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Excerpted fromThe Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection,by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, to be published this month by Little, Brown and Company; © 2009 by the authors.
Stealing Mona Lisa
The shocking theft of the Mona Lisa, in August 1911, appeared to have been solved 28 months later, when the painting was recovered. In an excerpt from their new book, the authors suggest that the audacious heist concealed a perfect—and far more lucrative—crime.
It was a Monday and the Louvre was closed. As was standard practice at the museum on that day of the week, only maintenance workers, cleaning staff, curators, and a few other employees roamed the cavernous halls of the building that was once the home of France's kings but for centuries had been devoted to housing the nation's art treasures.
Photograph by Lewandowski/LeMage/Gattelet/Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, N.Y.
Acquired through conquest, wealth, good taste, and plunder, those holdings were splendid and vast—so much so that the Louvre could lay claim to being the greatest repository of art in the world. With some 50 acres of gallery space, the collection was too immense for visitors to view in a day or even, some thought, in a lifetime. In the Salon Carré—the "square room"—alone could be seen two paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, three by Titian, two by Raphael, two by Correggio, one by Giorgione, three by Veronese, one by Tintoretto, and—representing non-Italians—one each by Rubens, Rembrandt, and Velázquez.
But even in that collection of masterpieces, one painting stood out from the rest. As the Louvre's maintenance director, a man named Picquet, passed through the Salon Carré during his rounds on the morning of August 21, 1911, he pointed out Leonardo's Mona Lisa, telling a co-worker that it was the most valuable object in the museum. "They say it is worth a million and a half," Picquet remarked, glancing at his watch as he left the room. The time was 7:20 a.m.
Shortly after Picquet departed the Salon Carré, a door to a storage closet opened and at least one man—for it would never be proved whether the thief worked alone—emerged. He had been in there since the previous day—Sunday, the museum's busiest. Just before closing time, the thief had slipped inside the little closet so that he could emerge in the morning without the need to identify himself to a guard at the entrance.
There were many such small rooms and hidden alcoves within the ancient building; museum officials later confessed that no one knew how many. This particular room was normally used for storing easels, canvases, and art supplies for students who were engaged in copying the works of the old masters. The only firm anti-forgery requirement the museum imposed was that the reproductions could not be the same size as the original.
Emerging from the closet in a white artist's smock, the intruder might have been mistaken for one of these copyists—or, perhaps, for a member of the museum's maintenance staff, who also wore such smocks, in a practice intended to demonstrate that they were superior to other workers. If anyone noticed the thief, he would likely be taken for another of the regular museum employees.
As he entered the Salon Carré, the thief headed straight for the Mona Lisa. Lifting down the painting and carrying it into an enclosed stairwell nearby was no easy job. The painting itself weighs approximately 18 pounds, since Leonardo painted it not on canvas but on three slabs of wood, a fairly common practice during the Renaissance. A few months earlier, the museum's directors had taken steps to physically protect the Mona Lisa by reinforcing it with a massive wooden brace and placing it inside a glass-fronted box, adding 150 pounds to its weight. The decorative Renaissance frame brought the total to nearly 200 pounds. However, only four sturdy hooks held it there, no more securely than if it had been hung in the house of a bourgeois Parisian. Museum officials would later explain that the paintings were fastened to the wall in this way to make it easy for guards to remove them in case of fire.
Once safely out of sight behind the closed door of the stairwell, the thief quickly stripped the painting of all its protective "garments"—the brace, the glass case, and the frame. Since the *Mona Lisa'*s close-grained wood, an inch and a half thick, made it impossible to roll up, he slipped the work underneath his smock. Measuring approximately 30 by 21 inches, it was small enough to avoid detection.
Though evidently familiar with the layout of the museum, the thief made one crucial mistake in his planning. At the bottom of the enclosed stairway that led down to the first floor of the Louvre was a locked door. The thief had obtained a key, but now it failed to work. Desperately, as he heard footsteps coming from above, he used a screwdriver to remove the doorknob.
Down the stairs came one of the Louvre's plumbers, named Sauvet. Later, Sauvet—the only person to witness the thief inside the museum—testified that he had seen only one man, dressed as a museum employee. The man complained that the doorknob was missing. Apparently thinking that there was nothing strange about the situation, Sauvet produced a pliers to open the door. The plumber suggested that they leave it open in case anyone else should use the staircase. The thief agreed, and the two parted ways.
The door opened onto a courtyard, the Cour du Sphinx. From there the thief passed through another gallery, then entered the Cour Visconti, and—perhaps trying not to appear in a hurry—headed toward the main entrance of the museum. Few guards were on duty that day, and only one was assigned to that entrance. As luck would have it, the guard had left his post to fetch a bucket of water to clean the vestibule. He never saw the thief, or thieves, leave the building.
One passerby noticed a man on the sidewalk carrying a package wrapped in white cloth. The witness recalled noticing the man throw a shiny metal object into the ditch along the edge of the street. The passerby glanced at it—it was a doorknob.
Inside the museum, all was serene and would remain so for quite some time. At 8:35 a.m., Picquet passed through the Salon Carré again and noted that the painting was gone. He thought little of it at the time, since the museum's photographers freely removed objects without notice and took them to a studio elsewhere in the building. Indeed, Picquet even remarked to his workers, "I guess the authorities have removed it because they thought we would steal it!"
If anyone else noticed during the rest of the day that there were four bare hooks where the Mona Lisa usually hung, they kept it to themselves. Incredibly, not until Tuesday, when the Louvre again opened its doors to the public, did anyone express concern over the fact that the world's most famous painting was missing from its usual place. When an artist set up his easel in the Salon Carré and noticed that the centerpiece of his intended work was absent, he complained to a guard, who merely shrugged. Like Picquet the day before, the guard assumed the Mona Lisa had been removed to the photographers' studio. But the artist persisted. How soon would it be returned?
The guard finally went to see a photographer, who denied having anything to do with the painting. Perhaps it had been taken by a curator for cleaning? No. Finally, the guard thought it wise to inform a superior. A search began and soon became frantic. The director of the museum was on vacation, so the unthinkable news filtered up to the acting head, Georges Bénédite: Elle est partie! She's gone.
"Paris Has Been Startled"
Lisa Gherardini, who married Francesco del Giocondo of Florence at age 16, would have been in her mid-20s when she sat for her portrait with Leonardo da Vinci in 1503. Leonardo worked on the Mona Lisa—or La Joconde, as she is known in France—for four years, but like so many of his works, the painting was never completed. However, it had already achieved fame by the mid–16th century, owing to the innovations that had gone into its production—particularly in material, brush technique, and varnish—and its subject's famously coy smile, which is said to be the result of musicians and clowns the artist kept on hand to prevent her from growing bored.
When Leonardo traveled to France around 1517, at the invitation of King Francis I, the Mona Lisa left Italy, it seemed, forever. The artist died only two years later, and by the middle of that century the painting—purchased for a considerable sum—had entered the collection of the French monarchy. Louis XIV gave the Mona Lisa a place of honor in his personal gallery at Versailles. But his successor, Louis XV, sent the painting to hang ignominiously in the office of the keeper of the royal buildings. However, in 1797, La Joconde was chosen as one of the works displayed in the nation's new art museum, the Louvre, which is where she remained—save a brief stay in Napoleon's bedroom—until someone carried her off in August 1911.
The Louvre, after the Mona Lisa was stolen, May 1912. From Mirrorpix.
Paris during the Belle Époque—the "beautiful time" between the late 19th century and the outbreak of World War I—had become an international center for painting, dance, music, theater, and publishing. The construction of Gustav Eiffel's tower for the 1889 world's fair had made it the "city of light"—both literally and metaphorically. The city could boast many of the world's foremost medical and scientific institutions of the day, and Europe's most modern manufacturing facilities. The face of the future, many believed, could be seen in Parisian leadership in such brand-new fields as motion pictures, automobile manufacturing, and aviation.
This made the disappearance of France's most treasured artwork all the more unbearable. In the days and weeks immediately following the theft, anyone carrying a package received attention—including, at one point, a young Spanish artist named Pablo Picasso, who, four years earlier, had purchased several small Iberian stone heads that were filched from the Louvre by the secretary of avant-garde writer Guillaume Apollinaire. (Apollinaire spent a few days in jail, but Picasso had the last laugh—he used the Iberian heads as models for his Demoiselles d'Avignon.) Police at checkpoints on roads leading out of the capital examined the contents of every wagon, automobile, and truck. Fearing that the thief would try to flee the country, customs inspectors opened and examined the baggage of everyone leaving on ships or trains. Ships that departed during the day that had elapsed between the theft and its discovery were searched when they reached their overseas destinations. After the German liner Kaiser Wilhelm II docked at a pier across the Hudson River from New York City in late August, detectives combed every stateroom and piece of luggage for the masterpiece.
In the following days, from Manchester to São Paulo, the crime became front-page news. The Times of London declared, "Paris has been startled." The Washington Post claimed, "The art world was thrown into consternation." But perhaps The New York Times most accurately conveyed the enormity of the heist when it asserted that the crime "has caused such a sensation that Parisians for the time being have forgotten the rumors of war." Nowhere, however, did the media cry out louder than in France itself. "What audacious criminal, what mystifier, what maniac collector, what insane lover, has committed this abduction?" asked Paris's leading picture magazine, L'Illustration, which offered a reward of 40,000 francs to anyone who would deliver the painting to its office. Soon the Paris-Journal, its rival, offered 50,000 francs, and a bidding war was on.
The theft continued to inspire newspaper stories for weeks; any report on the case, no matter how trivial, found its way into print. One of the most popular conspiracy theories suggested that a rich American had masterminded the theft. The favorite candidate was banking scion J. Pierpont Morgan, known for his avid, not to say avaricious, collecting habits, which frequently took him through Europe on buying sprees. When Morgan arrived the following spring in the spa town of Aix-les-Bains for his annual visit, the Mona Lisa had still not been found. Paris newspapers reported that two mysterious men had come to offer to sell him the Mona Lisa. Morgan indignantly denied the account, and when a French reporter came to interview him, the American wore in his buttonhole the rosette that marked him as a commander of the Legion of Honor—France's highest decoration. He had recently been awarded it, causing some French newspapers to speculate that he had earned the decoration by offering "a million dollars and no questions asked" for the return of the Mona Lisa to the Louvre.
