December 1998
Your contribution to Goodwill will mean more than you may know .
To help you see how much your contribution means , I 'm sharing with you The words of people who have lived Goodwill 's mission .
We want you to Know why your support of Goodwill is so important .
Your gift to Goodwill is important because people with physical and Mental disabilities sometimes need an extra hand to know the pride that comes with work .
`` I was sad when I could n't go to the snack bar to buy a soda .
Now I can buy a soda and spend money .
I like working and making money .
I have a savings account .
I can write my name on the deposit slip .
If I was n't working here ... I would be sad ... '' -- Maureen
Because turning welfare recipients into tax payers just makes sense .
`` When I first came to Goodwill I was a single parent with little or no self-esteem .
I was on welfare and without my diploma .
Coming to Goodwill was the first step toward my becoming totally independent .
I am now ... totally off of welfare .
I really like my job. '' -- Sherry
Because people want to work .
`` I 'd never finished high school .
I had no experience or skills ... The only thing I did know for sure was here 's a chance to change things for me and my children ... I rode a bike to Goodwill in the rain and snow .
I wanted to be there ... I had my second chance to change my life. '' -- Donna
Because teaching a man to fish will keep him fed for his entire life .
`` Before I got to Goodwill , I was on a mission .
I just wanted a job .
It did n't matter what the job was , I just wanted one .
Now , I 'm on a journey .
I 've got more than a job ; I 've got a career .
My instructor played a role like no other instructor I 've ever had I appreciate everything that Goodwill has done for me. '' -- Cornell
Each year , we help thousands of people who face tremendous obstacles .
Their one common goal : they all want to work .
A robust economy helps by providing job opportunities , but to be honest , most of the people who are n't working today are quite simply the ones who face the greatest obstacles .
The kinds of services we provide help people deal with obstacles like health care , transportation and child care - problems that are big enough on their own without being compounded by factors like physical and mental disabilities , illiteracy and lack of job skills .
Last year , Goodwill helped 3,300 people find jobs that increased their self - sufficiency .
Your gift to Goodwill will be used directly to support services that will help even more find jobs .
Right now , there are thousands of people who do not know what it feels like to support themselves .
You can help them to know that feeling .
Please help Goodwill and help people find jobs .
Use the enclosed card and give a generous gift to Goodwill today !
Sincerely ,
James M. McClelland President
November 15 , 1996
Dear Personal Donor :
In the short while since Goodwill helped him find his job , Robert has learned to thoroughly clean a motel room in about 40 minutes .
His job objectives call for him to do it in 30 .
He has no time to waste .
Neither do we .
With the help of friends like you , Goodwill has continued to adapt our services to meet the human needs of our changing society .
We do n't waste time as we are helping the community .
And we do n't waste money .
The gift that I am asking you to make will be used to continue our mission of helping people prepare for , find and keep jobs .
In their December , 1995 review of the nation 's best charities , U.S. News and World Report called Goodwill one of the five `` Standout Good Guys . ''
The magazine stated that Goodwill ( as well as the other standouts ) is `` uniquely effective , innovative or valuable . ''
While I appreciate U.S. News and World Report 's endorsement , the true value of your support is measured by the way Goodwill takes on problems that affect all of us .
Every time we help someone find a solution to their employment barrier , the positive effects radiate throughout our community : The business community welcomes not only another worker , but a consumer with increased purchasing power .
Parents act as role models of self - sufficiency instead of dependency .
Tax dollars that would have been spent on public assistance are saved .
You and I know that solutions to difficult problems do n't just happen .
At Goodwill , it is the hard work of staff and those who benefit from our services that produces the kind of inspiring results I see every day : A Goodwill staff member addresses a group of welfare recipients : `` You can earn the money to support yourself and your family , '' she says .
`` You can get off welfare .
I know you can ... I did . ''
A participant in a Goodwill program rushes back from a job interview to share the results with his classmates in our desktop publishing training program .
Once his tears have subsided , he confirms what his classmates have already figured out : he just received a job offer -- his first in five years .
Addressing a meeting at a neighborhood center , a Goodwill staff member tells the audience how Goodwill can help them find and keep jobs .
On his way home , he shares the story with four people at a street corner .
At the next corner he tells five more .
In order to develop job skills , a man with some serious disabilities begins working in Goodwill 's industrial division .
It takes a long time for him to gain the self - confidence to work elsewhere in the community .
Eventually , he turns your support into a payoff for all of us .
He proudly leaves Goodwill to support himself .
These people and their successes are real .
Just like the respect we 've earned from U.S. News and World Report .
Just like the impact Goodwill 's work has on our community .
Real work .
Real results .
A real difference in people 's lives -- in all of our lives .
The people who can benefit most directly from your generosity have no time to waste .
Neither do the rest of us who feel the positive results of their success .
Your support helps provide real solutions .
Please use the enclosed response card and envelope to give generously to Goodwill today .
Sincerely ,
Jack Dustman Board Member and Former Chairman
November 27 , 1995
Dear Friend :
What kind of people benefit by your contribution to Pleasant Run Children 's Homes ?
Little ones , like Baby Jessica , caught in the struggle between adoptive and birth parents .
Older kids , like Tracy and Kerry , left homeless after a recent murder - suicide in Indianapolis claimed Mom and Dad .
Young adults , like Mary T . , a jobless mother of three , trying desperately to keep her kids out of trouble in a crime - ridden neighborhood .
Real people !
There are thousands more .
Families are being torn apart , and too often , children are the victims .
Kids like Tommie J . , made a ward of the court because of repeated beatings by an alcoholic father ; Alice , sent to a group home to get help because of severe behavior disorders ; and John H . , a recovering alcoholic , rebuilding a relationships with his family so they can live together again .
Pleasant Run Children 's Homes began serving children nearly 130 years ago .
Then the task was to help children who lost parents in the Civil War .
Today , we serve children and families with a multitude of problems : emotional , physical , psychological and sexual abuse .
Some come from families where , through therapy , there is hope for reunification .
For others , `` families '' are the counselors are housemates at the group homes where they live .
The biggest tragedy is that the problems do n't go away ; they only grow .
In 1994 Pleasant Run served 346 children and 125 families .
In 1995 we will serve over 850 children and 340 families .
In 1996 , these figures will triple .
The children and families who come to Pleasant Run are given the opportunity to become happy , loving , and productive members of our society .
They welcome the chance to belong , to become self - sufficient , to regain their self - esteem and confidence .
Often it is a long , hard struggle , but the results are well worth it .
For Pleasant Run to continue to serve abused and neglected children and their families , we need your support .
The Funding sources are shrinking , but the needs grow explosively .
Please `` help good kids get better '' by sending us a contribution today .
Your gift will give children and families hope for improved tomorrows .
Sincerely ,
Mary Roth
Hong Kong and Its People
Exciting , mysterious , glamorous - these words have described Hong Kong for at least a century .
With its vibrant atmosphere and night - and - day activity it is an intoxicating place .
Hong Kong is crowded - it has one of the world 's greatest population densities .
But it is also efficient , with one of the best transportation systems anywhere , and for such a crowded place , quiet - you do n't hear voices raised in anger , motorists sitting on their horns , or loud boomboxes .
Shopping never ends - there 's always another inviting spot just down the street .
You 'll find Hong Kong easy to get around , the people helpful , English spoken everywhere , and food that lives up to its reputation .
On 1 July, 1997 the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty as a Special Administrative Region of the People 's Republic of China .
Today Hong Kong remains a capitalist enclave with its laws and rights intact , and China has promised that Hong Kong will continue in this fashion for at least 50 years .
Beijing 's announced policy of maintaining Hong Kong 's prosperity and stability makes sense .
Hong Kong has long been China 's handiest window on the West , and the city is unrivaled in its commercial know-how and managerial expertise .
Around the time of the transition there was much speculation about how things would change .
But in fact , once news of the handover vanished from the front pages , the people of Hong Kong returned to their usual topics of conversation : the economy and the price of housing .
The impression of the visitor today will be that very little has changed .
Establishments are no longer called `` Royal , '' Queen Elizabeth has vanished from the coinage , and the Union Jack has been replaced by the flag of China and the new Hong Kong flag with its bauhinia flower .
But in fact , there have been changes , many of them due to economic progress , new construction , and other factors that influence cities all over the world .
Others are more subtle .
British social customs are still evident in the kind of polite service you get in hotels and in the long lines of people waiting for buses at rush hour .
The British population has decreased ; today there are as many American and Australian ex-pats as there are British .
With a population of nearly eight million and a total area of just over 1,095 square km ( 423 square miles ) , housing is one of Hong Kong 's perennial nightmares .
To alleviate the problem , the government has become the city 's major landlord with the construction of massive apartment blocks that , though they have every modern facility , average only 9 square m ( 100 square ft ) in size .
Whole cities have been created in the New Territories , although the unimaginative architecture of these towns has been criticized .
Of Hong Kong 's population , 98 percent are Chinese .
The majority are Cantonese , born in Hong Kong , or from South China , but there are immigrants from all over China .
The Chinese people have been described as hardworking and pragmatic , attitudes that have contributed to Hong Kong 's success .
There are many stories of refugees who arrived with nothing in their pockets , set up a small sidewalk stall , worked diligently until they had their own store , and then expanded it into a modest chain .
Old customs are still followed : Fate and luck are taken very seriously , and astrologers and fortune-tellers do a steady business .
Before a skyscraper can be built , a feng shui ( see page 68 ) investigation must take place to ensure that the site and the building will promote health , harmony , and prosperity .
You 'll also notice that gambling is a passion , whether it be cards , mahjong , the lottery , or the horses .
Hong Kong has two major racetracks as well as an intensive off-track betting system , and on weekends the ferries to Macau are crowded with people on their way to the casinos .
Sightseeing in Hong Kong starts at sea level with the enthralling water traffic?—?a mix of freighters , ferries , tugs , junks , and yachts .
Views of the city and the harbor are panoramic .
From Victoria Peak , Hong Kong 's highest point , or from skyscrapers and hotels , they are especially exciting at night when the lights are on .
The business and financial center and the signature soaring architecture are on Hong Kong Island .
Across Victoria Harbor , connected by ferry and the MTR rail line , is the Kowloon peninsula with its hotels , nightlife , and almost non-stop shopping .
Beyond , in the New Territories , are a mixture of high-rise suburban towns , ancient sites and walled villages , country parks , and farms with ducks and fish ponds .
Hong Kong 's other , less developed islands , Lantau , Lamma , and Cheung Chau , provide getaways .
You can also take a ferry to Macau to find an entirely different kind of city , a unique blend of Chinese and Iberian culture .
It 's anyone 's guess what may happen in the future , but for now Hong Kong bristles with energy and ambition , and for the visitor , this beautiful city with its contrasts and variety is an exhilarating experience .
Stephanopoulos Analyzes His Own Crime
There was former Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos on ABC 's This Week this morning , furrow-browed and `` heartbroken with all the evidence coming out '' against the president .
Last week , when the Lewinsky story was only a few hours old , Stephanopoulos popped up on Good Morning America to demonstrate his concern .
`` These are probably the most serious allegations yet leveled against the president .
There 's no question that , if they 're true , they ... could lead to impeachment proceedings . ''
Is Chatterbox alone in thinking there is something strange and even disgusting about Stephanopoulos ' eager show of independence from the president ?
The problem is n't so much his disloyalty .
Political figures turn on each other from time to time , for good and bad reasons ; we 're used to it .
Stephanopoulos wants to run for the Senate and does n't want to seem a Clinton stooge .
By lending credence to the Lewinsky charges , and treating Clinton 's familiar defenses as the lies and half-lies they seem to be , Stephanopoulos shows he 's not a fool .
The trouble is that Stephanopoulos himself helped propagate those lies in the first place .
During the 1992 campaign , when Gennifer Flowers first brought Clinton 's philandering to public attention , Stephanopoulos -- as Clinton 's chief spinner , distracter , and all-around bullshit artist -- played a crucial role in discrediting Flowers and anyone else who tried to point out the truth , namely that Clinton had a disturbing zipper problem .
( Do n't say Stephanopoulos did n't know .
Again , he 's not a fool . )
 Simply put , Stephanopoulos did as much as any man to get the country into the mess he now so telegenically laments .
The 1993 documentary The War Room captures some of his efforts on tape .
Early in the film , with the Flowers crisis in full bloom , Sam Donaldson interviews Stephanopoulos , who blames it all on the `` Republican attack machine . ''
`` Gov . Clinton has no character problem , '' Stephanopoulos declares .
Donaldson suggests that on 60 Minutes Clinton had admitted to infidelity .
`` He said he had problems in his marriage , '' says Stephanopoulos , correcting Donaldson 's deviation from the pre-scripted fudge-phrase of the day .
( Today , of course , the president 's defenders claim that Clinton admitted infidelity on 60 Minutes and that the fully informed voters simply did n't care . )
Near the end of The War Room , Stephanopoulos gets a call from someone who apparently claims to have a list of Clinton paramours , which he is about to publicize .
Stephanopoulos skillfully bullies and cajoles him into keeping quiet .
`` You would be laughed at ... '' he tells the caller .
`` I guarantee you that if you do this you 'll never work in Democratic politics again .
... Nobody will believe you and people will think you 're scum . ''
You might say that Stephanopoulos helped invent the philander-protection techniques that seem to have made Clinton so overconfident of his ability to not get caught .
He was one of Clinton 's principal enablers , to use a word employed by Maureen Dowd in today 's New York Times .
When Democrats wonder why there is so much resentment of Clinton , they do n't need to look much further than the Big Lie about philandering that Stephanopoulos , Carville ( and a cooperative campaign press corps ) helped to put over in 1992 .
Now the dissembler and enabler has become the scholar and ABC News analyst .
It 's as if Roy Cohn went on television in the mid- '50s to soberly rue the damage wreaked by Sen . Joe McCarthy , without any apology for his own role .
Much has been made of the way famous wrongdoers ( e.g. : Dick Morris , Marv Albert ) rebound too quickly in our celebrity culture .
But usually at least a nanosecond of contrition is required .
Stephanopoulos is cashing in without even going through the minimal motions of holding himself accountable for misleading the country .
If Clinton , as is now increasingly clear , was a time bomb waiting to explode , then Stephanopoulos helped smuggle him into the White House and muffled the ticking .
Where to Go
The crowded Kowloon peninsula and the booming New Territories on the mainland call for some serious sightseeing ; but we begin across Victoria Harbor on Hong Kong Island , where the city was first founded and which remains the center of government , business , and commerce .
Hong Kong Central
No matter how many tunnels and transit systems speed cross - harbor traffic , nothing matches the ride on the Star Ferry from Kowloon to the Central District across Victoria Harbor .
As the double-decker boats get ready to leave the pier , bells ring , the gangplank is raised , deckhands in blue sailor suits man the hawsers , and a couple of hundred commuters begin a seven - minute sightseeing tour .
The big green - and - white boat weaves its way through an ever-changing obstacle course of both large and small craft , and the soaring skyline of Hong Kong Island draws nearer .
As you get off , the 52 - story Jardine House with porthole - shaped windows catches the eye .
There are restaurants and a Starbuck's in the basement , and you can access the raised pedestrian crosswalk from the escalators on the ground floor .
Next to the Jardine building is Exchange Square , a complex with a large shopping mall ; just behind it is the General Post Office with a philatelic center on the ground floor .
Farther west is the ferry terminal for the outlying islands .
On Connaught Road Central , you 'll find one of Hong Kong 's curiosities , the 244 - m - ( 800 - ft - ) long Mid-Levels outdoor escalator .
It ferries commuters from the Mid-Levels apartment complexes downhill from 6 to 10 am , and uphill from 10 am to midnight .
Nearby is Central Market , the wholesale food market of Hong Kong , and the Hang Seng building ( private offices ) .
Just east of the Star Ferry terminal , you 'll come to City Hall .
No longer a center of government , it now functions as a cultural center .
Go through the underground walkway to Statue Square ; on the east side of the square is the Legislative Council Building , one of the few colonial buildings left in Hong Kong .
So great is the pressure on the available land that most of Hong Kong 's colonial architectural heritage has been demolished and replaced by new skyscrapers .
Despite protests by preservationists , there was little alternative .
Nearby is Chater Garden and a number of notable architectural landmarks .
Most famous is the striking 74 - story I.M. Pei Bank of China Tower , not beloved by the people of Hong Kong - its triangular prisms and sharp angles violate the principles of feng shui ( see box , page 68 ) and its radio masts stick up like an insect 's antennae .
The rival Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank is by architect Norman Foster ; built on a `` coathanger frame , '' its floors hang rather than ascend .
From inside the vast atrium you can view the whole structure as well as the mechanical workings of the building .
Two bronze lions , carrying out feng shui principles , guard its doors .
You can catch one of Hong Kong 's historic trams along Des Voeux Road and ride from Central to Causeway Bay ( see box , page 66 ) .
In 1904 , the narrow , double-decker trams ran along the waterfront , but land reclamation has placed them far inland .
From the Bank of China Tower , make a short detour up Garden Road and turn into Battery Path to reach the landmark St. John's Cathedral .
Built 1847 - 1849 , this usually deserted Anglican foundation is Hong Kong 's oldest church .
During World War II , the church was turned into a club for Japanese officers ; it was restored after the war .
Note the stained glass windows in the Quiet Chapel , designed by Joseph Edward Nuttgens in the late 1950s .
Behind the church is the 1917 French Mission Building , now used as the Court of Final Appeal .
Across from the I.M. Pei tower a winding path leads up to Hong Kong Park .
The park 's 10.5 hectares ( 25 acres ) of landscaped gardens and lakes contains a large greenhouse that holds many species of plants , and an aviary of exotic birds .
In the park is the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware ( see page 54 ) .
It 's in Hong Kong 's oldest colonial building , with exhibits describing the history of tea from the Warring States period ( 475 - 221 b.c. ) to the present .
If you leave the park and walk up Cotton Tree Drive , you will find the Peak Tram terminal .
To the Summit
For more than a century , the most exhilarating way up Victoria Peak has been by funicular .
The Peak Tram starts its scenic climb just across the street and around the corner from the American Consulate in Garden Road and makes its way , sometimes at a startlingly steep incline , to the summit at 398 m ( 1,305 ft ) .
The right-of-way travels past fancy apartment blocks , bamboo stands , and jungle flowers .
Passengers crane their necks for dizzying glimpses of the harbor .
The Peak is still the most fashionable place to live in Hong Kong , but real estate prices here are astronomical ; rents run around HK$50,000 a month .
The Peak Tram , originally steam - powered , was built to speed the wealthy taipans to their mountainside retreats .
Before the tram was built , sedan chairs and rickshaws were the only way to get here .
Since the tram 's inauguration in 1888 it has stopped only for typhoons and World War II .
The modern 120 - passenger cars make the journey in around eight minutes .
However , on sunny Saturdays and Sundays you may have to brave a crowd lining up at the lower terminal .
During the spring and autumn festivals , when people traditionally seek out the hilltops , the throngs are so large you would be better advised to try another time .
At the upper terminus there is a four - level shopping center , the Peak Galleria , and the Peak Tower , which resembles an airport control tower and has shops , entertainment , and restaurants .
You can walk around the peak for impressive views of Hong Kong , the coastline , and the islands in 45 minutes on Lugard and Harlech roads .
The view is especially effective at night .
There are also souvenir stands , benches for a rest , and perhaps Hong Kong 's last surviving rickshaws - however these are not for rides , but are a tourist photo opportunity .
If you 're up to a climb , take the Mount Austin road to the Victoria Peak Gardens .
These gardens used to belong to the governor 's mountain lodge , but the building was demolished by the Japanese during the occupation of Hong Kong .
From the lower terminal of the Peak Tram it 's only a short walk to the former governor 's residence , Government House , now a museum .
Across from the mansion , the Zoological and Botanical Gardens ( gardens open daily 6 am - 10 pm ; zoo 6 am - 7 pm ; admission free ) provide a welcome oasis amid the big - city pressures .
In the very early morning the park is taken over by people doing tai-chi exercises .
Both young and old go through ballet - like movements in slow motion to discipline the mind and body .
The park 's zoo has a collection of weird and wonderful chattering jungle birds .
More Hong Kong Island Sights
Western District
The Western District is one of Hong Kong 's oldest neighborhoods , and its narrow streets hold a collection of fascinating traditional shops and enterprises .
Opposite the Macau Ferry Terminal you 'll find the Western Market ( open 10 am - 7 pm ) .
It is more interesting for its architecture than for its shopping ; it 's situated in a four - story Edwardian building built in 1906 .
For an interesting glimpse of small and family - owned shops , walk along Bonham Strand East and West , Man Wa Lane , and Cleverly Street .
You 'll find herb and medicine shops , incense shops , chop makers ' shops ( makers of Chinese seals ) , and more .
Hong Kong University 's campus is spread along Bonham Road .
When it opened in 1912 , the university had a total of 72 students .
At the top of a sloping driveway , the stately Edwardian structure that was the original university building presides over the institution 's newer buildings .
The University 's Fung Ping Shan Museum , 94 Bonham Road ( open Monday - Saturday 9:30 am - 6 pm , admission free ) holds a significant collection of antiquities : bronzes , dating from 3000 b.c. , and ceramics , including Han Dynasty tomb pottery .
It also has the world 's largest collection of Nestorian crosses from the Yuan Dynasty period .
Around Hollywood Road
Take the Mid - Levels Escalator to Hollywood road , known for its antiques and curio shopping .
Here the windows and open doors of the shops reveal an alluring selection of Asian furniture , carpets , carvings , tomb figures , porcelain , and bronze .
Walk west along Hollywood Road until you come to Man Mo Temple , the island 's oldest house of worship ( though the date of its founding is subject to dispute ) .
Visitors entering the temple are confronted by a dense pall of smoke from all the burning joss sticks and the incense coils hanging from the ceiling ( these will burn for as long as a month ) .
