the edge of the desert, blessed with an eternal water source, had offered the three communities shelter against the aggression of the Neo-Assyrian empire. At Palmyra, the Samarians and the Arameans developed a civil religion that accommodated several religious traditions. No group had been asked to abandon its gods. The textual compilation of the Amherst papyrus is testimony to the mood of inclusivity that had characterized the coexistence of the three communities at Palmyra. This is the heritage they brought to Egypt.

Under the impact of the Babylonian expansionism of the sixth century BCE, the communities decided to transfer to Egypt. It proved to be a migration with momentous consequences. The Samarian community had thought of itself as primarily Aramean, but they came to be defined as Jewish asMythic Entertainment, the Mythic Entertainment logo, "Dark Age of Camelot,"
"Shrouded Isles," the Dark Age of Camelot and Shrouded Isles logos, and the
stylized Celtic knot are trademarks of Mythic Entertainment, Inc.


Save Bees From a Highly Toxic PesticideAs bee populationas continue to plummet, Dow AgroScience has applied to the EPA for an expansion of the bee-killing pesticide sulfoxaflor. Tell the EPA to deny Dow's proposal in the name of our planet's bees!

Help Stop the Wolf Carnage in IdahoIdaho has declared war on its wolf population. Its government has contracted Wildlife Services sharpshooters to eliminate wolves indiscriminately on-sight, but a war on these keystone predators could lead to environmental disaster. Tell the Secretary of Agriculture to order Wildlife Services to stand down!

After she had lost his mother to poachers, rescuers found Matimba hungry, defenseless, and scared. She was taken immediately to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, where the staff welcomed him with open arms.

Have a look at Matimba as hethe rails of an old Ikea single bed, missing the slats. Not sure, but I think they may have been used for some other project. We had a couple of substantial wooden chair or couch arms that one of our sons had found years ago and brought home.

We had saved the two foam seat cushions from the old couch to make new back cushions from. We cut those in half with an old electric carving knife and made four cushions from them.

Will, in the mean time had ingeniously figured out a way to attach the arms of the chair to the rails of the bed. And like so many people these days…. he recycled some pallets into slats for the bed. The only new thing we ended up


Those partitionists in favour of splitting Dublin, a faintly mischievous idea with origins in a Strategic Review Committee report from 2002, found little solidarity in Paraic Duffy’s 11th report as Director General earlier today. In his final salvo before he steps down from the position in March, Duffy said he felt the need to set out his position, emphatically dismissing the calls for division, which may end this silly debate once and for all.

In his report Duffy asked if the split lobby had given any thought to the likely impact of such a move or to what Dublin “would lose”.

Dublin’s core identity, he argued, would be compromised by a split and he also disputed the reformist argument that Dublin had become too competitive and virtually untouchable.

Duffy leaned onhistory, which tends to repeat itself. Superior financial resources and population numbers, he noted, had not prevented Dublin from winning a meagre one All-Ireland senior football title between 1983 and 2011. He also raised the fact that of Dublin’s five All-Ireland final wins from the last seven years the margin of victory on four occasions had been a single point. One of those finals went to a replay.

The more persuasive part of his argument, however, related to identity and the implications on that score for Dublin if a split were to happen. Identity is a fundamental part of the GAA experience and condition, its DNA, and any attempt to interfere with this, through a form of partition, is unfeasible and potentially destructive. The plan to split Dublin has


echoes of Maggie Thatcher taking out a map of Ireland and drawing a random line across the middle indicating where she felt the border should be.

Of more immediate relevance, and closer to Duffy’s own heart, was the issue of unauthorised payments to county and, in particular, club managers. Since he first raised the issue and brought out a discussion paper in 2010 calling for more debate, he claims that the anecdotal evidence suggests that unwarranted club payments have shot through the roof.

Duffy would like a fresh debate. He was quick to correct a false impression that he was against outside managers, recognising the value some have brought especially at county level. But the GAA’s preferred model is to have clubs, especially, looking to promote their own local coachesallocated for domestic games, with that month declared free of inter-county fixtures in an effort to redress the balance between club and county interests. Duffy said that county committees need to stand up to county managers although not all managers were un-co-operative, citing his own county manager Malachy O’Rourke as a good example.

Duffy believes there is no reason why each county can’t run off four fixtures in April, and the county players can still train with the county panels during the week. Any deviation from that system driven by county managers needs to be resisted by county committees, he added.

He noted that by July 8 this year, under the new fixture changes, only eight teams will be left in the All-Ireland senior football championship. By July 29 the


the security and prosperity of Canadians, the Canada Border Services Agency works cooperatively with its international partners to combat contraband trade and prevent transborder crime.

Canada and Israel share a strong trade relationship. A Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement has been in force since 1997, and both countries signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement in December 2012.

The Partners in Protection program is designed to make border processes more efficient for low-risk, pre-approved businesses recognized as trusted traders.

A Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signifies that both countries apply similar security standards and similar site validations when approving companies for membership in their respective Authorized Economic Operator programs.

An MRA allows both countries to recognize each other’s members and may grant them similar benefits. Canada currently has MRAs with the United States, Japan, thetheir marriage, the parties
remained together in the same household. In 1987 a house on Thunderbird Drive in
Chugiak was purchased in Cynthia’s name only, and both parties resided there. In 1997
the parties separated and David left the house. David returned in 2001 and again lived
with Cynthia at the Thunderbird Drive house. In 2007 the parties separated for a final
time; Cynthia remained in the Thunderbird Drive house, while David departed.
        B.   Proceedings
             In August 2010 Cynthia filed an application for services with the Child
Support Services Division (CSSD) to update the amount of arrears owed by David.
CSSD sent David a letter advising him that he was required to pay child


the developer's Traffic                 ~J~;~r~.aRISE
Impact Analysis on September 4, 2007.                However, on September 28, 2007, in response to

neighborhood opposition, that approval was rescinded. Over the next several years, Buckhead

revised its applications ten times; each time the application was rejected.                     In August 2009,

Buckhead submitted a revised application under protest and subject to challenge of the project's

previous denials. 2 On August 25, 2009, the City of Houston approved the revised project.

Although the revised application was approved by the city, Buckheadcontinued to press for

approval of the original application.           In October 2009, Buckhead appealed the denial of its

building permit to the City of Houston's General Appeals Board. The Appeals Board rejected

the appeal and in December 2009, the Houston City Council upheld the decision of the Appeals

Board. On April 9, 2010, Buckhead and Maryland Manor Associates filed suit against the city in

federal court3 complaining that Buckhead's previous applications were wrongfully denied. In

February 2012, the City of Houston and Buckhead settled the federal action.                          In return for

dismissing the lawsuit, the City of Houston agreed to approve


a chilling effect on

other development in Houston. For better or worse, the City of Houston has repeatedly opted

against zoning. Houston's lack of zoning is often touted as part of the DNA of the city.

            However, while there is not technically zoning, one witness testified that the City of

Houston vigorously enforces its ordinances and codes. Obtaining a building permit is by no

means a given. In this case, the defendant went through years of considerable effort to obtain

approval for the Project.       Ten different applications were made to the City.      One project

.alternative was approved, litigation filed, and ultimately the 21 story Project was approved by the

City.

   toward no injunction.

       Finally, the Project will provide benefits to the city as a whole. The Project will generate

millions in tax revenues and provide housing for the medical center, Rice, and other urban

destinations. While the Project might increase traffic along Bissonnet, it will contribute toward

reduction in urban sprawl and congestion on freeways feeding the city center.

       City Approval.

       Similarly, it must be remembered that the City of Houston approved this project and

extracted concessions from the defendant in the process. As part of the settlement of the federal

lawsuit, the city agreed to issue a permit for the project so long as defendant made certain design

changes, including (a) reducing the height of


On the 19th day of November 2013. the above-entitled and numbered cause was called for

trial. The parties announced ready through their attorneys of record. The Court empaneled a JUry of

twelve, and the case proceeded to trial. At the conclusion of the evidence, the jury reached a

unanimous verdict on December 17, 2013. The jury found, as to 29 plaintiffs or 20 households. that

                                                                                TRIAL ON ITS MERITS
13                     DECEMBER 12, 2013
14       _____________________________________________
15
16
17
18            On the 19th day of November, 2013, the
19 following proceedings came on to be held in the
20 above-titled and numbered cause before the Honorable
21 Randy Wilson, Judge Presiding, held in Houston, Harris
22 County, Texas.
23
24            Proceedings reported by computerized stenotype
25 machine.

     Sheri Ullrich, Official Court Reporter, 713-368-6242


Canopy Growth operations in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Tom Franck | CNBC

Michigan and New Jersey are on track to become the latest states to legalize recreational marijuana, potentially bringing in millions of dollars in tax revenue. Still, some lawmakers and advocates say the states are leaving money on the table. On Nov. 6, Michigan voters passed a measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use, with 56 percent voting in favor. The change will take effect on Dec. 6, however marijuana won't be available for sale until the government grants licenses to businesses sometime in 2019. New Jersey state Senate and Assembly committees passed a bill on Monday to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The bill will need to be approved by the full legislature as well as byfirst two states to legalize recreational marijuana, Washington and Colorado, imposed a 37 percent sales tax and a 30 percent combined excise and sales tax, respectively. Tax revenue in Michigan "that may come from this initiative will be far less than one half of one percent of the state budget," said Scott Greenlee, president of anti-legalization group Healthy and Productive Michigan, in a statement released after the election. "The people may have voted on the concept of legalizing marijuana, but they probably wouldn't mind more money going to the roads and schools than the pockets of the pot business," wrote columnist and author Mitch Albom in an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press criticizing Michigan's tax rate. New Jersey Gov. Murphy is a proponent of a 25 percent


taxes will only drive consumers towards the black market. "A high tax rate doesn't do much to incentivize the consumer to use legal businesses," said Josh Hovey, spokesperson for Michigan's Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which advocated for legalization, in an interview with CNBC. California, which legalized recreational marijuana at the beginning of this year, imposes a statewide 15 percent excise tax in addition to sales and municipality taxes that can reach 20 percent. According to a survey conducted by cannabis delivery platform Eaze, one in five Californians still purchase cannabis from the black market. The survey also found that a 5 percent reduction in the tax rate could convert 23 percent of consumers from the black market to the legal market.