Early in September, after a brief closing, the Louvre was once again opened to the public, and an even greater number of visitors than usual came to gape at the four hooks on the wall that marked the place where La Joconde once hung. One tourist, an aspiring writer named Franz Kafka, visiting the Louvre on a trip to Paris in late 1911, noted in his diary "the excitement and the knots of people, as if the Mona Lisa had just been stolen." Some even began to place bouquets of flowers beneath the spot where the painting once resided.
What everyone wanted to know—and speculated on endlessly—was where the thief could have gone with what was probably the most recognizable artwork in the world. But the only clues were a fingerprint and the doorknob, which had been recovered by the police from the gutter outside the museum. The plumber who had opened the stairway door was asked to look at hundreds of photographs of museum employees, past and present. Every sighting or rumor about the painting's whereabouts had to be checked out—and they came in from places as distant as Italy, Germany, Britain, Poland, Russia, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Japan. But by December, as the trail grew cold, the police had to shift their attention to another spectacular case. A gang of anarchist bank robbers had begun to terrorize Paris, audaciously fleeing their crimes in the first recorded use of a getaway car.
"Our Party Coming from Milan Will Be Here with Object Tomorrow"
A year after the Mona Lisa vanished, the officials of the Louvre were forced to confront the unthinkable: that she would never return. The blank space on the wall of the Salon Carré had been filled with a colored reproduction of the painting. Even that had begun to fade and curl, and many people now averted their eyes as they passed it, as if to avoid the reminder of a tragic death. So, on one December day in 1912, patrons discovered another painting hanging there: also a portrait, but of a man, Baldassare Castiglione, by Raphael.
Occasionally, stories appeared about sightings of the Mona Lisa, including one alleging that London art dealer Henry J. Duveen had been offered the painting. Duveen, however, avoided involvement by pretending that the proposal had been a joke. But another international dealer, Alfredo Geri, in Florence, was astonished by a letter he received in November 1913, more than two years after the painting had vanished. The sender, who signed himself "Leonard," claimed to have the Mona Lisa in his possession.
Leonard said he was an Italian who had been "suddenly seized with the desire to return to [his] country at least one of the many treasures which, especially in the Napoleonic era, had been stolen from Italy." (The fact that the Mona Lisa had come to France more than two centuries before Napoleon was born didn't seem to dim the thief's patriotism.) He also mentioned that, although he was not setting a specific price, he himself was not a wealthy man and would not refuse compensation if his native country were to reward him. Geri glanced at the return address. It was a post-office box in Paris.
Despite his suspicions, Geri took the letter to Giovanni Poggi, director of Florence's Uffizi Gallery. Poggi had photographs from the Louvre that detailed certain marks that were on the back of the original panel; no forger could be aware of these. At Poggi's suggestion, Geri invited the seller to Florence, but Leonard proved to be an elusive figure. More than once, he set a date for his arrival and then sent a letter canceling the meeting. Geri came to assume that it was all a hoax, until on December 9 he received a telegram from Leonard saying that he was in Milan and would be in Florence on the following day. The news was inconvenient, since Poggi had gone on a trip to Bologna. Geri sent Poggi an urgent telegram: our party coming from milan will be here with object tomorrow. need you here. please respond. geri. Poggi wired back that he could not arrive by the following day, but would be in Florence the day after that, a Thursday.
Geri prepared to stall. When a thin young man wearing a suit and tie, with a handsome mustache, arrived at the dealer's gallery the next day, Geri showed him into his office and pulled down the blinds. Eagerly, he asked him where he was holding the painting. Leonard replied that it was in the hotel where he was staying. When questioned about the authenticity of the painting, Leonard replied, according to Geri's account, "We are dealing with the real Mona Lisa. I have good reason to be sure." Leonard coolly declared that he was certain because he had taken the painting from the Louvre himself. Had he worked alone?, Geri asked. Leonard seemed to be hiding something. According to Geri, he "was not too clear on that point. He seemed to say yes, but didn't quite do so, [but his answer was] more 'yes' than 'no.'"
Nevertheless, the discussion got down to the reward. According to Geri, the thief boldly asked for 500,000 lire. That was the equivalent of $100,000 and quite a fortune, though some newspapers had estimated the painting's value at roughly five million dollars. Geri, holding his breath, thought that he had better agree, so he said, "That's fine. That's not too high." They made a plan to meet the following day.
The next afternoon, after arriving 15 minutes late, Leonard was introduced to Poggi. To Geri's relief, the two men "shook hands enthusiastically, Leonard saying how glad he was to be able to shake the hand of the man to whom was entrusted the artistic patrimony of Florence." As the three of them left the gallery, "Poggi and I were nervous," Geri recalled. "Leonard, by contrast, seemed indifferent."
Leonard took them to the Hotel Tripoli-Italia, on the Via de' Panzani, only a few blocks from the Duomo. Leonard's small room was on the third floor. Inside, he took from under the bed a small trunk made of white wood. When he opened the lid, Geri was dismayed. It was filled with "wretched objects: broken shoes, a mangled hat, a pair of pliers, plastering tools, a smock, some paint brushes, and even a mandolin." Calmly, Leonard removed these one by one and tossed them onto the floor. Surely, Geri thought, this was not where the Mona Lisa had been hidden for the past 28 months. He peered inside but saw nothing more.
Then Leonard lifted what had seemed to be the bottom of the trunk. Underneath was an object wrapped in red silk. Leonard took it to the bed and removed the covering. "To our astonished eyes," Geri recalled, "the divine Mona Lisa appeared, intact and marvelously preserved." They carried the painting to a window, where it took Poggi little time to determine its authenticity. Even the Louvre's catalogue number and stamp on the back checked out.
Geri's heart was pounding, but he forced himself to remain calm. He and Poggi explained that the painting had to be transported to the Uffizi Gallery for further tests. The painting was re-wrapped in the red silk, and the three men went downstairs. As they were passing through the lobby, however, the concierge stopped them. Suspiciously, he pointed to the package and asked what it was. He obviously thought it was the hotel's property, but Geri and Poggi, showing their credentials, vouched for Leonard, and the concierge let them pass.
At the Uffizi, Poggi compared sections of the painting with close-up photographs that had been taken at the Louvre. There was a small vertical crack in the upper-left-hand part of the panel, matching the one in the photos. Most telling of all was the pattern of craquelure, cracks in the paint that had appeared as the surface dried and aged. A forger could make craquelure appear on a freshly painted object, but no one could duplicate the exact pattern of the original. There could be no further doubt, Poggi concluded: the Mona Lisa had been recovered.
Poggi and Geri then explained to Leonard that it would be best to leave the painting at the Uffizi. They would have to get further instructions from the government; they themselves could not authorize the payment he deserved.
The Uffizi was an awesome setting, and Leonard must have felt overwhelmed by their arguments. How could he doubt two men of such standing and integrity? He did mention that he was finding it a bit expensive to stay in Florence. Yes, they understood. He would be well rewarded, and soon. They shook his hand warmly and congratulated him on his patriotism. As soon as he left, Geri and Poggi notified the authorities. Not long after Leonard returned to his hotel room, he answered a knock at the door and found two policemen there to arrest him. He was, they said, quite astonished.
When a reporter telephoned a curator of the Louvre to tell him the news, the Frenchman, in the middle of his dinner, said it was impossible and hung up. The following day, December 12, 1913, the museum issued a cautious statement: "The curators of the Louvre … wish to say nothing until they have seen the painting." But when the Italian government made an official announcement confirming Poggi's assessment, on December 13, the French ambassador made calls on the prime minister and foreign minister of Italy to offer his government's gratitude. After disagreement within the Italian Parliament about whether the painting should be returned, the minister of public education put the argument to rest. "The Mona Lisa will be delivered to the French Ambassador with a solemnity worthy of Leonardo da Vinci and a spirit of happiness worthy of Mona Lisa's smile," he announced. "Although the masterpiece is dear to all Italians as one of the best productions of the genius of their race, we will willingly return it to its foster country … as a pledge of friendship and brotherhood between the two great Latin nations."
After a triumphal tour through Italy, on January 4, 1914, the Mona Lisa resumed its old place on the wall of the Salon Carré. It had been gone for two years and four and a half months. In the next two days, more than 100,000 people filed past, welcoming back one of Paris's most famous icons.
The Patriot
The young thief known as Leonard had been born Vincenzo Perugia, in 1881, in a village near Lake Como, in Italy. Having moved to France as a young man, the aspiring artist settled for work as a housepainter. Perugia had very briefly worked at the Louvre, from October 1910 to January 1911, and, it was discovered, even claimed to have helped craft the protective box that encased the Mona Lisa. By the time he stood trial for his crime, in Florence in June 1914, the thief's hopes of receiving a reward for returning the painting to his native country had been finally dashed.
Alfredo Geri, on the other hand, collected the 25,000 francs that had been offered by Les Amis du Louvre, a society of wealthy art-lovers, for information leading to the return of the painting. The grateful French government also bestowed upon him the Legion of Honor, as well as the title "officier de l'instruction publique." Geri showed what were perhaps his true colors when he promptly turned around and sued the French government for 10 percent of the value of the Mona Lisa. His contention was based on a Gallic tradition that gave the finder of lost property a reward of one-tenth the value of the object. In the end, a court decided that the painting was beyond price and that Geri had only acted as an honest citizen should. He received no further reward.
Perugia, meanwhile, was growing depressed in jail. Guards reported that he occasionally wept. But by the time his trial began, on June 4, he was again calm and self-possessed, insisting that he had acted as a patriot. Since there was no question of guilt, the legal proceedings functioned more like an inquest intended to establish the truth, if such a thing were possible. Three judges presided in a large room in Florence's stunning Romanesque Palazzo Vecchio, which had been remodeled to provide space for journalists from around the world. (The French government never attempted to extradite Perugia.) The designer of the room had placed on a cushion, in the middle of a semicircle, a massive silver hemisphere that symbolized justice. A cynical journalist remarked that it would not be prudent to allow the defendant to sit too close to this artistic treasure.
