text:
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Nigerian attempted bomber
Umar Abdul Mutallab, Omar Farooq al-Nigeri
Criminal charge(s)
Pleaded guilty to the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, the attempted murder of 289 people, the attempted destruction of a civilian aircraft, placing a destructive device on an aircraft, and possession of explosives[1]
4 life terms plus 50 years[2]
Criminal status
Incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, near Florence, Colorado.
Alhaji Umaru Mutallab (father, Nigerian)
Aisha (mother)
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (Arabic: عمر فاروق عبد المطلب ; also known as Umar Abdul Mutallab and Omar Farooq al-Nigeri; born December 22, 1986)[3][4] popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a Nigerian man who, at the age of 23, confessed to and was convicted of attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day, 2009.[1][4][5]
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed to have organised the attack with Abdulmutallab; they said they supplied him with the bomb and trained him. Connections to al-Qaeda and Anwar al-Awlaki have been found, although the latter denied ordering the man to do the bombing.
Abdulmutallab was convicted in a U.S. federal court of eight federal criminal counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder of 289 people. On February 16, 2012, he was sentenced to 4 life terms plus 50 years without parole.[6] He is incarcerated at ADX Florence, the supermax federal prison in Colorado.
1.1 Yemen: 2004–05
1.2 Web postings
1.3 London: September 2005 – June 2008
1.4 Dubai: January–July 2009
1.5 Yemen: August–December 2009
1.5.1 Awareness by U.S. intelligence
1.6 Contact with Islamists
1.6.1 Ties to Anwar al-Awlaki
1.6.2 Meetings with Al-Awlaki
2 Attack
3 Aftermath
4 Interrogation and court proceedings
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is the youngest of 16 children[7] of Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a wealthy Nigerian banker and businessman, and his second wife, Aisha.[8] The father was described by The Times in 2009 as being "one of the richest men in Africa."[9] He is a former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria and former Nigerian Federal Commissioner for Economic Development.[7][9][10]
The family comes from Funtua in Katsina State. Abdulmutallab was raised initially in an affluent neighbourhood of Kaduna,[11][12] in Nigeria's north.[7] He attended the Essence International School in Kaduna as a young child. He also took classes at the Rabiatu Mutallib Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, which had been named for his grandfather, at that time.[13] He also attended The British School of Lomé, Togo.[14] Considered a gifted student, he also enjoyed playing PlayStation and basketball.[11] Abdulmutallab studied at University College London in September 2005, where he studied Engineering and Business Finance,[15] and earned a degree in mechanical engineering in June 2008.[16]
According to one of his cousins, as a teenager, Abdulmutallab became very pious as a Muslim, and detached himself from others his age. He condemned his father's banking profession as "immoral" and "un-Islamic" for charging interest, urging him to quit. "That kind of detachment from others and singular focus on Islam was a common thread in Mr. Abdulmutallab's life, according to family members, friends and classmates."[11]
Yemen: 2004–05[edit]
For the 2004–05 academic year, Abdulmutallab studied at the San'a Institute for the Arabic Language in Sana'a, Yemen, and attended lectures at Iman University.[17][18][19][20]
Web postings[edit]
CNN reported that "the man many detailed biographical points made by [ internet username Farouk1986 ] match what has been reported about Mutallab's life."[21] On December 28, 2009, a U.S. government official said the government was reviewing the online postings, and has not yet independently confirmed the authenticity of the posts.[22] Ola CNN reported that by 2005, the postings of Farouk1986 revealed "a serious view of his religion."[21] Tracey D. Samuelson of the Christian Science Monitor further said that the posts "suggest a student preoccupied by university admissions and English soccer clubs, but who was also apparently lonely and conflicted."[23] The Washington Post reviewed 300 online postings by Farouk1986 ; Philip Rucker and Julie Tate of the Washington Post said: "Taken together, the writings demonstrate an acute awareness of Western customs and a worldliness befitting Mutallab's privileged upbringing as a wealthy Nigerian banker's son."[22] The user name posted on Facebook and on Islamic Forum (gawaher.com).[20][23][24][25][26][27]
Farouk1986 discussed loneliness and marriage in his postings between 2005 and 2007, writing on January 28, 2005:
As I get lonely, the natural sexual drive awakens and i struggle to control it, sometimes leading to minor sinful activities like not lowering the gaze [in the presence of unveiled women]. And this problem makes me want to get married to avoid getting aroused.
The hair of a woman can easily arouse a man. The Prophet advised young men to fast if they can't get married but it has not been helping me much and I seriously don't want to wait for years before I get married. But I am only 18 ... It would be difficult for me to get married due to social norms of getting to the late 20s when one has a degree, a job, a house, etc before getting married. So usually my fa[n]tasies are about islamic stuff. The bad part of it is sometimes the fantasies are a bit worldly rather than concentrating in the hereafter.[28]
In a posting on February 20, 2005, he wrote:
Alright, I wont go into too much details about me fantasy, but basically they are jihad fantisies [sic]. I imagine how the great jihad will take place, how the muslims will win insha Allah and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again!!![29]
And in a May 2005 posting, he referred to the radical Jamaican-born Muslim cleric Abdullah el-Faisal, who had been imprisoned in the UK for urging his followers to murder Jews, Hindus, and Americans, writing:
i thought once they are arrested, no one hears about them for life and the keys to their prison wards are thrown away. That's what I heard sheikh faisal of UK say (he has also been arrested i heard).[30]
In January 2006 he chastised female users for not wearing the hijab, adding:
I don't think it is allowed to be just friends with someone from the opposite sex. Except when thinking of marriage or when you have to work together.[31]
London: September 2005 – June 2008[edit]
Abdulmutallab began his studies at University College London in September 2005, where he studied Engineering and Business Finance,[15] and earned a degree in mechanical engineering in June 2008.[7][32][33][34][35]
He was president of the school's Islamic Society, which some sources have described as a vehicle for peaceful protest against the actions of the United States and the United Kingdom[36] in the War on Terrorism.[20][37][38] During his tenure as president, along with political discussions, the club participated in activities such as martial arts training and paintballing; at least one of the Society's paintballing trips involved a preacher who reportedly said: "Dying while fighting jihad is one of the surest ways to paradise."[20] He was well liked as president of the society and considered to be moderate though politically engaged. He organised a talk about the detention of terror suspects and to promote it in a sad foreshadowing of what was to come, walked down Gower street in an orange jumpsuit.
He is the fourth president of a London student Islamic society to face terrorist charges in three years.[39] He organised a conference in January 2007 under the banner "War on Terror Week", and advertised speakers including political figures, human rights lawyers, speakers from Cageprisoners, and former Guantánamo Bay detainees.[40] One lecture, Jihad v Terrorism, was billed as "a lecture on the Islamic position with respect to jihad".[40]
During those years, Abdulmutallab "crossed the radar screen" of MI5, the UK's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, for radical links and "multiple communications" with Islamic extremists.[41][42]
At the age of 21, Abdulmutallab told his parents that he wanted to get married; they refused to allow him to do so on the grounds that he had not yet earned a master's degree.[11]
On June 12, 2008, Abdulmutallab applied for and received from the American embassy in London a multiple-entry visa, valid until June 12, 2010, with which he visited Houston, Texas, from August 1–17, 2008.[43][44] After graduating from university, Abdulmutallab made regular visits to the family town of Kaduna, where his father was known for financing local mosque construction and other public works.[45]
Dubai: January–July 2009[edit]
From January until July 2009, Abdulmutallab attended a master's of international business degree program at University of Wollongong in Dubai.[46][47][48]
In May 2009, Abdulmutallab tried to return to Britain, ostensibly for a six-month "life coaching" program at what the British authorities concluded was a fictitious school; the United Kingdom Border Agency denied his visa application.[32] His name was placed on a UK Home Office security watch list which, according to BBC News, means he could not enter the UK. Passing through the country in transit was permissible and he was not permanently banned; the UK did not share the information with other countries.[49][50] This status was based on his visa application being rejected to prevent immigration fraud rather than for a national security purpose.[51]
Yemen: August–December 2009[edit]
Intelligence officials suspect that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula member, Anwar al-Awlaki, may have directed Abdulmutallab to Yemen for al-Qaeda training.[52] Abdulmutallab's father agreed in July 2009 to his son's request to return to the San'a Institute for the Arabic Language in Yemen, to study Arabic from August to September 2009.[7][20] He arrived in the country in August.