Economic hardships persist

Both the New Jerseyand Michigan state governments have faced their share of financial challenges. "Our economic growth has trailed almost every other competitor state in the nation, in almost every category," Gov. Murphy said in his annual budget address in March. Credit ratings firm S&P Global calls the state pension system as one of the worst-funded in the country. Its unfunded liability totals roughly $90 billion, according to a 2017 study commissioned by then-Governor Chris Christie. State Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio, testifying before the Senate Budget Committee in May, noted the state's "anemic post-recession revenue growth is still 6 percent below our pre-recession peak." In Michigan, the Senate Finance Agency dubbed the state's economic growth after the 2008 financial crisis "a record-weak recovery for a record-setting recession." October tax collections for the


Bridge draw slims, draw times change, vehicles slowed

by Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter

Slow down on bridge
The Florida Department of Transportation has lowered the speed limit on the Anna Maria Island Bridge to 35 mph during the $9.1 million renovation project that began in early February. Construction vehicles such as the one pictured are being used by contractor Quinn Construction Co. of Palmetto to ferry workers and equipment to the draw and could be endangered by vehicles traveling at the normal 50-mph speed limit on the bridge, the DOT said. Islander Photo: Rick Catli

Only one “leaf” will raise for boat traffic during the duration of the Florida Department of Transportation’s renovation project currently ongoing on the Anna Maria Island Bridge, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Coast Guard bridge specialist MichaelCoast Guard does not want any vessel to become “trapped” between the two bridges.

Bridge speed limit slows

At the same time the Coast Guard announced its new bascule schedule for both bridges leading to the Island from the mainland, the Florida Department of Transportation lowered the speed limit on the Anna Maria Island Bridge to 35 mph for the duration of the construction project.

Manatee County Commissioner Jane von Hahmann, whose district includes Anna Maria Island, said she has asked the DOT to make the 35-mph speed limit permanent from the west end of the bridge to the Holmes Beach city limits.

At the same time, von Hahmann said, the county commission has requested a permanent 35-mph limit for the bridge.

Pre-closure bridge meeting scheduled

The Florida Department of Transportation noted this week


still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”-Martin Luther King Jr., “I have a dream” speech, August 28, 1963

Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered every year at this time. Listed are several books found in the Rebecca Crown Library’s collection. Some are biographical, and others discuss him in a larger perspective. Many of these books are currently located in the Crown Library’s book display on the first floor of the Library.

During the month of January the Library will be posting information on upcoming University and local events related to Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama.

At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Year’s, 1965-68

by Branch Taylor (call number E185.615 .B67 2006)

“Branch brings to conclusion his remarkable biography of Martin Luther King Jr.(Parting the Waters, CH, Jun’89, 26-5831; Pillar of Fire, 1999) with this exhaustively researched and compellingly written volume that powerfully sets forth a portrait of King as a critically important figure in post-WW II US history. The book covers the last three years of King’s life, proceeding from a comprehensive treatment of Selma to his martyrdom at Memphis. Branch throws into clear relief the passionate dedication, tactical flexibility, and charisma that King brought to his leadership role. His book shows that civil rights, economic justice, and antimilitarism were connected elements of King’s ministry, from which he would not be shaken. Branch is candid about the reality that King, subject to immense pressures, was not without frailties. Surely personal weaknesses made him vulnerable to attack, but he never bartered


King describes growing up in rural Alabama, meeting her husband, their family life, and their work in the civil rights movement. Sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs illustrate the Kings’ private and public life; included are photos of her and their four children participating in more recent struggles. An introduction by the children and a new preface offer advice and a broad context for contemporary readers. The book is a compelling testimony to the dedication and sacrifice of those who struggled to end racial discrimination and oppression. King’s voice comes through clearly, as does her personality. At times, though, she sounds old-fashioned, particularly when she makes an appeal to today’s teenagers. Her view of her husband is naturally an uncritical one, and it is but one perspective in amany-sided and often acrimonious debate. Unfortunately, she does not take into account, or even try to refute, the FBI’s allegations or the points made by many of King’s biographers, most notably David Garrow. While this volume is an important work by virtue of its perspective, the changes are not substantive enough to justify purchase by those already owning the earlier work. –Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.” from School Library Journal

“Johnson and King were southerners from similar roots but worlds apart–one white, one black; one a president, the other a minister. Their lives merged with the events that led to the passage of the transformative civil rights acts of 1964 and 1965. Kotz traces the synergy of nonviolent civil disobedience with


keen political acumen that produced the epic of the civil rights movement. Johnson embraced the critical analysis by black citizens concerning the gap between American practices and its principles on equity and freedom. Kotz covers the rising tension of the era that led to what King referred to as the second emancipation. Despite their shared achievement, tensions between King and Johnson grew as King became more active in protesting the war and advocating on behalf of poor Americans. Johnson’s decision not to run for president and King’s assassination– both in 1968–again tied these men together at the high and low ends of a fateful period. –Vernon Ford Copyright 2005 Booklist” Booklist (BL), 20041215

Landscape and Race in the United States

by Richard H. Schein (call number E184.A1 L256 2006)

“The 12Japan cult leader's hanging closes chapter on shocking crime

The leader of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which carried out the deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, has been executed, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

He masterminded a horrific attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995, where his cultists released sarin gas inside a packed train.

The subway attack was the most notorious of the cult's crimes, which was blamed for 27 deaths in all.

The group had 11,400 members in Japan, including graduates from some of the country's elite universities, at the time of the subway attack, as well as members in Germany, Russia and the United States.

Tokyo residents who lived through the chaos and horror of nerve gas being released on the city's subway lines during rush


hour on March 20, 1995, have expressed relief tinged with concern after the execution of Shoko Asahara on Friday morning.

Executions are rare in Japan but surveys show most people support the death sentence.

As the cult grew, the families of members began to raise the alarm, and complaints of brainwashing and abuse within Aum Shinrikyo became more common.

The Japanese Tribunal has prosecuted about 190 cult members for the attacks and other related crimes, including the 1989 murder of lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto and his family, and passed six life sentences and 13 death sentences.

Despite the horror that persists over the Aum's subway attack and other crimes, some experts had warned against the execution of Asahara and his acolytes.

Smoke from Yolo fire blankets north, central SolanoThe Spring Fire , which hadburned more than 56,000 acres as of Monday, is the largest fire that's now burning in Colorado . Investigators have not released other details except to say that they don't think he intentionally started the fire .

Asahara, whose original name was Chizuo Matsumoto, founded Aum Shinrikyo in 1984.

Japanese authorities said they were on alert for potential retaliation after the executions and local media reported police were visiting groups linked to the Aum and successor cults.

It goes without saying that the other six members of Aum Shinrikyo will equally face the same fate in the near future.

Following reports of the executions, Joyu reiterated his apology to people affected by AUM but said he is no longer part of the original cult.

In a rare interview in 2006, two of Asahara's


$75.

Mexico's next president is the flawless foil to Trump
Lopez Obrador won thanks to overwhelming anger at the status quo and his success at presenting himself as an agent of change. Another place that's felt the cold wind of President Trump's threatened trade wars is the US's neighbour, Mexico .

Serena Williams advances to third round at Wimbledon
It is not yet known who Federer will face but he said he is "looking forward" to the next stage in the competition. Wozniacki's frustration was only increased by the unwanted infestation that landed at Wimbledon during her match.

Flags at Half-Staff for Newspaper Shooting Victims
President Donald Trump's press secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders called Buckley this morning to inform him of the decision. The order comes after Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said Monday that TrumpA Belgian woman who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics has become sick after racing on polluted Guanabara Bay, the first sailor to fall ill from the waters that were heavily scrutinised leading to the Rio Games.

Evi Van Acker reported feeling sick after Wednesday's races, the governing body World Sailing said. Her poor performances have put her at risk of missing out on a medal in the Laser Radial class.

Her coach told the Belgian VRT network he believes Van Acker contracted a severe intestinal infection while training in Rio de Janeiro in July.

"Evi caught a bacteria in early July that causes dysentery," coach Wil Van Bladel said. "Doctors say this can seriously disrupt energy levels for three months. It became clear yesterday that she lacked energy


the example of Howard Arkley’s colour and suburban iconography. It is also likely that Zikos was aware of American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s 'Entablature' series of lithographs, printed by Tyler Graphics Ltd, New York, in 1974–76. Closer to home, the simplifications and cheesy application of classical motifs to the decor of Melbourne’s Turkish and Greek cafes and milkbars were unavoidable influences.

The shapes of the classical triglyphs are still recognisable, but they have been reduced and stylised in such a way that they seem to parody the austere geometry of the hard edge and minimal artists of the 60s. Zikos paints with enamel on laminex, a synthetic decorative sheet usually applied to wipe-down surfaces, particularly in vogue in the 1950s. While he often used laminex printed with a woodgrainpersonally liable as employers under the statute. In fact, such a holding makes perfect sense and is mandated by the language of the statute. However, to find no distinction between the Title VII and the ADEA definitions of employer simply because of the policy behind the statutes borders on judicial activism in its plainest sense. In enacting the ADEA, Congress explicitly excluded states and their political subdivisions from the definition of person, opting rather to include them as a separate and distinct category of employer. Within one sentence, Congress established the separate and distinct liability of (1) agents of persons and (2) states and political subdivisions. Congress made no provision for agents of states and political subdivisions. It would have only required the insertion of the short phrase


VII coverage because he had not been appointed by an elected official.
The facts pertinent to this issue show that Wanner was hired by the State of Kansas on July 15, 1971. He was appointed/promoted to the position of Assistant Director of the Division of Architectural Services on December 1, 1974. He was appointed/promoted to this position by the Director of Architectural Services, who is not an elected official. The position of *1009 Assistant Director of Architectural Services constitutes unclassified service under the Kansas Civil Service Act. Any appointment to unclassified service is subject to the approval of the governor, and compensation for such appointments shall not be paid until approved by the governor. Positions in unclassified service are exempt from the progressive discipline, review and other provisions ofto make the team but still have that drive and desire to want to play and get better.”

