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The LEO LT chronicles: Now where are those millions that Bakas wants to give back to the state?
Edgaras Savickas
Verslo žurnalistas
Parašyti
autoriui
© DELFI / Kiril Čachovskij
"We've invested in canned food instead of nuclear power" – that's how the funds NDX Energija received after the LEO LT 2009 liquidation are described in the VP White Book.
At that time NDX Energija received 680 million litas (196, 9 million euro) from purchased LEO LT shares. Yet an investigation into business influence on policy conducted by Seimas National Security and Defense Committee (NSGK) chairman Vytautas Bakas raises the question regarding the paid out dividends during the administration by Western Power Grid (WPG).
Bakas threatens to leave LVŽS group if it launches new parliamentary probe
Vilnius court bans Bakas from calling MG Baltic 'organized criminal group'
In 2009 chairman of the board of the Investors Association Vytautas Plunksnis calculates that "over that period while the WPG belonged to the owners of Maxima, around 700 million litas (202, 7 million euro) were paid out to the owners in various ways.
Member of the current NDX Energija observers'' council Lina Karkliauskaitė gave details to DELFI on the amount because not everything was paid out as dividends.
Phase 1 – Privatisation of WPG
In the results of the NSGK investigation, endorsed by the Seimas and presented to the General Prosecutor and taking into account information gathered and the circumstances around the founding of LEO LT by the national investor, it is again accessed as to whether a criminal offense was committed in the establishment of a national investor.
At that time it was suggested to the Seimas that it request the Energy Commission to determine if the founding of LEO LT and its activities by an independent investor were to the detriment of Lithuania and then propose ways of mitigation.
LEO LT's beginnings are considered to have been in 2003 when NDX Energija which was managed by the owners of Maxima won the tender for the privatisation of WPG. According to what Ms. Karkliauskaitė now says, the privatisation of WPG was held by public tender in which the Achemos group as well as NDX Energija took part.
NDX Energija won the tender having offered 156,4 million euro, i.e. significantly more than the initial selling price of the shares portfolio set by the state, that being 104 million euro and 24,6 million euro in liabilities.
WPG shares were listed on the stock exchange and then NDX Energija paid another 40, 8 million euro for WPG shares in 2004 to other small WPG shareholders - 197, 2 million euro in total was paid for 97 % of WPG shares.
Phase 2 - Re-evaluation of assets and amendment to the law
In 2004, WPG assets were revalued from 571 million to 2,351 billion litas (165, 4 million and 681 million euro respectively). That same year the Seimas amended the Electricity Act and indicated that, when setting the upper limits of electricity diffusion, distribution and supply services, the value of the supplier's assets is taken into account. It is also stated that the profit rate is calculated from this value.
Verslo Žinios summarized this as follows: "Based on such a scheme, the greater the electricity distributor's wealth, the more expensive it becomes for consumers and the more profits the company has."
Raimondas Kuodis, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania, said earlier that he was shocked by an interview by an ex-head of the National Control Commission for Prices and Energy in November 2004 saying that politicians were detached from doubling electricity prices.
Mr. Kuodis said that after some adjustment of assets, which was performed by both WPG and EPG and Lietuvos Energija, it was somewhat strange that since 2005 Lietuvos Energija had not asked for a higher price cap.
"Of course those who thought up this scheme were pragmatic enough and contrived to double the price of electricity – and gradually in order to avoid a consumer backlash. They asked that the price of electricity be increased from 2005 by 10 % only but in actual fact this was enough to scuttle the introduction of the euro in Lithuania in 2007. At that time we exceeded the inflation criteria by 0, 1 % and the 10 % increase in the price of electricity increased inflation by 0, 3 %" said Mr. Kuodis.
Stage 3 – millions in dividends
Ms. Karkliauskaitė states that after privatisation, WPG was managed economically.
"Administrative and other expenses were reduced, inefficient investments were discontinued and so the company generated a positive cash flow and could pau out returns to its shareholders who at that time numbered over 4 thousand.
With a change in its authorised capital structure WPG's authorised capital in 2004 was reduced by 116 million euro and in terms of the number of shares NDX Energija held 112, 9 million euro. This amount was not paid out but was converted to into a loan that was later transferred to banks.
From 2005 to 2007 WPG shareholders were paid out dividends - around 89 million euro and of that NDX Energija received about 58 million euro in dividends. Another 27, 8 million euro of payable dividends was converted into a loan that was later transferred to banks" she said.
Ms. Karkliauskaitė argued that after an assessment of NDX Energija's investment in the risky energy sectors (profitability depends entirely on state regulation) and the economic circumstances of the time (the average annual inflation of about 5%, and an average interest rate of about 5%), return on investment was not exclusive.
"NDX Energija's investment in LEO LT was a huge business failure" she said.
Phase 4 – LEO LT L
Ms. Karkliauskaitė said that in 2007 KPMG valued WPG's shares from 685 to 848 million euro, EPG's from 642 to 794 million euro and Lietuvos Energija's shares from 594 to 744 million euro.
"These values were used to calculate share ratios in LEO LT" she explained.
Ms. Karkliauskaitė said that in 2008 NDX Energija contributed to the incorporated LEO LT WPG shares with a "dividend portion" that at that time it could not also offer to LEO LT into which state-administered EPG and Lietuvos Energija are contributed.
"It was in 2008 that 176 million euro in dividends paid out by WPG were received by LEO LT of which only 38, 3% belonged to NDX Energija. These funds were necessary for LEO LT to ensure the start of strategic project development work (the construction of a nuclear power plant and electrical connections with Poland and Sweden).
NDX Energija never received dividends or any other payouts from LEO LT. Only at the end of 2009 with the end of LEO LT, NDX Energija was paid 196, 9 million euro from sold LEO LT shares. This entire amount was paid to NDX Energija with the approval of the government" she said.
In 2009 the government decided to liquidate LEO LT.
"At that time NDX Energija and the state were in a difficult economic situation and so although the LEO LT founding agreements provided for dispute resolution arbitration in Stockholm, NDX Energija chose a goodwill exit from the project. All countries confirmed that they have no claim against each other and will not have in the future" said Ms. Karkliauskaitė.
The ending – new investments
During the time of the stakeholder conflict, as stated in 2015 in the Vilniaus Prekyba "White Book", there was a most unexpected turning point for NDX Energija.
"In Lithuania the openly maligned NDX Energija holdings, created from funds which the group got back from its share in the liquidated LEO LT, now manages long-life food manufacturing enterprises in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Belarus. Simply put, we've invested in canned food instead of nuclear power" the publication states.
As Ms. Karkliauskaitė noted, by signing a peace agreement with the Lithuanian government, NDX Energija has turned over a new page in its activities and is now known in Europe as the NDX Investment Group.
"At the end of 2011, NDX Energija was split up and in 2010 to 2015 shareholders of the new NDX group invested in factories manufacturing pet food and canned food for people and which operate in Sweden (Doggy AB, the biggest manufacturer of dog and cat food), Poland (Mispol SA a manufacturer of pet food and canned food for people), Slovakia (Novofruct SK s.r.o. a manufacturer of baby and canned food) as well as in other European countries she says.
According to the Centre of Registers, NDX Energija shareholders are currently the Nerijus Numavičius Holdings Metodika B.V. registered in the Netherlands, Bertona Holdings Limited which is managed jointly by shareholders of Vilniaus Prekyba which is registered in Cyprus, Attexo OU registered in Estonia, the Lithuanian company Kalpa (which belongs to Ignas Staskevičius), Biruliškių Projektas (owned by Mindaugas Marcinkevičius and Vladas Numavičius).
A belated offer
Darius Kuolys a visible public figure at the time of the LEO LT saga told DELFI that he believes that NSGK's current proposal to access the project is late.
"At that time we raised the issues and had we been able to answer at that time, we could still have given clarity. Now the train has long gone. We could only look at the situation in terms of democracy and political decision-making.
It's a rather serious precedent when state officials who have good intentions but don't have any respect for the democratic state and their citizens, turn to business. They essentially are resolving to hand the entire energy economy back into private hands, believing that it will be salvation.
It didn't seem like that to us at the time because how does one reconcile public interest with group politics and business interests? It's natural that these issues arise and it would be good to consider them in a wider field, rather than look for a settling of scores" he said. Mr. Kuolys described Mr. Bakas's current statements as being more journalistic and not legal or political.
"This is not very good, with the whole study, the State Security Department certificates. I see some kind of superficiality, rejection and selectivity. It makes a very bad impression because the problems are serious but they are discussed and investigated in a very dismissive way.
This game looks multi-layered. There is all-out war against everyone and this kind of thing shouldn't happen in a civilized society. There should be certain rules as to what we are aiming for and what we're setting up. Mr. Bakas looks like a lone dancer dancing to an unknown dance and it is unclear whether he himself knows that ", - said Mr. Kuolys.
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The Medieval Index
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Lindau Gospels
Lindau Gospels 9th Century, Codicology, Digital Exhibits, Digital Manuscripts, English Language, Latin Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Scripture, Switzerland
The Life and Miracles of St. Edmund
The Life and Miracles of St. Edmund 12th Century, Anglo-Norman, Anglo-Saxon, Digital Exhibits, Digital Manuscripts, England, English Language, Saints
Illuminating the Medieval Hunt
Illuminating the Medieval Hunt 14th Century, 15th Century, Daily Life, Digital Exhibits, Digital Manuscripts, English Language, France, Manuscripts
Illuminating the Law
Illuminating the Law Digital Exhibits, English Language, Law, Manuscripts, Medieval
Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands
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Hours of Henry VIII
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Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well: Images of Death in the Middle Ages
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The virtual device was created from having managed to capture the codes of the remote control beforehand.
The Blastbot device allows integrating equipment controlled by IR signals to the Fibaro system and simultaneously include several devices by means of Virtual Devices.
When you download the .zip you will have the .vfib file available, you just have to upload it to the HC and place the IP address of your Blastbot and the assigned port is "9999".
• File .pdf "Manual Blastbot - VD LG TV Remote Control".


