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In my opinion, I find all cats to be quite beautiful. It's natural for us to believe that our own pets are the most attractive, but there is one feline from the Netherlands who has earned the title of "World's Most Photogenic Cat" and she takes her status seriously! This kitty weighs a mere 2.6kg or nearly 6lbs for non-metric users, and she truly is a sight to behold. Her emerald eyes sparkle and her coat is so lustrous, it's almost irresistible. Smoothie, also known as the Queen of Fluff, is undoubtedly one of the most stunning cats around.
Although she may bear resemblance to a Persian, this charming feline is actually a British Longhair. This breed is similar to the well-known British Shorthair cat, but with longer hair.
Those eyes are so captivating, I can't take my gaze away!
Curious about the origins of this adorable princess's name? Arvid van Boekel, her owner, shares the story: "We had an extensive list of names, but I was determined to come up with something unique and endearing," van Boekel reveals. "Smoothies have a sweetness to them, and she has a smooth, sleek look, so it seemed like the perfect fit." We have to agree – the name is both sweet and sassy! ????????♀
"Why is the food not being served yet? It seems like this fluffy cat is the queen of the house!"


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For insight into what can happen when the Earth's carbon cycle is altered -- a cause and consequence of climate change -- scientists can look to an event that occurred some 720 million years ago.
New data from a Princeton University-led team of geologists suggest that an episode called "snowball Earth," which may have covered the continents and oceans in a thick sheet of ice, produced a dramatic change in the carbon cycle. This change in the carbon cycle, in turn, may have triggered future ice ages.
Pinpointing the causes and effects of the extreme shift in the way carbon moved through the oceans, the biosphere and the atmosphere -- the magnitude of which has not been observed at any other time in Earth history -- is important for understanding just how much Earth's climate can change and how the planet responds to such disturbances.
Publishing their findings in the April 30 issue of the journal Science, the researchers also put forth a hypothesis to explain how changes to Earth's surface wrought by the glaciers of the Neoproterozoic Era could have created the anomaly in carbon cycling.
"The Neoproterozoic Era was the time in Earth history when the amount of oxygen rose to levels that allowed for the evolution of animals, so understanding changes to the carbon cycle and the dynamics of the Earth surface at the time is an important pursuit," said Princeton graduate student Nicholas Swanson-Hysell, the first author on the paper.
The Neoproterozoic era, which lasted from 1,000 million years ago to 542 million years ago, is divided into three distinct periods, beginning with the Tonian, extending through the Cryogenian and ending with the Ediacaran. The Cryogenian period is notable in Earth history for the extensive and repeated ice ages that took place, beginning with the massive Sturtian glaciation at the start of the period. This marked the first ice age on Earth in roughly 1.5 billion years, which is an unusually long time span between glaciations. Since the Cryogenian, Earth has endured an ice age about once every 100 to 200 million years.
The "snowball Earth" theory suggests that the Sturtian glaciation was global in scope, literally encasing the planet in ice, which could have wreaked havoc on the normal functioning of the carbon cycle. While the theory is controversial and the extent of the deep freeze is under investigation, research team member Adam Maloof co-wrote a March 2010 Science paper demonstrating that glaciers reached the equator some 716.5 million years ago, providing further evidence to support the existence of a Cryogenian "snowball Earth."
In the latest research, Swanson-Hysell, Maloof and their collaborators collected samples of limestone from Central and South Australia dating back to the Tonian and Cryogenian periods. Using a technique known as isotope analysis to learn how the carbon cycle worked in ancient times, the team pieced together clues that are hidden in the atomic composition of the carbon found in inorganic limestone sediment and ancient organic material. In addition, the geologists recorded where the samples were found in the rock layers to determine crucial information about the relative age of the samples and the environmental conditions under which they formed.
Their results documented a peculiar and large shift in the carbon cycle based on analyses of samples obtained from tropical limestone sediments known as the Trezona Formation, which dates to the end of the Cryogenian period approximately 650 million years ago and was deposited between "snowball Earth" events.
"The disturbance we're seeing in the Neoproterozoic carbon cycle is larger by several orders of magnitude than anything we could cause today, even if we were to burn all the fossil fuels on the planet at once," said Maloof, an assistant professor of geosciences at Princeton.
Previous data from the Ediacaran period at the end of the Neoproterozoic era have shown a similar perturbation to the carbon cycle, and in 2003 Massachusetts Institute of Technology geophysicist Daniel Rothman suggested that a buildup of a huge pool of organic carbon in the ocean could have led to the observed disturbance.
The perturbation studied by the Princeton researchers shows this same behavior during an event that was roughly 25 percent larger and 100 million years older than the previously recognized disturbance. The team also documented that the carbon cycle was not operating in this bizarre fashion 800 million years ago prior to the first Neoproterozoic glaciations, constraining in time the onset of such behavior and linking it to the proposed "snowball Earth" event.
"The new carbon isotopic data shows a whopping … downshift in the isotopic composition of carbonate, possibly the largest single isotopic change in Earth history, while the isotopic composition of organic carbon is invariant," said Rothman, who was not part of the research team. "The co-occurrence of such signals is enigmatic, suggesting that the carbon cycle during this period behaved fundamentally differently than it does today."
Building on Rothman's framework, the Princeton-led geologists set out to explain how an ice-covered globe in the early Cryogenian period could have prompted the accumulation of massive amounts of organic carbon in the ocean, leading to the observed disturbance to the carbon cycle later in the period.
According to their proposed hypothesis, the passage of the Sturtian glaciers across continental surfaces would have removed the weathered material and debris, which had accumulated in the 1.5 billion years since the preceding ice age. When the glaciers receded, this would have exposed vast amounts of bedrock to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for weathering, freeing up nutrients in the rock for delivery into the oceans.
This process would have generated a relatively large influx of iron into the oceans, which could have interrupted biomechanisms used by marine bacteria during the Tonian to process, or eat, the organic carbon in the water and convert it into carbon dioxide and other dissolved inorganic carbon compounds. If the organic carbon was not eaten by bacteria, it would have accumulated into a massive oceanic reservoir and resulted in the strange carbon cycle of the Cryogenian and early Ediacaran.
The interaction of carbon dioxide with the continental surfaces during the weathering process also would have removed some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, lowering the global temperatures and creating conditions conducive to the series of glacial events that were observed throughout the Cryogenian.
According to Rothman's hypothesis, over millions of years the levels of oceanic and atmospheric oxygen would have grown as a consequence of the altered carbon cycle, ultimately leading to the oxidation of the large reservoir of organic carbon, removing the extra organic carbon from the oceans and returning the carbon cycle to a steady state more similar to how it functions today. Increased levels of oxygen in the atmosphere also would have provided the conditions that were necessary for the explosive diversification of animal life at the end of the Neoproterozoic and into the Cambrian Period.
In field work this summer, the Princeton team will continue to investigate the disturbances to the Cryogenian and Ediacaran carbon cycles, and conduct research on the Tonian-Cryogenian-Ediacaran geologic, isotopic and paleogeographic history of northern Ethiopia and southern Australia. The geologists will explore some of the many questions that remain, such as what enabled the Cryogenian growth of ice sheets after a 1.5 billion year hiatus.
In addition to Swanson-Hysell and Maloof, the Princeton researchers on the team were graduate student Catherine Rose and former postdoctoral fellow Claire Calmet. The team also included Galen Halverson of the University of Adelaide, now at McGill University, and Matthew Hurtgen of Northwestern University.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation.