Marcus needed that desire his first year on the team, because playing time behind Broncos star Jamel Carpenter was limited. Marcus averaged just 10.3 minutes per game his first year and 11 minutes in his second. He made just four total starts in that timeframe.

By his third year, though, Marcus had done enough to earn both scholarship money and a place in the team’s starting lineup. He shot 51.3 percent as a junior, scoring 5.7 points per game and averaging 3.7 rebounds. He hauled in a career-high 10 boards in a game against Johnson C. Smith.

Marcus credits that junior success to his experience as both student and student-athlete.

“I’ve been on both


Android co-founder Andy Rubin in 2014 and paid him $90 million in the wake of sexual misconduct claims the company investigated and found to be credible.

Those claims include an instance where Rubin allegedly coerced another Google employee with whom he was having an affair to perform oral sex on him in a hotel room in 2013. Google CEO Sundar responded today by claiming it has fired 48 people for sexual harassment in the last two years, and that none of them received severance, though he did not offer an explanation as to why Rubin was given such light treatment five years ago.

Earlier this month, Pichai spoke for the first time publicly about Project Dragonfly, an effort to reintroduce a search and news product for the Chinese market thatA man is attempting to steal something. While running home he sees a masked man, wearing what looks like a bullet proof vest, crouched before him. The masked man brandishes threateningly an object in his gloved hand.

The first man turns and runs as fast as he can in the opposite direction. Onlookers scream.


it was wonderful to see the diversity and richness of African culture on display during the many events to mark Africa Day. These include the African film festival in Galway, an Africa Day celebration and family fun day in Cork, a ‘Beyond Africa’ seminar and football tournament in Limerick, an African business and trade fair in Kilkenny, and a ‘taste of Africa’ in Kildare.

We celebrated in Farmleigh last Sunday with the annual Irish Aid flagship Africa Day event, at which almost 20,000 people gathered to celebrate African culture and traditions. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed the day at Farmleigh, and I was impressed with the diversity of African culture that was represented on the day. I would in particular like to note that we welcomed the SudaneseFrom the Boing Boing Shop

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Here's a film I'll be lining up to see.
It's the story of U.S. Supreme Court Justice/hero/dissenter Ruth Bader Ginsburg and it will be told on the big screen in the upcoming documentary, RBG.

At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg biography, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior's rise to the nation's highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans – until now. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg 's exceptional life and career from Betsy West and Julie Cohen, and co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films.


in the nationwide inflation directly affecting the middle and the lower middle class. The result is the deterioration of the entire economy of the country. Due to ever high electricity load shedding, the use of diesel run electricity generators has increased in houses and industries resulting in the increased consumption of diesel. Due to the external forces and international impacts on the economy of Pakistan, it is very difficult now for the government to afford more subsidies on petroleum products. However, the rates of diesel need to be managed by the government in order to ensure economic sustainability across the country.

Pakistan cement industry in very popular in the world. There are lots of cement manufacturers in Pakistan like Lucky Cement, Attock Cement, DG Cement, Pioneer Cement, Portland CementThe Mexican peso, which has resisted a drip-drip of bad news for months, finally gave way and erased all its gains this year on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on goods exported from Mexico to the United States.

In a dispute over migration, Trump said he would introduce punitive tariffs on June 10 if Mexico does not halt the flow of illegal immigration from Central America, battering the currency of Latin America’s second-largest economy.

The Mexican peso lost as much as 3.62% on Friday in early trading, touching its worst level so far this year before erasing some losses. It was the deepest drop since Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador abruptly canceled a $13 billion airport project in October.

Mexico’s Central Bank Governor Alejandro Diaz


Certain parties have claimed that Sri Lanka Cricket has made an allocation of 800 tickets to Minister of Sports Faiszer Mustapha, to be allocated to his supporters to witness the just concluded Sri Lanka and South Africa Series.

Sri Lanka Cricket said such allegations are baseless.

Reports on social media networks alleged that Sri Lanka Cricket has incurred a loss of around Rs. 4 million for the 800 'Grand Stand' seats at the R. Premadasa Stadium reserved by the Minister to watch the T20 match between Sri Lanka and South Africa on August 14.

Meanwhile, Joint Opposition parliamentarian Shehan Semasinghe at a media briefing on Thursday (16) said the Sports Minister has given the tickets to his supporters free of charge with "the hope of obtaining votes".

Sri Lanka Cricket however, clarifyingPenn professor brings calculus to the masses through Coursera

By Tom Avril, Inquirer Staff Writer

Neither did I, but it came right back to me when I listened to the soothing tones of Robert Ghrist.

He is a mathematics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, but since January, his audience has grown exponentially: 48,000 people in more than 62 countries.

Ghrist is spreading the gospel of calculus through an online education service called Coursera, and he scored a big vote of confidence last week when a higher-education umbrella group said the course deserved official college credit.

As a former math teacher who switched to journalism more than 20 years ago, I am inclined to agree, though it is not for everyone. Derivatives. Integrals. Taylor series. L'Hopital's rule. All this after a speedy review


which feature colorful, animated images, diagrams, and equations, along with clear explanations. Didn't catch it the first time around? Simply pause and rewind.

And don't skip around.

"Calculus is a story, like an epic story, with grand characters, lofty themes, struggle, and eventual victory," he tells students. "I want you to live that story from beginning to end."

Of the 48,000 who have signed up for the 13-week course, just 8,000 have stuck with it as active participants. That is still a vast number - "every math teacher's dream," Ghrist tells me - and too many for him and his teaching assistants to help everyone who has questions.

So they help one another. The course website is a hotbed of international cooperation, with David from Slovakia explaining trigonometry to Valeriia of Ukraine,Lizz Winstead heard about the tornado touching down in Oklahoma today and her liberal ideology quickly kicked in.

Winstead, who created The Daily Show and uses social media to promote her far-left views, sent out this Twitter joke earlier today:

This tornado is in Oklahoma so clearly it has been ordered to only target conservatives.

Social media brushback quickly followed, and Winstead served up a speedy apology for letting her progressive nature supercede a sense of decency toward the victims of the tornado.


we know what a dinosaur ate by looking at the remains in their fossilised poop, and every now and then we even get extraordinary glimpses of direct predation from dinosaurs that died locked in a deathly duel.

Rarely though, the fossil record reveals to us actual digested remains of food, preserved for millions of years in the ghost-guts of dinosaurs. These remains, or trace fossils, are called cololites, and tell us exactly what the dinosaur was eating at the time of death, providing a tantalising window into their real life behaviours.

A recent discovery from the Jurassic period of Patagonia now shows us the last meal of a dinosaur, still fossilised in its guts!

The discovery was of a new dinosaur species, called Isaberrysaura mollensis, and it comes from one ofthe major dinosaur groups called Ornithischia – the bird-hipped lizards (ironically, not the dinosaur lineage that led to birds, but that's another story). The 5-6 metre long herbivore inhabited the deltas of Argentina, now the Neuquén Province, back in the early part of the Jurassic.

The new dinosaur somewhat resembles an early stegosaur, but extensive analysis of its anatomy shows its more closely related to the early ancestors of dinosaurs such as Iguanodon and Hypsilophodon.

The special thing about this discovery though is that some of its last meal are still preserved after 180 million years in the space where its gut used to be, but has long since decayed away. The name Isaberrysaura has nothing to do with berries, but is named in honour of Isabel Valdivia Berry who


THE PRETTY GIRL KILLER by Andrew Byrne (Penguin Random House, $34.99)

This is the true – and terrifying – story of one of the world’s worst serial killers, Christopher Wilder, who was born in Sydney and went on to murder more than 16 young women in the US. Journalist Andrew Byrne takes us into the mind of the sadistic criminal who launched the biggest manhunt in US history.

THE TRUANTS by Kate Weinberg (Bloomsbury, $29.99)

People disappear when they most want to be seen. This poetic, seductive and suspenseful debut novel tells the story of Jess Walker, a middle child of a middle-class family who has perfected the art of vanishing in plain sight.

WHITE TEARS BROWN SCARS by Ruby Hamad (Melbourne University Press, $34.99)

Born from her viral essay about white womenhouse. After he became a covert informant after his arrest, Jimenez shared

information with the police.   On June 9, 2009, when Jimenez made a controlled

purchase of marihuana from appellant, he followed the procedure described earlier.

                                           14
When he made the June 9 purchase, he observed that appellant had approximately ten

pounds of marihuana at his house. After he met with officers at the rendezvous point

and made his report, Jimenez returned home. He observed appellant and Raul taking a

large quantity of marihuana into appellant’s home.8 Jimenez reported this


other law enforcement

officers concerning gang activity in the area.

   d. Officer Bryan Dowden

       Officer Dowden, an officer with the Special Crimes Unit of the Victoria Police

Department, was involved in the investigation involving Jimenez as a covert informant.