Perugia, now 32 years old, was handcuffed when he entered the courtroom at nine a.m. Nattily dressed in a suit and tie, he smiled graciously at the photographers. Like everyone else, the chief judge was curious to learn how this apparently humble man could have carried out such an audacious crime. Could Perugia describe what happened on August 21, 1911, when he stole the Mona Lisa? Somewhat eagerly, Perugia asked if he could also explain why he had committed the crime, but the chief judge told him that he must do that later. For now, he wanted a description of the act itself.
Perugia offered an abbreviated version that contradicted both his account to Geri and the Paris Prefecture of Police's reconstruction of the crime. He claimed to have entered the Louvre through the front door early that Monday, wandered through various rooms, taken the Mona Lisa from its place on the wall, and left the same way. A judge pointed out that, during the pre-trial interrogations, Perugia had admitted trying to force the door at the bottom of the little stairwell that led to the Cour du Sphinx. Perugia had no answer for this, and the judge did not press him for one.
It is difficult to understand why Perugia changed his story, or even why he did not tell the full truth about how he had entered and left the museum, given the fact that he freely confessed to the crime itself. Perhaps he was afraid of implicating others, but certainly the motive that he had concocted for himself—that he was a patriot reclaiming one of Italy's treasures—would have sounded better if he had been the sole actor in this drama.
When Perugia was asked why he had stolen the Mona Lisa, he responded that all the Italian paintings in the Louvre were stolen works, taken from their rightful home—Italy. When asked how he knew this, he said that when he had worked at the Louvre he had found documents that proved it. He remembered in particular a book with prints that showed "a cart, pulled by two oxen; it was loaded with paintings, statues, other works of art. Things that were leaving Italy and going to France."
Was that when he decided to steal the Mona Lisa? Not exactly, Perugia replied. First he considered the paintings of Raphael, Correggio, Giorgione, and other great masters. "But I decided on the Mona Lisa, which was the smallest painting and the easiest to transport."
"So there was no chance," asked the court, "that you decided on it because it was the most valuable painting?"
"No, sir, I never acted with that in mind. I only desired that this masterpiece would be put in its place of honor here in Florence."
A judge then interrupted to play one of the prosecution's trump cards: "Is it true," he asked, "that you tried to sell the Mona Lisa in England?"
Accounts of the trial say that this was one of the few moments when Perugia lost his composure. He glared around the courtroom, clenching his fists as if to do battle with his accusers.
"Me? I offered to sell the Mona Lisa to the English? Who says so? It's false!"
The chief judge pointed out that "it is you yourself who said so, during one of your examinations which I have right here in front of me."
Unable to deny that, Perugia claimed, "Duveen didn't take me seriously. I protest against this lie that I would have wanted to sell the painting to London. I wanted to take it back to Italy, and to return it to Italy, and that is what I did."
"Nevertheless," said one of the judges, "your unselfishness wasn't total—you did expect some benefit from restoration."
"Ah benefit, benefit," Perugia responded—"certainly something better than what happened to me here."
That drew a laugh from the spectators. The next day, the chief judge announced a sentence for Perugia of one year and fifteen days. As he was led out of the courtroom, he was heard to say, "It could have been worse."
It actually got better. The following month, Perugia's attorneys presented arguments for an appeal. This time, the court was more lenient, reducing the sentence to seven months. Perugia had already been incarcerated nine days longer than that since his arrest, so he was released. A crowd had gathered to greet him as he left the courthouse. Someone asked him where he would go now, and he said he would return to the hotel where he had left his belongings. When he did, however, he found that the establishment's name had changed. No longer was it the Tripoli-Italia; now it was the Hotel La Gioconda—and it was too fancy to admit a convicted criminal. Perugia's lawyers had to vouch for him before the staff would give him a room.
But most spectators had already moved on. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria had recently been assassinated in his touring car in the streets of Sarajevo. Soon the nations of Europe would be at war, and Perugia's crime—and the ensuing hysteria—would seem rather trivial by comparison.
The Mastermind
In January 1914, months before Perugia's trial began, a veteran American newspaperman named Karl Decker was on assignment in Casablanca. While having a drink with an elegant confidence man who went by the name Eduardo, he overheard an interesting story that would shed new light on the disappearance of the Mona Lisa. Eduardo had many aliases, but to his associates he was known as the Marqués de Valfierno or the "Marquis of the Vale of Hell." With a white mustache and wavy white hair, he looked the part. He had, wrote Decker, "a distinction that would have taken him past any royal-palace gate in Europe."
Decker had crossed paths with Valfierno in a number of exotic places, and the two had developed a friendship. After the police arrested Vincenzo Perugia, Valfierno commented casually to Decker that Perugia was "that simp who helped us get the Mona Lisa." When Decker pressed him for details, Valfierno offered to confide his version of the events as long as the journalist promised not to publish them until he gave permission, or died. It was the latter event that allowed Decker to reveal what he had been told, nearly 20 years later, in 1932, in The Saturday Evening Post.
After years of success selling fake artworks, Valfierno moved his operation from Buenos Aires to Paris, where, he said, "thousands of Corots, Millets, even Titians and Murillos, were being sold in the city every year, all of them fakes." He added people to his organization, including a well-connected American whom he refused to name. Valfierno was selective in choosing those he wished to fleece, concentrating on wealthy Americans who could pay highly for "masterpieces" that had supposedly been stolen from the Louvre.
But Valfierno and his gang never took anything from the Louvre. "We didn't have to," he said. "We sold our cleverly executed copies, and … sent [the buyers] forged documents [that] told of the mysterious disappearance from the Louvre of some gem of painting or world-envied objet d'art.… The documents always stated that in order to avoid scandal a copy had been temporarily substituted by the museum authorities."
Eventually, Valfierno peddled the ultimate prize: the Mona Lisa itself, in June 1910. Not the genuine painting, but a forged copy, along with forged official papers that convinced the buyer (an American millionaire) that, in order to cover the theft, Louvre officials had hung a replica in the Salon Carré. The buyer, unfortunately, had been a little too free in bragging about his new acquisition, which prompted the newspaper Le Cri de Paris to publish an article—a year before the actual theft—stating that the Mona Lisa had been stolen.
Still, it had been a disturbing experience, one that Valfierno was determined to avoid a second time: "The next trip, we decided, there must be no chance for recriminations. We would steal—actually steal—the Louvre Mona Lisa and assure the buyer beyond any possibility of misunderstanding that the picture delivered to him was the true, the authentic original."
Valfierno never intended to sell the real painting. "The original would be as awkward as a hot stove," he told Decker. The plan would be to create a copy and ship it overseas before stealing the original. "The customs would pass it without a thought, copies being commonplace and the original still being in the Louvre." After the Mona Lisa had been stolen, the imitation could be taken out and sold to a buyer who was convinced he was getting the missing masterpiece.
"We began our selling campaign," recalled Valfierno, "and the first deal went through so easily that the thought 'Why stop with one?' naturally arose. There was no limit in theory to the fish we might hook." Valfierno stopped with six American millionaires. "Six were as many as we could both land and keep hot," he told Decker. The forger then carefully produced the six copies, which were sent to America and kept waiting for the proper time to be delivered. Valfierno said that an antique bed, made of Italian walnut, "seasoned by time to the identical quality of that on which the Mona Lisa was painted" provided the panels that the forger painted on.
Now came what Valfierno thought was the easy part: "Stealing the Mona Lisa was as simple as boiling an egg in a kitchenette," he told Decker. "Our success depended upon one thing—the fact that a workman in a white blouse in the Louvre is as free from suspicion as an unlaid egg." Recruiting someone—Perugia—who actually had worked in the Louvre was helpful because he knew the secret rooms and staircases that employees used.
Perugia did not act alone, Valfierno said. He had two accomplices who were needed to lift the painting, with its heavy protective container and frame, from the wall and carry it to a place where the frame could be removed. Valfierno did not name them either.
The one hitch in the plan was that Perugia had failed to test the duplicate key Valfierno ordered to be made for the door at the bottom of the staircase. At the moment he needed it, the key failed to turn the lock. While he was removing the doorknob, the trio heard footsteps from above, and Perugia's two accomplices hid themselves. The plumber appeared but, seeing only one man in a white smock, had no reason to be suspicious. He opened the door and went on his way, soon followed by Perugia and the other two thieves. At the vestibule, the guard stationed there had temporarily abandoned his post.
An automobile waited for the thieves and took them to Valfierno's headquarters, where the gang celebrated "the most magnificent single theft in the history of the world." Now the six copies that had been sent to the United States could be delivered to the purchasers. Because each of the six collectors thought he was receiving stolen merchandise, he could not publicize his acquisition—or even complain should he suspect it wasn't the genuine article.
Perugia was paid well for his part in the scheme. However, he squandered the money on the Riviera, and then, knowing where Valfierno had hidden the real Mona Lisa, stole it a second time. "The poor fool had some nutty notion of selling it," Valfierno told Decker. "He had never realized that selling it, in the first place, was the real achievement, requiring an organization and a finesse that was a million miles beyond his capabilities."
What about the copies?, Decker wanted to know. Someday, speculated Valfierno, all of them would reappear. "Without those, there are already thirty Mona Lisas in the world," he said. "Every now and then a new one pops up. I merely added to the gross total."
Characteristically, perhaps, reports of the date of Perugia's death vary. It is known, however, that he died in France—an odd end point for a man who had once so vehemently asserted his Italian patriotism. Whatever secrets he knew about the theft were carried to the grave. The Decker account is the sole source for the existence of Valfierno and this version of the theft of the Mona Lisa. There is no external confirmation for it, yet it has frequently been assumed to be true by authors writing about the case. If indeed it is true, Valfierno had carried out the perfect crime.