The den Shiraz is especially good with hearty French bistro cooking like grilled lamb chops with black olives, orange and fennel, pan fried duck breast with a fig and red wine butter sauce, Toulouse sausages with lentils or linguini with chorizo, tomato and roasted peppers.
The grapes for this wine have been harvested from Leeuwenkuil and Langvlei farms in Agter Paarl and Swartland.
Shiraz was harvested in the third and fourth week of Feb 2018. Most of the grapes were destalked and fermented in tanks with French oak staves, with malolactic and maturation being completed on staves. Approximately 20% of the wine was fermented in small open fermenters and hand-punched before being pressed off into small French and American oak barrels of varying ages.


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The Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) Follow-Up Study (FUS)
To view a breakdown of the datasets with whole genome sequencing, go to the ADSP and Affiliates Whole Genome Sequencing Report page.
The ADSP Follow-Up Study 2.0 (ADSP FUS 2.0)
ADSP FUS Cohort Descriptions
The ADSP Discovery Phase has identified a number of variations in the genomes of individuals affected with AD. These findings are being pursued in the ADSP Follow-Up Study (FUS), funded solely by NIA. The long-term goals of the ADSP FUS are to:
Move the field closer to enabling prediction of who will develop AD
Fully reveal the genetic architecture of AD in multiple ethnic groups
Better understand the underpinnings of AD pathogenesis
Aid the quest for therapeutic targets
Examine the AD genome in diverse populations
The ADSP Discovery Phase and the ADSP FUS are described under PAR-16-406. The ADSP FUS is leveraging existing infrastructure and collaborations to ensure continuity of ADSP participation. It provides funds for acquisition, archiving, sequencing, quality control, genome wide association studies (GWAS), and data sharing of the large number of samples from individuals affected by AD for WGS, as appropriate. Racial/ethnic diversity continues to be a high ADSP priority. Well-phenotyped participants were selected with an emphasis on autopsy-confirmed and ethnically diverse cases/controls and availability of longitudinal data. Funds are being provided for both sequencing and data analysis. This effort will pursue rare variants as comprehensively as possible, including consideration of statistical power, and exploration of a range of different populations containing those that are currently underrepresented in sequencing studies.
The majority of the samples from the ADSP Discovery and Discovery Extension phases were non-Hispanic white in origin, making the addition of ethnically diverse samples to the study critical to identification of both shared and novel genetic risk factors for AD between populations. Collection and sequencing of ethnically diverse cohorts is emphasized in the ADSP FUS, the goal being that additional existing cohorts with unrelated AD cases that encompass the richest possible ethnic diversity be given the highest priority for inclusion. For the United States this includes augmenting African American, Hispanic, and Asian cohorts.
AD is not a single genetic entity; it is a genetic spectrum with a number of sub-phenotypes (endophenotypes). Endophenotypes will likely vary by ethnicity. Important instances of ethnically unique AD/ADRD genetic variation have been identified in Hispanic and African American cohorts. Variants for AD are rare and can only be identified with a larger number of participants. Variants occur at different frequencies in different populations and certain risk variants may be much easier to detect in some populations. ADSP studies in ethnic groups including African American and Hispanic, remain statistically underpowered, so the genetics of these populations remain largely unstudied. Therefore, a major effort is being undertaken to augment the numbers of cases and controls in ethnically diverse populations in the United States. In order to understand the underlying substructure of the diversity populations, global studies are a key component of this effort.
The global effort brings important population sectors that are not presently well represented in the ADSP including Central and South America, the Iberian Peninsula, Iceland, Africa, and Asia. Examples of the expected types of sequencing and analytical assessments include continuing activities as outlined in the parent FOAs (PAR-19-234 and PAR-17-214). Proposed approaches will not only increase the numbers of participants and the volume of data, but also will require novel methods to perform in-depth and subgroup analyses of diverse ethnic backgrounds, as well as integrated analyses to completely unravel the architecture of the AD genome.
To fulfill the goals of this ADSP FUS, 37 datasets with existing cognitive data with the ability to adjudicate Alzheimer disease status are being whole genome sequenced at the American Genome Center at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in coordination with existing NIH-funded AD infrastructure including the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer's Disease (NCRAD), NIAGADS, and the Genome Center for Alzheimer's Disease (GCAD). Brief descriptions of the cohorts selected for sequencing are provided below. Cohort collection, phenotypic characterization, and whole genome sequencing are funded by the National Institutes of Health. This and additional information about the ADSP can be found on the National Institutes on Aging site.
The ADSP Follow-Up Study 2.0: The Diverse Population Initiative (PAR-21-212) was launched in 2021 to expand the sample set in ADSP to represent more diverse populations. The long-term goals of the ADSP FUS 2.0 are to:
move the field closer to enabling prediction of who will develop AD;
fully characterize AD subtypes by studying endophenotypes in diverse populations;
better understand the differences in the genetic underpinnings of AD pathogenesis among diverse populations; and
identify specific therapeutic targets based upon diverse population.
Numbers of Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American participants in the US remain insufficient to provide statistical significance for identification of rare or very rare variants. Variants in the Alzheimer's genome are largely rare or very rare in the population. It is estimated that for 80% certainty for single variant testing for rare variants, ~16,100 cases and ~16,100 controls are needed for a variant with a minor allele frequency of 0.5% in the population; single variant testing for rare variants indicate that for 90% certainty, ~18,500 cases and ~18,500 controls are needed for each population for a variant with a minor allele frequency of 1% in the population. To ensure that there are sufficient numbers of study participants to achieve statistical power for analysis of rare or vary rare variants in the three largest diversity cohorts' AD/ADRD genome given the available funding, the primary focus of the ADSP FUS 2.0 is on Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and Asian populations. Consortia are leveraging cohorts already recruited or in planning for recruitment to obtain sufficient numbers; sharing diversity data across consortia is essential to the success of this effort. Genetic samples and phenotypic data that are analyzed by the ADSP are provided by several consortia, initiatives, centers, and studies.
The A4 Study was designed as a three-year, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to test whether anti-amyloid treatment can slow the rate of cognitive decline in older individuals from diverse ethnic-racial backgrounds (non-Hispanic White, African American and Latino/Hispanic) with evidence of amyloid accumulation on screening PET scans. The ADSP-FUS has sequenced over 3,400 participants from the study.
The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) Cohorts, which includes Black/African American, Amerindian, and Latino/Hispanic specific cohorts, are selected from the National Institute on Aging's ADRC's, a network of 38 academic centers across the United States focused on AD and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias research.
The Alzheimer's Disease Center Autopsy (ADRC) Cohort includes 1,500 cases with autopsy and 1,372 controls from the National Institute on Aging's ADRC's. These individuals are well phenotyped and increase the currently underpowered non-Hispanic White sample with WGS data from the ADSP Discovery and Discovery Extension Phases (1,212 cases and 524 controls).
The Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC) African-American Cohort, is a cohort of 1,240 cases and 1,643 controls collected from several cohorts including from the GenerAAtions Study, Indianapolis-Ibadan Study, Rush University, University of Miami, Case Western Reserve University, North Carolina A & T University, and The Mirage Study.
The Amish Protective Variant Study, based at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Miami (Cummings et al. 2012; D'Aoust et al. 2015), is being conducted in the Indiana and Ohio Old Order Amish population. This population is an isolated founder population originating from immigration of German and Swiss Anabaptists to the United States in the 1700's and 1800's. Approximately 840 individuals from the study have been sequenced and included in the ADSP-FUS.
