text: The United Arab Emirates partook in meetings of the Arab League in Europe to discuss European-Arab relations. The Sudanese president made an official state visit to the United Arab Emirates to discuss the economic ties between the two countries. The Emirati space agency announced that it is working on a project to send a probe to orbit Mars. The Labour Ministry announced that as of January 2016 it will be lifting the six month labour ban rule in place in the UAE. The Abu Dhabi crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made an official state visit to Beijing where he signed a number of bilateral agreements between the two countries. The UAE has secretly dispatched hundreds of Colombian mercenaries trained at Emirati military bases to fight in Yemen. A hacker has leaked the financial information of hundred of consumers of the Investment Bank of the United Arab Emirates on Twitter.


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President Putin's Q&A at the Russian Energy Week International Forum
Vladimir Putin addressed the plenary session of the second Russian Energy Week Energy Efficiency and Energy Development International Forum. The forum is taking place in Moscow on October 3–6. Its main theme is Sustainable Energy for the Changing World. The forum will be attended by representatives of the largest international companies and organisations, and leading experts. About 60 business events will be held within the framework of the official programme. * * * Speech at the plenary session President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues. I am very happy to welcome the participants

subset: commoncrawl


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All right...so when we decided to go to this pumpkin festival, we thought it would be a small little festival, in a small little town, where we could find a pumpkin and enjoy some food. Holy cow were we wrong! This thing was HUGE and completely out of control. It was the size of a county fair. We went on a Friday thinking there wouldn't be as many people, we were wrong about that too. There were wall to wall people which normally would discourage me but it was even more interesting with a double stroller the size of a small semi truck. We stood in long lines, fought the cold weather, kept Evan from taking a nap, had a blow out diaper incident (with a new outfit needed) and ate as much as we could without getting sick. Awww, fall festival time is great! This was Evan's first time at a carnival and old enough to ride rides. As I am standing in an extremely slow moving line (with a child who didn't have a nap) to let Evan ride on a motorcycle carousel, I am wondering why we are doing this. Then as he is on this ride, it hit me, why we were doing this. Check out the video and you will see why we did (along with all of those other crazy parents). Click on the "festival" link below.
The Circleville Pumpkin Show
We met up with our friends Tricia and Ben and Jan and Sonja and their kids. We did have a great time experiencing the craziness together with friends. And getting a little crazy ourselves. Here are some pics from the day.