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The Elderly & Back Pain – Is Chiropractic Effective?
Around the world, low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability and ranks sixth in terms of "overall disease burden." Chronic low back pain (cLBP) has a profound socioeconomic impact on individuals, families, and communities—so much so that the World Health Organization has identified LBP as a major disabling condition. Older people tendRead more

subset: commoncrawl


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Campervan (RV) travel in New Zealand
Some tips to help you enjoy a campervan vacation in New Zealand.
1 / 4
Haven't decided yet on how to travel around New Zealand, why not try a motorhome holiday?
New Zealand is the ideal country for this and few destinations are equally suited. The roads are well maintained, there is little traffic, the scenery changes all the time and the infrastructure is top notch.
Many travellers have already tried it and they soon realized what great freedom and flexibility it offers.
You basically move around with your home, so forget about hotel check in, packing and unpacking your suitcase or following a strict itinerary. Stop whenever you want, sleep in the wild, cook your own meal and what's best, the view from the kitchen changes daily!
Motorhomes are all equipped with huge windows at the rear and front so everyone on board makes the most of the view.
If it is comfort that worries you, you will be surprised to see how spacious and comfortable motorhomes are, some with leather interior, gas cooker, quality dishes and utensils, toilet and shower, good bedding and you even get a heater for those chilly nights as well as a DVD player.
New Zealand has a strong culture of camping, in fact you will most likely encounter on the road some old school buses transformed into amazing homes! Thanks to this, the country is dotted with excellent camping facilities to make your travels the more enjoyable.
Our advice to make the most of your motorhome holiday:
If you are trying to decide between two sizes of motorhome, choose the larger!
You will greatly appreciate the extra living space. To travel in comfort, choose a 4 berth if you're 2 and a 6 berth if you are 4.
If you want to visit both islands, travel one way.
It will save you from travelling back and forth. We also suggest starting in Christchurch and finishing in Auckland. Availability is often better this way and you are likely to get a good special.
Get off the beaten track and try some freedom camping.
New Zealand has an excellent network of conservation campsites managed by DOC (Deparment Of Conservation) www.doc.govt.nz There are often basic but for a small fee only (a few dollars per person) you sleep in heavenly places, beside a white sand beach, at the foothill of the Southern Alps or in the heart of a National Park. Our three favourite DOC campsites: Matai Bay in Northland, Totaranui the heart of the Abel Tasman National Park and Moke Lake, near Queenstown...
Safe travels!


text: James E. Wise, Jr., Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.) became a naval aviator after graduation from Northwestern University in 1953. He served as ship's Intelligence Officer onboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CVA-66) during the 1967 Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors--and later in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. He subsequently commanded various naval intelligence units. Since retirement from the Navy, Captain Wise has held several senior executive posts in private sector companies. Known for his strong ties to actors in Hollywood, Mr. Wise has written and co-authored more than a dozen books, many of them featuring stories of movie actors who served in the armed forces. They include the Naval Institute Press titles Stars in Blue, Stars in the Corps, and International Stars at War.


