or resources to do an adequate job, and they asked to be excused. "We didn't have anybody in the office that could really handle a capital case," says Nancy Botts, one of the attorneys who initially interviewed Barnes. "It was gonna be malpractice for us to handle it."
The case was passed to Wichita Falls defense attorneys Marty Cannedy and Reggie Wilson. According to the rather minimal notes the pair ultimately passed along to the appeals lawyers, they didn't start their investigation of the case until about a month before trial. Wilson says he recalls interviewing a number of witnesses and hiring a private investigator to help, though he can't remember the guy's name. If they gleaned much from their research, it's not clear in their notes or from their presentation in the courtroom.
Not that they were particularly well equipped for the job to begin with: Cannedy had worked only one capital murder trial; so had Wilson -- as a prosecutor, several years earlier. "As far as actual death penalty experience [as a defense lawyer], no," Wilson says. "I believe Marty was designated lead counsel."
The trial of Odell Barnes lasted two weeks. To place him at the scene of the crime, prosecutor Barry Macha brought Robert Brooks to the stand. The witness testified he was driving home from his girlfriend's house the night of the murder. As he passed the Bass residence, Brooks said, he saw Barnes jump her back fence and run off. He told the jury he knew Barnes casually and had seen him only twice before the encounter.
Defense attorney Cannedy hammered on Brooks, pointing out that his version of the incident differed dramatically from the statement he had given police two days after it happened. Not only had Barnes moved much closer to Brooks in the interim (making his original night-time identification from 40 yards more palatable), but he had completely changed the direction he was supposedly traveling.
Cannedy made little of another crucial aspect of Brooks's testimony, however: the time. Brooks confirmed he spotted Barnes at 10:30, even though it had been clearly established that the victim had been dropped off from work at least 45 minutes later.
Pat Williams, another prosecution witness, testified that he'd seen Barnes with the gun that was eventually confiscated by police. The night of the murder, he said, Barnes had brandished the weapon at an apartment complex after a dispute over drugs. Johnny Ray Humphrey repeated his statement to police that Barnes had passed the gun to him the next afternoon, after which he'd traded it to Williams.
In rebuttal, defense witness Marquita Mackey said Humphrey gave her the gun in a bloody rag after the murder. Humphrey's pants had blood on them, Mackey testified. Two other men were in Humphrey's car when the exchange took place, she said, but she couldn't tell if Barnes was one of them.
Otherwise, the prosecution's case was riddled with might-haves: The bullet that killed Bass might have come from the gun in evidence; the blood on the coveralls might have come from the victim; the shoe print on the checkbook cover might have come from the pair belonging to Barnes; the semen in the victim might have been Barnes's; the lamp, which might have gashed the victim's head, had his fingerprint positioned in a way which might have been consistent with a hand holding it upside down as a weapon.
To the jury, "might have" evidently equaled "probably did." The panel took less than three hours to find him guilty. Jurors assessed the death sentence a few days later. An automatic appeal, filed by Cannedy and Wilson primarily on procedural grounds, was dismissed.
The court assigned the Wichita County Public Defender's office to assist Barnes in his further appeals. Though hampered by a lack of resources, investigator Dana Rice interviewed several people whose stories conflicted with those presented at trial, especially concerning possession of the alleged murder weapon. Harvey Neil, who traveled in the same circles as most of the witnesses, told Rice that Johnny Ray Humphrey had approached him with the gun, which was wrapped in a bloody bandanna. Rodney Brown, another neighborhood crony, told essentially the same story, adding that Humphrey seemed nervous and paranoid.
Rice didn't make much headway, but she did learn enough to feel uncomfortable about the verdict. "I believe there were several people there," Rice says. "I think Odell was capable of doing it, but I don't know if he did it."
She has little doubt, however, that Cannedy and Wilson were unprepared for trial. "Probably the most disturbing thing was that his attorneys did not do an investigation," Rice says. "I had never seen a case where [the defense] didn't do anything at all."
But as so often happens in capital cases, the struggle to clear Barnes wouldn't begin in earnest until the 11th hour.
The cool breeze and soothing sounds of breaking waves belie the war-room atmosphere inside the Galveston beach house. Amid scattered mounds of legal briefs and trays of food, three lawyers and two private investigators bang on laptops, struggle with cell phones, group and ungroup. With the execution date looming, they're scrambling to tie off loose ends and file a motion that might save the life of Odell Barnes.
In 1998 U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings appointed attorneys Philip Wischkaemper and Gary Taylor to represent Barnes in his late-stage appeals. They hired private investigator Lisa Milstein, who began digging with a fine-tooth comb, instead of the pitchfork wielded by her predecessors. Attorney Mike Charlton, a veteran of many capital appeals, joined the effort.
Backed by $16,000 from anti-death-penalty Europeans and using their own funds to supplement the meager cash rations from the court, the team hired several experts to review the evidence. As their analyses rolled in, the sense of urgency about the case grew exponentially.
What most shocked the defense team was the shoddy way the crime scene had been handled. Evidence, including the kicked-in door, closet doors with visible fingerprints from the victim's bedroom and a stained washcloth, had vanished. Police eventually located the entryway door, unlabeled, lying in a garage that was being used as a temporary storage facility. The shoe print described in the initial police report had been wiped clean, a significant matter -- Barnes has size 14EEE feet, and the print identified in the initial police report could easily have been measured.
Moreover, police had tested none of the blood smeared in different parts of the house to see if it matched the victim's (or Barnes's, for that matter); the same goes for blood that appeared on a number of articles, including a towel apparently discarded by the killer outside the house. Though Bass had two broken fingernails that might have split in the struggle, her hands weren't bagged and no scrapings were taken, standard procedure in a homicide investigation. Other evidence was improperly labeled.
The presence of a bloody shoe print suggests that others should have been in the house as well; but a more sensitive dusting to lift such prints was never done either. The videotape and photos taken at the scene were of such poor quality that they're practically worthless. The videotape bounces around more nauseatingly than in The Blair Witch Project.
And a number of fingerprints lifted at the scene were never compared with those of other possible suspects or the victim -- an obvious, egregious oversight. "It appears to be a less than diligent effort," concludes defense investigator Mike Ward. "It's the McDonald's style of burger-flipping police work." In a capital murder case, Ward says, "there should be no rock unturned; there should be no piece of evidence not tested."
Certified forensic examiner John Jacobson came to the same conclusion. "In my opinion," he wrote in a letter after reviewing the evidence, "the processing of this crime scene, or lack thereof, can be described at best as sloppy and unprofessional."
Even the Wichita Falls police agree. After revisiting that investigation and several others during the period, the department completely overhauled procedures. "There were parts of that crime scene that if you read the books today, you could look back and say, 'Boy, did we do that wrong,' " says detective Bill Pursley. In particular, Pursley cites a lack of training to shoot video and take pictures, improper numbering and packaging of evidence, and the lack of fingerprint checks. "It just kind of surprised me that those prints were never compared with anybody."
The defense team still faced one seemingly impossible hurdle: DNA evidence. Tests done by the state in 1998 proved that it was Barnes's semen in the victim and that the blood on his coveralls belonged to Helen Bass.
Though the prosecution contended that Barnes had kicked in the door and waited for the victim to come home, that scenario had always seemed strange. Not only did his mother work with Bass and was one of her best friends, but Barnes had done roofing and other odd jobs on her house, facts established at trial. If he had wanted to gain access, says neighborhood activist and businesswoman Josie Rose, he could simply have knocked on the door. "He wouldn't have tore up her house like that," Rose says.
His work for Bass could explain the fingerprint on the lamp; as for the semen, Barnes says he and Bass had an ongoing sexual relationship, a claim backed by residents in the neighborhood where they lived. The last time he had sex with Bass, he says, was two days before her death.
The issue of an affair between Barnes and the victim was never explored at trial, which surprises former Public Defender's attorney Nancy Botts. During her interview with Barnes just after his arrest, she recalls, he mentioned the sexual relationship with Bass right off the bat. "He said he'd done work for her around the house, and they had a thing going." Had the Public Defender's office tried the case, "that was going to be a big defense," Botts says. "Of course his prints were on the lamp. He was in and out of there all the time."
Libby Johnson, an independent forensic scientist who established the Harris County Medical Examiner's DNA lab in 1991, analyzed the sperm samples. In Johnson's view, several indicators show that Barnes most likely had sex with Bass at least 24 hours prior to her death. "If they're claiming that he raped her and killed her right away," Johnson says, "the findings are not consistent with that."
The defense had always believed that the evidence of blood on the coveralls had its own inconsistencies. D.A. Macha had argued at trial that Barnes had committed the murder by himself. While it's possible that one person might use three or four weapons to dispatch a victim, such overkill is unusual. Even if Barnes had done it without help, logic dictates that his clothes would have been covered with blood, especially given the gore-covered crime scene.
Yet the blood consisted of two nickel-sized stains.
Forensic examiner Jacobson says that based on his review of the evidence, he believes that at least two people were responsible for the crime, and that "these assailants would have had a substantial amount of blood on them."
The police had the same idea. As lead investigator Joe Shephard wrote in his search warrant request, "because of the violent struggle and the splattering of blood, [I believe] that the offender would have blood on his person and the clothes, shoes, hat or anything else that he was wearing at the time of the offense."
On a hunch, the appellate team sent the coverall sample to blood-preservative expert Ballard, whose credentials include working on the O.J. Simpson case. According to his September 30 report, the blood spot contained extremely high levels of citric acid, which is used in vials to preserve blood that has been collected from a body. The blood, he says, could not have come from a person bleeding directly onto the coveralls. "It's just screamingly clear-cut that it's not a natural stain," Ballard says.
The stain could have appeared on the coveralls, he says, only if the crime lab accidentally spilled the blood onto the cloth -- a major blunder that would violate a number of basic rules for handling evidence -- or if it was put there on purpose. "The only way it can occur accidentally is for the lab to have [both samples] opened up in the same place at the same time, and labs don't normally do that," he says. "Laboratories are very careful to avoid that type of thing. You can't rule it out 100 percent, but it would be extremely unusual."
As the defense sees it, Ballard's findings leave every bit of evidence against Barnes accounted for. "I don't think he's guilty," says attorney Charlton. "All the evidence they used against him was either rebuttable or false."
But with avenues for appeal shrinking with every major court decision, simply challenging the state's evidence -- no matter how effectively -- is no longer enough to delay an execution or even to ensure a thorough review. Only exposing the identity of another possible killer might be good enough. That would come next.
In April 1995 Public Defender's investigator Dana Rice received a letter from an inmate at the Wichita County Jail. Odell Barnes, the letter said, did not kill Helen Bass.
The letter came from Sandy Durant, who was housed in a cell block with several women from East Side, including Marquita Mackey. After a television report about Barnes aired one evening, the women began discussing the case. Three men killed Bass, they said, but Barnes wasn't one of them. Durant took notes, which she eventually passed to a relative of Barnes's.
Jailhouse conversations are notoriously unreliable, but that wasn't the last communiqué from behind bars. That August, Gatesville inmate Wendy Kessler wrote Rice saying she had heard similar prison talk about Barnes as early as 1992, but had recently learned new information. Former inmate Felita McKinney knew the truth: Someone else had killed Helen Bass.
Rice contacted some of the inmates named in the letters, but none would cooperate. And the last anyone knew of McKinney, she had been paroled and was living in New Mexico. Kessler's letter gathered dust, buried in the case files, until discovered by the Houston Press earlier this month.
On January 11 investigator Milstein tracked McKinney down. She told Milstein that she'd never come forward because she was terrified of the man she believed to be the killer, and feared he'd seek revenge if she told what she knew.
McKinney signed an affidavit saying that late on the night of the Bass murder she was sleeping in her boyfriend's car -- they lived in the vehicle outside a housing project -- when she awoke to voices. She saw her boyfriend, Randy Harper, talking to another man. Harper, she stated, was carrying a gun. Blood covered his shoes and pants. "Why did you have to shoot her?" McKinney heard the other man ask. Harper then got in the car and warned her not to tell anyone she'd seen him with the gun.
The next day McKinney ran into a group of people behind a bar, her statement says. They included Harper and a man identified as "Johnny Ray," whom she thought was the same man she'd seen with Harper the night before. Again Harper warned her not to tell anyone about the gun and instructed her to be his alibi if anyone asked his whereabouts.
"I know that Randy is capable of murder," McKinney wrote, citing his violent behavior against her. "I believe he killed Mrs. Bass."
The lunch rush is over, and Josie Rose takes a break from her East Side restaurant, the Chicken Box. Rose has lived in this lower-income neighborhood of Wichita Falls for 23 years and has been trying to clean it up for just as long. But the battle to rid the streets of crack houses, drug addicts and violent crime has been an uphill one from the start. She points to a house a block away where a group mills aimlessly around the front yard. "That's a crack house," she says. Minutes later a woman staggers down and bums a buck. "I want this shit cleaned up," Rose says with disgust.
The Wichita Falls Police Department does make arrests, but Rose and her neighbors find it curious that while some people are targeted for investigation, others -- including several who have been reported by her group -- seem immune from prosecution. Though she has no proof, it seems obvious to her that the cops rely on snitches to finger suspects in exchange for favors. Others familiar with the department share her sentiments. "I believe that it happens a lot," says Public Defender's investigator Dana Rice. "The D.A. wants a conviction on somebody, and they offer a deal."
Against that backdrop, the testimony of Pat Williams that helped convict Barnes rings especially hollow. While Barnes awaited trial, Williams was busted on two felony drug charges, one for possession of crack and the other for delivering it. Two months before he appeared as a prosecution witness, Williams accepted a plea bargain and received ten years' probation -- contrary to the district attorney's policy at the time, according to sources formerly employed there.
A set of written guidelines from 1992 seems to bear that out. "There shall be no plea bargaining in any felony drug prosecution," the guidelines state flatly. (D.A. Macha says that those guidelines were not in effect the previous year, when Barnes went to trial. Sources from various county criminal justice offices, however, say the guidelines were a restatement of existing policy.)
During the first two years of Williams's sentence, probation officer Jolene Whitten referred four probation violation notices against him to the D.A.'s office. Each time, they died in the D.A.'s office, even though they should have been referred to a judge. "If the probation department recommends that a probation be revoked, a motion to revoke probation shall be filed and a prompt hearing requested," say the 1992 guidelines.
After five years Williams applied for early termination, and his time on probation was cut in half. Unusual again, according to Whitten, who has since moved to the federal court system in Fort Worth. "Usually people who got off probation were the ones who did well on probation," Whitten recalls.
Williams is adamant that he cut no deal for his testimony, as is the assistant D.A. who helped prosecute Barnes. "Never done that," says Gerry Taylor (no relation to appellate attorney Gary Taylor). "Never would do that." Taylor recalls that he took one of the violations to a judge for a hearing (he says the judge wasn't interested in pursuing it), though he can't produce documents to support the claim. And Macha says the decision to cut the probation period came again from the judge, not his office.
Williams now says he's not sure what kind of gun he saw Barnes carrying the night of the murder. Might have been a .32, might have been a .38, he says. (Several others present at the confrontation agree it may have been a .38 -- Barnes says it was a .38, which he got from his father's pickup.) Yet in his initial statement to police and again at trial, he was absolutely certain. As the weapon he bought the next day from Humphrey was exhibited in court, Williams told the prosecutor, "This is the same gun I seen Odell with."
To several of those who have looked at the case in recent years, Williams is one example of how law enforcement used any means necessary to convict Barnes, ignoring evidence that might have thrown doubt on his guilt, excluding other suspects or otherwise guiding the process to an inevitable result.
Judging from the police reports, it appears that once Barnes was identified as the prime suspect, no others were ever investigated, even though names periodically surfaced during interviews. Police apparently thought enough of Randy Harper's potential involvement, for example, that they printed out his rap sheet and tried to meet with him.
Three days after Barnes was arrested, Harper called officer Shephard, refusing to come down to the station for a face-to-face interview. The detective asked only about his knowledge of Barnes's activities before and after the murder. Harper was living in his car, Shephard wrote in his report. "Randy has no place of residence, and of course, no phone, and he has no job."
Rose is skeptical of the evidence that led to the conviction of Odell Barnes. Word on the street has always been that Barnes didn't do it, she says.
"I really don't personally believe he did the killing," Rose says matter-of-factly. "Wichita Falls is not interested enough to find out what [really] happened."
Barry Macha hunches forward intently in his swivel chair, his office cluttered with piles of papers that create a sense of motion. On one wall hang the photos of five young women, victims of serial killer Faryion Wardrip. "I'm not a fanatic about the death penalty," Macha says. "I don't take it lightly. I believe in certain cases it is appropriate."
Because of the nature of the crime, Macha says, Barnes is one of those cases. "It was war [in the victim's house], absolute war," he says. "Hit, beat, stabbed, shot, raped -- I hate to think what that human being went through the last moments of her life."
Macha soft-pedals some of the less convincing aspects of the case. Asked to propose a scenario to explain the time lag between the Brooks sighting of Barnes at the house and the actual crime, he dodges. "The scenario is that he's seen leaving the victim's premises," Macha says. "Whether it's before or after, he's at the scene."
Similarly, Macha won't address the likelihood of the perpetrator having only two tiny spots of blood on his coveralls. "My take on that," he says, "that's her blood on his coveralls. End of discussion."
As for Barnes having had a relationship with Bass, Macha calls that an "evolving defense." It wasn't brought up at trial, he notes, and now seems to be surfacing as a way to explain the presence of semen. "I suppose he has to make that allegation, since the DNA evidence nails him."
Macha kicks back in his chair with a patient expression. "You have to look at what I'm looking at," he says. "His semen is in her. Her blood is on his coveralls. His fingerprint is on the bloody lamp that was used to strike her. He was seen on the premises. That's pretty incriminating evidence."
Assistant D.A. Gerry Taylor agrees. "If you eliminated any one of these things," he says, "there would still be enough there in my opinion to warrant a conviction."
Not that the defense can eliminate anything, he says, including the blood. Just as the prosecution produced two experts to challenge Libby Johnson's opinion that the semen had been deposited in the victim well before the crime, the tainted blood can be challenged as well. "I think our experts will come in and say something different," Taylor predicts. "We've already connected with some experts about what they might say. They're prepared to controvert this."
Besides, Macha points out, Barnes has proven to be a danger to society many times before. After gaining the murder conviction, Macha prosecuted Barnes for two rapes that happened while he was on parole in 1987 and '88. Both of the cases included a DNA link. Barnes got life for one conviction and 99 years for the other. The reason he tried those cases after he'd already won the death penalty, Macha explains, is simple: The law at the time dictated that Barnes would have been eligible for parole in 15 years had his sentence been commuted. "That was unacceptable to me," he says.
Macha believes those aren't Barnes's only transgressions. He mentions the still-unsolved murder that occurred before Bass's, and a few other crimes. He would have charged Barnes in those cases, he says, if he'd had sufficient evidence to prove them.
Still, says Macha reflectively, anybody with new information in the Bass case should come forward. "Bring it to the police, bring it to us, bring it to me," he says. "Whoever's case it is, whether death row or not death row, if there's some evidence out there that would exonerate somebody, you bet I would want to know about it.
"If it's not him, I want to be the first one to know."
Odell Barnes seems remarkably stoic for a man just 43 days from his last breath. Though his six-foot-four-inch frame is crammed awkwardly into an interview cage at Ellis Unit, his boyish face smiles through the grate. Told of the new evidence possibly connecting someone else to the crime, Barnes sighs. "I just wish I had better lawyers a long time ago," he says.
He doesn't think much about what will happen if his appeals fail. "You just live one day at a time and hope for the best," he says. "That's all I can do."
The evening of the Bass murder, Barnes says, was pretty typical. He and Johnny Ray Humphrey went looking for dope after they got off work. They separated around 9:30 or 10 p.m. He scored some crack on Flood Street and hung out at a friend's house till about 11:45, then headed for home. A few blocks from his house he saw his mother drive by after dropping off Bass. He arrived about five minutes after she did (which Mary Barnes corroborates). They stayed up for a couple of hours talking, then went to bed.
Barnes says the confrontation at the housing project over drugs happened a day or two earlier; the weapon he waved that night was a .38 he got from his father's pickup.
Barnes philosophizes about the rash of executions he has seen from the inside. "A lot of us understand why it's happening," he says. "I feel that the courts are not reviewing these cases thoroughly. What good does it do to have adequate lawyers if you're not gonna let 'em present what they find? It's more or less a rush process on human lives."
Mike Charlton thinks Barnes has as good a chance to win a reprieve as anyone. In addition to an innocence claim, his final appeal will include evidence that his trial attorneys were ineffective, that the state relied on false testimony (the blood on the coveralls) and that his rights were violated because of the botched crime scene investigation. "None of the issues that the state relied upon can be considered credible," Charlton says.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
That doesn't mean Charlton is optimistic about the result. He has seen others go down despite the appearance of innocence. "You just have to wonder how many cases are slipping through the cracks," he says. "We are in such a rush to judgment that we ignore the possibility that these people were innocent, or that their trials were profoundly unfair."
Whether his appeal will be enough remains to be seen, but the odds are slim. Court decisions have consistently created new barriers for claims, mirroring an increasingly harsh political climate. Judicial rulings and legislation now require lawyers to show more than that their clients are merely innocent. "In the current state of affairs, absolute innocence can't prevent you from being executed," says noted appellate lawyer Dick Burr. "It is the most shocking development that I have seen in the 20-plus years I have done death penalty work."
"I can't imagine a worse state of affairs in any legal system in any country," Burr continues. "What could be worse than putting someone to death because they were wrongly convicted? It just makes a mockery of what we call justice."
E-mail Bob Burtman at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
SSL Certificates
Saving the internet, one green lock at a time.
As low as
On sale - Save 20%
$79.99/yr when you renew4
As low as
On sale - Save 20%
$199.99/yr when you renew4
As low as
On sale - Save 20%
$369.99/yr when you renew4
New! We'll do the install.
Now you can stay secure with the help of a security expert. We'll install your SSL certificate, fix redirect errors and even renew your cert before it expires.
All SSL certificates include
What you get with an SSL Certificate
How SSL certificates work
An SSL certificate creates a secure tunnel through which information including usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and more can pass safely.
See what SSL customers like you are saying in reviews.
"Amazing help and support for website security"
Everything was explained clearly…and the process was very easy and enormously helpful. I can't thank GoDaddy enough for watching out for me and my website.
Cheri Lee
"GoDaddy looks after its own"
I received a call from product support to let me know Google was getting more rigid about "secure sites". We were able to make the upgrades that I could afford, and make my site more mobile accessible AND secure.
Carol Joy - Shannon Paintings
"Great all around"
I've set up SSL certificates from various companies but will never use anyone but GoDaddy every again. It's easy to set up, great support and at a fraction of the price it's great all around!
Jaco Theunissen - Itensity
Sites need to look secure.
If you want your visitors to know their data is safe, you've got to look secure. The "s" in https and the green lock in the browser address bar are two indicators that a website is protected by a trusted SSL certificate.
What else keeps your site secure?
Website Backup
Stay protected in the
face of the unexpected.
Starting at
Website Security
Stop hacks before
they harm your site.
Starting at
Managed SSL Service
Hassle-free SSL
Call for pricing
+1 (480) 463-8314
Frequently asked questions
How do I install my SSL Certificate?
When your SSL certificate is issued, we send an email to let you know. What happens next depends on where your site is hosted and the options you chose when you bought the certificate.
If you chose web hosting, Website Builder or Online Store will take care of everything for you. If you host your website with another company or use our VPS or Dedicated Servers, learn more here.
To install an SSL certificate on Parallels Plesk Panel, cPanel and Microsoft IIS, please look here.
What is an SSL Certificate?
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. It might sound complex, but it's really not. SSL Certificates validate your website's identity, and encrypt the information visitors send to, or receive from, your site. This keeps thieves from spying on any exchange between you and your shoppers.
When you have an SSL Certificate protecting your website, your customers can rest assured that the information they enter on any secured page is private and can't be viewed by cyber crooks. GoDaddy makes it easy to install your certificate and secure your server
For more information, see Defining SSL Certificates.
What are the benefits of having an SSL Certificate on my website?
GoDaddy SSL Certificates inspire trust and show visitors that you value their privacy. An SSL Cert protects your customers' sensitive information such as their name, address, password, or credit card number by encrypting the data during transmission from their computer to your web server. SSL is the standard for web security, and a Server Certificate is required by most merchant account services – you'll need one if you plan to accept credit cards on your website.
For more information, see How does an SSL certificate work?
How will people know my website is safe?
How you build your website is entirely up to you. In fact, most basic secure websites can be hand-coded using HTML.
When a visitor enters an SSL-protected page on your website, their browser bar displays a padlock icon and the https:// prefix in the URL address. While most Internet users know to look for those SSL indicators, you can also add a site seal to your website to show visitors your site is verified and secured. Visitors can click the seal to view your certificate's status and details, seeing for themselves that it's safe to send sensitive information to your website. Websites protected by GoDaddy's Premium EV SSL display a green browser bar as well, giving users the green light.
For more information, see Verifying a Certificate's Validity on Your Computer.
What is the difference between Standard SSL Certificate and Premium SSL Certificate?
All SSL-protected sites display the https:// prefix in the URL address bar. Sites protected with a Premium EV SSL Certificate display a green browser bar to quickly assure visitors that the organization's legal and physical existence was verified according to strict industry standards.
GoDaddy's Premium EV SSL Certificate involves the most extensive vetting process. We verify the control of the domain and legitimacy of your company by validating the legal name, address, phone number and other business information. The process takes about 30 days, but we've got you covered during that time. EV SSL Certs come with a free Standard SSL to use during the vetting process, so you can keep your transactions secure while you wait.
For more information, see What are the advantages of a Premium Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate for your business?
Why should I buy an SSL Certificate from GoDaddy?
For one thing, our SSL certificates cover unlimited secure servers. They support up to 2048-bit encryption and they're recognized by all of the major desktop and mobile browsers on the market. Plus, they're backed by the industry's best 24/7 phone service and support. There's absolutely no technical difference between GoDaddy SSL Certificates and those offered by other companies – they simply cost less. Is it any wonder we're the largest provider of net new SSL Certificates in the world?
For more information, see What is the encryption strength of your SSL certificates?
Which SSL Certificate do I need?
Answer these questions to help find the SSL Certificate you need:
Where are you located?
Our certificates are issued worldwide with a few exceptions. Check this list to see if you're covered.
Do you have a business or personal website?
Unless you sell things on your personal website, a Standard SSL Certificate (DV) is fine. This is also true for informational business sites. eCommerce websites should use a single-domain Standard SSL Certificate (DV) or Premium SSL Certificate (EV).
Which type of web hosting server do you use?
Our SSL Certificates work on most hosting and server configurations. To protect multiple domains on Microsoft's Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2010 or Live? Communications Server, use a Multiple Domain UCC SSL.
How many different domains do you need to protect?
Wildcard SSL Certificates cover multiple subdomains. For example, use a Wildcard to protect *.coolexample.com, which would cover shop.coolexample.com, www.coolexample.com and any other subdomains.
UCC SSL Certificates will cover multiple domains, subdomains and websites. For example, you can secure www.coolexample.com, mail.coolexample.com, and www.awesomeexample.com.
Do you need an SSL certificate that supports Intel vPro technology for remote PC management?
You'll need our Deluxe Certificate (OV).
How long will I have to wait for my SSL certificate?
Standard SSLs (DV) usually take 5 minutes or less. Deluxe SSLs (OV) take 3-5 business days, as we're validating not just domain ownership but also the existence of the organization or business on the SSL application.
For Premium (EV) certificates, there is an extensive vetting process that starts with an in-depth application. Before you start, pull together details about your business, such as registration number, incorporation or registration agent and any relevant jurisdiction information.
How do I create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)?
This depends on the software you use on your web server. Learn more
To learn how to generate a CSR on Plesk Panel, cPanel and Microsoft IIS, please look here.
What is a Unified Communications Certificate (UCC)?
A Unified Communications Certificate (UCC) is an SSL Certificate that secures multiple domain names as well as multiple host names within a domain name. A UCC SSL Certificate lets you secure a primary domain name and up to 99 additional Subject Alternative Names (SANs) with a single SSL Certificate. For example you can use a UCC to protect www.domains1.com, www.domains2.net and www.domains3.org.
UCCs are compatible with shared hosting and ideal for Microsoft? Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2010, and Microsoft Live? Communications Server. However, the site seal and certificate "Issued To" information will only list the primary domain name. Please note that any secondary hosting accounts will be listed in the certificate as well, so if you do not want sites to appear 'connected' to each other, you should not use this type of certificate.
What is a Wildcard SSL Certificate?
A Wildcard SSL Certificate protects your primary domain, and an unlimited number of its subdomains. For example, a single Wildcard Certificate can secure both www.coolexample.com and blog.coolexample.com.
Wildcard Certificates secure the common name and all subdomains at the level you specify when you submit your SSL request.
How many separate domains can I protect with HTTPS?
Depending on how your website is configured, you might want to use something other than a single-domain SSL certificate.
Wildcard SSL certificates cover all of a domain name's subdomains. For example, you can secure *.coolexample.com, which would cover shop.coolexample.com, www.coolexample.com and any other subdomains.
UCC SSL certificates can cover multiple subdomains, unique domain names and websites. For example, you can secure www.coolexample.com, mail.coolexample.com and www.awesomeexample.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I still got some time to write my remarks about the Draft Constitution , already my voting turn will be on December 22,2012 as I am from Giza.
Anyhow I would like to share with you these videos on why many Egyptians including me refuse this draft constitution.
This video is from Mosireen with English captions speaks about the neglect the right to the city despite we face a huge problem when it comes to shanty towns in almost all over the country and in its major cities.
By the way Strong Egypt Party also refused this constitution for neglecting this right as part of the social justice.
This video is about the freedom of press. It is not translated unfortunately. The speakers are Ahram Online's editor in chief Hany Shukrallah and journalists syndicate's board member Alaa El Attar
Now when it comes to freedom of Press , well this is the most unfriendly constitution I would imagine when it comes to freedom of press after #Jan25 revolution.
According to article No.48 Newspapers, channels and websites can be closed by a court orders so easily. Already the article is too vague.
Ironically in Constitution 1971 newspapers can not be closed by court orders !!
Also this draft constitution did not ban the imprisonment of journalists in publishing related crimes. I remember that Mohamed Mahsoob once promised to include this article in the constitution but you know !! The MB leading members already said that journalists should not have any privileges compared to other professions.
Moving to Al Azhar's positionHere is Ibrahim El Houdaiby speaking about his concerns considering Al Azhar's posiiton in the draft constitution
Article No.4 states the supreme scholars committee of Al-Azhar, the country's highest Islamic institution, should be consulted on all matters relating to Sharia. Many expressed their fear that this gives the religious institution the right to meddle in the law-making process as well a complete control over religion. You must think in the future that Al Azhar could be controlled by radicals.
You can read more about the religious aspects of the draft constitution in that report by Nada Rashwan in Ahram Online.
To Article No.62 related to the right of healthcare , here is a video from No for the Constitution campaign that is translated to French.
The State obliges to provide healthcare and health insurance according to a high quality fair system and to be free for those who are incapable to afford it !!
How can the state determine who is capable to afford this healthcare and who is not !? Are we going back again to the infamous poverty certificate !? What kind of logic is that !?
Already Egyptian doctors like Mona Mina who are struggling to have some National health insurance system like in UK fear that this constitution will open the door to private the health insurance.
Now this video from Strong Egypt Party and it presents why it refuses the draft constitution.
There are more to raise and I know we got no time.