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- Col. Morris DavisAir Force colonel and the former chief prosecutor in the Pentagon's Office of Military Commissions. He resigned late last year. He now heads the Air Force Judiciary and is planning to retire.
As the first military tribunal conducted by the United States in more than half a century is scheduled to take place next week in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, we speak with Air Force Colonel Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo. He resigned his position late last year in protest over what he said was political interference. We speak with Col. Davis about his decision to step down, torture at Guantanamo, and more. "If you're going to wrap this under the banner of military justice, then it needs to be a fair trial," Col. Davis said. "What's taking place now, I would call neither military nor justice." [includes rush transcript]
AMY GOODMAN: The first military tribunal conducted by the United States in more than half a century is scheduled to take place next week in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Salim Hamdan, who was once Osama bin Laden's driver, was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001. The Bush administration has been attempting to bring him to trial through a special military commission ever since.
A federal judge is holding a hearing Thursday to decide whether to delay Hamdan's trial and allow lawyers to continue challenging the legality of the commission system. A ruling in favor of Hamdan could bring the military commissions to a halt. The judge is also expected to take into account a new legal brief signed by hundreds of European legislators that supports Hamdan's case and says his trial by military commission would cause "incalculable harm to the fabric" of international law.
The five-member commissions are made up of military officers and presided over by a military judge. During the proceedings prosecutors are allowed to submit evidence obtained through coercion. Hamdan's lawyers have argued he was beaten and abused at Guantanamo and subjected to a program of systematic sleep deprivation that they said constitutes torture.
One of the most prominent figures to argue on behalf of Hamdan's case was Air Force Colonel Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo. He resigned his position late last year in protest over what he said was political interference. In April, Colonel Davis testified as a witness for Hamdan and offered a harsh critique of the military commission system.
I spoke to Colonel Morris Davis yesterday, and I began by asking why he decided to resign as chief prosecutor at Guantanamo.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: I resigned last October. It was a combination of factors, but kind of, I guess, the final straw that broke the camel's back was when Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England signed a memo on October the 4th that put me under the command of then-DOD General Counsel Jim Haynes. Mr. Haynes — as you probably know, he testified recently before a congressional hearing — was one of the architects of the interrogation policy, what many people consider to be torture. My policy as chief prosecutor had been that we would not offer any evidence obtained by waterboarding, specifically, or any other interrogation techniques that were unduly coercive. And then, when Mr. Haynes became above me in the chain of command, and his view on what constitutes torture and mine were significantly different, I felt I couldn't ensure full, fair and open trials, and I resigned — asked to resign.
AMY GOODMAN: What constitutes torture, Colonel Davis?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, that's a tough — you know, there are a variety of different definitions, and if you look at the definition, it seems fairly simple. But when you try to apply it to specific facts, it gets a little bit harder.
And actually, in my role as chief prosecutor, I really wasn't concerned about what constitutes torture. Defining torture really focuses on holding accountable the person that's administering the technique. As the chief prosecutor, I was interested in prosecuting the person making the statement. So, for me, it was really a question of whether the information the person provided was reliable and trustworthy and suitable for use in an American court of justice. So, whether it constituted torture or not, in my mind, was really irrelevant for purposes of what I was doing. It was a question of reliability, not trying to assign accountability to the person performing the technique.
AMY GOODMAN: Colonel Davis, I wanted to ask you about the August 2005 meeting with the Pentagon general counsel who was put above you now, Jim Haynes, the man who is now overseeing the tribunal process for the Pentagon.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, let — if I could just interrupt. Mr. Haynes resigned a few months ago. He's now an attorney for Chevron and is no longer with the Department of Defense. I believe that is a step in the right direction, but there are a few more steps that are necessary.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, when he said to the nation, "We can't have acquittals. We've got to have convictions."
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Right. Yeah, that was on October the 2nd of 2005. It was when I came to Washington for what I would describe as a hiring interview. During that, Mr. Haynes brought up that these trials, the trial of the al-Qaeda detainees, would be the Nuremberg of our time. And I pointed out to him that, you know, at Nuremberg, not everyone was convicted; there were some acquittals. And certainly, as a prosecutor, you never go into court aiming for an acquittal, but I said, in my view, if that did happen, that, at a minimum, it would tend to validate the process, that these were fair trials.
And he kind of rocked back in his chair, and his eyes got big, and it appeared to me that it was a thought he had never contemplated, and that was when he said, you know, "Wait a minute, we can't have acquittals. We've been holding these guys for years. How are we going to explain that? We can't have acquittals. We've got to have convictions."
AMY GOODMAN: How about all these guys who have been held? I think more than 700 have been held at Guantanamo. You're now down to under 300. You're talking about hundreds upon hundreds of men — some were boys when they came to Guantanamo — who were never charged and then simply — after being held for what, one, two, three, four, in the case of the Al Jazeera reporter Sami al-Hajj, more than five years, held ultimately more than six years by the US — just released?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, again, my part as the chief prosecutor was focused on about seventy-five to eighty of the detainees that we intended to prosecute.
I think one of the many confusing factors in this whole situation has been, you know, the nation has an inherent right, that goes back to the Treaty of Westphalia, to detain enemy combatants, to keep them off the battlefield from causing harm today and tomorrow. Prosecuting folks for violating the law of war is not really focused on today and tomorrow; it's holding people accountable for what they did yesterday.
So, out of the group of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, there were about seventy-five or eighty that we felt we had reliable evidence to prove they had violated the law of war in the past and should be held accountable, which is separate and apart from the other detainees who were being held to keep them off the battlefield, which really, you know, was not part of the group that I was tasked with, so I can't really speak to the other detainees.
AMY GOODMAN: Colonel Morris Davis, you've talked about David Hicks, saying it was politicians who forced you to press charges against the Australian. Explain his case and what happened to him.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, David Hicks, you know, as you recall, I think a number of folks repeatedly referred to the detainees as "the worst of the worst." The only military commission case that has been completed was a guilty plea in the case of David Hicks, the Australian, who received a nine-month sentence. So the worst of the worst got, in essence, a misdemeanor punishment and is now a free man in Australia.
I know some folks who said, well, there's no — you know, what's the proof that this was political pressure? If you look — Jim Haynes, as I mentioned, was the DOD general counsel. He had been nominated by President Bush for a seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and his nomination was held up after the torture memo and the torture policy came to light. Mr. Haynes pretty much had a hands-off policy the first year I was in the job. But on January — I believe it was January 9, 2007, was the day that President Bush withdrew Mr. Haynes' nomination for the seat on the federal bench, and that was the day, for the first time ever, Mr. Haynes called me up on a specific case and asked, "How quickly can you charge David Hicks?"
If you look at it at that point in time, the only thing that was in place was the Military Commissions Act. No one had been appointed as the convening authority. There was no Manual for Military Commissions, which is the thick book that lays out the elements of the offenses. So the pieces were not in place to charge anyone, yet I'm getting a call from the general counsel saying, "How quickly can you charge David Hicks?" So, maybe that was just coincidence, but one thing I found in dealing with Mr. Haynes and with the military commissions is things rarely happened by coincidence.
AMY GOODMAN: Elaborate, please.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, as I said, you know, I get a call from him asking how quickly I can charge David Hicks, when there's only one piece of the puzzle in place. That was the statute. My job as chief prosecutor was — you know, when I swear charges, I forward them to the convening authority for review before the charges are referred to trial. Well, at that point in time, there was no convening authority, so there was no one for me to send charges to, because no one had been appointed to that position. The Manual for Military Commissions, to charge someone, there are elements of the offense that the prosecution has to prove, and those are laid out in the Manual for Military Commissions. That document had not been published on January 9, 2007, so I had no elements of proof to look at to determine what to charge David Hicks with. Yet I'm getting a call from the general counsel saying, "How quickly can you charge him?"
We eventually charged him on February 2nd, along with Omar Khadr and Salim Hamdan. But again, if you look at the timing of it, Susan Crawford, who is the convening authority, wasn't appointed until, I believe, February the 7th. So, here we are charging people five days before there's a convening authority to refer charges to, which I think to a reasonable person just doesn't make much sense.
Also, the regulation for trial by military commissions, which is kind of the deep-in-the-weeds details on how the commissions are conducted, wasn't published until late April 2007, which was after the David Hicks trial was completed. So we didn't even have the regulation written at the time we prosecuted David Hicks.
AMY GOODMAN: Colonel Davis, can you talk about your decision, after your resignation, to return to Guantanamo last April to argue on behalf of Salim Hamdan?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Yeah, and I hope it's clear. I mean, I've seen it reported a number of times that I testified on behalf of Salim Hamdan. You know, I've seen the evidence against Mr. Hamdan, and I have little doubt in my mind that he's — as I think is well known, he was captured with two surface-to-air missiles in the back of his car, and the only thing flying in Afghanistan at that time were geese and us. So I have little doubt about his guilt. And so, I don't believe I'm testifying for Salim Hamdan, but what I am testifying for is that Mr. Hamdan and all of the detainees that will face military commissions are entitled to a fair trial. And at this point in time, I have significant doubt that they will get a fair trial, and that was why I was there to testify.
I mean, I think that — you know, as the ruling turned out in the Hamdan case, the military judge entered a ruling that the things I said, the allegations I raised, were true, and he ordered Brigadier General Tom Hartmann, who's the legal adviser to the convening authority, to be disqualified from the Hamdan case, because of him exerting unlawful command influence on me and the prosecutors. So I think that's what we've got to get rid of. If we want to have a trial and call it military justice, then it's got to be a fair trial.
AMY GOODMAN: Air Force Colonel Morris Davis. He was the former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo, resigned late last year. He now heads the Air Force Judiciary. We'll be back with him in a minute.
AMY GOODMAN: We return to our conversation with Colonel Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay. I asked him about a newly released government document that suggests officials at Guantanamo tortured Salim Hamdan by depriving him of sleep for fifty days.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: I am not familiar. I think I read the same article you were just referring to that talked about the sleep deprivation. I don't recollect ever seeing that before. And I guess it's similar — I testified last in the Jawad case, which you may have read about, where the defense alleged that he was subjected to what they called a "frequent flyer program," where for a period of weeks he was moved from cell to cell on average about once every two hours and fifty minutes around the clock. And again, I wasn't aware of that, either.
So it appears that there are some things that are documented that the government has access to that are just now coming to light. My view is, you've got to know pretty much everything there is about the case before you swear charges and take it into court. In the middle of trial is not the time to be learning what the facts are, and that appears what may be happening in this case.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you think sleep deprivation is torture?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: I think it can be. I mean, again, you know, defining torture is fairly easy until you try to apply it to specific facts. And I think you really have to look at the specific facts and the impact it had on the individual. But I think it's possible for sleep deprivation to rise to that level.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask about the call for you to testify before Congress and, at the time, Jim Haynes saying that you should not testify. What was his response when you were first ordered to?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, I never heard it from him. I — the folks over on Capitol Hill from Senator Feinstein's office that had asked me to testify called me a couple of days before I was to appear and said the Secretary of Defense office had notified them that I was ordered not to appear and to testify, which again, I think, you know, if you've read the news accounts, you know, the Department of Defense has repeatedly denied things that I've said, despite a military judge now finding as fact that the allegations I raised were true.