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Beck's accusation that progressives have "co-opted" civil rights movement rings hollow
Research ››› ››› ZACHARY PLEAT
On his Fox News show, Glenn Beck claimed that the civil rights movement "has been co-opted by progressives." However, Beck routinely uses both the civil rights movement and its rhetoric for his own political agenda, such as his claim that his August 28 rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial will "reclaim the civil rights movement."
Beck claims progressives have "co-opted" the civil rights movement
On the June 3 edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck said:
BECK: I told you that this summer we're gonna concentrate on restoring history. The history of our nation, the founding, the early 20th century, the Depression era, and the civil rights movement, which has been co-opted by progressives.
Beck himself co-opts civil rights movement for his own purposes
Beck compared health care reform protesters to civil rights marchers. During the October 14, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck showed pictures of fire hoses turned on civil rights protesters while advocating opposition to health care reform.
Discussing "build[ing] the ark," Beck references lunch counter and bus seating. On the November 18, 2009, edition of his radio show, Beck said: "We will preserve the republic. We are going to be peaceful, but we are not getting up from the counter. We are not going to sit in the back of the bus. We are gonna link arms and we are gonna stand together for the truth."
Beck: "I wouldn't be surprised if in our lifetime dogs and fire hoses are released or opened on us." During the April 9 edition of his radio program, Beck said:
BECK: The majority of people are not looking for fundamental transformation of America. But there're going to be boxes created. There are going to be the boxes created of the violent, just like there were the Williams Ayers; of the crazies, just like there were the dope-smoking hippies; and then the real reformers, the people like Martin Luther King. We must put ourselves on that path, and be unmovable. I have to tell you, I wouldn't be surprised if in our lifetime dogs and fire hoses are released or opened on us. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of us get a billy club to the head. I wouldn't be surprised if, you know, some of us go to jail, just like Martin Luther King did, on trumped-up charges.
Beck says a civil rights movement commitment card by MLK is "the next phase of the 9/12 Project." During the April 21 edition of his radio show, Beck read the "commitment card" that "Martin Luther King had every marcher sign," and said it "looks to me like the next phase of the 9/12 Project."
Beck claimed "civil rights marchers" weren't "crying for social justice" During the May 20 edition of his Fox News show, Beck continued his long attack on social justice by saying that "civil rights marchers" weren't "crying for social justice."
Beck claimed his followers "are the inheritors and protectors of the civil rights movement." During the May 24 edition of his radio program, after playing audio of Al Sharpton talking about "the dream," Beck said:
BECK: That is not the dream, that is a perversion of the dream. We are the people of the civil rights movement. We are the ones that must stand for civil and equal rights. Equal rights -- justice. Equal justice. Not special justice, not social justice, but equal justice. We are the inheritors and protectors of the civil rights movement. They are perverting it. They're perverting it, and they're doing it intentionally.
Beck claimed his August 28 rally will "reclaim the civil rights movement." During the May 26 edition of his radio show, Beck said of his August 28 rally:
BECK: This is a moment, quite honestly, that I think we reclaim the civil rights movement. It has been so distorted and so turned upside down. It is -- it's an abomination what has happened.
Do you have the Bertha Lewis audio? Bertha Lewis was arrested yesterday -- Bertha Lewis, ACORN, New York -- she was arrested at an anti-Arizona rally and they were locked in arms, singing "We Shall Overcome." How dare you?
I tell you right now. We are on the right side of history. We are on the side of individual freedoms and liberties, and damnit, we will reclaim the civil rights moment. We will take that movement, because we were the people that did it in the first place.
Beck has repeatedly invoked and compared himself to civil rights leaders
Beck compared himself to Martin Luther King, Jr. During the November 25, 2009, edition of his radio program, Beck said:
BECK: Now, you know, they say that I'm anti-government. No, I'm not. I'm anti-corrupt government. I'm anti out-of-control government. I'm anti -- would you call me anti-government because of what I said about the government of Iran? You know what? You're damn right I'm anti-government if it's the government of Iran. You're damn right I am.
I'm anti-government like that. I'm anti-government in -- with Saddam Hussein. You darn right I am. And while, we can't compare our government to those governments, I am anti-government if the government starts to take the rights of the people away, and that is what has been happening in this country for quite some time, under George W. Bush and now under Barack Obama. I -- excuse me?
It is only people that stand up against the government and do what our Founding Fathers told us to do, to be vigilant on our rights. Those are the people -- these are the times when you stand up -- when you can stand up peacefully, because if you don't stand up as you are losing those rights, as the government is growing in power, then, unfortunately, it becomes too late to stand up peacefully. How many times do I have to say "peaceful"?
Martin Luther King did -- was Martin Luther King -- was he anti-government? Well, he sure took the government and turned it upside down, now didn't he? He totally transformed the parties in this system -- in this government. If you remember right, it was Robert Byrd that was filibustering against the civil rights movement. Yeah, nobody really remembers that. If the government is going against the rights of the people, if the government in this country is violating the Constitution or reinterpreting the Constitution, it is not our right, it is our responsibility to speak out against it.
Beck compared himself to Rosa Parks, Gandhi. During the April 5 edition of his radio program, Beck said:
BECK: Let me tell you something. You are the key. Not me or people like me. But you and people like you. Millions of people like you. They're not afraid of me, they're afraid of you. Just like Gandhi. Just like Rosa Parks. It wasn't Rosa Parks, it was the millions of people that were inspired by Rosa Parks' non-movement. Rosa Parks wasn't a danger. The people who watched her and said, "Yeah, I'm with her. I'm not moving either." It's the people who sat at a counter -- a soda fountain counter. You think people were afraid of them? No. They were afraid of the people that those people inspired. Martin Luther King was just one man.
You see, what they're doing is they're saying, "Get up from the counter. You don't have a seat at this counter." Yes, you do. They're telling you, "Get to the back of the bus. You sit up here. You sit back there." No, I don't.
Beck's rally to take place on anniversary of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. On November 23, 2009, Beck announced on his website that he had planned a rally at "the feet of Abraham Lincoln" for August 28, 2010.
Beck has an extensive history of race baiting
Beck claimed Obama is a "racist." Discussing Obama's response to the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Beck asserted that Obama has "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture." After being reminded that Obama has numerous white staffers, Beck contradicted himself, saying, "I'm not saying that he doesn't like white people. I'm saying he has a problem," before going on to state, "This guy is, I believe, a racist." [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 7/28/09]
Beck: Obama satisfying his "desire for racial justice" though "intimidation, vilification, bullying." On July 27, 2009, Beck said: "We have demonstrated President Obama's desire for racial justice, but how is he setting out to achieve it? Exactly the way a community organizer would: through intimidation, vilification, bullying, a system, an underground shell game." Beck continued: "Look how he has handled different things. Gates -- he calls the cops stupid and racist before he admits, he says, 'I don't know all of the facts.' But he jumps to the conclusion that the cops are racist."
Beck wondered why blacks identify as black since he doesn't identify as white. During a panel discussion on his Fox News show on November 13, 2009, Beck asked the studio audience: "How many people here identify themselves as African-Americans? Why?" He added: "Why not identify yourself as Americans?" After a panelist said, "But people can look at you and tell you're black, you can't escape that," Beck said, "Yeah, but I don't identify myself as white or a white American."
Beck frequently declares that things are "slavery" or will lead to slavery. Beck has claimed that debt is "a path to slavery"; stated that recipients of federal aid have been "taught to be slaves"; said that "illegal immigration is modern-day slavery"; asserted that progressive policies cause "slavery to government, welfare, affirmative action, regulation, control"; repeatedly said that that the stimulus bill "is slavery"; ranted that Obama is "addicting this country to heroin -- the heroin that is government slavery" and that "the government's irresponsible spending is turning us into slaves"; claimed that an Obama-proposed change to itemized tax deductions "involves enslaving people"; and alleged that a "modern-day slave state" is being constructed from ACORN, SEIU, and federal student loan, census, and service initiatives.
Beck has repeatedly compared Obama's agenda to "reparations." Beck has said that Obama's agenda is driven by "reparations" and desire to "settle old racial scores through new social justice." He later said: "This is all affirmative action." Beck spoke at length about reparations during the July 23 editions of both his Fox News and his radio shows.
- Person
- Glenn Beck
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State Senator
Eugene M. and Margaret Tartaglione
Peirce College, 1980
Mem. Joint Select Committee on Election Issues, Gov Task Force on Voting Modernization, Firefighters and Emergency Services and Port Caucuses, Delaware River Basin Commission, Temple University Health System Episcopal Hospital, PATH (People Acting to Help), Empowerment Zone Board, Impact Services Corp, President's Advisory Council of the American Street Corridor Business Assoc, PenJerDel Steering Committee, and Ecumenical Hospitaller Order of St. John Knights of Malta. Former Chair of Dem. State Committee. Recipient Firefighters Friend Award, John F. Kennedy Memorial Award, Working Woman of the Year Award by Coalition of Labor Union Women, Achievement Award from Concerned Black Leaders of Lower Tioga-Hunting Park, Fireman and Prison Guard Assoc of Phila and PHILAPOSH Woman of the Year, cited in Italian Americans of the 20th Century; Member of Senate 1995 to date; Minority Caucus Administrator 2009-2010; elected Minority Caucus Secretary 2011.