Three officers were actively involved in the investigation.     During the investigation,

Jimenez provided the police with records obtained from HPL. Officer Dowden testified

that appellant and his relatives are confirmed members of HPL.            He stated that

appellant does business with HPL, receives protection from and provides assistance to

HPL, and shares in HPL profits. Officer Dowden did not know appellant’s rank within

HPL. On cross-examination, Officer Dowden admitted that he was not a gang       Eyre, a former sergeant with the Special Crimes Unit of the Victoria Police

Department, testified that he was involved in an investigation of HPL in the spring and

summer of 2009.     Sergeant Eyre testified that he was contacted in May 2009 and

advised about the delivery of a package of marihuana. The package carrier, FedEx,

had received a tip that the package contained marihuana.           The police set up

surveillance of the residence where the package was to be delivered and coordinated a

controlled delivery of the package. Shortly before the FedEx truck arrived, Sergeant

Eyre saw a blue Yukon pass by the house. The FedEx truck arrived, and the Yukon

pulled up in front of


the residence.    A man, woman (later identified as Raul and

Cynthia), and small child entered the house. Eyre saw the FedEx driver enter the

house with the package; after a minute or so, the driver left and drove away. Raul,

                                          18
Cynthia, and the child immediately followed without the package. Sergeant Eyre alerted

other officers to follow the Yukon and continued his surveillance of the residence. A

couple of hours later, a blue pickup approached. Sergeant Eyre was positioned to view

the front of the residence and several other officerswere positioned to view the back of

the residence. Sergeant Eyre saw the pickup drop off a man who went into the back

yard and returned with the earlier-delivered package. After picking the man up, the

truck left the area. Sergeant Eyre followed and requested other officers to execute a

traffic stop of the pickup.   Following the stop, the package was found to contain

approximately twenty-six pounds of marihuana.       Elvis Segura, Teresa Segura, and

Jimenez were arrested. Jimenez agreed to become a covert informant and engage in

controlled purchases of marihuana within HPL.

      On June 9, 2009, Jimenez reported that a large quantity of marihuana had been

delivered to appellant’s house for repackaging.        Following the same


with

Officer Smejkal. The trial judge had observed a juror conversing with Officer Smejkal in

                                           33
the hallway and questioned Officer Smejkal at a bench conference. Officer Smejkal

stated he had a brief conversation with an acquaintance that he knew from his affiliation

with the Victoria County Livestock Show. Officer Smejkal stated that he had inquired

about the progress of an animal owned by the juror.                         think most people agree that I beat O'Reilly. By the end of the show he was agreeing with me. But the next night he was saying that we should bomb five different Arab countries and kill all their people. But let me review for you briefly some of the international law arguments that I have been making almost full time since September 13. They are set forth in the introduction in my new book, The Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence.

Terrorism v. War

First, right after September 11 President Bush called these attacks an act of terrorism, which they were under the United States domestic law definition at that time. However, there is no generally accepted definition of an act of terrorism under international law, for reasons I explain in my


book. Soon thereafter however and apparently after consultations with Secretary of State Powell, he proceeded to call these an act of war, ratcheting up the rhetoric and the legal and constitutional issues at stake here. They were not an act of war as traditionally defined. An act of war is a military attack by one state against another state. There is so far no evidence produced that the state of Afghanistan, at the time, either attacked the United States or authorized or approved such an attack. Indeed, just recently FBI Director Mueller and the deputy director of the CIA publicly admitted that they have found no evidence in Afghanistan linked to the September 11 attacks. If you believe the government's account of what happened, which I think ishighly questionable, 15 of these 19 people alleged to have committed these attacks were from Saudi Arabia and yet we went to war against Afghanistan. It does not really add up in my opinion.

But in any event this was not an act of war. Clearly these were acts of terrorism as defined by United States domestic law at the time, but not an act of war. Normally terrorism is dealt with as a matter of international and domestic law enforcement. Indeed there was a treaty directly on point at that time, the Montreal Sabotage Convention to which both the United States and Afghanistan were parties. It has an entire regime to deal with all issues in dispute here, including access to the International Court of Justice to resolve


aggression by the United States against Afghanistan.

No Declaration of War

Now in addition Bush, Jr. then went to Congress to get authorization to go to war. It appears that Bush, Jr. tried to get a formal declaration of war along the lines of December 8, 1941 after the Day of Infamy like FDR got on Pearl Harbor. Bush then began to use the rhetoric of Pearl Harbor. If he had gotten this declaration of war Bush and his lawyers knew full well he would have been a Constitutional Dictator. And I refer you here to the book by my late friend Professor Miller of George Washington University Law School, Presidential Power that with a formal declaration of war the president becomes a Constitutional Dictator. He failed to get adeclaration of war. Despite all the rhetoric we have heard by the Bush, Jr. administration Congress never declared war against Afghanistan or against anyone. There is technically no state of war today against anyone as a matter of constitutional law as formally declared.

Bush, Sr. v. Bush, Jr.

Now what Bush, Jr. did get was a War Powers Resolution authorization. Very similar to what Bush, Sr. got. Again the game plan was the same here. Follow the path already pioneered by Bush, Sr. in his war against Iraq. So he did get from Congress a War Powers Resolution authorization. This is what law professors call an imperfect declaration of war. It does not have the constitutional significance of a formal declaration of war. It authorizes the use of military force


in specified, limited circumstances.

That is what Bush, Sr. got in 1991. It was to carry out the Security Council resolution that he had gotten a month and one-half before to expel Iraq from Kuwait. But that is all the authority he had - either from the Security Council or from Congress. And that is what he did. I am not here to approve of what Bush, Sr. did. I do not and I did not at the time. But just to compare Bush, Jr. with Bush, Sr. So Bush, Jr. got a War Powers Resolution, which is not a declaration of war.

Indeed, Senator Byrd, the Dean of the Senate, clearly said this is only a War Powers authorization and we will give authority to the president to usewith this doctrine of preemptive attack. Quite interesting that argument, doctrine was rejected by the Nuremberg Tribunal when the lawyers for the Nazi defendants made it at Nuremberg. They rejected any doctrine of preemptive attack.

Nazi Self-Defense

Then what happened after failing to get any formal authorization from the Security Council, the U.S. Ambassador Negroponte - who has the blood of about 35, 000 people in Nicaragua on his hands when he was U.S. Ambassador down in Honduras - sent a letter to the Security Council asserting Article 51 of the U.N. Charter to justify the war against Afghanistan. And basically saying that we reserve the right to use force in self-defense against any state we say is somehow involved in the events of September 11. Well, the San Francisco


as prisoners of war within the meaning of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949, and therefore have all the rights of prisoners of war within the meaning of that convention. Right now however, as you know, all those rights are being denied. This is a serious war crime. And unfortunately President Bush, Jr. himself has incriminated himself under the Third Geneva Convention by signing the order setting up these military commissions. Not only has he incriminated himself under the Third Geneva Convention, but he has incriminated himself under the U.S. War Crimes Act of 1996 or so, signed into law by President Clinton and making it a serious felony for any United States citizen either to violate or order the violation of the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949.

TheFederalist Society Cabal

I am not personally criticizing President Bush. He is not a lawyer. He was terribly advised, criminally miss-advised, by the cabal of Federalist Society lawyers that the Bush administration has assembled at the White House and the Department of Injustice under Ashcroft. President Bush, Jr., by signing this order, has opened himself up to prosecution anywhere in the world for violating the Third Geneva Convention, and certainly if there is evidence to believe that any of these individuals have been tortured, which is grave breach, let alone at the end of the day executed. So this is a very serious matter.

I did not vote for President Bush, Jr. But I certainly think it is a tragedy that these Federalist Society lawyers got the President of the


his role in the legislative chamber to member statements in French and the occasional speech — usually when few MLAs, or journalists, are in attendance.

He restricts media interviews to French-language outlets and only on subjects related to his St. Boniface constituency. (The Free Press has repeatedly asked for an interview -- as recently as Wednesday -- but the requests have always been denied.)

A year after the NDP’s spectacular electoral collapse, Selinger appears to be a man in search of a graceful exit.

Winnipeg political scientist Paul Thomas said it makes sense for the former premier and longtime NDP finance minister to stay out of the limelight.

"For his fiercest critics inside the party he is symbol of a dark period in the history of the party," Thomas said, referring toSaran, was ousted from the NDP caucus after being accused of sexually harassing a staff member.

If Selinger had resigned his seat immediately, it may have been seen as a slap in the face to his constituency, which he had represented for 17 years.

Some speculate he may have also been concerned that if he were to depart too soon, St. Boniface could have fallen into Tory hands in a byelection.

It makes more sense, they say, for him to stay on as MLA until after a new permanent leader is chosen at a convention in Winnipeg this September. With some momentum arising from the leadership contest, the party might stand a better chance of retaining the seat.

While Selinger has hardly made a splash in the legislature since his party was


In one of the biggest doping scandals, as many as 21 weightlifters have been provisionally suspended by the IW... Read More

NEW DELHI: In what could be termed as one of the biggest doping scandals in recent years, as many as 21 weightlifters have been provisionally suspended by the Indian Weightlifting Federation after testing positive for banned substances.

The lifters tested positive across different championships -- both out-of-competition and in-competition. But the maximum numbers of offenders were caught at the National Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, which was held in Yamunanagar in January.

"Yes, 21 lifters have tested positive and have been provisionally suspended, pending the result of their 'B' sample tests. Their 'B' sample tests are awaited," Indian Weightlifting Federation secretary general Sahdev Yadav said.

"This can be called one ofthe biggest catches in recent times but one has to take into consideration that it includes competitions at Universities, Police Games, Railways, etc also," he added.

In case their 'B' sample tests also comes out to be positive, the first-time offenders face the prospect of being banned for four years.

The National Anti-Doping Agency has increased the ban period of first time dope offenders to maximum of four years from two, effective from January 1, 2015.

The IWF has also thought of imposing a year-long ban on the states of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana for returning highest number of dope cases off late. The lifters from these states would not be able to take part in any competition till the end of ban.

According to the IWF rules, in case of two


or more doping violations in a 12-month period in tests conducted by the IWF or NADA, a state federation could be suspended from participating in any activities of the IWF for a period of up to two years.

Yadav said even the the coaches of the banned lifters would face suspension and could also be fined.