The gold - plated sedan chairs on the left-hand side of the temple were once used for transporting the statues of the temple 's gods in religious processions .
The statues in the main shrine represent Man , the god of literature , and Mo , the god of war , a curious juxtaposition .
The temple is always crowded with worshippers .
Just past the temple is the aptly named Ladder Street .
Go down one flight of steps to Lascar Row , popularly known as Cat Street , for more antiques and curio shops .
Walk up the steps to reach Caine Lane , where you 'll find the Museum of Medical Sciences ( open Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm ; admission by donation ) .
The interesting Edwardian building was formerly the Pathological Institute , founded to combat the 19th century 's 30 - year - long outbreak of bubonic plague .
The old laboratory is still intact , and there are exhibits on Chinese pharmacology and the history of medicine in Hong Kong .
Wan Chai
Just to the east of the financial district , Wan Chai was once an area of sleazy clubs and topless bars ; this was the setting for The World of Suzy Wong .
Servicemen relaxing from the rigors of the Vietnam War poured millions of dollars into the Wan Chai boom of the 1960s .
There are still bars and clubs here , but the area has become almost mainstream , and office towers are replacing many of the sinful old premises .
The Wan Chai waterfront is dominated by the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre , the largest in Asia , which includes hotels , theaters , and exhibition halls .
The convention center , an extension on reclaimed land , affords stunning views of the Wan Chai waterfront .
Adjacent , just west of the convention center , is another modern highlight , the Academy for the Performing Arts on Gloucester Road .
On Wan Chai 's Bowen Road , Maiden 's Rock , also called Lover 's Rock , is the gathering place for the annual Maiden 's festival .
Although it is not a tourist attraction , the rock is steeped in tradition .
Every August young women convene to light joss sticks and some even climb the nine - meter ( 30 - ft ) rock to pray for good husbands .
Causeway Bay
About 2 km ( a mile ) east of Wan Chai , Causeway Bay is second only to Tsim Sha Tsui as Hong Kong 's place to shop .
A prosperous tourist district , it is full of shopping centers and department stores , along with a number of good restaurants .
The busy night - and - day crowds make this area vibrant and lively .
On the nautical side is the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter , where expensive yachts are anchored almost gunwale to gunwale , and the Hong Kong Yacht Club has its headquarters .
Across Gloucester Road , opposite the World Trade Centre , is the Noonday Gun , which under British rule was sounded on the stroke of midday .
Silent for a time , the tradition has been revived and is a tourist attraction .
It 's not clear how the custom started .
One story has it that traders Jardine, Matheson and Co fired a private salute for a visiting tycoon , an act that incensed the colonial authorities , who felt that they had the sole right to issue such a 21 - gun welcome .
As a result , the merchants were forced to limit their salvoes to one a day - and from then on , they signaled the noon hour daily for all to hear .
The gun was made famous by Noel Coward 's satirical song , `` Mad Dogs and Englishmen . ''
Farther east is Hong Kong 's largest park , Victoria Park , with sports grounds and other facilities .
On the eastern side of Victoria Park on Causeway Road is Tin Hau Temple , dedicated to Tin Hau , the Taoist Queen of Heaven and patroness of seafarers .
Originally the temple was on the shore but reclamation projects have now left it high and dry .
On the 23rd day of the Third Moon , the birthday of the goddess is celebrated here and in all Hong Kong fishing communities .
Inland from the bay is Happy Valley .
At one time it was a very miserable valley , a swampland conducive only to breeding malarial mosquitoes .
It is home to Hong Kong 's first racetrack .
Hong Kong 's gamblers are so eager to play the horses that , despite the opening of a bigger and better racetrack at Sha Tin , the Happy Valley Racecourse is thriving .
Up Tai Hang Road behind Causeway Bay is Aw Boon Haw ( Tiger Balm) Gardens ( open daily 9:30 am - 4 pm ) , founded in 1935 by the late Aw Boon Haw , who became a millionaire by producing the medicinal Tiger Balm .
( It does not , in fact , contain any ingredients from tigers , but does promise to cure a wide range of problems such as colds , headaches , rheumatism , gout , toothache , and scorpion bites ) .
With its garish pagodas , artificial caves , and brightly painted statues of well-known Taoist and Buddhist legends , the garden is an obvious photo opportunity .
Around the Coast
Aberdeen , the island 's oldest settlement , once a pirate lair , is home to the `` floating population '' - the boat people who spend their entire lives on the junks in the harbor , some proudly claiming never to have set foot on land ( except for funerals , which do n't count ) .
The junks are a picturesque sight : children frolicking on the poop deck , women preparing food or playing mahjong , elderly folk watching the sunset , dogs and cats underfoot , songbirds in bamboo cages overhead - and all afloat .
The boats may appear deceptively primitive , but many of them have their own electric generators and all the modern conveniences .
There are fewer boats now than in the past ; many boat people , especially the younger generation , have moved to housing projects .
You can take a tour of the port in one of the small sampans , propelled by hand by women drivers .
A half - hour tour costs HK$50 ; pay at the end , or the driver may cut your trip short .
Aberdeen 's theatrical floating restaurants have been a tourist attraction for many years .
The food may not live up to expectations , but the fantasy environment makes up for it .
If you can get up early enough , you can attend the pre-dawn auction held at the vast local wholesale fish market ; otherwise , have a look at the street market that goes on later in the day .
The peninsula opposite the east coast of Ap Lei Chau island contains Ocean Park ( open daily 10 am - 6 pm ; admission HK$150 adults , HK$75 children ) , which has become one of Hong Kong 's biggest attractions .
It is divided into three areas : a highland , a lowland , and the Middle Kingdom .
Linking the lowland and highland sections of the park , a cable-car system offers spectacular views across to the islands of the South China Sea .
The Oceanarium is said to be the largest in the world , and the Ocean Theatre features displays by dolphins , killer whales , seals , and pelicans .
An enormous roller-coaster rising way above the sea , space wheels , and high-diving shows guarantee a day of excitement .
The Middle Kingdom is a recreated `` living '' history of China 's past , presented through a number of full-size replicas of shrines , temples , pagodas , palaces , and street scenes .
There are also demonstrations of traditional Chinese crafts , including silk - weaving , pottery , and papermaking .
Water World , formerly in the complex , has closed for redevelopment .
Continuing around the coast in a counter-clockwise direction , Deep Water Bay offers a good beach and harbors .
The next inlet is Repulse Bay , a roomy , sandy crescent , with green hills .
It 's so attractive and so easy to reach that it 's packed with sunbathers all summer long .
Stanley was once one of the main fishing villages on Hong Kong Island .
The well-known Stanley Market ( see page 55 ) is a major source for bargain clothing and other merchandise .
Stanley is also a favorite place of residence for ex-pats .
The waterfronts at Repulse Bay and Stanley are lined with good cafes and restaurants .
Kowloon
Though much smaller than Hong Kong Island , Kowloon has almost twice the population .
In many areas , the density reaches the equivalent of 150,000 inhabitants per square km ( a quarter square mile ) .
Most of Kowloon 's attractions for visitors are centered near the tip of the peninsula in the district known as Tsim Sha Tsui .
Adjacent to the Star Ferry terminal is Ocean Terminal , where international cruise ships dock , and the gigantic Harbour City , a complex of malls , hotels , and restaurants .
If you walk east on the Star Ferry terminal concourse , you will find yourself on the wonderful Promenade , which begins at the clock tower , all that remains of the once grand Kowloon- Canton Railway Terminus .
The waterfront here offers unparalled views of the harbor and Hong Kong Island .
If you continue to the end of the promenade , you will be in Tsim Sha Tsui East , a busy commercial district built on more than 60 hectares ( 150 acres ) of reclaimed land .
Flanked by the clock tower is the imposing Hong Kong Cultural Centre .
Hong Kong 's major venue for the performing arts , the building has been criticized for its fortress - like architecture and windowless facade .
The interior is a comfortable amalgam of Chinese and Western design , with an impressive main lobby .
The center contains a concert hall with acclaimed acoustics , theaters , a library , an exhibition gallery , shops , restaurants , and bars .
Next door is the Hong Kong Space Museum and Theatre ( open Monday, Wednesday - Friday 1 - 9 pm ; Saturday , Sunday 10 am - 9 pm ; closed Tuesday ; admission HK$10 adults , HK$5 children ; separate admission to theater ) .
Its futuristic dome design is striking ; inside are interactive exhibits , including one in which you can experience weightlessness .
The theater presents `` sky shows '' and IMAX films .
The Hong Kong Museum of Art ( see page 54 ) stands behind the Space Museum next to the cultural center .
It contains the Xubaizhi collection of painting and calligraphy ; galleries devoted to antiquities and ceramics ; and a gallery of modern Chinese art .
Particularly interesting is the collection of paintings and photographs of old Hong Kong .
The museum mounts special exhibitions and has an excellent gift shop .
A few blocks up Chatham Road South are two more major museums .
The Science Museum ( see page 55 ) is a state-of-the-art interactive museum that will teach you how everything and anything works from ancient sailing ships to the latest technology .
The Museum of History ( open Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 6 pm , Sunday 1 - 6 pm ; closed Monday ; admission HK$10 adult , HK$5 child ) opened its new permanent collection at the end of August 2001 .
The fascinating collection of artifacts pertaining showcases 6,000 years of Hong Kong 's history and Chinese culture .
Just across Salisbury Road from the cultural center is the historic Peninsula Hotel , now expanded and modernized by a 32 - story tower .
Its restored lobby is Hong Kong 's most elegant gathering place ; afternoon tea here is a visitors ' ritual .
Alongside the hotel runs busy Nathan Road , Hong Kong 's fabled shopping street , lined with shops , hotels , and restaurants .
Kowloon 's main street was created by Sir Matthew Nathan when he was governor of Hong Kong at the turn of the 19th century .
At the time it was built , many thought it absurd to have a tree - lined boulevard running through what was practically a wilderness .
Now the former `` Nathan's Folly `` is known as the `` Golden Mile . ''
A few blocks up Nathan Road is Kowloon Park ( open daily 6 am - midnight ) , elegantly laid out with fountains , promenades , and ornamental gardens ; be sure to go up the steps to see the Sculpture Walk .
Farther up Nathan Street you will reach Yau Ma Tei , one of the older parts of Kowloon .
Turn off Nathan and walk down Kansu Street to find the Jade Market ( open 10 am - 3 pm ; see page 80 ) , with more than 100 stalls spread out in a large tent , just before you reach the overpass .
Hong Kong 's liveliest market scene is the Temple Street Night Market ( see page 55 ) , near Jordan Road .
Everything is sold here , from clothing to souvenirs to electronic goods , and the market is known for its street-side food stalls , where you can dine inexpensively on seafood .
The market runs all the way up to Tin Hau Temple , where you will find fortune tellers ' tables ( some speak English ) and possibly street performers singing Chinese opera or pop songs .
The temple is one of the many dedicated to Tin Hau , goddess of seafarers ; this one also houses an altar to Shing Wong , the city 's god .
In the daytime the temple ( open 8 am - 6 pm ) attracts worshipers , and its park attracts strollers and mahjong players .
Nathan Road goes all the way up to Boundary Street , which marks the boundary between Kowloon and the New Territories .
Near Boundary Street , off Prince Edward Street West , is the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden ( open 8 am - 7 pm ) .
Birds are favorite pets in Hong Kong , valued for their singing rather than their plumage , and here you 'll find all kinds of birds for sale as well as elaborate teak and bamboo cages .
Off the beaten path in Sham Shui Po , west of the junction of Nathan Road and Boundary Street , is the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb and Museum on Tonkin Road ( open Monday - Wednesday and Friday - Saturday 10 am - 6 pm , Sunday 1 - 6 pm ; closed Thursday ) .
This ancient burial vault is believed to date back to the Han Dynasty ( a.d. 25 - 220 ) .
The barrel - vaulted chambers were discovered while excavating for a nearby housing project .
New Territories
Hong Kong 's New Territories begin at Boundary Street .
Surprises spring up on all sides : new industrial complexes alongside sleepy farming villages , skyscraper towns blooming in the middle of nowhere , Hakka women in their traditional flat straw hats with hanging black curtains , water buffalo , and flashes of azalea everywhere .
The New Territories can be explored by taking the Kowloon - Canton Railway ( KCR ) , which makes 10 stops between the station in Kowloon and Sheung Shui , the last stop before entering China .
Ask the tourist authority about its interesting Heritage Tour from Kowloon and other countryside tours ( see page 113 ) .
The main highway makes a circuit of the New Territories , beginning with the new town of Tsuen Wan , situated in an area of heavy industry just west of Kowloon .
North of the town , a commanding view over all the New Territories to the north can be seen from Tai Mo Shan , Hong Kong 's highest peak at 957 m ( 3,140 ft ) .
The highway continues parallel to the coast .
One - third of all Hong Kong 's beaches are to be found in a single 14 - km ( 9 - mile ) stretch of this region 's shoreline .
Place names are often based on the distance to the nearest mile-post , as measured from the tip of the Kowloon peninsula .
Thus you will find `` 19 - mile Beach '' at Castle Peak Bay .
The main road continues clockwise around the New Territories .
As you approach the border , you can glimpse the skyscrapers of Shenzhen .
The lookout point at Lok Ma Chau was once known as Hong Kong 's `` window on China `` - in the years of China 's isolation from the West , tourists would come to the lookout point here and rent binoculars in order to get a glimpse of the great mystery beyond .
Set amid Tseun Wan 's residential towers is the 18th - century walled village of Sam Tung Uk , now preserved as a museum , and a short walk from the MTR station .
Not far away , at milepost 21 near the large new town of Tuen Mun , is a Taoist retreat known as Ching Chung Koon .
This `` Temple of Green Pines `` is a spacious complex containing temples and pavilions , statues , and gardens .
It is known for its collection of bonsai and houses a jade seal more than 1,000 years old .
Among the ponds is one inhabited by turtles : Visitors toss in coins in the hope of bouncing one off a turtle 's head , a sure way of achieving good fortune .
An even more interesting image out of Chinese history is the walled village of Kat Hing Wai , in the village of Kam Tin just outside the market town of Yuen Long .
This is the most easily accessible of the New Territories ' walled villages .
It is built in a square , and the only way in is through the gate in the brick defensive wall .
Kat Hing Wai was built four or five centuries ago by the Hakka Tang clan , one of the Five Great Clans that migrated here from North China ( see page 11 ) .
Many of the old houses in the village have been replaced by modern structures .
The Tang clan 's earliest walled village was Lo Wai , which also has its defensive wall intact and is entered by a narrow gate .
Adjacent to the village is the restored Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall .
Few traditional ancestral halls remain in China since the anti-historical destruction during the Cultural Revolution , so these New Territories ancestral halls are rare survivors .
Another such hall , belonging to the Liu Clan , is Liu Man Shek Tong in the village of Sheung Shui .
One of the most interesting sites in the New Territories is Tai Fu Tai , another rare survivor , this one a mansion that belonged to a Confucian high official .
The house was built in 1865 by a member of the Man clan who achieved the rank of tai fu ( mandarin ) by doing well in the Imperial Examinations .
The preservation of this wonderful home is ongoing ; a projected restoration of the original garden is still in progress .
The traditional Qing Dynasty style of the mansion is enlivened by a few Western touches : a Baroque - style ceiling and stained glass above the doorways , showing the builder 's up - to - date attitude at the time of construction .
The highway and the railway stay close together from Fanling , site of the best golf courses in the area .
Tai Po , just south of Fanling , is known for its market , Tai Po Market , which buzzes with activity daily from 7 am to 6 pm .
Just up a lane from the market is the Man Mo Temple , with long-burning incense coils hanging from its ceiling , a popular spot dedicated to the Taoist gods of war and literature .
The railway line then curves gracefully around Tolo Harbor , an idyllic body of water well-protected from the open sea .
You can take a ferryboat through the harbor , past the ingenious Plover Cove reservoir , a water catchment area appropriated by damming and draining a broad inlet from the sea .
The boats go on to the friendly fishermen 's island of Tap Mun , in Mirs Bay , with stops in remote hamlets of the Sai Kung Peninsula .
The Sai Kung area is the location of two official parks and nature preserves , while on the south side of the peninsula are some of the territory 's best beaches .
From the next railway station , the modern campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong is visible .
Teaching here is conducted in both Chinese and English .
The Art Gallery in the Institute of Chinese Studies Building is worth a visit for its painting and calligraphy collections .
Sha Tin is the site of the Monastery of 10,000 Buddhas , which looks down on a burgeoning town .
There are hundreds of stone steps in the hillside to walk up before you reach Man Fat Temple with its regiments of small gilt statues of Buddha lining the walls .
Some indefatigable climbers will want to go up to the top of the nine - story pink pagoda for a panoramic view .
There is a total of 12,800 Buddha statues here , plus the remains of the monastery 's founder embalmed in gold leaf .
Also here is the Hongkong Heritage Museum ( call Tel 2180 8188 for open hours ) .
The museum has an art collection , and displays of toys and other artifacts .
Down to earth , the Sha Tin Racecourse can accommodate over 80,000 spectators and is equipped with every imaginable luxury , including a giant video screen facing the stands , and for the horses , air-conditioned stables .
Opposite the Sha Tin railway station , New Town Plaza features shops , cinemas , and even a computer - controlled musical fountain .
Two natural rock formations are always pointed out on excursions .
Sha Tin Rock , better known as Amah Rock , is actually a pile of several rocks that resemble a woman with a baby in a sling on her back .
Legend has it that a local woman climbed the hill every day to watch for her husband returning from across the sea ; one day the wife and her child were turned to stone as a permanent symbol of her enduring faith .
Closer to town is Lion Rock , shaped like a lion lying in wait .
It really looks the part ; the tourists know its name even before the guide can translate it .
The Islands
Excursion companies sell a variety of orientation cruises of Hong Kong harbor that include a look at some of its 235 outlying islands .
These pleasant , but expensive , outings can lay the foundation for your own explorations aboard the cheap but usually comfortable ferries used by the islanders themselves .
From the ferry terminals on Hong Kong Island you can escape to islands without cars or cares , where the local people smile `` hello '' and , if you 're lucky , point you to a secret beach for the ultimate in quality leisure time .
For ferry information , call Tel 2542 3081 or 2525 1108 .
Lantau Island
The mountainous island of Lantau is the biggest in the colony , and covers nearly twice the area of Hong Kong Island .
Chek Lap Kok airport sits on reclaimed land just off Lantau ; plans to build a bridge may change Lantau , but at present it is sparsely populated and makes a perfect getaway .
At 934 m ( 3,064 ft ) , Lantau Peak is high enough to attract the occasional rain cloud - refreshingly cool breezes blow on most hot summer days .
More than half the island is parkland , and there is a 70 - km ( 45 - mile ) circular hiking trail ( see page 92 ) .
Ferries depart from Central every two hours between 6:10 am and 10:30 pm to Silvermine Bay ( Mui Wo ) , where a bus terminal has buses to all parts of the island .
There are also ferries to Discovery Bay .
A short bus ride away is Cheung Sha Beach , 3 km ( 2 miles ) long , and popular for its white sand and excellent facilities .
The most famous site on the island is the world 's tallest seated bronze statue of Buddha at 22 m ( 72.6 ft ) , the Tiantan Buddha ( see page 55 ) .
The statue and a small museum are on a peak , up 268 steps , above Po Lin Monastery .
The monastery is strictly vegetarian , and visitors are warned not to bring any meat with them .
You can have a delicious vegetarian lunch here .
From the monastery , hikers enjoy the two - hour cross-country trek down to Silvermine Bay , but the authorities have warned walkers to be on the lookout for snakes , which can be plentiful in the Lantau hinterland , especially in summer .
The hillsides that surround the monastery are the site of Hong Kong 's only tea plantation .
Visitors are welcome to visit the 24 - hectare ( 60 - acre ) establishment , and may sample the end product , Lantau tea .
The island 's largest community is Tai O . The people of this picturesque village make their living by fishing , duck - breeding , and food - processing .
Many of the inhabitants live - by choice , not necessarily through economic hardship - on the water , aboard houseboats or in houses on stilts in the main creek .
A Trappist monastery , situated on a hillside overlooking the east coast of Lantau , is also open to visitors .
To get here , follow the path from the southwest end of Discovery Bay ; the walk takes about 30 minutes .
Cheung Chau
Some 10 km ( 6 miles ) west of Hong Kong lies this small , crowded island , only one square mile in size .
More than 25,000 people live here , mostly by fishing , but there are also ex-pats , attracted by its laid-back Mediterranean ambience .
The island has a checkered past of smuggling and piracy .
That era is gone now , but other elements of the island 's old life are preserved .
The people still carve jade and build seaworthy junks , all by hand .
Fish ( heads discreetly wrapped in paper ) are still hung out to dry in the sun .
Cheung Chau becomes the center of Hong Kong life once a year , usually in May , during the Bun Festival , a folklore extravaganza ( see page 89 ) .
The rest of the year , life goes on at its accustomed pace : rickety machines chugging in two - man factories , children in school uniforms being ferried home to houseboats , and the old fishermen stirring shrimp paste .
By way of formal tourist attractions , Pak Tai Temple , built in 1783 , has some fine carvings and a great iron sword said to be 600 years old .
But the most interesting thing to do here is to explore the two villages on the island , Cheung Chau and San Wai .
They are an easy walk apart by the harbor road , or a longer 45 - minute hike on the scenic Peak Road .
The Praya , the promenade in front of the ferry pier , is a good place to observe the many junks and fishing boats in the harbor .
There are also several open-air restaurants where you can enjoy fresh seafood .
Lamma Island
Only 35 minutes by ferry from Central , Lamma Island is perfect for swimming , hiking , picnicking , birdwatching , or just sitting back to watch the bananas grow .