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In most of the website you might have noticed, the contact us or contact me link at the end. Once you click that it will open a new mail window of your default mail client and it will have the mention subject and a mail id in the to box. So we can achieve that with the below line of code.
1: Contact Me
in HTML5 I wrote this in the footer section in this way.
1: © simplymanas 2013
2: Contact Me
3: @simplymanas
4:
and it will appear like this
© simplymanas 2013
Contact Me @simplymanas
This article was also published by me in
Quote of the Day:
No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.
–John Calvin Coolidge


text:
From where we stand here in April, there's little reason to fret over Matt Ryan re-signing with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons and their franchise quarterback have paused on negotiations toward a contract extension to focus on this week's 2013 NFL Draft, but Ryan is confident a new contract will come in time.
Who are the best and worst all-time draft picks by your team? Find out and let your voice be heard. More ...
"I think both sides have spoken, but that's down the line," Ryan told NFL Network's "NFL Total Access," which will air at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. "I think at this point, the things I can worry about, the things I can focus on, are trying to improve on the field, and letting the smart people, the guys who are in to that kind of stuff, handle that business off the field."
Said Ryan: "I want to be here, I know that for sure. I think things will take care of themselves, and right now, it's not something I'm too worried about."
The Falcons have been trimming salary figures off the books this offseason, the strongest indicator they are paving the way for a massive new contract for Ryan. He's fully expected -- along with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers -- to shoot past the $120.6 million contract quarterback Joe Flacco signed with the Baltimore Ravens in March.
Flacco's contract soon will appear pedestrian among franchise passers, and Ryan isn't losing any sleep over future riches. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is among the NFL's top front-office planners, and we don't foresee the Falcons turning this into an off-field drama.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.


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Uco Bank is one among the leading bank in Sikkim. Uco Bank has flourishing their functioning since 07-jan-1943 till now. Ghanshyam Das Birla brings fist Uco Bank branch in banking sector in 07-jan-1943. Uco Bank is now located in almost all states of India.
Headquarter of Uco Bank is located in Kolkata. Right now the key person of the bank is Arun Kaul. Uco Bank have Employee Base of 23000+ employees, which make it a Trust Worthy bank of India.
Looking for Uco Bank MICR code in Sikkim and not able to find over official one that is www.ucobank.com/ therefore our website www.ifsccodebanks.com provides all bank MICR code here.


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Ciao! I'm Lisa. My husband, Jim and I, named our business, FaithGrace Creations, after our little girls. They are both such an inspiration to us, so it was only fitting that the business be named after Faith and Grace. [Read More …]
© Copyright 2011 · All Rights Reserved · FaithGrace Creations Designed By The Savvy Socilaista


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Real Time Web Analytics
875,893 web sites depend on Clicky to monitor, analyze, and react to their traffic in real time.
"Clicky has been my web analytics service of choice for over a year and a half. As a web developer and SEO, I need real-time statistics to fine tune my sites and campaigns for optimal performance."
- Jason Bartholme
More testimonials »
- Jason Bartholme
More testimonials »
Why you'll love Clicky
Everything is real time
Everything in Clicky is up-to-the-minute real time.
Not just a few things (*cough* Google Analytics).
Ridiculous detail
Most reports provide a high level of detail on every segment of visitors. You can filter and sort by any column to quickly find what's working and what needs improvement.
Individual visitors and actions
Clicky lets you see every visitor and every action they take on your web site, with the option to attach custom data to visitors, such as usernames or email addresses. Analyze each visitor individually and see their full history.
In addition to standard per-page heatmaps, Clicky also lets you view heatmaps for individual visitor sessions, including segmentation. For example, you can view heatmaps only for visitors who completed a specific goal. Heatmap data is real time.
On-site analytics
You (and only you) will see the on-site analytics widget in the corner of your web site. See you how many total visitors are on your site and how many are on the page you're currently viewing, with the ability to view those visitors right from the widget. Heatmaps and heatmap segmentation can be launched from the widget as well.
Uptime monitoring
Clicky alerts you when your site goes offline so you can react immediately. Your site's uptime is monitored from 5 geographic locations around the world and alerts are only sent when a majority of the monitoring servers agree that your site is down.
Easy to use
Clicky is designed to just make sense, but if you ever have a question, our knowledge base and customer support are just a click away.
And so much more...
Powerful and flexible API. Twitter analytics. Google search rankings. Video analytics. Big screen mode. Sub-users. The best bounce rate in the biz. HTTPS tracking.
The list of features is nearly endless.
Compare Clicky against the competition!
BlogJun 15: Webhooks and push notifications for aler...
May 7: Clicky Supersize XL Extreme edition
Apr 26: New feature: Segments!
Dec 3: Change your trend preference on demand f...
Nov 18: HTTPS for all
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Oct 14: New global user preferences for trends, ...
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Hmm, looks like we haven't tweeted recently!
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SupportHelp / Documentation
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Healthcare / Insurance Info
Health care in the United States can be very expensive and even a short hospital stay can cost thousands of dollars. Some hospitals in the United States will not treat individuals who do not have insurance. This is the reason the University and the U.S. government requires international students to obtain health insurance coverage.
International students and all (J-1) exchange visitors and their dependents holding J-2 status are required to comply with the health insurance requirements of the University in order to go to school here.
Insurance which meets these requirements may be purchased through the University. The international health insurance program, which is a requirement for registration, is designed to provide international students, exchange visitors, and their eligible dependents with continuous insurance protection and access to quality, affordable health care services.
The U.S. Government feels strongly about the importance of health insurance. This is why it mandates that the University terminate from its program all exchange visitors and their dependents who do not meet minimum insurance requirements.
For more information, please contact the International Student Services office at (815) 836-5549.
Lewis also serves the health care needs of international students through the Center for Health and Counseling Services. Short term, on-campus services provided by the Center are confidential and free of charge to Lewis University students.
The Center staff is a multi-disciplinary treatment team of physical and mental health professionals who are dedicated to serving our campus community.
The Center also provides information on a variety of health and wellness topics.
Students with more serious conditions requiring emergency treatment, care for chronic health issues, or special care beyond that provided by the University Health Center may go to one of several neighboring health care facilities. We are located in a geographically well-served area with several hospitals only 15 minutes from campus. For a list of local medical resources please call the Center at (815) 836-5455 or visit the Health and Counseling Services webpage
The Center does not manage chronic health issues. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, it is important that you establish with a physician in the area as soon as possible. You should bring your medical records, including a list of all medications, along with a sufficient supply of these medications (at least 30 days). This will give you time to get established with a physician in the area. Please make this a top priority to insure that your medical condition does not interfere with your academic success. If you have a severe medical condition, please be aware that the Student Health Insurance Plan does not generally cover pre-existing conditions until the student has been enrolled at least one year.
If you have any questions about your health and are unsure of the appropriate resource, please contact the Center for Health and Counseling Services at (815) 836-5455. Health Insurance questions can be directed to the International Student Services office at (815) 836-5549.
Tuberculosis Testing
Tuberculosis (TB) is a communicable disease with potentially serious, long-lasting consequences if not treated. Because TB rates are on the rise in many parts of the world, The Center for Health and Counseling Services, following CDC guidelines, requests that all international students be screened and/or tested for TB. Information sheets on TB and how the skin test is administered are available at the Center for Health and Counseling Services.
TB can be treated and Health Services can assist in providing you with the appropriate resources, if you have been exposed or are infected by TB. Contact the Center for Health and Counseling Services for more information on TB skin testing.
International Student Immunization Policy
The Illinois Immunization Law requires all incoming students to have proof of their immunizations on file at The Center for Health and Counseling Services. All students, including undergraduate, graduate, readmitted and transfer students must comply. The law pertains to you if you are taking 6 or more credit hours per semester on the Romeoville campus.
If you fit the above criteria, you must present the Center for Health and Counseling Services at Lewis University with copies of immunization records showing you have received the required immunizations listed on the Health Services Immunizations and TB Testing Information page.
If you are not absolutely certain that you can show documentation of the required immunizations, you should contact your private physician or local public health department for updates. For your convenience, the Center for Health and Counseling Services offers immunizations to currently enrolled students for a fee.
A health care provider must certify all immunization records.
Required Health documentation must be submitted to Health Services before September 1st for Fall Semester and February 1st for Spring Semester to avoid a non-refundable $50 late fee and a Health Services Hold for future class registration. The Health Services Hold will only be removed once the required documentation is received. NO EXCEPTIONS.