Abdulmutallab was the only African student in the school of 70 students.[53] A fellow student at the Institute said Abdulmutallab would start his day by going to the mosque for dawn prayers, and then spent hours in his room reading the Quran. Ahmed Mohammed, one of his teachers, said Abdulmutallab spent the last 10 days of Ramadan sequestered in a mosque.[54] He apparently left the Institute after a month, while remaining in-country.[7][20][55]
His family became concerned in August 2009 when he called to say he had dropped the course, but was remaining in Yemen.[7] By September, he routinely skipped his classes at the Institute and attended lectures at Iman University, known for suspected links to terrorism.[20] "He told me his greatest wish was for sharia and Islam to be the rule of law across the world," said one of his classmates at the Institute.[20]
The Institute obtained an exit visa for him at his request, and on September 21 arranged for a car that took him to the airport. But the school's director said: "After that, we never saw him again, and apparently he did not leave Yemen".[56]
In October 2009, Abdulmutallab sent his father a text message saying that he was no longer interested in pursuing an MBA in Dubai, and wanted to study sharia and Arabic in a seven-year course in Yemen.[20] When his father threatened to cut off his funding, Abdulmutallab said he was "already getting everything for free".[20] When his father asked who would sponsor him, Abdulmutallab replied "That's none of your business."[57] His text messages to his father included: "I've found a new religion, the real Islam"; "You should just forget about me, I'm never coming back"; "Please forgive me. I will no longer be in touch with you"; and "Forgive me for any wrongdoing, I am no longer your child."[7][20][58] The family last had contact with Abdulmutallab in October 2009.[9]
Yemeni officials said that Abdulmutallab was in Yemen from early August 2009, and overstayed his student visa (which was valid until September 21). He left Yemen on December 7 (flying to Ethiopia, and then two days later to Ghana).[59][60] Yemeni officials have said that Abdulmutallab travelled to the mountainous Shabwah Province to meet with "al-Qaeda elements" before leaving Yemen.[11] A video of Abdulmutallab and others training in a desert camp, firing weapons at targets including the Jewish star, the British Union Jack, and the letters "UN", was produced by al-Qaeda in Yemen (whose logo is in a corner of the screen).[61] The tape includes an apparent martyrdom statement justifying his actions against "the Jews and the Christians and their agents."[61] Ghanaian officials say he was there from December 9 until December 24, when he flew to Lagos.[62]
In February 2010, a Yemeni security official said that 43 people were being interrogated for links to the Christmas Day attempt, including foreigners, some of them studying Arabic and others married to Yemeni women. Abdulmutallab was thought to have used Arabic studies as a pretext for entering the country.[63] Saïd Kouachi, one of the attackers—now deceased—in the Charlie Hebdo shooting, is believed to have been one of Abdulmuttalab's roommates at the Yemeni Arabic language school.[64]
Awareness by U.S. intelligence[edit]
On November 11, 2009, British intelligence officials sent the U.S. a cable indicating that a man named "Umar Farouk" had spoken to al-Awlaki, pledging to support jihad, but the cable did not give Abdulmutallab's last name.[dead link][65] On November 19, Abdulmutallab's father consulted with two CIA officers at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, reporting his son's "extreme religious views",[7][66] and told the embassy that Abdulmutallab might be in Yemen.[10][20][34][67] Acting on the report, the CIA added the suspect's name in November 2009 to the US's 550,000-name Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, a database of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). It was not added to the FBI's 400,000-name Terrorist Screening Database, the terror watch list that feeds both the 14,000-name Secondary Screening Selectee list and the US's 4,000-name No Fly List,[68] nor was Abdulmutallab's American visa revoked.[20]
U.S. State Department officials said in Congressional testimony that the State Department had wanted to revoke Abdulmutallab's visa, but intelligence officials requested that his visa not be revoked. The intelligence officials said that revoking Abdulmutallab's visa could have foiled a larger investigation into al-Qaeda.[69]
Abdulmutallab's name had come to the attention of intelligence officials many months before that,[70] but no "derogatory information" was recorded about him.[44] A Congressional official said that Abdulmutallab's name appeared in U.S. reports reflecting that he had connections to both al-Qaeda and Yemen.[71] The NCTC did not check to see whether Abdulmutallab's American visa was valid, or whether he had a British visa that was valid; they did not learn that the British had rejected Abdulmutallab's visa application earlier in 2009.[51] The British had not informed the United States because the visa application was not denied for a national security purpose.[51]
Contact with Islamists[edit]
The New York Times reported that "officials said the suspect told them he had obtained plastic explosives that were sewn into his underwear and a syringe from a bomb expert in Yemen associated with al Qaeda."[72][73]
In April 2009, Abdulmutallab had applied to attend an Islamic seminar in Houston, Texas. He obtained a multiple-entry visa in the U.S. Consulate in June 2008 that would be valid until June 2010. He attended the Islamic seminar from August 1–17 at AlMaghrib Institute.[74] When Abdulmutallab returned to Yemen later in 2009, purportedly to study Arabic again, he appeared to have undergone a personality change: he was more religious and "a loner", and wore traditional Islamic clothing.[75] He rarely attended class, and sometimes he left class midway to go pray at a mosque.[11]
Ties to Anwar al-Awlaki[edit]
Main article: Anwar al-Awlaki
A number of sources reported contacts between Abdulmutallab and Anwar al-Awlaki, an American Yemeni Muslim lecturer and spiritual leader who had been accused of being a senior al-Qaeda talent recruiter and motivator. Al-Awlaki, who was killed by an unmanned United States drone in Yemen in September 2011, was previously an imam in the U.S. He was associated with three of the 9/11 hijackers, who prayed at his mosque; the 2005 London Bombings; a 2006 Toronto terror cell; a 2007 Fort Dix attack plot; and the 2009 Fort Hood shooter.[76][77][78][79]
With a blog and a Facebook page, al-Awlaki had been described as the "bin Laden of the internet."[80] As a fluent English speaker, he had used contemporary technology to communicate with a wide circle of people in the West.
Despite being banned from entering the UK in 2006, al-Awlaki spoke via video-link in 2007–09 on at least seven occasions at five different venues in Britain.[81] He gave a number of video-link lectures at the East London Mosque during this period.
Pete Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said on the day of the attack that Obama administration officials and officials with access to law enforcement information told him "there are reports [the suspect] had contact [with al-Awlaki].... The question we'll have to raise is was this imam in Yemen influential enough to get some people to attack the U.S. again."[82][83][84] He added: "The suspicion is ... that [the suspect] had contact with al-Awlaki. The belief is this is a stronger connection with al-Awlaki" than Hasan had.[85] Hoekstra later said credible sources told him Abdulmutallab "most likely" has ties with al-Awlaki.[86][87]
Meetings with Al-Awlaki[edit]
The Sunday Times established that Abdulmutallab first met and attended lectures by al-Awlaki in 2005, when he was first in Yemen to study Arabic.[20][88] The two are also "thought to have met" in London, according to The Daily Mail.[89] Fox News reported that evidence collected during searches of "flats or apartments of interest" connected to Abdulmutallab in London showed that he was a "big fan" of al-Awlaki, based on his web traffic.[90]
However, there is no clear evidence that the two men met in London. NPR reported that, according to unnamed intelligence officials, Abdulmutallab attended a sermon by al-Awlaki at the Finsbury Park Mosque "in the fall of 2006 or 2007",[52] but this was in error, as al-Awlaki was in prison in Yemen during that period. The Finsbury Park Mosque said neither Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab nor Anwar al-Awlaki had ever been invited to attend NLCM since February 2005.[91] CBS News and The Sunday Telegraph initially reported that Abdulmutallab attended a talk by al-Awlaki at the East London Mosque (which al-Awlaki may have participated in by video teleconference),[81][92] but the mosque officials said that the Sunday Telegraph was misinformed. They said that "Anwar Al Awlaki did not deliver any talks at the ELM between 2005 and 2008".[93]
Mark Almond, a University of Oxford historian and professor of international relations, wrote that the suspect was "on American security watch-lists because of his links with ... Al-Awlaki".[94] CBS News said that the two were communicating in the months before the bombing attempt, and sources say that, at a minimum, al-Awlaki was providing spiritual support.[95] According to federal sources, over the year prior to the attack, Abdulmutallab increased his electronic communications with al-Awlaki.[96]
Intelligence officials suspect al-Awlaki may have directed Abdulmutallab to Yemen for al-Qaeda training.[52] One government source described intercepted "voice-to-voice communication" between the two during the fall of 2009.[97] After being arrested, Abdulmutallab reportedly told the FBI that al-Awlaki was one of his trainers when he did al-Qaeda training in remote camps in Yemen. There were "informed reports" that Abdulmutallab met al-Awlaki during his final weeks of training and indoctrination prior to the attack.[98][99]
A U.S. intelligence official said that information pointed to connections between the two:
Some of the information ... comes from Abdulmutallab, who ... said that he met with al-Awlaki and senior al-Qaeda members during an extended trip to Yemen this year, and that the cleric was involved in some elements of planning or preparing the attack and in providing religious justification for it. Other intelligence linking the two became apparent after the attempted bombing, including communications intercepted by the National Security Agency indicating that the cleric was meeting with "a Nigerian" in preparation for some kind of operation.[100]
Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi, said Yemeni investigators believe the suspect travelled in October to Shabwa, where he met with suspected al-Qaeda members. They met in a house built and used by al-Awlaki to hold theological sessions, and Abdulmutallab was trained and equipped there with his explosives.[101]
At the end of January 2010, a Yemeni journalist, Abdulelah Haider Shaye, said he met with al-Awlaki, who said he had met and spoken with Abdulmutallab in Yemen in the fall of 2009. Al-Awlaki reportedly said Abdulmutallab was one of his students, that he supported his actions but had not ordered him, and that he was proud of the young man. A New York Times journalist listened to a digital recording of the meeting, and said that while the tape's authenticity could not be independently verified, the voice resembled that on other recordings of al-Awlaki.[102]
On April 6, 2010, The New York Times reported that President Obama had authorised the targeted killing of al-Awlaki.[103] The cleric was killed in an American drone attack in Yemen on September 30, 2011.[104]
Attack[edit]
Main article: Northwest Airlines Flight 253 § Incident
On Christmas Day 2009, Abdulmutallab travelled from Ghana to Amsterdam, where he boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route to Detroit. He had a Nigerian passport and valid U.S. tourist visa, and purchased his ticket with cash in Ghana on December 16.[105][106] Passengers Kurt and Lori Haskell told The Detroit News that prior to boarding the plane they witnessed a "smartly dressed man" possibly of Indian descent, around 50 years old, and who spoke "in an American accent similar to my own" helping a passenger they identified as Abdulmutallab onto the plane without a passport.