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!! History Commons Alert, Exciting News
This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event (11:15 a.m.) September 11, 2001: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Updates President on Rules of Engagement for Fighters and Increased Defense Readiness Condition. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
Counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke, who is in the White House Situation Room, instructs that US embassies overseas be closed and that US military bases raise their alert level. According to his own recollection, just after he has spoken to the acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers (see 9:28 a.m. September 11, 2001), Clarke is thinking about the simultaneous attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). As he describes, "There was the possibility now of multiple simultaneous attacks in several countries." He therefore issues instructions to the State Department and the Department of Defense: "We have to assume there will be simultaneous attacks on us overseas. We need to close the embassies. Move [Department of Defense] bases to combat Threatcon." [Clarke, 2004, pp. 5-6] ("Threatcon" is short for "terrorist threat condition." [Slate, 9/12/2001] ) According to CNN, all US military forces will be ordered to the highest alert level at 10:10 a.m. (see (Between 10:10 a.m. and 10:35 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [CNN, 9/4/2002] But the 9/11 Commission Report will state that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld only orders the US armed forces to Defcon 3, an increased state of readiness, at 10:43 a.m. (see (10:43 a.m.-10:52 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326 and 554] The State Department will tell US embassies to make the decision whether to close based on their own local security requirements. Around 50 US embassies or consulates around the world will therefore close, though at what time they do so is unstated. [US Department of State, 9/12/2001]
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline
According to most accounts, at the time the Pentagon is hit, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in his office on the third floor of the Pentagon's outer E Ring, receiving his daily intelligence briefing. [New York Times, 9/12/2001; Woodward, 2002, pp. 24; 9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004; Clarke, 2006, pp. 221; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 1; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 130; Vogel, 2007, pp. 438-439] As he later recalls, "the building shook and the tables jumped." [Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 130] Although he has been informed of the two aircraft hitting the World Trade Center (see Shortly After 8:46 a.m. September 11, 2001 and (Shortly After 9:03 a.m.) September 11, 2001), he supposedly does not initially suspect a plane has hit the Pentagon, thinking instead that a bomb has gone off. [ABC News, 9/16/2001; MSNBC, 9/30/2001; Washington Post, 1/9/2002] In his nearby office, Rumsfeld's senior military assistant Vice Admiral Edmund Giambastiani Jr. also hears the explosion, and walks through his doorway toward Rumsfeld's office. As the two meet, Rumsfeld asks Giambastiani, "What the hell's happening?" [American Forces Press Service, 9/8/2006; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 130] Rumsfeld then looks out his window but, he later recalls, sees "nothing here." [Parade Magazine, 10/12/2001; Washington Post, 1/9/2002] He goes into the hallway and, accompanied by his security guards, hurries toward the crash site (see 9:38 a.m. September 11, 2001). [Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 130] However, counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke will later contradict these accounts. Clarke indicates that Rumsfeld has been participating in the video teleconference conducted from the White House Situation Room since shortly after the second WTC crash (see (9:10 a.m.) September 11, 2001). He claims that Rumsfeld is still involved in this conference at the time the Pentagon is hit, and he tells his deputy, "I can still see Rumsfeld on the screen, so the whole building didn't get hit." [Clarke, 2004, pp. 2-3 and 7-8] If Clarke's account were correct, this would presumably mean Rumsfeld is in the Pentagon's Executive Support Center (ESC), which has secure video facilities, rather than in his office. [Washington Times, 2/23/2004] But according to other accounts, Rumsfeld does not go to the ESC until around 10:15 a.m., after he returns from the crash site (see (10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2006, pp. 221; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 1-5]
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke, Donald Rumsfeld, Edmund Giambastiani
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office, and acting Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers' office, report to the NMCC teleconference that they are still trying to track down Rumsfeld and Myers, respectively, and bring them into the conference. [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004] Rumsfeld is apparently outside the Pentagon looking at the Flight 77 crash site (see Between 9:38 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. September 11, 2001), though counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke suggests Rumsfeld is elsewhere in the Pentagon for much of the time (see (Between 9:38 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Myers' whereabouts in the period after the Pentagon crash have not been fully explained (see (Between 9:55 a.m. and 10:25 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Rumsfeld and Myers do not enter the NMCC until about 10:30 a.m. (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001).
Entity Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, National Military Command Center, Richard B. Myers
Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers wants clear rules of engagement for military fighter pilots, according to counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke. In his book Against All Enemies, Clarke will describe hearing that the president has authorized the military to shoot down hostile aircraft some time between about 9:45 and 9:56 (see (Between 9:45 a.m. and 9:56 a.m.) September 11, 2001). From the White House Situation Room, where he is located, he then gets the attention of those on the video conference screen for the Pentagon, and informs them of this decision. Myers asks, "Okay, shoot down aircraft, but what are the ROE [rules of engagement]?" As Clarke will comment, "It was one thing to say it's okay to shoot down a hijacked aircraft threatening to kill people on the ground, but we needed to give pilots more specific guidelines than that." Clarke asks his colleague Franklin Miller and Marine Colonel Tom Greenwood—a member of Miller's staff—to ensure that the Defense Department has "an answer to that question quickly." He tells them, "I don't want them delaying while they lawyer that to death." Clarke recalls that he is then informed: "CNN says car bomb at the State Department. Fire on the Mall near the Capitol." [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8-9] It is therefore unclear exactly what time he is describing, as CNN first makes the incorrect report of the State Department car bomb at 10:33, but it reports the fire on the Mall at 9:45. [CNN, 9/11/2001; CNN, 9/11/2001; Broadcasting and Cable, 8/26/2002] Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will tell the 9/11 Commission that he works on fashioning the rules of engagement for fighter pilots, in collaboration with Myers, after he enters the Pentagon's National Military Command Center (NMCC) at around 10:30 (see (10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004] Yet he does not complete and issue these rules until 1:00 p.m. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 465; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 7; Myers, 2009, pp. 157-158]
Entity Tags: Tom Greenwood, Richard B. Myers, Franklin Miller, Richard A. Clarke
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld returns from the Pentagon crash site "by shortly before or after 10:00 a.m." Then he has "one or more calls in my office, one of which was with the president," according to his testimony before the 9/11 Commission. [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004] The commission later concludes that Rumsfeld's call with President Bush has little impact: "No one can recall any content beyond a general request to alert forces." The possibility of shooting down hijacked planes is not mentioned. [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004] Rumsfeld then goes to the Executive Support Center (ESC) located near his office, arriving there at around 10:15 a.m. In the ESC already are Stephen Cambone, Rumsfeld's closest aide, Larry Di Rita, Rumsfeld's personal chief of staff, and Victoria Clarke, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. Rumsfeld had instructed Di Rita and Clarke to go to the ESC and wait for him there when they'd come to his office soon after the second WTC tower was hit at 9:03 A.M. (see (Shortly After 9:03 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Presently, Rumsfeld gives them their first confirmation that a plane hit the Pentagon, saying, "I'm quite sure it was a plane and I'm pretty sure it's a large plane." According to Clarke, he pulls out a yellow legal pad and writes down three categories, "by which his thinking would be organized the rest of the day: what we needed to do immediately, what would have to be underway quickly, and what the military response would be." [Clarke, 2006, pp. 221-222; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 5-6] The Executive Support Center has secure video facilities, and while there, Rumsfeld participates in the White House video teleconference. This is the video conference that counterterrorism "tsar" Richard Clarke claims Rumsfeld is a part of much of the morning (see (9:10 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Then at around 10:30 a.m., he moves on to the National Military Command Center NMCC, located next door to the ESC (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Washington Times, 2/23/2004; 9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 43-44] Those in the NMCC are apparently unaware of Rumsfeld's whereabouts during the half-hour from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Brigadier General Montague Winfield later recalls, "For 30 minutes we couldn't find him. And just as we began to worry, he walked into the door of the [NMCC]." [ABC News, 9/11/2002]
Entity Tags: National Military Command Center, Stephen A. Cambone, Victoria ("Torie") Clarke, Richard A. Clarke, George W. Bush, Larry Di Rita, Donald Rumsfeld, Executive Support Center
The NORAD representative on the Pentagon's air threat conference call reports that General Ralph Eberhart, the commander in chief of NORAD, has declared "concern" for the crisis that is taking place. At around 9:39 a.m., the NORAD representative said over the conference call that "[n]o assessment for the overall air situation" had been given by NORAD at that point (see (9:39 a.m.) September 11, 2001). But now he says an assessment has been issued. He reports over the conference call: "At this time, CINC [commander in chief] NORAD"—meaning Eberhart—"has declared an assessment of concern for the air events does hold. I say again, an assessment of concern does hold for the air events." [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001; US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ] Eberhart will tell the 9/11 Commission that at NORAD, he alone would be responsible for making an assessment of concern. He will say that at around 9:40 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., he received a lot of pressure from personnel at NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center to say that "yes," he did assess concern. If he makes an assessment of concern, Eberhart will comment, it triggers a "Defcon surge." What he means by a "Defcon surge" is unclear. [9/11 Commission, 3/1/2004] (The military's defense readiness condition (Defcon) will in fact be raised to Defcon 3, on the orders of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, at 10:52 a.m. (see (10:43 a.m.-10:52 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 131] ) Eberhart will also say that an assessment of concern is "tied basically to a foreign attack" and making it triggers a number of consequences that, among other things, would impact Russia. [9/11 Commission, 3/1/2004]
Entity Tags: Ralph Eberhart, North American Aerospace Defense Command
US military installations are placed on the highest state of alert, known as Force Protection Condition Delta (FPCON Delta), in response to the terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon. The raised threat level applies to every US military installation across the country and around the world, and every member of the US armed forces. [Associated Press, 9/11/2001; US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001; New York Times, 9/12/2001] Measures that are taken once FPCON Delta has been declared include placing more guards on duty at installations, having all vehicles on installations identified, and having all personnel positively identified. Additionally, all suitcases, briefcases, and packages brought into an installation must be searched. [Slate, 9/12/2001] Rumsfeld and Myers Decide to Raise FPCON - The decision to raise the force protection condition is apparently made by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and/or acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers. Rumsfeld will tell the 9/11 Commission that after he arrives at the Pentagon's National Military Command Center (NMCC) (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001), he and Myers "discussed, and I recommended… increasing the force protection level." [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004] Myers will later write that after he arrives at the NMCC (see (Between 9:55 a.m. and 10:25 a.m.) September 11, 2001), he "recommended that all American military commands and units worldwide go to [FPCON] Delta." He will add: "Terrorists had staged major attacks in New York and Washington. Although we did not yet have reliable intelligence on when and where they would strike next, it seemed likely that they would." [Myers, 2009, pp. 153] But White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke will write that he gave the instruction to raise the force protection condition, at around 9:30 a.m. (see (9:29 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Clarke, 2004, pp. 5-6] Conflicting Times Given for Raising of FPCON - The exact time at which the force protection condition is raised is unclear. CNN's Barbara Starr will report that "all US military forces [are] ordered to Condition Delta" at 10:10 a.m. [CNN, 9/4/2002] However, other evidence indicates the force protection condition is raised at a later time, around 10:35 a.m. Rumsfeld only enters the NMCC at about 10:30 a.m., indicating it is raised after that time. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 43-44] And at 10:38 a.m., after Vice President Dick Cheney asks him on the air threat conference call if US forces are on "heightened alert," Rumsfeld will reply, "Yes," and say they are at FPCON Delta. [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ] Some Areas Already at FPCON Delta - Although the entire US military is now under the same FPCON level, usually, different locations can have different FPCON levels. [Slate, 9/12/2001] US forces in some parts of the world, particularly the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region, are in fact already at FPCON Delta. [New York Times, 9/12/2001] (The force protection condition was raised in those areas in late June, after intelligence reports suggested that terrorists might attack American military or civilian targets in the region (see June 21, 2001). [Los Angeles Times, 6/23/2001; National Public Radio, 5/23/2002; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 257] ) Shortly after the force protection condition is raised, Rumsfeld will order that the defense readiness condition also be raised (see (10:43 a.m.-10:52 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326, 554] Five Possible Force Protection Conditions - The force protection condition is a "chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-approved standard for identification of, and recommended responses to, terrorist threats against US personnel and facilities," according to the Department of Defense. [US Department of Defense, 11/8/2011 ] It was created in June 2001 and replaced the "terrorist threat condition," or "Threatcon." [Los Angeles Times, 1/22/2002] There are five possible force protection conditions. The lowest, FPCON Normal, means no threat of terrorist activity is present. The other conditions are Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, up to the highest, FPCON Delta, which means a terrorist attack has occurred or intelligence has been received indicating that action against a specific location is likely. [Associated Press, 9/11/2001; Slate, 9/12/2001]
Entity Tags: Richard A. Clarke, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard B. Myers, US Department of Defense