text:
Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite) to Guest-Star on TNT's "Falling Skies"
Oscar(R) and Golden Globe(R) winner Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite) is set for a multiple-episode guest-starring arc in the fourth season of TNT's epic drama Falling Skies. Sorvino, whose credits include the hit comedy Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi thriller Mimic, will play Sara, a woman far removed from her former life as a graphic designer. She is now dogged by death at every turn, yet she has never felt more alive, free or fearless. A chance encounter with guerrilla fighter John Pope (Colin Cunningham) leads her to join the resistance and develop a strong personal bond with the outlaw-turned-warrior.
About Falling Skies
Falling Skies is currently in production on its fourth season, which is slated to launch on TNT in summer 2014. Produced for TNT by DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg, the series tells the extraordinary story about life and survival in the wake of a catastrophic alien invasion. Falling Skies stars Noah Wyle as a college history professor who has become an unlikely resistance leader. The series also stars Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Connor Jessup, Maxim Knight, Seychelle Gabriel, Mpho Koaho, Colin Cunningham and Sarah Carter. Falling Skies premiered in summer 2011 and ranked as basic cable's #1 new series of the year. In its second and third seasons, it ranked as one of basic cable's Top 5 summer dramas with adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. In addition to Spielberg, Falling Skies is executive-produced by DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, along with David Eick and Greg Beeman.
About TNT
TNT is television's destination for drama. Seen in 99 million households and ranking among cable's top networks, TNT is home to such original drama series as Rizzoli & Isles, Major Crimes, Falling Skies, Perception, Dallas and Franklin & Bash, as well as the upcoming Mob City, Legends, The Last Ship and Murder in the First. The network also features dramatic unscripted originals like Cold Justice, Boston's Finest, The Hero, 72 Hours and the upcoming Marshal Law: Texas, Save Our Business, Inside Job, Private Lives of Nashville Wives, Life Flight, On the Menu (working title). In addition, TNT is the cable home to popular dramas like Hawaii Five-0, Castle, The Mentalist, Bones and Supernatural; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R); blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
TNT is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Turner Broadcasting creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.