"The athletes were caught for using different banned substances. Strict action would be taken against coaches as well," Yadav clarified.

During the National Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, eight lifters had tested positive.

Punjab's Simranpreet Kaur , who won a gold medal in 63kg in both the Youth and Junior categories, tested positive, besides Amritpal Singh (85kg, gold) and Arshdeep Kaur (58kg, silver) in the same tournament.

In fact, three out of four weightlifters, who had faileddope tests at the 35th National Games held in Kerala in January-February, were from the northern states.

2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter Geeta Rani (Punjab), Harjeet Kaur (Haryana) and Mangte P Kom (Chandigarh), besides Komal Wakale from Maharashtra, who all tested positive.

Follow TOI Sports on Twitter >>> @TOISportsNews


the association of "Città dell'Olio". Italy imports about 65% of Spanish olive oil exports. Some Italian companies are known to mix the imported olive oil with alternate oils (such as soy) and falsely market the blend as authentic olive oil "Made in Italy", creating a fraud that the European Commission has attempted to overcome by offering a 5 million Euro reward to stimulate better methods of authentication.

Turkey is the largest producer outside the EU (table), with 178,000 tons produced in 2016/2017, cultivating from 174.594 thousand trees.

Tunisia is the fourth largest producer outside the EU (table), with 100,000 tons produced in 2016 to 2017, among which 73% was exported to Europe. Because of the arid climate, pesticides and herbicides are largely unnecessary in Tunisia.

While the majority (between 60–70%) ofIdaho Falls, Idaho • An Idaho man is recovering after being pinned underneath his truck for at least two days after it rolled into a ravine.

Joe Rightmire's sister, Tasha Goforth, found the 21-year-old pinned under the pickup near Idaho Falls on Monday night after he had been missing for several days.

Idaho Falls Fire Department spokeswoman Kerry Harmon says Rightmire had been partially ejected from the truck.

Bonneville County sheriff's Sgt. Bryan Lovell says he had no broken bones but was dehydrated.

Rescuers were able to free Rightmire by sticking airbags underneath the vehicle and inflating them to lift the truck. They also used heavy extrication equipment.

He was flown to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, which said he's in fair condition. Goforth says her brother is stable and doing well.

___


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Bison roam on ranch in Charlotte County

Some of 2,400 bison, the largest herd in Florida, graze on grasses at the 5,700-acre Three Suns Ranch between Punta Gorda and Arcadia on June 11, 2013. The Bison were largely acquired during selloffs of entire herds in drought-stricken sections of the Midwest last fall.

Published: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 4:51 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 4:51 p.m.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY - It may seem somewhat out of place against Charlotte County's waterways and wide-open spaces, but the largest bison herd in Florida is on a 5,700-acre ranch half an hour east of Punta Gorda.

With new owners in place, this former beef cattle spread off Highway 31 is also a grand experiment in sustainable agriculture.

The new owners, a familyinvestment group headed by former manufacturing company chief executive Rodger B. Dowdell Jr., originally planned to have 500 bison by now — a year after buying the ranch for $18 million.

Those plans didn't work out.

Instead, Dowdell's group went on a buying spree last fall and now own 2,400 bison, animals whose meat is prized as a relatively healthy alternative to beef.

The bison were available largely as a result of the Midwest drought last summer, which crippled farmers and ranchers alike and pushed Three Suns into high gear.

"At first, it was a lot of work to find the animals," Dowdell said. "Then, a severe drought began forcing many ranchers in the nation's midsection to liquidate. Our phones started ringing from Kansas, Wyoming, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas."

Three Suns, which has


a plentiful water supply, suddenly found itself home to 2,000 bison. Four hundred females have since given birth to calves.

It is a fairly safe bet that none of them had seen a palm tree before last August.

But the animals have adjusted. Most of the adults are shedding their cold-weather fur for a sleeker Florida coat.

"I think without a doubt that would make it the largest herd in Florida," said Dave Carter, executive director of the National Bison Association. "Two-thousand is a really good-sized operation, by any stretch of the imagination."

Dowdell, 64, also has had to adjust.

Ranching in Southwest Florida is a long way from Rhode Island, where Dowdell was president, chief executive and chairman of American Power Conversion Corp.

After the maker of uninterrupted power supplies went public in1988, its stock split several times before French electrical equipment maker Schneider Electric S.A. bought the company for $6.1 billion in cash in January 2007.

The sale gave Dowdell the means to acquire plenty of bison: He reportedly walked away from APC with a pre-tax check for $433.5 million.

Dowdell owes his bison affiliation to his son-in-law, Keith Mann.

A medic in the U.S. Army Special Forces, Mann was casting about for a career in the civilian world at the beginning of last year, just as his family began adopting the "Paleo Diet," a health craze that favors grass-fed meat over corn-fed beef that tends to have a greater fat content.

The new diet introduced them to bison steaks and ground bison, and got Mann thinking.

"To me it tastes like eating beef,


typically used to fatten up cattle prior to slaughter.

Dowdell even has a plan to keep shipping costs down once the bison become meat. He plans to target Florida markets with legions of health-conscious retirees, rather than shoulder the expense of shipping the meat to other states.

It is likely Mike Quillen will be among Three Suns' first customers.

Quillen's Gecko's Grill and Pub restaurants have long featured bison burgers on the menu, but he has had to get it shipped frozen from the Northwest or even Canada.

With Three Suns as a potential supplier, Quillen also plans to offer bison burgers at S'macks, a new diner-style restaurant his company is opening in July at Bee Ridge Road and Shade Avenue.

"We have researched bison in Florida for many years," Quillen said. "ButcheringThey left their post and drove to Calvert Vaux Park in Gravesend, Brooklyn.

Once they got there, Gonzalez said at a news conference on Monday afternoon, they carried out a variety of crimes. "Kidnapping this young lady," the acting D.A. said, "and sexual acts took place inside a police vehicle against her will."

Specifically, just after 8 p.m., the officers conducted a car stop of the Infinity coupe the 18-year-old woman was driving with two male passengers. There was a quantity of marijuana in the front seat cup holder. The officers instructed the three people in the car to step out, and asked if they had any drugs on them, according to the investigation. The young woman responded that she had marijuana and two Klonopin pills.

The detectives handcuffed the woman,


told her she was under arrest and that she would be getting a desk appearance ticket. They let her companions go and instructed them to retrieve their friend from the precinct in three hours, but to not follow the minivan the two detectives were driving.

Detective Martins allegedly told the young woman he and his partner are “freaks” and asked her what she wanted to do to get out of the arrest. What followed, according to the district attorney's office, were enough crimes to lead to a 50-count indictment against the two detectives.

"They have this a teenager in the back of their police car," Gonzalez said. "In five minutes," he continued, "they commit a litany, a catalogue of crimes."

Detective Martins allegedly forced the handcuffed teen to perform a sexact on him while seated in the back seat of the van, while Detective Hall drove and watched through the rear view mirror.

Detective Martins then allegedly raped the victim, according to the district attorney's complaint.

The detectives then stopped the van in Bay Ridge, about four miles from the park, in the opposite direction of where their team was located, and switched places, the complaint against them alleges.

Detective Martins got behind the wheel and Detective Hall got into the back seat of the van, where he allegedly forced the victim to perform a sex act on him. They then drove back to the vicinity of the 60th Precinct in Coney Island and had the victim call her friends again to tell them she was being let go. They allegedly


gave her back the Klonopin pills, told her to keep her mouth shut and released her.

The victim told her friends what happened and, later that evening, was taken to Maimonides Hospital, where a sexual assault evidence collection kit was prepared. DNA recovered from the victim was a match to both detectives.

Video surveillance also shows the victim exiting the police van at approximately 8:42 p.m.

Among the charges that the detectives face are first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, second-degree kidnapping, official misconduct and related counts.

A lawyer for Detective Hall did not respond to PIX11's questions after the two detectives' joint first appearance hearing. In court, however, defense attorneys implied that the teen's extensive social media postings could be used to show that the sex was not coerced.

Her attorneys hadEditor’s note: Veterans Today teams have examined the evidence

*

Guardian UK: Marquez, who appeared on the series from 1994 to 1997, was killed during a welfare check at her home in California

Vanessa Marquez, a former actor on the television show ER, was shot and killed by police during a welfare check at her home in South Pasadena, California.

Marquez, 49, played nurse Wendy Goldman on the hit series from 1994 to 1997.

Lt Joe Mendoza of the Los Angeles county sheriff’s department told reporters Friday that officers arrived at the 1100 block of Fremont Avenue on Thursday morning, after a call from Marquez’s landlord. According to the South Pasadenan, the lieutenant said Marquez seemed “gravely disabled”. It was reportedly not the first time law enforcement had been called to Marquez’s apartment.

When


South Pasadena police arrived around noon, Mendoza said Marquez “was undergoing some medical problems, some seizures”. After speaking with an LA county mental health clinician and officers for 90 minutes, “she became very uncooperative”.

Then, Mendoza said, she brandished a gun at the officers. The officers opened fire and she was shot in the torso. She later died at the hospital.

The firearm was later identified as a BB gun that resembled a semi-automatic weapon.

“It’s shocking, it’s really awful,” a neighbor, Mark Swaine, told KABC. “I’m just really saddened by the whole thing. It sounds like a horrible, horrible misunderstanding.”

Marquez, who appeared in the films Stand and Deliver and Twenty Bucks, was in the news last year after claiming on Twitter that ER co-star George Clooney played a part inpresent application describes apparatus projecting light rays onto the particles on a surface. Total reflectivity of at least the particles and the diffuse component of the total reflectivity of at least the particles is detected, and a total signal indicative of the total reflectivity of at least the particles and a diffuse signal indicative of the diffuse component of the total reflectivity of at least the particles. The difference between the total signal and the diffuse signal is measured and a signal is generated indicative of the specular component of the total reflectivity of at least the particles.
Certain toners that give the appearance of black toner may be composed of a combination of colored pigments mixed to present a black appearance, rather than carbon black pigments. It is


and no luteal tissue was detected before the administration of tetracosactid (days 12 and 13). The first CL was seen 5 days after the end of the treatment (day 18 PP) in cow A, and 15 days after the tetracosactid administration (day 28 PP) in cow B and, in both cases, it was followed by a normal ovarian cyclicity. No CLs were observed during the whole period of study in cow C, even if follicular waves were seen until day 33 post partum. Progesterone profiles confirmed the ultrasound observations in the three cows.