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, missing for at least 30 minutes, finally enters the NMCC, where the military's response to the 9/11 attacks is being coordinated. [CNN, 9/4/2002; 9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004] Rumsfeld later claims that he only started to gain a situational awareness of what was happening after arriving at the NMCC. [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004] Rumsfeld was in his office only 200 feet away from the NMCC until the Pentagon crash at 9:37 a.m. (see 9:37 a.m. September 11, 2001). His activities during this period are unclear. He went outside to the Flight 77 crash site and then stayed somewhere else in the Pentagon until his arrival at the NMCC. Brigadier General Montague Winfield later says, "For 30 minutes we couldn't find him. And just as we began to worry, he walked into the door of the [NMCC]." [ABC News, 9/11/2002] Winfield himself apparently only shows up at the NMCC around 10:30 a.m. as well.
Entity Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, National Military Command Center, Montague Winfield
After he finally arrives at the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001), Donald Rumsfeld's primary concern, according to the 9/11 Commission, is "ensuring that the [military fighter] pilots [have] a clear understanding of their rules of engagement." [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 44] Rumsfeld later recalls, "It was clear they needed rules of engagement telling them what they should and should not do. They needed clarity. And there were no rules of engagement on the books for this first-time situation where civilian aircraft were seized and were being used as missiles." By this time, the president has supposedly already given authorization for the military to shoot down hijacked aircraft (see (Between 10:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.) September 11, 2001), and Dick Cheney informs Rumsfeld of this over the air threat conference at 10:39 (see 10:39 a.m. September 11, 2001). Rumsfeld says that, "Throughout the course of the day," along with acting Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers, he "returned to further refine those rules." [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004] As journalist Andrew Cockburn will later remark though, Rumsfeld's work on the rules of engagement "was an irrelevant exercise for he did not complete and issue them until 1:00 p.m., hours after the last hijacker had died." [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 465; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 7]
Entity Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, Richard B. Myers
Vice President Dick Cheney tries to bring Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld up to date over the National Military Command Center's (NMCC) conference call (see 9:29 a.m.-9:34 a.m. September 11, 2001), as Rumsfeld arrived at the NMCC just minutes earlier (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001). Cheney explains that he has given authorization for hijacked planes to be shot down and that this has been passed on to the fighter pilots. Rumsfeld asks, "So we've got a couple of aircraft up there that have those instructions at the present time?" Cheney replies: "That is correct. And it's my understanding they've already taken a couple of aircraft out." Then Rumsfeld says: "We can't confirm that. We're told that one aircraft is down but we do not have a pilot report that they did it." Cheney is incorrect about his authorization having reached the pilots (see 10:31 a.m. September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004]
Entity Tags: Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refuses to leave the Pentagon, despite the smoke leaking into the National Military Command Center (NMCC) where he is currently working, the danger of a second attack on the Pentagon, and a White House request to begin implementing Continuity of Government (COG) measures. [Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 132] After being out of touch with his colleagues at the Pentagon since the time of the attack there (see (9:38 a.m.-10:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001 and 9:39 a.m. September 11, 2001), Rumsfeld finally entered the NMCC at around 10:30 a.m. (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 43-44; Cockburn, 2007, pp. 2-6] It is now noticed that smoke is seeping into the center. With people beginning to cough, aides suggest Rumsfeld should leave the building, but he is uninterested in their advice. Even when they warn that the smoke might be toxic, he still ignores them. Rumsfeld's deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, tells him he should leave the Pentagon. But Rumsfeld instead orders Wolfowitz to leave the NMCC and fly to Site R, the alternate command center outside Washington (see (11:00 a.m.) September 11, 2001). According to journalist and author Steve Vogel, this is "contrary to the established Continuity of Government plan, which called for the secretary of defense to relocate to the alternate command center.… The secretary figured the 45 minutes to an hour it would take to evacuate to Site R would leave him out of touch for too long." Rumsfeld will later explain: "That's life. That's what deputies are for." [Vogel, 2007, pp. 441]
Entity Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz
The US military's defense readiness condition is raised from Defcon 5, the lowest possible level, to Defcon 3, an intermediate level that requires a heightened alert status for US armed forces worldwide, and which is the highest the defense readiness condition has been for 28 years. [Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 7/18/2002 ; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326, 554; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 131; Rumsfeld, 2011, pp. 338] Rumsfeld Recommends Raising Defcon - The decision to go to Defcon 3 is reportedly made by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. [US Department of Defense, 8/12/2002] Rumsfeld will later recall that after he arrives at the Pentagon's National Military Command Center (NMCC) (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001), he talks with General Richard Myers, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and "[w]e discussed and I recommended raising the defense condition level from five to three." [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004] Teleconference Participants Told to 'Hold Off' on Defcon 3 - Rumsfeld directs that the US military go to Defcon 3. At 10:43 a.m., it is announced on the air threat conference call that the secretary of defense "has directed that we go to Defcon 3 and be prepared to go to [Defcon] 2." However, a minute later, Rumsfeld talks to Vice President Dick Cheney on the conference call, and Cheney says he will have to run the decision to go to Defcon 3 by the president, "and let him make the call." Therefore, at 10:45 a.m., those on the conference call are told to "hold off on Defcon 3." Order to Raise Defcon Reinstated - But Rumsfeld believes raising the defense readiness condition is urgent. [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326, 554] There is therefore a "historical discussion about how the move to Defcon 3 went during previous crises, Cuba specifically [i.e. the Cuban missile crisis in 1962]," Captain Charles Leidig, who is also in the NMCC, will later recall. With their reference being "a book on the shelf," according to Leidig, Myers is shown that he has "approval authority to go to Defcon 3." [9/11 Commission, 4/29/2004 ] After consulting Defense Department directives, Rumsfeld concludes that he has the authority to issue the order to raise the defense readiness condition. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 554] Therefore, at 10:46 a.m., those on the air threat conference call are told: "Override last instructions. The vice chairman [i.e. Myers] is directing we go to Defcon 3." A few minutes later, an announcement is made on the conference call, "Emergency action message released at 14:52 [Zulu time, i.e. 10:52 a.m. Eastern time], re: Defcon 3." [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ; 9/11 Commission, 2004] Raising Defcon Is a 'Huge Move' - Rumsfeld will later agree with an interviewer that raising the defense readiness condition is "a very serious step for the nation." [US Department of Defense, 8/12/2002] It was last raised to Defcon 3 during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, when Rumsfeld had been the United States ambassador to NATO. Regarding the decision to raise it, Myers tells Rumsfeld, "It's a huge move, but it's appropriate." [US Department of Defense, 1/9/2002; Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2004 ; Rumsfeld, 2011, pp. 338] President Later Told of Decision - The decision to go to Defcon 3 will soon be communicated within NORAD (see 11:03 a.m.-11:12 a.m. September11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2003; 9/11 Commission, 2004; 9/11 Commission, 2/3/2004 ] Rumsfeld will brief President Bush on the decision (see (11:15 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 554; Bush, 2010, pp. 133] Apparently around the time the defense readiness condition is raised, Rumsfeld and/or Myers also decide to raise the force protection condition of US military installations (see (Between 10:10 a.m. and 10:35 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ; 9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004; Myers, 2009, pp. 153] Defcon 3 Intended for Cold War - Some individuals will later be critical of the decision to raise the defense readiness condition at this time. John Farmer, the senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission, will write that Defcon 3 is in fact "a Cold War-era designation, devised to respond to a nuclear threat." [Farmer, 2009, pp. 235] According to Farmer and other 9/11 Commission staffers, it is "suited more to a Cold War conflict than to al-Qaeda's attack." [Rutgers Law Review, 9/7/2011 ] General Ralph Eberhart, the commander of NORAD, will similarly say that Defcon 3 is "not intended for [events like] the attacks of 9/11 and thus could have complicated the response to the attacks." He will say he does not think that raising the condition would have "done anything for us" within the continental United States. [9/11 Commission, 3/1/2004 ] Defcons Are Phased Increases in Combat Readiness - The defense readiness condition is a "uniform system of progressive alert postures for use between the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commanders of unified and specified commands, and for use by the [armed] services," according to the Department of Defense. [US Department of Defense, 11/8/2011 ] Defcons are phased increases in combat readiness and are graduated to match situations of varying military severity. They are numbered, from Defcon 5, which means "normal peacetime readiness," down to Defcon 1, which means "maximum force readiness." The current level, Defcon 3, represents an "increase in force readiness above normal readiness." [Federation of American Scientists, 4/29/1998] The defense readiness condition will remain at Defcon 3 until three days later, when it will be reduced one notch, to Defcon 4 (see September 14, 2001). [Washington Post, 1/30/2002]
Entity Tags: US Department of Defense, John Farmer, Charles Leidig, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Ralph Eberhart, Richard B. Myers, Donald Rumsfeld
The North Portal entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado. [Source: NORAD]The message goes out within NORAD that the military's defense readiness condition has been raised to Defcon 3. [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2003; 9/11 Commission, 2004] Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed that the defense readiness condition be raised from Defcon 5—the lowest level—to Defcon 3 at around 10:45 a.m. (see (10:43 a.m.-10:52 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326, 554; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 131] At 10:52 a.m., an emergency action message about the increased defense readiness condition was issued. [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ; 9/11 Commission, 2004] NORAD Personnel Learn of Defcon Change - Word of the change is then communicated within NORAD. At 11:03 a.m., NORAD's Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) is ordered to Defcon 3. Four minutes later, at 11:07 a.m., Lieutenant Colonel Steve Usher, the director of combat operations at the headquarters of the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR) in Florida, announces that Defcon 3 has been ordered. [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2003] And a military log will state that "NORAD has directed Defcon change" at 11:12 a.m. [9/11 Commission, 2004] Staff Sergeant Brent Lanier, an emergency action controller in NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center (CMOC) in Colorado, is tasked with sending out a message about the change to the defense readiness condition. He will later recall: "I'd sent out false Defcon messages during exercises, but I never thought I'd have to send out an actual Defcon change message—but I did. It was frightening." [Airman, 3/2002] NORAD Officers Discuss Defcon Change - Major General Larry Arnold, the CONR commander, will tell the 9/11 Commission that he hears of the change to the defense readiness condition either from Major General Rick Findley, the director of operations at the CMOC, or from one of NORAD's computer chat logs. [9/11 Commission, 2/3/2004 ] Usher will tell the 9/11 Commission that the instruction to raise the defense readiness condition comes either from the CONR Regional Air Operations Center or from Arnold. He will add that there is an emergency action message confirming the transition. [9/11 Commission, 2/4/2004 ] Arnold will recall that, at some unspecified time, he calls General Ralph Eberhart, the commander of NORAD, about the change to the defense readiness condition, with the intention of informing Eberhart "of what was ongoing." [9/11 Commission, 2/3/2004 ] Change in Defcon Affects Who Can Declare a Target Hostile - Steve Hedrick, an air weapons officer at NEADS, will tell the 9/11 Commission that "any change in Defcon is authenticated immediately" with the fighter jets under NORAD control. He will also say that "the main change when a Defcon level changes is in who has the authority to declare a target hostile." Hedrick will note that the order from Vice President Dick Cheney, that NORAD fighters were "cleared… to intercept tracks of interest and shoot them down if they do not respond" (see 10:31 a.m. September 11, 2001), is "distinct and different from the transition in Defcon levels." [9/11 Commission, 10/27/2003 ; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 42]
Entity Tags: Continental US NORAD Region, Steve Usher, Steve Hedrick, Eric A. "Rick" Findley, Northeast Air Defense Sector, Larry Arnold, Ralph Eberhart, Brent Lanier, North American Aerospace Defense Command
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks with President Bush, and they discuss the rules of engagement for fighter pilots and Rumsfeld's decision to raise the defense readiness condition to Defcon 3. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 465, 554] Rumsfeld is in the National Military Command Center (NMCC) at the Pentagon and Bush is on board Air Force One, flying toward Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004; St. Petersburg Times, 7/4/2004] After Rumsfeld entered the NMCC at around 10:30 a.m. (see (10:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001), he had been concerned with ensuring that fighter pilots defending US airspace have a clear understanding of their rules of engagement, so they know "what they could and could not do" (see (10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 3/23/2004; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 43-44] He also directed that the nation's armed forces go to Defcon 3, an increased state of military readiness (see (10:43 a.m.-10:52 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 131] President Approves Decision to Raise Defcon - Rumsfeld now speaks with Bush and, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, tells him that the Department of Defense is "working on refining the rules of engagement, so pilots would have a better understanding of the circumstances under which an aircraft could be shot down." Also at this time, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, Rumsfeld briefs Bush on his decision to raise the defense readiness condition to Defcon 3. When Rumsfeld ordered that the condition be raised, Vice President Dick Cheney told him to run the issue by the president; Rumsfeld replied that he would "call him shortly." [US Department of Defense, 9/11/2001 ; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 465, 554] Bush gives Rumsfeld his approval for having raised the defense readiness condition. [Washington Post, 9/12/2001; Bush, 2010, pp. 133] Defense Readiness Condition Possibly Discussed at Later Time - Although the 9/11 Commission Report will say Rumsfeld and Bush's discussion of the defense readiness condition occurs at 11:15 a.m., in his 2010 book Decision Points, Bush will write that he approves Rumsfeld's decision when he speaks to Rumsfeld from the office of Lieutenant General Thomas Keck at Barksdale Air Force Base. [Bush, 2010, pp. 133] If correct, this would mean the relevant phone call takes place sometime after 12:11 p.m., when Bush goes to Keck's office (see (12:11 p.m.-1:20 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [Sammon, 2002, pp. 112-113; American History, 10/2006 ]
Entity Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bush, US Department of Defense