Abdulmutallab spent about 20 minutes in the toilet as the flight approached Detroit, and then covered himself with a blanket after returning to his seat. Other passengers then heard popping noises, smelled a foul odour, and some saw Abdulmutallab's trouser leg and the wall of the plane on fire. Fellow passenger Jasper Schuringa, a Dutch film director, jumped on Abdulmutallab and subdued him as flight attendants used fire extinguishers to douse the flames.[107] Abdulmutallab was taken toward the front of the aircraft cabin, was seen to have lost his trousers due to the fire, and had burns on his legs.[108] When asked by a flight attendant what he had in his pocket, he replied: "Explosive device." The device consisted of a six-inch (15 cm) packet which was sewn into his underwear[1][109][110] containing the explosive powder PETN, which became a plastic explosive when mixed[111] with the high explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) (the same two explosives that were used by Richard Reid in 2001[112][113]), and a syringe containing liquid acid.[114]
Abdulmutallab was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers after the incident and turned over to the FBI pending further investigation. Abdulmutallab told authorities he had been directed by al-Qaeda, and that he had obtained the device in Yemen.[115] Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the organisation's affiliate in Yemen, subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as revenge for the United States's role in a Yemeni military offensive against al-Qaeda in that country.[116]
Aftermath[edit]
Two days after the attack, Abdulmutallab was released from a hospital where he had been treated for first and second degree burns to his hands, and second degree burns to his right inner thigh and genitalia, sustained during the attempted bombing.[117] He was subsequently held at the Federal Correctional Institution, Milan, a federal prison in Michigan, where he remained during court proceedings.[118] New restrictions were imposed on U.S. travelers, but the government did not publicise many of them because security officials reportedly "wanted the security experience to be 'unpredictable'".[119] One day after she said that the system had "worked", Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano acknowledged that the aviation security system had indeed failed.[120]
President Barack Obama vowed the federal government would track down all those responsible for the attack, and any attack being planned against the U.S.[120] He also ordered a review of detection and watch list procedures. Saying that "totally unacceptable" systemic and human failures had occurred, Obama told reporters he was insisting on "accountability at every level," but did not give any details.[121] Criticism of the system's failure to prevent Abdulmutallab from boarding the aircraft in the first place has been widespread; one critic, former FBI counterterrorism agent Ali Soufan, has said that the "system should have been lighting up like a Christmas tree."[51]
United States Senator Joe Lieberman called for the Obama administration to pre-emptively curb terrorism in Yemen and halt plans to repatriate Guantanamo detainees to Yemen.[122] Peter Hoekstra and Congressional Representative Peter T. King[123] also called for a halt to the repatriation of Guantanamo detainees from Yemen.[124] Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called for a halt to all current plans with regard to Yemen in light of Abdulmutallab's ties there.[125]
Immediately after the attack, Lateef Adegbite, Secretary General of Nigeria's Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, condemned the attack and said: "We are embarrassed by this incident and we strongly condemn the alleged action by this young man. We do not think that there is any organised Islamic group in Nigeria that is inclined to such a criminal and violent act. We condemn such an extreme viewpoint and action."[126]
On December 27, The Wall Street Journal reported that Abdulmutallab's suspected ties to jihadists from Yemen could potentially complicate the Obama administration's plans to release Yemeni detainees held in Guantanamo to Yemen.[127]
On January 27, 2010, the House Committee on Homeland Security continued a series of hearings across Capitol Hill that started prior to January 27, 2010, all looking into the events leading up to and after the attempted bombing of Flight 253 over Detroit.[128] Patrick F. Kennedy, an undersecretary for management at the State Department, said Abdulmutallab's visa was not taken away because intelligence officials asked his agency not to deny a visa to the suspected terrorist over concerns that a denial would have foiled a larger investigation into al-Qaeda threats against the United States.[129]
Several Muslim organisations and leaders in both the United States and the United Kingdom condemned the terrorist and extremist actions of Abdulmutallab as contrary to Islamic beliefs.[130][131][132][133][134] Concerns in the media also arose that Nigerians would now be "unduly stigmatized" due to the incident.[135]
Abdulmutallab is now held at United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX.[136]
Interrogation and court proceedings[edit]
Abdulmutallab was questioned by the authorities for several hours before being given medical treatment for his injuries.[137]
On December 26, 2009, Abdulmutallab appeared in front of Judge Paul D. Borman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit and was formally charged with attempting to blow up and placing a destructive device on an American civil aircraft. The hearing took place at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he was receiving treatment for the burns he suffered when he attempted to detonate the device.[4] Additional charges were added in a grand jury indictment on January 6, 2010, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder of 289 people.[1][138][139]
Abdulmutallab initially cooperated with investigators, then stopped talking. The decision to read him his Miranda rights, advising him of his right to remain silent, generated criticism from a number of mostly Republican politicians.[140] After the FBI brought two of Abdulmutallab's relatives from Nigeria to the U.S. to speak with him, he once again began to cooperate.[109][141][142][143]
On September 14, 2010, the Associated Press reported Abdulmutallab had dismissed his court-appointed defense team to defend himself. The court subsequently appointed Anthony Chambers to act as standby counsel.[144]
On October 12, 2011, Abdulmutallab, against the advice of Chambers, pleaded guilty to the eight charges against him, including the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and the attempted murder of the 289 people on the plane. Both charges carry a mandatory life sentence.[12][145]
After changing his plea Abdulmutallab told the court, "The Koran obliges every able Muslim to participate in jihad and fight in the way of Allah...I carried the device to avenge the killing of my Muslim brothers and sisters... Unfortunately, my actions make me guilty of a crime."[146] Abdulmutallab called the failed explosives he had hidden in his underwear a "blessed weapon" and said he attempted to use it "because of the tyranny of the United States." Abdulmutallab had originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, but reportedly changed his mind after the prosecution completed its opening arguments.[145]
Sentencing was initially scheduled for January 12, 2012, but was subsequently postponed to February 16, 2012, to give Abdulmutallab more time to review the presentence investigation report completed by the United States Probation Service.[147] On February 13, 2012, Chambers filed a motion arguing that sentencing his client to life in prison would constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution because no one other than his client suffered physical harm during the attempted attack.[148] The motion was rejected.