And I've repeatedly offered, from the time I resigned in October through December, when I was invited to testify at Senator Feinstein's hearing, through my testimony here recently at Guantanamo Bay, I've said repeatedly if Jim Haynes or General Hartmann or Ms. Crawford or anyone else has any disagreement about my version of the facts, I'll be more than happy to take a polygraph to verify what I'm saying, if they'll take one to verify their version of the facts. And so far, no one has ever taken me up on that offer. So I — you know, my commitment has been to tell the truth, to try to do what I can to ensure that the trials are fair. And it appears there have been a number of efforts to keep me from having an opportunity to tell the truth.
AMY GOODMAN: What other efforts?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Which is — which again is, you know, if you've read what the Secretary of Defense has said lately in the firing of the Air Force chief of staff and the Air Force secretary, he said military officers have to have the courage to speak blunt truth and that the services need to be a little less thin-skinned and accept criticism and find fault and be willing to address it when it comes to their attention. And I think that's what I've tried to do in this case, is to tell the blunt truth, that if you're going to wrap this under the banner of military justice, then it needs to be a fair trial. And what's taking place now, I would call neither military nor justice, and that needs to be fixed.
AMY GOODMAN: Colonel Davis, did you have any interactions with or were you pressured by the Vice President's office, by Vice President Cheney, by his chief of staff David Addington?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: No, I never had any contact with the Vice President or any member of his staff.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you about the June 12th Supreme Court decision that said these Guantanamo prisoners have to have their day in a civilian court, the five-to-four ruling, marking the third time in four years the Supreme Court ruled against the Bush administration concerning the rights of Guantanamo prisoners. President Bush was in Italy. He said he opposed the decision. Your response, Colonel Davis?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, I think it's — it was a monumental decision. Again, if you go back and look at the chronology, when the Boumediene case first got to the Supreme Court, if you recall, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. It was a couple of months later that they reconsidered, which — I think that's the only time in my lifetime that the Supreme Court, on their own, has reconsidered and agreed to hear a case it previously refused to hear.
And I think what you have to look at is what took place in the interim, and that was when Lieutenant Colonel Abraham came forward, who was a member of some of the CSRTs that met at Guantanamo Bay, and he described that, you know, in some cases the evidence was flimsy; in other cases, when the outcome wasn't what was desired, they just kept doing — they would have a redo until they got the right result. And I think that caused — and again, I certainly have no personal knowledge, but if you just look at the facts, it appears that the Supreme Court, when they denied the case early on, they were willing to give deference to the executive branch, and it was only after these new allegations came up that suggested that maybe this process wasn't as robust as it had been billed that they reconsidered. So my take on their decision is that it shows a lack of trust in the executive branch to ensure that the folks detained are getting a meaningful review on whether they're being properly detained.
My personal opinion is, I think the decision is wrong. I don't believe the detainees — that foreign terrorists, whose only connection to the Constitution is a sincere desire to destroy it, have constitutional rights. So I disagree with the rationale. But if the result is that it causes Congress and others to focus on the issue and come up with a rational result, then I can live with the rationale, if it gets the right result.
AMY GOODMAN: Jane Mayer's book came out this week, The Dark Side. And among her revelations is that the Bush administration revealed warnings from the CIA six years ago that up to a third of the Guantanamo prisoners may have been imprisoned by mistake. In 2002, a CIA analyst concluded that many of the prisoners were essentially bystanders who had been swept up in dragnets or turned over to the US military by bounty hunters. What is your response, Colonel Davis?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: My personal knowledge extends to the seventy-five or eighty that we intended to prosecute, and those were cases where our investigators had combed through the evidence and we had a belief that we had reliable evidence to prove their guilt. So I never really dealt in depth with the other detainees that were outside that group. I mean, I think certainly there had been some cases — the Uyghurs are probably a prime example — that there was no evidence they had any hostile intent towards the United States. So what percentages, you know, were truly innocent? I don't know. I can tell you, though, the seventy-five or eighty we intended to prosecute, I personally reviewed the evidence, and I think we have ample justification to detain them and to prosecute them.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you think Guantanamo should be closed?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, that's a tough question. I — personally, I — you know, years ago, I used to be a bail bondsman, so I've seen a lot of jails here in the United States, and I think there are American citizens that are incarcerated right now, that, if they could see the conditions at Guantanamo Bay, would be a little upset with their conditions. The prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay are based on existing US facilities, and I think it's grossly misportrayed in the media. You know, to this day, Camp X-Ray, which was open for about a little over three months at the very start, when there are stories about Guantanamo Bay, you still see pictures of Camp X-Ray, even though it's been closed for five years now.
I think the facility is a safe, secure, comfortable environment, where the detainees are being — I think their medical care, I can tell you, is much better than the medical care I receive. If they have a stomach ache, they're going to see somebody today; if I do, it might take a week or two for me to get an appointment. So I think the conditions — there is nothing wrong with the conditions at Guantanamo Bay.
I think the bigger problem, though, is it's become such a black eye for the country and there's such a stigma attached to it that I don't know that there is anything you can do to rehabilitate that image. So, perhaps it – again, that's a policy decision, but even though — you know, as I said, I think it's a safe, clean, humane facility. The stigma may necessitate shutting it down.
AMY GOODMAN: When you say it's safe, I guess the question is "safe for whom?" The idea that — I mean, the CIA is — all their research on torture, on what's the most effective form of breaking down a personality, that it's actually not ultimately, you know, physically torturing, beating up a person, but isolating them. And you add to that not knowing what will happen to you, being held for more than five years without charge, the number of attempted suicides, and then some of the real suicides.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Right. Well, I think, again, though, if you compare the conditions there with the conditions that our own citizens are incarcerated in here in the United States, I know if I was given the choice, I would likely pick Guantanamo Bay. Is it ideal? No, it's not, but I think it is a grossly misportrayed environment. I think most of the bad things you hear about are things that took place years in the past, at least in my involvement, which began in late 2005 and extended up through — I guess, last month I was down there. I have never observed anything during that period that caused me concern. As I've said, I've seen a lot of jails and a lot of prisons, and Guantanamo Bay is grossly misportrayed.
AMY GOODMAN: It's interesting that you should say look at how it compares to prisons in this country. It might more be a comment on prisons in this country.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, essentially, you know, when I go out and talk to college students, I show a slide of a cell, and I ask them, "What's inhumane about this cell?" And sometimes they'll say, well, it's kind of small, and it's got a little bitty window, and, you know, it just doesn't seem that nice. Then I put up another picture of another cell and ask, "OK, what's wrong with this cell?" And they usually point out it was identical to the first one. And I put them up side by side and show them: the first cell is where Congressman Bill Janklow served his sentence, and the second one is where Omar Khadr is currently sitting today, and those two cells are identical.
AMY GOODMAN: In May of 2006, the UN Committee on Torture noted that indefinite detention constitutes, per se, a violation of the UN Convention Against Torture, so you don't see that when you show the cell.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: I don't see that, you know, and — you know, prior to the Treaty of Westphalia, if you were captured during armed conflict, you generally were either executed or enslaved. Since then, for the last several hundred years, we've — it's been a recognized principle of international law that you can detain the enemy for the duration of hostilities, which by definition is indefinite detention. So, no, I don't see anything wrong with detaining the enemy during a period of armed conflict.
AMY GOODMAN: Except the CIA is saying that perhaps up to a third have been held mistakenly, not even enemy combatants, as Bush has defined it.
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Right. And that, I'll agree with. I mean, I — I guess I drank the Kool-Aid on that one, as well, believing that the CSRT process and the administrative review boards were a robust process where the individuals did get, you know, a significant look at whether they were being properly detained. And I think that's what the Supreme Court has done in Boumediene, is say there's some doubt about the validity of that process and that these individuals are entitled to some meaningful review. But I think if a person gets meaningful review and they're determined to be an enemy combatant and we're engaged in armed conflict, that we have the right to detain them and keep them off the battlefield.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you think they got meaningful review at Guantanamo?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, it certainly appears that that's doubtful in many cases. And again, I think that's what the Boumediene decision reflects, is some real doubt about the meaningfulness of the review they got, which is regrettable. As I said, I think they're entitled to meaningful review, and if they're prosecuted before a military commission, I think they're entitled to a fair trial. And I think both of those things, at this point in time, are doubtful.
And I guess that's one of the things that concerns me. You know, both candidates have said, "Let's close Guantanamo Bay." And I don't think there's much disagreement about that. The bigger issue, though, is: and then what? And I really haven't heard either side come out with a firm opinion on what the answer is to the "and then what" question, and I think that's a critical issue that needs to be addressed.
AMY GOODMAN: You were the chief prosecutor at Guantanamo. How did you know how the testimony that was gotten from the prisoners was coerced?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, at least from what I saw, whether it was the CIA or the Department of Defense or the FBI, whoever questioned the individual documented thoroughly, you know, when it started, what they did, who was present and what was said. There were some cases where I — in my opinion, we went too far. And I think that's another distinction that's lost on a lot of people. There is a difference, in my mind, in what you can do to obtain intelligence versus what you can do to obtain evidence to use in a criminal proceeding. And some of the things that were done may have worked well to obtain useful intelligence, but it crossed a line that made it not useful as evidence in an American court of justice. And there were some cases like that.
Waterboarding, to me, was a no-brainer. If you're tying someone down and inducing them to believe they can either talk or possibly die, what they said may be useful for intelligence, but it has no place in an American court of justice. And when I was there, we were not going to use it. And I find it disturbing that to this day that the senior leadership for the military commissions continue to say that it will be up to a judge to decide. You know, the professional rules of conduct for attorneys say a prosecutor cannot offer any evidence obtained by illegal means. In my view, if you tie someone down and cause them to believe they can either talk or die, that's not evidence that a prosecutor should be bringing into an American court of justice.
AMY GOODMAN: What other techniques do you think should not be used to get evidence?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: Well, again, I think waterboarding, to me, was an easy —- a clear-cut example of being over the line. There were some other techniques that were used that I'm not sure if they're still classified or not, so I can't go into detail. But the Al Qahtani case was a good example. Prior to the transfer of the high-value detainees to Gitmo, the Qahtani case, in my view, was kind of what we referred to as the dirtiest case, as far as his treatment. He was never waterboarded, but the things that were done to him, in my view, made anything he said in our custody unreliable. So my direction to the prosecution was: build the case without using anything he ever said. That doesn't excuse what happened to him in our custody, but that was a separate issue, if we could prove -—
AMY GOODMAN: What happened to him?
COL. MORRIS DAVIS: That, I can't say. Again, I'm not sure what's classified and what's not, and I just assume try to stay away from a security violation. But that was a case where I thought we could build a compelling case without using anything he ever said in our custody.
So, again, there were a few cases — I think, in the public's mind, they may think it's every case at Guantanamo Bay. The ones I saw, it was a significant minority of the cases, where, in my opinion, we crossed the line and went too far, rendering what the individual said unreliable for use in an American court of justice.
AMY GOODMAN: Air Force Colonel Morris Davis. He was the former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo, resigned late last year. He now heads the Air Force Judiciary.