Air Force One at Barksdale Air Force Base. [Source: Win McNamee / Reuters]Air Force One, with President Bush on board, lands at Barksdale Air Force Base—the home of the B-52 bomber—near Shreveport, Louisiana. [New York Times, 9/16/2001; Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001; BBC, 9/1/2002] The president's plane was escorted by fighter jets from the 147th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard as it came in to land (see (11:29 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Time, 9/14/2001; Filson, 2003, pp. 87; Bush, 2010, pp. 132] Two of those fighters now land at Barksdale with Air Force One while the other two remain airborne, flying a combat air patrol over Shreveport and Bossier City. Aircraft and personnel at Barksdale were participating in the major training exercise Global Guardian this morning, before the terrorist attacks began (see 8:48 a.m. September 11, 2001), and after touching down, Air Force One taxies past 40 fully loaded B-52s. [Times-Picayune, 9/8/2002; Bombardier, 9/8/2006 ; Draper, 2007, pp. 141] Air Force personnel dressed in full combat gear and brandishing M-16s then set up a perimeter around the plane. [Time, 9/14/2001] Bush initially remains on board, gathering more intelligence. There is no mobile gangway on the tarmac and so he is unable to get off through his usual door in the top half of Air Force One. Instead, the flight crew opens a hatch near the belly of the plane and lowers a set of retractable stairs while Bush continues working the phones. The president finally gets off the plane just before noon and is then escorted away from it amid tight security (see (11:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [Sammon, 2002, pp. 111-112] The Daily Telegraph will later comment, "The official reason for landing at Barksdale was that Mr. Bush felt it necessary to make a further statement (see 12:36 p.m. September 11, 2001), but it isn't unreasonable to assume that—as there was no agreement as to what the president's movements should be—it was felt he might as well be on the ground as in the air." [Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001] Bush will remain at Barksdale Air Force Base for almost two hours before taking off again on Air Force One (see 1:37 p.m. September 11, 2001). [Salon, 9/12/2001; 2d Bomb Wing, 6/30/2002 ]
Entity Tags: 147th Fighter Wing, George W. Bush, Barksdale Air Force Base
President Bush at Barksdale Air Force Base, accompanied by Lieutenant General Thomas Keck.
[Source: White House]President Bush is provided with a high level of security when he gets off Air Force One at Barksdale Air Force Base, near Shreveport, Louisiana, and is promptly driven to a conference center on the base from where he makes a brief phone call. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Newseum et al., 2002, pp. 164; Rove, 2010, pp. 258-259] Air Force One landed at Barksdale at 11:45 a.m. and was immediately surrounded by Air Force personnel in full combat gear, with their rifles drawn (see 11:45 a.m. September 11, 2001). [USA Today, 9/11/2001; St. Petersburg Times, 7/4/2004] Bush remained on board while a retractable set of stairs was lowered for him to leave the plane by. Reporters Updated on President's Actions - A dark blue Dodge Caravan now pulls up next to these stairs, and a Secret Service agent and two Air Force officers take positions at the bottom of the stairs. The Dodge then pulls away, perhaps 40 feet back from the plane, and is swept inside and outside with dogs. Some members of the president's staff come down the stairs from the plane. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer approaches the pool of reporters who have been traveling on Air Force One and who are waiting under the plane's left wing for the president to disembark. Fleischer gives them a brief update on the president's actions during the flight and adds: "You will see [the president] disembark here shortly. He will head inside and that's all I'm going to indicate at this moment. You will have additional information shortly." Fleischer then answers several questions from the reporters. President Gets off Plane and into Minivan - Bush then descends from Air Force One. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 111] The Shreveport Secret Service office has been mobilized to oversee security arrangements while the president is at Barksdale. However, there is no presidential limousine waiting to drive Bush away from the plane. [Rove, 2010, pp. 258] Normally the president's armored limousine would be flown in ahead of time on a military transport plane, but there has been no time to get it to Barksdale. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 112] Bush instead gets into the Dodge Caravan, which is being guarded by a Humvee with a .50-caliber machine gun on top. [Rove, 2010, pp. 258] White House chief of staff Andrew Card gets in with him. The media and some of Bush's staff, including his senior adviser, Karl Rove, and his communications director, Dan Bartlett, get into an Air Force minibus. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 112] Bush Taken to Conference Center on Base - The Dodge then drives off at high speed. Bush will later recall that it "blasted off down the runway at what felt like 80 miles an hour. When the man behind the wheel started taking turns at that speed, I yelled, 'Slow down, son, there are no terrorists on this base!'" [Bush, 2010, pp. 132] The Humvee pulls out behind the Dodge, and the airman manning the machine gun on top cocks his weapon and puts a live round in the chamber. The minibus carrying the reporters follows moments later. [Rove, 2010, pp. 258-259] The small motorcade drives to the Dougherty Conference Center, a two-story building on the base. At the stroke of noon, Bush and his aides enter the building. A car blocks the driveway and several armed soldiers stand guard while the president is inside. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 112] Bush Speaks to Vice President - Bush and his aides are met by Colonel Curtis Bedke, the commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing, and Lieutenant General Thomas Keck, the commander of the 8th Air Force, apparently as they are entering the conference center. [2d Bomb Wing, 6/30/2002 ; American History, 10/2006 ] Inside, Bush picks up a telephone and speaks briefly with Vice President Dick Cheney, who is at the White House. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 112] Bush tells Keck he needs to get to a secure phone. Keck says there is one in his office, but this is in a different building on the base. [American History, 10/2006 ] The pool of reporters waits in the parking lot outside the conference center for about 10 minutes while the president is inside. Bush and his staff finally come out at 12:11 p.m., to be taken to the 8th Air Force headquarters building (see (12:11 p.m.-1:20 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 112]
Entity Tags: Barksdale Air Force Base, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, Dan Bartlett, Curtis M. Bedke, Ari Fleischer, Thomas Keck, George W. Bush, Andrew Card, Karl C. Rove, US Secret Service
President Bush is taken to the headquarters of the 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, from where he calls government officials in New York and Washington, DC, prepares and records a speech to the nation, and watches television coverage of the terrorist attacks. [Salon, 9/12/2001; Associated Press, 10/2/2001; American History, 10/2006 ] After landing at Barksdale (see 11:45 a.m. September 11, 2001), Bush was initially driven to a conference center on the base, where he made a brief phone call (see (11:55 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Newseum et al., 2002, pp. 164] Bush Is Driven to the 8th Air Force Headquarters - Bush emerges from there at 12:11 p.m. accompanied by his senior adviser, Karl Rove, his chief of staff, Andrew Card, his military aide, some other aides, and several Secret Service agents. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 112; American History, 10/2006 ] He is then driven to "Building 245" on the base—the headquarters of the 8th Air Force—in a small motorcade that also includes the pool of reporters who have been traveling with him on Air Force One. Inside the building, they all can see a sheet of paper that has been taped to a door, with words written in large black type, "Defcon Delta"—the highest possible state of military alert. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 112] Bush and his staff go to the office of Lieutenant General Thomas Keck, the commander of the 8th Air Force, where they get to work responding to the attacks. [American History, 10/2006 ] Bush Prepares a Speech to the Nation - Bush and Card together draft a speech to the nation that the president is going to record at the base, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. [Times-Picayune, 9/8/2002] However, according to journalist and author Bill Sammon, the speech is drafted by Bush's press secretary, Ari Fleischer, who is with the president at Barksdale, and edited by White House counselor Karen Hughes, who is back in Washington. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 113] Once the speech is ready, Keck escorts Bush to the building's conference room to be filmed delivering it. [American History, 10/2006 ] The reporters traveling on Air Force One go to the conference room after entering the 8th Air Force headquarters building and are there when Bush records his speech at 12:36 p.m. (see 12:36 p.m. September 11, 2001). [USA Today, 9/11/2001] Bush Watches TV, Makes Phone Calls - Bush watches the latest developments on a television in Keck's office. After recording his speech, he sees the footage, shown on CNN, of the World Trade Center towers collapsing for the first time, according to Keck. He then tells Keck, "I don't know who this is, but we're going to find out and we're going to go after them, and we're not just going to slap them on the wrist." Keck replies, "We're with you." There is a secure phone in Keck's office, and, while he is at the base, Bush uses it to talk with Vice President Dick Cheney at the White House (see (12:11 p.m.-1:25 p.m.) September 11, 2001), Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon (see 1:02 p.m. September 11, 2001), and Hughes. He also talks over the secure phone with New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, New York Governor George Pataki, and New York Senator Charles Schumer. Bush Is Informed of the Intelligence about the Attacks - Keck remains at Bush's side for the entire time the president is in the 8th Air Force headquarters building. He works intently, monitoring base security and keeping up to date with the latest information from the 8th Air Force Command. He and his team keep Bush and his aides informed about the intelligence coming in via Air Force channels about the morning's attacks and ongoing events. After nearly two hours at Barksdale, Bush and his entourage prepare to leave the base. Keck will accompany the president as he is driven back to Air Force One. [Associated Press, 10/2/2001; Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001; American History, 10/2006 ; Politico Magazine, 9/9/2016]
Entity Tags: Ari Fleischer, Charles Schumer, Donald Rumsfeld, George E. Pataki, Andrew Card, Rudolph ("Rudy") Giuliani, Richard ("Dick") Cheney, George W. Bush, Karl C. Rove, US Secret Service, Thomas Keck, Karen Hughes
President Bush records a speech at Barksdale Air Force Base. [Source: Win McNamee / Reuters]President Bush delivers a short speech to the nation in a windowless conference room at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, which is recorded and will be broadcast on television about half an hour later. [Time, 9/14/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 113-117] Since arriving at Barksdale (see 11:45 a.m. September 11, 2001), Bush has been spending time in the office of Lieutenant General Thomas Keck, the commander of the 8th Air Force (see (12:11 p.m.-1:20 p.m.) September 11, 2001). [American History, 10/2006 ] Bush will later recall that by 12:30 p.m., "it had been almost three hours since I had spoken to the country" (see 9:30 a.m. September 11, 2001) and he is "worried people would get the impression that the government was disengaged." [Bush, 2010, pp. 133] Bush Taken to Conference Room to Record Statement - A short statement to the nation has therefore been prepared for Bush to deliver. Keck escorts the president from his office to the conference room in the 8th Air Force headquarters building to record it. Bush is also accompanied to the room by his chief of staff, Andrew Card, his senior adviser, Karl Rove, his communications director, Dan Bartlett, his press secretary Ari Fleischer, and several Secret Service agents. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 113; American History, 10/2006 ] A hurried attempt has been made to prepare the room for the president's speech. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 325] Airmen have arranged three US flags behind the wooden lectern behind which Bush will speak, and have tried to add some lighting to brighten up the dark room. The reporters who have been traveling with the president on Air Force One went to the conference room after entering the 8th Air Force headquarters building, and are assembled there when Bush comes in. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; American History, 10/2006 ] Tape of Speech Taken to Satellite Truck to Be Broadcast - Bush delivers his 219-word speech in precisely two minutes. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Woodward, 2002, pp. 19] After doing so, he leaves the room without acknowledging, or taking any questions from, the reporters in the room. [USA Today, 9/11/2001; Newseum et al., 2002, pp. 165] Keck, who stays to watch Bush deliver the speech, then escorts the president back to his office. [American History, 10/2006 ] Master Sergeant Rich Del Haya, the officer in charge of the 8th Air Force public affairs office, is then called to the 8th Air Force headquarters building to collect the videotape of the speech. He runs out of the building with it, accompanied by a CBS network producer and reporter, and drives toward the base's far north entrance. Gate officials contact a state trooper outside the base, who escorts the three to a satellite truck of the local CBS affiliate. [Times-Picayune, 9/8/2002] The recording of the president's speech will be broadcast from the satellite truck at 1:04 p.m. (see 1:04 p.m. September 11, 2001). [Sammon, 2002, pp. 117]
Entity Tags: George W. Bush, Andrew Card, Karl C. Rove, Thomas Keck, Ari Fleischer, Rich Del Haya, Dan Bartlett, US Secret Service
From Barksdale Air Force Base, President Bush speaks with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld informs the president that it had been an American Airlines plane that hit the Pentagon. Previously, there had been a question as to whether it was hit by a smaller plane or a helicopter. [New Yorker, 9/25/2001; Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001; Sammon, 2002, pp. 116] Rumsfeld also tells Bush, "This is not a criminal action. This is war." Washington Times reporter Rowan Scarborough later reflects, "Rumsfeld's instant declaration of war… took America from the Clinton administration's view that terrorism was a criminal matter to the Bush administration's view that terrorism was a global enemy to be destroyed." [Washington Times, 2/23/2004] Bush reportedly tells Rumsfeld that there will "be a counterattack and that the military [will] not be hamstrung by politics the way it had been in Vietnam." He says to Rumsfeld, "It's a day of national tragedy and we'll clean up the mess. And then the ball will be in your court and [incoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] Dick Myers's court to respond." [Sammon, 2002, pp. 116]
Entity Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bush
The US military's defense readiness condition is lowered one notch, from Defcon 3 to Defcon 4. [Washington Post, 1/30/2002] The defense readiness condition was raised from Defcon 5, the lowest possible level, to Defcon 3 following the terrorist attacks on September 11 (see (10:43 a.m.-10:52 a.m.) September 11, 2001), putting it at its highest level for 28 years. [Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2004 ; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 326; Goldberg et al., 2007, pp. 131] Defense readiness conditions are phased increases in combat readiness. The new level, Defcon 4, requires increased intelligence and strengthened security measures. [Federation of American Scientists, 4/29/1998]
Entity Tags: US Department of Defense
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The financial impact of Customer Experience
According to Forbes, bad customer service is costing the global economy $338 billion per year. Another study revealed just a one point increase in customer satisfaction reduces variance in future cash flows by 4%.
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My post today suggested I also read another post I had written before the Rwanda trip. I had forgotten about this experience. This emotion. The blog is helping me remember where I've traveled with Random Musings.
Random Musings of an Introverted Visual Learner
"I hope you find what you're looking for."
This note in a Christmas card was written in regard to my upcoming mission trip to Rwanda. The comment itself is well-meaning and I didn't take offense to it. However, it's been sitting funny on my conscience since I read it. It's simply an uncomfortable feeling… like when you put your underwear on backward… you know what I mean?
It's not about me.
I am quite excited to have the opportunity to go because it has been on my heart for several years. Each time a new team was heading out, I wondered when I might go. I also wondered what I was doing that wasn't pleasing God– Why wasn't I going yet?
I believe a true spiritual calling is planted in ones heart but it isn't something one should facilitate by their own ability. You should be in tune with the holy spirit…
View original post 542 more words