text:
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — The four Republican candidates for governor tried to woo downstate Illinois voters at the latest in a series of debates Thursday, pledging not to let the state be dominated by Chicago-area clout.
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — The four Republican candidates for governor tried to woo downstate Illinois voters at the latest in a series of debates Thursday, pledging not to let the state be dominated by Chicago-area clout.
The largely civil 90-minute debate in Peoria was a departure from a more combative forum last week in the Chicago suburbs, which Winnetka businessman Bruce Rauner described as a "beat up Brucey" session after his opponents lobbed criticism at him over past campaign donations and a changing position on the minimum wage.
Along with debating the minimum wage and pension reform, the candidates — State Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, State Treasurer Dan Rutherford and Rauner — differed little in weighing in on how to make school funding more equitable across the state, the expansion of gambling and the start of hydraulic fracturing.
Dillard said that for too long Illinois been run by one party and one city.
"We need to restore the political balance of Illinois," he said.
The Peoria event was one of a handful before the March 18 primary where all four were in attendance. Rauner, who has used his hefty war chest to saturate the airwaves with campaign ads, says he will make only take part in a select few debates. Rutherford, Brady and Dillard have used the debates to compensate for their fundraising disadvantage.
On education funding, each of the candidates said there needed to be better equity in resources between urban and rural and rich and poor districts.
Dillard told the moderators that Chicago's predominance at the state Capitol didn't bode well for other schools cross the state. Rauner advocated changing the "ineffective and murky" funding formula to make schools more equitable.
Brady said the state board of education should be eliminated, and the state should do away with a number of unfunded education mandates. And Rutherford said local districts should have more local control over how tax dollars are used.
On hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the controversial method of oil and gas drilling seen as an economic boon to impoverished communities in southern Illinois, all four said they'd support the practice if proper regulations are put in place. State officials are currently are writing those regulations.
All also stated they'd would feel safe drinking the water in that part of the state despite pollution concerns raised by environmentalists.
The candidates also discussed whether gambling should be expanded across the state. Dillard and Brady appealed to downstate agricultural interests by advocating for protecting the horse racing industry from losing more business if lawmakers approve additional casinos.
"I've never believed expansion of gaming is going to solve Illinois' economic woes," Brady said, adding "horse racing, it's an important part of our economy. We must come up with some sort of solution."
Rauner said local governments should be in control of gambling expansion, while Rutherford said he'd be open to discuss gambling as long as any expansion package has appropriate oversight.
All vowed to live in the governor's mansion in Springfield, something incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn and predecessor Rod Blagojevich were criticized for not doing.
"It's more than keeping your underwear at the mansion," Brady jabbed at the Democratic governors, both from Chicago.
In one of the few barbs during the debate, Rutherford pledged he wouldn't have need "training wheels" to start running the state — a veiled shot at Rauner, who has never run for political office.
"I'm a reasonable Republican. I'm not a Republican with a horn and a tail," Rutherford said.
But Rauner didn't back down, proudly portraying himself as a government outsider.
"I'm the only one who hasn't been in Springfield for decades," he said.