text: Hi, I have task for ftp. FTP user must use authenticate from ldap from zimbra mail. I have try a few tutorial regarding this task. None of them come success. LDAP and FTP is different server. Server OS is using centos 6. This is network diagram: http://postimage.org/image/8i0ehgv3j Anybody got idea please share with me. Thanks.


text:
The Housing Authority of the City of Mount Vernon, Texas, will receive Bids for the 2009 (ARRA) CFP, Porch Canopy Additions Project at TX337-001, Site "C" until 2:00 p.m., on Thursday, July 16, 2009, at the Housing Authority Office at 944 South Kaufman Street in Mount Vernon, Texas 75457, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.
Proposed forms of Contract Documents, including Plans and Specifications, are on file at the Office of the Housing Authority of the City of Mount Vernon; at the Office of Pat Dismukes, Architect & Planner, 405 West 3rd Street, Mount Pleasant, Texas 75455; at McGraw-Hill Plan Room in Irving, Texas; at Reed Construction Data @ www.reedplans.com., and at ISqFt Quoin AGC Plan Room in Tyler, Texas.
Copies of the Documents may be obtained by depositing $ 100.00 with the Architect for each set of documents so obtained. Such deposit will be refunded to each Bidder who submits a Bid and returns the Plans, Specifications and other Documents in GOOD CONDITION within 10 days after Bid opening, and submits a Bid. Contractors who do not submit a Bid, but return the Plans and Specifications in GOOD CONDITION within ten (10) days shall receive one-half of their Plan Deposit. General Contractors will be allowed two (2) sets for Bidding purposes by deposit. Contract Documents are available to Subcontractors, including Material Suppliers, etc. on a "cost-of-printing" basis (which will not be refundable).
A Certified Check, payable to The Housing Authority of the City of Mt. Vernon; U. S. Government Bonds; or a satisfactory Bid Bond in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the Bid shall be submitted with each Bid.
The successful Bidder will be required to furnish and pay for satisfactory Performance and Payment Bonds.
Attention is called to the provisions for Equal Employment Opportunity, and payment of not less than the minimum salaries and wages as set forth in the Specifications must be paid on this Project.
The Housing Authority of the City of Mount Vernon reserves the right to reject any or all Bids or to waive any informalities in the Bidding.
No Bid shall be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days subsequent to the opening of Bids without the consent of The Housing Authority of the City of Mount Vernon.
By Darla Ottinger Executive Director
Dated: June 17, 2009
(MVHA 46-2tc 09)


text:
Central Quay South Broad Quay, Bristol, BS1 4AW
Price FromView Rooms
- Excellent
- 49 guest reviews
"Good quality room in convenient location. Nice selection of breakfast cereals provided with fresh milk. Good, friendly staff on reception...."
"Don't want to sound too negative as we had a very comfortable apartment for the one night we stayed but we were disappointed that we were ov..."
"If there is a apartment available, it's my first choice place to stay in Bristol City Center. Always great value for money, great service an..."
"I often stay at SACO, due to there simply wonderful apartments. The rooms are always faultless!..."
"A wonderful stay, faultless. All that you require for a studio room. I wish I had a flat like this in real life...."
About the hotel
Smack bang in the heart of Bristol, on the very edge of the historic harbour. This stunning aparthotel offers a wide range of beautiful, contemporary apartments making it an ideal base for business and leisure stays. You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing somewhere to eat, drink or simply sit and watch the world go by.
Much of what Bristol has to offer - historic sights, visitor attractions and shopping areas are right on your doorstep or a short walk away. The apartments are spacious, comfortable and stylishly furnished and equipped - providing guests with the perfect urban retreat to relax in whilst staying in central Bristol. Fully fitted kitchens allow you to self-cater as little or as much as you like. Some apartments benefit from a balcony or large terrace area. Simply perfect for both short and long stays, - these apartments really offer you a home from home space to live like a local. Limited onsite car parking is available on request and subject to availability at £18 per 24 hour period. SACO – The Serviced Apartment Company will take full payment for your accommodation at the time of booking and confirm your arrival details at the property. Upon check-in, guests are kindly required to show the credit card used at the time of booking and a valid photo ID, such as a driving licence or passport. Security Deposits / Pre Authorisation A refundable security deposit /pre-authorisation to cover "additional charges " ,including breakages, damages, extra cleaning and further accommodation charges incurred during your stay, may also be taken and you will be advised whether this is payable in advance or on arrival. The amount will vary on the size of apartment you have booked. We consider a group to be three apartments or more being booked in the same city for similar dates. When making a group booking full payment will be required at the time of booking and this is non-refundable. A security deposit, as above, will also be required for each apartment booked. We are unable to guarantee that all apartments booked will be in the same building. A transaction fee of 3% + VAT on the total payable will apply to Diners Club and American Express Card (Amex) and 1. 75% + VAT to Visa Credit Card and MasterCard payments. There is no transaction fee on Visa Debit Card or Maestro/ Solo payments. Credit card details must match the security checks. We may pass your debit/credit card details to a third party to process any payments. Credit card fees are not refundable in any circumstances.
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Facilities Show/hide
- Main
- Hotel Non-Smoking Throughout, Cots available, Safety Deposit Box, Iron And Board In Each Room, Telephone In Each Room, Lift to all floors
- Business
- Wi-Fi Available, Wi-Fi Available In Rooms
- In Room Entertainment
- TV, Radio
- Dining
- Breakfast to go
Useful Info Show/hide
- Between 16:00 and 23:00
- By 11:00 hours
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Moderators: Daniel Benson, Eshnar, Susan Westemeyer, Irondan
observer wrote:Your site is redirecting my phone to cellphone-tips com
Jeff wrote:observer wrote:Your site is redirecting my phone to cellphone-tips com
That's a dodgy ad
To help us block it, could you supply us PM me) with your browsing history from when you visited the site to when you ended up on cellphone-tips com?
There will likely be a series of urls that you were bounced through before landing on that site.
Give them a couple days to respond, if they don't get back to you I'll forward your issue to the website developers.shalgo wrote:On mobile, the homepage keeps redirecting me to the app store.
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For all those who very much enjoy studying the Bible as Literature. Along with that comes the ability to appreciate humor and satire based on it, not to mention making fun of people who take these stories literally.
Members: 6
Latest Activity: Jun 13, 2013
Started by Claudia Mercedes Mazzucco Dec 8, 2010. 0 Replies 0 Likes
Those who think that they know where Noah's Ark landed, on "Mount Ararat," have never really read the Bible, which does not even mention a Mount Ararat. "The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark" was…Continue
Started by Claudia Mercedes Mazzucco Nov 2, 2010. 0 Replies 0 Likes
I began to think that the paneling structure and repetition of Genesis 1 must have had its origin in the education of children in ancient Israel. It seems to me to have the ring of instruction rather…Continue
Just joined the group - hope it grows. I'm new to blogging but I have a thing going about the bible: http://skywiseunlimited.com