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Over the past two decades, Antwan "Big Boi" Patton has received commercial success and critical acclaim for speaking on wax – and in the streets – about social and political issues that directly affect the African-American community. From Atlanta to Savannah, Patton is well-regarded for his activist spirit and philanthropic efforts.
Known internationally as an ambassador and icon of Hip-Hop and one of rap's great icons, without question, "Big Boi" is Georgia's beloved native son. AllHipHop.com checked in with him right before the debut of his Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors:
AllHipHop.com: Over the past two decades, you have witnessed Atlanta evolve into a major player in the music arena. What do you consider to be your biggest contribution to this movement?
Big Boi: Well, I guess it's being one of the pioneers in the forefront of the whole music scene in Atlanta. It's definitely a blessing to be here still making music at a high-caliber, high-quality pace and still changing the game. I've been doing my Big Kidz Foundation within the local community for several years. It ties into music, because it's focused on enlightening kids through the arts. It is important to mold young minds because it's easier to mold the young than it is to repair broken ones. Kids involved in the arts do better in school, generally, because you give them something outside of just school work to express themselves.
AllHipHop.com: You founded the Big Kidz Foundation in Atlanta in 2006. In 2010, the organization expanded to Savannah, Georgia. What motivations led to the expansion?
Big Boi: Savannah – that's my hometown and they really need it down there. So in a way, it was a natural progression. I started in Atlanta because that is where I live. But Savannah is where I was born – and I can't leave them behind. I went down and started registering people for health insurance and things like that. I hope to push it even further in the next couple of years.
AllHipHop.com: As a father, you have a tremendous interest and focus on kids. In fact, the lead single from your second solo project is entitled "Mama Told Me." Is there a particular message that you find yourself reiterating not only to your own children, but also the children engaged in your foundation?
Big Boi: Yes. Be original in everything you do, and learn how to speak your mind to get your point across. Communication is the key to everything – and definitely to understanding. As a parent, I have learned that kids learn different things different ways and different pieces of information stick with them differently. When I used to go to the YMCA when I was younger, they used to have different athletes come and talk to us. Certain things that they said stuck with me, like "chase your dreams," and "if you really want it, go get it." I was told that at a young age, and believed it – and look where I am today.
AllHipHop.com: In 2008, Dr. Cornel West presented you with the Renaissance Award at the National Black Arts Festival. One of the elements of Hip-Hop that receives little attention is the "fifth element" concerning knowledge, respect, and understanding. What early influences – within your family or community – have compelled to you to be an active and vocal member of the local Atlanta community?
Big Boi: I was always taught "family comes first." Well, God first, and then family – virtually at the same time. You have to take care of our own. At the end of the day, all you have is your family. I had a young mother who worked, and we lived with my grandmother when my mother worked all the time. Sometimes we'd live with my grandmother through the school year, and it was a strong family unit – with all my cousins, aunties and uncles living in the projects in West Savannah, Georgia. We didn't have a lot of money, but we had love and care and we didn't want for nothing. I kind of live like that to this day. My immediate and my extended family, we all still come together on Sunday Funday, and watch football games and cook cheese dip, and sit around and kick it and play games and stuff like that. Family is very important. Community, too.
AllHipHop.com: In many ways, your personal upbringing has influenced and extended into your professional life. Stankonia Studios has become a "community studio," and it is unique in its widespread support of Atlanta's "community of artists." Personally and professionally, what has Stankonia provided for you as an artist?
Big Boi: Well, actually I could start with Bosstown Studios, Bobby Brown's studio. That was the first studio me and Dré ever recorded in. We used to catch the bus up there before we even had a record deal and just kind of knock on the door and wait on Bobby Brown to come out [laughing]. It was kind of crazy—because people still do that stuff to me now [laughing continues]. Bobby Brown came to one of our shows in North Carolina, and he was like: "Hey, man. You all can have that studio." So we told our manager. He was like: "Man, get the f*ck out of here, man. Bobby Brown's gone, man. He's f*ckin' with you all."
So, we came back to Atlanta, checked into it, and sure enough, the studio was in foreclosure. We actually bought it out of foreclosure and revamped it. It's owned by me and Dré, but I run the studio. That's my contribution. I have Mr. DJ in one room. I've got Royal Flush, my producers, and my whole production company, Boom Boom Boom Productions based out of there. I've got Ray from Organized Noize and Chris Carmouche and then my whole team. The guys that are there are just very creative, and we feed off each other. Music is being created 24/7 around the clock. I love up-and-coming talent, and I've got a stable of producers and writers. We've got a place to work out of, and don't have to worry about it.
AllHipHop.com: Considering the title of your current project, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, as a product of the South, how has the stigma of "Southern rap" affected you personally?
Big Boi: Well, we started out in what I like to say "the civil rights years of the Southern hip-hop movement" – [laughing] – where you couldn't drink out of the same water fountain. There was no respect. They looked at Southern rappers as something less than an MC. It wasn't until after the release of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) – and Goodie Mob's Soul Food (1995) – that we garnered respect. They booed us at Source Awards when we won "Best Rap Duo."
And like Dré said on that stage: "the South got something to say." I congratulate and salute every artist coming out of Atlanta that's living their dreams. Everybody's not going to make the same type of music. Different artists do different types of music. At the same time, the music that they're making is going across the water, too. Whether people like it or not, they go do shows overseas and it still keeps the art form alive. Everybody can't rhyme ferociously, and it ain't about lyrics all the time. Now, it's about who can make the best jam.
AllHipHop.com: From your perspective, as an artist as well as a member of the Hip-Hop community, what's your impression of how rap music has evolved and been received internationally?
Big Boi: It's expanded globally – no doubt. Like over here in the States, they've got us trapped in a box. Like they zombified the music. Many of the mainstream radio stations are playing the same five songs all day long. They drill them into your head. You find yourself singing a song you don't like because they're programming you. That's why they call it "radio programming." In Europe, all genres of music are played all day long on the radio. You might hear some Big Boi; then you might hear some Metallica. The music is so diverse.
Over here, they've got us so boxed in it's ridiculous. The one alternative that we do have out here that's really great is satellite radio. I can say that's the closest thing that we'll get to having freedom on the radio, because the mainstream radio stations that are programming your mind through these songs are playing the same five records all day long – by request or not. So, people have got to call up them and say, "Stop playing that sh*t, man."
AllHipHop.com: You have been very vocal on social media outlets – like Twitter – speaking on the execution of Troy Davis and the murder of Trayvon Martin. What are some creative and unique ways that you see yourself trying to mobilize people in the future? Have you had any discussions with other artists in terms of how to use social media to get people to be more engaged in what's going on?
Big Boi: My slogan is "each one teach one." If you have a bit of information, it's always good to pass it around just to spread awareness of what's going on in the world. You can entertain as well as educate at the same time. KRS-ONE said it the best: "edutainment." So, yeah, my Twitter page ain't just about me, or just what's going on with me. I like to give my followers the world news. A lot of people always comment that my news is better than mainstream media, because I'm going to give you what they're not telling you. You feel me? The mainstream news is programming as well. They're telling you, actually, what they want to tell you.
There are stories happening every day that people never hear about, and if it wasn't for social networking, then people would never even know what's going on the world. So, you've got to do that. I feel it's my responsibility. And who knows, man? In 15 or 20 years, I might run for mayor of Atlanta, or governor. You feel me?
AllHipHop.com: Hey, do that! Do that.
Big Boi: Alright. If Jesse Ventura can do it, sh*t! [laughing] Believe it.
For more information on Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, visit his official website.
For more of Clayton Perry's "views" and interviews, browse his "digital archive" – www.claytonperry.com – and follow him on Twitter (@crperry84).