Hong Kong 's third largest island has a population of only about 12,000 ; it is still largely undeveloped , and life on Lamma , if not totally primitive , is close to the essentials .
Archaeologists indicate that Lamma has probably been inhabited for some 4,000 years , and the island is known as `` Hong Kong 's Stone Age Island . ''
The principal settlements are Yung Shue Wan on Lamma 's northwest , and Sok Kwu Wan , on the east coast .
Both villages offer good waterfront restaurants with homestyle Chinese food , principally seafood fresh from the tank .
The ports are within hiking distance of several beautiful beaches , and within a one - hour hike of each other on a marked trail .
You can build an appetite for dinner by making your way from the beach to the restaurant .
Yung Shue Wan is still a very British residential enclave , with many nice pubs .
An Excursion to Macau
Macau , the final bastion of Portugal 's great 16th - century empire , is much more than just a quirk of history .
Here , where East and West first met , life combines the spirit of Asia with something of the sunny atmosphere of the Mediterranean .
Macau 's historic center , with its colonial architecture , has a distinctly Mediterranean flavor .
Colonnaded public buildings , iron balconies , winding streets , flagstoned squares and the many churches all speak of the Portuguese inheritance as well as the Chinese , a fusion of East and West that has produced the unique Macanese culture .
The story of the Western discovery of Macau begins in 1513 when Portuguese explorer , Jorge Alvares , reached the south coast of China .
Traders followed in his wake , setting up bases in several parts of the Pearl River estuary .
Finally , in 1557 , they were all consolidated in Macau .
It was the only European gateway to China , and through Macau flowed Western technology and religion .
In 1576 Pope Gregory XIII created the Macau diocese , covering all of China and Japan .
No less impressive were the secular challenges .
China and Japan were not on speaking terms , so trade between them had to be channeled through a neutral middleman .
Lucky Macau fit the specifications exactly .
Portugal 's resulting near - monopoly of East - West trade understandably awakened the competitive instincts of other European powers .
The Dutch sent an invasion flotilla to Macau in 1622 , but the defenders triumphed .
However , the end of the golden age was drawing near .
China began to relax trade restrictions , and with the rise of Hong Kong , Macau became an isolated Portuguese outpost .
A haven for persecuted Japanese Christians in the 17th century , Portugal 's neutrality during World War II assured the territory a flood of refugees .
They were joined by a swarm of spies of all conceivable nationalities , and Macau won a name for international intrigue .
Portugal 's very precarious foothold on the Asian coast ended in 1999 with a formal handover to China .
Macau , now the Chinese Special Economic Zone of Zhuhai , is becoming something like a boomtown as an exporter of toys , furniture , and electronics .
New construction in the past 10 years has changed the city 's skyline ; with new , glittering hotels and highrise apartment blocks , the city is beginning to look a little more like Hong Kong .
Macau 's population is estimated at around 450,000 , an appallingly high figure for such a small area ; recent land reclamation has eased the situation to some extent .
If a trace of tropical lethargy still adds to the charm in this city of sidewalk cafes , palm trees , and pedicabs , any torpor definitely ends once inside the doors of Macau 's casinos , scene of some of the liveliest gambling west of Las Vegas .
Gambling provides almost 40 percent of the government 's tax revenues , and is a major source of employment .
Its spin-off industries , prostitution and pawn shops , also thrive .
Arriving
The easiest way to get to Macau is by jetfoil , operated by TurboJet ( Tel 2859-3333 ) .
The 40 - mile trip takes about an hour .
Departures are from the Macau Ferry Terminal , just west of Central in the Shun Tak Centre , 200 Connaught Road , Central , in Hong Kong .
Jetfoils leave every 15 to 30 minutes 24 hours a day .
Entry procedures are similar to those in Hong Kong - most nationalities need only a passport to enter Macau .
Macau 's own currency , the pataca , is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar , and you can use your Hong Kong currency freely in Macau .
Upon arrival in Macau , be sure to stop by the Macau Government Tourist Office for a map , brochures , and directions .
Outside the terminal , you will find taxis as well as buses to all points ( take 3 , 3A , 10 , or 10A to the historic center ; exact change is required ) .
You 'll also be approached by pedicab drivers ; these are tricycles carrying two passengers .
Pedicabs were once the most common form of transportation in Macau , but today they are mainly a tourist attraction .
Sights in Macau
Directly across the street from the wharf where passengers arrive from Hong Kong is the first surprise to greet visitors to Macau - the vast Jai-alai Palace , said to be the world 's most luxurious fronton .
In an effort to provide yet one more thing to bet on , players are imported from Spain to take part in this lightning - fast Basque ball game .
The grandstand situated on the seaside road , the Avenida da Amizade ( Friendship Avenue ) , marks the finishing line for the Macau Grand Prix , the international car - racing event held here every November .
Also in front of the ferry terminal is a new Cyber fountain , with 86 water spouts that shoot up to 70 m ( 230 ft ) and are illuminated at night by 288 spotlights producing 80 colors .
Continuing around the peninsula in a clockwise direction brings you to the Rua da Praia Grande ( Big Beach Street ) - a pleasant promenade with shaded benches under the banyan trees .
Along this elegant avenue is Government House , a modest pink palace .
The central square of the historic city center is Largo do Senado .
For an authentic feel of old Portugal , slip into the cool entrance hall of theimpressive Leal Senado ( `` Loyal Senate `` building ) , a fine example of colonial architecture .
On the inside walls are flowered blue tiles ( azulejos ) and coats of arms .
The inscription over the archway reads , `` Cidade do nome de Deus , nao ha outra mais leal '' - `` City of the Name of God , None is More Loyal '' - a bit of praise attributed to Portugal 's King John IV in the 17th century .
For all its historic grandeur , the loyal Senate now is the equivalent of a city council , its statesmanship dedicated to water supplies , sewage lines , and the establishment of playgrounds .
Macau 's most memorable monument is the Baroque facade of the ruins of Sao Paulo , the only remains of a beautiful 17th - century Jesuit church .
On top of a hill in the center of the city , it 's approached by a grand staircase .
The rest of the building and an adjoining college were destroyed in a typhoon - fanned fire in 1835 .
The rich sculptural effects on the facade mix Eastern and Western symbols : familiar saints , Chinese dragons , and a Portuguese caravel .
Beneath the church , the Museum of Sacred Art houses a collection of sacramental objects .
The ambitious Museum of Macau ( open Tuesday - Sunday 10 am - 6 pm ; admission HK$15 ) opened in 1998 in the lower levels of the Monte Fortress .
( Entrance is by escalator , near St. Paul 's ) .
It gives an overview of Macau 's history and its daily life and traditions .
A recreated street of colonial Macau is lined with traditional Chinese shops .
The fort , built by the Jesuits in the 17th century as a defense against the Dutch , was largely destroyed by the same fire that burned St. Paul's .
Luis Vaz de Camoes ( 1524 - 1580 ) , the Portuguese national poet whose work immortalized that country 's golden age of discoveries , may have stayed in Macau .
Local legend claims that he wrote part of his great saga , Os Lusiadas , in what is now called the Camoes Grotto , situated in the spacious tropical Camoes Garden .
Next to the museum , behind a gate ( opened to anyone who knocks ) , is the Old Protestant Cemetery .
Those whose fate was to die on some far foreign field could not have wanted a more peaceful , lovely graveyard .
The small , whitewashed chapelwas the first Protestant church built in China .
For a different vision of Old China , spend a few quiet moments in the classic Lou Lim Ieoc Garden .
Here , arched bridges , pagodas , fish ponds , and stands of bamboo create the mood of a timeless Chinese painting .
Nearby is the Memorial House of Dr . Sun Yat-sen , founder of the Chinese Republic .
Photos and documents tell the life story of the physician - revolutionary - statesman , who lived for a time in Macau , but never in this building .
Kun Iam Tong , off Avenida do Coronel Mesquita ( open daily 8 am - 6 pm ) , is a 17th - century Buddhist temple of considerable splendor and charm .
Surrounded by statues , carvings , and incense burners , here the faithful make their devotions and check their fortunes , and traditional funerary displays give a cheerful send-off to the recently departed .
An unexpected piece of historical memorabilia turns up in the monastery garden , where guides point out a small stone table used for a treaty - signing ceremony in 1844 .
The signatories , who were the Chinese viceroy from Canton and the minister plenipotentiary of the United States of America , put their names to a historic document - the first - ever treaty between the two countries .
Another important ceremony took place in 1999 when Macau became part of China .
The Handover Pavilion was meant to be a temporary structure , but public outcry ensured its preservation ( located on Xian Xing Hai ; open weekdays 10 am - 6 pm , until 10 pm weekends ) .
Nearby is the Macau Cultural Center and the Museum of Art ( open Tuesday - Sunday 10 am - 7 pm ; closed Monday ; small admission ) .
Macau 's oldest museum , the Maritime Museum ( Wednesday - Monday 10 am - 5:30 pm ; admission HK$10 , HK$5 children over 10 ) traces the history of Macau 's connection to the sea .
Exhibits cover fishing , seaborne trade , sea transport , and there is an aquarium .
The museum also offers boat tours aboard a fishing junk .
The museum is almost on the spot where the Portuguese first landed .
When they came ashore they found the A - Ma Temple ( properly called Ma Kok Temple ; open daily dawn to dusk ) , dedicated to the favorite goddess of fishermen , who is also known as Tin Hau .
The area was called A - Ma Gau ( `` Bay of A - Ma `` ) , and in this way , Macau got its name .
The ornate , picturesque temple dates from the Ming Dynasty ( 1368 - 1644 ) and is the oldest building in Macau .
The remains of the 17th - century Barra Fortress , which once defended the southern tip of the peninsula , contains the chapel of Santiago ( St. James ) .
The saint is much revered in the surrounding area .
Among other legends surrounding the statue is a very modern one : During the Chinese Cultural Revolution , when Red Guards were running rampant on Wanchai island , just a swim away , the image of St. James is said to have stepped down from the altar and halted an invasion .
Part of the fortress has been converted and is now used as a luxury inn .
The northernmost point in Macau is the frontier between two contrasting worlds .
The Barrier Gate ( Portas do Cerco ) , which was built more than a century ago , marks the boundary between the enclave of Macau and the People's Republic of China .
Trying Your Luck
Macau 's casinos are a source of non-stop excitement .
There are 12 of them ; you ca n't miss the eye-popping Lisboa , which has several floors of gambling , but there 's also the Hyatt Regency , the Mandarian Oriental , and Taipa 's Jockey Club .
The fancifully decorated Macau Palace , a floating casino moored on the western waterfront , is fitted out with gambling tables , slot machines ( known locally as `` hungry tigers '' ) and , for hungry humans , a restaurant .
Gambling is wildly popular with the Chinese of Hong Kong , and they make up nearly 80 percent of all visitors to the casinos .
The casinos offer familiar international games - baccarat , blackjack , boule , craps , roulette - along with more exotic Chinese pastimes .
Watch the fantan dealer for a few minutes and you 'll almost be an expert : It 's simply a matter of how many odd buttons are left after he has divided a pile of them into groups of four .
Dai-Siu ( Big and Small ) is a dice game in which the croupier throws three dice inside a glass container .
Players bet on the numbers that will come up , and on whether the result will be `` big '' or `` small . ''
Keno is a variation of bingo in which the player chooses numbers to bet on before the draw is made .
The casinos have no admission charge and formal dress is optional , though long pants for men are required .
They keep busy 24 hours a day , but if you want a change of scene there are always more gambling opportunities available .
You can try your luck at pari mutuel betting on jai-alai at pari mutuel , greyhound - racing at the Canidrome ( one of the largest in the world ) , and harness - racing on Taipa .
Shopping in Macau
Like Hong Kong , Macau is a duty - free port .
It is famous for its gold jewelry .
Market prices per tael ( 34 grams / 1.2 ounces ) of gold are set daily .
You should always ask for a certificate of guarantee when you buy gold or jewelry .
Look for jewelry shops along Avenida do Infante D. Henrique and Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro .
Browsing is a real pleasure in Macau 's main streets and byways , where shops aimed at the tourist market are interspersed with the more workaday ironmongers , herbalists , and noodle stalls .
Knowledgeable visitors look for antiques - either Chinese heirlooms or leftovers from the gracious Portuguese colonial days .
However , you are not likely to find bargains , and you should be aware that unless you are an expert , you can end up with a fake .
Also worth investigating are contemporary handicrafts , both Portuguese and Chinese , from across the border .
Food and Drink
Gourmets award Macau high marks for dependable Chinese cooking with an exotic bonus : Portuguese food and wines .
Macau 's own cuisine is a combination of Chinese flavors with the flavors imported from Portugal , Brazil , and Africa .
Whether you choose to dine in one of the Macanese , Chinese , traditional Portuguese , or international - style restaurants , you will be treated to a hearty meal at a good price .
The ingredients , especially the fresh fish and seafood , are first-rate .
A delicate , delicious fish is Macau sole ( linguado ) .
Imported dried cod ( bacalhao ) is the Portuguese national dish ; several varieties are available , usually baked .
Macau has an ample supply of Portuguese wines .
Try a vinho verde , a mildly sparkling young wine from northern Portugal , or a hearty red Dao or Colares .
After dinner , a glass of Madeira or port is recommended to round off the meal .
The more abstemious can stick to Portuguese mineral water .
Taipa and Coloane
Bridges link Macau with its two islands .
Since the construction of the New Macau - Taipa Bridge has allowed easy access to the airport , the population has grown to more than 30,000 , with industrial development , new apartment blocks , and luxury resort hotels .
The quaint Taipa Village , with its narrow lanes and colonial buildings painted yellow , blue , and green , has almost been completely swallowed up by the development of nearby housing projects .
The island is also the designated home of the University of East Asia .
Pay a visit to the Casa Museu da Taipa , and you 'll be able to get a glimpse of how Macanese families lived in former days .
A grand colonial house , fully restored and outfitted with period furnishings , provides the centerpiece for this expanding `` cultural village . ''
Farther away is Coloane , connected to Taipa by a causeway and a large land reclamation project .
Not as developed as Taipa , it offers the joys of sand and sea and is known for its beaches .
Cheoc Van and Hac Sa ( `` Black Sands `` ) are both popular resort areas , with lifeguards on duty in summer and windsurfing boards for rent .
There are restaurants , swimming pools , and changing facilities .
The village of Coloane is picturesque , with a central square lined with cafes .
The waterfront drive parallels the shore of a Chinese island , and boats headed to China pass through the narrow waterway .
The small Chapel of St. Francis Xavier is dedicated to the 16th - century patron saint of missionaries , and has on display the elbow of the saint , along with the bones of numerous Japanese and Vietnamese martyrs .
Seac Pai Van Park , on the west coast of the island is an interesting natural preserve with aNatural History Museum .
An Excursion to Guangzhou ( Canton ) Guangzhou was China 's major seaport for 2,000 years and the center for European traders in the 19th century .
The city still maintains its important gateway role .
Ever since 1957 the Canton Trade Fair ( officially the Chinese Export Commodities Fair ) has attracted throngs of international business people every spring and autumn .
Guangzhou , with a population of more than 5 million , straddles the Pearl River - China 's fifth longest - which links the city to the South China Sea .
This waterway accounts for much of the local charm and excitement , as the daily drama of the ferryboats , junks , sampans , freighters - and even small tankers and big gunboats - unfolds right in the center of town .
The river also irrigates the carefully tended surrounding farmlands , creating a beautifully lush , subtropical scene .
Guangdong Province has some of China 's most fertile land , and grows two crops of rice a year , along with vegetables of all kinds .
Guangzhou today is mostly about business and industry , featuring new development , skyscrapers , a whole new business area , and raised expressways .
The scary traffic is a real experience - vehicles of all kinds jockey for position on crowded streets , missing each other by inches , and speeding on the freeways is rampant .
Guangzhou is interestingly one of China 's most prosperous cities , determinedly on the move into the modern world .
It seems that the picturesque older sections with their old houses , narrow streets , and winding alleyways may not be around much longer .
Arriving in Guangzhou
There are many package tours to Guangzhou from Hong Kong ( see page 113 ) , and this may be the easiest way to visit the city .
However , it 's also easy to get to Guangzhou by train or ferry .
Four comfortable express trains depart the Kowloon - Canton Railway ( KCR ) Station in Hung Hom , Kowloon , making the trip in less than two hours .
Turbo Cat ferries leave the China Hong Kong City ( CHKC ) terminal twice a day ; the journey takes two hours .
Citibus also travels to Guangzhou from CHKC ; there are five round-trips a day , taking 3 1/2 hours .
You will need a visa to enter China ( see page 109 for information ) .
Hong Kong currency is widely accepted in Guangzhou , or you can change your currency into RMB ( yuan ) at any bank or hotel .
Note , however , that the exchange does not go the other way ( see page 116 ) .
Guangzhou , like Hong Kong , is primarily Cantonese - speaking , but many people also speak Mandarin .
English is spoken in hotels and tourist destinations .
If you travel by train , you will arrive at the Guangzhou East Station , a large modern complex , which connects with the subway , buses , hotel transfer services , and taxis .
The train station is in the newer business district ; nearby is Asia 's third - tallest building , at 83 stories , which will often be pointed out to you .
Sights in Guangzhou
Yuexiu Park , situated near the Trade Fair in the northern part of the city , is Guangzhou 's largest ; it covers a hilly 100 hectares ( 247 acres ) .
The park is landscaped with lakes and gardens .
In the park is the 1380 Zhenhai Tower , one of the city 's oldest buildings .
Actually a five - story pavilion on a hilltop , it contains a fine collection of historical exhibits .
Dr . Sun Yat-sen 's Memorial Hall honors the founder of the Chinese Revolution , flanked by his heroic statue in copper .
Dr . Sun Yat-sen ( 1866 - 1925 ) began his political career in Canton .
This enormous , modern version of a traditional Chinese building , with sweeping blue tile roofs , contains an auditorium big enough to seat 4,700 people .
It was built in 1931 with contributions from overseas Chinese .
The center of the park is the Five Rams Statue .
It celebrates the founding of Guangzhou , when five spirits rode their goats down from the celestial realm to present the inhabitants of the city with their very first grains of rice .
Guangzhou 's most important Buddhist monument is the 1,400 - year - old Temple of the Six Banyan Trees ( open 8 am - 5 pm ) .
Although the banyan trees that once flourished here are now no more , the often - restored complex has remained a focus of local Buddhist activities .
Golden Buddha statues in several of Buddha 's aspects adorn the temples , and overlooking them is the 17 - story Flower Pagoda , a slender relic of the Song dynasty ( a.d. 960 - 1279 ) .
In the early Middle Ages , Canton had a significant Muslim population as a result of its trade with the Middle East .
This explains the presence in Guangzhou of the Huaisheng Mosque , reputed to be China 's oldest , and traditionally dated a.d. 627 .
Rebuilt in modern times , the mosque serves the small local community of Muslims .
The modern minaret is known as the `` Plain ( or Naked ) Pagoda , '' in contrast to the Flower Pagoda of the Buddhist temple .
Chen Jia Ci , the Chen Family Institute ( open daily 8:30 am - 5 pm ) , was built in the late 19th century to promote arts and crafts .
An architectural wonder , it is itself a beautiful piece of craftsmanship with its sculpture and carved stone balustrades .
Porcelain friezes adorn the rooftops and ridgepoles , telling the story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms .
Inside is a collection of ceramics , carvings , and furniture .
There is also a market and a porcelain shop .
A former Confucian temple is presently the home of the historic National Peasant Movement Institute , where the Chinese Communist Party trained its leaders in the 1920s .
Mao Zedong himself directed the institute in 1926 , and gave lectures on geography , rural education , and `` The Problem of the Chinese Peasantry . ''
Zhou Enlai also taught here .
The atmosphere of 19th - century Canton is best evoked on Shamian Island , a haunting , nostalgic place in the Pearl River .
This small formerly residential island , beautifully shaded by banyan trees , was the home of the closed community of the foreign colony in the era of `` concessions . ''
The bridges were barred by night with iron gates to keep the Chinese out .
Its stately European - style buildings have since been restored , largely for use as government offices and foreign legations .
The island also has Guangzhou 's first modern luxury resort hotel .
A popular optional excursion is an hour 's detour to Guangzhou Zoo , founded in 1958 .
It houses more than 200 animal species , most famous of which is the giant panda , and has an imaginative monkey mountain behind a moat .
Not to be missed is a visit to Guangzhou 's famous open-air market , Qing Ping .
Guangzhou is famous for its food .
The Cantonese love to eat and have the reputation of eating almost anything that walks on four legs .
The market bears this out : Along with the usual ducks and chickens , you will see for sale snakes , dogs , bats , and sometimes monkeys - all are highly prized as delicacies .
More pleasantly , you can browse among lanes of antiques , flowers , herbs , fruit , goldfish , songbirds , and more .
A Side Trip to Foshan
A very popular day - trip from Guangzhou goes to Foshan , a city of nearly 300,000 people , renowned for its handicrafts for more than a thousand years .
The individual artisans ' shops are no longer here , but you can visit a silk - weaving factory , a ceramics plant , and the Foshan Folk Art Studio , where you can observe workers making Chinese lanterns , carving sculptures , painting scrolls , and cutting intricate designs in paper .
The Foshan Art Porcelain Factory has traditional designs , but also some attractive modern pieces .
Foshan 's most outstanding artistic monument is Zu Miao , the Taoist Ancestral Temple , a Sung dynasty establishment rebuilt in the 14th century and well worth visiting .
Constructed in wood , brick , stone , ceramic , and bronze , this is a work of extravagant beauty , uniting many ancient art forms .
The complex contains the oldest wooden stage in China , used by the Wan Fu Tai Chinese opera .
An Excursion to Shenzhen
Shenzhen was China 's first Special Economic Zone .