The ASPREE STUDY (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) was an international, randomized, placebo-controlled trial funded by the NIH to determine whether daily low dose aspirin (100 mg) increased survival, free of dementia or physical disability, for healthy older people (>60 years of age) without a history of cardiovascular disease, dementia or significant physical disability at enrollment. It included 19,114 healthy older individuals and the initial completion was in 2018 (McNeil 2018). ASPREE-eXTension (ASPREE-XT) study, funded by the NIA, is an observational follow-up of the same cohort that will be extended from 2019 through 2024. ASPREE and ASPREE-XT has and will continue to determine factors, such as those related to lifestyle, health behavior, environment, genes, blood biomarkers and many others, that may be predictors of good health and longevity or predispose to age-related diseases, but is especially focused upon dementia and cognitive decline.
The Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Autopsy Cohort was an ADRC clinic-based sample. Medical records are available on all cases and controls, all of who were tested before death for cognitive function.
The Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Rapid Decline Cohort (Cohen et al. 2015) represents patients with rapid decline. Through the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, CWRU has identified 300+ aged individuals who have classical AD pathology upon autopsy but whose course is very short: from six months to three years. This course is more typical of a prion disease; however, these individuals have been tested for and do not have any prion disease. The amyloid in the amyloid plaques has a slightly different protein structure, suggesting that that rpAD has a different genetic architecture than typical late-onset AD (LOAD). Additionally, sequencing of the APP gene did not identify any novel or known pathogenic variation. rpAD has not been genetically examined and the 300+ autopsy confirmed AD cases would significantly increase the pool of confirmed cases. Substantial clinical data are available on most cases, and additional samples of blood, plasma, CSF and RNA are available on a subset, greatly increasing their potential value.
The Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (CNSA) at the University of Miami is a center focused on the valuation, management, treatment and care for older persons and their families with memory and other brain disorders affecting cognition. 343 individuals from CNSA have been sequenced and included in the ADSP-FUS.
The Cuban American Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (CuADI) is a convenience sample ascertained through community outreach to Alzheimer's and adult day care centers in Southern Florida, lay conferences, and Neurology and Memory Disorders clinics. All participants underwent a standard protocol which included collection of sociodemographic information, detailed clinical history, and cognitive screening (3MS). In addition, behavioral measures (GDS, CSDD, and NPI-Q) and functional (ADL) assessments are available. Standard neurocognitive data is available on all individuals.
The Estudio Familiar de Influencia Genetica en Alzheimer (EFIGA) Study is a study of late-onset AD patients with Caribbean-Hispanic ancestry being conducted at Columbia University's Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain in New York City (Vardarajan et al. 2014). Families and unrelated individuals were recruited as a part of a family-based study: Estudio Familiar de Influencia Genetica en Alzheimer, based in the Dominican Republic. All individuals undergo standard neuropsychological tests and neurological examinations to verify their clinical status and for diagnoses based on NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable or possible LOAD.
The ADGC Early Onset Alzheimer Disease (EOAD) Cohort is a sample set consisting of ~1,400 EOAD cases available through the Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC). All samples are early onset (AAO<65), with available DNA and phenotyping (through the Uniform DataSet). This sample set is expected to have minimal known mutations (APP, PSEN1, PSEN2, SORL1 etc). A significant subset of the sample has autopsy information and/or information on family history providing the opportunity to generalize variants identified to neuropathological endophenotypes and to assess whether variants identified are unique to families multiply affected by the disease or also play a role in sporadic EOAD.
The Gwangju Alzheimer's and Related Dementias (GARD) Cohort is a prospectively followed sample of persons in a senior citizen's community located in the South Korean southwestern city of Gwangju. A large portion of the cohort has been evaluated with the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB) and had a brain MRI scan, and some participants have had PET-amyloid imaging. Previous studies of this cohort include GWAS for AD (Kang et al. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021; 82(4):1451-1460) and brain MRI traits (Park et al. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:590). Another study identified a SNP in the APOE promoter that modifies the effect of the ε4 allele and may explain differences in the AD/ε4 across East Asians, Caucasians and African Americans (Choi et al. J Clin Med 2019; 8:1236). Whole genome sequencing is being performed for 4,000 subjects (2,000 AD cases and 2,000 controls. The GARD sample will be among the largest Asian cohorts with WGS data.
The Indianapolis-Ibadan Study of Aging is a longitudinal study begun in 1991 in Indianapolis, Indiana and Idikan Ward of Ibadan city, Nigeria (Hendrie et al. 1995; Osuntokun et al. 1995). Study participants in the Ibadan cohort belong to the Yoruba ethnic group who inhabit south-western Nigeria and extend to neighboring Benin Republic to the west, which is the primary origin of the African ancestry in African Americans. The Ibadan portion of the study currently has 79 cases, 176 MCI, and 759 controls aged 65 years or older that have been sequenced and included in the ADSP-FUS. The African American samples from the Indianapolis cohort have been sequenced in the ADSP as part of the ADGC AA cohort. The AD cases from this cohort are the first and only African AD cases with WGS, making their sequencing an essential first step towards inclusion of this completely unrepresented group in AD research.
Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Ancestral genomic Variations in the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ISAVRAD). ISAVRAD is a longitudinal study of older adult Amerindians from Northern Argentina with or without exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection to understand the impact of interactions between ancestral genomic variants and infection on the risk of cognitive decline and ADRD. With funding from the Alzheimer's Association and Fundacion FULTRA, 875 participants over 60 years of age and without pre-infection cognitive impairment were enrolled during the first 18 months of the pandemic; collected data include exhaustive clinical phenotypes, detailed cognitive assessments, plasma for biomarkers and WGS. Additional studies including neuroimaging and expanding the sample to Yoruba participants from Ibadan (Nigeria), Latino participants from the Bronx (New York), Mexican-American participants from Laredo and San Antonio (Texas), and non-tribal Native Americans from Kings County (Washington) are planned.
Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of AD (KBASE) is a prospective cohort study launched at Seoul National University (SNU) in 2014 using a similar design and methods as the North American Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The KBASE cohort consists of well-characterized participants including cognitively normal (CN) controls with a wide age range (20 to 90 years) and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD dementia (AD). KBASE included longitudinal collection of clinical, cognitive and lifestyle data, multimodal MRI and PET (amyloid, tau and FDG) neuroimaging, and bio-specimens in Korea during the first phase ("KBASE1"). KBASE2 represents a collaboration between the ADSP, Indiana University, the KBASE team at SNU, USC/LONI and UPENN. Over 1000 whole genome sequences (WGS) of Korean participants will be contributed to the ADSP, and the extensive ADSP multi-ethnic data set will be analyzed. KBASE2 will expand the cohort and continue longitudinal data and sample collection and provide WGS and data harmonization and sharing, analyze longitudinal amyloid, tau, neurodegeneration and vascular (A/T/N/V) imaging biomarkers and analyze multi-omics data for association with A/T/N/V biomarkers for AD to identify dysregulated gene modules and pathways.
The Harmonized Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia for the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI-DAD) is a national representative cohort of 4,096 adults 60 years of age and older in India across 18 states and union territories. LASI-DAD is an in-depth study on cognitive aging and dementia drawn from the larger Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). Whole genome sequencing of 2,712 individuals has been completed. These data can be linked to the Harmonized LASI and Harmonized LASI-DAD datasets (available at https://g2aging.org/), offering the opportunity for researchers to gain insight into the aging population in India.