On February 16, 2012, Judge Nancy Edmunds of Federal District Court in Detroit sentenced Abdulmutallab to four consecutive life sentences plus 50 years.[12][149][150]
In a statement after the sentencing, Abdulmutallab's family said, "We are grateful to God that the unfortunate incident of that date did not result in any injury or death".[151]
Islam portal
Nigeria portal
Naser Jason Abdo, former American soldier
Michael Finton, American convert to Islam, attempted 2009 bombing of U.S. target with FBI agent he thought was al-Qaeda member
Hasan Akbar case, American convert to Islam who was convicted of the double-murder of two U.S. Army officers
Operation Arabian Knight, 2010 arrest of two American men from New Jersey on terrorism charges
Aafia Siddiqui, female alleged al-Qaeda member, former U.S. resident, convicted in 2010 of attempting to kill American personnel
Bryant Neal Vinas, American convert to Islam, convicted in 2009 of participating in/supporting al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S.
Najibullah Zazi, al-Qaeda member, U.S. resident, pleaded guilty in 2010 of planning suicide bombings on New York City subway system
Christophe Naudin, Sûreté aérienne, la grande illusion, Edition de la Table Ronde, Paris 2006
List of unsuccessful terrorist plots in the United States post-9/11
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^ England, Andrew (January 2, 2010). "Quiet charm of student linked to airliner plot". The Financial Times. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Newell, Claire; Lamb, Christina; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon; Gourlay, Chris; Dowling, Kevin; Tobin, Dominic (January 3, 2010). "Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab: one boy's journey to jihad". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
^ a b "Online poster appears to be Christmas Day bomb suspect." CNNjjxk. December 29, 2009. Retrieved on December 29, 2009.
^ a b Rucker, Philip and Julie Tate. ""In online posts apparently by Detroit suspect, religious ideals collide", The Washington Post, December 29, 2009, Retrieved on December 29, 2009.
^ a b Samuelson, Tracey D. "'Farouk1986': what Christmas bombing suspect wrote online." Christian Science Monitor. December 29, 2009. Retrieved on December 29, 2009.
^ al Qadhi, Mohammed. "Detroit bomb suspect 'smart but introverted' says Yemen classmate" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The National, December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
^ "Plane Attack Highlights Yemen Al-Qaeda Threat to U.S." Business Week, December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.[dead link]
^ "Web posts suggest lonely, depressed terror suspect", The Toronto Star, December 29, 2009, accessed December 30, 2009
^ England, Andrew, Antonya, Allen, and Wallis, William, "Quiet charm of student linked to airliner plot", Financial Times, January 2, 2010, accessed January 2, 2010
^ Greene, Leonard, "Sex torment drove him nuts", The New York Post, December 31, 2009, accessed January 4, 2010
^ Chazan, Guy, "", The Wall Street Journal, December 30, 2009, accessed January 4, 2010
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^ a b Schapiro, Rich (December 27, 2009). "Flight 253 terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab led life of luxury in London before attempted attack". New York Daily News (NYDailyNews.com). Retrieved December 27, 2009.
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^ a b Lipton, Eric & Shane, Scott (December 27, 2009). "More Questions on Why Terror Suspect Was Not Stopped". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
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^ Christophe Naudin, Sûreté Aérienne, La Grande illusion, éditions de la Table Ronde, Paris.
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^ a b O'Neill, Sean; Whittell, Giles (December 30, 2009). "Al-Qaeda 'groomed Abdulmutallab in London'". The Times. UK.
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^ Leppard, David (January 3, 2010). "MI5 knew of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's UK extremist links". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
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^ a b Shane, Scott; Schmitt, Eric; Lipton, Eric (December 26, 2009). "U.S. Charges Suspect, Eyeing Link to Qaeda in Yemen". The New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
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^ McGinley, Shane. "Christmas Day bomber studied in Dubai" Archived January 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Arabian Business, December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
^ Afshan, Ahmed; and Amira, Agarib. "US bomb suspect studied briefly in Dubai" Archived June 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Khaleej Times, December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
^ Gilmore, Heath, and Sharp, Ari, "Would-be bomber had 'terror' conference," The Sydney Morning Herald, December 31, 2009, accessed December 30, 2009
^ "Bomb suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on UK watch-list". BBC News. December 28, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
^ Rayner, Gordon, "Detroit terror attack: timeline", The Telegraph, December 30, 2009, accessed December 30, 2009
^ a b c d Hosenball, Mark; Isikoff, Michael; Thomas, Evan (2010). "The Radicalization of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab". Newsweek: 37–41.
^ a b c Temple-Raston, Dina. "Officials: Cleric Had Role In Christmas Bomb Attempt". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
^ Erlanger, Steven (December 31, 2009). "Nigerian May Have Used Course in Yemen as Cover". New York Times.
^ "Nigeria: Abdulmutallab – More Trouble for Nigerian". Daily Independent (Lagos). December 30, 2009.
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^ Xan Rice in Kuduna (December 31, 2009). "Rice, Xan, "Bombing suspect Abdulmutallab of Nigeria", ''The Guardian'', December 31, 2009, accessed January 4, 2010". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
^ Gregory, Anthony, "Syringe bomber Umar Abdulmutallab chilling text messages to dad," The Mirror, January 1, 2010, accessed January 2, 2010
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^ "Alleged Christmas Bomber Said To Flip on Cleric; Official: Umar Farouk Abdullmutallab Says U.S.-Born Yemeni Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Instructed Him In Explosives Plot". KDKA-TV. February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
^ "Abdulmutallab Shocks Family, Friends". CBS News. December 28, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
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^ Temple-Ralston, Dina, "In Plane Plot Probe, Spotlight Falls On Yemeni Cleric", NPR, December 30, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
^ "The anatomy of a suicide bomber", The National, January 2, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
^ a b Detroit bomber's mentor continues to influence British mosques and universities. The Daily Telegraph (UK). January 2, 2010 [archived January 7, 2010; Retrieved January 2, 2010].
^ Allen, Nick. "Detroit: British student in al-Qaeda airline bomb attempt" The Telegraph, December 25, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
^ Esposito, Richard; and Ross, Brian. "Officials: Only A Failed Detonator Saved Northwest Flight; Screening Machines May Need to Be Replaced; Al Qaeda Aware of 'Achilles heel'" ABC News, December 26, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
^ Preddy, Melissa, "Nigerian with 'Al Qaeda ties' tries to blow up US jet" AFP, December 26, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
^ "Terrorist Attempt on Detroit-Bound Plane Puts Airports on Alert" Business Week, December 26, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2009.[dead link]
^ Warrick, Joby; and Nakashima, Ellen. "Family of airplane suspect had raised concerns about him" The Washington Post, December 27, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
^ "Nigerian man charged in Christmas airliner attack", Austin American-Statesman, December 27, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
^ Leppard , David. MI5 knew of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's UK extremist links. The Sunday Times (UK). January 3, 2010 [Retrieved January 2, 2010].
^ Pendlebury, Richard, "How a middle-class Nigerian boy was seduced by Al Qaeda into trying to blow up a transatlantic jet," The Daily Mail, January 2, 2010, accessed January 2, 2010
^ Herridge, Catherine. "Investigators Recover SIM Cards During Searches of Homes Tied to Abdulmutallab" Archived December 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Fox News, December 28, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
^ Khalid Mahmood's false claims increase risk of Islamophobic attacks on North London Central Mosque. [archived July 24, 2010; Retrieved August 13, 2010]. North London Central Mosque.
^ "Did Abdulmutallab Meet Radical Cleric?; American-Born Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki Already Linked to Fort Hood Suspect Hasan and Several 9/11 Attackers", CBS News, December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
^ Sunday Telegraph removes article. [Retrieved August 13, 2010]. East London Mosque.
^ Almond, Mark. Al Qaeda terror plot that was born in Africa. Daily Mail (UK). December 27, 2009 [Retrieved February 28, 2010]. Associated Newspapers.
^ Orr, Bob, "Al-Awlaki May Be Al Qaeda Recruiter," CBS News, December 30, 2009, accessed December 31, 2009
^ Johnson, Carrie; DeYoung, Karen; and Kornblut, Anne E. "Obama vows to repair intelligence gaps behind Detroit airplane incident", The Washington Post, December 30, 2009, Retrieved December 30, 2009.