Literally created out of rural farmland , it was set up in the 1970s as the answer to Hong Kong .
From a population of 20,000 it has grown into a metropolis of 2.5 million , with tightly clustered skyscrapers and some of China 's highest grossing industries .
Because Shenzhen is much cheaper than Hong Kong , it is a popular weekend destination for Hong Kong 's Chinese , who come to relax , dine in its resorts , and play golf - Shenzhen hosted the World Cup of Golf in 1995 .
It is even becoming something of a commuter town - owning or renting an apartment here costs a fraction of what it would in Hong Kong .
Shenzhen is easy to reach - the KCR commuter train runs throughout the day , the trip taking about 40 minutes .
Visitors need a visa to enter China , and must disembark at the border ( now called `` boundary '' ) checkpoint , Lo Wai .
City buses also go to Shenzhen .
A Turbo Cat ferry makes a one - hour trip ( 7 am s 7 pm ) from Hong Kong 's Macau Ferry Terminal to Shekou on the Natau Peninsula , which is part of the economic zone .
Shenzhen is a premier shopping center , and much cheaper than Hong Kong .
It is known for its inexpensive ( but well - made ) knock-off designer goods .
You can use your Hong Kong dollars here , so there 's no need to change currency .
Some places take credit cards , but cash is better for bargaining .
Just across the border is the huge Lo Wu City shopping mall , to which you can walk ; other shopping malls are nearby .
Shenzhen 's main tourist attractions are its enormous theme parks .
One of them - Splendid China - purports to show `` all of China in one day . ''
It contains elaborate replicas of China 's chief monments in impressive detail , including a scaled - down version of the Great Wall .
The 24 China Folk Culture Villages represent China 's ethnic variety ; they feature craftspeople in traditional costumes along with folksong and dance performances .
In Shekou is a large Free Market , and an exhibition of Xian 's terra-cotta warriors .
ID:ATM1-1 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome .
Steve , who was sitting next to John , got down in Rome .
QN : Is John in Baghdad ?
ID:ATM1-2 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome .
Steve , who was sitting next to John , got down in Rome .
QN : Is John in Paris ?
ID:ATM1-3 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome .
Steve , who was sitting next to John , got down in Rome .
QN : Was John in Paris ?
ID:ATM1-4 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome .
Steve , who was sitting next to John , got down in Rome .
QN : Was John in Rome ?
ID:ATM1-5 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome .
Steve , who was sitting next to John , got down in Rome .
QN : Where was John in Rome ?
ID:ATM1-6 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome .
Steve , who was sitting next to John , got down in Rome .
QN : Did John pass through the Rome airport customs area ?
ID:ATM1-7 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome .
Steve , who was sitting next to John , got down in Rome .
QN : Did Steve pass through the Rome airport customs area ?
ID:ATM2-1 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome , where John was arrested .
QN : Is John in Baghdad ?
ID:ATM2-2 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome , where John was arrested .
QN : Where is John ?
ID:ATM2-3 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome , where John was arrested .
QN : Did John pass through the Rome airport customs ?
ID:ATM2-4 .
John took the plane from Paris to Baghdad .
On the way the plane stopped in Rome , where John was arrested .
QN : Is the plane in Baghdad ?
ID:ATM3-1 .
John is a US citizen .
He is in Boston on Dec 1 .
That day he applied for the passport .
QN : Can he go to Paris on Dec. 1 ?
ID:ATM3-2 .
John is a US citizen .
He is in Boston on Dec 1 .
That day he applied for the passport .
QN : Can he go to Paris on Dec 14th ?
ID:ATM3-3 .
John is a US citizen .
He is in Boston on Dec 1 .
That day he applied for the passport .
QN : Can he go to Paris on the Jan 10th ?
ID:ATM4-1 .
John , who always carries his laptop with him , took a flight from Boston to Paris on the morning of Dec 11th .
QN : In which city is John 's laptop on the evening of Dec 10th ?
ID:ATM4-2 .
John , who always carries his laptop with him , took a flight from Boston to Paris on the morning of Dec 11th .
QN : In which city is John 's laptop on the evening of Dec 11th ?
ID:ATM5-1 .
John , who travels abroad often , is at home in Boston and receives a call that he must immediately go to Paris .
QN : Can he just get on a plane and fly to Paris ?
ID:ATM5-2 .
John , who travels abroad often , is at home in Boston and receives a call that he must immediately go to Paris .
QN : What does he need to do to be in Paris ?
ID:ATM6-1 .
John spent December 10 in Paris and took a plane to Baghdad the next morning .
He was planning to meet Bob who was waiting for him there .
QN : Was John in the Middle East in mid-December ?
ID:ATM6-2 .
John spent December 10 in Paris and took a plane to Baghdad the next morning .
He was planning to meet Bob who was waiting for him there .
QN : Did he meet Bob in the Middle East in mid-December ?
ID:ATM7-1 .
President Bush attended Pope John Paul II 's funeral in Rome on the Morning of April 8 .
QN : Was President Bush in Rome on April 8 ?
ID:ATM7-2 .
President Bush attended Pope John Paul II 's funeral in Rome on the Morning of April 8 .
QN : Was President Bush in Texas on the afternoon of April 8 .?
ID:ATM8-1 .
A rainstorm caused cancellation of the important meeting on Thursday .
Friday had beautiful weather .
QN : Did the meeting take place on Thursday ?
ID:ATM8-2 .
A rainstorm caused cancellation of the important meeting on Thursday .
Friday had beautiful weather .
QN : Did the meeting take place on Friday ?
ID:ATM9-1 .
A CH-47 Chinook , carrying 10 people , crashed near Ghazni while returning to Bagram Air Base near the capital .
The pilot perished in the crash .
QN : Did the Chinook arrive at Bagram Air Base ?
ID:ATM9-2 .
A CH-47 Chinook , carrying 10 people , crashed near Ghazni while returning to Bagram Air Base near the capital .
The pilot perished in the crash .
QN : Is the Pilot alive ?
ID:ATM9-3 .
A CH-47 Chinook , carrying 10 people , crashed near Ghazni while returning to Bagram Air Base near the capital .
The pilot perished in the crash .
QN : How many people survived ?
ID:ATM10-1 .
A.Q. Khan of Pakistan sold plans for a nuclear bomb to Iran .
He also sold the XYZ-11 , the key part necessary for the trigger .
QN : Does Iran have plans for a nuclear bomb ?
ID:ATM10-2 .
A.Q. Khan of Pakistan sold plans for a nuclear bomb to Iran .
He also sold the XYZ-11 , the key part necessary for the trigger .
QN : Does Pakistan have plans for a nuclear bomb ?
ID:ATM10-3 .
A.Q. Khan of Pakistan sold plans for a nuclear bomb to Iran .
He also sold the XYZ-11 , the key part necessary for the trigger .
QN : Does Iran have the XYZ-11 ?
ID:ATM10-4 .
A.Q. Khan of Pakistan sold plans for a nuclear bomb to Iran .
He also sold the XYZ-11 , the key part necessary for the trigger .
QN : Does Pakistan have the XYZ-11 ?
ID:ATM11-1 .
John was at the station in Washington D.C at 10:00 AM on March 15, 2005 .
His train to New York was scheduled to leave the station at 10:30 .
QN : Was John in Washington at 10 ?
ID:ATM11-2 .
John was at the station in Washington D.C at 10:00 AM on March 15, 2005 .
His train to New York was scheduled to leave the station at 10:30 .
QN : Was John in Washington at 10:15 ?
ID:ATM11-3 .
John was at the station in Washington D.C at 10:00 AM on March 15, 2005 .
His train to New York was scheduled to leave the station at 10:30 .
QN : Was John in Washington at 10:30 ?
ID:ATM11-4 .
John was at the station in Washington D.C at 10:00 AM on March 15, 2005 .
His train to New York was scheduled to leave the station at 10:30 .
QN : Was John in Washington on March 15 ?
ID:ATM11-5 .
John was at the station in Washington D.C at 10:00 AM on March 15, 2005 .
His train to New York was scheduled to leave the station at 10:30 .
QN : Was John in New York on March 15th ?
ID:ATM11-6 .
John was at the station in Washington D.C at 10:00 AM on March 15, 2005 .
His train to New York was scheduled to leave the station at 10:30 .
QN : Was John in California on March 15th ?
ID: Brandeis - 01.1 .
StatesWest Airlines withdrew its offer to acquire Mesa Airlines .
QN : Was an offer made to acquire Mesa Airline ?
ID: Brandeis - 01.2 .
StatesWest Airlines withdrew its offer to acquire Mesa Airlines .
QN : Did StatesWest ever plan to acquire Mesa Airlines ?
ID: Brandeis - 01.3 .
StatesWest Airlines withdrew its offer to acquire Mesa Airlines .
QN : Did StatesWest acquire Mesa Airlines ?
ID: Brandeis -02 .
Steynar Gil welcomed the release of prisoners imprisoned during the October 15 -16 riots .
QN : Have prisoners imprisoned during October 15 -16 riots been released ?
ID: Brandeis -03 .
Program trading is hurting the market 's efforts to bring back small investors .
QN : Are there any efforts to bring back small investors ?
ID: Brandeis -04 .
Thirty-two of the 159 U.N. members were honoring the sanctions against Iraq .
QN : Were there sanctions against Iraq ?
ID: Brandeis - 05.1 .
Herbicide use in some areas of the U.S. was delayed earlier in the year by heavy rains .
QN : Were herbicides delayed in all areas of the U.S. this year ?
ID: Brandeis - 05.2 .
Herbicide use in some areas of the U.S. was prevented this year because of heavy rains .
QN : Were herbicides used this year in the U.S. ?
ID: Brandeis -06 .
The US is bolstering its military presence in the Gulf .
QN : Does the US have a military presence in the Gulf .
ID: Brandeis -07 .
The unemployed took to the streets of the German capital , Berlin , mirroring protests around the country .
QN : Were the protests only in Berlin ?
ID: Brandeis - 08.1 .
The court nullified a standstill agreement between DPC Acquisition and Dataproducts .
QN : Was there any agreement between DPC Acquisition and Dataproducts ?
ID: Brandeis - 08.2 .
The court nullified a standstill agreement between DPC Acquisition and Dataproducts .
QN : Are there any agreements between DCP Acquisition and Dataproducts ?
ID: Brandeis - 09.1 .
Sardar Patel faced imprisonment for the first time when he was assisting Gandhiji in the Salt Satyagraha .
QN : Was Sardar Patel ever in prison ?
ID: Brandeis - 09.2 .
Sardar Patel faced imprisonment for the first time when he was assisting Gandhiji in the Salt Satyagraha .
QN : Was Sardar Patel ever convicted of a crime ?
ID: Brandeis - 10.1 .
Darryl Strawberry recently avoided imprisonment when a judge sentenced him to a drug treatment center for violating his probation .
QN : Was Darryl Strawberry ever in prison ?
ID: Brandeis - 10.2 .
Darryl Strawberry recently avoided imprisonment when a judge sentenced him to a drug treatment center for violating his probation .
QN : Was Darryl imprisoned for violating his probation ?
ID: Brandeis -11 .
Three patients declined further surgery .
QN : Did the patients have any surgeries ?
ID: Brandeis -12 .
Foodstuffs are being blocked from entry into Iraq .
QN : Are foodstuffs getting into Iraq ?
ID: Brandeis -13 .
The new space allowed Compaq to increase the manufacturing capacity of its plant in Erskine , Scotland .
QN : Did Compaq increase its manufacturing capacity in the Erskine plant ?
ID: Brandeis -14 .
Holders of more than a majority of the stock of the company have approved the transaction by written consent .
QN : Has the transaction taken place ?
ID: Brandeis -15 .
The transaction has been approved by Kyle 's board but requires the approval of the company 's shareholders .
QN : Has the transaction taken place ?
ID: Brandeis -16 .
The company 's board authorized the purchase of an additional one million shares .
QN : Has the company purchased additional shares ?
ID: Brandeis -17 .
The purchase was subsequently rejected by regulators .
QN : Did the purchase take place ?
ID: Brandeis -18 .
Analysts were predicting 1990 BellSouth earnings in the range of $3.90 a share .
QN : Has BellSouth experienced earnings in 1990 ?
ID: Brandeis - 19.1 .
Milton Roy disclosed in May that it was approached for a possible acquisition by Thermo Electron .
QN : Was Milton Roy approached by Thermo Electron ?
ID: Brandeis - 19.2 .
Milton Roy disclosed in May that it was approached for a possible acquisition by Thermo Electron .
QN : Has Milton Roy been acquired by Thermo Electron ?
ID: Brandeis -20 .
Analysts noted that over the past 20 years , Mr . Fournier has built his company through astute stock-market activity .
QN : Has Mr . Fournier built his company through astute stock-market activity ?
ID: Brandeis - 21.1 .
I was pleased that Ms . Currie 's lawyers stated unambiguously this morning that she 's not aware of any unethical conduct .
QN : Is Ms . Currie aware of any unethical conduct on her part ?
ID: Brandeis - 21.2 .
I was pleased that Ms . Currie 's lawyers stated unambiguously this morning that she 's not aware of any unethical conduct .
QN : Have Ms . Currie 's lawyers stated she 's not aware of any unethical conduct ?
ID: Brandeis -22 .
President Clinton and Blair will stand together on arresting the terrorists suspected of blowing up Pan Am flight 103 over Scotland .
QN : Has there been an explosion of a Pan Am flight over Scotland ?
ID: Brandeis -23 .
The accord helps RJR pay off debt .
QN : Does RJR have any debt ?
ID: Brandeis -24 .
48 Kuwaiti jet fighters managed to escape the Iraqi invasion .
QN : Did any Kuwaiti jet fighters escape the Iraqi invasion ?
ID: Brandeis -25 .
It appears that allied troops have n't yet fully engaged Iraq 's Republican Guard .
QN : Have allied troops engaged Iraq 's Republican Guard ?
ID: Brandeis - 26.1 .
British police officers concluded Howes had probably been killed soon after being captured .
QN : Did Howes die ?
ID: Brandeis - 26.2 .
British police officers concluded Howes had probably been killed soon after being captured .
QN : Was Howes killed soon after being captured ?
ID: Brandeis -27 .
The police allowed the crowd to demonstrate on nearby streets .
QN : Did the crowd demonstrate on nearby streets ?
ID: Brandeis - 28.1 .
In Pakistan , the Taliban have forbidden women to work .
QN : Do the Taliban want women to work in Pakistan ?
ID: Brandeis - 28.2 .
In Pakistan , the Taliban have forbidden women to work .
QN : Do women work in Pakistan ?
ID: Brandeis -29 .
The Administration is trying to decide whether Saddam Hussein has WMD .
QN : Is the administration deciding whether Saddam Hussein has WMD ?
ID: Brandeis -30 .
Helicopters are trying to locate people stranded without food .
QN : Are helicopters locating people stranded without food ?
ID: Brandeis -31 .
MCA agreed to wait on purchasing Cineplex .
QN : Is MCA waiting to purchase Cineplex ?
ID: Brandeis -32 .
MGM Grand Inc. has agreed to pay $93 million to buy 117 acres of land in Las Vegas .
QN : Has MGM Grand Inc. paid $93 million to buy 117 acres of land in Las Vegas ?
ID:Cycorp-001 .
Sandy owns a Golden Retriever , Harley , with whom she has won a Dog World Award .
QN : Is Harley a herding dog ?
ID:Cycorp-002 .
Many cellphones have built-in digital cameras .
QN : Can some cellphones be used to take pictures ?
ID:Cycorp-003 .
One in four cellphones sold has a camera in it .
QN : Do most cell phones have a lens ?
ID:Cycorp-004 .
Three in four cellphones sold has a camera in it .
QN : Do most cell phones have a lens .
ID:Cycorp-005 .
Mr . Radley ordered a 16 ounce slab of slowly roasted Black Angus Prime Rib .
QN : Is Radley a vegetarian ?
ID:Cycorp-006 .
Sue ran down to McDonald's and got a hamburger happy meal with a large Diet Coke .
QN : Did Sue get a cup ?
ID:Cycorp-007 .
Angela Drake will be moving to California with her husband , where she has accepted a full-time position with the San Diego Public Library .
QN : Does Angela Drake live in Los Angeles ?
ID:Cycorp-008 .
Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke will visit Paris , France from Saturday , April 22 until Tuesday , April 25 .
QN : Will Ambassador Holbrooke visit France in April ?
ID:Cycorp-009 .
A full-time administrative assistant , Janet Smith lives close to Long Beach , where she 's worked for the past 12 years .
QN : Does Janet Smith live in Long Beach ?
ID:Cycorp-010 .
Bob Appleton , 33 , lives in Sacramento but commutes to Davis in his silver Honda CRV .
QN : Does Appleton have a California Driver 's license ?
ID:Cycorp-011 .
When they remodeled their house , the Kirchners transformed the original kitchen into a game room with dark cherry laminate flooring and cabinets .
QN : Does the Krichners ' kitchen have cherry cabinets ?
ID:Cycorp-012 .
Mark Jacobs , who lives in Edmonds and works in Seattle , spends 2 hours a day commuting .
QN : Does Jacobs commute to work during rush hour ?
ID:Cycorp-013 .
Terry Parks married Robert Paulson in 1979 .
QN : Is Terry Parks a man ?
ID:Cycorp-014 .
The Paulsons celebrated their 25th anniversary on June 14, 2004 .
QN : Did the Paulsons get married on Flag Day ?
ID:Cycorp-015 .
The Island Nut Sampler includes an 8 ounce box of milk chocolate covered macadamia nuts and an 8 ounce box of white chocolate covered macadamia nuts .
QN : Does it include a pound of macadamia nuts ?
ID:Cycorp-016 .
Nanolab says it ca n't stay profitable if the demand for nanotubes decreases .
QN : Does Nanolab manufacture nanotubes ?
ID:Cycorp-017 .
The Swedish Embassy in Bangkok will be closed April 13-17 during the Songkran Festival .
QN : Is the Songkran Festival a Swedish holiday ?
ID:Cycorp-018 .
The Nut Sampler set includes two 8 ounce boxes of chocolate covered nuts .
QN : Does this set contain milk chocolate covered nuts ?
ID:Cycorp-019 .
The Mini Mac was introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at his keynote address on January 11 .
QN : Did Apple Computer release a new Macintosh in January ?
ID:Cycorp-020 .
The Donald criticized President Bush over his decision to go to war with Iraq .
QN : Does Trump support W 's decision to go to war ?
ID:Cycorp-021 .
LEDs can last ten years , whereas an incandescent bulb typically lasts 5000 hours .
QN : Do incandescent bulbs last longer than LEDs ?
ID:Cycorp-022 .
The `` Just Picture It '' workshop , sponsored by Oceanside Photo and Video, Inc. and taught by portrait photographer Gale Carlson , has received rave reviews .
QN : Is `` Just Picture It '' a photography workshop ?
ID:Cycorp-023 .
The equatorial diameter of Saturn is 10% larger than its polar diameter .
QN : Is Saturn an ellipsoid ?
ID:Cycorp-024 .
The equatorial diameter of Saturn is 10% larger than its polar diameter .
QN : Is Saturn a sphere ?
ID:Cycorp-025 .
Charlotte Jones gave birth to a healthy baby boy , Johnathan Daniel , on March 14th, 2004 .
QN : Was Charlotte Jones pregnant on December 14, 2003 ?
ID:Cycorp-026 .
Keikaimalu , a wholphin ( whale-dolphin hybrid ) , has given birth to female calf .
QN : Did Keikaimalu gave birth to a ruminant ?
ID:Cycorp-027 .
A wholphin is a whale-dolphin hybrid .
QN : Does the term `` wholphin '' refer to a type of hybrid ?
ID:Cycorp-028 .
Marilyn Connors had a very difficult pregnancy and died in childbirth yesterday .
QN : Is Marilyn Connors pregnant ?
ID:Cycorp-029 .
Serena Williams is a great tennis player , perhaps one of the best ever .
QN : Does Serena Williams play tennis well ?
ID:Cycorp-30 .
War and Peace is a very long novel .
QN : Does War and Peace contain more pages than the average novel ?
ID:Cycorp-031 .
Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke will visit Paris , France from Saturday , April 22 until Tuesday , April 25 .
QN : Will Ambassador Holbrooke be in Paris on April 24th ?
ID:Cycorp-032 .
The Island Nut Sampler includes an 8 ounce box of milk chocolate covered macadamia nuts and an 8 ounce box of white chocolate covered macadamia nuts .
QN : Does it include any dark-chocolate covered macadamia nuts ?
ID:Cycorp-033 .
A quarter of all cellphones have built-in cameras .
QN : Do most cell phones have a lens ?
ID:Cycorp-034 .
Three quarters of all cellphones have a built-in camera .
QN : Do most cell phones have a lens .
ID:Cycorp-035 .
Marilyn Connors had a very difficult pregnancy and died in childbirth yesterday .
QN : Was Marilyn Connors pregnant ?
ID:Cycorp-036 .
Marilyn Connors had a very difficult pregnancy and died in childbirth yesterday .
QN : Is Marilyn Connors dead ?
ID: PARC -1 .
Some students came to school by car .
QN : Did any students come to school ?
ID: PARC -2 .
No students came to school by car .
QN : Did any students come to school ?
ID: PARC -3 .
Ed drove legally .
QN : Did Ed drive ?
ID: PARC -4 .
Ed drove predictably .
QN : Did Ed drive ?
ID: PARC -5 .
Legally , Ed could drive .
QN : Did Ed drive ?
ID: PARC -6 .
Predictably , Ed drove .
QN : Did Ed drive ?
ID: PARC -7 .
The technician cooled the room .
QN : Did the technician lower the temperature of the room ?
ID: PARC -8 .
The technician raised the temperature of the room .
QN : Did the technician cool the room ?
ID: PARC -9 .