text:
|(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Certainly head coach Adam Oates new power play system of the 1-3-1 is paying off. In more ways than one.
The last five power play goals scored for the Capitals came from five different Capitals. Nick Backstrom scored the latest in the big win against Carolina. Troy Brouwer and Alex Ovechkin each had a PPG in the game against the New Jersey Devils in their 5-1 win. Mike Ribeiro and Mathieu Perreault both scored on the power play first of back to back games with the Devils at the phone booth.
That distribution of the wealth on the power play makes it very hard to defend. Many teams in the NHL have that go-to guy on the power play. Take the New Jersey Devils as an example. They love to set up Ilya Kovalchuk for his one timers. The Tampa Bay Lightning do the same with Steven Stamkos. But after a while, coaches have to find ways to move that player around in the power play as teams are getting better at blocking those snipers' shots.
For the Capitals, dishing the puck to just about every player that is on the power play unit has made it a deadly PP to face in the league. The Caps are not relying on the Ovechkin one timer as they did so heavily under Bruce Boudreau. The spread of goals amongst players on the power play makes everyone on the ice a potential scorer. It makes the opposition have to keep track of everyone, at all times. If not, boom, the puck is in the back of their net.
The Capitals ability to maintain zone time with the puck under control is another factor that helps their power play become potent. By keeping the puck in the zone and keeping it moving around with crisp passes tires the oppositions' penalty killers. It also wears down the goaltender.
Ovechkin scored his hat trick goal when the Caps were able to keep the Devils penalty killers in their zone for some time. When the puck did leave the zone, Ovi quickly skated it back in and it left one tired Anton Volchenkov on the ice who wasn't able to make the quick change on the fly. The worn out defenseman for the Devils could only camp out in front of the net. The Caps exploited it not once but twice in the following sequences. The first chance brushed off the oust side of the net, while the second one found its mark.
The more the players work up their chemistry with one another and are more familiar with the system, the more dangerous of a power play it becomes. With a producing power play, things can open up for the Caps five on five. At even strength, teams will be less likely to play a tight checking game giving the Caps more room on the ice.