Mexican APP/PSEN Study (Cohort description coming soon.)
The Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Aging (NIA), is prospective study of health and aging in Mexico that began in 2001 (MHAS 2001). The ADSP FUS will sequence 200 MHAS cases and 2,600 MHAS controls from this study starting in 2019.
The University of Miami Brain Bank Cohort was ascertained through self-referred cases and controls to the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) NeuroBioBank, one of six designated brain and tissue biorepositories in the nation. Medical records are available on all cases and controls, all of who were tested before death for cognitive function.
The University of Miami John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (HIHG) Brain Bank is a clinic and community outreach sample ascertained in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The HIHG Brain Bank autopsy individuals followed the typical clinical course of disease.
The Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS), funded by the NIH's NINDS, is a study focused on stroke or related neurological syndromes (Sacco et al. 2004). The ADSP FUS will sequence 88 Hispanic cases and 175 Hispanic controls, and 22 African-American cases and 43 African-American controls from this study starting in 2020.
The Peru Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (PeADI) is being conducted at several sites in Peru including Lima (Marca-Ysabel et al. 2021). The Mestizo population living in Lima, the capital city, is comprised of ~76% of Amerindian, 11% Southern European, and 3% Northern African ancestries, and a smaller proportion of western central Africa, western central Europe, Finland, northern Siberia and Jewish diaspora. Cases will be clinic based and controls will be clinic and community based. With few Amerindian individuals available for study, the inclusion of a Peruvian cohort will enhance the admixture studies proposed in CADRE and other groups in the ADSP analysis phase.
The Puerto Rican 10/66 Study, is an Alzheimer's Disease International study of dementia in Puerto Rico that began in 2007 (Prince et al. 2007). The ADSP FUS has sequenced ~1560 individuals from this study.
The Puerto Rican Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (PRADI) is a NIH NIA study of late-onset Alzheimer disease focused on the Caribbean-Hispanic Puerto Rican population. The ADSP FUS will sequence 500 cases and 500 controls from this study starting in 2020.
The Research in African-American Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (REAAADI) is a NIH NIA study focused on identifying genetic factors for Alzheimer disease within the African-American population in order to detect new targets for drug development and improve accessibility to Alzheimer's disease education within the community. The ADSP FUS will sequence 300 cases and 300 controls from this study starting in 2020.
The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study, sponsored by the NIH's National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), is a national study of risk factors for stroke in adults 45 years or older that includes measurements of traditional stroke risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and an echocardiogram of the heart (Longstreth 2006).
Stanford (STeP). This cohort contains samples from Brains for Dementia Research (BDR) Genetics project (Dr. Kevin Morgan, PI and Directory of the Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) DNA Consortium and BDR) (Francis et al. 2018). The BDR cohort and program was for planned brain donation across five UK brain banks and one donation point, with standardized operating procedures, following longitudinal clinical and psychometric assessments for people with no cognitive impairment as well as those with dementia. See the Francis et al. publication for a detailed description about the BDR cohort set-up, clinical data, and psychometric assessment measures collected.
The Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium (TARCC) includes cases enrolled at several major medical research institutions including Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, University of North Texas Health Science Center, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Texas A & M Health Science Center. Individuals must be at least 55 years of age with a diagnosis of probable AD or normal cognition. Information is obtained from the clinical and neurological examination on age at onset of symptoms (if AD patient), family history of dementia in first degree relatives, cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Subjects also undergo a battery of neuropsychological tests.
The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP) Study is comprised of individuals from a registry begun in 2011 that includes more than 1,700 individuals, followed over time, to learn about biological, health, and lifestyle factors that may affect Alzheimer's disease. The data set includes information on cognition, lifestyle, physical activity, biomarkers, genetics and metabolism.
Cohen ML, Kim C, Haldiman T, ElHag M, Mehndiratta P, Pichet T, Lissemore F, Shea M, Cohen Y, Chen W, Blevins J, Appleby BS, Surewicz K, Surewicz WK, Sajatovic M, Tatsuoka C, Zhang S, Mayo P, Butkiewicz M, Haines JL, Lerner AJ, Safar SG. Brain. 2015;138:1009-22.
Cummings, A.C., Jiang, L., Velez Edwards, D.R., McCauley JL, Laux R, McFarland LL, Fuzzell D, Knebusch C, Caywood L, Reinhart-Mercer L, Nations L, Gilbert JR, Konidari I, Tramontana M, Cuccaro ML, Scott WK, Pericak-Vance MA, Haines JL. Genome-wide association and linkage study in the Amish detects a novel candidate late-onset Alzheimer disease gene. Ann Hum Genet. 2012;76(5):342-51.
D'Aoust LN, Cummings AC, Laux R, Fuzzell D, Caywood L, Reinhart-Mercer L, Scott WK, Pericak-Vance MA, Haines JL. Examination of candidate exonic variants for association to Alzheimer disease in the Amish. PLOS One. 2015;10(2):e0118043.
Francis PT, Costello H, Hayes GM. Brains for Dementia Research: Evolution in a Longitudinal Brain Donation Cohort to Maximize Current and Future Value. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;66(4):1635-1644. doi:10.3233/JAD-180699
Hendrie HC, Ch B MB, Osuntokun BO, et al. Prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia in Two Communities: Nigerian Africans and African Americans. Am J Psychiatry. 1995;152(10):1485-92. doi:10.1176/ajp.152.10.1485
Longstreth WT. The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Stroke. 2006;37(5):1147-1147. doi:10.1161/01.STR.0000217259.92964.62.
Marca-Ysabel MV, Rajabli F, Cornejo-Olivas M, Whitehead PG, Hofmann NK, Illanes Manrique MZ, Veliz Otani DM, Milla Neyra AK, Castro Suarez S, Meza Vega M, Adams LD, Mena PR, Rosario I, Cuccaro ML, Vance JM, Beecham GW, Custodio N, Montesinos R, Mazzetti Soler PE, Pericak-Vance MA. Dissecting the role of Amerindian genetic ancestry and the ApoE ε4 allele on Alzheimer disease in an admixed Peruvian population. Neurobiol Aging. 2021 May;101:298.e11-298.e15. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.10.003. Epub 2020 Dec 10.
McNeil, J.J., Nelson, M.R., Woods, R.L., Lockery, J.E., Wolfe, R., Reid, C.M., Kirpach, B., Shah, R.C., Ives, D.G., Storey, E., Ryan, J., Tonkin, A.M., Newman, A.B., Williamson, J.D., Margolis, K.L., Ernst, M.E., Abhayaratna, W.P., Stocks, N., Fitzgerald, S.M., Orchard, S.G., Trevaks, R.E., Beilin, L.J., Donnan, G.A., Gibbs, P., Johnston, C.I., Radziszewska, B., Grimm, R., Murray, A.M., and ASPREE Investigator Group. (2018). Effect of Aspirin on All-Cause Mortality in the Healthy Elderly. N. Engl. J. Med. 16, 1519-1528.
MHAS. Data files and documentation (public use): Mexican Health and Ageing Study. http://www.mhasweb.org. Published 2001. Accessed July 20, 2017.
Mueller SG, Weiner MW, Thal LJ, et al. Ways toward an early diagnosis in Alzheimer's disease: the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Alzheimers Dement. 2005;1(1):55-66.
Osuntokun, B.O., Sahota, A., Ogunniyi, A.O., Gureje, O., Baiyewu, O., Adeyinka, A., Oluwole, S.O., Komolafe, O., Hall, K.S., and Unverzagt, F.W. (1995). Lack of an association between apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 and Alzheimer's disease in elderly Nigerians. Ann. Neurol. 3, 463-465.
Prince M, Ferri CP, Acosta D, et al. The protocols for the 10/66 dementia research group population-based research programme. BMC Public Health. 2007;7(1):165. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-165.
Sacco RL, Anand K, Lee H-S, et al. Homocysteine and the Risk of Ischemic Stroke in a Triethnic Cohort: The Northern Manhattan Study. Stroke. 2004;35(10):2263-2269. doi:10.1161/01.STR.0000142374.33919.92.
Vardarajan BN, Faber KM, Bird TD, Bennett DA, Rosenberg R, Boeve BF, Graff-Radford NR, Goate AM, Farlow M, Sweet RA, Lantigua R, Medrano MZ, Ottman R, Schaid DJ, Foroud TM, Mayeux R. Age-specific incidence rates for dementia and Alzheimer disease in NIA-LOAD/NCRAD and EFIGA families. JAMA Neurol. 2014;71(3): 315-323.