^ DeYoung, Karen, "Obama to get report on intelligence failures in Abdulmutallab case," The Washington Post, December 31, 2009, accessed December 31, 2009
^ Hilder, James, "Double life of 'gifted and polite' terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab", The Times, January 1, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
^ O'Neil, Sean. "Our false sense of security should end here: al-Qaeda never went away", The Times, December 28, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
^ Meyer, Josh, "U.S.-born cleric linked to airline bombing plot; FBI and intelligence officials say Anwar al Awlaki, a cleric in Yemen with a popular jihadist website and ties to September 11 hijackers, may have had a role in the attempted bombing", Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2009, accessed December 31, 2009
^ Raghavan, Sudarsan,"Yemen links accused jet bomber, radical cleric", St. Petersburg Times, January 1, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
^ Worth, Robert F., "Cleric in Yemen Admits Meeting Airliner Plot Suspect, Journalist Says," The New York Times, January 31, 2010, accessed January 31, 2010
^ "U.S. Approves Targeted Killing of American Cleric", April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
^ "Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki 'killed in Yemen'". BBC News. September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
^ Abdulmutallab Had Passport, Dutch Say. December 30, 2009 [Retrieved September 23, 2012].
^ Daily News Staff Writers. U.S. officials investigating how Abdulmutallab boarded Flight 253 as more missed red flags surface. January 3, 2009 [Retrieved January 3, 2010].
^ Mizrahi, Hagar. "Dutch passenger thwarted terror attack on plane", Israel News, December 27, 2009.
^ How Nigerian attempted to blow up plane in US, Vanguard, December 27, 2009.
^ a b Abdulmutallab faces life in prison for Flight 253 plot. January 7, 2010 [archived January 9, 2010]. Detroit Free Press.
^ The NEFA Foundation. The PETN Underwear Bomb.
^ Readily Available, PETN Is Easily Molded and Hidden. August 23, 1996 [Retrieved January 11, 2010].
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^ Paperny, Anna Mehler. Foiled attack on U.S. plane leaves airport chaos in its wake. December 29, 2009 [Retrieved April 13, 2010]. The Globe and Mail (UK).
^ Krolicki, Kevin; and Jeremy Pelofsky. "Nigerian charged for trying to blow up U.S. airliner", Reuters, December 26, 2009.
^ Harry Siegel & Carol E. Lee. 'High explosive' – U.S. charges Abdulmutallab. December 25, 2009 [Retrieved January 17, 2010].
^ Al Qaeda Takes Credit for Plot. December 29, 2009 [Retrieved December 30, 2009].
^ Wayne County EMS Run Report 11/4981. NEFA Foundation. December 25, 2009 [Retrieved February 7, 2010].
^ Woodall, Bernie. Update 1-Hearing canceled for Detroit plane bomb suspect. December 28, 2009 [Retrieved December 28, 2009]. Reuters.
^ New Restrictions Quickly Added for Air Passengers. New York Times. December 26, 2009 [Retrieved January 24, 2010].
^ a b Security System Failed, Napolitano Acknowledges. New York Times. December 28, 2009.
^ Obama Faults 'Systemic Failure in U.S. Security. The New York Times. December 29, 2009.
^ Lieberman: The United States Must Pre-Emptively Act In Yemen. Huffington Post. December 27, 2009 [archived March 7, 2017]. "In his appearance on 'Fox News Sunday', Lieberman also argued that the botched attack should compel the Obama administration to abandon efforts to transfer suspected-terrorists out of the holding facility at Guantanamo Bay, saying that the complex is now well above international standards."
^ Bomb plot complicates Gitmo plan. Politico. [archived November 10, 2015]. ""They should stay there. They should not go back to Yemen," hoekstra said. 'If they go back to Yemen, we will very soon find them back on the battlefield going after americans and other western interests.'"
^ Following Path of Least Resistance, Terrorists Turn Yemen into Poor Man's Afghanistan. December 27, 2009 [archived November 10, 2015]. Fox News. ""They should stay there. They should not go back to Yemen," hoekstra said. 'If they go back to Yemen, we will very soon find them back on the battlefield going after americans and other western interests.'"
^ Gitmo transfer to Yemen in doubt. December 27, 2009 [archived July 11, 2018]. United Press International. "'I'd, at a minimum, say that whatever we were about to do we'd at least have to scrub (those plans) again from top to bottom,' said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss."
^ Lawmakers Focus on Yemen in Wake of Attempted Bombing. December 27, 2009 [archived July 11, 2018]. "The 23-year-old suspect in the botched attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab of Nigeria, allegedly told U.S. officials that he received his explosive device in Yemen and learned to use it there."
^ Homeland.house.gov. Committee on Homeland Security; January 27, 2010 [archived April 12, 2010; Retrieved April 13, 2010].
^ "Detnews.com". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
^ Edwards, Richard. East London mosque condemns Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. December 29, 2009 [Retrieved March 2, 2014].
^ Foley, Aaron. Terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab took Islamic classes in Houston. December 31, 2009 [Retrieved March 2, 2014]. MLive.
^ The Arab American News. Nigerian-American Muslims condemn attempted Christmas Day attack; December 29, 2009 [archived November 29, 2014; Retrieved March 2, 2014].
^ Federation of Student Islamic Societies. From one Islamic Society President to another: My view of what happened [archived November 29, 2014; Retrieved March 2, 2014].
^ Michigan Muslims condemn al-Qaida role in Flight 253 attack. December 29, 2009 [Retrieved March 2, 2014]. Associated Press.
^ Daily Independent, Nigeria "After U.S. Terror Scare, Nigerians are Being 'Unduly Stigmatized'"
^ "UMAR FAROUK ABDULMUTALLAB." () Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on March 29, 2012.
^ Calabresi, Massimo (April 16, 2013). "The Hunt for the Bomber". Time.
^ Christmas Plane Bomb Suspect Indicted by U.S. Grand Jury. January 6, 2010 [archived January 9, 2010; Retrieved January 6, 2010]. Fox News.
^ The E.W. Scripps Co. Terror Suspect Arraigned in Hospital; December 26, 2009 [Retrieved December 26, 2009].[dead link]
^ Lieberman rips FBI on Miranda rights. Politico. January 25, 2010 [Retrieved February 3, 2010].
^ White House reveals secret cooperation with AbdulMutallab family. February 3, 2010 [Retrieved February 3, 2010]. CNN.
^ "Inmate Locator Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on December 29, 2009.
^ "Minutes Of A Regular Meeting Of The Milan City Council Held On December 7, 2009 At 7:30 P.M. In The Council Chambers, Milan City Hall, 147 Wabash Street, Milan, Michigan, 48160." City of Milan. Minutes approved December 7, 2009. Retrieved on January 5, 2010. "The City has a ten-year agreement through the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide utility services to the Federal Corrections Institute and the Federal Detention Center, located in York Township, which expired September 30."
^ Michigan: Man Accused in Bomb Plot is Allowed to Be His Own Lawyer. New York Times. September 13, 2010 [Retrieved December 13, 2010]. Associated Press.
^ a b Ashenfelter, David; Baldas, Tresa (October 12, 2011). "Christmas Day underwear bomber pleads guilty". USA Today. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
^ News, A. B. C. (February 16, 2012). "Underwear Bomber Abdulmutallab: 'Proud to Kill in the Name of God". ABC News.
^ "U.S. News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved February 18, 2012. [permanent dead link]
^ Detroit underwear bomber's lawyer says life sentence would be 'cruel' when no one was injured, The Washington Post, February 13, 2012
^ 'Underpants bomber' Abdulmutallab pleads guilty, BBC, October 12, 2011
^ White, Ed. "Nigerian underwear bomber gets life in prison". yahoo.com. Associated Press. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
^ "'Underwear bomber' jailed for life – Americas". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
Criminal Complaint and Affidavit for U.S. v. Abdulmutallab, December 25, 2009
Indictment in U.S. v. Abdulmutallab, January 6, 2010
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Umar_Farouk_Abdulmutallab&oldid=934021891"
20th-century criminals
21st-century criminals
Nigerian al-Qaeda members
Al-Qaeda bombers
Alumni of University College London
Anwar al-Awlaki
Failed terrorist attempts in Europe
Inmates of ADX Florence
Islamic terrorism in the United States
Nigerian criminals
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Nigerian expatriates in Yemen
Nigerian people imprisoned abroad
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People convicted of attempted murder
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Perpetrators of religiously motivated violence in the United States
Failed terrorist attempts in the United States


text:
You are here: Home / Find a Union Writer – Paula Tooths
Find a Union Writer – Paula Tooths
Tooths
paulatooths@hotmail.com
http://paulatooths.com ( Work )
Twitter Handle
@paulatooths
Paula Tooths is a journalist and executive producer. Tooths was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and moved to U.K. when she was still young.