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Virtus Global Multi-Sector Income Fund
Virtus Global Multi-Sector Income Fund
Investment Overview
The Fund's investment objective is to maximize current income while preserving capital. The fund seeks to generate high current income and total return by applying extensive credit research to capitalize on opportunities across undervalued sectors of the global bond markets. The Fund also pursues an options overlay strategy that seeks to generate additional income.
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Management Team
Investment Partners
Newfleet Asset Management, LLC
Newfleet Asset Management leverages the knowledge and skill of a team of investment professionals with expertise in every sector of the bond market, including evolving, specialized, and out-of-favor sectors. The team employs active sector rotation and disciplined risk management to portfolio construction.
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Rampart Investment Management Company, LLC
Rampart Investment Management, an investment management affiliate of Virtus Investment Partners, is one of the leading asset managers specializing in option strategies. A registered investment adviser since 1983, Rampart manages client positions and portfolios using domestic and international index and equity options.
Learn more about Rampart Investment Management Company, LLC
Investment Professionals
David L. Albrycht, CFA
President and Chief Investment Officer
Industry start date: 1985
Start date as fund Portfolio Manager: 2012
David Albrycht is president and chief investment officer of Newfleet Asset Management, an investment management affiliate of Virtus Investment Partners. Prior to joining Newfleet in 2011, Mr. Albrycht was executive managing director and senior portfolio manager with Goodwin Capital Advisers, a former Virtus investment management subsidiary. He joined the Goodwin multi-sector fixed income team in 1985 as a credit analyst and has managed fixed income portfolios since 1991.
Mr. Albrycht is portfolio manager of the Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Short Term Bond Fund since 1993 and Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Intermediate Bond Fund since 1994. He is co-manager of the Virtus Newfleet Senior Floating Rate Fund since 2008, Virtus Tactical Allocation Fund and Virtus Newfleet High Yield Fund since 2011; Virtus Newfleet Core Plus Bond Fund, and Virtus Newfleet Low Duration Core Plus Bond since 2012. In addition, he co-manages two variable investment options and three closed-end funds, Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (NYSE: ZF), Virtus Global Multi-Sector Income Fund (NYSE: VGI), and Virtus Global Dividend & Income Fund Inc. (NYSE: ZTR). He also is a manager of three exchange-traded funds, AdvisorShares Newfleet Multi-Sector Income ETF (NYSE: MINC), Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Bond ETF (NFLT), and Virtus Newfleet Dynamic Credit ETF (BLHY), and two offshore funds, the Virtus GF Multi-Sector Short Duration Bond Fund and Virtus GF Multi-Sector Income Fund. He is also responsible for the structuring and management of Newfleet's CLO platform.
In Barron's "Best Fund Families of 2016" annual rankings published in 2017, Virtus Investment Partners was ranked the #2 Taxable Bond Fund Family, and held the #1 position in 2012 and 2010, due in large part to the expert management of the firm's multi-sector fixed income funds by Mr. Albrycht and the Newfleet team.1 The Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Short Term Bond Fund, managed by Mr. Albrycht, received the 2018 Lipper Fund Award for best Short-Intermediate Investment-Grade Debt Fund over ten years.2 Recognized in the industry as a leading multi-sector fixed income strategist, Mr. Albrycht has appeared on CNBC and Bloomberg Television, and been quoted or featured in Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Dow Jones, and InvestmentNews.
While at Goodwin Capital, Mr. Albrycht also served as director of credit research. In addition, he managed the Phoenix MISTIC CDO, a $1 billion multi-sector collateralized debt obligation, where he was responsible for credit analysis and deal structure.
Mr. Albrycht earned a B.A., cum laude, from Central Connecticut State University and an M.B.A., with honors, from the University of Connecticut. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder. He began his career in the investment industry in 1985.
1Barron's Best Mutual Fund Families Annual Rankings: Within the taxable bond category for 2016 (published February 11, 2017), 2012 (published February 11, 2013), and 2010 (published February 7, 2011), Virtus Investment Partners ranked 2 out of 61, 1 out of 62, and 1 out of 57 qualifying fund families for the 1-year period ended 12/31/16, 12/31/12, and 12/31/10, respectively. Barron's annual fund family rankings are based on asset-weighted returns (excluding 12b-1 fees and sales charges) in five fund categories: U.S. equity, world equity, mixed asset, taxable bond, and tax-exempt bond, as calculated by Lipper. Each fund's performance is measured against all other funds in its Lipper category, resulting in a percentile ranking which is weighted by asset size relative to the fund family's other assets in its general classification.
Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company; all rights reserved.
2Lipper Fund Awards: The Lipper Fund Awards from Refinitiv, granted annually, highlight funds and fund companies that have excelled in delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers. The awards are based on the Lipper Leader for Consistent Return rating, a risk-adjusted performance measure calculated over 36, 60 and 120 months. The fund with the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value in each eligible classification wins the Lipper Fund Award. Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Short Term Bond Fund (I: PIMSX) had the highest Effective Return value in its Lipper classification, Short-Intermediate Investment-Grade Debt Funds, out of 32 funds, based on total return for the 10-year period as of 11/30/18. Rankings do not include the effect of a fund's sales load, if applicable. Ranking is for Class I shares only, other classes may have different performance characteristics.
Lipper, Inc. is a nationally recognized organization that ranks the performance of mutual funds.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Strong ratings may not be indicative of positive fund performance. Performance for some funds may be negative.
Virtus Newfleet ETFs: Please consider the Fund's objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. Contact us at 1-800-243-4361 or visit Newfleet.com for a prospectus, which contains this and other information about the Fund. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Virtus Newfleet ETFs distributed by ETF Distributors LLC, an affiliate of Virtus ETF Advisers LLC.
Benjamin Caron, CFA
Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager
Industry start date: 1997
Start date as fund Portfolio Manager: 2012
Ben Caron is a senior managing director and portfolio manager at Newfleet Asset Management, an investment management affiliate of Virtus Investment Partners.
Mr. Caron is co-portfolio manager of the Virtus Newfleet Low Duration Core Plus Bond Fund, the closed-end Virtus Global Multi-Sector Income Fund (NYSE: VGI), and two actively managed ETFs: AdvisorShares Newfleet Multi-Sector Income ETF (NYSE: MINC), and Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Bond ETF (NYSE: NFLT). He also assists in the management of the Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Short Term Bond Fund, Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Intermediate Bond Fund, Virtus Tactical Allocation Fund, two variable investment options, and the closed-end Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (NYSE: ZF).
Prior to joining Newfleet in 2011, Mr. Caron was on the fixed income team at Goodwin Capital Advisers, a former Virtus investment management subsidiary. He joined Goodwin Capital in 2002 as a client service associate for the institutional markets group focusing on institutional fixed income clients. Earlier in his career, he was with Fidelity Investments, where he was responsible for client management and sales in the managed account group.
Mr. Caron earned a B.A. from Syracuse University and an M.B.A. from Suffolk University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder. Mr. Caron began his career in the investment industry in 1996.
Kyle A. Jennings, CFA
Senior Managing Director and Head of Credit Research
Industry start date: 1992
Start date as fund Portfolio Manager: 2012
Kyle Jennings is a senior managing director and the head of credit research at Newfleet Asset Management, an investment management affiliate of Virtus Investment Partners. Mr. Jennings also serves as co-portfolio manager of the Virtus Newfleet Senior Floating Rate Fund, Virtus Newfleet High Yield Fund, and closed-end Virtus Global Multi-Sector Income Fund (NYSE: VGI).
Mr. Jennings has been a member of Newfleet's corporate credit research team since 1998 and currently covers the gaming, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries. He is also a member of the team that formulates the leveraged finance strategy for the multi-sector fixed income strategies. In addition, Mr. Jennings is responsible for the structuring and management of Newfleet's CLO platform.
Prior to joining Newfleet in 2011, Mr. Jennings was on the fixed income team at Goodwin Capital Advisers, a former Virtus investment management subsidiary. Before that, he was a credit research analyst in the banking industry for Shawmut Bank, Ironwood Capital, and Citizens Bank.
Mr. Jennings earned a B.S. in finance from the University of Connecticut and is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder. He began his career in the investment industry in 1992.
Daniel P. Senecal, CFA
Managing Director and Co-Head of Emerging Markets
Industry start date: 1990
Start date as fund Portfolio Manager: 2012
Daniel Senecal is a managing director at Newfleet Asset Management, an investment management affiliate of Virtus Investment Partners. He is a sector manager within the emerging markets with regional responsibilities for Latin America, including Mexico and Central America. In addition, he is co-portfolio manager of the Virtus Global Multi-Sector Income Fund (NYSE: VGI), a closed-end fund.
Prior to joining Newfleet in 2011, Mr. Senecal was on the fixed income team at Goodwin Capital Advisers, an investment management company that previously was a subsidiary of Virtus. He began at Goodwin Capital in 1997 as a corporate credit research analyst, followed by several roles, including sector manager for investment grade corporate credit and sovereign credit. He was also lead portfolio manager of the Phoenix High Yield Fund from 2003 until 2005 and Phoenix Emerging Market Fund from 2004 to 2005.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Senecal completed a formal credit training program at Shawmut National Bank where he was a credit research analyst and lender. He also worked at BankBoston as a corporate bond analyst.
Mr. Senecal earned a B.A. in economics and English from Assumption College and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Connecticut. He is a CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst®) charterholder. He began his career in the investment industry in 1990.
Warun Kumar
Chief Investment Officer
Industry start date: 1993
Start date as fund Portfolio Manager: 2014
Warun Kumar is chief investment officer of Rampart Investment Management, a Virtus affiliate specializing in option strategies.
Prior to joining Virtus in 2014, Mr. Kumar was a managing partner at Varick Asset Management, an alternative investment firm, where he developed derivative-based active and passive investment strategies. Prior to forming Varick in 2010, he was the head of the Americas division of Barclays Capital Fund Solutions, which managed derivative-based strategies for institutional clients and third-party funds. Mr. Kumar's role at Barclays evolved from his previous role at Lehman Brothers (which was acquired by Barclays), where he led the structured investments team that designed and built derivative-based products for individual and institutional investors.
Mr. Kumar began managing derivative investment portfolios in 2001 at Volaris Advisors, a derivative advisory firm, where, as a partner and head of the investment team, he developed and managed option trading strategies. From 2002 to 2007, he was a managing partner at Sigma Advisors, an investment consulting firm he founded, which was focused on portfolio construction and asset allocation strategies for institutional clients.
Mr. Kumar began his career in the capital markets, working for J.P. Morgan's equity derivatives business (1993-1999) where he focused on concentrated stock hedging and monetization transactions, before moving to Robertson Stephens (1999-2001) where he was head of equity derivatives marketing.
Mr. Kumar earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. He began his career in the investment industry in 1993.
Performance & Risk
|3 Month
|1 Year
|3 Years
|5 Years
|10 Years
|Since Inception
Performance data quoted represents past results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than the performance shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so your shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.
Performance reflects the deduction of fund operating expenses. Performance does not reflect the incurrence of brokerage expenses, which typically apply to exchange traded products. Total return net of brokerage expenses would be lower than the total returns on
Net Asset Value vs. Market Price
Net Asset Value (NAV) represents the total value of all assets held by the Fund (minus its total liabilities), divided by the total number of common shares outstanding. The net asset value returns reflect the performance of the manager. Market price is the price at which investors may purchase or sell shares of the Fund. Market price is determined in the open market by buyers and sellers, based on supply and demand. The Fund's Market Price fluctuates throughout the day and may differ from its underlying NAV. Shares of the Fund may trade at a premium (higher than) or a discount (lower than) to NAV. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Fund's net asset value could decline. The Fund has no control over the market price. The difference between the market price and the NAV (Premium/Discount) is expressed as a percentage of NAV. Average annual total return is the annual compound return for the indicated period. It reflects the change in share price and the reinvestment of all dividends and capital gains.
Automatic Reinvestment Plan
This plan offers shareholders a convenient way to acquire additional shares of the fund. Registered holders will be automatically placed in the Plan. If shares are held at a brokerage firm, contact your broker about participation.
Fund Distributions and Managed Distribution Plan
Under the terms of the Fund's managed distribution policy, the Fund seeks to maintain a consistent distribution level that may be paid in part or in full from net investment income and realized capital gains, or a combination thereof. Shareholders should note, however, that if the Fund's aggregate net investment income and net realized capital gains are less than the amount of the distribution level, the difference will be distributed from the Fund's assets and will constitute a return of the shareholder's capital. A return of capital is not taxable; rather it reduces a shareholder's tax basis in his or her shares of the Fund.
The amounts and sources of distributions reported in Section 19(a) Notices are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. Please note that the characterization of Fund distributions for federal income tax purposes is different from book accounting generally accepted account principles ("GAAP"). The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Distribution History2
|Reinvest Price
You should not necessarily draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution. Contact your financial representative for more information, or email or call Virtus Closed-End Funds for service at 1-866-270-7788.
Please view the Fund's Section 19-a notices, which set forth information regarding the composition of the distributions, including any portion that may constitute a return of capital.
Form 8937 Organization Actions
There can be no assurance that the
This information does not represent an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell securities of the Fund.
Contact your financial representative for more information, or email or call for service at 1-866-270-7788.
Risk Considerations
Documents & Resources
Automatic Reinvestment
|October 2, 2019
|September 25, 2019
|September 5, 2019
|August 2, 2019
|July 2, 2019
|June 5, 2019
|May 22, 2019
|May 2, 2019
|April 3, 2019
|March 6, 2019
|February 27, 2019
|February 4, 2019
|January 3, 2019
|December 7, 2018
|November 14, 2018
|November 7, 2018
Section 19a Notices
|October 2019
|September 2019
|August 2019
|July 2019
|June 2019
|May 2019
|April 2019
|March 2019
|February 2019
|January 2019
|December 2018
|November 2018
|October 2018
|September 2018
|August 2018
|July 2018
|June 2018
|May 2018
|April 2018
|March 2018
|February 2018
|January 2018
|December 2017
|November 2017
News Releases/Communications
|September 3, 2019 - Special Meeting Proxy Statement
|July 3, 2019 - Virtus Closed-End Funds Announce Joint Special Meetings of Shareholders
|May 22, 2019 - Virtus Closed-End Funds Announce Results of Joint Annual Meeting of Shareholders
|April 16, 2019 - Proxy Statement
|April 17, 2018 - Proxy Statement
|September 16, 2016 - Results of Special Meeting of Shareholders
|August 8, 2016 - Special Proxy Statement
|August 2, 2016 - Five Closed-End Funds Announce Changes to Board Membership
|May 22, 2014 - VGI Announces Results of Annual Meeting and Adoption of Options Strategy