The president visited Iraq in September .
QN : Has the president gone to Iraq ?
ID: PARC -10 .
Jones has visited Iraq .
QN : Did Jones visit Iraq in September ?
ID: PARC -11 .
Jones arrived in Paris in September last year .
QN : Did Jones arrive in Paris last year ?
ID: PARC -12 .
Jones arrived in Paris in September last year .
QN : Did Jones arrive in Paris in September ?
ID: PARC -13 .
Jones arrived on a Sunday in September .
QN : Did Jones arrive on a Sunday ?
ID: PARC -14 .
Jones arrived on a Sunday in September .
QN : Did Jones arrive in September ?
ID: PARC -15 .
The president left after the diplomat arrived .
QN : Did the diplomat arrive before the president left ?
ID: PARC -16 .
No US congressman has visited Iraq since the war ended .
QN : Has Jones , a US Congressman , visited Iraq after the war ended ?
ID: PARC -17 .
No US congressman has visited Iraq since the war .
QN : Did Jones , a US Congressman , visit Iraq before the war ?
ID: PARC -18 .
No US congressman visited Iraq until the war .
QN : Did any US congressman visit Iraq before the war ?
ID: PARC -19 .
Some students arrived at the school on Sunday .
QN : Were there any students at the school on Sunday ?
ID: PARC -20 .
No students arrived at the school on Sunday .
QN : Were there any students at the school on Sunday ?
ID: PARC -21 .
There were no students at the school on Sunday .
QN : Did any students arrive at the school on Sunday ?
ID: PARC -22 .
The diplomat left Baghdad last week .
QN : Has the diplomat been to Baghdad ?
ID: PARC -23 .
The diplomat will arrive in Baghdad next week .
QN : Has the diplomat been to Baghdad ?
ID: PARC -24 .
The president knows that the diplomat left Baghdad .
QN : Has the diplomat been to Baghdad ?
ID: PARC -25 .
The president has n't gone to Iraq since the diplomat left Baghdad .
QN : Has the diplomat been to Baghdad ?
ID: PARC -26 .
The president has n't gone to Iraq since the diplomat left Baghdad .
QN : Has the president been to Iraq ?
ID: PARC -27 .
The diplomat did n't manage to leave Baghdad .
QN : Has the diplomat been to Baghdad ?
ID: PARC -28 .
The diplomat has n't managed to leave Baghdad .
QN : Is the diplomat in Baghdad now ?
ID: PARC -29 .
The room was full of intelligent women .
QN : Was the room full of women ?
ID: PARC -30 .
The room was full of women .
QN : Was the room full of intelligent women ?
ID: PARC -31 .
Children are not admitted to the theatre .
QN : Are small children admitted to the theatre ?
ID: PARC -32 .
Small children are not admitted to the theatre .
QN : Are children admitted to the theatre ?
ID: PARC -33 .
All companies have to file annual reports .
QN : Do all Fortune 500 companies have to file annual reports ?
ID: PARC -34 .
All Fortune 500 companies have to file annual reports .
QN : Do all companies have to file annual reports ?
ID: PARC -35 .
All companies have to file annual reports to the SEC .
QN : Do all companies have to file annual reports ?
ID: PARC -36 .
All companies have to file annual reports .
QN : Do all companies have to file annual reports to the SEC ?
ID: PARC -37 .
No delegates finished the report .
QN : Did any delegate finish the report on time ?
ID: PARC -38 .
The US troops stayed in Iraq although the war was over .
QN : Was the war over ?
ID: PARC -39 .
Since it was cold , he closed the window .
QN : Was it cold ?
ID: PARC -40 .
John did n't visit us after he returned from Spain .
QN : Did John return from Spain ?
ID: PARC -41 .
Hanssen , who sold FBI secrets to the Russians , could face the death penalty .
QN : Did Hanssen sell FBI secrets to the Russians ?
ID: PARC -42 .
The New York Times reported that Hanssen , who sold FBI secrets to the Russians , could face the death penalty .
QN : Did Hanssen sell FBI secrets to the Russians ?
ID: PARC -43 .
The New York Times reported that Hanssen sold FBI secrets to the Russians and could face the death penalty .
QN : Did Hanssen sell FBI secrets to the Russians ?
ID: PARC -44 .
Bush said that it was Khan who sold centrifuges to North Korea .
QN : Were centrifuges sold to North Korea ?
ID: PARC -45 .
Bush said that Khan sold centrifuges to North Korea .
QN : Were centrifuges sold to North Korea ?
ID: PARC -46 .
What we found in Iraq was rusted shrapnel .
QN : Did we find anything in Iraq ?
ID: PARC -47 .
The fact that Bin Laden was in Tora Bora led to the suspicion that the Afghan campaign was mismanaged .
QN : Was Bin Laden in Tora Bora ?
ID: PARC -48 .
The fact that Bin Laden was in Tora Bora led to the suspicion that the Afghan campaign was mismanaged .
QN : Was the Afghan campaign mismanaged ?
ID: PARC -49 .
The paper concluded that the election had been rigged .
QN : Was the election rigged ?
ID: PARC -50 .
Ames was , as the press reported , a successful spy .
QN : Was Ames a successful spy ?
ID: PARC -51 .
The press reported that Ames was a successful spy .
QN : Was Ames a successful spy ?
ID: PARC -52 .
The US forgot that the Afghans speak several different languages .
QN : Do the Afghans speak several different languages ?
ID: PARC -53 .
Bush realized that the US Army had to be transformed to meet new threats .
QN : Did the US Army have to be transformed to meet new threats ?
ID: PARC -54 .
Bush did n't realize that Afghanistan is land-locked .
QN : Is Afghanistan land-locked ?
ID: PARC -55 .
There is a belief that the US will invade Syria .
QN : Will the US invade Syria ?
ID: PARC -56 .
It is not surprising that Bush has the lead in Ohio .
QN : Does Bush have the lead in Ohio ?
ID: PARC -57 .
It is not likely that Bush has the lead in Ohio .
QN : Does Bush have the lead in Ohio ?
ID: PARC -58 .
Kerry knew that Edwards would accept the nomination .
QN : Did Kerry know whether Edwards would accept the nomination ?
ID: PARC -59 .
Tom knows that Naples is in Campania .
QN : Does Tom know where Naples is ?
ID: PARC -60 .
We met in September during the feast .
QN : Did the feast take place in September ?
ID: PARC -61 .
It is false that Bin Laden was seen in Tora Bora .
QN : Was Bin Laden seen in Tora Bora ?
ID: PARC -62 .
It follows that Bin Laden was in Tora Bora .
QN : Was Bin Laden in Tora Bora ?
ID: PARC -63 .
It is likely that Bin Laden was in Tora Bora .
QN : Was Bin Laden in Tora Bora ?
ID: PARC -64 .
Tony Hall left Amman on Sunday .
QN : Was Tony Hall in Amman on Sunday ?
ID: PARC -65 .
Tony Hall left Amman on Sunday .
QN : Was Tony Hall in Amman on Saturday ?
ID: PARC -66 .
Khan sold 10 centrifuges to North Korea .
QN : Did North Korea buy 10 centrifuges ?
ID: PARC -67 .
The US invasion of Afghanistan prevented Al-Qaida from attacking Ryad in 2002 .
QN : Did Al-Qaida attack Ryad in 2002 ?
ID: PARC -68 .
The administration managed to track down the perpetrators .
QN : Did the administration track down the perpetrators ?
ID: PARC -69 .
The administration did n't manage to track down the perpetrators .
QN : Did the administration track down the perpetrators ?
ID: PARC -70 .
Bush did n't have the time to read the report .
QN : Did Bush read the report ?
ID: PARC -71 .
Bush had the time to read the report .
QN : Did Bush read the report ?
ID: PARC -72 .
The president was n't able to attend the meeting .
QN : Did the president attend the meeting ?
ID: PARC -73 .
The president was able to attend the meeting .
QN : Did the president attend the meeting ?
ID: PARC -74 .
Many soldiers were killed in the ambush .
QN : Were all soldiers killed in the ambush ?
ID: PARC -75 .
The man had $20 in his pocket .
QN : Did the man have $40 in his pocket ?
ID: PARC -76 .
The man had $20 in his pocket .
QN : Did the man have $10 in his pocket ?
ID:St001 .
Abdul Galeel Nazeer Karori , a leading Islamist and member of Sudan 's ruling National Congress party , said in Khartoum , `` We will not allow any arrest or trial of a Sudanese official , unless they will arrest the 30 million Sudanese people and try them . ''
QN : Is Abdul Galeel Nazeer Karori a member of the Sudanese National Congress Party ?
ID:St002 .
Abdul Galeel Nazeer Karori , a leading Islamist and member of Sudan 's ruling National Congress party , said in Khartoum , `` We will not allow any arrest or trial of a Sudanese official , unless they will arrest the 30 million Sudanese people and try them . ''
QN : Is Abdul Galeel Nazeer Karori the leader of the Sudanese National Congress Party ?
ID:St003 .
Puerto Rican legislators who want their island to become a state said Monday they would try to override a veto of a bill they believe will help resolve the territory 's relationship to the United States .
Gov . Anibal Acevedo Vila on Sunday vetoed the bill , which would have asked Washington to honor any eventual decision for the island to become a state , increase its autonomy or become independent .
QN : Do Puerto Rico lawmakers aim to override the governor 's veto ?
ID:St004 .
Luigi Accattoli , one of the most senior and respected Vatican beat reporters , wrote in Corriere della Sera that a petition has already been circulated among the cardinals seeking signatures for a fast-track canonization process for John Paul .
QN : Did the cardinals in Vatican sign a petition asking a future pope to `` accelerate '' the beatification of John Paul II ?
ID:St005 .
Cardinals meeting daily in Rome to discuss the main issues facing the Roman Catholic Church ahead of a conclave next week to elect a pope have signed a petition asking a future pope to `` accelerate '' the beatification of John Paul II .
QN : Has a petition already been circulated among the cardinals seeking signatures for a fast-track canonization process for John Paul ?
ID:St006 .
Several cardinals confirmed that the idea of rapid canonization was discussed the day after the pope 's funeral , at their daily meeting .
QN : According to several cardinals , will Pope John Paul soon be canonized ?
ID:St007 .
America 's new deputy secretary of state , Robert Zoellick , attended a conference in Norway this week at which 60 nations pledged some $4.5 billion for rebuilding war-torn southern Sudan , where a separate 21-year conflict ended in January .
QN : Did an international donors ' conference in Norway pledge the $3.5 billion target to help southern Sudan recover after two decades of civil war ?
ID:St008 .
China 's Premier told Japan today to `` face up to history '' by admitting the suffering it caused in World War II , and seriously reconsider its bid for a UN Security Council seat after protests in China and elsewhere .
QN : Did the Chinese Premier say the protests should give Tokyo serious pause for thought about its bid for the UNSC ?
ID:St009 .
Premier Wen Jiabao told Japan yesterday to `` face up to history '' and admit to the tremendous suffering it inflicted on people in China , Asia and the rest of the world during World War II .
QN : Did Japan admit to the suffering it caused in World War II ?
ID:St010 .
Marburg virus is a highly fatal pathogen spread through direct body contact .
It attacks the gastrointestinal tract and kills rapidly .
It has an incubation period of three to nine days with most deaths occurring within one week after the onset of symptoms .
QN : Does Marburg hemorrhagic fever spread through contact with bodily fluids and kill rapidly , usually by three days after the first symptoms ?
ID:St011 .
The U.N. health agency says suspected cases of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola must be detected and isolated sooner if the disease is to be brought under control .
QN : Could the outbreak of Marburg virus be stopped if infected people were isolated sooner ?
ID:St012 .
Apple has declared that Mac OS X version 10.4 `` Tiger `` will go on sale Friday , 29 April 2005 , beginning at 6:00 p.m. during special events at Apple 's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers .
QN : Did Apple announce that the Mac operating system , OS X Tiger , will be available beginning of April 2005 ?
ID:St013 .
Apple has declared that Mac OS X version 10.4 `` Tiger `` will go on sale Friday , 29 April 2005 , beginning at 6:00 p.m. during special events at Apple 's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers .
QN : Did Apple announce that the Mac operating system , OS X Tiger , will be available by the end of April 2005 ?
ID:St014 .
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel urged President Bush to step up pressure on Iran to give up all elements of its nuclear program .
QN : Did Sharon urge the US leader to keep pressing Iran to give up its nuclear program altogether ?
ID:St015 .
The United States and Israel have both accused Iran of using its atomic energy program as cover for a plan to develop nuclear arms .
QN : Is Iran running a secret weapons program under the cover of plans to build nuclear power plants for electricity ?
ID:St016 .
A northern Indiana businessman has been kidnapped in Iraq and shown on a video broadcast Wednesday by the Al-Jazeera television station .
QN : Has Al-Jazeera television broadcasted a video that showed an American who had been kidnapped ?
ID:St017 .
Clutching rosaries , medals and flowers , thousands of people filed past the simple white marble tomb of Pope John Paul II on Wednesday , as the Vatican reopened the grottoes beneath St. Peter's Basilica for the first time since the pope died .
QN : Did thousands of pilgrims flock to Pope John Paul II 's tomb on Wednesday after the Vatican opened it to the public ?
ID:St018 .
Prosecutors investigating an Iranian man who abducted four schoolgirls at knifepoint said on Wednesday they would petition the court to commit the man to a psychiatric institute .
QN : Did prosecutors say on Wednesday that the Iranian who kidnapped four schoolgirls would be taken to a psychiatric clinic for treatment ?
ID:St019 .
Four girls who had been taken hostage at knife point by an Iranian man were rescued by police in western Germany on Tuesday .
QN : Were the four girls who had been kidnapped by an Iranian man freed by police ?
ID:St020 .
German police commandos slipped into a house where a knife-wielding man was holding four schoolgirls hostage Tuesday , surprising the suspect and taking him into custody while rescuing his captives after a five-hour standoff .
QN : Did German police overpower a man who was holding four schoolgirls at knifepoint for several hours on Tuesday ?
ID:St021 .
Australian police have seized more than five million ecstasy tablets hidden inside a shipping container that arrived in Melbourne from Europe .
QN : Did the Australian Federal Police say that the five million ecstasy tablets seized in Melbourne was the largest seizure of street-ready tablets in the world ?
ID:St022 .
The head of Germany 's spy agency says the U-S made a mistake by letting Afghan militias chase after Osama bin Laden .
QN : Does the head of German intelligence believe the United States made errors in hunting Osama bin Laden ?
ID:St023 .
The Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America on Wednesday separately will file lawsuits against college students that are allegedly using an Internet2 peer-to-peer service for illegal file trading .
QN : Do record label and movie studio investigators plan to sue college students who used a special high-speed network to copy songs and movies ?
ID:St024 .
Designed for academic research , Internet2 's extremely fast speed allows users to download a movie in five minutes or a song in less than 20 seconds .
QN : Has Internet2 been designed to allow users to download movies or songs ?
ID:St025 .
Outside the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk , at least nine police officers were killed and three were wounded when a bomb detonated on an oil pipeline as they were trying to defuse it .
QN : Did the bursting of an oil pipeline kill nine Iraqi officers ?
ID:St026 .
Kenya 's 1500m star Bernard Lagat , bronze medallist at the 2000 Olympics and silver medal winner in Athens , has taken out US citizenship .
QN : Did runner Lagat become an American citizen ?
ID:St027 .
More than 25,000 residents have been evacuated as a rumbling volcano on Indonesia 's Sumatra island sent out fire , smoke and ash .
Mount Talang 's violent awakening has coincided with a string of earthquakes on Sumatra and comes as another volcano on neighbouring Java , Tangkuban Perahu , has sprung to life and been declared off-limits .
QN : Have more than 25,000 residents been evacuated from the slopes of the volcano Tangkuban Perahu ?
ID:St028 .
A snarling volcano spewing smoke and ash has forced the evacuation of 26,000 frightened residents on the troubled Indonesian island of Sumatra .
QN : Have more than 25,000 panicked residents been evacuated from the slopes of a volcano on Indonesia 's Sumatra island ?
ID:St029 .
Three dozen women in Western-style business suits crowded into the office of the man who would soon be Iraq 's prime minister , Ibrahim al-Jaafari .
QN : Is Ibrahim al-Jaafari scheduled to be Iraq 's prime minister ?
ID:St030 .
Theologians in Spain and elsewhere say Opus Dei is well ensconced in Rome and will probably emerge unscathed from the conclave , although this is far from certain .
QN : Is it certain that Opus Dei , well ensconced in Rome , will emerge unscathed from the conclave ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-1 .
Iran purchased plans for building a nuclear reactor from A.Q. Khan .
QN : Does Iran own plans for building a nuclear reactor ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-2 .
Egypt has provided no evidence demonstrating the elimination of its biological warfare ability , which has existed since at least 1972 .
QN : Does Egypt have stockpiles of biological weapons ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-3 .
Egypt has suspended production of BW .
QN : Is Egypt producing BW ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-4 .
Egypt has suspended production of BW .
QN : Has Egypt produced BW ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-5 .
Egypt suspended production of BW in 1985 .
QN : Does Egypt have stockpiles of BW ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-6 .
Even if Iran possesses these biological agents , it faces a significant challenge in their weaponization and delivery .
QN : Does Iran have the means to use biological weapons ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-7 .
There are indications that Iran has been trying to acquire BW delivery systems .
QN : Does Iran have BW stockpiles ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-8 .
The US government discloses intelligence information that Russian entities are involved in transferring WMD technology to Iran .
QN : Does Iran have WMD capability ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-9 .
Iran took one step further in its attempts to acquire CW stockpiles .
QN : Does Iran have WMD ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-10 .
The U.S. economy may be on the verge of falling back into recession after more than a year of half-hearted recovery that failed to generate either jobs or hope , according to economists .
QN : Is the US economy in recession ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-11 .
The U.S. economy may be on the verge of falling back into recession after more than a year of half-hearted recovery that failed to generate either jobs or hope , according to economists .
QN : Is the US economy likely to be in recession ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-12 .
The U.S. economy may be on the verge of falling back into recession after more than a year of half-hearted recovery that failed to generate either jobs or hope , according to economists .
QN : Was the US economy in recession a year ago ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-13 .
After five years of easy credit , the Fed has reversed course , leaving no doubt about its commitment to fighting inflation in an economy that has finally started to gain momentum .
QN : Is the Economy growing ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-14 .
After five years of easy credit , the Fed has reversed course , leaving no doubt about its commitment to fighting inflation in an economy that has finally started to gain momentum .
QN : Has the Fed raised interest rates ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-15 .
After five years of easy credit , the Fed has reversed course , leaving no doubt about its commitment to fighting inflation in an economy that has finally started to gain momentum .
QN : Did the Fed have lower interest rates three years ago ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-16 .
After five years of easy credit , the Fed has reversed course , leaving no doubt about its commitment to fighting inflation in an economy that has finally started to gain momentum .
QN : Has the economy been growing rapidly ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-17 .
After five years of easy credit , the Fed has reversed course , leaving no doubt about its commitment to fighting inflation in an economy that has finally started to gain momentum .
QN : Are inflation levels rising ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-18 .
AUSTRIA , Once expected to waltz smoothly into the European Union , is elbowing its partners , treading on toes and pogo-dancing in a most un-Viennese manner .
QN : Did Austria encounter any difficulty in becoming a member of the EU ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-19 .
While Pakistan does not possess biological weapons ( BW ) , it has talented biomedical and biochemical scientists and well-equipped laboratories .
QN : Does Pakistan possess biological weapons ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-20 .
While Pakistan does not possess biological weapons ( BW ) , it has talented biomedical and biochemical scientists and well-equipped laboratories .
QN : Does Pakistan possess the technology to produce biological weapons ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-21 .
While Pakistan does not possess biological weapons ( BW ) , it has talented biomedical and biochemical scientists and well-equipped laboratories .
QN : Is Pakistan continuing to stockpile biological weapons ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-22 .
North Korea reportedly has cultures of the smallpox pathogen ( variola major ) .
North Korean soldiers have been recently vaccinated against smallpox .
QN : Does North Korea possess the smallpox pathogen ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-23 .
There exists no evidence that Egypt has acquired biological weapons .
QN : Is Egypt still stockpiling biological weapons ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-24 .
Iran purchased plans for building a nuclear reactor from A.Q. Khan .
QN : Does Iran intend to build a nuclear reactor ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-25 .
Iran purchased plans for building a nuclear reactor from A.Q. Khan .
QN : Does Iran intend to become a Nuclear State ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-26 .
Iran recently bought weapons-grade fissile material .
QN : Does Iran intend to produce nuclear weapons ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-27 .
The stimulus package will jumpstart the economy and make sure it does n't slide into recession again .
QN : Is the economy booming ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-28 .
The stimulus package will jumpstart the economy and make sure it does n't slide into recession again .
QN : Is the economy in recession ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-29 .
The stimulus package will jumpstart the economy and make sure it does n't slide into recession again .
QN : Will the stimulus package cause rapid economic growth ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-30 .
The stimulus package will jumpstart the economy and make sure it does n't slide into recession again .
QN : Is the economy weak ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-31 .
The stimulus package will jumpstart the economy and make sure it does n't slide into recession again .
QN : Was the economy in recession ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-32 .
The economy is moving ahead at the pace of a Clinton jog .
QN : Is the economy in recession ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-33 .
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority have finally resumed .
Many roadblocks remain and progress is likely to be painful and slow .
QN : Is Israel and Palestinian authority negotiating ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-34 .
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority have finally resumed .
Many roadblocks remain and progress is likely to be painful and slow .
QN : Have there been previous negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-35 .
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority have finally resumed .
Many roadblocks remain and progress is likely to be painful and slow .
QN : Have negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority been uninterrupted ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-36 .
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority have finally resumed .