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Campus Tour
The Eck Visitors Center's free public tour offers a historical and social overview of life at Notre Dame. Most tours will include visits to the Grotto, Basilica of the Sacred Heart*, Main Building (the Golden Dome), and the Hesburgh Library ("Touchdown Jesus"). Tours are not permitted to enter Notre Dame Stadium.
The tours are walking tours, taking approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half covering approximately two miles of campus. A limited number of wheelchairs are available. Please call 574-631-5726 to reserve a wheelchair in advance or inquire at the front desk prior to the start of the tour. A valid driver's license will be required for rental.


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For Richer or Poorer? Rich Families Face a Marriage Problem
Wealthy Families Devise Strategies for 'Onboarding' New Members; a Welcome Packet
Being born to the manor is one thing. Marrying one of its occupants is something else altogether.
Just ask Steven Siig, a self-described "ski bum" and extreme-sports documentary filmmaker who was living near Lake Tahoe, Calif., and scraping by as a landscaper when he met his wife, Melissa, in 2001.
Unbeknown to him, she was the oldest...


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Bring the illusion of texture with the woven giclee print shade topping this 3-light brushed nickel swing arm wall lamp.More Details >
A swing arm with a little extra style, this design adds a new level of functional lighting to just about any space. The piece plugs into any standard wall outlet, making the installation a snap. It features one incandescent bulb behind a white canvas shade, with two adjustable bullet-head LED lights below. Lights can be turned on separately for maximum flexibility. Three-position on-off rotary switch. In a brushed nickel finish with a round wall plate. Please note, this shade uses a printed pattern and not actual seagrass. U.S. Patent # 7,347,593.


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Format: 1 volume, 250 pages
Coverage: 1965 - 1973
Illustrations: 40+ illustrations
Model: Mustang
Keep Your Mustang in Mint Condition
Want to keep your Mustang running in mint condition but can't find the original replacement parts? ADP Hollander's Hollander Mustang Manual: 1965 - 1973 solves the problem.
Designed for collectors, repairers and restorers, this specialized muscle manual lists interchangeable part information on most Mustangs made between 1965 - 1973. It puts a stop to dead-end part searches and high-priced replacements. This book saves you time, hassle and money.
The Hollander Mustang Manual: 1965 - 1973 makes part identifications a snap with enhanced images of wheels, wheel covers and front ends. It includes a handy part type chart for quick reference. It even shows you how to use the Hollander Interchange to identify the full range of original replacement part options.
The Hollander Interchange gives your more choices. The Hollander Mustang Manual: 1965 - 1973 can tell you that:
Use the Hollander Mustang Manual: 1965 - 1973 to:
The Hollander Mustang Manual: 1965 - 1973 is standard equipment for every Mustang owner. Use it to identify exactly the parts you need, at a price you can afford, in a fraction of the time. It's a small investment with a big payoff. Order yours today.


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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Luxembourg is in talks with Chinese investors over the sale of its 35 percent stake in freight-only airline Cargolux CLUX.UL.
The government said in a statement that representatives of Henan province and investment vehicle Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Company (HNCA) had visited Luxembourg airport and the Cargolux headquarters on Monday.
"The HNCA company, being one of the potential candidates which have expressed their interest in the Cargolux stake, is in close talks with Luxembourg," the government said in a statement.
Luxembourg said in December it had bought back a stake in Cargolux from Qatar Airways for the original sale price of $117.5 million, with the intention of selling it on soon.
Cargolux's other shareholders include Luxembourg airline Luxair (43.4 percent) and state-owned Luxembourg banks BCEE (10.9 percent) and SNCI (10.7 percent).
Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Louise Heavens


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Providing power to a mainland community presents challenges for any company, but ensuring power to an island community takes the commitment of a strong company and the most reliable equipment available. Such is the case with the Mustique Company.
The island of Mustique is approximately 2.2 square miles (5.7 square kilometers) in size and is located 20 miles south of St. Vincent in the Grenadine Islands. A world-renowned vacation destination, its remoteness offers a backdrop of elegance, luxury and privacy. Once owned by British royalty, the island is now home to over 90 villas housing many notable celebrities and dignitaries. The homeowners, in turn, own the Mustique Company, a limited private company on a long-term lease from the St. Vincent and Grenadine government. It provides day-to-day services including utilities and power generation.
Mustique's tourism industry is the mainstay of the island's economy, and demands reliable power during its peak season from December to April, averaging 3.3 MW at any given time. The off-season averages between 1,400 eKw and 1.3 MW – a load that must be maintained for residents and businesses to survive. The clientele of the island has invested their money in the Mustique Company and, in turn, has high expectations for 24/7 power.
For over 40 years, the Mustique Company has utilized Cat® generator sets to provide power services to the island. By 2007, they were interested in updating their equipment to not only meet their power requirements, but also to increase their efficiency and overall revenue. Mustique representatives contacted Barbados-based dealer RIMCO for a solution that would meet their needs.
In 2007, an evaluation from RIMCO determined that a Cat C175-16 generator set would best suit the Mustique Company's power needs. Its size and design fit the existing area that was being used to house the 3516 generator sets. In addition, the C175-16 would require less insulation and fewer accessories while providing the same power output as the older units.
Installation proved to be the biggest challenge of the project, and innovative techniques were called into play to transport the C175-16 to its new location at the Mustique Company power plant. After being shipped from St. Vincent, the equipment was delivered by tractor trailer and unloaded by crane but this is where the use of heavy equipment ended. An innovative system consisting of jacks, pipes and scaffolding was put into play, as the C175-16 was moved by hand to its final resting place at the power plant.
"Once the C175-16 reached the plant, the rest of the installation was done by hand," said Mustique Company Technical Manager Justin Providence. "Getting the C175-16 to the power station took about a week with our team working every day."
While the new generator set met the power plant size requirements, additional modifications needed to be made to the plant before its operation. The facility's louvers were expanded to accommodate the C175-16's radiator and new mufflers were installed to the exhaust system. In-house workers handled all aspects of the installation, including welding. The entire process took approximately three weeks.
The C175-16 runs continuously, providing the island with 1.3 to 2 MW of power. The island's peak power need of 3.3 MW is met with the addition of one of the 3516 generator sets. Generally, the two 3516 generator sets are used during routine maintenance, and serve as stand-by units.
Since its installation in November 2007, the C175-16 has run nearly 22,700 hours. When it is online and operating at a 90 percent load, the generator set is meeting oil pressure and bearing temperature expectation.
"The C175-16 is extremely efficient in terms of fuel, and all technical parameters are acceptable," Providence said. "Overall, we are very pleased with its performance. It has replaced the 3516 generator sets well, and is helping us generate revenue."
As the population of Mustique continues to grow, so too does its need for more power. Recently, a C175-20 was installed to provide greater power for the island's inhabitants. The C175-20 provides even more power than the C175-16, as well as improved fuel efficiency. According to Providence, the C175-20 is powering the island independently and reliably.
The Mustique Company received initial training from Caterpillar, and continues to interact with RIMCO representatives on a case-by-case basis. Scheduled maintenance and repairs are performed by employees of the company. "Based on the private nature of our business, we prefer to be as independent as possible," commented Providence. "RIMCO is there for us when we need them but, because we are a remote location, we prefer to be able to perform service ourselves, and as quickly as possible."
As the C175-20 continues to provide prime power to the island of Mustique, Providence plans to interact with other companies using similar equipment.
"We look forward to sharing our experiences and collecting more information from other places that are using the C175. It will help us all get the most out of our power generation projects," he concluded.