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Renforcement des capacités
Capacity Building: Improving clients' ability to demand, consume and generate evidence. This can include a range of activities, from light-touch support to help clients interpret evaluation results all the way to intensive training and hiring efforts to transition a monitoring system or evaluation strategy to a client at the end of a learning partnership.
UNICEF Philippines: IDinsight piloted a Capacity Building service as part of our 2-year UNICEF engagement. In this partnership, the aim was to enable client teams to become better consumers and demanders of evidence, empowering them to make data-driven decision in the design, implementation, and management of their programs, and effectively use results IDinsight generated.


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The president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) AK Azad visited the WALTON factory in Gazipur on March 9, along with a high-level delegation.
After the visit, he told reporters that he was very impressed with the milestones that WALTON achieved over the years and how it proved to be greater than everyone's expectations. He also mentioned that in the upcoming budget, FBCCI would recommend WALTON, so that the company can avail some facilities. He applauded the contributions WALTON made in the business and export sector, adding that WALTON met the demand of the nation successfully with products like refrigerators, motorcycles, TVs and air conditioners.
Copyright© 2019 and all rights reserved by - All Sister Concerns of WALTON Group


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How To Promote Your Self-Published Book: YOU Are The Business!
Tips For Indie Authors
When YOU Are The Business!
Hi! I'm Carolyn, author of the YA Science Fantasy Thoughts To Die For and upcoming Hippie Girl, Ethereal Girl and Imagine That.
Thanks for stopping by. That's me on the right in the above photo with Deb Brown, author of Lifelong, Loyal Clients.
You must be a self-published author. Me, too. Nice to meet you here in cyberspace. Hopefully, one day, we will meet in person.
As a self-published author I am learning that I AM THE BUSINESS.
Just because my book is available on Amazon, through Barnes and Noble, other online retailers - and even on the shelves of some independent bookstores - doesn't mean that my target readers are going to find it.
We self-published authors don't have the benefit of having the instant credibility that comes with having Scholastic, Penguin, Simon and Schuster, or some other industry powerhouse promoting our stories to hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, of their social media followers. Nor do we have anyone working on scheduling our global book tour! So, comfortable with it, or not. Excited about it, or not. WE ARE THE BUSINESS. YOU ARE THE BUSINESS!
That's not a bad thing. In fact, it can be a very good thing and can even work to our advantage. The catch is - it requires us to engage more in the world. It requires a lot of talking. And smiling. And schmoozing. Ugh. Just the thought of it can be tiring, right? But it may also be a lot of fun!
We writers spend A LOT of time writing. Alone. In our writer's cave. We like it there. Unfortunately, until which time one of our books is acquired by Warner Brothers, Pixar, Imagine Entertainment, Disney, etc. and made into a feature film (dare we dream?) WE MUST TELL PEOPLE ABOUT OUR BOOKS!
I don't know about you but I prefer to not be one of those writers who obtains fame from the grave. DEAD BUT FAMOUS – a chapter in my Debut YA Science Fantasy, THOUGHTS TO DIE FOR.
I was fortunate enough to be able to participate this past weekend, in the Indie Books International IFF Forum in La Jolla, CA. Here I was surrounded by passionate authors and speakers who have already established themselves, or are working to establish themselves, as experts in, well, something! Experts who regularly traverse the public speaking portal to self-promotion and sales. But any good speaker knows that sales aren't your priority. To impact and influence is your priority. Once you impact and influence, people will organically be interested in the books you write.
Watching these individuals of various levels of expertise was literally a LIFE CHANGING experience for me. What did they all have in common? They were all willing to face their fears. Are you willing to face yours?
It isn't easy to make oneself vulnerable. To stand on a stage in such a visual and often superficial world with unbleached teeth, greying hair, chubby belly – or a myriad of other natural but gossip-worthy imperfections - is enough to make a budding speaker sabotage their potential success. I only mention this because it is something to which many of us can relate. And, I mention it because I have used a few of these imperfections as excuses for why I cannot pursue a public presence. And, I mention it because this myth I have held for so long dissolved at the IFF Forum as I watched so many moving and powerful presentations given by people just like me. People our society would consider – The Imperfects. This is a bittersweet realization. Had everyone BEEN perfect by societal standards I would now have an excuse to not become a speaker.
On the 3rd day of the forum the proverbial light went on in the dusty, cobweb-woven corners of my misanthropic mind. I realized that I must THINK DIFFERENTLY about what being a self-published author means. Sigh. I. Must. SPEAK!
So, I am working on MY STORY.
Fortunately, Hollywood story expert Michael Hauge was at this event. Michael is a master storyteller. Who says so? Will Smith, for starters. I purchased Michael's book – Storytelling Made Easy – Persuade and Transform Your Audiences, Buyers, and Clients—Simply, Quickly, and Profitably.
Michael Hauge, Expert Storyteller
Michael is a very good listener. Not only is he able to summarize your story into a succinct catchy 3-word phrase, he can also turn your run-of-the-mill-mess into a success story that will help you to IMPACT and INFLUENCE, attract more clients, and multiply your revenue.
Michael has consulted on projects for every major Hollywood studio, including films starring Will Smith, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, and Morgan Freeman. He is also the author of Writing Screenplays that Sell and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds.
Thanks so much for stopping by. You and I have a lot of learning - and socializing - to do! So, let's start right now. What can I do for you? Do you have a book you'd like me to read and review? Message me and send me a copy. Do you want to publish a book but don't know where to start? I can help you. I have helped many independent authors prepare their manuscripts for publication. I can also create your cover! Want to do a podcast together? Let's do it! Do you know of an upcoming event that would be helpful for INDIE AUTHORS to attend? Tell us about it below! Are you coming to San Diego in the near future? Do you live in San Diego? Let's connect on Instagram! Love to hear your thoughts below in the comment section. The possibilities are endless.