Many roadblocks remain and progress is likely to be painful and slow .
QN : Are there any continuing impediments to progress in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority ?
ID:UTD-ICSI-37 .
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority have finally resumed .
Many roadblocks remain and progress is likely to be painful and slow .
QN : Is there a clear path for future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority ?
Iraq clears visit by Ohio official By Scott Montgomery
Washington
The Iraqi government has agreed to let U.S. Rep . Tony Hall visit the country next week to assess a humanitarian crisis that has festered since the Gulf War of 1990 , Hall 's office said Monday .
The Dayton Democrat , who has traveled to other crisis points including Sierra Leone and North Korea , will spend three days visiting hospitals and other facilities to seek understanding why aid has been ineffective in stemming malnourishment and other medical problems .
Iraq has been under economic sanctions since the war ended , which some say have thwarted the country 's ability to recover from the devastation of the bombing campaign .
The Persian Gulf War destroyed much of the country 's medical infrastructure , according to a report by the World Health Organization .
In 1996 the WHO found that much of the population existed in a state of `` semi starvation .''
Hall will be only the second member of Congress to travel in Iraq since the war , according to Hall 's office .
The last visitor was then- U.S. Rep . Bill Richardson of New Mexico , who went to help a pair of U.S. oilmen in diplomatic trouble .
Hall flies to Amman , Jordan , on Friday , where he 'll spend the night before driving to Iraq .
Flights are not permitted into Iraq .
Hall is to return to Washington on April 22 .
Story Filed By Cox Newspapers
AFGP- 2002 -602187 ( full translation )
[ The late Bin Baz was the grand Muslim scholar in Saudi Arabia .
Al-Maqdasi , a Jordanian militant , is sympathetic to Al-Qaida .
He was acquitted in Jordan of charges that he had ties to Al-Qaida .
In a recent interview with Al-Jazeera he spoke against the Arab regimes .
Immediately after the interview , he was apprehended again by the Jordanian authority . ]
Sheik Rida , fear God .
You are not fair when you belittle Sheik Bin Baz 's blunder and exaggerate the one by Sheik Maqdasi ...
Sheik Maqdasi did not criticize Sheik Bin Baz 's only for his edict which emphasizes not to consider a regime an apostate if it has n't adhered to Islamic laws .
Well , this is not the case .
If , you study the evidences and statements released by these people , we tend to appreciate their ignorance which was based on prominent views .
We had done that before with others who were known for their serious blunders .
I 'm not going to illustrate these evidences and statements ; God is my witness , I do n't want to deceive anyone .
However , I will mention one of these evidences reiterated by them .
Indeed , the Sheik issued two edicts regarding the same issue that contradict each other ...
First , he forbade seeking the aid of infidels when the Syrian Mujahiddin asked Saddam Hussein to overthrow the regime of Hafiz Al-Assad in Syria .
However , he allowed the Gulf regimes to depend on the infidels in attacking Saddam Hussein .
[ He issued ] more edicts to accommodate the policies of the Saudi regime .
This behavior and not the edict itself forced them to be deceptive .
I am sure that you are aware of all these suspicions that surround the regime 's [ Religious ] scholars .
So , try to appreciate the Muslims ' position , especially if these suspicions are credible .
Brother Rida , I plead to you through this article to understand the views of others , just like we try to understand the views of those who went astray .
My dear sister , I hope all is well .
How is Turkey ?
I hope you are enjoying your stay there .
I wrote a letter to Ayman .
Please print it on a thin paper ; may God reward you .
Please read this message if you have the time .
I am open for any suggestions .
I hope I can communicate with you through the Messenger before you depart Turkey .
Send my regards to my aunt , uncle and grandmother .
Take back the stuff which Ayman asked you to carry to Saudi Arabia .
I apologize for any inconvenience .
Peace be upon you .
Subject : City of Pasadena
X-From : Parker , Megan MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN =MPARKER4>
X-To : Ward , Kim S ( Houston ) MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN = Kward >
Wed , 28 Nov 2001 08:38:25 -0600
Kim :
I have completed the invoices for April, May and June and we owe Pasadena each month for a total of $3,615,910.62 .
I am waiting to hear back from Patti on May and June to make sure they are okay with her .
Do you want me to pay Pasadena on Friday for these months or do you want me to hold off until I finish July and August ?
Again , I do not have all of the information for July and August , so I can not give you any numbers .
If I go by what is currently in the system as a guide , Pasadena would owe Enron a little over $1 mil .
I need to forecast the money today , so please let me know what you would like to do .
FYI-I will be out of the office all next week .
Megan
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
X-From : Ward , Kim S ( Houston ) MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN = KWARD >
X-To : Parker , Megan MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN =Mparker4>
Thanks you so much for working on these as fast as you have - there was a priority in getting them out .
However , as you know , the less cash outlay that we have right now the better .
Lets wait and try to offset the amount we owe them with what they owe us - so I say wait until you get July and August done .
What do you think the time frame is on this ?
And when would be the earliest that we would make the payment ?
Thanks,
Kim
-----Original Message-----
From : Parker , Megan
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 8:38 AM
To : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Subject : City of Pasadena
Kim :
I have completed the invoices for April, May and June and we owe Pasadena each month for a total of $3,615,910.62 .
I am waiting to hear back from Patti on May and June to make sure they are okay with her .
Do you want me to pay Pasadena on Friday for these months or do you want me to hold off until I finish July and August ?
Again , I do not have all of the information for July and August , so I can not give you any numbers .
If I go by what is currently in the system as a guide , Pasadena would owe Enron a little over $1 mil .
I need to forecast the money today , so please let me know what you would like to do .
FYI-I will be out of the office all next week .
Megan
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
X-From : Ward , Kim S ( Houston ) MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN = KWARD >
X-To : Parker , Megan MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN =Mparker4>
Patti is the one with the details , I 'm just the deal maker and do n't have access to any of the systems .
All I know is what fixed priced baseload deals we have .
I have no idea what flows .
I hope Patti can help you soon .
Let me know if you do n't hear from her today .
Thanks,
Kim
-----Original Message-----
From : Parker , Megan
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 8:56 AM
To : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
If I can get all of the information today , I can tell you this afternoon .
It does n't take long to create the calc sheets .
I understand from Janine that you or Patti can provide me with the detail that I need .
If necessary , I can come pick it up .
I have sent Patti a list .
For payment , we have to forecast the money two days out .
So , if I know today , I can pay on Friday .
Megan
-----Original Message-----
From : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 8:42 AM
To : Parker , Megan
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
Thanks you so much for working on these as fast as you have - there was a priority in getting them out .
However , as you know , the less cash outlay that we have right now the better .
Lets wait and try to offset the amount we owe them with what they owe us - so I say wait until you get July and August done .
What do you think the time frame is on this ?
And when would be the earliest that we would make the payment ?
Thanks,
Kim
-----Original Message-----
From : Parker , Megan
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 8:38 AM
To : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Subject : City of Pasadena
Kim :
I have completed the invoices for April, May and June and we owe Pasadena each month for a total of $3,615,910.62 .
I am waiting to hear back from Patti on May and June to make sure they are okay with her .
Do you want me to pay Pasadena on Friday for these months or do you want me to hold off until I finish July and August ?
Again , I do not have all of the information for July and August , so I can not give you any numbers .
If I go by what is currently in the system as a guide , Pasadena would owe Enron a little over $1 mil .
I need to forecast the money today , so please let me know what you would like to do .
FYI-I will be out of the office all next week .
Megan
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
X-From : Ward , Kim S ( Houston ) MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN = KWARD >
X-To : Parker , Megan MYLT/O= ENRON/OU=NA/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN =Mparker4>
X-CC:
X-BCC :
X-Attachment :
X- Time: 17:42:33 GMT
X-Message-Id : 8b8f71de55d07c4b94cea9ec69a25728a2443d @ nahou-msmbx03v . corp.enron.com
thats fine - we ca n't pay them anyway
-----Original Message-----
From : Parker , Megan
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 11:38 AM
To : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
I 'll check with Patti later today .
On payment ... We are now having to forecast five days out .
If I do n't know today , I can not pay Pasadena until next Thursday .
Megan
-----Original Message-----
From : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 9:03 AM
To : Parker , Megan
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
Patti is the one with the details , I 'm just the deal maker and do n't have access to any of the systems .
All I know is what fixed priced baseload deals we have .
I have no idea what flows .
I hope Patti can help you soon .
Let me know if you do n't hear from her today .
Thanks,
Kim
-----Original Message-----
From : Parker , Megan
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 8:56 AM
To : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
If I can get all of the information today , I can tell you this afternoon .
It does n't take long to create the calc sheets .
I understand from Janine that you or Patti can provide me with the detail that I need .
If necessary , I can come pick it up .
I have sent Patti a list .
For payment , we have to forecast the money two days out .
So , if I know today , I can pay on Friday .
Megan
-----Original Message-----
From : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 8:42 AM
To : Parker , Megan
Subject : RE : City of Pasadena
Thanks you so much for working on these as fast as you have - there was a priority in getting them out .
However , as you know , the less cash outlay that we have right now the better .
Lets wait and try to offset the amount we owe them with what they owe us - so I say wait until you get July and August done .
What do you think the time frame is on this ?
And when would be the earliest that we would make the payment ?
Thanks,
Kim
-----Original Message-----
From : Parker , Megan
Sent : Wednesday, November 28, 2001 8:38 AM
To : Ward , Kim S ( Houston )
Subject : City of Pasadena
Kim :
I have completed the invoices for April, May and June and we owe Pasadena each month for a total of $3,615,910.62 .
I am waiting to hear back from Patti on May and June to make sure they are okay with her .
Do you want me to pay Pasadena on Friday for these months or do you want me to hold off until I finish July and August ?
Again , I do not have all of the information for July and August , so I can not give you any numbers .
If I go by what is currently in the system as a guide , Pasadena would owe Enron a little over $1 mil .
I need to forecast the money today , so please let me know what you would like to do .
FYI-I will be out of the office all next week .
Megan
IN THE NAME OF GOD , MOST GRACIOUS MOST MERCYFUL
So this is the reality we 're living in al-Anbar in general , and Ramadi in particular , that is the head Sheiks of some tribes , and symbols of the Islamic Party , sat with the Americans in Jordan , and other places , to fight terrorism and its people .
The Sheiks started teaching people about these ideas .
This conspiracy is led by two sides .
The first is the heads of the tribes .
The second is the leaders of the Islamic Party and mosques speakers .
So they announced their war on the Mujahidin .
It increased during the elections for the new constitution .
Their danger was so great , that hundreds of people volunteered in the police and the army , and thousands of people participated in the elections , renouncing their religion , and listenning to the erratics .
After we took a look at the situation , we found that the best solutions to stop thousands of people from renouncing their religion , is to cut the heads of the Sheiks of infidelity and erratic .
Before we start reviewing the events that accured here , we ask two questions:
First : If there were people who are raping thousands of Muslim women taking their honor , and stealing muslim money and land , and other people who do n't rape or steal , but they take the religion away from thousands of Muslims , what 's more important , religion , or honor and land ?
What we learned from Muslim scholars is that robbing the religion from Muslims , is greater than robbing their honor and land .
God said `` turmoil is greater than murder '' , and for those devils , their danger is greater than who rapes , or rob and steal money or land .
Second question : Why did we announce and started fighting the Shiites and police from the start , even though most of the Jihadist sectors and the public did n't understand what we want , and did n't know the importance of starting with those ?
So what 's the objection on killing and executing the Sheiks now and without a notice , with continiuing making people understand it , just like we did by killing the police then ?
Were people satisfied with us ?
Actually lot of the public thinks that who killed the police is Badr organization or gangs from Iran !
And that who 's killing Shiites is hired by Israel and the U.S. to start an ethnic war and so on .
From what we saw , the damage caused by those erratic infidels ( Tribes Sheiks , The Islamic Party ) is more dangerous than the Shiites and the peaceful police as people call them .
You Sheik announced war on those , with the opposings of many sectors and scholars of decision making .
The brothers now are wiping out the heads of infidelity , as soon as they started , and never claiming responsibility , we found among us who wants to make fuss about it , and regretfully some of the brothers with us in the organization ( al-Qa'ida ) see it as nonsense , and God is my witness .
My Sheik , here 's some of the events that happened in Ramadi :
1- Sheik Nasr al-Fahdawi , Sheik of AlbuFahd tribe , was nominated to be the governor of Anbar , this man worked so hard fighting the ( Tanzim ) organization , with all he 's got , from money to power , and reputation in Ramadi .
So we tried this with him : First , we backed off during the elections .
They had checkpoints .
Utens of his tribesmen who started checking cars , they violated our brothers many times .
They even announced it , then our brothers attacked the field leader , the brain behind people revolting at al-Anbar in AlbuFahd .
So the brothers raided his house in the middle of the night wearing the national guards uniform and driving similar cars .
They took him and killed him .
Thank God .
The next morning his households and neighbors started talking to the tribe saying it was the national guards , they added that they heard some of them speaking English , meaning that the Americans are the ones who took Abu Dhari ( Sheik Nasr al-Fahdawi ) .
No one claimed responsibility for his killing .
Thank God .
2- Around the same period , our brothers on the other side of Uphrate river , killed Jasim al-`Awwad in al-Malahima and AlbuHazim .
He 's considered as important as Abu Dhari in AlbuFahd .
He 's a big spy / agent , invited Americans to his house for big dinner parties many times , regardless , our brothers did n't claim resposibility for killing him .
3- After our brothers killed three of the infidels in AlbuFahd , some of them claimed he 's for Jihad , at the same time , protects with his soldiers the election centers , and encourages people to volunteers in the police force and the Iraqi army , and it was the second hit for Nasr al-Fahdawi .
In the morning infidels announced in their satellite channels that Nasr al-Fahdawi welcomed Ibrahim al-Ja'fari in Ramadi , then by noon , they announced his assasination .
Thank God .
Then there was a complete change of events than is was before .
Thank God .
Cousins of Sheik Nasr came to the Mujahidin begging , announcing their repentance and innocense , saying we 're with you , we 'll do whatever you want .
The turmoil is over .
Our brothers now are roaming the streets of AlbuFahd without any checkpoints .
For the other tribes , their reaction was as follows:
1- Sheik of al-Bubali tribe in al-Jazira , Sheik Sarhan , who 's one of the traitors , and every time one of their traitors gets killed , he shows outrage and packs his tribe with their guns against the brothers .
After the cleaning in AlbuFahd , the brothers killed three of the spies in his tribe , and for the first time there was no reaction against the brothers , but instead he came to them , asking for forgiveness , and he 's ready to cooperate .
2- Sheik of Albu'Ubaid ( Salah al-Dhari ) , who slaughtered thirty sheeps in one dinner party , where he invited heads and Sheiks of tribes in Ramadi , to encourage their youth to join the police and the national guard , and that 's two days before the murder of Sheik Nasr al-Fahdawi .
After that he announced his repentance at the mosque twice in front of Albu'Ubaid tribe , denouncing who joins the police and army , and sorry for all he 's done , without any pressure or threats from the brothers .
Also the brothers did n't announce the claim for any of the killings .
When Mazhar al-`Alawani a candidate for the elections was murdered , his pictures were all over Ramadi , where the entire Albu'Alwan tribe was supporting him , proud of him .
One day before the elections , the brothers killed him while he was visiting Ramadi .
No one from his tribe opened his mouth , instead they got more scared and weaker .
The same with the killing of Muhammad Saddak the Sheik of AlbuJlayb tribe , and president of al-Anbar revolutionists , who released statements in mosques and markets , promising to eliminate who he called Sheiks of sodomite and thift , and agents for the Zionists , like our brother Abu Mustafa Midhatt , our brother Abu Khattab , and Sheik Abu al-Harith al-Shar'i , and many others .
This vicious organization ( al-Anbar revolutionists ) attempted to assasinate our brother Abu Khudayr , in Ramadi .
When armed men shot him , was injured in the thigh .
Sheik Muhammad Saddak said himself that he 's nominated for the position of the interior minister , and Sheik Nasr al-Fahdawi for the governor of Anbar , like the Americans promised him , and Abu Raghghal al-Dulaymi and others .
Thank God .
His was eliminated by the brothers inside the city of Baghdad .
Until now no one knows who killed him in Baghdad .
With all that , our policy is to eliminate the heads of infidelity without any announcements .
As for the heads of the Islamic Party , our brothers been monitoring them for so long , but ignored them during the elections .
Then their vicious role appeared , with their call to form police and army after the elections .
We found that the main thinker behind the Party 's ideas is Sheik Abd al-Ghafur al-Kubaysi the Imam and speaker - of - of al-Shafi 'i mosque in Ramadi , and made his mosque the center of all the Party 's meetings .
With all that , he did n't stop fighting the brothers with his speeches at the mosque , so the brothers assasinated him near his house , after he left the mosque going home .
And there was no reaction by the Islamic Party or people , except that they raised signs condemning the killing .
The same thing exactly happened after the killing of Abu Bilal in Ramadi .
The manager of the media office at the Islamic Party as it was announced in some media sources , he disallowed and torn any Jihad related posters on the walls .
He was caught in the act by the brothers .
They beat him and arrested him .
He routed out lots of the Party 's leaders , like Abd al-Ghafur al-Kubaysi , and their conspiracies against the Tanzim ( al-Qa'ida organization ) .
He was ill , got transferred to a hospital where he later died .
There were no puplicity to his death by people , expect condemning it by the corrupted satellite channels .
We did not follow this policy until we ran out of time , from past experience where we let things go , like Kataib al-Hamza ( Hamza brigades ) , and AlbuMahal tribe in al-Qaim , where we should 've eliminated them then , but what happened happened , also Muhsin Abd al-Hamid etc ... And you Sheik said that yourself God bless you .
Also in Fallujah where brothers neglected on killing the heads of infidelity , and what happened also happened .
Now we have Kabisah .
This small village announced this week that 130 policemen volunteered from there .
Next day they started working .
It was secretly prepared from before , and the Islamic Party was behind recruiting those policemen , like we proved .
Our state council forbids from targeting Sunni police , or killing and eliminating the infidels and traitors without going back to the council , and you know that assasinations are about good opportunities , and monitoring a person could take days or weeks .
The best solution is to cut the head of the snake .
We say that the brothers are following this method .
That 's what we learned from you and promised you , I said that this is Abu Bakr 's period .
Toughness toughness .
We in Iraq will defend the muslim nation , and Jihad is everybody 's responsibility .
Do n't miss it .
Other groups pretends that they never killed an Iraqi or Sunni in particular , and that its goals are patriotic .
What we know about our Jihad , that it 's Jihad of faith , and what you stated over and over before my Sheik about the method of the group , and the honorable resistance in many of the speeches to our brothers and people .
In fact Sheik we are joyous for forming the state council , although we say , to save this blessed work , which we pray to God that Islam and Muslims would benefit from it , everyone should agree on our policy in the war against the renegade , without these restrictions we have at the state council .
We have no problem with you saying for us to give the name of the person before killing him , but we owe God , this will only be a delay for us , and time is not on our side , and for you to say to kill him outside his city , sometimes it take months before the person leaves his city , like if it 's in Baghdad for example , that 's difficult , and time is not on our side , we waited to cut the heads of the renegades in Hit , then 130 renegades came out to us for the reason that we did n't destroy the Islamic Party there .
But we 're working on it , for example we did n't kill Nasr al-Fahdawi at his home in al-Sajriyah , but the guys waited for him until he got out of the Ramadi province .
We need premission for these names:
1- Sheik Hatim Abd al-Razzaq Mu'jil al-Ka'ud , Sheik AlbuNimr tribe .
2- Sheik Anwar Abd al-Razzaq al-Kharbit , AlbuKhalifah .
3- Sa'id Nattah , one of AlbuJlayb Sheiks .
4- Maj . Gen Sa'ab al-Rawi .
5- Dr . Muhammad Mahmud Latif , Prince of the movement .
6- Maj. Gen . Khalid `Arrak Hutaymi .
7- Mamun al-`Alwani , al-Anbar governor , attached to you the security report in Ramadi .
8- Zahir Muhammad ` Awwad al-`Ubaydi , manager of Sunni endowment , for attending the last meeting with al-Ja'fari , also for attending a conference in Jordan , that was presesnted to you .
He 's one of the people calling to form the police and national guard .
We 'll kill him outside al-Ramadi zone , when he goes to the government building .
We have restrictions on beheading the heads of the Islamic Party members , the Sheik of the tribes , and renegades. present it to the council if you prefer:
1- There must be time priorities .
2- Must differenciate between the infidels , which is in the public eye , and who works behind the scenes , as a mastermind .
3- Must differenciate between who 's in the village , where relations are stronger , than it is in the city , where there 's different people with different ideas .
4- Differenciate between an area where there are brothers have interests in ( financial ? religious ) , and area they don't. 5- Differenciate between who 's in a position where he 's liked and respected , and another who 's not .
6- There 's who we prepare for him in few steps , like bringing him down through the media , then kill him , or kill his assistant who does the work for him , and see his reaction , then kill him , or fight him through the media , until his publicity is dead .
7- First kill the corrupted and the ones with negative effects , before the ones who try to guide people , and has a positive effect .
8- Differenciate between targets in the Islamic Party , or the Ba'ath Party , who proved their failure to people in running the nation , and Sheiks and leaders of the tribes where most people especially in villages love and respect them , the first kind 's reaction is lefting signs and condemning , the second kind blames , and sometime opens a front against us .
9- Whoever we ca n't kill , and ca n't reach , we should at least warn or threaten him so he could back off at least .
10- In case there was a tribe who 's not obeying , and their renegade is obvious , the Mujahidin release a statement to expose them , with mass media , then do vicious military operations against them , so they would be a lesson to others .
11- If the targer was decent , and has good reputation , but he 's a hypocrite , only teases the Mujahidin , we kill him gradually , by killing his big supporters .