Raise a glass to the importance of family and friends near the end of the year ... with a nod to the cook who made the best Thanksgiving dinner ever.
Things go better with a few good bubbles. Simplify the liquor shopping list: Skip setting up a full bar and instead offer a signature cocktail featuring just one or two types of spirits or wine. Pick from these classic Thanksgiving cocktails to keep guests sipping and engaging with one another. Go for a classic cocktail everyone can enjoy, or mix and match for a few selections. Just try not to go overboard with the booze. After all, there's a meal to be eaten, too.
The bigger the Thanksgiving table, the more options you can have. These six wine pairings are incredible values for the money (and most will cost less at the store than the market price listed here). Each is designed to pair beautifully with a classic Thanksgiving menu—roasted turkey, herby stuffing, silky gravy, and butter mashed potatoes. Their flavors are crisp enough to cut through the decadent foods, but they won't compete with all the herbs and spices. When you're shopping at the market, tell the wine seller what you like and what you'd like to spend. He or she will guide you to the right bottle. There are not right or wrong questions or wines: Serve whatever makes you and your guests happy.
What should you pair with an herby holiday bird?


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You are at:Home»Doping»Chinese doping officials say no cover-up of Sun ban
Chinese doping officials say no cover-up of Sun ban
Chinese doping officials say they were not trying to cover up Sun Yang's positive test and that they held back news of his three-month suspension because they did not want to make any mistakes with "the most famous athlete in China".
Sun, China's most successful male swimmer, secretly served his ban during May and August after testing positive for the banned stimulant trimetazidine.
It was only on Monday that the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) revealed the 22-year-old world and Olympic champion had committed a doping offence.
"Sun is the most famous athlete in China and is known in the world, which means we need to handle his case very cautiously," CHINADA deputy director Zhao Jian told the country's official Xinhua news agency.
"This is huge bad news but we will not cover it up.
"We announce positive cases and test statistics in our quarterly reports just as WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) requires."
Read Reuters
Sun Yang
Man's Friends Prank Him with Dissolving Swim Trunks


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[ARCHIVED] Lummi River Levee Repair Complete
Whatcom County Public Works collaborated with Lummi Nation Public Works to repair 325 feet of levee along the Lummi River near its confluence with Lummi Bay. The levee protects portions of the Lummi Reservation, including public roadways, and is a critical emergency access for the community when flooding of Haxton Way blocks primary access routes.
The Army Corps of Engineers determined that this section of the levee was deficient. It had no riprap (rock armoring that provides protection from erosion) except for a small section about 65 feet long in the middle with old degraded riprap. The sections without riprap were eroding, causing narrowing of the levee width. The old riprap was removed and replaced with 325 feet of new riprap, underlain by smaller rock and geotextile fabric, which is a type of permeable fabric that will reinforce, protect, and drain. The roadway on top of the levee was then resurfaced with roadway gravel.
For more information about our River and Flood program visit http://whatcomcounty.us/593/River-Flood.


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Home > News > UK & Europe > London > BAPS Children's Forum Receives Bronze Award from ContinYou
BAPS Children's Forum Receives Bronze Award from ContinYou, London, UK
The Sunday School of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, UK (BAPS), based at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London, has been awarded the Bronze Award from ContinYou – one of the UK's leading education charities. This follows the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Services received by BAPS Children's Forum in 2009.
ContinYou, with its National Resource Centre (NRC) for supplementary education, provides services and programmes in partnership with schools and other organisations for children and young people, particularly those from the most disadvantaged communities.
The Bronze Award signifies that the BAPS supplementary school meets all the essential requirements of the NRC and has all the policies and procedures in place to safely and effectively offer children's activities to a nationally recognised standard.
Under a separate category, ContinYou were also recognising full-time schools providing crucial support to supplementary schools. BAPS Sunday School nominated The Swaminarayan School for this award for their continued support and assistance in classroom provision to enable BAPS to successfully run their classes every weekend. The Swaminarayan School therefore won the award for their exceptional support to the BAPS supplementary school.
An award ceremony was held at the Gwenneth Rickus Building in Brent on Friday 2 December 2011 where the awards were presented to the volunteers of BAPS Sunday School and to The Swaminarayan School by the Rt. Hon. Mayor of Brent Cllr Aslam Choudry.
To learn more about ContinYou and its National Resource Centre for supplementary education, please follow the respective links.
BAPS Hindu Mandir Wins Mechanical Project of the Year 2019
Abu Dhabi, 6 Nov 2019
40 Universities Honor Mahamahopadhyaya Swami Bhadreshdasji
Lucknow, 16 Jan 2019
'Health and Wellbeing' Community Award from the Faith & Belief Forum
London, 27 Nov 2018
Prime Minister of Bahrain Welcomes Senior BAPS Swamis
Bahrain, 13 Nov 2018
PM of Canada Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau Visits Swaminarayan Akshardham
Gandhinagar, 19 Feb 2018
40 Universities Honor Mahamahopadhyay Swami Bhadreshdasji
Bengaluru, 15 Feb 2018