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We are excited to report that stage 4 of our works is well underway with the imminent arrival of the new Bush Inn Centre Food and Beverage Quadrant. Completion date is October 2015. We apologise for any carparking inconvenience during this time and are keeping the area cordoned off at all times.
Demand for this development has been high with quality operators wanting to join the broad specialty range offered at the Bush Inn Shopping Centre. With the addition of Burgerfuel last year, which has been a huge success, and our further food and beverage offerings, the Bush Inn Centre is fast evolving as a destination for a variety of quality food and beverage offerings.
The new development is currently full however to discuss any future leasing opportunities – contact Andy on 03 348 6904 or 021 449 256


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Coming: December 1, 2018
How do you tell your kids you've been diagnosed with cancer? How do you make your hair loss less scary to small people? What do you say when they ask if you are going to die?
How do you make sure you all get through this terrible time as ok as possible?
Introducing our "PARENTING" issue, dedicated to all those who have dealt with not only the trials of a breast cancer diagnosis but have done it while also wearing the "Mom" hat. Neither job is easy — patient or care provider — and doing both at the same time can be overwhelming on a good day. So many decisions! So much to do when all you really want is to crawl under the covers.
With more than 30 contributors, this issue is BIG and packed with stories of women who've been down this road, sharing what they did, didn't do, and would do over if they could go back. Reading their stories and seeing their pictures will answer your questions and give you a light to follow in a dark tunnel. You are not alone.
We are excited to announce our beautiful cover model, Holly Cubitt. Holly was diagnosed at age 32 while still breastfeeding her two-year-old daughter -- a story all too familiar to those of us diagnosed in the time following pregnancy. Holly remembers of the day of the photoshoot: "Going into the shoot with [photographer] Cassandra Jones, we talked extensively about what the story was that we wanted to tell. Leading up to it, I was exited! The day of, I was riddled with self-doubt and fear! For the first time in my life, I was photographed without hair and makeup on. It was terrifying. Cass made me feel like a goddess. She thanked me for showing up just as me. Right where I was. No hair on my head or lashes. Sadness in my heart, but also that warrior strength and tenderness to survive for my kids. Looking back now, the image is so powerful. It jabs me right in the feels. I often just cry when I see it. How far I've come, how supported I was in that moment. Was that really me? I see a goddess fighting for her life, still smiling because she had the love of her kids, family and her tribe."
The PARENTING issue is set to release digitally on Dec. 1, 2018, with physical copies mailing within 7-10 days. To get your copy, ensure you are subscribed to WILDFIRE. Individual print copies of the magazine will be available for pre-order in the coming weeks. (Can't wait till Dec 1st? There is a beautiful PARENTING issue chock full of stories, advise and resources (plus interviews with kids themselves!) from our first year available in the archives.)