text:
columbia wrote:I just about puked when he jumped.
The question is.... did he?
Moderators: Three Stars, dagny, pfim, netwolf
columbia wrote:I just about puked when he jumped.
bhaw wrote:any video up yet? Missed it while we were out shopping.
Godric wrote:people are all bummed he didn't break the free fall record.... he was accelerating for a longer time maybe thats why?
blackjack68 wrote:Congrats to Felix.
Still gotta give crazy props to Joe Kittinger. Look at all the technological advances we've had since the 1960s when he did his jump.
(Conspiracy Theory Alert: I think they had a deal to not break Joe's freefall record so there would be something to shoot for next time.)
DelPen wrote:I'm amazed he nailed the landing zone. People were there within seconds to help him.
The oxygen countdown really put things into perspetive, if he doesn't get to land in under 10 minutes he would pretty much be dead.
Mr. Colby wrote:I was under that impression that when that high up in the stratosphere, you don't even feel like you're falling, it's almost more like swimming through the air
shafnutz05 wrote:Virtually
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests


text:
This class focuses on the fundamentals of a healthy yoga practice. Principles of breathing, alignment, relaxation and mindfulness are taught in elemental versions of basic poses in a gentle flow style. Sun Salutations are introduced. Suitable for brand new beginners as well as continuing students who want a refresher of the basics or just prefer a lighter class.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: May 7Power Flow
Later Event: May 8Breathe & Stretch


text:
We've seen Lockout's Guy Pearce navigate an orbiting space prison, and we've heard his cheesetastic snark with the President's daughter. Now we give you the first five minutes of this futuristic action flick, which consists mostly of Guy Pearce getting punched in the head in between fight-it-out flashbacks. Guy Pearce, handy with a hairdryer.
Lockout opens April 13th.
[via Screen Rant]


text:
If your guild is mispelled or in the wrong case please send me an email so I can correct it.
/ Servers / The Progenitor / All Guilds /
imperial alliance (The Progenitor)
The Progenitor Statistics
Conquered Planets are currently not up to date. I am working on fixing this.


text:
Red5 Media Server 1.0 delivers a powerful video streaming and multi-user solution to the ©Adobe ©Flash Player and other exciting client technologies. Based on Java and some of the most powerful open source frameworks, Red5 stands as a solid solution for business of all sizes including the enterprise.
Red5 includes support for the latest multi-user API's including NetConnection, NetStream and SharedObject's while providing a powerful RTMP / Servlet implementation. In addition to support for the RTMP protocol, the application server has an embedded Tomcat Servlet container for JEE Web Applications. Application development draws additional benefits from the Spring Framework and Scope based event driven services.
By using the Open Source Red5 Media Server, you are developing with a truly open and extensible platform that can be used in Video Conferences, Multi-User Gaming and Enterprise Application Software.
Happy Coding and enjoy our powerful free community server!


text:
Nitro PDF Professional Enterprise 8
V8 performance, without the price tag.
Introducing the easiest way to create, edit, sign, and secure PDF files, faster.
Nitro Pro 8 at a glance
Create + Combine
Nitro Pro 8 lets you quickly and easily create professional-quality PDF documents from any format or content type: paper scans, spreadsheets, presentations, reports, and more.
Edit Text + Images
Add, manipulate, replace, and correct text and images in PDF files with intuitive editing tools. Extract and delete individual pages from documents.
Convert + Export
Nitro Pro 8 lets you easily reuse and repurpose text, images, or entire documents, with tools to accurately convert and extract PDF files and their content.
Scan + OCR
Apply Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to image- and paper-based documents and create searchable and/or editable layers of text for digital archival.
Collaborate + Review
Review and markup PDF files faster with a range of text- and shape-based annotations. Easily involve multiple contributors with tools to track, sort, and manage individual comments
Sign + Certify
Electronically sign and return documents in seconds with QuickSign™ and streamline certifiable digital signature workflows with one-click, reusable profiles. Certify and approve documents with preset and customizable dynamic stamps that include the time, date, location, and author.
Control + Protect
Control document access and usage with individual user permissions and digital IDs. Protect confidential information using military-grade 256-bit and remove sensitive content with Redaction.
Electronic Forms
Create and distribute custom forms to gather information that are as intuitive as their paper counterparts – but much more efficient – and easily fill, submit, and save PDF forms
System Requirements:
- Desktops: Windows® XP, Windows® Vista, Windows® 7, Windows 8
- Servers: Windows® Server 2003, Windows® Server 2008, Windows® Server 2008 R2 (Terminal Server and Citrix XenApp/Access Essentials configurations supported.) For more on server-side deployment, check out the Citrix and Terminal Server software page.
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor
- RAM: 1 GB system memory (2 GB recommended)
- Display: 1024x768 screen resolution
- Hard disk space: 300 MB of available hard disk space
Microsoft Office 2003 or newer (required for Microsoft Office integrated features)
Nitro Pro 8 Is Available In:
English, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish
Homepage: http://www.nitropdf.com/
Nitro PDF Professional Enterprise 8 (32-bit) v220.127.116.11 + Key&Keygen
WizzUpload : Download!!
Nitro PDF Professional Enterprise 8 (64-bit) v126.96.36.199 + Key&Keygen
WizzUpload : Download!!
If can't download see picture below