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Playing the ponies
Horse racing in the Chicago suburbs
Horse racing originated as an ancient sport, but today's experience is much more than strictly an athletic contest.
With extravagant grandstands, huge purses and elaborate outfits to match, horse racing has become an all-day spectacle that's fun for any age. Not to mention, the betting, food and drink and activities that make every race a memorable one.
2200 W Euclid Ave.
Recognized as one of the top horse racetracks since it opened in 1927, Arlington Park is an international racetrack with both a polytrack and turf course.
Known to be a trendsetter in the horseracing world during its early days, Arlington was the first track to install a public-address system and had first electric starting gate in Chicago racing. In 2007, it also became the first Midwest track to install a synthetic racetrack surface.
But it hasn't always been smooth sailing at Arlington. The original grandstand and clubhouse were completely destroyed by a fire in 1985, just 24 days before the Arlington Million. At the time, Arlington was the only track in the world with a million-dollar purse. The team worked tirelessly at the track to clear the rubble and put up stands for the event, which drew 35,000 fans and was dubbed the "Miracle Million."
The track later reopened in 1989 after a full renovation, with a six-story, 700,000 square foot grandstand and a 35,000-person capacity.
Wayne Gretzky's horse, the Golden Pheasant, won the Arlington Million in 1990, and other notable names to take the track include Cigar, John Henry, Manila, Perrault, Estrapade, Steinlein, Tight Spot and Paradise Creek.
In addition to the Arlington Million, the track is home to two other Grade I races: the Beverly D. Stakes and the Secretariat Stakes.
The Secretariat Stakes first started in 1974 after the Arlington Invitational was run the previous year, to bring U.S. Triple Crown Winner Secretariat to Chicago. This one mile and three-sixteenths turf race has $500,000 in guaranteed prize money and is open to three-year-old thoroughbreds.
The Beverly D, part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, is a turf race for fillies and mares over three years old. It's named after Beverly D. Duchossois, whose husband, Richard, has been the chairman of Arlington Park since 1983.
Churchill Downs Incorporated bought the track in 2000, and in 2002, Arlington hosted the first-ever Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships in the Midwest.
In addition to the three annual Grade I races, there are plenty of awesome events going on in 2018. Racing generally runs from Friday through Sunday, but there are a few added Thursdays and Mondays throughout the year on holidays.
Every Friday, the park hosts Miller Lite Party in the Park, complete with $3 beers and food, $3 vouchers, outdoor games and a pool party. Saturdays are the Miller Lite Concert Series, with music from The Ron Burgundys, June's Got the Cash, 1976 and so many more. Sundays are family days, and food and drink specials, pony rides, a petting zoo, jockey goggle giveaway and plenty of games and activities will be provided for the entire family.
Themed days include College Day (May 25), Mascot Day (June 10), Country Night (June 29), Horses and Hounds (July 28), Dino Day (Aug. 26) and Luck of the Irish (Sept. 15). For sports fans, Arlington also hosts Chicago Bears Day (July 15), White Sox Day (July 22), and Chicago Wolves Day (Aug. 25).
General admission is $10 at the gate, $18 for premium events and $8 for value Thursdays. Firework night is $22, while the Arlington Million is $30 per person. Discounts are given for tickets purchased in advance. Reserved seating starts at $8 and goes up to $45 for premium events and $50 on firework nights. Reserved tables are also available and range from $19-$65, but do not include general admission.
There are plenty of places to watch the action from around the park, with fine dining at the Governor's Room, Turf Club, and International Skyline Lounge, as well as more casual settings at the party patio, Miller Lite Deck and Park Pavilion.
All you need is a hat and good company (and maybe a little bit of cash to place on your favorite).
3501 S Laramie Ave.
Owned and operated for more than 100 years by the Carey family, this fifth-generation racecourse is a haven for horse-lovers.
After being opened in 1891, Thomas Carey bought the Hawthorne Race Course in 1909, but had trouble opening the track due to horse racing being banned in Chicago. It wasn't until 1922 that thoroughbred horses began racing again.
After the Maywood and Balmoral Parks both closed several years ago, Hawthorne added on harness horse racing and now is the only park that races both harness horses and thoroughbreds. Doing both requires quite a bit of a work.
"It's really fun and it keep everyone busy," says Jim Miller, director of publicity and racing analyst. "We have about 11,000 tons of dirt that we have to remove from the track to get ready for a harness meet, a conversion that takes around 72 hours to do."
There are races every weekend of the season at Hawthorne, running from Thursday to Sunday from May through September with fewer racing days in the fall, spring and winter.
Hawthorne's marquee race, the Gold Cup, was founded in 1928 and is held every fall over Thanksgiving weekend. The race draws the top horses across the country, many of which have gone on to win "Horse of the Year." One of the most notable horses to ever come through Hawthorne was Black Tie Affair, who was stabled at the track and won "Horse of the Year" in 1991 after winning the Gold Cup in 1990. Dee Poulos, the wife of Black Tie Affair's trainer, the late Dee Poulos, still trains horses at Hawthorne.
Since the track is year-round, there are several different indoor options to watch the races during the summer heat and harsh winters. The first floor boasts a posh sports bar, with 100 televisions and food and bar service, the Gold Cup Dining Room, which is up a level, has full dining service, and weather pending, the party patio, which is set up outdoors, has patio furniture, TVs and food and drinks. General admission to the park is just $2, and group packages are available.
Some special events this year include Americana Nights around the fourth of July with food trucks, craft beer specials, live music and retired racehorses for kids to pet. The Night of Champions, held the third week of September, is also one of the biggest events of the year, with over a million dollars in purses paid out. The Kentucky Derby is also a popular weekend at the track for gambling purposes.
"It's inexpensive, enjoyable fun," Miller says, "You can bring the family, enjoy an afternoon or evening of racing and have the chance to make money too."


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L'operazione Greif ("Grifone" in lingua tedesca) fu un'operazione militare intrapresa dai tedeschi nell'ambito dell'offensiva delle Ardenne della seconda guerra mondiale, nel dicembre 1944.

L'operazione si proponeva di ottenere un effetto sorpresa durante questa offensiva sfruttando l'azione di piccoli gruppi di commando tedeschi travestiti da soldati statunitensi che, interrompendo le comunicazioni, alterando la segnaletica stradale e compiendo azioni di sabotaggio di ogni genere, avevano il compito di arrecare caos e confusione nelle retrovie del nemico e occupare gli strategici ponti sulla Mosa necessari al proseguimento dell'offensiva. Il comando dell'operazione fu affidato, da Adolf Hitler in persona, al colonnello delle SS Otto Skorzeny.

A conti fatti, i risultati concreti ottenuti dall'operazione furono modesti: solo un gruppo arrivò effettivamente presso un crocicchio vicino alla Mosa, a Huy, a metà strada tra Liegi e Namur, mentre gli altri si prodigarono in operazioni quali voltare i cartelli stradali per fuorviare le truppe alleate, tagliare linee telefoniche e telegrafiche, o legare nastri rossi agli alberi per indicare finte zone minate. Ma il danno più disastroso fu il caos creato nelle retrovie statunitensi: l'operazione Greif generò un notevole stato di ansia e un serpeggiante sospetto tra i soldati alleati, in particolare quando essi, sbagliando, ritennero che obiettivo reale dell'azione fosse la cattura del generale Dwight Eisenhower.

Antefatti

L'offensiva delle Ardenne

Il piano tedesco per la controffensiva da attuare sul fronte occidentale nel dicembre 1944 era grandioso: due forti armate corazzate, la 6. SS-Panzer-Armee a nord e la 5. Panzerarmee a sud, dovevano sferrare un massiccio attacco nella regione delle Ardenne al confine tra Germania, Belgio e Lussemburgo, settore debolmente presidiato dalle unità statunitensi della First United States Army; i panzer tedeschi dovevano avanzare in profondità fino a raggiungere il fiume Mosa tra Liegi e Charleroi, da dove avrebbero poi proseguito più a nord verso Bruxelles e quindi Anversa chiudendo così in un'immensa sacca le armate anglo-statunitensi schierate nella parte settentrionale del fronte. La velocità era essenziale per la riuscita del piano, e grande preoccupazione poneva negli strateghi tedeschi la necessità di attraversare il corso della Mosa nel più breve tempo possibile; dopo varie discussioni, Hitler stesso ordinò di formare un'unità speciale di soldati tedeschi capaci di parlare la lingua inglese, i quali, vestiti ed equipaggiati come soldati statunitensi, dovevano infiltrarsi nelle retrovie nemiche sfruttando il caos generato dall'offensiva per andare a occupare i ponti sulla Mosa impedendo che fossero fatti saltare dai reparti in ritirata.

L'uomo prescelto per portare a termine questa operazione fu lo Sturmbannführer (maggiore) delle SS Otto Skorzeny, considerato uno specialista in missioni di guerra non convenzionale; tra i suoi successi vi erano la liberazione di Benito Mussolini dalla sua prigionia sul Gran Sasso nel settembre 1943 (operazione Quercia) e la cattura del governo ungherese nell'ottobre 1944 per impedirgli di abbandonare l'alleanza con la Germania (operazione Panzerfaust). Convocato al quartier generale di Hitler a Rastenburg il 22 ottobre 1944, Skorzeny fu promosso Obersturmbannführer (tenente colonnello) dallo stesso Führer e messo al corrente dell'operazione assegnatagli. Con solo cinque settimane per mettere assieme gli uomini e addestrarli all'operazione, Skorzeny si diede da fare per costituire la sua unità speciale, designata come 150. Panzerbrigade.