Tooths' first media appearance was in 1980 at the age of three on a speech about sustainability. She started to work on media in 1998 for a TV station (Radio e Televisao Bandeirantes) in Brazil.
In December 2001, she moved to Australia and became an international correspondent with Bandnews TV. In 2003, she founded Tooths Communication, offering services in journalism, executive production and voice over. She covered the Olympics, World Cup, presidential elections, presidential debates, Miss Brazil beauty contest and worked as a journalist and producer. She signed an executive production on Brazilian Carnival events in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador for four years and was executive producer on the realization of the concert of Red Hot Chili Peppers in Rio de Janeiro in 2002.
Tooths was a regular collaborator on the "Blog do PP", writing about English football, in particular the Premier League. She wrote a column called ''Tooths a ver" on the site 'Mandando pra Rede'., where she wrote about sports. She wrote about other general subjects in her column called "Era uma Vez" for many years on the newspaper, A Hora.
Tooths had her international articles printed for the first time on the front page in 2006, and 2007 on A Hora (Goiania, Brazil). In 2012, she was invited to Lisbon Radio to lead the comments of the Champions League final (Chelsea vs Bayern).
In 2012, she signed the edition of a fiction book for teens, Green Snake 9: volume 1, which is available in over twenty countries. In 2013, she published her first book in the United Kingdom - Eunoia and later that same year, Mandala Coach Therapy. The full version comes with a deck of divination cards and there is also a black and white limited edition version.
In December 2014, Tooths published Be Fit & Fab, book which is a narrative on how she lost 30 kilos and got in shape in her late 30's by working on a daily basis. In 2015, she had a massive coach project realized, Be unstoppable - Get Anything You Want, and published a book with the same name. Tooths is also an ambassador for Maxflow Sports since 2013.
In 2017 she produced Premier League UK and was a reporter for ChampionsLeague.
And in 2018, Paula Tooths signed a new contract with a Brazilian news agency "A Hora" as a political Editor and was transferred to Miami to spearhead their new project surrounding latin culture in Florida.
Paula Tooths
Work Sample 1 Description
Anxiety: the face of an invisible guest
Work Sample 1
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/anxiety-the-face-of-an-invisible-guest/
Autism: Not Just a Label
April is National Autism Awareness Month.
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/autism-not-just-a-label/
What is the difference between Namaskar and Namaste?
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/what-is-the-difference-between-namaskar-and-namaste/
Business, Health And Wellness, History, Investigative Reporting, Politics and Government, Sports, Technology, Travel
Services Needed/Offered
Blogging, Book Writing, Business Writing, Coding, Digital Formatting, Journalism, Magazine Writing, Newspaper Writing, Public Speaking, Social Media Writing, Substantive Editing, Textbook Writing, Translation, Website Design, Web Writing
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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No matter your need – hardware, support, or IT managed services – IntraSystems has you covered! To receive a quote or speak to an IntraSystems' sales representative, please Request a Quote or send us an email at sales@intrasystems.com.


text:
Bath Spa project team paid council £7m compensation
By Andrew Hankinson2010-07-01T09:12:00+01:00
Council records reveal details of payment to Bath and North East Somerset Council by Carillion and Nicholas Grimshaw
Council accounts have revealed that the Bath Spa cost Carillion and Nicholas Grimshaw £7m in compensation.
Figures revealed by the Bath Chronicle show a total figure of £6.96m was paid to Bath and North East Somerset Council after several botches on the high-profile job. Both Carillion and Nicholas Grimshaw settled out of court with the council and the payment was kept confidential.
The spa was greatly delayed, having originally been scheduled for a 2002 opening, but not actually opening until 2006. At £45m the project ended up being £13m over budget.
The work was carried out by Mowlem, which was bought by Carillion in 2006.
Carillion and Grimshaw sued over Bath Spa
Bath and North East Somerset Council sue for £21m over disastrous Bath project


text:
Introducing Julia support
Typically programmers are forced to make a tradeoff between speed and ease-of-use. Julia's designers set out to solve this problem and make a language that achieves both! It seems to have achieved its goal as its one of the world's fastest growing programming languages. No doubt it's the third-most requested language on Repl.it. That's why today we're excited to announce Julia support.
Julia also ships with an amazingly powerful REPL. In typical Repl.it fashion you'll be able to write full programs in the IDE and then drop into the REPL to explore the output:
However, it doesn't stop at that. Julia ships with a really nice documentation engine in the REPL. Simply hit control+? and you'll get the help prompt:
Finally, Julia has an easy way to include packages from its registry and Repl.it supports that too:
This release comes on the heels of our TypeScript release. This is because we've built infrastructure that allows supporting more languages faster in the future.
Give Julia spin and let us know what you think.
joshday (0)
Super cool! Is it possible to add a Project.toml file to add dependencies?


text:
CDTR Spotlight: David Schlundt, Ph.D.
MMPC Metabolic Regulation Core - Cost for Services - Vanderbilt Investigator-Initiated Research
CMB Aspirnaut Program
MPSR Rat Metabolic Physiology Sub-Core
VCMR Goals and expectations of the VCMR
The impact of implementation of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology on the quality of reporting, "risk" of malignancy, surgical rate, and rate of frozen sections requested for thyroid lesions.
Crowe A, Linder A, Hameed O, Salih C, Roberson J, Gidley J, Eltoum IA
Cancer Cytopathol. 2011 119 (5): 315-21
PMID: 21751427 · DOI:10.1002/cncy.20174
BACKGROUND - The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) has been anticipated to improve communication between pathologists and clinicians and thereby patient outcomes. In the current study, the impact of TBSRTC on various quality and outcome measures was assessed.
METHODS - The current study included all patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the thyroid between April 2006 and April 2009. Before implementation, the authors used generic diagnostic categories; after implementation, TBSRTC was used. Quality of reporting, diagnostic categories, rate of surgery, rates of frozen section, the "risk" of malignancy after a cytologic diagnosis, and errors before and after implementation of TBSRTC were compared using the chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Multilevel likelihood ratios and the receiver operating characteristic were used to compare the accuracy of FNA before and after implementation.
RESULTS - A total of 1671 FNAs (957 obtained before and 714 obtained after implementation of TBSRTC) were obtained from 1339 patients. Of these, 301 patients (191 before and 110 after implementation) underwent subsequent surgical resection. Before implementation, the reports were more ambiguous (3.7% vs 0.5%; P < .05) and implicit (5.1% vs 2.7%; P < .05) than after implementation. The overall rate of surgery decreased after implementation of TBSRTC (24.5% vs 19.6%; P < .05). The overall risk of malignancy did not appear to be affected by implementation of TBSRTC, but it decreased significantly after a benign FNA diagnosis compared with a diagnosis of an atypical lesion or follicular neoplasm. The rate of frozen section remained unchanged. The diagnostic accuracy was not found to be significantly different before compared with after implementation of TBSRTC.
CONCLUSIONS - Implementation of TBSRTC appears to improve the quality of reporting by lowering the number of ambiguous and implicit diagnoses and decreases the overall surgery rates, particularly for benign lesions, but it does not appear to have any effect on the accuracy of FNA of the thyroid, false-positive rates, or the frequency of intraoperative consultations.
Copyright © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle Diagnosis, Differential Frozen Sections Humans Pathology, Clinical Practice Guidelines as Topic Quality Control Research Report Risk Assessment Risk Factors Sensitivity and Specificity Thyroid Gland Thyroid Neoplasms Thyroid Nodule
Omar Hameed (Member)


EUREC has submitted an input to the DG's RTD public stakeholder consultation on the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020.
The objective of the consultation was to collect information from a wide audience on different aspects of Horizon 2020 implementation.
The fact that the legal entity EUREC EEIG is itself a HORIZON 2020 beneficiary is incidental for Part II of questionnaire onwards. Our answers to those parts is given from the perspective of the combined views of our 40 members.
Further information on the consultation is available here.
EUREC's response to the online form is available here.
The position paper accompanying answers provided in online form is available here.


Dane is a Texas based artist with over 10 years in the industry and a passion for helping her clients see their true beauty. While specializing in many aspects of the beauty industry, she enjoys traveling around the country to cater to any and all of her client's needs. Dane is experienced in bridal, stage, print, commercial, and film. She feels fortunate to have a career you can hardly call work.