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TCM Archive Materials VIEW ALL ARCHIVES (0)
Recent DVDs
The One and Only ... From director Carl Reiner (The Jerk) and screenwriter Steve Gordon (Arthur)... more info $9.95was $14.95 Buy Now
Rocky Heavyweight Collection ... Go the distance with this Rocky Heavyweight collection, featuring all six... more info $25.95was $39.99 Buy Now
The Life and Legend of Wyatt... The most celebrated lawman of the Old West rides again in the complete series... more info $111.96was $119.00 Buy Now
Tombstone ... This is the classic Western tale of Wyatte Earp (Kurt Russell) and Doc Holliday... more info $7.86was $9.99 Buy Now
The Beverly Hillbillies: The... Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, Max Baer, Jr.. The banjo music plays on... more info $13.46was $16.99 Buy Now
Love That Bob 3 ... Five (more) classic episodes from the classic TV series. more info $5.95was $6.98 Buy Now
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Are You In an Emotionally Abusive Relationship?
Does your partner continuously degrade or belittle you? If you think that just because you aren't being physically abused nothing is wrong, think again.
Emotional abuse can have devastating consequences on both physical and mental health. While emotional or psychological abuse may be difficult to pinpoint, examples abound. Here are some characteristics:
- Using economic power to control you
- Threatening to leave
- Making you afraid by using looks, gestures or actions
- Smashing things
- Controlling you through minimizing, denying and blaming
- Making light of the abuse and not taking your concerns about it seriously
- Continually criticizing you, calling you names, shouting at you
- Emotionally degrading you in private, but acting charming in public
- Humiliating you in private or public
- Withholding approval, appreciation or affection as punishment


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"Best In Show" MAGD Expo Award Winner 2017
With this project we took Best In Show at UW Whitewater's Media arts and Game Developement showcase and competition.
What is Key Kingdom Souls?
Key Kingdom souls is a dungeon-crawler inspired 2D-Combat game. This was my Capstone project in my senior year of college at UW-Whitewater.
What I Did
I did all the art for Key kingdom souls. Which includes,
Why We Won
I talked to many of the judges to put together exactly why we won Best In Show.
We kept our design limited and cut a lot of original ideas out. We designed the game to be within our ability to complete on schedule. We were constantly looking at where our schedule was at and redefining it to make sure we made the best game we could.
This game was specifically targeted to win this competition. We built Key Kingdom Souls from the ground up to be played in a convention setting.
I really pushed myself to dive into pixel art and animation on this game. I did a significant amount of research and concepting before beginning. I experimented with color palettes and different pixel based lighting techniques. Examples below.
The main character was extremely complex. I worked hard to fully animate him in ways that felt natural to the player. Animations have to be snappy and responsive.
The phase 2 animation of the final boss is probably my favorite animation in this whole game. It is representative of the climax of Key Kingdom Souls and watching people freak out when they see this transition always makes me smile.
The book enemy was extremely fun and challenging to animate. The squash and stretch of this animation really gives impact to it's important moments.
Keyvi was created specifically to be super cute. She acts as a mascot for Key Kingdom Souls and she was extremely memorable to our players.
3D Printed Keyvis
I 3D-Modeled and printed these Keyvi Key-chains. Anyone who played our game would receive one.
Overall this game helped to further my team-building and game asset creation skills. It was really an exercise in what I can do and I want to push myself even further in the future.
(Best on Xbox controller)


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This season, we were taken by four collections rooted in athletic wear and imbued with a youthful spirit, from designers who define the modern multi-hyphenate. Be sure to look for these lines on the Third Floor.
No. 1: Chris Stamp's simple forms may feel familiar, but a closer look at the Los Angeles–based designer's baseball caps and track suits proves that they're everything but. Stampd's statement basics are everyday comfort and youth culture in their most perfect constructs. After all, the label didn't earn recent recognition as a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist for nothing.
No. 2: Among those being welcomed to the Third Floor and to BG.com: fashion newcomer Palm Angels. Brainchild of Moncler's artistic director Francesco Ragazzi, the two-year-old collection is Milanese refinement meets laid-back Southern California cool. Inspired by the Los Angeles skater scene, the collection mixes sweatshirts, tracksuits and baggy jeans with tailored overcoats and blazers for an offbeat combination. Plus, look out for a Goodman's exclusive capsule collection, coming this October.
No. 3: The era: '90s. The place: Queens. The game: pickup basketball. The soundtrack: Nas (on a Sony Walkman). It's this scene that inspired marketer- turned-designer Teddy Santis to create Aimé Leon Dore, his line of elevated, minimalist takes on New York City classics. Made in the city, ALD's bomber jackets, hoodies and striped pullovers prove that nostalgia and impeccable tailoring can coexist fearlessly.
No. 4: From respected Downtown DJ to social media guru for Nike to Kanye West collaborator, Heron Preston worked his way from the ground up, eventually winning acclaim for his impressive lineup of up-cycled work wear. As the son of a police officer, it's no wonder that he continues to dominate with an aesthetic influenced by utilitari- anism and uniforms, but the latest collection's subversive T-shirts and sweatpants definitely skew more toward longtime friend Virgil Abloh's notion of the everyday grind than his father's.
The designer shuffle was on at several top men's houses.
After a nearly five-year-long break, Alessandro Sartori finally returned to Ermenegildo Zegna, where he previously spent eight years designing Z Zegna. Sartori now holds creative control of all three of the label's brands, an undertaking he is approaching with a continuative, big-picture perspective.
Naturally, Sartori's new position left a void at his former house, Berluti. There, Haider Ackermann has taken the reins and is already infusing his signature edgy, musician-inspired aesthetic into new styles.
And, of course, there's the buzzy Saint Laurent switch-up in which Anthony Vaccarello is picking up where Hedi Slimane left off. So far, Vaccarello has returned the house's head- quarters to Paris (it was in Los Angeles under Slimane) and is bringing a fresh sense of passion into collections.
"These are comfortable, casual yet wearable styles that can easily be mixed with other designers for added depth and texture." -RAMI ZAITOUN
Meet more of the team and find the right stylist for you at BG.COM/MYSTYLIST
Sixth-generation master perfumer Olivier Creed has taken inspiration from the ancient voyagers of Scandinavia for his latest fragrance, Viking. Featuring notes of sandalwood, oakmoss and sea salt, the scent is a masculine homage to the adventurous spirit of a bygone era, housed in a bottle emblazoned with a traditional longship, a symbol of the fearless determination and ingenious craftsmanship of the Vikings.


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One of the most exciting competitions in my world is due to be decided in two days time. It's called the Vendee Globe. Known as the Everest of sailing, it's a single handed round the world race. It's taken 71 days so far. The winner should close it out in just 73 days. For sailing 25,000 miles or so through the worlds most inhospitable places, thats just crazy crazy fast.
So, here's the thing.
First place and second place as it currently stands. Separated by just 72 miles.
Thats nothing. Literally nothing. At the speeds they are going, maybe 4 hours difference.
After 73 days and they are 4 hours apart.
The spoils all go to the winner in our world. People seldom remember who came second.
When you realise the differences between success and failure are so tiny, doesn't that give you the motivation to pull out the extra stops and push that bit harder?
I remember when racing around the world in the BT Challenge in 2000-01, one of our specialities was beating other boats in the final straits. Sailing into Buenos Aires and beating BP by 5 minutes after 6,000 miles at seas. Same story in Cape Town. Once more coming into La Rochelle beating Veritas by 10 seconds after 40 days of racing back up the Atlantic.
It was in those moments, when the team dug deep and found that extra bit of juice to push harder than the next person.
Right now, I'm rooting for our Brit in the race, Alex Thompson and hoping that he can find a way to pull something out to get past Armel Le'Cleach, the Frenchman currently in first place.
In a business context I always had the same approach. I remember in the early days of my last business Trovus. It was the morning of Christmas Eve. Just about everyone else had turned to festivities. My business partner and I kept pushing right up to the line working on deals. Just before lunch we closed that a deal that over the following years would be worth over £200,000 for us. There is always something to be done right up to the line - always opportunities if you are looking for them.
You never know whats going to happen and you give everything you've got until it's all over. In your work, in your business, are you giving it everything? The world loves a hero - what else can you do to make things happen?


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Toyota is recalling about 1,760 Lexus ES 350 luxury sedans in the 2017 model year because the right-hand side tie rod assembly in these cars may have been installed improperly, the automaker said.
Over time, drivers may notice noises, a drift to the left or right while driving, or a loss of steering control as a result of the issue, Toyota said in a released statement. The condition might increase the risk of a crash.
Lexus dealers will confirm that the right-hand side tie rod lock nut is properly tightened. If the lock nut is loose, the dealer will replace the lock nut, the steering gear assembly, and the tie rod assembly with new ones. There will be no charge for the service, Toyota said.
All known owners of the recalled vehicles will receive a mail notification, starting in mid-July.
Vehicle owners can reach Lexus customer service at (800) 255-3987. To learn whether the recall covers any of your vehicles, you can click here and search by VIN.


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Gallery: Remains of 84 soldiers reburied at German cemetery in Maarjamäe ({{commentsTotal}})
The remains of 84 German soldiers discovered by construction workers during excavation work for the Victims of Communism Memorial in the Maarjamäe neighborhood of Tallinn were reburied at Maarjamäe German Military Cemetery on Friday.
The remains of 84 German soldiers were exhumed from the site of the future memorial and reburied in the adjacent German military cemetery.
By some estimates, approximately 35,000 German soldiers and officers to die in World War II are buried in Estonia.
Editor: Aili Vahtla