La 150. Panzerbrigade

Il piano originario di Skorzeny era decisamente ottimistico, prevedendo di costituire una brigata meccanizzata forte di tre battaglioni per un totale di 3.300 uomini, tutti o quasi capaci di parlare l'inglese e interamente equipaggiati di uniformi, armi e veicoli di provenienza statunitense o britannica. Il 25 ottobre l'Oberkommando der Wehrmacht emise un ordine a tutti i comandi delle forze armate presenti sul fronte occidentale per il reclutamento di soldati che fossero «a conoscenza della lingua inglese e dello slang americano», mentre il 9 novembre l'Oberbefehlshaber West (il comando in capo della Wehrmacht per tutto il fronte occidentale) ricevette istruzione di trovare e mettere a disposizione un notevole quantitativo di veicoli di provenienza statunitense, tra cui almeno 15 carri armati, 20 veicoli blindati, 20 cannoni semoventi, 100 jeep, 120 camion e 40 motociclette.

Le richieste di Skorzeny per quanto riguardava l'attrezzatura si rivelarono impossibili da esaudire: i reparti al fronte erano più che riluttanti a cedere il loro prezioso bottino senza ragguagli precisi sull'operazione, tenuta (come del resto l'intera offensiva nelle Ardenne) nel riserbo più assoluto. Alla fine furono forniti solo due carri armati M4 Sherman (uno dei quali ben presto scartato per problemi al motore), quattro autoblindo da ricognizione, circa 30 jeep e 15 camion statunitensi originali; anche gli equipaggiamenti personali di origine statunitense furono ottenuti in numero esiguo, e molte delle uniformi fornite erano di tipo estivo. Non meno disastroso fu il reclutamento degli uomini: furono trovati solo dieci volontari capaci di parlare fluentemente l'inglese e con una discreta conoscenza del gergo americano, in maggioranza provenienti dalla Marina militare e tutti privi di specifico addestramento alle operazioni speciali; altri 30-40 uomini parlavano bene l'inglese ma non conoscevano lo slang americano, altri 120-150 parlavano inglese discretamente e circa 200 ne avevano una conoscenza scolastica. Il resto del personale assegnato alla brigata non aveva alcuna conoscenza della lingua inglese.

La carenza di uomini e attrezzature obbligò Skorzeny a rivedere i suoi piani. La 150. Panzerbrigade fu ristrutturata come un'unità più convenzionale, equipaggiata di materiali tedeschi camuffati alla meglio per sembrare statunitensi, con l'incarico di fungere da avanguardia delle colonne corazzate tedesche e di infiltrarsi nelle linee nemiche. Gli effettivi della brigata, in totale circa 2.500 uomini provenienti da tutte le forze armate tedesche, furono suddivisi in tre kampfgruppe designati con le lettere X, Y e Z, ciascuno dotato di una piccola unità comando, tre compagnie di fanteria, due plotoni di panzergrenadier, due plotoni anticarro, un plotone del genio e uno di trasmissioni; i Kampfgruppe X e Y avevano anche una compagnia corazzata, la prima dotata di cinque carri armati Panzer V Panther e la seconda di cinque cannoni d'assalto Sturmgeschütz III: i corazzati erano stati camuffati con delle piastre metalliche per assomigliare il più possibile a dei cacciacarri statunitensi M10 Wolverine, e a tutti i veicoli della brigata fu applicata la pitturazione verde militare e l'insegna con la stella bianca a cinque punte tipicamente adottate dai veicoli degli Alleati. I 150 uomini capaci di parlare meglio l'inglese furono invece uniti in una speciale unità commando ("Enheit Stielau") dotata dei pochi veicoli ed equipaggiamenti genuinamente statunitensi.

L'addestramento della 150. Panzerbrigade fu condotto nella base di Grafenwöhr nel cuore della Germania; solo Skorzeny aveva piena conoscenza dell'imminente offensiva nelle Ardenne e del ruolo della brigata in essa, il che generò una serie di voci e dicerie come il fatto che l'unità dovesse attraversare la Francia per andare a liberare le guarnigioni tedesche assediate di Lorient o Dunkerque, o che dovesse andare ad attaccare il quartier generale degli Alleati a Parigi; Skorzeny stesso non fece nulla per ostacolare queste voci, un utile sistema per sviare eventuali informatori nemici. Solo il 10 dicembre, meno di una settimana prima dell'offensiva, i comandanti dei tre kampfgruppe furono messi al corrente del piano: una volta che le truppe tedesche della 6. SS-Panzer-Armee avessero sfondato il fronte statunitense, la 150. Panzerbrigade doveva portarsi in testa alle colonne d'attacco e, fingendosi un'unità americana in ritirata, spingersi in avanti attraverso l'altopiano dello Hohes Venn andando a conquistare i ponti sulla Mosa situati nelle cittadine di Amay, Huy e Andenne. I commando della Enheit Stielau furono invece suddivisi in piccole unità da quattro-cinque uomini con una jeep e incaricati di una serie di missioni speciali: le squadre di demolizione dovevano far saltare ponti, depositi di munizioni e di carburante nemici; le pattuglie di ricognizione dovevano perlustrare in profondità le retrovie nemiche e le due sponde della Mosa facendo rapporto al comando; i commando di testa dovevano operare in collegamento con le divisioni d'attacco al fine di seminare il caos nelle retrovie nemiche e interrompere la catena di comando degli statunitensi, rovesciando i segnali stradali, tagliando i cavi telefonici e divulgando falsi ordini ai reparti incontrati per strada.

L'operazione

Azioni della 150. Panzerbrigade

La notte del 14 dicembre la 150. Panzerbrigade raggiunse il punto di raccolta di Bad Münstereifel da dove ripartì il 16 dicembre, giorno d'avvio dell'offensiva tedesca nelle Ardenne; i tre kampfgruppe della brigata furono accodati alle tre divisioni di testa della 6. SS-Panzer-Armee incaricate di aprire la breccia nelle linee statunitensi, rispettivamente la 1. SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler", la 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend" e la 12. Volksgrenadier Division, ma di fatto trascorsero i primi due giorni bloccati negli enormi ingorghi di traffico intorno a Losheim am See. La possibilità di uno sfondamento nel settore della 6. SS-Panzer-Armee fu ben presto vanificata dalla resistenza statunitense nel corso della battaglia del crinale di Elsenborn, e la notte del 17 dicembre Skorzeny propose che la sua brigata fosse riunita in un'unica forza e impiegata per un'azione di sfondamento; alla 150. Panzerbrigade fu quindi assegnato il compito di conquistare il villaggio e il raccordo stradale di Malmedy, aggirando le postazioni statunitensi sul crinale di Elsenborn e assistendo la 12. SS-Panzer-Division nella sua opera di sfondamento.

Una delle unità da ricognizione della Enheit Stielau era transitata per Malmedy il 17 dicembre, riferendo che l'unico ostacolo erano alcuni blocchi stradali allestiti dal 219º Battaglione genio statunitense; nei giorni seguenti, tuttavia, altre forze erano giunte a difesa della cittadina: il 120th Infantry Regiment della 30th Infantry Division, il 99th Infantry Battalion (separate) e una compagnia di cacciacarri. Dopo aver perso diverso tempo a radunare le sparse componenti della sua brigata, Skorzeny incominciò l'attacco a Malmedy nelle prime ore del 21 dicembre, con il Kampfgruppe X sul lato sinistro proveniente da Ligneuville, il Kampfgruppe Y sul lato destro proveniente da Baugnez e il Kampfgruppe Z in riserva alle spalle. Il Kampfgruppe Y si imbatté negli avamposti del 120th Regiment statunitense e fu ben presto tempestato di colpi d'artiglieria, tanto che dovette immediatamente ritornare sulle posizioni di partenza; il Kampfgruppe X attaccò con due compagnie di fanteria e i cinque carri armati Panther le postazioni del 3º Battaglione del 120th Regiment a ovest di Malmedy, riuscendo a penetrare nell'abitato: si sviluppò un feroce scontro casa per casa, con i tedeschi che tentavano di aprirsi la strada fino al ponte ferroviario sul fiume Warche ma che erano continuamente respinti dal pesante fuoco statunitense. Il soldato Francis S. Currey del 120th Regiment si guadagnò una Medal of Honor, massima onorificenza statunitense, per le sue azioni contro i carri tedeschi a Malmedy.