The 2018 Ford Explorer. With less than 20,000 miles on the odometer, this 4 door sport utility vehicle prioritizes comfort, safety and convenience. Ford prioritized fit and finish as evidenced by: delay-off headlights, front and rear reading lights, a power seat, front and rear air conditioning, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, an overhead console, and remote keyless entry. Safety equipment has been integrated throughout, including: dual front impact airbags, head curtain airbags, traction control, a panic alarm, an emergency communication system, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. Brake assist technology provides extra pressure when applying the brakes. We have a skilled and knowledgeable sales staff with many years of experience satisfying our customers needs. We'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have. We are here to help you.


High Jump Equipment At Athletics Direct. We manufacture Cantabrian landing areas to ensure we can offer the best quality beds at reasonable prices, while also offering a wide range of Cantabrian High Jump Stands, Crossbars and Accessories.
As well as manufacturing Cantabrian High Jump Areas here in the UK, we also have a special relationship with Dima Sport which allows us to offer their full range of Dima Competition landing areas such as the Dima Challenger. This IAAF certified landing area, is recognised as one as the best in the business for quality and is used for major competitions in Athletics stadiums around the world. All Cantabrian competition landing areas fully meet with either UKA and IAAF specifications and are sold to clubs and stadiums across the UK, for use in competitions at any level.
We also offer smaller landing areas for schools making them ideal for training children at beginners level. Wheel away covers, wear-sheets and rain covers are also available to help protect the quality and performance of all landing areas. As well as the Cantabrian High Jump stands we also offer a number of Dima Sports products including the Dima Major Championships Uprights, Dima Competition Grand Prix and Dima Multi Positions Uprights.
The Athletics Direct Wooden Base Platform provides the perfect base for any outdoor landing areas. As part of our High Jump Equipment range we also stock a variety of crossbars and a Telescopic Height Gauge, allowing accurate measurement of the height of the high jump. To view our full range of High Jump Equipment see below.


text:
Q: How to use "autoMirrored" attribute directly on images in RTL layout With "autoMirrored" flag in xml it is now easy to do mirroring of drawable in android 4.4 Kitkat. But is there any way to do this directly with various image resources used in application without using xml ?

A: Programmatically you can use setAutoMirrored on Drawable like:
ImageView image = (ImageView) findViewById(R.id.image);

Drawable arrow = getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.ic_right_arrow);
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT) {
    if (arrow != null) {
           arrow.setAutoMirrored(true);
    }
}

image.setImageDrawable(arrow);

A: You can do this by Drawable.setAutoMirrored (boolean mirrored) call. http://developer.android.com/reference/android/graphics/drawable/Drawable.html#setAutoMirrored(boolean)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Piyush (his real name is not Bobby) Jindahl is a friend of Sarah Palin's and attends exorcisms. He also keeps his wallet and his car keys up his nose. We need someone like him in the WH.
Well I'm Piyush's car and I DON'T approve of him putting his car keys up his nose.
For the run-off election, fewer than 5 million legitimate ballots were cast, or about 1/4th of the eligible voters. Another 2.6 million fraudulent ballots were orchestrated by Karzai, Karzai's chief of staff (recorded on tape), Ashraf Ghani (recorded on video tape held by Abdullah) and the Chief of Karzai's hand-picked Election Stealing Goon Squad, the IEC (recorded on 16 audios tapes). It was the most fraudulent election in human history, and US and UN diplomats, obsessed by process, and trying their best to ram this feces sandwich down Abdullah throat. To diplomats, holding an election is a means to getting promoted, and outcomes are unimportant.
The first election took place, not in "relative peace," put on the single most violent day in Afghan history, a fact adroitly covered up and concealed from the world public, but known perfectly well to American intelligence agencies.
And the notion that Afghanistan is a democracy, simply because we say it is,is fatuous. "Democracy" is simply another game to Afghan politicians, another means of taking power whose methods and loopholes are to be exploited in order to gain the reigns of national corruption. The idea that the people should select their leaders by voting is absolutely unknown in Afghanistan, which has no tradition or history of democracy. It's just a game to be played and won. Calls by Ambassador Cunningham and his ilk to "respect the process" are absurd, given that Karzai, Ghani and their cronies have no respect for the process whatsoever.
This entire op-ed piece is just complete rubbish.
Karzai has once again his finger in the pie. He didn't want to sign the BSA with the US and said he would leave it to his successor. He favours Ashraf Ghani, a Pashtun and has tried to prevent Abdullah – who has the Tajik vote bank – from being elected. The latter has declared the election rigged. This may delay the process of installing a new president. If no successor is found, no BSA will be signed and Karzai remains in power.
I totally agree. To suggest we stay in this tribal narco-state because it worked for us in Germany is silly. We killed Bin Ladin, and that hole is not worth one more American life or $. I support the troops, which to me means bring them home.
Like your other posts the general issue is the myopia regarding history, Afghanistan historical graveyard of good intentions, can the story ever be different on Afghanistan, just not sure it can. Also, if we hadn't plunged headlong into Iraq and just concentrated on Afghanistan the story may have been different, but in more modern history whenever we have Republican led government we do silly things, or is it planned endless wars and guns not butter to satisfy the cursed (yes by Eisenhower with some real degree of self-reflection and knowledge) military-industrial complex. Same nonsense at work in current dotard but still Republican emphasis administration with Iran and North Korea being teed up in case the endless was on terror gets too cold, but never a real emphasis on America's domestic issues, just additional inequality and ever larger military expenditures!!!!!
We need a peace plan and economic development plan for the greater Middle East region – this would create great benefits and a million new jobs for us and them.
I am an insect. I am in a pond in Afghanistan. A big bull frog is chasing me. Please help me. It wants to swallow me whole.
Still gargling with Massengill, I see, Roem.
Banasy. Are u trying to be funny? Well u are not. There are a lot of things happening over there.
Please refrain from such bizarre and childish remarks.
Good post Stuart. I couldn't agree more.
I say those people will never change. G.W. tried to help them but apparently they just don't want it.
If W had not dodged the draft during the Viet Nam war, he might have learned the folly of trying to democratize tribal nations.
Afghanistan has many problems. One of many has to do with perspective. It seems after hundreds of years of fighting imperial powers it continues to reject western ideologies. It brings up a lot of good questions. Many of which never seem to be asked from a western perspective in print. We may widen any point of view by a careful study of the facts as much as possible. Can we learn from mistakes made? This in my mind is a more important question as we observe a reaction to our present policy in the entire region.
Can we learn from our mistakes?, Allan. Yes, we can. Unfortunately, the stupid Neocns in Washington evidently don't think so! They just go blindly on and on and..............!
An important point about opinion. Thomas Paine suggested it is important for all opinion to be open to examine every point of view. What makes this an interesting endeavor is to allow us to change our minds. But I notice you don't use the same name as Mr. Isotta-Fraschini which has a copyright. I am curious why are you trying to be another person? What is wrong with your own opinion? This seems an injustice, don't you agree?
U.S. job far from done in Afghanistan? This is one "job" that never should have been started in the fist place!
A tsunami just hit ohio. Why is this not in the news.
I am in a sink hole water chin deep.
Lol @ Allan Kinsman, that would require common sense and a conscious. Neither of those things possessed by this troll. And good one @ banasy on the phunnie boy post! And @ rupert, its a mud puddle dude, im in ohio right now and its hot and sunny. If you quit laying down and putting your chin in the mud puddle you will be just fine. Physically only. Go see a doctor for the mental thing!
It's essential to know chrissy, that the same person is posting under all these different screen names for his (or her) own amusement. This is why the true George Patton refers to him (or her) as "Phunnie boy". This individual, as you may have noticed, does this to me all the time. As for Afghanistan, we need to return that country to it's own people instead of trying to occupy it by proxy as in setting up a pro-Western pseudo-democracy.
Ummm. Faux Joey. You say this while you steal JIF's name.
You might be more credible if you used your own name. It is ironic you saying that, as you do the same precise name. You name thief.
JIF signed in and left.
JIF, go back to the copyright. The @ is a common troll tactic.
Thank you. I was not aware that the symbol changed.
EU has great interest for stability, peace, business, economy for the greater Middle East region. People in the Great Middle East are our friends – not enemies.
So, can please 'j.a.p.a.n.e.s.e, south koreans and chinese' go out from America.
And what would you do without them? Beer and supper ball?
We have no right being Afghanistan. Our original purpose for being there is over. Complete. It's time to do what we should have done in the beginning. Wipe the slate clean and leave. End of Story!