12- We should make the public and the ignorant know clearly about our policy fighting the renegades , so they wo n't side with them for their fight against the Mujahidin .
13- Priority in killing those who are damaging to us and Muslims , before the ones who are not .
With stating this to you , we know your intend. whenever we meet with you , you tell us that this is the right way , but we want this in writing by the state council , so all of our members would observe it. but if it 's not written it will go away after you 're gone. if you die of get killed , the council after you Inshallh ( in god 's well ) will stay on good grounds , where the fate of an entire nation depends on it .
God is the protector of his religion .
Let 's have a big role in it .
We ask God to keep us guided not lost .
1 8-20010116-18161105-18200044 ( 3:49 )
2 [ dialing/ringing ]
3 RICH : Las Vegas Cogen , this is Rich .
4 BILL : Hey , Rich .
This is Bill up at Enron .
5 RICH : Bill .
6 BILL : How you doin ' , man ?
7 RICH : Junior or Senior ?
8 BILL : Ha-ha .
The Third .
9 RICH : The third !
What 's happenin ' Bill the Third .
10 BILL : Not much , man , I 'm givin ' you a call , ah - we got some issues for tomorrow .
11 RICH : Ok .
12 Bill : You ready for some issues ?
You just about out of there , are n't you ?
13 RICH : Um , I got a couple more hours .
I ai n't goin ' anywhere .
14 BILL : Good .
15 RICH : All right , shoot .
I 've g - I 've got pen and paper .
16 BILL : All right , man .
I 'm n - this is gon na be a word of mouth kind of thing .
17 RICH : OK .
18 BILL : Um , tonight , ah , when you finish your normal QF , so for hour ending one -
19 RICH : Right .
20 BILL : - it 'll actually be tomorrow -
21 RICH : Right .
22 BILL : - ah , we want you guys to get a little creative -
23 RICH : OK .
24 BILL : - and come up with a reason to go down .
25 RICH : OK .
26 BILL : Anything you want to do over there ?
Any -
27 RICH : Ah -
28 BILL : - cleaning , anything like that ?
29 RICH : Yeah .
Yeah .
There 's some stuff that we could doin'tonight .
30 BILL : That 's good .
1 RICH : Right .
2 BILL : It 's supposed to be , ah , you know , kinda one of those things .
3 RICH : OK , so we 're just comin ' down for some maintenance , like a forced outage type thing ?
4 BILL : Right .
5 RICH : And that 's cool .
6 BILL : Hopefully .
7 [ they laugh ]
8 RICH : 'Cause the - the schedule I just got over here - well , you know what it says .
9 BILL : Yes .
I 'm lookin ' right at it .
10 RICH : OK , it 's the new schedule .
11 BILL : You just got a new one ?
12 RICH : It says 'New Schedule ' on the bottom .
It 's showin ' 52 all day .
13 BILL : Oh , right .
And so that 's the one you 're gon na want to ignore .
14 RICH : Exactly .
15 BILL : [ laughs ]
16 RICH : OK .
17 BILL : Yeah .
So -
18 RICH : We 'll take care of that .
19 BILL : So you got a - so you 're checkin ' a switch on the steam turbine .
20 RICH : Yeah , and whatever adjustment he makes today , is probably - tonight , is probably not gon na work , so we 're probably gon na have to check it tomorrow afternoon again .
22 BILL : I think that 's a good plan , Rich .
23 RICH : All right .
24 BILL : I knew I could count on you .
25 RICH : No problem .
26 [ REDACTED ]
27 RICH : I 'm sure you 'll have a good time .
All right .
So , I gotcha covered for tomorrow .
28 BILL : Thanks a lot , Rich .
29 RICH : All right , I wo n't even put that in the book .
30 BILL : [ laughs ]
All right .
Amy how are you doing today ?
Fine .
Fine .
Oh all righty .
I think we know what we 're going to speak about .
Um , tell you what , i 'll start off .
How 's that ?
Yeah .
Okay .
You go ahead .
Um I personally think to set a mark with the judicial system and we 're talking about criminal - criminal cases that they should bring back .
Um -hum .
Hangings on weekends .
In public places .
In public places .
There is one state that does that by the way .
Yeah .
Really what is that ?
I want to say Oklahoma .
I saw report something the other night about it .
Hm .
They do n't do them real often which is obviously the death penalty .
Yeah .
Yeah .
Um , but I think if we quit , uh , building these Taj Mahals with the color TVs and sixty dollars sixty thousand a year to keep an inmate in there - on a - on a - on a life sentence , we should start hanging them and get it over with and let 's just screwing up the system uh .
Yeah well the sentences are so unbelievable .
I just saw on the news last night that they said the average time a sentenced murderer , you know , is in jail is two years before he 's paroled and a rapists is like six months and a burglar is like two months .
That 's pathetic .
That 's pathetic , it 's .
Because they just say there 's either no room in the system , you know , in the jails for them or , you know , it 's just that it seems like the automatic sentences - if - if a judge has leeway on what he 's going to , you know , sentence someone for between , you know , two months and uh fifty years and you know what 's his whim to decide it should be two months .
This is true and - and - and - and - and the way the law reads , uh , if they sentence you to -
You know it 's crazy .
- life in prison then he 's available for parole .
If it 's if it 's life and a day then he 's not eligible for parole .
So what , you know , let 's quit BSing with the system .
Yeah .
Well , even if it 's life like you say , we end up spending sixty thousand dollars a year to keep some , you know , joker in there for life .
We could spend that money , you know , for starving children that are starving or twelve million other things would be more useful than that .
Exactly .
So to me if somebody has life , you know , beyond a reasonable doubt , they should - that should be it - you know , particularly for some of these really .
A life for a life .
I mean there are so many just major major serial murders and it 's not just like one instance or something it 's just , uh , horrifying some of the murders that go on .
The old Charles Manson case , i mean , the guy is really -
Yeah and the - yeah - there 's just everyday you hear on the news of another one like that um .
Just should n't be allowed to to even even live uh about the issue about sentencing by the judge .
Yeah .
Um -hum .
The - the - judge presently has an opportunity to intervene .
Uh , when there 's - uh my understanding - when there 's , uh , a verdict and it , for example , there 's a hung jury here in Fort Worth two day in eight to four and bam bam the guy got off .
Uh , he was , uh , he - he - was a veterinarian and killed two - a father and a son - okay .
Right , yeah , I heard about that on the news , yeah .
Um , kind of gets back to the second request we 've been asked to look at is most criminal cases requiring an ananimous verdict the - a - situation like that , i 'd say no. Let 's just go like a regular vote , eight to four , tells me that there were eight - there 's a percentage certain percentage of the people - there with sixty percent of the people , uh , seventy percent of the people said hey .
Right rather than have to retrial the whole whole thing and spend all the money for people to , you know , go back to court and all the lawyers and i mean it just winds up costing the taxpayers a fortune - you know , a fortune - to keep doing that .
The guy 's guilty .
Exactly .
And the victims you know the family of these people that have been murdered they just have to have it dragged on for years and years before they ever get any resolution .
Exactly because it 's not next day they have the start the trial which is X number of months and just prolongs the situation that much more .
Right .
Yeah yeah .
I think that that if it 's - if it 's - not a split decision , uh , go with the highest number and let 's just get on with the program .
Yeah .
Yeah .
Uh but as far as the sentencing by the judge , i would have to vote against that since there 's a jury because that 's what the juries are for is to make the decision . Um , what are your feelings ?
Yeah .
Yeah .
Well if I - I saw on one of the talk shows this woman judge i believe from Florida and she just has just really stiff penalties and i saw that in in the hands of a judge that really was conscientious and really , you know , took the pains to give a sentence for what was deserved , it could - you could have a - a judge that would really make a good impact , but likewise you could have the flip side and have some judge that was paid off or you know had good - a good old boy network , or , for whatever reasons , you know , politics , just let all kinds of people through so he - he would have a heck - or - she would have a heck of a lot of power , you know , if used wrongly .
So , at least the jury system does something to prevent that , you know , or help it - with it - anyway .
I do n't know if it prevents it but seems like the jury system does have it 's advantages , but i also - i 've also heard on trials that sometimes they go through , like , three hundred jurors before they hand pick these jurors that they think are going to be the ones that are going to be the most lenient you know .
And i do n't know how much they 're getting just a jury of their peers at that point .
They 're really getting a select group .
It 's not just random people .
Hm .
It almost should be the first twelve people that they - you know - that have on a list are the ones that are on the jury and that 's it .
Yeah , yeah , I get back to Price 's comment when he , uh , was found guilty he said , well , he did n't have any blacks , uh , you know from his neck of the woods .
Well , give me a break you know .
You know .
He 'd have to have his whole family up there for him to feel like he 's got his peers or something , yeah .
Exactly .
Yeah , yeah , I mean you 're - you 're in Dallas so - everybody - i ca n't believe they can , uh , like in a murder situations , they look for juries who do n't know anything about the system well or know anything about the - the - occurrence .
You 'd have to be pretty dense .
Yeah .
You 'd be in - have to be in - a cave not to know what 's going on .
Or moving it to Lubbock or somewhere possibly is not the answer .
Yeah .
Oh , they 'd have to move it to Taiwan for people not to know about it practically .
This is true - so true .
Well , this has been an interesting conversation .
Yeah Yeah .
Well , really , this is - breaks up my afternoon from changing diapers and mopping floors .
I mean , what can i say ?
No , i 'm at home with two little kids preschoolers .
My husband works for TI .
Oh , so you 're at the house .
You 're not at the plant .
Oh hold it .
Oh , that 's good .
That 's good .
I thought i heard a holler there in the background but i was n't sure .
So yeah .
Oh yeah , i 've got the dog and two kids waiting here .
I am locked up in the laundry room .
Okay thanks a lot .
Bye-bye .
Oh goodness well i 'll let you get .
I enjoyed it .
Bye .
One of Sherlock Holmes 's defects -- if , indeed , one may call it a defect -- was that he was exceedingly loath to communicate his full plans to any other person until the instant of their fulfilment .
Partly it came no doubt from his own masterful nature , which loved to dominate and surprise those who were around him .
Partly also from his professional caution , which urged him never to take any chances .
The result , however , was very trying for those who were acting as his agents and assistants .
I had often suffered under it , but never more so than during that long drive in the darkness .
The great ordeal was in front of us ; at last we were about to make our final effort , and yet Holmes had said nothing , and I could only surmise what his course of action would be .
My nerves thrilled with anticipation when at last the cold wind upon our faces and the dark , void spaces on either side of the narrow road told me that we were back upon the moor once again .
Every stride of the horses and every turn of the wheels was taking us nearer to our supreme adventure .
Our conversation was hampered by the presence of the driver of the hired wagonette , so that we were forced to talk of trivial matters when our nerves were tense with emotion and anticipation .
It was a relief to me , after that unnatural restraint , when we at last passed Frankland 's house and knew that we were drawing near to the Hall and to the scene of action .
We did not drive up to the door but got down near the gate of the avenue .
The wagonette was paid off and ordered to return to Coombe Tracey forthwith , while we started to walk to Merripit House .
`` Are you armed , Lestrade ? ''
The little detective smiled .
`` As long as I have my trousers I have a hip-pocket , and as long as I have my hip-pocket I have something in it . ''
`` Good !
My friend and I are also ready for emergencies .
`` You 're mighty close about this affair , Mr . Holmes .
What 's the game now ? ''
`` A waiting game . ''
`` My word , it does not seem a very cheerful place , '' said the detective with a shiver , glancing round him at the gloomy slopes of the hill and at the huge lake of fog which lay over the Grimpen Mire .
`` I see the lights of a house ahead of us . ''
`` That is Merripit House and the end of our journey .
I must request you to walk on tiptoe and not to talk above a whisper . ''
We moved cautiously along the track as if we were bound for the house , but Holmes halted us when we were about two hundred yards from it .
`` This will do , '' said he .
`` These rocks upon the right make an admirable screen . ''
`` We are to wait here ? ''
`` Yes , we shall make our little ambush here .
Get into this hollow , Lestrade .
You have been inside the house , have you not , Watson ?
Can you tell the position of the rooms ?
What are those latticed windows at this end ? ''
`` I think they are the kitchen windows . ''
`` And the one beyond , which shines so brightly ? ''
`` That is certainly the dining room . ''
`` The blinds are up .
You know the lie of the land best .
Creep forward quietly and see what they are doing -- but for heaven 's sake do n't let them know that they are watched ! ''
I tiptoed down the path and stooped behind the low wall which surrounded the stunted orchard .
Creeping in its shadow I reached a point whence I could look straight through the uncurtained window .
There were only two men in the room , Sir Henry and Stapleton .
They sat with their profiles towards me on either side of the round table .
Both of them were smoking cigars , and coffee and wine were in front of them .
Stapleton was talking with animation , but the baronet looked pale and distrait .
Perhaps the thought of that lonely walk across the ill - omened moor was weighing heavily upon his mind .
As I watched them Stapleton rose and left the room , while Sir Henry filled his glass again and leaned back in his chair , puffing at his cigar .
I heard the creak of a door and the crisp sound of boots upon gravel .
The steps passed along the path on the other side of the wall under which I crouched .
Looking over , I saw the naturalist pause at the door of an outhouse in the corner of the orchard .
A key turned in a lock , and as he passed in there was a curious scuffling noise from within .
He was only a minute or so inside , and then I heard the key turn once more and he passed me and re - entered the house .
I saw him rejoin his guest , and I crept quietly back to where my companions were waiting to tell them what I had seen .
`` You say , Watson , that the lady is not there ? '' Holmes asked , when I had finished my report .
`` No . ''
`` Where can she be , then , since there is no light in any other room except the kitchen ? ''
`` I can not think where she is . ''
I have said that over the great Grimpen Mire there hung a dense , white fog .
It was drifting slowly in our direction , and banked itself up like a wall on that side of us , low , but thick and well defined .
The moon shone on it , and it looked like a great shimmering ice - field , with the heads of the distant tors as rocks borne upon its surface .
Holmes 's face was turned towards it , and he muttered impatiently as he watched its sluggish drift .
`` It 's moving towards us , Watson . ''
`` Is that serious ? ''
`` Very serious , indeed -- the one thing upon earth which could have disarranged my plans .
He ca n't be very long , now .
It is already ten o'clock .
Our success and even his life may depend upon his coming out before the fog is over the path . ''
The night was clear and fine above us .
The stars shone cold and bright , while a half - moon bathed the whole scene in a soft , uncertain light .
Before us lay the dark bulk of the house , its serrated roof and bristling chimneys hard outlined against the silver - spangled sky .
Broad bars of golden light from the lower windows stretched across the orchard and the moor .
One of them was suddenly shut off .
The servants had left the kitchen .
There only remained the lamp in the dining room where the two men , the murderous host and the unconscious guest , still chatted over their cigars .
Every minute that white woolly plain which covered one half of the moor was drifting closer and closer to the house .
Already the first thin wisps of it were curling across the golden square of the lighted window .
The farther wall of the orchard was already invisible , and the trees were standing out of a swirl of white vapour .
As we watched it the fog - wreaths came crawling round both corners of the house and rolled slowly into one dense bank , on which the upper floor and the roof floated like a strange ship upon a shadowy sea .
Holmes struck his hand passionately upon the rock in front of us and stamped his feet in his impatience .
`` If he is n't out in a quarter of an hour the path will be covered .
In half an hour we wo n't be able to see our hands in front of us . ''
`` Shall we move farther back upon higher ground ? ''
`` Yes , I think it would be as well . ''
So as the fog - bank flowed onward we fell back before it until we were half a mile from the house , and still that dense white sea , with the moon silvering its upper edge , swept slowly and inexorably on .
`` We are going too far , '' said Holmes .
`` We dare not take the chance of his being overtaken before he can reach us .
At all costs we must hold our ground where we are . ''
He dropped on his knees and clapped his ear to the ground .
`` Thank God , I think that I hear him coming . ''
A sound of quick steps broke the silence of the moor .
Crouching among the stones we stared intently at the silver-tipped bank in front of us .
The steps grew louder , and through the fog , as through a curtain , there stepped the man whom we were awaiting .
He looked round him in surprise as he emerged into the clear , starlit night .
Then he came swiftly along the path , passed close to where we lay , and went on up the long slope behind us .
As he walked he glanced continually over either shoulder , like a man who is ill at ease .
`` Hist ! '' cried Holmes , and I heard the sharp click of a cocking pistol .
`` Look out !
It 's coming ! ''
There was a thin , crisp , continuous patter from somewhere in the heart of that crawling bank .
The cloud was within fifty yards of where we lay , and we glared at it , all three , uncertain what horror was about to break from the heart of it .
I was at Holmes 's elbow , and I glanced for an instant at his face .
It was pale and exultant , his eyes shining brightly in the moonlight .
But suddenly they started forward in a rigid , fixed stare , and his lips parted in amazement .
At the same instant Lestrade gave a yell of terror and threw himself face downward upon the ground .
I sprang to my feet , my inert hand grasping my pistol , my mind paralyzed by the dreadful shape which had sprung out upon us from the shadows of the fog .
A hound it was , an enormous coal - black hound , but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen .
Fire burst from its open mouth , its eyes glowed with a smouldering glare , its muzzle and hackles and dewlap were outlined in flickering flame .
Never in the delirious dream of a disordered brain could anything more savage , more appalling , more hellish be conceived than that dark form and savage face which broke upon us out of the wall of fog .
With long bounds the huge black creature was leaping down the track , following hard upon the footsteps of our friend .
So paralyzed were we by the apparition that we allowed him to pass before we had recovered our nerve .
Then Holmes and I both fired together , and the creature gave a hideous howl , which showed that one at least had hit him .
He did not pause , however , but bounded onward .
Far away on the path we saw Sir Henry looking back , his face white in the moonlight , his hands raised in horror , glaring helplessly at the frightful thing which was hunting him down .
But that cry of pain from the hound had blown all our fears to the winds .
If he was vulnerable he was mortal , and if we could wound him we could kill him .
Never have I seen a man run as Holmes ran that night .
I am reckoned fleet of foot , but he outpaced me as much as I outpaced the little professional .
In front of us as we flew up the track we heard scream after scream from Sir Henry and the deep roar of the hound .
I was in time to see the beast spring upon its victim , hurl him to the ground , and worry at his throat .
But the next instant Holmes had emptied five barrels of his revolver into the creature 's flank .
With a last howl of agony and a vicious snap in the air , it rolled upon its back , four feet pawing furiously , and then fell limp upon its side .
I stooped , panting , and pressed my pistol to the dreadful , shimmering head , but it was useless to press the trigger .
The giant hound was dead .
Sir Henry lay insensible where he had fallen .
We tore away his collar , and Holmes breathed a prayer of gratitude when we saw that there was no sign of a wound and that the rescue had been in time .
Already our friend 's eyelids shivered and he made a feeble effort to move .
Lestrade thrust his brandy - flask between the baronet 's teeth , and two frightened eyes were looking up at us .
`` My God ! '' he whispered .
`` What was it ?
What , in heaven 's name , was it ? ''
`` It 's dead , whatever it is , '' said Holmes .
`` We 've laid the family ghost once and forever . ''
In mere size and strength it was a terrible creature which was lying stretched before us .
It was not a pure bloodhound and it was not a pure mastiff ; but it appeared to be a combination of the two -- gaunt , savage , and as large as a small lioness .
Even now , in the stillness of death , the huge jaws seemed to be dripping with a bluish flame and the small , deep - set , cruel eyes were ringed with fire .
I placed my hand upon the glowing muzzle , and as I held them up my own fingers smouldered and gleamed in the darkness .
`` Phosphorus , '' I said .
`` A cunning preparation of it , '' said Holmes , sniffing at the dead animal .
`` There is no smell which might have interfered with his power of scent .
We owe you a deep apology , Sir Henry , for having exposed you to this fright .
I was prepared for a hound , but not for such a creature as this .
And the fog gave us little time to receive him . ''
`` You have saved my life . ''
`` Having first endangered it .
Are you strong enough to stand ? ''
`` Give me another mouthful of that brandy and I shall be ready for anything .
So !
Now , if you will help me up .
What do you propose to do ? ''
`` To leave you here .
You are not fit for further adventures tonight .
If you will wait , one or other of us will go back with you to the Hall . ''
He tried to stagger to his feet ; but he was still ghastly pale and trembling in every limb .
We helped him to a rock , where he sat shivering with his face buried in his hands .
`` We must leave you now , '' said Holmes .
`` The rest of our work must be done , and every moment is of importance .
We have our case , and now we only want our man .
`` It 's a thousand to one against our finding him at the house , '' he continued as we retraced our steps swiftly down the path .
`` Those shots must have told him that the game was up . ''
`` We were some distance off , and this fog may have deadened them . ''
`` He followed the hound to call him off -- of that you may be certain .
No , no , he 's gone by this time !
But we 'll search the house and make sure . ''
The front door was open , so we rushed in and hurried from room to room to the amazement of a doddering old manservant , who met us in the passage .
There was no light save in the dining room , but Holmes caught up the lamp and left no corner of the house unexplored .
No sign could we see of the man whom we were chasing .
On the upper floor , however , one of the bedroom doors was locked .
`` There 's someone in here , '' cried Lestrade .
`` I can hear a movement .
Open this door ! ''
A faint moaning and rustling came from within .
Holmes struck the door just over the lock with the flat of his foot and it flew open .
Pistol in hand , we all three rushed into the room .
But there was no sign within it of that desperate and defiant villain whom we expected to see .
Instead we were faced by an object so strange and so unexpected that we stood for a moment staring at it in amazement .
The room had been fashioned into a small museum , and the walls were lined by a number of glass - topped cases full of that collection of butterflies and moths the formation of which had been the relaxation of this complex and dangerous man .
In the centre of this room there was an upright beam , which had been placed at some period as a support for the old worm-eaten baulk of timber which spanned the roof .