text:
Study Using Pharmacogenetics to Select Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer (PGx-SELECT)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00881114
Recruitment Status : Withdrawn (Investigator decided it was not feasible to conduct this study)
First Posted : April 15, 2009
Last Update Posted : March 27, 2015
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
This is a study for patients with head and neck cancer who will be receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy for their disease. The purpose of this study is to see if the investigators can use genetic differences between patients to select the right drug to use with radiation therapy. This type of genetic testing is called pharmacogenetics.
Currently there are two drugs used to treat head and neck cancer that have provided a benefit when given with radiation compared to radiation alone in previous studies. These two drugs are cisplatin and cetuximab (Erbitux).
In this trial, the investigators will test whether genetic differences between patients can be used to pick which drug they should receive. A recent study that looked back to see how well patients with head and neck cancer responded to treatment with cisplatin showed that genetic differences in a few genes were associated with who did and who did not survive their cancer. The investigators are taking that finding and using it to test patients for these genetic differences to determine whether they should receive cisplatin or cetuximab. In other words, the investigators are trying to take what is essentially a flip of the coin choice between these two drugs, and instead use individual patient's genetic differences to make-and hopefully improve- this choice.
|Condition or disease
|Head and Neck Cancer
|Drug: Cisplatin Drug: Cetuximab
|Phase 2
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|0 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Single Group Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|A Prospective Phase II Clinical Trial to Use Pharmacogenetics (PGx) to Select Erbitux or Cisplatin to Treat Head and Neck Cancer
|Study Start Date :
|April 2009
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|June 2009
|Estimated Study Completion Date :
|June 2013
Experimental: Cetuximab
patients with 2 or fewer genetic variants will receive cetuximab
Drug: Cetuximab
Intensity modulated Radiation Therapy with concurrent chemotherapy. Cetuximab will be administered beginning at a dose of 400 mg/m2 the week before radiation commences, then at a dose of 250 mg/m2 weekly during weeks 1 to 7. Post treatment neck dissection will be performed if clinically indicated.
Other Name: Erbitux
Experimental: Cisplatin
Subjects with 3 to 8 genetic variants will receive cisplatin
Drug: Cisplatin
Intensity modulated radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy. Cisplatin will be administered at a dose of 100 mg/m2 during weeks 1, 4, and 7 of radiation therapy. Post treatment neck dissection will be performed if clinically indicated.
Other Names:
- Progression-free survival [ Time Frame: 36months ]
- Objective response [ Time Frame: 36 months ]
- Overall survival [ Time Frame: 36 months ]
- Toxicity [ Time Frame: 8 weeks ]
- Quality of Life [ Time Frame: 36 months ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Biopsy proven squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, including of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx
- Locally advanced, Stage III or IVB disease and a candidate for primary therapy using chemotherapy and radiation with curative intent
- Patients with a diagnosis of 'unknown primary' will be eligible if chemoradiotherapy is primary modality of treatment
- No previous chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery for the diagnosis of head and neck cancer
- ECOG performance status 0 or 1
- Negative pregnancy test
- Hemoglobin >/= 8.0
- Absolute neutrophil count >/= 1500
- Platelet count >/= 100,000
- GFR > 50 mL/min
- Total bilirubin </= 1.5 upper limits of normal
- AST and ALT </= 2.5 times upper limits of normal
- No other current malignancy, other than basal cell skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, ductal or lobular in situ of the breast.
- Ability and willingness to give consent
- Subjects must in the opinion of the Investigator be capable of complying with the protocol
Exclusion Criteria:
- Primary tumors of the nasopharynx, sinuses, and salivary glands
- Acute treatment for an infection or other serious medical illness within 14 days prior to study entry
- Major surgery within 3 weeks prior to study entry
- Known hypersensitivity to cisplatin or cetuximab
- Patients who have any severe or uncontrolled medical conditions or other conditions that could affect their participation in this study including: unstable angina, serious uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, active or uncontrolled infectious disorder, myocardial infarction </= 6 months prior to study entry
- Psychiatric illness that would limit compliance with study requirements
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00881114
|Principal Investigator:
|John Deeken, MD
|Georgetown University
|Responsible Party:
|John Deeken, MD, Georgetown University Medical Center
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00881114 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|April 15, 2009 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|March 27, 2015
|Last Verified:
|April 2009
Head and neck cancer
Head and Neck Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
Antineoplastic Agents
Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological


text:
Fortune Teller
Fortune Teller
A6 Card size (4.5 x 6.25")
Blank inside
#100 white uncoated cardstock
Sold with a 100% recycled envelope and an eco-friendly compostable protective sleeve.
Each card is designed and printed in Seattle, WA.
They are hand assembled and packaged with care, mailed in a rigid envelope.
Add To Cart


text:
Tablet Business
How the new American stacks up against its rivals
It has been five years since American Airlines could say, "We're No. 1."
But when its merger with US Airways closes, as early as next month, the Fort Worth-based airline can once again claim the top spot in the airline industry.
The new American will have more than $38 billion in annual revenue, 1,500 aircraft, 6,500 daily flights and more than 100,000 employees, making it bigger than rivals United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which currently occupy the top two positions.
Executives at the new American say its added size will help it compete for lucrative business travelers and provide more connections to more destinations for all travelers.
"This makes us a very powerful global competitor, not just with United and Delta but also with all the growing international airlines around the world," American's Chief Executive Tom Horton said two weeks ago after the carrier settled its antitrust lawsuit with the Justice Department. "We think the U.S. should have the world's leading airline and that's what's been created here."
Being the biggest, however, may not have the same cachet in the airline business that it used to, industry analysts say. The top three airlines are very close in revenue and network size, all serving over 300 destinations worldwide.
Each carrier will have its own geographic strengths, and product and service offerings. But in reality, all three airlines will be able to take a customer from one destination to another, whether it's on their own planes or an alliance partner's flights, said Henry Harteveldt, airline analyst at Hudson Crossing.
"It is not a matter of being the largest airline," Harteveldt said. "It's a matter of how intelligent its leadership is in making the largest airline the most relevant."
The network
When American's parent company, AMR Corp., filed for bankruptcy court protection in 2011, the carrier had lost market share on both coasts and cut flights out of Boston.
The merger with US Airways will create a combined network with more capacity in New York and Washington, D.C., even after the divestitures required by the settlement with the Justice Department.
"It has more of the top ten cities and more of the top premium markets as hubs within the United States," Harteveldt said. "The potential to use both Chicago and Philadelphia as connecting gateways across the Atlantic and use New York for local traffic may help their business."
With a larger domestic network, analysts say American executives will be able to focus on their hubs but also increase passenger traffic to international flights.
The Oneworld alliance, which American co-founded in 1998, will gain traffic as US Airways leaves the Star alliance early next year. And, analysts say, American's strength in South America, particularly Brazil, will help boost business for the new American. China, however, remains a weak spot as the other two big alliances, Star and Sky Team, both have domestic Chinese carriers while Oneworld's partnership with Cathay Pacific brings passengers mainly from Hong Kong and other south Asian cities.
"They are trying to extract corporate traveler surpluses and then feed that business to the international market where most of the growth has been and where I suspect most of the profit in the future will occur," said aviation consultant Robert Mann.
Domestically, US Airways CEO Doug Parker, who will head the new American, has reiterated that the carrier plans to keep all of its hubs in New York, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Miami, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix and Los Angeles. As part of its antitrust settlement with state attorneys general, the new carrier promised to maintain service at its hubs for three years.
But that doesn't keep analysts from wondering whether the new combined airline will reduce service at a hub or two, like Delta did at the former Northwest Airlines hub in Memphis.
"We all question whether at the end of the day there will be eight hubs standing," said Bill Swelbar, an airline researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "They need to get in and optimize their network, understand where the traffic flows and then ask themselves the question, 'Do I need all eight or do I have some duplication of service that I can get rid of?'"
The business traveler
Crucial to the new American's success will be the carrier's ability to woo corporate travelers who spend more on last-minute airfares and are willing to purchase amenities like extra legroom or standby access.
There is some concern among corporate travelers that American, which has traditionally catered to business customers, may not invest in products and services since US Airways executives will be running the new airline. US Airways has a reputation of focusing more on on-time performance than in-flight comforts.
"They are going to have to up their game," Harteveldt said. "Plastic cups in first class are not going to be acceptable on American."
During its bankruptcy restructuring, American decided to add lie-flat seats to its first and business classes on international and transcontinental flights. It also unveiled a new brand and livery for the airline before the merger announcement.
Asked by an American employee at a town hall meeting two weeks ago if Parker planned to cut back on the new customer initiatives the carrier rolled out in 2013, he said the merger will continue these initiatives.
"We will build upon the work you've done and make sure we all are headed in the same direction," Parker said, according to American. "I don't see any significant changes to the work that's being done today."
The competition
As the new American takes flight, analysts say there will be a fight for passengers.
"I just do not believe that United, Delta and Southwest are going to take the new entity laying down," Swelbar said.
Southwest, which is the largest domestic carrier, is preparing to add long-haul flights out of its home airport, Dallas Love Field, when the Wright Amendment restrictions expire late next year, giving American more competition in its backyard.
United has smoothed out some of its operational problems that occurred in 2012 as it integrated Continental Airlines.
But it is Delta that analysts say will give American formidable competition. Delta has already completed integrating Northwest Airlines from its 2008 merger and has aggressively added capacity in Seattle and Boston, where it believes it can boost traffic.
"Delta is an absolute machine," Harteveldt said. "Delta has had good on-time performance and they have gone through all the challenges of the merger so they are a couple of years ahead of United and they are four or five years ahead of American."
The big four
|Fort Worth
|$38.68 billion
|$36.67 billion
|$17.088 billion
|$37.152 billion
|Number of employees
|Daily flights
|Sky Team
*Revenue from from full year 2012
Source: The companies
|American at the end of 2011
|New American post-merger
|Annual revenue
|$23.979 billion
|$38.68 billion*
|907 aircraft
|1,511 aircraft
|Number of employees
|Daily flights
* Revenue figure combines annual revenue for American and US Airways from full year 2012
Source: SEC filings, American Airlines and US Airways