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What We Do
At Sagemark Consulting Private Wealth Services, our main service is to provide you an objective and comprehensive fee-based financial plan. We use this proven defined process to produce a customized financial plan written specifically for the client. The process begins with the planner collecting all of the necessary data about you and your objectives. We then take that data, analyze it and produce a generic plan which has specific findings and recommendations regarding your current situation and what needs to be done for you to help achieve your goals. In addition, we will discuss the solutions that can be used to implement your plan.


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With Mike Aitken's reputation and influence as a trail-slayer, it only makes sense we offer a classic knobby version of his popular signature tire. More aggressive tread makes this the perfect dirt tire for railing berms and roasting hips. A fast rolling center tread helps maintain speed, while also lending some versatility for street and park.
- Knobby tread for dirt
- Micro-knurling for extra grip
- Fast rolling center tread for versatility
- Up to 80 PSI
- Lighter trail inspired single-ply sidewall
Signature: | Mike Aitken |
Weight: | 618 g |
Colour: | Black |


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A cookie is a file that is downloaded onto your computer when you visit certain websites. Among other things, cookies allow a website to store and recover information about the browsing habits of a user or their computer. Depending on the information that these contain, and on how the computer is used, they can be utilized to recognize the user. The user's browser stores cookies on the hard drive only during the current browsing session, occupying a minimal amount of memory; this does not adversely affect the computer. Cookies do not contain any specific personal information, and most of them are erased from the hard drive when the browsing session is closed (these are called "session cookies").
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Analysis cookies: These are those that, when properly used by us or third parties, allow us to quantify the number of users and thus measure and statistically analyze how users employ the service provided. For this, how you browse our website is analyzed in order to improve the selection of products and services we offer you.
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These are cookies generated by the Google Analytics tool to obtain and compile information and offer website use statistics without personally identifying Google visitors. We use different domains to enable the cookies that are used for our advertising products, such as those listed below and some specific versions for each country (like google.es).
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These track what messages the user has seen, what pages they have visited, and how they use the website. User cookies expire after two years.
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Joan Valera, Marco Pastori, Blai Carda, ABaC Group


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Rob Richie | Executive Director | [email protected] | (301) 270-4616 |
Aurelie Marfort | Communications Assistant | [email protected] | (301) 270-4616 |
Louisiana held three runoff elections on April 5th to determine nominees for the May 3rd special election to fill the state's two vacant congressional seats. Turnout declined by 17% from the first round, including 27% in the Democratic runoff in District 6. Louisiana taxpayers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on these runoffs. On April 7th in California, voters filled a U.S. House vacancy in a single election – something Louisiana used to be able to do before its 2007 law establishing a primary-runoff-general election system that can mean three elections to elect candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
FairVote's executive director Rob Richie commented, "Ensuring winners of party nominations are not opposed by a majority of primary voters is a laudable goal. But the delayed, two-round runoff has big problems. It's time to follow the suggestion of Senators John McCain and Barack Obama and adopt instant runoff voting in Louisiana."
With instant runoff voting, voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference rather than select only one choice. If no candidate receives a first choice majority, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the runoff. Ballots cast for eliminated candidates are added to the totals of the runoff candidates according to which candidate is ranked next on the ballot.
Instant runoff voting has been used to replace two rounds of voting in jurisdictions around the country, including Minneapolis (MN), Cary (NC), Pierce County (WA) and Oakland (CA). Instant runoff ballots are already used in Louisiana by overseas and military voters for these runoffs, as is also true in South Carolina and Arkansas. Sen. Barack Obama was the prime sponsor of Illinois legislation to establish instant runoff voting for primaries, while Sen. John McCain recorded a phone announcement in support of instant runoff voting in Alaska.
Instant runoff voting's advantages over delayed runoffs include: 1) less money spent on running elections; 2) less demands for candidates on raising money; 3) higher turnout in one decisive election; 4) greater certainty that overseas and military voters will have their vote count.
FairVote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that studies the impact of electoral rules and systems on turnout, representation and electoral competition. To view more on instant runoff voting, visit http://www.instantrunoff.com and www.fairvote.org/irv and call (301) 270-4616.


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Instant Pot Sirloin Steak Tips with Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms
1.5 lbs thinly sliced sirloin steak tips (like for carne asada or carne piccata. I get it pre-sliced/packaged at Trader Joe's & Aldi.)
1 large thinly sliced yellow onion
8 oz sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Beef paste
Vegetable oil
Sautée onions in butter in the Instant Pot with some salt and pepper. Let them start getting brown and caramelized, then transfer to holding dish. Do the same with the mushrooms next and transfer to the holding dish with onions (get all the liquid in there.)
Brown steak next with oil, salt and pepper. When browned, add back the onions and peppers, and pour Worcestershire sauce, water, and beef bouillon paste on top. Make sure the bouillon is stirred and dissolved.
Set IP to Meat setting and cook for 7 minutes. Use quick release and stir. Serve up on baguettes with sliced cheese of your choice.
It should turn out with a nice quantity of flavorful jus for soaking/dipping bread in. I had mine with baby Swiss cheese.
You don't HAVE to make this in the IP, but it makes the onions melt in your mouth and the steak unbelievably tender.


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Gov. Perry to Sign Texas' 20-Week Abortion Ban into Law on Thursday
Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be signing House Bill 2 into law at the state capitol Thursday morning, as pro-abortion protests continue throughout the state. According to Perry, the legislation will not only protect the unborn, but it will also advance the health and safety of women in Texas.
The legislation will ban abortion in the Lone Star state after 20 weeks gestation, and require abortion facilities to meet the same safety standards as ambulatory surgical centers. The bill would also require abortionists to have admitting privileges at a local hospital located within 30 miles of the abortion clinic, and to administer RU-486 in person.
Following 10 hours of debate that started after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, HB 2 passed the Senate by a vote of 19-11 at midnight on Saturday.
Emily Horne, a legislative associate for Texas Right to Life, told The Christian Post on Wednesday that the pro-life organizations is "thrilled about the passage of HB 2," and noted that for women who do elect to have an abortion in Texas, they will be in a safer environment; but added that she hopes the passage of the legislation will encourage women to choose life for their unborn children.
Horne told CP that TRL isn't surprised by the ongoing protests against the legislation from pro-abortion groups, such as Planned Parenthood and NARAL, which claim that the bill will have a negative impact on women's health, and mentioned that "Planned Parenthood is responsible for the death of a woman in Chicago," who died at the abortion clinic following a second-trimester abortion. According to Horne, Planned Parenthood and NARAL shouldn't be opposed to requiring abortion clinics to meet basic health and safety standards, such as widening hallways and doorways.
Perry, who in a statement shared with CP, said that he's proud of the Texas legislature for "protecting women's health [and] defending our smallest and most vulnerable Texans and future Texans," told CNN's Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" on Sunday that a majority of Americans are opposed to late-term abortion.
"Most people, I think, in this country – and in Texas certainly – believe that six months is too late to be deciding whether or not these babies should be aborted or not, and we put the limit at five months in this bill," Perry said.
Following the Senate's vote and passage of the bill, Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, commended Texas for being the "tenth state to enact effective protection for pain-capable unborn children." She also noted that "in a nationwide poll of 1,003 registered voters in March, The Polling Company found that 64 percent said they would support a law such as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks, unless the life of the mother is in danger."
State troopers receive criticism from pro-abortion advocates for inspecting visitors' bags
On Tuesday Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, confirmed that troopers had found jars of urine and feces inside the purses and bags of visitors who were lined up to enter the senate gallery last Friday. Other items people were asked to discard include paint, confetti, glitter, handheld air horns, a bag full of tomatoes and tampons.
"During these inspections, DPS officers have thus far discovered one jar suspected to contain urine, 18 jars suspected to contain feces, and three bottles suspected to contain paint. All of these items – as well as significant quantities of feminine hygiene products, glitter and confetti possessed by individuals – were required to be discarded; otherwise those individuals were denied entry into the gallery," according to a statement released by the Texas DPS.
After learning about "tampon-gate," Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin), spoke to Texas DPS who were in charge of inspecting women's bags, and soon thereafter women who were lined up to enter the senate gallery were allowed to keep their personal care items.
Pro-abortion advocate Shelby Alexander told KTBC-TV that actions taken by DPS were "symoblic" of HB 2, and women "losing the right to care for their own bodies."
Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis schedules political fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
Texas Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth), who garnered national attention following a 10-hour filibuster that delayed abortion legislation in the Senate and a heavily promoted Planned Parenthood bus tour with Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will be in Washington, D.C. on July 25 to hold two political fundraisers.