The clinical examination before the treatment revealed that cow C had fever during the first week after calving and that food intake was less than in the other animals. This cow of Swedish Friesian breed had'OBSESSION' SCREENS SUNDAY IN CLEVELAND35MM PRINT IN SCOPE, PART OF BERNARD HERRMANN WEEKEND AT CINEMATHEQUE

A 35mm color and scope print of Brian De Palma's Obsession will screen this Sunday (6:30pm April 27th) at the Cinematheque, at the Cleveland Institute of Art. The screening is part of the Cinematheque's Bernard Herrmann weekend, which began Thursday. Other films in the series include Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground, Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie, William Dieterle's The Devil and Daniel Webster, Nathan H. Juran's The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, and Orson Welles' Citizen Kane.

DE PALMA ON RALPH STEADMAN"I'VE NEVER MET A WARMER, GENEROUS... HE IS NOT HIS PAINTINGS!"TIME's Richard Corliss posted a review yesterday of Charlie Paul's For No Good Reason, a documentary portrait of artist Ralph Steadman. Steadman's "interlocutor is Johnny Depp," writes


absence of a commentary," the reviewer states, "the main feature is a fantastic (albeit spoiler-heavy) 45-minute essay on the film, recorded specially for Arrow, which tallies up the references as well as providing a wealth of information on the creation of the film, how De Palma's later films build on his experiences, and any number of other interesting facts and anecdotes. Supplementary material includes a selection of interviews with cast and crew, of which Jennifer Salt's is particularly interesting. There's also a breathless half-hour summary of De Palma's career that made me want to watch everything he's ever made, and the hilarious original trailer, which makes the film look about ten times trashier than it actually is."

As for the film itself, the reviewer is again very positive: "DePalma is now known primarily for his suspense thrillers, but prior to Sisters he had mainly made low-budget counter-cultural comedy films. Sisters was an attempt to make his name more 'bankable' by making a more mainstream film, so it would be understandable if it had not aged too well. However, there's no feeling of cynicism to the plot - it's a pulpy thriller that is heavily rooted in exploitation, but even within that fairly rigid framework, De Palma can't help experimenting. The ways in which Sisters stands out from the pack make it a real treat that holds up to anything else in the director's filmography."

FINLEY, FISK INTERVIEWS INCLUDED IN NEW BOOKALSO SUPPLEMENTAL INTERVIEWS WITH FINLEY'S CO-WORKERS, FRIENDS & FAMILYJustin Humphreys, who has a 47-minute visual essay about


Brian De Palma's Sisters on the upcoming Arrow Blu-ray and DVD, also has a new book out called Interviews Too Shocking To Print!. The book includes separate interviews with William Finley and Jack Fisk. The long interview with Finley is supplemented with interviews of several people who had known and worked with De Palma and Finley during their early years, providing many details about Wotan's Wake, Dionysus In '69 and other projects, including some that were aborted. I haven't yet seen or read the book myself, but hopefully soon... It can be ordered at Bearmanor Media.

Girl Meets Freak describes itself as "a horror blog where an expert and a newbie discuss films from the canon." The theme of the blog for April is "perverted killers," which of courseNiGHTS into Dreams may be getting an HD upgrade, Sega has hinted.

The publisher put up a teaser image on its Facebook page, suggesting what its next project will be. The image - shown below - portrays a shiny metal crane and spaceship-like... thing amid a desert. Fans have pointed out that this bears an uncanny resemblance to Stick Canyon, the sixth chapter of NiGHTS into Dreams, Sonic Team's on-rails flying game for the Sega Saturn.

NiGHTS was met with great reception upon its release in 1996. It's sequel, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams for the Wii received lukewarm reviews, with our Tom Bramwell awarding it a 7/10 in his review.

Elsewhere, a PS2 remake of NiGHTS: into Dreams was released only in Japan in 2008. Could this be an HD remake


of the remake? We've contacted Sega to investigate.

Sega is currently renovating another of its classics from the era with the Dreamcast's Jet Set Radio getting an HD treatment on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC later this year.St Louis at Chicago.- Cutler is not as bad as he looks like, but without any WR worth starting in the NFL and no running game, no wonder he looks bad. Still, the Bears should easily dispose of the lowly Rams.

Tampa Bay at Carolina

Tough game, because we're playing better D and Freeman is looking capable at least... whille the Panthers only have their running game going for them. Still, it should be enough...

Houston at Jacksonville

Don't know what to think of the Texans. The offense is good enough, the D is stil atrocious. Still, I think the Jags are done.

Denver at Kansas City

Going with the upset here. KC is looking much better since Jamaal Charles took over LJ's starting spot. And they're at home.

Tennessee at Indianapolis

Probably the toughest game


away with the AFC West if they continue to get match ups like they do right now.

Dallas at New York Giants

Dallas had fun on Thanksgiving, now it's time they get brought back to Earth, especially after the Giants are coming off an embarrassing effort against the Broncos.

San Francisco at Seattle

Win this game, and we control who wins the NFC West. Just for kicks, the Niners have the 5th best run defense in the NFL, 3rd best in the NFC. So watch out Forsett... you're not playing the Rams on Sunday.

All i gotta say is that Atlanta has suprisingly had a lot of luck with producing Quarterbacks.. Don't forget Matt Schuab was a backup to Michael Vick and he's been playing better then any QB in the AFC!

But atSearch

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Among recent proof of UChicago’s stature in Romance language studies: a grant from the French government recognized UChicago as one of six Centres d’Excellence in French Studies in the U.S., the Italian program has been chosen as the site of a newly created Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Modern Italian Studies, and the University has just received a Mellon grant that will fund the expansion of all language programs and the introduction of a number of new experiments in language teaching. The department sponsors off-campus programs in Costa Rica, France, Italy, Mexico, and Spain.

In addition to providing students with essential language skills, the department offers programs of study leading to the BA in French, Italian, or Spanish literature. A program combining some of the above languages (with Portuguese or


Catalan as additional options) is also available. All concentrators write a BA paper. The department also offers BA/MA degrees in French, Italian, or Spanish.

Students in other fields of study may complete a minor in Romance Languages and Literatures.

Students congregate under the Effiel Tower during one of the many Study Abroad options offered by the University. Study Abroad opportunities are available all over the world, including trips to all Romance Language speaking countries such as Spain, France, and Italy and more.face an additional two charges related to lifting a cow by a chain and kicking and hitting the animal.

Four of the employees also face a charge under a section of the Wildlife Act that deals with injuring or destroying a bird, says a statement from the Criminal Justice Branch. No further details were provided about the charge related to the alleged treatment of a pigeon.

In June 2014, the SPCA recommended the province lay charges of animal cruelty against the company and a handful of its employees after receiving the graphic video collected covertly by the animal-rights activist group Mercy For Animals Canada.

Animal-rights organizations have made repeated calls that charges be laid in the aftermath of the video's release, demanding the province take punitive action on what the Vancouver


Humane Society describes as one of the worst cases of farm-animal cruelty in Canadian history.

Owner Jeff Kooyman said at the time the video was "horrifying to watch'' and pledged to work with the SPCA on better training for staff.

He could not immediately be reached for comment following Tuesday's announcement of charges.

Dan McLaughlin, a spokesman for the Criminal Justice Branch, said the charge assessment process has been "lengthy" due to a variety of factors, including the nature of the initial investigation, the number of potential accused and delay in the branch's completion of charge assessment.

OPINION Retired NASA climate scientist, James Hansen, commented in a recent interview that he wasn't terribly worried about the potential of CO2 to disrupt climate back in the 1980s because he “...thought thCarlin's Nicolai Kjaergaard claimed his first BRDC British F3 victory in race three at Oulton Park, fending off a race long challenge from Fortec's Tom Gamble, and leaves the Cheshire venue as championship leader.

Gamble finished just 0.814s behind Kjaergaard, while Kush Maini made amends for a tough weekend with a podium for Lanan Racing. A charging Clement Novalak climbed from 16th on the grid to take fourth, with Linus Lundqvist fifth and Tristan Charpentier sixth. Jamie Chadwick followed up her race two podium with seventh, while Billy Monger lost two places on the last lap, but still completed a strong comeback weekend with eighth. Krish Mahadik and race two winner Manuel Maldonado completed the top-10.

Kjaergaard, starting from pole, made a strong start to lead the field down to


Old Hall with Lundqvist staying second. With the track remaining wet and rain falling throughout, track conditions were difficult as demonstrated by Lundqvist's moment at Hislops on the first lap, where he ran over the grass and dropped to fourth, with Gamble and Maini profiting.

Kjaergaard led by over two seconds at the end of the lap from Gamble, with Maini finally running towards the front after a strong pre-season. The gap stayed the same on lap two, but Gamble then began to close the gap down, with the lead at 1.4 seconds on lap three, and seven tenths on lap five. The margin between the two never increased beyond 1.2 seconds for the remainder of the contest, with the Danish driver beating the Brit by 0.814s at thechequered flag.

Maini in third finished 1.125s ahead of man on a mission Clement Novalak. With the grid based on fastest race laps, and Novalak not completing a lap in the much quicker race one on Saturday, he found himself at the back of the grid once more for race three. But like in race two he put on a show, climbing from 16th to 10th on the first lap, and then steadily picking off drivers for the remainder of the race, passing team mate Sun Yue Yang on lap two, Charpentier and Chadwick on lap three, and Mahadik on four. He then closed on team mate Monger and made a move stick on lap five before setting his sights on Lundqvist, who at that time was holding fourth.