To this post a figure was tied , so swathed and muffled in the sheets which had been used to secure it that one could not for the moment tell whether it was that of a man or a woman .
One towel passed round the throat and was secured at the back of the pillar .
Another covered the lower part of the face , and over it two dark eyes -- eyes full of grief and shame and a dreadful questioning -- stared back at us .
In a minute we had torn off the gag , unswathed the bonds , and Mrs . Stapleton sank upon the floor in front of us .
As her beautiful head fell upon her chest I saw the clear red weal of a whiplash across her neck .
`` The brute ! '' cried Holmes .
`` Here , Lestrade , your brandy - bottle !
Put her in the chair !
She has fainted from ill - usage and exhaustion . ''
She opened her eyes again .
`` Is he safe ? '' she asked .
`` Has he escaped ? ''
`` He can not escape us , madam . ''
`` No , no , I did not mean my husband .
Sir Henry ?
Is he safe ? ''
`` Yes . ''
`` And the hound ? ''
`` It is dead . ''
She gave a long sigh of satisfaction .
`` Thank God !
Thank God !
Oh , this villain !
See how he has treated me ! ''
She shot her arms out from her sleeves , and we saw with horror that they were all mottled with bruises .
`` But this is nothing -- nothing !
It is my mind and soul that he has tortured and defiled .
I could endure it all , ill - usage , solitude , a life of deception , everything , as long as I could still cling to the hope that I had his love , but now I know that in this also I have been his dupe and his tool . ''
She broke into passionate sobbing as she spoke .
`` You bear him no good will , madam , '' said Holmes .
`` Tell us then where we shall find him .
If you have ever aided him in evil , help us now and so atone . ''
`` There is but one place where he can have fled , '' she answered .
`` There is an old tin mine on an island in the heart of the mire .
It was there that he kept his hound and there also he had made preparations so that he might have a refuge .
That is where he would fly . ''
The fog - bank lay like white wool against the window .
Holmes held the lamp towards it .
`` See , '' said he .
`` No one could find his way into the Grimpen Mire tonight . ''
She laughed and clapped her hands .
Her eyes and teeth gleamed with fierce merriment .
`` He may find his way in , but never out , '' she cried .
`` How can he see the guiding wands tonight ?
We planted them together , he and I , to mark the pathway through the mire .
Oh , if I could only have plucked them out today .
Then indeed you would have had him at your mercy ! ''
It was evident to us that all pursuit was in vain until the fog had lifted .
Meanwhile we left Lestrade in possession of the house while Holmes and I went back with the baronet to Baskerville Hall .
The story of the Stapletons could no longer be withheld from him , but he took the blow bravely when he learned the truth about the woman whom he had loved .
But the shock of the night 's adventures had shattered his nerves , and before morning he lay delirious in a high fever , under the care of Dr . Mortimer .
The two of them were destined to travel together round the world before Sir Henry had become once more the hale , hearty man that he had been before he became master of that ill - omened estate .
And now I come rapidly to the conclusion of this singular narrative , in which I have tried to make the reader share those dark fears and vague surmises which clouded our lives so long and ended in so tragic a manner .
On the morning after the death of the hound the fog had lifted and we were guided by Mrs . Stapleton to the point where they had found a pathway through the bog .
It helped us to realize the horror of this woman 's life when we saw the eagerness and joy with which she laid us on her husband 's track .
We left her standing upon the thin peninsula of firm , peaty soil which tapered out into the widespread bog .
From the end of it a small wand planted here and there showed where the path zigzagged from tuft to tuft of rushes among those green-scummed pits and foul quagmires which barred the way to the stranger .
Rank reeds and lush , slimy water - plants sent an odour of decay and a heavy miasmatic vapour onto our faces , while a false step plunged us more than once thigh-deep into the dark , quivering mire , which shook for yards in soft undulations around our feet .
Its tenacious grip plucked at our heels as we walked , and when we sank into it it was as if some malignant hand was tugging us down into those obscene depths , so grim and purposeful was the clutch in which it held us .
Once only we saw a trace that someone had passed that perilous way before us .
From amid a tuft of cotton grass which bore it up out of the slime some dark thing was projecting .
Holmes sank to his waist as he stepped from the path to seize it , and had we not been there to drag him out he could never have set his foot upon firm land again .
He held an old black boot in the air .
`` Meyers , Toronto , '' was printed on the leather inside .
`` It is worth a mud bath , '' said he .
`` It is our friend Sir Henry 's missing boot . ''
`` Thrown there by Stapleton in his flight . ''
`` Exactly .
He retained it in his hand after using it to set the hound upon the track .
He fled when he knew the game was up , still clutching it .
And he hurled it away at this point of his flight .
We know at least that he came so far in safety . ''
But more than that we were never destined to know , though there was much which we might surmise .
There was no chance of finding footsteps in the mire , for the rising mud oozed swiftly in upon them , but as we at last reached firmer ground beyond the morass we all looked eagerly for them .
But no slightest sign of them ever met our eyes .
If the earth told a true story , then Stapleton never reached that island of refuge towards which he struggled through the fog upon that last night .
Somewhere in the heart of the great Grimpen Mire , down in the foul slime of the huge morass which had sucked him in , this cold and cruel - hearted man is forever buried .
Many traces we found of him in the bog - girt island where he had hid his savage ally .
A huge driving - wheel and a shaft half - filled with rubbish showed the position of an abandoned mine .
Beside it were the crumbling remains of the cottages of the miners , driven away no doubt by the foul reek of the surrounding swamp .
In one of these a staple and chain with a quantity of gnawed bones showed where the animal had been confined .
A skeleton with a tangle of brown hair adhering to it lay among the debris .
`` A dog ! '' said Holmes .
`` By Jove , a curly - haired spaniel .
Poor Mortimer will never see his pet again .
Well , I do not know that this place contains any secret which we have not already fathomed .
He could hide his hound , but he could not hush its voice , and hence came those cries which even in daylight were not pleasant to hear .
On an emergency he could keep the hound in the outhouse at Merripit , but it was always a risk , and it was only on the supreme day , which he regarded as the end of all his efforts , that he dared do it .
This paste in the tin is no doubt the luminous mixture with which the creature was daubed .
It was suggested , of course , by the story of the family hell - hound , and by the desire to frighten old Sir Charles to death .
No wonder the poor devil of a convict ran and screamed , even as our friend did , and as we ourselves might have done , when he saw such a creature bounding through the darkness of the moor upon his track .
It was a cunning device , for , apart from the chance of driving your victim to his death , what peasant would venture to inquire too closely into such a creature should he get sight of it , as many have done , upon the moor ?
I said it in London , Watson , and I say it again now , that never yet have we helped to hunt down a more dangerous man than he who is lying yonder '' -- he swept his long arm towards the huge mottled expanse of green - splotched bog which stretched away until it merged into the russet slopes of the moor .
In 1945 , the twenty - seven - year - old Anwar al-Sadat and his friends decided to assassinate the on - and - off prime minister of Egypt , Nahhas Pasha .
Religious decrees were used to justify the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat .
The Islambouli Brigades is named after Lt . Khaled Islambouli , the leader of a group of militant Islamists who assassinated Sadat during a 1981 military parade in Cairo .
Islambouli and four associates were captured and executed for the plot to kill Sadat , which was carried out by Egyptian Islamic Jihad and another Egyptian militant group , al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya .
When did Khaled Islambouli die ?
Islambouli , an Egyptian military officer and member of Al-Jihad Organization , assassinated President Anwar Sadat during a military parade in Cairo in October 1981 for signing a peace treaty with Israel .
Lt . Khaled Islambouli was the leader of the group of soldiers who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Cairo in 1981 .
Lieutenant Khaled Islambouli was the leader of the group of soldiers who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during a military parade in Cairo in 1981 .
The group 's late , eponymous leader , Lt . Khaled Islambouli , killed Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during a military parade in Cairo in 1981 .
He was executed for the crime a year later .
Nuclear 
North Korea established a nuclear energy research complex at Yongbyon in 1964 and set up a Soviet research reactor at the site in mid-2002 . 
North Korea subsequently expanded the complex and built a number of new facilities , including a large plutonium reprocessing plant ( Radiochemistry Laboratory ) . 
North Korea signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ( NPT ) in 1985 but did not submit to International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) inspections until May 1992 . 
Discrepancies between North Korean declarations and IAEA inspection findings indicate that North Korea might have reprocessed enough plutonium for one or two nuclear weapons . 
According to a December 2001 National Intelligence Council report , the U.S. intelligence community ascertained in the mid-1990s that North Korea had produced one , possibly two , nuclear weapons . 
In mid-2002 , U.S. intelligence discovered that North Korea had been receiving materials from Pakistan for a highly enriched uranium production facility . 
In October 2002 , the U.S. State Department informed North Korea that the U.S. was aware of this program , which is a violation of Pyongyang 's nonproliferation commitments . 
North Korean officials initially denied the existence of such a program , but then acknowledged it . 
The U.S. responded by announcing in November 2002 that it would suspend heavy fuel oil shipments being provided under the terms of the Agreed Framework , which had led North Korea to freeze its plutonium production facilities . 
Pyongyang then declared the following month that it was lifting the freeze on its nuclear program , ostensibly to generate electricity . 
In late December 2002 , North Korean technicians broke seals and disabled cameras that had been installed by the IAEA in order to monitor the freeze . 
North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors on 31 December 2002 , curtailing the Agency 's capacity to monitor Pyongyang 's nuclear activities . 
The IAEA has not been able to verify the completeness and correctness of North Korea 's initial declaration submitted in 1992 , and the Agency cannot verify whether fissile material has been diverted to military use . 
On 10 January 2003 , North Korea declared its withdrawal from the NPT . 
The treaty requires a 90-day waiting period , but Pyongyang claimed the withdrawal was effective immediately because 89 days had transpired in 1993 when North Korea initially announced its intention to withdraw before `` suspending its intention to withdraw from the treaty . '' 
In late February 2003 , North Korea restarted its 5WW(e) reactor , and in March , reports indicated that technicians were active at the Radiochemistry Laboratory , and on 2 October , the North Korean Foreign Ministry declared that the reprocessing of 8,000 spent fuel rods had been completed `` to increase its nuclear deterrent force . '' 
On 12 May 2003 , North Korea declared that the `` Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula '' of 20 January 1992 was no longer valid because of `` violations by the United States '' [ Note : the U.S was not a signatory ] . 
Estimates vary on how soon North Korea could begin operating a uranium enrichment plant , but North Korea probably could not produce significant quantities of weapons-grade HEU until the end of the decade . 
In April 2003 , Egyptian customs officials intercepted 22 tons of aluminum tubing from Germany that would likely have been used for a pilot cascade of about 100-200 gas centrifuges , which indicates North Korea is probably not yet ready to begin operation of a large-scale plant . 
North Korea has reportedly established a facility to produce UF6 at the Yongbyon nuclear complex , which gives Pyongyang the capability to produce the stock of uranium hexafluoride ( UF6 ) gas to feed the cascades of centrifuges in a large-scale plant . 
Since April 2003 , multilateral talks have been held in Beijing to resolve the nuclear crisis . 
All parties have agreed that they seek a non - nuclear Korean peninsula , but it remains unclear how this objective will be achieved .
All parties have agreed that they seek a non-nuclear Korean peninsula , but it remains unclear how this objective will be achieved . 
During 19-21 April 2004 , North Korean National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong Il visited China and reportedly told Chinese President Hu Jintao that `` the DRPK side will continue to adopt a patient and flexible manner and actively participate in the six-party talks process , and make its own contributions to the progress of the talks . '' 
During 19-21 April 2004 , North Korean National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong Il visited China and reportedly told Chinese President Hu Jintao that `` the DRPK side will continue to adopt a patient and flexible manner and actively participate in the six - party talks process , and make its own contributions to the progress of the talks . ''
The United States is insisting on the `` complete , verifiable and irreversible dismantlement ( CVID) ) '' of the North Korean nuclear program before addressing North Korean security and economic concerns . 
Biological 
Although Pyongyang acceded to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention ( BWC ) in 1970s , North Korea is suspected of having a biological weapon ( BW ) program . 
Production of biological weapon agents appears to have begun in the early 1980s . 
To date , North Korea has likely developed and produced anthrax bacteria , botulinum toxin , and plague bacteria . 
Chemical 
North Korea 's chemical weapon ( CW ) production capability is estimated to be about 4,500 tons per year , though this could increase to 12,000 tons per year in case of war . 
North Korea appears to have emphasized the weaponization of mustard , phosgene , sarin , and V-type chemical agents . 
Reports indicate that North Korea has some 12 CW facilities where raw chemicals , precursors , and actual agents are produced and / or stored , and six major storage depots for CW ordnance . 
North Korea also has placed thousands of artillery systems -- including multiple launch rocket systems that are particularly effective for CW delivery -- within reach of the Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ ) and Seoul . 
Pyongyang has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention ( CWC ) . 
Missile 
North Korea began its missile development program in the 1970s and tested an `` indigenous '' Scud-B ballistic missile in April 1984 . 
Pyongyang subsequently produced the 500 km - range Scud-C , the 800 km - range Scud-D , and a 1300 km - range missile known as the Nodong . 
In August 1998 , North Korea flight-tested the Paektusan-1 ( Taepodong-1 ) in a failed attempt to place a small satellite into earth orbit . 
North Korea is continuing to develop the so-called `` Taepodong-2 , '' which is estimated to have intercontinental range . 
The Taepodong-2 has not been flight-tested , but U.S. intelligence analysts believe it could be ready for testing at any time . Pyongyang has deployed as many as 600 - 750 ballistic missiles , including about 175 - 200 Nodongs . 
In December 2002 , Spanish and American naval forces intercepted a North Korean ship loaded with Scud missiles , but then allowed the ship to proceed to deliver the missiles to Yemen . 
There were rumors in 2003 of Burmese plans to purchase ballistic missiles from North Korea , but it is unclear whether any transactions have been completed . 
In late January 2004 , North Korea and Nigeria reportedly agreed to a missile deal , but Nigeria backed out of the agreement in early February under U.S. pressure . 
North Korea has exported missiles , missile components , and technology to Egypt , Iran , Libya , Pakistan , Syria , and Yemen . 
In September 1999 , Pyongyang agreed to a moratorium on missile flight tests and later announced that it would maintain the moratorium until at least 2003 . 
North Korea is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime ( MTCR ) . 
Nuclear Overview
Syria has a small nuclear program that can be described , at best , as `` elemental '' to a nuclear fuel cycle program .
Most of the program has revolved around research and the production of isotopes for use in medical and agricultural applications .
Although Syria does not appear to have ever pursued nuclear weapons , there have been rumors that it considered doing so in the early 1980s .
These rumors are mainly based on statements made by high - level Syrian officials and would-be arms suppliers .
However , no nuclear weapons program has ever materialized or been initiated .
It appears that the Syrian nuclear program continues to be focused solely on civilian nuclear research , based on international cooperation , and set to support a continued domestic aspiration for a nuclear power program .
Assistance to Syria has come from various countries including Belgium , China , Germany , and the former Soviet Union .
Additionally , over the years , Syria has solicited proposals from other countries including Argentina , India , and Italy .
The International Atomic Energy Association ( IAEA ) has assisted Syria on numerous projects including uranium exploration , uranium extraction from phosphoric acid , isotope production , construction of a cyclotron facility , development of nuclear research laboratories , and preparation for a nuclear power program .
History
Syria signed the Nuclear Non - Proliferation Treaty ( NPT ) in 1969 .
It took this step to obtain the political and technical benefits that come from signing the treaty .
In the aftermath of its losses in the Six Day War , Syria felt that it needed broader support from the international community to guard against Israeli acts of aggression .
Additionally , the government wanted to take advantage of technical assistance from the IAEA and its member states that is only available after a state signs the NPT .
In 1979 , Syria established its Atomic Energy Commission ( AECS ) largely to manage IAEA assistance programs and to plan for the eventual development of a nuclear power program .
In 1983 , the IAEA assisted Syria in establishing an analytical laboratory that was equipped with systems for atomic spectrometry and various other experiments .
Five Syrian scientists were trained in Hungary , the United States , Yugoslavia , and Austria as a part of the project .
Also in 1983 , Syrian and Soviet scientists carried out a joint study on the construction of a nuclear power reactor in Syria .
This study was part of an IAEA cooperative assistance project to help Syria understand the requirements for developing and maintaining a nuclear program .
Although Syria has probably never attempted to indigenously build nuclear weapons , there have been rumors that it might be interested in obtaining such weapons to deter an Israeli nuclear weapons threat .
In fact , in 1986 , when questioned on his opinion of the Israeli nuclear arsenal , Syrian Chief of Staff General Hihmet Al-Siabi suggested that Syria would strive to achieve strategic equality with Israel including nuclear parity .
In the late 1980s and early 1990s , Syria began exploring its potential for indigenous nuclear resources .
Upon completion of several uranium exploration projects , Syria began experiments to extract uranium from its vast phosphoric rock reserves .
In 1986 , the IAEA and AECS constructed a micro - plant at the General Phosphate Company Plant in Homs to study the process of uranium extraction from phosphoric acid .
The plant would be the forerunner to a commercial plant if Syria obtained a nuclear power reactor and needed fresh fuel regularly .
In 1996 , Syria began developing a plant to recover uranium from tri -superphosphates using a similar technology .
That facility came online in 2001 .
In 1991 , China started constructing Syria 's first research reactor , a 30 KW miniature neutron source reactor ( MNSR ) to be located at the Der Al-Hadjar Nuclear Research Center near Damascus .
China provided Syria with approximately 980 grams of 89% enriched U235 to operate the reactor .
That facility went critical in 1996 and become fully operational in 1998 .
The MNSR gives Syria the capability to produce neutrons for nuclear analysis , isotopes for industrial applications , and radioisotopes for training purposes , but is unsuitable for weapons production .
In 1997 , the IAEA approved a technical assistance project to provide Syria with a cyclotron facility .
It was to be built at the Nuclear Medicine Centre in Damascus .
The Cyclon-30 cyclotron , provided by Belgium 's Ion Beam Applications , is the same model as the cyclotron in Iran , where it is suspected of being used to enrich uranium .
The facility 's status is unknown .
In more recent years , Syria has continued to develop its nuclear research facilities and other facilities to help manage its nuclear material .
The government has also entered into new cooperation agreements with several countries , most notably Russia .
In 1998 , the intergovernmental Russia - Syrian Commission on Trade and Scientific and Technical Cooperation signed of a memorandum of cooperation between Russia 's Ministry of Atomic Energy and the AECS .
Part of this accord was an agreement to construct a nuclear research center that would include a 25MW research reactor .
Current Status
Syria 's nuclear program remains in the fundamental stages of development , with virtually no fuel cycle facilities in operation .
However , there are a number of operating research facilities in Syria , including the Der Al-Hadjar Nuclear Research Center near Damascus , a nuclear analysis laboratory , and the Scientific Research Institute ( SRI ) in Damascus .
The SRI has allegedly taken in Iraqi scientists prior to the recent Gulf War .
In December 2002 , an Italian newspaper cited an Iraqi officer who asserted that Syria had allowed Iraq to store its weapons of mass destruction in Syria research centers .
These allegations were never confirmed .
In 2003 , Russian and Syrian officials continued their negotiations for the construction of a nuclear facility that would include a nuclear power plant and a seawater atomic desalination plant .
Open sources reported that the Russian Minister of Atomic Energy confirmed that discussions over supplying Syria with a power plant and a desalination plant were taking place .
However , the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman refuted the Minatom statement and denied that any discussion had taken place .
Consequently , Syria 's quest for obtaining a nuclear power plant remains an unanswered question .
In 2004 , Syria responded to U.S. and U.K. pressure to relinquish its WMD by declaring that it is prepared to do so when Israel does the same .
The United States imposed sanctions in May , citing Syria 's pursuit of WMD programs as one of the reasons for this step .
A Syria - EU trade accord hurdle was resolved in October with agreement on a WMD clause , subject to final approval by EU foreign ministers .
IAEA chief ElBaradei has asserted that there is no reason to believe Syria was a client of A.Q. Khan 's nuclear proliferation network .
The head of the Iraq Survey Group Charles Duelfer has exhausted his search for WMD in Iraq .
He stated that there is no evidence that WMD were transferred to Syria before the U.S. invasion of Iraq .
Aetna Life and Casualty Co. 's third - quarter net income fell 22 % to $ 182.6 million , or $ 1.63 a share , reflecting the damages from Hurricane Hugo and lower results for some of the company 's major divisions .
Catastrophe losses reduced Aetna 's net income by $ 50 million , including $ 36 million from Hugo .
Last year catastrophe losses totaled $ 5 million , when net was $ 235.5 million , or $ 2.07 a share .
The year - earlier results have been restated to reflect an accounting change .
The insurer has started processing claims from the Northern California earthquake nearly two weeks ago .
But because these claims are more difficult to evaluate and have been coming in more slowly , the company has no estimate of the impact of the earthquake on fourth - quarter results .
In New York Stock Exchange composite trading Friday , Aetna closed at $ 60 , down 50 cents .
In the latest quarter , Aetna had a $ 23 million loss on its auto / homeowners line , compared with earnings of $ 33 million last year .
Profit for its commercial insurance division fell 30 % to $ 59 million , reflecting higher catastrophe losses and the price war in the property / casualty market for nearly three years .
However , Aetna 's employee benefits division , which includes its group health insurance operations , posted a 34 % profit gain to $ 106 million .
Third - quarter results included net realized capital gains of $ 48 million , which included $ 27 million from the sale of Federated Investors in August and a $ 15 million tax credit .
In the nine months , net rose 4.3 % to $ 525.8 million or $ 4.67 a share , from $ 504.2 million , or $ 4.41 a share , last year .