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Alpha Finance Lab (ALPHA) experienced a price breakout on Feb. 25 as a series of significant partnerships has brought renewed interest in the cross-chain DeFi platform.
Data from Cointelegraph Markets and TradingView shows that following the announcements, ALPHA price surged to $1.78 but Bitcoin's recent struggle to hold $50,000 as support led to a sell-off among altcoins and ALPHA currently trades at $1.31.
One of the reasons for the sudden surge was the Feb. 25 announcement of a partnership with Compound Finance (COMP) that will allow Compound users to integrate with Alpha Homora and lend assets across platforms.
Due to the deposit APY on Ether (ETH) being higher on Alpha Homora, Compound users are presented with an opportunity to yield farm by borrowing ETH against collateral in their accounts and lending it on the ALPHA protocol.
Users are lured by lower fees on Binance Smart Chain
Alpha has is also benefiting from its recent integration with the Binance Smart Chain, which has been growing in popularity for being a low-fee alternative to transacting on the Ethereum network.
The team at ALPHA hinted at what lies ahead for the protocol in the following tweet acknowledging the recent progress of the Binance Smart Chain:
Impressed with Binance Smart Chain (BSC)'s growth and traction.
Hope to join the party soon 😉@binance #BinanceSmartChain https://t.co/9NT7tkAs8q
— Alpha Finance Lab (@AlphaFinanceLab) February 20, 2021
Following the Feb. 1 launch of Alpha Homora v2, which included the release of a limited edition NFT, the protocol has continued to expand its reach and establish new integrations with partners in the blossoming decentralized finance ecosystem.
The project also received a renewed boost of optimism on Feb. 22 after an agreement was reached on the terms of how Alpha Finance would repay Cream Finance (CREAM) for funds lost during an exploit of Alpha's "Iron Bank" on Feb. 13. This exploit involved a hacker draining $37 million from the protocol.
Currently, Compound finance is the third-ranked DeFi protocol by total value locked (TVL) and the partnership between it and Alpha Finance could further Alpha's growth and exposure to new users in the months ahead.
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Islamic State militants have slipped into Europe disguised as refugees, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) said on Friday, a day after security forces thwarted a potential IS attack in Berlin.
Hans-Georg Maassen said the terrorist attacks in Paris last November had shown that Islamic State was deliberately planting terrorists among the refugees flowing into Europe.
"Then we have repeatedly seen that terrorists ... have slipped in camouflaged or disguised as refugees. This is a fact that the security agencies are facing," Maassen told ZDF television.
"We are trying to recognize and identify whether there are still more IS fighters or terrorists from IS that have slipped in," he added.
The Berliner Zeitung newspaper cited Maassen on Friday as saying that the BfV had received more than 100 tip-offs that there were Islamic State fighters among the refugees currently staying in Germany.
German fears about an attack have risen since the Paris killings. On Thursday, German forces arrested two men suspected of links to Islamic State militants preparing an attack in the German capital.
Authorities also canceled a friendly international soccer match in Hanover last year and closed stations in Munich at New Year due to security concerns.
Maassen, however, warned against alarm.
"We are in a serious situation and there is a high risk that there could be an attack. But the security agencies, the intelligence services and the police authorities are very alert and our goal is to minimize the risk as best we can," he said.


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Tony Hsieh talks about his Internet juggernaut Zappos in the same way that urban planners talk about cities. In fact, the language is uncanny. He believes the best ideas – and the best form of productivity – come from "collisions," from employees caroming ideas off one another in the serendipity of constant casual contact.
This is only achievable through density, with desks pushed close together in the office, or – in the case of Hsieh's ambitious plans to leverage the new Zappos headquarters to remake downtown Las Vegas – with company employees and community members colliding into each other on the street. For the kind of "collisionable" density he's looking for in downtown Vegas around his company, he figures the neglected area (not to be confused with the Vegas Strip) needs at least 100 residents per acre.
His idea perfectly transposes the old urban planning trope of dense cities as idea factories onto office culture (Jane Jacobs, though, might find his 100 residents per acre prescription a little low). So did he borrow his thinking about corporate culture from cities?
"I actually haven't read Jane Jacobs," Hsieh admitted this week, after speaking at The Atlantic's Startup City: Miami conference. "I've heard her name many times."
His evolution in thinking, he says, comes more from his earlier days as a party planner. Close one bar in the corner of a room for example, he says, and you eliminate congestion points and enable people to better flow through a party. The challenge is all about creating circulation and serendipity.
"In some ways," Hsieh says of both his company and his broader Las Vegas undertaking (they are now, essentially, inseparable), "I'm thinking of it more as one big party."
The typical office has about 200 or 300 square feet of space per employee. When Zappos moves into its new headquarters in the former Las Vegas City Hall in about six months, Hsieh is aiming for something closer to 100 square feet per employee. He's also planning to decommission a skywalk into the building to force people to enter through (and collide with) the street.
In the context of offices, this kind of density bucks conventional wisdom. Most companies think employees will perform best, or at least be happiest, if as many of them as possible can have their own spacious corner office (with closable door!). This thinking has even influenced the architecture of office towers.
"That's analogous to people wanting to live in the suburbs and live in a big house," Hsieh says. "And what they don't realize is that they end up trading two hours of commute time for more time with friends or relaxing or whatever."
In an office space, this analogy means that employees with their own corner offices wind up losing out on opportunities to talk to each other. And that's where the really good stuff of successful companies comes from, in Hsieh's thinking. Unabashedly, he says Zappos has always prioritized collisions over convenience, which might sound like a strange way to sell the company to potential recruits.
But Hsieh threads his explanation of all of this with references to research. Studies have shown, he says, that when someone sits twice as far from you in an office environment, you don't see that person half as often. "You see them half as often squared!" he says, or a quarter as often.
The same idea, he adds, extends to downtowns. And this is why he and some fellow investors are pouring $350 million into an overlooked part of Vegas (the money is separate from Zappos) to support companies and institutions that will be equally invested in the idea of colliding with one another.
"The research has shown that every time the size of a city doubles, productivity or innovation per resident increases by 15 percent," Hsieh says. "But when companies get bigger, productivity per employee generally goes down. So we want to figure out how do you actually avoid the fate that most companies have and instead create this interesting hybrid between corporation and community and city so that you actually get productivity increases both for the company as well as the community and city?"
Yet more research, he adds, has shown that most innovation happens as a result of an idea from one industry being applied to another. And so he is equally invested in having his Zappos employees bump into the owner of a jazz bar down the street as he is in having them bump into each other in the hallway.
He thinks about all of downtown Vegas as a "collision bowl," where the value of a given resident derives from his or her potential "collisionable community hours." Figure a given resident (many of them his employees or entrepreneurs he has invested in) contributes about 1,000 collisionable community hours a year. Multiple that by 100 residents per acre, and you've got 100,000 collisionable community hours per acre per year. Slice that down to real estate-speak, and he's looking at 2.3 collisionable hours per square foot per year.
"I don't know what that means, but I like to give it to our real estate partners to freak them out," Hsieh says. In theory, though, everyone benefits from the idea he's getting at, whether in an office setting or on the street. "What we like to say about downtown Vegas is that downtown Vegas will make you smarter. Which is probably the last thing you'd expect anyone to say about Las Vegas."