A five second margin was closed down to two seconds, and when Lundqvist ran over the grass at Hislops, the position was Novalak's. The Carlin driver then looked to close down on Maini, who was four seconds ahead, but ultimately finished just over a second behind.

Lundqvist completed his strong start to the season with fifth place, backing up his superb victory in race one and fighting eighth in race two, while Charpentier gained two places compared to his grid position to secure sixth. Jamie Chadwick similarly gained two places on her starting position, to finish ahead of Billy Monger with a move on the final lap. Mahadik's ninth was second top-10 result of the weekend, while Manuel Maldonado fought back from a pit-lane start to claim 10th, afterThe conservative government in Warsaw argues that it is undoing the politicisation carried out by the previous administration – which, being Euro-federalist, never attracted a squeak of criticism from Brussels.

The head of that previous administration was Donald Tusk, now President of the European Council, and Polish Eurosceptics say he is engaged in a vendetta against the government that ousted him. If the opinion polls are to be believed, Poles overwhelmingly back that government....


play would have followed those New Wave rules a little more closely but that was entirely not Lester’s style. Instead, his film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965 with its conflux of surrealism, intergenerational commentary and sexual/linguistic anarchism.

The Knack… was one of two films adapted from women-written plays at the time, the other being Sheleigh Delaney’s Taste of Honey. Both played strong parts in the British New Wave and were considered to be groundbreaking in their own ways. Fun Fact: Rita Tushingham stars in both Taste of Honey and The Knack… and was the only performer from the stage production of The Knack to make it to the film! Secondary Fun Fact: The Knack…and How to Get It features the first glimpses ofat times, especially since it is a comedy. But it is a smart film, which is integral to its interpretation. There is a lot going on in the film. It is absurd, sometimes shocking, always worth watching.

Of note: Richard Lester’s connections to the British New Wave do not end with The Knack. 1968’s Petulia (the incredible film that the New Beverly Cinema is pairing up with The Knack…and How To Get It) is populated by British New Wave figures. The star, the lovely Julie Christie, was in a pioneering BNW classic called Darling (John Schlesinger, 1965) and Nic Roeg, cinematographer for Petulia, shot quite a few films in the early 60s for different BNW filmmakers. In addition, the hip John Barry score that runs throughout The Knack… finds


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The Torchlighters is a series of animated programs presenting the lives of true-life heroes from Christian history. When kids see what God can do through a "Torchlighter" who is devoted to carrying out His will and purposes, they too may want to carry a torch of faith by serving Him.

The Jim Elliot StoryJim Elliot spent his youth preparing to share the Gospel with those who'd never heard it. But nothing could have prepared him for the dangers and challenges he'd face in the jungles of Ecuador. The remote Auca tribe was suspicious and antagonistic towardeven the most friendly of gestures from outsiders. Would Jim and his fellow missionaries ever be able to break down the hostile barriers and carry a torch of faith to this savage people determined to attack all outsiders? In this inaugural Torchlighters episode we follow Jim's adventures from his college years to his work in the jungles, showing young people his faith in action as he answers God's call to do the seemingly impossible.

The Eric Liddell StoryEric was a national hero in Scotland whose countrymen were eager for their track star to bring home Olympic gold in the 100-meter race. But when Eric makes the stunning announcement that he won't race on Sunday, he is soon labeled a disgrace and a traitor. See how Eric's famous stand during


the 1924 Olympics prepares him for even greater challenges as a missionary to China during World War II.

The John Bunyan StoryJohn Bunyan spends his days in prison, separated from his wife and children. Living in the cold, stone cell is the price he pays for going against the established state religion. If only he would agree to stop preaching, John could walk out a free man! Why does he choose to stay in jail, and how will he serve his Lord in this wretched place?

The William Tyndale StoryFollow William's adventures as he works in secret, moving from town to town as a fugitive to avoid capture. Friends and allies help him along, but enemies may be lurking around any corner. Come along and see whether this torchlighter completeshis task before the king's men close in on him.

The Gladys Aylward StoryWith war raging about her and soldiers closing in, the wounded missionary Gladys Aylward sets out on the most difficult journey of her life: a 100-mile trek over the mountains to a safe haven. But it's not her own safety that concerns this little woman with big faith. It's the safety and well being of the 100 orphaned children in her care. Watch as Gladys' strength and faith are stretched to the limit, all for the sake of the children.

The Richard Wurmbrand StoryThe year is 1945, WWII. In war-torn Romania, there is only one way for churches to get the protection of the government; give their support to the Communists who are in control. Many pastors


are choosing to go along with the Communists, but not Richard Wurmbrand. He openly opposes the government's control, thereby placing his own life and the lives of his family in great danger. When Richard's choice lands him in the Communist prison, his faith and witness are tested to the limits. See how this Torchlighter's amazing story continues to impact the world today.

The Perpetua StoryIt is the year AD 203 in Carthage, North Africa. Perpetua, an affluent young mother, is charged with converting to Christianity and is sent to prison. But her freedom can be secured easily. All she has to do is offer one pinch of incense in honor to the Roman gods. With this simple act of devotion and loyalty to the Roman Empire she can regainher freedom and return to her infant son and a life of comfort. As her father pleads for Perpetua to consider the welfare of her child and the reputation of their family, she slowly makes her way to face the Roman proconsul and declare her final decision. What will it be? This episode of Torchlighters: Heroes of the Faith presents one of the most influential, true stories of the Early Church.

The Amy Carmichael StoryLittle Preena wonders how she will ever find a way out of the temple, where she is held against her will. Amy is consumed by the awful truth she has learned about the plight of the "temple girls." Will Amy's faithful determination be enough to free Preena from the powerful customs and superstitions that keep


her hostage?

The William Booth StoryIntroduce children to the action-packed story behind The Salvation Army. William Booth is determined to bring life-changing Gospel to London's most troubled neighborhood, the East End. But when the local pub owners realize some of their best customers are becoming Christian, they hire big, strong thugs to get rid of the preacher once and for all. Watch as William's ragtag band of followers marches into the East End with Bibles and Prayer as their weapons of choice. It's an inspiring story for children and parents alike!

The Samuel Morris StoryYoung Prince Kaboo is being held for ransom by a fierce enemy tribe. When his African father can no longer meet their demands, Kaboo’s fate is sealed. Angry warriors tie his weakened and bruised body toa post and prepare to finish him off. Just as Kaboo is about to pass out from pain, a blinding light appears, and the ropes fall away! Kaboo’s strength returns, and he hears a voice urging him to run. While stunned warriors look on in fear, Kaboo escapes into the jungle. He runs until he stumbles upon a mission station, where he learns of his heavenly Father who paid the ransom for all! His newfound faith leads to a new name and a new mission. Now calling himself Samuel Morris, he heads to the coast and boards a ship full of brutal men, determined to reach America.


Island was Australia's first post office south of Sydney.  It is currently not permanently inhabited and is used to graze sheep.

Flora and fauna
Much of Long Island has been heavily grazed and regularly burnt over a long period.  There are patches of remnant Melaleuca scrub at the western end of the island, and the southernmost community of Melaleuca armillaris in Australia is found here.  Recorded breeding seabird, wader and waterbird species include little penguin, Pacific gull, silver gull, sooty oystercatcher, pied oystercatcher, hooded plover, Cape Barren goose, black swan and grey teal.  Reptiles present include the metallic skink, spotted skink, eastern three-lined skink and lowland copperhead.  The Tasmanian pademelon is present however numbers have greatly reduced in the last year.  Feral goats havevictims."

The deputy chair of that inquiry, Frank Maguire, said it was never shown the letter.

"I was shocked to find out about the letter — and disappointed," he told 7.30.

Mr Maguire believes that Cardinal Pell still has a lot of questions to answer.

"Cardinal Pell may have misled the Victorian Parliament in his testimony, or downplayed his knowledge," Mr Maguire said.

He said it was up to Cardinal Pell to offer an alternative explanation.

Cardinal Pell was not asked about the letter in Wednesday's royal commission hearing.

Letter of concern written by assistant priest in 1982

Phil O'Donnell was assistant priest to paedophile Peter Searson at the Sunbury Parish in 1982 and raised his concerns about the priest with George Pell's predecessor as Archbishop of Melbourne, Frank Little. ( 7.30 )

In 1982, Phil O'Donnell


was an assistant priest to Searson at the Sunbury parish in Melbourne's west.

He wrote to Cardinal Pell's predecessor as Archbishop of Melbourne, Frank Little, of his concerns about Searson.

"The main thrust of it was that Peter had so many problems that he was psychologically unfit to be a pastor, a priest of that parish or any other parish," Father O'Donnell told 7.30.

"We then outlined a litany of faults, including carrying guns, calling himself army titles, denigrating women — just so much."

"We wanted to bring it to the attention of the Archbishop, hoping that something would happen."

Nothing did happen and Searson was sent by Archbishop Little to Doveton.

There, even more complaints went to Mr Little, the Archdiocese, the Catholic Education Office and other priests.

Sorry, this video has expired Abusesurvivors request a meeting with Pope Francis, saying they do not want to speak to George Pell

Teachers refused to have children see him alone, and parents complained of despicable behaviour: holding a knife to the chest of a young girl and repeated animal cruelty.

Seven years after Ms Stewart was abused, a meeting of bishops discussed Searson's career.

Two bishops present and the Archbishop knew of Searson's past, but Cardinal Pell told the Royal Commission they did not inform him of the details.

Cardinal Pell told the inquiry he went to Archbishop Little about Searson but was rebuffed.

"In retrospect, I might have been a bit more pushy with all the parties involved," he said.

As Archbishop, Cardinal Pell finally suspended Searson indefinitely from parish work after he assaulted a boy.