text:
Egyptians have started voting in the first round of a referendum on a disputed draft constitution.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies have campaigned for approving the charter, saying it is necessary to fast-track the transition from the authoritarian rule of president Hosni Mubarak, who was forced to step down almost two years ago.
President Mohamed Morsi cast his ballot in a polling station close to his presidential palace in Cairo, state television showed.
He made no comment to the media.
The opposition says the constitution, drafted by an Islamist-led constituent assembly, could undermine women's and political rights, and sideline minorities.
Critics also say the charter is heavily influenced by Islamists.
The main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, has urged a "No" vote.
State media reported that thousands of army and security personnel would be deployed outside polling stations to keep order.
An electoral commission in charge of the process had to spread polling across two days after many judges refused to oversee the balloting in protest at perceived curbs on freedoms in the draft constitution.
Without judicial supervision, polling will be illegal.
About 25.8 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in the first round of the polls in 10 provinces and cities including Cairo, according to government figures.
Polls opened at 8am (1700 AEDT) and close at 7pm (0400 AEDT on Sunday).
The second and final stage of the vote is to be held a week later in the country's 17 other provinces.
The final result is to be determined by the majority of the valid ballots cast in both rounds, according to the electoral commission.
No date has been set yet for announcing the result.
If the draft constitution is voted down, President Mohamed Morsi will call an election within three months to pick a new constituent assembly.
In a small queue at a Cairo school serving as a polling station, watched over by police and soldiers, several people said they were voting against the constitution.
"I'm voting because I hate the Muslim Brotherhood, it's very simple. They are liars," said one, Abbas Abdelaziz, a 57-year-old accountant.
Ali Mohammed Ali, an unemployed 65-year-old wearing a traditional long robe, said: "I voted for Morsi and it was a mistake, a big mistake. This constitution is bad, especially because it doesn't forbid child labour and opens the way for the marriage of minors."
Nagat Radi, a veiled woman in her 50s, said many articles in the draft constitution were problematic "and will hurt our country and our children".
She added: "The people are going in one direction and the Brothers in another. Those voting 'yes' believe it is a gesture of piety and obedience to the president."
Others were in favour of the proposed charter.
Enayat Sayyed Mostafa, a retired woman, said: "I'm voting for stability and for Dr Morsi's promised programme of renewal. I have gone over the text to compare it with what the opposition is saying, and what they say is false. It's a good constitution."


text:
Remember music videos?
Two songs I'm loving right now and they both have great videos involving relationships with dolls. Weird.
Two songs I'm loving right now and they both have great videos involving relationships with dolls. Weird.
All summer long I have been DJing at George's at the Cove every Thursday from 6-9 pm. There is an all night happy hour and is usually pretty busy as George's has amazing sunset views. Here is a sample mix from one of my nights to get the idea of the vibe...right click and save if you want. Thanks to my buddy DJ JP for the photo...
Track listing:
Can I Kick It? (Pimp Juices' Cash Money Breaks) - A Tribe Called Quest / Pimp Juice
Cult Logic - Miike Snow
In The Morning - Junior Boys
Collarbone - Fujiya & Miyagi
Little Talks (The Knocks Remix) - Of Monsters And Men
Social Studies (Plastic Plates Remix) - Body Language
Breathe - Telepopmusik
Little Fluffy Clouds - The Orb
Connected - Stereo MCs
Do For Love - Get Down Edits
Anyone else excited for the new Daft Punk? May 21st! I'm already liking the new single Get Lucky feat. Pharrell...let's hope the boys from France don't dissapoint.
I recently DJed & filmed a rad wedding in Balboa Park for Wendy & Kyle. The whole day was amazing but the coolest part for me was going surfing in OB with Kyle and his groomsmen and bringing along my GoPro while my second shooter Brent was with Wendy and the bridesmaids. It was a first for me and I can't wait to get back out there in the water and do some more surf filming...
I have signed on for two months of DJ residency at George's at the Cove in La Jolla. Starting in March I will be playing from 6-9 PM every Thursday in their middle level bar for an extended happy hour. Come and see me and groove to soul, funk, break beats and anything else I feel like throwing in. See you there!
Our friends at the amazing Pigment store in North Park recently turned 5! Everyone was there to see decorations by my wife Tori of Sitting in a Tree Events, baked goods by Anne Marie from Heirloom Gatherings, a photo booth by Amigo Booth and music by yours truly. It was a blast of a night and you can check out more photos on the Pigment Blog.
Wedding Photographer: Clayton Austin / Wedding Venue: Keys Creek Lavender Farm / Event Design: Krystel Tien of Couture Events San Diego / Wedding Flowers: Blush Botanicals / Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham "Cascade" / Wedding Veil: Bride's mother's / Wedding Shoes: Miu Miu via Nordstrom / Makeup: Chantall of Faces of California / Bridesmaids' Dresses: Paul and Joe / Groom's Shirt: John Varvatos / Groom's Pants: Vince / Wedding Music and DJ: Collin Elliott of Still Listening Productions / Wedding Caterer: Bare Back Grill / Desserts: Hey There, Cupcake! / Wedding Invitations: Bride and Groom / Photo booth: Mobile Photobooth
What do you get when some of the industry's raddest ladies come together for a vintage inspired holiday soiree? Well, lots of trouble to start with...Happy holidays to all!
Art Direction by Mrs. Lilien / Styling by sitting in a tree / Flowers by Root 75 / Wardrobe by Ms Vintage / Photography by Joielala / Tablescapes by The Hostess Haven
Song is "You Can't Sit Down" by The Dovells
Original post on 100 Layer Cake
I had the unbelievable opportunity to film a wedding of two of the producers of the hit ABC TV show The Bachelor and The Bachelorette at a private estate in the hills of Malibu. Chris Harrison officiated and many of the shows past couples and alum were guests. Jesi Haack Design killed it and my second shooter was my amazing wife Tori of sitting in a tree events. Enjoy the vignettes!
To start out the week and the month I had two rad posts go live back to back! Monday was the amazingly adorable Free People inspired wedding of Stacy and Adam on Green Wedding Shoes. Tuesday was the premiere of The Vetted Table (the MIHO Gastrotruck catering company) at El Take It Easy posted on 100 Layer Cake. Both events were DJed by yours truly, styled by my amazing wife and sitting in a tree events, and shot by Rico and Rachel of Studio Castillero featuring their newest venture The Amigo Booth.
What a great way to start off October!
Green Wedding Shoes post
100 Layer Cake post
lil' DJ photo credit: Studio Castillero
Once again the super-fantastic-glamorous Mrs. Lilien has asked me to work with her on a product launch/blog video to release her amazing bar cart! We took to the streets of Coronado for this one and tried to get the word out the only way we could...by mixing up cocktails of course!
See the original post here.
Day drinking anyone? The ever-fantabulous Mrs. Lilien asked me to do some fun blog videos for her amazing site. Above is the first of many...this is gonna be the start of a beautiful friendship, I just know it...
See the original post here.
Lucca Valentine from Austin Hendrix on Vimeo.
This footage is from the whirlwind day that our daughter Lucca was born. It was as intense as it seems and this video brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. Enjoy.
The song is "Rise" By Eddie Vedder
I've been harvested! What does that mean you say? Only that our super rad friends at Bash, Please threw The Cream LA; the 4th installment of their amazing showcase event that features everything here and now in the world of weddings (formerly known as Hitched). Anywho, they chose little ol' me for the videography category, so here is the little vignette I put together from the epic event that happened on March 1st at The Book Bindery in Culver City. The night was amazing and capped off with a insane dance contest DJed by The Flashdance himself! Enjoy, I know I did!
The song is "Uncontrollable Urge" by Devo.
Lauren & JR had an amazing wedding and a truly epic dance party. I DJed and my friend Shark Pig shot the video above. Head on over to Green Wedding Shoes to see the original post.
I've been harvested! What does that mean you say? Only that our super rad friends at Bash, Please are having the 4th installment of their amazing showcase event that features everything here and now in the world of weddings (formerly known as Hitched). Anywho, they chose little ol' me for the videography category, so come March 1st I will be in at The Book Bindery in Culver City struttin' my stuff....Wahooooo!
What's that you are saying now? Oh you wish you could be there? Well you are in luck because I happen to have two tickets in my hot little hand and can't wait to give them away...but not without a little fanfare. So here's what we are going to do: Below are two stills from a certain movie that shall remain nameless:
Your job is to answer the following in the comments section:
1. What is the name of the movie?
2. What is the name of the actress?
3. What is the quote being said during this scene?
First person who does so wins the tickets. Good luck and see you in LA!
Chandler and John's wedding at Durham Ranch was an dream shoot. The gorgeous couple, incredible details, the setting and the amazing moon that night really made my job easy. A big thanks to W. Scott Chester photography and Enjoy Events Co. for also being so rad to work with.
The songs are "Our Day Will Come" By Amy Winehouse and "Nothing's Too Good for My Baby" by Stevie Wonder.
Original post on 100 Layer Cake is here.
This footage is from the whirlwind day that our daughter Lucca was born. It was as intense as it seems and it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. Enjoy.
The song is "Rise" By Eddie Vedder


text:
CONVULSION and VicodinPatientsVille
CONVULSION Symptoms and Causes
Seizures are symptoms of a brain problem. They happen because of sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain. When people think of seizures, they often think of Convulsions in which a person's body shakes rapidly and uncontrollably. Not all seizures cause Convulsions. There are many types of seizures and some have mild symptoms. Seizures fall into two main groups. Focal seizures, also called partial seizures, happen in just one part of the brain. Generalized seizures are a result of abnormal activity on both sides of the brain.
Most seizures last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and do not cause lasting harm. However, it is a medical emergency if seizures last longer than 5 minutes or if a person has many seizures and does not wake up between them. Seizures can have many causes, including medicines, high fevers, head injuries and certain diseases. People who have recurring seizures due to a brain disorder have epilepsy.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Check out the latest treatments for CONVULSION
➢ CONVULSION treatment research studies
➢ Vicodin clinical trials, surveys and public health registries