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By most account, America's young consumers are stereotyped as a selfish, impulsive, highly indulged bunch. More so than other age groups, Gen Y has been shown to splurge on restaurant meals they probably can't afford, pamper themselves with impulse buys, and partake in "self-gifting" during the holidays. They've also been criticized in the workplace for focusing on their own needs rather than on-the-job performance.
But the idea that all millennials act the same way, or that millennials as a group are entirely self-centered and unwilling to sacrifice is just plain wrong. Here's some proof:
They're eating out less. Normally, young people can be counted on to frequently eat out at restaurants. In 2007, for instance, Americans in the 18 to 34-year-old demographic averaged 252 dining experiences outside the house annually. According to a new study from the NPD Group, the current average for that same age group is 202—or about one fewer meal out per week. Older consumers have always tended to spend more per restaurant outing than younger diners, but young people have traditionally gone out to eat more often. Not anymore. Adults in the 35 to 49 age group, as well as those in the 50+ demo are eating out more frequently than millennials.
Some insight courtesy of USA Today:
"This is a shift of biblical proportions for the restaurant industry," says Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst at researcher NPD Group, which surveyed 2,400 adults 18 to 34 nationwide. "I've done this for 35 years, and we could always count on this age group as the biggest restaurant users. But not the last five years."
They're living with their parents. Granted, while many millennials don't see this as much of a sacrifice—meals, laundry, and a roof over your head for free (and no curfew)—but surely many Americans in their 20s and 30s still living with their parents would prefer to be on their own. What's stopping them from doing so is high unemployment and a sensible fear about living beyond one's means and digging oneself into (even more) debt. More than 20% of Americans ages 25 to 34 are saving on rent or mortgage payments by living in multigenerational homes, and that percentage, on the rise since the 1980s, spiked starting in 2007.
They're responsible about homeownership. Members of Gen Y aren't bunking with mom and dad because they lack ambition or just don't care about owning homes. While a large portion of millennials do eschew permanence and prefer the renting and sharing of everything from homes to cars to electronics, a Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate survey reveals that 75% of young Americans agree that "owning a home is a key indicator of success." The study also shows that young people may not be as entitled as they've been portrayed, that they're knowledgeable about the housing market, and that don't want to rush into a bad decision by buying a home before they're ready. Among the study's findings:
- They are not the "all about me" generation as 71% surveyed believe that homeownership should be earned, not something they are automatically entitled to.
- 69% believe that the recent housing downturn has made them more knowledgeable about homeownership than their parents were at their age
- Gen X and Y want to make sure they are ready to own. 69% believe someone is ready when they can afford to buy while also maintaining their lifestyle. For 61% of respondents, the "readiness indicator" is when they've landed a secure job.
"This group of young adults is very much in tune with owning real estate," Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens real estate brand, explained to the Chicago Tribune. "Their values are similar to their parents'. They don't have any feeling of entitlement. They're hard-working, and homeownership is important to them."
And yet, unlike the masses who scooped ever-more expensive homes during the mid-'00s real estate bubble, young people today are sensibly wary of buying property before they're ready.
They're accepting whatever jobs they can get. Data shows that the majority of millennials are unemployed or underemployed in the U.S. Because professional jobs related to their college majors are difficult if not impossible for young grads to find, many are turning to jobs that don't require a college degree—in retail sales, for instance. Sure, these may be jobs that a teenager could do, but many millennials with college degrees (and with college loan debt) are accepting work wherever they can find it, deeming that better than having no income whatsoever.
They're exceptionally charitable. Members of Gen Y are very likely to give their time, their money, or both. According to the Millennial Impact Report, last year 63% of Americans ages 20 to 35 volunteered for a nonprofit, 75% donated money to a nonprofit, and 70% said they helped raise funds on the behalf of a nonprofit.


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Baku - A travel report by Krys
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krisek's travel reports
A very hot Caspian weekend in Baku.
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Baku, Azerbaijan's capital city, is on the rise. Literally. It is a growing metropolis, unafraid to experiment with flamboyant, large scale architecture. Its small old town, partially walled over, seems overwhelmed. Well, progress is inevitable.
Old town city walls and the Flame Towers looming in the distance.
What is Baku's current municipal architecture plan is a mystery. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the oil boom guaranteed erection of grand palaces and mansions. This is when the tiny, UNESCO-listed, old town stopped being the city's prominent feature. Today, Azerbaijan's capital city is busy constructing massive high rise modern buildings, made of glass and steel. And there are many futuristic structures in the plan. The break-up of the Soviet Union and the second oil boom in the early twenty-first century resulted in a steady flow of petrodollars.
How long had Baku been on my wish list is hard to say. It crossed my mind in high school, after reading the obligatory book by one Poland's most celebrated authors, however politically motivated or parabolical it was. It was titled Early Spring (pol: Przedwiosnie), and Baku featured right at the beginning in the chapter called Glass Houses. Although metaphorical then, today Baku is boasting an increasing number of glass (and steel) houses.
The old town, which features a few interesting spots and sights dating back to the eleventh century is really small. It is a tiny maze of little alleys and stairways, but it is relatively easy to navigate. The northern and western parts of the city wall still stand, and parts are still being renovated. There are a few round wall towers and small gates. Yet, it is not as spectacular as other old towns in Central Asia. Plus, it is really overwhelmed by massive palaces and mansions constructed in the twentieth century, some of which are very interesting and some of which are not.
Favourite spots:
The seafront Bulvar at night
The seafront Bulvar, meticulously kept by the authorities, probably refreshed before the Eurovision contests earlier this year, could actually be one of my favourite spots. It is a park and promenade, which, sadly, is steadily being interrupted by the construction of shopping malls. Fortunately the malls are being constructed alongside the park and do not take the entire width of it. There is still plenty of room between the shore and the malls. Actually, enough space to put three or four more of those. The park has plenty of shaded areas provided by countless species of trees planted on swathes of curbed lawns. They include baobabs and silk trees. There are cacti and other 'recreational' plants as well, and every few hundred yards, there is a cafe or a bar serving cold drinks.
What's really great:
Carpets in the old town, by the Maiden Tower
One comes to Baku fully aware of the Caspian oil wealth. All countries based at this sea take advantage of the natural resources. Azerbaijan is famous for its enthusiastic embrace of the oil and gas exploration. It is therefore super to see the vast oil staines floating on the surface of the Caspian Sea. It is enough just to lean a little against the railings along the shore and the blue, black, violet and green pools of oil are just there! Right in front of your eyes. Colourful, free-floating, patchy, beautiful. And when you step on one of the piers leading deeper into the sea, there are any more of them, larger and prettier.
The Maiden's Tower in the distance.
The single most important sight of Baku, or rather with the most significant historic value, the Maiden's Tower is not that impressive, actually. Perhaps the scaffolding, which covered it all when I visited, had an impact on its appearance. But it was not that big or special. At least from the outside. Yet, the tiny little old town, which is almost entirely walled over was interesting. It had a handful of handsome minarets and mosques dating back to the early Medieval times (e.g. the Cume Mosque), some of the gates and ramparts looked fine, too. There was still plenty to do there to restore the impressive palaces and mansions, and those, which were already restored were little gems.
Outside the old town, Baku boasted great buildings from time of the oil boom, massive palaces with very elaborate facades. And there is plenty of them! In addition to those, the new petrodollars have been buying massive futuristic skyscrapers. And, luckily, the much needed the redevelopment of the seafront.
An executive suite number 2113 at the Hilton Baku
I was allocated an executive suite number 2113 on arrival at the Hilton Baku. It was located on the 21st floor with sweeping views towards the Freedom Square and far into the Caspian Sea. It had two rooms, massive bathroom with centrally placed bathtub, and an extra toilet room adjacent to the the lounge. Two flat screen TV sets, minibar and all other five star hotel amenities. The king size bed was nicely firm and the sheets were luxurious. Such a bed is a trap, as it is hard to get up and leave it for the whole day. Breakfast was included in my rate and served in the executive lounge on the 17th floor. It was not the best Hilton breakfast collection, actually. The scrambled eggs looked very suspicious and the cold cuts looked miserable. Fortunately, there was plenty of good cereal, fruit, and Danish pastries. Orange juice was fresh and the machine cappuccino impressive. Hilton's best features were location, terrace restaurant on the 24th floor and very well stocked bar on the 25th.
Entry to one of the old town restaurants
Maybe it was odd, but the Baku nightlife seemed exceptionally low profile. I browsed the city at night, but I did not spot anything obvious in terms of nightclubs, bars or discos. Definitely nothing in the old town within the walls. Well, actually, there were a few bars around, including the open-air bars. The city was not completely empty at night, either. I spotted loads and loads of people walking up and down the seafront boulevard, occasionally stopping at cafes, bistros, bars and restaurants nearby. In fact, even after midnight, the promenade and the bars were buzzing! Perhaps this was the Baku nightlife? All the upscale hotels had bars (although some closing at around 1 o'clock in the morning) and some had nightclubs and casinos, which were open into the wee hours of the morning.
I have to admit that I never ventured too far into the city at night. I lingered around the old town and the seafront. Maybe further afield there was more nightly action.
People at the seafront Bulvar
Okay, this may sound a little repetitive, but the seafront Bulvar was the very spot to hang out in Baku. It was at least the case for the locals. They went there in their thousands! Together with their girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, lovers, kids, entire families. They simply walked up and down the promenade. Up and down. Some of them stopped at the cafes for simple snacks or lagers. The snacks were just pizzas or little baskets of chips, or their thinner version called French fries. At the time I was visiting Baku, the London 2012 Olympic Games were in full spin, so the open air cafes at the seafront park had flat screen TV sets showing mainly the wresting competition, as the Azerbaijanis were rather good at this game. Given the time difference, some of the fights were running late into the night.
I personally liked the bar on the rooftop terrace at the Hilton. It had good selection of drinks, very professional service and wonderful view over the city.
Terrace restaurant at the Hilton Baku
The terrace restaurant at the Hilton Baku hotel cooked tasty dishes, but the view of the city from the terrace was the real deal, it was incredible. One should drop by only to see how Baku looked from the top. The dishes were great and simple, but the volume did not necessarily mean good value for money. I guess one was paying for the professional service and the view.
There were a bunch of eateries at the seafront promenade, along the main avenue running parallel to the shore, although one block away from the sea. They were located at the ground floor of some great mansions.
There were only a couple of inviting restaurants in the old town. One just steps away from the Maiden's Tower. It looked very Medieval, if a little touristy, and the service was almost adequate. The menu concentrated on the Eurasian cuisine.
Other recommendations:
A small bath house in the old town
The Baku International Airport is about an hour's drive from the city centre, depending on traffic. The road is in excellent condition, but it passes through both residential and business areas. There are taxis right outside the arrival hall, but it is hard to tell, which of the taxis are genuine and which are just the regular taxi bandits, who prey on the visitors to overcharge them dearly. When arriving late at night, it is probably best to pre-arrange an airport pick-up with a hotel or a hostel. They can arrange that very easily with one of the radio taxi companies. A standard taxi (most of which are the world famous London Taxis) would cost approximately 20 AZN (€22) at night. The official taxi drivers are rather friendly and they tend to know how to avoid traffic and make it for your flight.
Published on Thursday February 28th, 2013
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Tue, Jun 19 2018 - 10:45 AM
A very interesting report. A place which has just entered my radar and added to my bucketlist
Fri, Mar 01 2013 - 09:16 PM
I am very interested in this report because it includes so many different threads of thought. The reference to eggs that are less than attractive reminds me of a colleague's reaction to bacon and eggs especially placed on the menu for us in Krasnodar but bearing little resemblance to the rustic version common in Ireland.
Thank you for a very much for a fine piece of literature
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My secret museum !
- On 26/05/2010
- In People or Company of Interest
- 0 comments
By Julie Weiss - Boston, Massachusetts
To end the day, with excitement, intrigue and beauty, please check out Pascal's real life of underwater treasure discoveries.
It is my secret museum, and history book that I sneak in to every night and think for hours upon hours about everything from what was being sewn with all the brass thimbles. Was it, Flags, Clothing, Sails ?
Who did the jewel's belong to ?Where they to be worn or being set to be sold ? What food and drink was placed on the beautiful gold leaf plates ?
Followed by a zillion other questions having to do with everything from politics, piracy, lift bags, equipment, cataloging, research, and archeology, and on, and on, and on...
It is no joke that this keeps me up until the light of dawn.It's the secret place my mind and imagination visit so often, and the beauty of all the treasures Pascal and his team have been able to discover. To begin to think of finding a wreck with sunken treasure and every detail that happens all the way until it is placed in a museum or sold at auction is fascinating to me.
Very different than the items many of my friends have brought up from all the wrecks lying in the North East. For me, it has nothing to do with diving. The Ocean holds so very many secrets and mysteries. To have the talent, skill and knowledge to actually and tangibly uncover these secretes, completely blows my mind.
It is not just about the "treasures" found. For me, the fascination is about, when all is collected, researched and a theory has been either proved to be true or false is the biggest hook. The story that is told, when all the pieces of the puzzle are put together, is the book I want to read.
How does one find a needle in a haystack, which so many others know is out there somewhere and have been searching for as well ? I better stop, as my mind is already starting to wander off... Maybe some night, I will see you in this museum. which seems like it comes out of my own fantasy or creativity, but is in fact all very real.
Blessings Pascal ! For me, the real treasure is the history and stories of these ships and all those who lost their lives at sea. For me these "treasures" are about their artistic beauty and historical significance. Everything from the rare coins and jewelry and the handmade artistic art, as well as the old bottles left half full and stories that were shared while passing it, forever untold...
It is man and trade that puts a value on things that I believe to be priceless. Even something as simple as a brass thimble.