Cardinal Pell's defence


needed to identify the most common clones of CRKP, in particular OXA-48-producers in Saudi Arabia.

*The authors would like to thank the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for technical and financial support. Many thanks to those at the clinical microbiology laboratories of Asir Central Hospital and Armed Force Hospital Southern Region for helping in sample collection. Also, many thanks to the staff at the Special Infectious Agents Unit (SIAU), King Fahad Medical Research Center (KFMRC) and King Abdulaziz University for their support during the practical work. We would also like to thank Professor John Perry, the Freeman hospital (Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom) for providing control strains as a generous gift. Finally, we would like to thank Mr. Ayman Al-Zahrani for his help intypical of Jolene Bunting's time on Belfast City Council," he said.

"This must be opposed by all right-minded citizens."

Micky Murray, an Alliance Party candidate in Botanic, also branded the posters on immigrants and local homes as "disgusting behaviour from an elected representative".

However, Ms Bunting dismissed Sinn Féin's criticism on Facebook, accusing the party of "hypocrisy" and referencing IRA violence during the Troubles.

"Bombs and bullets will murder and maim, but words will never harm you," the Court area councillor wrote.

Last week a High Court judge dismissed an appeal by Ms Bunting against receiving a four-month interim suspension from a council standards watchdog.

The Local Government Commissioner for Standards took the step in September pending the outcome of an investigation into 14 complaints against her.

They included comments she made on a video


outside Belfast Islamic Centre, and her participation at a rally in Belfast by far-right group Britain First.

Another complaint related to an online post featuring a cartoon character dressed in an Irish tricolour and wearing a hat bearing the phrase, "Please be patient I have Famine".

In the court challenge, it was contended that as a political representative Ms Bunting has enhanced freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights.

But Mr Justice Maguire found the watchdog's action was merited, ruling that Ms Bunting's public alignment with anti-Islamic speeches went beyond enhanced legal protection for political expression.Riders were both previously part of suspected Lampre team

Although it declined to suspend Classics contender Alessandro Ballan prior to Paris-Roubaix, the BMC Racing Team has announced this evening that it has decided to take the former world champion out of competition. Team-mate Mauro Santambrogio has also been sidelined due to the ongoing Italian doping investigation.

Both riders were previously part of the Lampre team, which has over a dozen of its current and former riders implicated in the Mantova affair.

According to BMC Racing Team president Jim Ochowitz, the situation has changed since the Classics. He said that new information the team had received, ‘along with consideration of the team's anti-doping policy and the UCI's Code of Conduct,’ had led to the decision to sideline the two.

“Both riders have been


to the squad were also listed. These are Francesco Bonazzi, Geo Bonazzi, Paolo Bossoni, Nicola Castrini, Pietro Caucchioli, Sergio Gelati, Roberto Messina, Massimiliano Mori, Paolo Pezzi, Mariano Piccoli and Michael Rasmussen, as well as the mountain bike rider Sebastian Gilmozzi. Footballer Matteo Zambroni was also named, as was former team doctor Josè Ibarguren.

Last Thursday the Omega Pharma Lotto team announced that Roberto Damiani was leaving after several years in management there. He is understood to be taking over from Saronni in the running of the team, and will be part of a clearout and general refocusing. This is expected to draw on the talents of young riders such as Adriano Malori and Diego Ulissi.

The team presumably feels that there is a chance that at least some of thoseThe Bruins selected defenseman Matt Grzelcyk with their third-round pick (85th overall) in the draft on Saturday.

Grzelcyk, who last played with the U.S. National Team Development Program, will be an incoming freshman at Boston University in the fall. Grzeclyk was ranked the No. 177 North American skater in April. Last year with Team USA, the 5-foot-9, 170 pound defenseman scored a goal and 10 assists in 24 games.

The selection of Grzelcyk continues a recent trend of Boston acquiring undersized college defensemen, like signing of Michigan State defenseman Torey Krug, and the trade for BU defenseman David Warsofsky.


right, dating back to the heyday of the Ku Klux Klan, and in part because it was such a ripe opportunity target. After all, American immigration policy in the past forty years and more has time and again proven a colossal bureaucratic bungle that no one has been able to untangle, which presents an opening for right-wing extremists to jump in and offer their toxic solutions. Moreover, as is always the case in such vacuums, it is ordinary working-class people who wind up paying the price for the problems that ensue from such bungles, and extremists have long honed their appeals to reach those disgruntled citizens. This was nowhere more evident than in the desert landscape of Arizona in the first decade of the new millennium. It wasthere that these misbegotten policies came home to roost, embodied in a flood of border-crossing immigrants who defied both death and the law—sometimes not successfully—in a desperate attempt to reach work north of the border, and who in the process trampled on people’s ranches and yards and inflamed not only resentment but the increasingly paranoid fears of the people already living there.

The underlying problems inherent in the American immigration system probably date as far back as the Klan’s heyday, when Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924. Also known as the Asian Exclusion Act, this was an explicitly xenophobic law whose primary purpose was to eliminate any further immigration from Japan and other Asian nations, largely because the Japanese were believed to be incapable of becoming “real Americans.”


It also first enshrined in law the concept of the “illegal alien” and created a system of national quotas that would permit immigration officials to regulate the racial and ethnic composition of the people coming over American borders. Most of the explicitly racial and ethnic components of the law were gradually stripped out over the ensuing years, but the xenophobic bones of the system—predicated on creating a seemingly interminable maze of hurdles and hoops for immigrants to jump through en route to citizenship— have remained firmly in place.

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The deadly crisis in the Arizona desert was created by a series of policy changes begun during the administration of George H. W. Bush and then exacerbated by the Clinton administration in the 1990s. The big gorilla among these was theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was negotiated by Bush Sr., Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, and Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari in 1993, and then ratified with the active support of Bush’s successor, Bill Clinton. The treaty, which in creating a trilateral trade bloc opened up the ability of investment capital to cross borders freely, was sold to the American public as, among other things, an essential component in controlling immigration.

The Clinton administration followed NAFTA with a series of border operations apparently intended to ensure that, even if capital could now cross the borders freely, labor could not. The first of these was called Operation Hold the Line, begun in late 1993, and its focus was to clamp down on the steady flow of illegal


immigrants who came to the United States through the border cities of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. By adding manpower and enhancing patrols in weakly secure areas where people traditionally walked across the border, the Border Patrol was able to effectively close off one of the major ports through which people usually crossed on their way north to work. This was followed shortly, in October 1994, by Operation Gatekeeper at the San Diego/Tijuana crossing corridor in California.

At first, the Border Patrol boasted of the marvelous success of these operations. Apprehensions dropped precipitously in the months after they were initiated, indicating, according to analysts, “better deterrence”: that is, it was believed the programs effectively discouraged people from trying to cross the border. “We can control the border,zona, in 1996, and Operation Rio Grande on the southern Texas border in 1998. The administration also sponsored and passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Act of 1996, which massively expanded funding for the Border Patrol, called for construction of border fences in key areas, and toughened penalties for human smuggling. All for naught: by the end of the 1990s, studies demonstrated clearly that the flow of immigrants over the southern border had been anything but stanched. Estimates showed that by the end of 1999, some 5.5 million illegal immigrants lived in the United States, reflecting an annual increase of at least 275,000.

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The numbers kept growing because the tide of immigrants had swollen to a tsunami—in large part because of NAFTA and its effects on the Mexican


and American economies. When Mexico approved NAFTA in 1992, President Salinas abolished a provision in the Mexican constitution that protected the traditional small Mexican farmers from competition with corporate agribusiness, particularly American corporations. This proved disastrous for those farmers, whose chief staple was corn—a crop with deep historic roots in Mexico. For centuries even before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, Mayan farmers had cultivated corn in their milpas, the small acreages that farmers cleared out of the local landscapes so they could cultivate corn, beans, and squash. Over the ensuing centuries, small farms had remained one of the staples of the Mexican economy. Now, thanks to the arrival of American agribusiness under the banner of NAFTA, that way of life was being rubbed out.

Cheap American corn putover a million Mexican farmers out of business, and that was just the beginning. With the economy collapsing around them, scores of manufacturers who specialized in clothing, toys, footwear, and leather goods all went out of business. The only upside to NAFTA for Mexico—the arrival of new manufacturing jobs, including auto-building plants, as they departed the United States for cheaper shores, and of a fresh wave of maquiladora, the plants where various manufacturers would outsource their labor to Mexico—proved illusory. By 2000, many of those jobs had been taken to even cheaper labor sources in Asia, and the bleeding only grew worse from there.

In the meantime, the American economy—riding along first on a technology bubble and then on a housing bubble—was bustling, creating in the process in excess


of five hundred thousand unskilled-labor jobs every year, the vast majority of which American workers either would not or could not perform. Yet the antiquated American immigration system only issued five thousand green cards annually to cover them.

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The result was a massive demand for immigrant labor in the United States and an eager supply in Mexico seeking work. At the border, where a rational transaction should have been taking place, there was instead a xenophobic crackdown aimed at keeping Mexican labor in Mexico, with predictably limited success.

All that really happened as a result of the various border crackdowns was that increasingly desperate people were being forced into longer and more death-defying treks across the desert, and there were more and more of them coming. Typically they would travelopportunities to rob, possibly murder, and/or rape the border crossers.

Those are just the human hazards. Then there is the desert itself. In Arizona, the landscape—dotted with saguaros and raging with color at certain times of the year—is inviting from a distance, but it is difficult to envision an environment more hostile to humans close up: spiny cacti, thorny ocotillos, rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, scorpions, and tarantulas all comprise the landscape that greets the border crossers. Finally there are the temperatures, which can range above 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer daytime, falling to an only somewhat more gracious 90 degrees at night.

So when the wave of immigrants began filtering out into the desert, soon enough people began dying in large numbers. The chief causes of death, unsurprisingly, were dehydration,