Per le 10:30 la nebbia che aveva coperto la zona si era alzata, consentendo all'artiglieria statunitense di intervenire in forze contro i tedeschi; solo un unico carro Panther era riuscito ad attraversare il ponte e a portarsi sulla riva nord, ma qui era stato immobilizzato. Nel tardo pomeriggio i tedeschi incominciarono a ritirarsi da Malmedy: l'artiglieria statunitense aveva sparato più di 3.000 proiettili nel corso della battaglia, e lo stesso Skorzeny era stato leggermente ferito da una scheggia. Il Kampfgruppe Y tentò un nuovo assalto nelle prime ore del 22 dicembre attaccando a est di Malmedy, ma ancora una volta fu velocemente ricacciato indietro dall'artiglieria statunitense; quello stesso pomeriggio i genieri statunitensi fecero saltare in aria i ponti di Malmedy, rendendo inutile una conquista della cittadina da parte dei tedeschi.

La 150. Panzerbrigade rimase in linea senza prendere parte ad altre azioni fino al 28 dicembre, quando fu ritirata nelle vicinanze di Sankt Vith per poi fare ritorno a Grafenwöhr in Germania, dove venne formalmente sciolta il 23 gennaio 1945; secondo le stime dello stesso Skorzeny, nelle sue inutili azioni nelle Ardenne la brigata aveva perso il 15% della sua forza originaria.

Azioni della Enheit Stielau

In un'intervista rilasciata agli ufficiali statunitensi nell'agosto 1945, Skorzeny sostenne che nei primi giorni dell'offensiva delle Ardenne e fino al 19 dicembre la Enheit Stielau infiltrò dietro le linee nemiche quattro squadre da ricognizione e due da demolizione, oltre ad aggregare una squadra di testa a ognuna delle tre divisioni d'attacco della 6. SS-Panzer-Armee e a ognuno dei kampfgruppe della 150. Panzerbrigade; a partire dal 19 dicembre, venuto meno l'effetto sorpresa, nessuna squadra in uniforme statunitense fu più inviata oltre le linee nemiche e le successive missioni di ricognizione furono condotte da soldati in uniforme tedesca.

È molto difficile stimare il reale impatto che le unità tedesche in uniforme statunitense ebbero nel corso della battaglia delle Ardenne, anche perché i resoconti affidabili sono scarsi. Varie squadre sabotarono cartelli stradali, diffusero falsi ordini in lungo e in largo per le retrovie statunitensi e almeno in un caso riuscirono a raggiungere la Mosa, ma nessuna significativa missione di ricognizione o di demolizione fu mai portata a termine; la letteratura del dopoguerra abbondò di racconti piuttosto incredibili, e lo stesso Skorzeny contribuì non poco a colorire i fatti ben oltre la realtà. L'effetto sorpresa svanì rapidamente, visto che già il 17 dicembre documenti riguardanti l'operazione Greif erano caduti in mano ai reparti statunitensi, e molti degli infiltrati catturati rivelarono spontaneamente la natura della loro missione; questo, tuttavia, non fece che incrementare il panico e la paranoia nelle retrovie statunitensi, con i soldati che incominciarono a vedere spie e sabotatori in ogni dove.

Un ufficiale del controspionaggio statunitense, Earl Browing, propose che agli individui sospetti fossero fatte domande sullo sport e sulla cultura statunitense a cui solo un nativo degli Stati Uniti avrebbe potuto rispondere correttamente; tali precauzioni di sicurezza causarono più problemi che altro: il generale Omar Bradley fu trattenuto per diverse ore dalla polizia militare perché, fermato lungo la strada, alla domanda su quale fosse la capitale dell'Illinois aveva correttamente risposto «Springfield» mentre gli agenti che lo interrogavano pensavano che fosse Chicago. Diversi infiltrati tedeschi furono scoperti per inezie: una squadra fu catturata a un posto di blocco il 18 dicembre perché riferì di appartenere alla "Compagnia E" di un'unità di cavalleria, quando la cavalleria statunitense usava il termine troop e non "compagnia"; un altro tedesco fu individuato perché il suo documento personale riportava correttamente la scritta "Non valido come passi - solo per identificazione", quando per un errore di stampa tutti i documenti dei soldati statunitensi riportavano la scritta "indentificazione" invece che "identificazione": il falsario tedesco che aveva preparato il documento aveva anche provveduto a correggere l'errore ortografico presente sull'originale.

La cattura di una squadra di tre elementi ad Aywaille il 17 dicembre, scoperta per un errore nel dare la parola d'ordine a un posto di blocco, causò ulteriore panico: durante l'interrogatorio i tedeschi dichiararono che la loro missione era di rapire o assassinare il comandante in capo degli Alleati generale Dwight Eisenhower, benché questa fosse probabilmente una delle false voci messe in giro da Skorzeny per coprire la vera missione della sua unità. A ogni modo, la sicurezza allo SHAEF fu immediatamente triplicata e lo stesso Eisenhower dovette trascorrere diversi giorni in una specie di detenzione coatta nel palazzo del Grand Trianon a causa della sorveglianza continua a cui fu sottoposto.

I numeri sugli infiltrati tedeschi in uniforme statunitense catturati durante la battaglia delle Ardenne non sono certi, ma almeno 18 tedeschi furono fucilati nel dicembre 1944 per essere stati sorpresi in simili circostanze, ritenute una violazione delle leggi di guerra e assimiliate allo spionaggio. Nel dopoguerra lo stesso Skorzeny fu sottoposto a giudizio nell'agosto 1947 da una corte militare statunitense, nell'ambito dei più ampi "processi di Dachau", per i fatti dell'operazione Greif; il tedesco fu tuttavia assolto e la sua azione ritenuta un legittimo stratagemma di guerra, in particolare dopo la testimonianza resa da ex agenti dello Special Operations Executive britannico che avevano portato a termine durante il conflitto operazioni del tutto analoghe.

Nella cultura di massa
I fatti dell'operazione Greif colpirono molto l'immaginario popolare all'epoca, e sono tra gli episodi più citati nelle opere del dopoguerra che trattano della battaglia delle Ardenne:

 soldati tedeschi in uniforme statunitense infiltrati dietro le linee nemiche compaiono nel film Bastogne (1949), regia di William A. Wellman;
 il film The Last Blitzkrieg (1959), regia di Arthur Dreifuss, ha per protagonista una pattuglia tedesca in uniforme statunitense durante la battaglia delle Ardenne;
 un episodio della serie televisiva The Crisis del 1964 tratta dei fatti dell'operazione Geif;
 il film La battaglia dei giganti (1965), regia di Ken Annakin, vede la presenza di soldati tedeschi in uniformi statunitensi intenti ad appoggiare l'offensiva tedesca nelle Ardenne;
 nelle scene iniziali del film Sotto corte marziale (2002), regia di Gregory Hoblit, il protagonista, un ufficiale statunitense, cade in un agguato ed è fatto prigioniero da una pattuglia tedesca in uniforme americana.

Note

Bibliografia

Voci correlate
 Operazione Stösser

Greif

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Phil Sotok is the Founder of VentureSource Corporation, a global supplier of engineered products to the automotive industry, with offices in the US, China, Spain and Mexico. In 2017, Phil launched DPMC North America, a management consultancy specializing in Mission driven management and virtuous leadership. Prior to these endeavors, he worked in various engineering, finance and international business development roles for Chrysler, Magna and Prince Corporation. He has his BS degree in economics and mathematics from Hope College and his MBA from the Thunderbird. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese. In addition to providing leadership to VentureSource and DPMC, Phil is an investor and advisor in 2 start-ups. One, an e-learning platform in West Michigan and the other, a social enterprise in Guatemala City.