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The English-language version of Democracy.Ru is in no way a translation of everything that is published in Russian but still, you can obtain some information about our election system and find out what national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are doing to promote development of the civil society in Russia.
The Russian-language Democracy.Ru is an open forum for those who are interested in the workings of democracy and wish to exchange relevant information or publish their materials dedicated to the widest range of democracy-related issues.
We do carry most of the English-language translations done by IFES (International Foundation for Election Systems) in its years of work in Russia as we inherited all of www.ifes.ru contents.
Note: At this stage the English-language version of Democracy.Ru is designed for general information and reference purposes only and is not updated as regularly as the Russian part of Democracy.Ru.
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JCGs (Java Code Geeks) is an independent online community focused on creating the ultimate Java to Java developers resource center; targeted at the technical architect, technical team lead (senior developer), project manager and junior developers alike. JCGs serve the Java, SOA, Agile and Telecom communities with daily news written by domain experts, articles, tutorials, reviews, announcements, code snippets and open source projects.
To learn more about our team you can visit the About JCGs page.
We also offer advertising opportunities on our network of sites. You may find more information about currently available advertising packages on our Advertising page.


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A number of practical matters were settled straight away. The company was to be managed by a French-Scandinavian board of directors - eight board members and a managing director. Sam Eyde was appointed managing director for a 10-year period. Eyde, Marcus Wallenberg, who was elected chairman of the board, and the Frenchman Edmond Moret were the three most important people in the new company.
Both Scandinavian and European
The total share capital was NOK 7.5 million (nearly 1 million euro at 2003 exchange rate). The Swedish bank Enskildabanken of Stockholm controlled half, and only 8 per cent of the shares were held by Norwegians. The new company had assumed the patents protecting the process, and the main patent was applied for in 25 countries. The French backers had also demanded that the new company secure an option on the Rjukan waterfall. An important prerequisite for future growth was thus secured.
The establishment of the new company was no silent affair. Eyde and Birkeland had already been guests of honor at the opening of the Institute of Technology and Chemistry in Berlin. On this occasion, Dr. Otto Witt, a recognized chemist who had long worked on the nitrogen question, gave the first public presentation of the arc process.
Witt described how modern industry was dependent on the natural sciences, and pointed out that many of the Norwegian engineers who had worked on the Norsk Hydro process had been educated at the Berlin institute. He did not mention his own role as a consultant over several years.
For the world market A few days after the inception of the company, Birkeland and Eyde addressed a meeting of the Science Society in Christiania. Their lectures were widely referred to, and also published in full, in several publications.
This was one of Eyde's periods of glory. He was proud to relate that the Notodden plants were now producing nitric acid, calcium nitrate and nitrite. "Calcium nitrate, which has not previously been on the market, can be used in industry, and also as Chilean saltpeter. Tests at various agricultural schools, in particular at Aas Agricultural College by the head of the college, Mr. Sidelien, have shown that calcium nitrate is as good as natural saltpeter and even somewhat better on sandy soil."
Waterfalls would be developed and plants would be built. Enormous sums would be invested. But there was no cause for concern. The new industry would not market its products only in "our little country," but all around the world, as Eyde explained.
Such ambitious plans were not common in Norway in those days, nor the ability to put them into practice. This was not just a question of building a new industry, two new towns also needed to be built. The price tag of NOK 60 – 80 million (EUR 8-10 million at 2003 exchange rate) was a dazzling amount at the time, equal to the combined capital of all of the nation's 85 banks in1905.
This date, December 2, is still celebrated in the company every year as "Hydro's birthday."
Updated: August 17, 2020


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About NEBCO
NEBCO has been part of Nebraska and the region's history for over a century. NEBCO traces its roots to Abel Construction Company, founded in 1908 by George P. Abel, Sr. Today, NEBCO is a third generation, family-owned and operated business. With over 800 employees, NEBCO has grown to become one of Nebraska's largest privately owned firms.
NEBCO's operations span the state of Nebraska and supply the construction industry with the materials needed to construct buildings, streets and highways. The company's business interests also include mining, finance, real estate and recreation development, agriculture, transporation, railroading, warehousing and philanthropy.
As Nebraska has grown in the last century, so has NEBCO, building Nebraska from the ground up.