text:
Tiles have been used in most countries of the world as a sturdy building material for floors, roofs, fireplace surrounds, and surface toppings. The cuerda seca (dry cord) technique of decoration uses a greasy pigment to separate different glaze colors during firing. In cuenca (raised line) decorated tiles, the design is impressed, leaving ridges that separate the glaze colors. Dust-pressed tiles, tiles made by finely ground raw materials shaped in molds at high pressure before firing, were made by the J.B. Owens Floor & Wall Tile Company and other U.S. companies. Many of the American tiles are listed under the factory name.
Enter your email below to receive Kovels Komments for the latest antiques & collectibles news, answers to readers questions, marks and tips. In your inbox every Wednesday.
Current & Past Issues
Buyer's Price Guide
Words of Wisdom (Letter to Lee)


text:
Would you like to know more about The Queen of Versailles? Attention all readers: CandysDirt.com is proud to be a sponsor of Opening Night of the 42nd Annual USA Film Festival in Dallas. We are so pumped we are offering you guys a freebie exclusive for CandysDirt readers: sign up for FREE tickets to "The Queen of Versailles" on Wednesday, April 25th, 7:00pm at the Angelika Film Center Dallas.
That is this Wednesday! And you will even get to be my guest at the fabu post-party Chez Evans.
Readers can sign up for a FREE PAIR OF TICKETS to join me for the Opening Night screening of the new film, "The Queen of Versailles", the incredible true (and controversial) story of the colorful Florida couple (he was the billionaire "Timeshare King" and she was a former Mrs. America) and their rags-to-riches story — which included their triumphant plans to construct the largest private residence in America – a 90,000 sq. ft. palace! However, due to the economic crisis, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap mortgage money, falters and plops, bringing about major changes in their plans and lifestyle. Fascinating, funny and tragic, their story is unforgettable and may remind us of a few properties in Dallas. Hmmm.
To request tickets and join me for the film, just email the following information to the USA Film Festival at firstname.lastname@example.com
-your name
-daytime telephone number (so they can confirm you tickets)
Tickets are limited. Get your fingers clicking right now…


text:
Nxtar technologies was created in 2002 as a subsidiary of Jung-Shing Wire Co. Ltd.. The team, led by Dr. Herman Lin and based in Tainan, Taiwan, started off creating innovative fiber-optics based components and system solutions for various applicatio
- 886-6-3015911
- www.nxtar.com
- 886-6-3015912
Fiber Optics Hydrophone, Fiber Optics Current Sensor, Fiber OPtics Intrusion Detection System
Maritime News
Gibbs & Cox: Historic Ship Designer Turns 90
Hindsight, they say is 20/20, and in this regard renowned design house Gibbs & Cox has nine decades in the rear view mirror on which to lean. We recently caught up with Chris Deegan, President and CEO of Gibbs & Cox, celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2019, to discuss the organization's rich history and promising future.When you took the top spot at Gibbs & Cox in 2016, what were your goals for the organization?As a company that designs everything from yachts to work boats to destroyers, I wanted to reassert G&C as the global leader in the naval architecture and marine engineering industry.
Singapore Company Fined for Illegal Scrapping Attempt
A Singapore company has paid a NOK 7 million ($763,000) fine after it was caught trying to illegally export a barge carrier vessel from Norway for scrapping on the beaches in Pakistan, Norwegian authorities said.In 2017, inspectors from the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) detained the Harrier, previously named Tide Carrier, when it suffered an engine failure and started to drift outside Jæren in Rogaland. Wirana Shipping Corporation, a company which buys discarded ships and sells them to scrap yards at beaches in India and Pakistan, was the commercial manager for the voyage and in charge of the ship's route, the purpose of the voyage and its execution.
Tankers Defer Retrofits to Cash in on Record Freight Rates
Tankers that had been scheduled to install emissions-cutting equipment ahead of stricter pollution standards starting in 2020 have deferred their visits to the dry docks to capitalize on an unexpected surge in freight rates, three trade sources said.U.S. sanctions on subsidiaries of vast Chinese shipping fleet Cosco in September sparked a surge in global oil shipping rates as traders scrambled to find non-blacklisted vessels to get their oil to market.The rates for chartering a supertanker from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Singapore hit record highs of more than $17 million and a record $22 million to China earlier this week.By comparison, prior to the sanctions, shipping crude from the U.S.
Fincantieri Fits New Midsection in Star Breeze
The most complex cruise ship lengthening ever undertaken is clipping along at Fincantieri's Palermo yard.The final welding cut to Windstar Cruises' Star Breeze was completed and the ship's 25.6-meter/84-foot prefabricated midsection was glided into place between the two halves in the drydock, an operation that took just half an hour.Overnight, Shipyard crews at Fincantieri Palermo had carefully split the ship, pulling the 4,000-ton bow forward centimeter by centimeter while a new 25.6-meter midsection waited on shiny black rollers at the far end of the 370-meter pit.
C-Job CEO Basjan Faber was Born to Design
Born and raised on the water by entrepreneurial parents, Basjan Faber knew from a young age that his future and fate was in maritime, specifically ship design. Today the CEO leads a vibrant, diverse and fast-growing naval architecture firm that he co-founded with partners in 2007. Headquartered in Amsterdam, C-Job has a unique approach to its business and is expanding its international footprint, as Maritime Reporter & Engineering News discovered when we visited with him in The Netherlands last month."I have always been inspired by ships, and I knew by the end of grammar school that I wanted to be a naval architect.


text:
autumndivona on Family Tree Circles
view: full | list
Journals and Posts
My Ancestors: Galfre
I normally post at my blog, http://freya-newenglandgenealogy.blogspot.com, but I will begin posting here as well. I won't go back and repost everything here, so I'm just moving forward from this point. :)
This posting will be quite short and more detailed than the others, as we don't know much about our Galfre ancestors, except that they come from Italy. Fortunately, we are in contact with our cousins in Italy! One of my aunts and cousins from the U.S. visited with them this year, and many of us have connected on Facebook. It is wonderful that the internet can bring us together.
Without further ado, my maternal ancestry, which places me in Haplogroup H1 based on DNA testing I had done a few years ago.
Generation 1
1. Lia Galfre (aka Leah Elizabeth, b. 1903, Middleboro, MA, d. 1991, Brockton, MA)
Generation 2
2. Bartolomeo Giovanni Michele Galfre (b. 1869, San Benigno, Torino, Piedmont, Italy, d. 1952, Lakeville, MA)
3. Ernesta Maddalena Bergamasco (b. 1874, Moneglia, Genoa, Liguria, Italy, d. 1925, Middleboro, MA)
Ernesta is very interesting to me because, besides being a direct maternal ancestor, she supposedly had an uncle who was a bishop. I have not found any bishops named Bergamasco, so he was either her maternal uncle, or a great-uncle (but still not a Bergamasco). It would be fascinating to find out which bishop she was related to, if any.
Generation 3
4. Michele Galfre (b. 1836, Spinetta, Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy, d. ?)
5. Francesca Manassero (b. 1839, Spinetta, Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy, d. ?)
6. Giuseppe Bergamasco
7. Giabatta (that may not be the correct name for Ernesta's mother; that is as close as we can get based on family documents, such as Ernesta's passport, which was shared in a previous post).
Generation 4
8. Giovanni Battista Bartolomeo Galfre (he may have come from France)
9. Teressa Dematteis
10. Giovanni Manassero
11. Teresa Cavallo
12. No other information on Ernesta's ancestors
My Mayflower Ancestors
The pilgrims from whom I can prove descent are:
John Alden
Isaac Allerton
Mary (Norris) Allerton
John Billington
William Brewster
Peter Brown
Francis Cooke
Stephen Hopkins
John Howland
William Mullins
Henry Samson
George Soule
Myles Standish
John Tilley
Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley
Richard Warren
The majority of my lines go back to John Alden and Richard Warren, thanks to their prolific families. I descend from siblings in many instances.
People who find a Mayflower ancestor, often find more than just one. It isn't surprising - there weren't too many options for marriage in the 1620's. Once the Great Migration began, family trees really branched out (pun intended).
Since I have a bit of a mobile lifestyle, thanks to having a husband in the Air Force, I rely on my own personal library of the Mayflower Society's silver and pink books, as well as NEHGS for my research and documentation of these lines. Ultimately, I would like to get all of my supplemental lines into the Mayflower Society, though that is a rather costly goal.
For now, I am a member through one of my Richard Warren lines (via Mary Warren and Robert Bartlett - just one of many).
I think the paternal lines that ended up in Hancock County, Maine surprised me the most. When one thinks of the Mayflower, they often connect it to Plymouth. Yet, I know Mayflower descendants have certainly migrated much, much farther from Plymouth than just Maine. ;)
For detailed lineages on the 60 lines of descent that I claim, visit my blog: http://freya-newenglandgenealogy.blogspot.com/
- Displaying 1-2 of 2 Journals
- 1
- of1