THE Bush and Obama Administrations have done nothing but feed the American people a pack of lies. Deceit since, if not before, 9-11. We invaded Afghanistan before Iraq, when Bush promised at Ground Zero to go after those responsible for 9-11. The truth was, Bush, Like Obama, has a separate Agenda. With Bush, the fuel prices dropped, then they escalated to at or more than $4.00 at the pump and haven't dropped since. With Obama, He has focused on nothing. He continues to lie to the American People about Behngazi as well as other cover-ups to prevent the American people from seeing the truth. The United States is in ruins. The word FREEDOM means Nothing. The U.S> is run by corrupt Big Business and corrupt politicians. THE U.S. has become the joke of the world. The politicians fix elections to prevent a true leader to do the right thing and lead by example, not with lies and deceit.
The days of the U.S. as we knew it, are numbered.
Seriously CNN? North Korea and Cuba are at the forefront of news and I am currently viewing the contribution of the 60's influence of music. What a huge disappointment!
Since you are a political journalist/correspondent, what was the point of your declaring at the beginning of your broadcast with former president Clinton, that you were not a Christian? You went on to say that you went to Catholic and Anglican schools where you read the scriptures and nowhere did it say that women could not be priests and only men could be priests.- also, that natural law was not mentioned. In the scriptures. Just curious. It was the first time I watched.
I would just say that if the United States does not help Afghans build their country then once I again Afghanistan will be the Center of Terrorism. There will be terrorist Camps in Afghanistan that would be more dangerous to the world.
if USA does not help Afghans then why the USA Army came to Afghanistan and killed so many people in this country. Now once the USA has almost won the War. USA wants to pull out of Afghanistan. This is a win win situation for USA to stay in Afghanistan.
I am lamenting the passing of my favorite journalist. I watched the story of " Why they hate us" and when it was over I was left asking myself when will we see the second part of the story. It was shameful coverage that only the most i'll-informed viewer could accept as accurate.
Of course, the second part I am referring to is our incendiary relationship and unqualified support of Israel. In my view, this is a greater fomenter of hatred than any network of Madras schools across Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. If we can't accurately report the nature of a problem, how on earth can we begin to address it. I hope that integrity returns to CNN and to Fareek's coverage soon.
I shared this on WordPress. I enjoyed reading this. I truly appreciate this posts. You has some interesting and great content.


text:
What You Need To Know About The Coronavirus Act
By Aaron Walawalkar, News and Digital Editor 26 Mar 2020
Health, Justice, Privacy
A visualisation of the Covid-19 virus. Credit: Unsplash
The UK government has gained "unprecedented powers" in its bid to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
The Emergency Coronavirus Act grants police, immigration officers and public health officials new powers to detain "potentially infectious persons" and put them in isolation facilities.
It will also enable the government to prohibit and restrict gatherings and public events for the purpose of curbing the spread of Covid-19.
The 329-page Bill became law on Wednesday (25 March) after passing through Parliament in just three days without opposition MPs forcing any votes and without amendment from the Lords.
It will last for two years but the government agreed that Parliament should debate and vote on the act every six months.
Matt Hancock. Credit: YouTube/BBC
Health secretary Matt Hancock has said that the Act gives "the government the powers it needs to protect lives". He added that new measures "will only be used when it is absolutely necessary and must be timed to maximise their effectiveness".
Latest figures indicate that 465 people in the UK have died from Covid-19, while more than 9,500 have tested positive for the virus.
Our right to life is protected by Article 2 of the Convention of Human Rights. This places a positive obligation on the government to take action to protect us from Covid-19, especially those most vulnerable to it.
To this end, the government is set to place restrictions on our rights to liberty, privacy and to protest, among others.
Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch has described the Act as containing the "most draconian powers in peace-time Britain".
While Amnesty International has warned that "emergency powers can sometimes be misused, and this must not give a green light to trample on our basic human rights and liberties".
EachOther has put together this rundown of the main ways the Act appears to impact our rights – although more details will certainly emerge as the situation develops.
Detaining 'Infectious Persons'
Credit: Pixabay
The perhaps most controversial aspect of the Act is the powers it grants police, immigration officers and public health officials to arrest people deemed infectious. They can then be placed in isolation and sent to be tested. People who fail to do so can be fined up to £1,000.
A "potentially infectious" person is defined as someone who "is, or may be, infected with coronavirus" or who has been in "an infected area within 14 days".
This provision impacts on our right to liberty – protected by Article 5 of the Convention of Human Rights. However this is a qualified right that public authorities can take proportionate steps to interfere with to protect public health.
The European Court of Human Rights has said that a person can lawfully be detained to prevent the spread of disease when it is clear there is:
a danger to public health or safety
detention is a last resort
less severe measures proved insufficient
The government already has some powers to this effect from the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. This includes quarantine, detention and compulsory medical examination although there is stricter time-limits for their use.
The Coronavirus Act could also restrict our movement in other ways, allowing the government to shut down airports and ports. This could have a knock-on effect on our right to a family life – with loved ones unable to see each other. But, again, the right to family life can be interfered with to protect public health.
Prohibition of events and gatherings
A protestor holds a sign saying "what lessens one of us, lessens all of us". Image Credit: Unsplash
The Act also permits the government to prohibit public events and gatherings to curb the spread of the disease.
However, it does not contain safeguards for strikes and industrial action which exist in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 – a law which sets out the powers the government has in large scale emergencies.
This could have significant implications for political protest, protected by our rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.
This is particularly important in light of the economic fallout which has resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. Many workers are facing widespread job cuts and vast swathes of the population are now forced to live on statutory sick pay of £94.25 a week.
The rights to freedom of assembly and expression are also qualified. A government can take proportionate steps to curtail them to protect public health.
Mass surveillance powers
Big Brother Watch has warned that the Act appears to "weaken safeguards on mass surveillance powers" – which would impact on our right to privacy and data rights.
It makes provisions for the government to appoint "temporary judicial commissioners," who oversee the surveillance activity of intelligence agencies.
It also increases the time limit for which urgent warrants for surveillance must be reviewed from three days to 12.
The government has said that this is "critical" for "national security" – perhaps anticipating that public unrest could result from prolonged isolation.
Public authorities can take proportionate steps to interfere in our right to privacy if necessary to protect national security. While Hancock has highlighted that the GDPR has a clause excepting work which is in the overwhelming public interest.
1/2: Public information: GDPR does not inhibit use of data for coronavirus response. GDPR has a clause excepting work in the overwhelming public interest. No one should constrain work on responding to coronavirus due to data protection laws.
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) March 18, 2020
It will be important to have transparency on how temporary judicial commissioners are appointed and how independent they are.
The Act temporarily suspends local authorities' legal duty to meet the care needs of all people who are eligible under the Care Act 2014.
Instead, councils will have a duty to provide care only if necessary to avoid breaching a person's rights under the Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).
Labour's shadow health secretary, John Ashworth, has warned that this change "downgrades" the level of support which local authorities are legally obliged to provide older and disabled people.
"In short, this means they will only be entitled to social care to keep them alive and uphold their right to privacy and family live," Ashworth said.
He called for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to be tasked with overseeing the impact this has on social care provision.
There is no human right to social care under the Convention of Human Rights – but there are relevant rights such as the rights to life, privacy and the right not to be discriminated against.
The right to have access to "in-home, residential and other community support services" is protected by the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But this has not been enshrined in domestic law and so cannot be enforced in UK courts.
The Act also weakens safeguards for detaining people under the Mental Health Act 1983, according to the British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR).
Only one doctor will be needed to sign off whether a person is sectioned – where currently there must be two.
The Act also allows for "the extension and removal of time limits in mental health legislations".
"This means that people may be released into the community early (without the right support) or find themselves detained for longer than necessary," the BIHR has warned.
Retired healthcare workers
As was anticipated, the Act makes it possible for retired health workers to be brought back into the workforce to help the NHS cope with the pressures of the coronavirus response.
These workers are likely to be older and so more vulnerable to the virus. There will be concerns about their safety if deployed on the frontlines.
It is argued that the right to life (Article 2) obliges the government to plan effectively to protect the lives of its NHS personnel. This is especially significant amid reports of medical staff lacking adequate face masks and personal protective equipment.
Credit: Unsplash.
The Act enables coroners to hold an inquest without a jury where a person's cause of death is listed as Covid-19.
This appears logical given the practical difficulty of physically bringing a jury together amid official guidance that people should maintain "social distancing" – avoiding crowds and working from home – and self-isolate if they present any symptoms.
What Is Social Distancing?
The UK government is advising that everyone practices social distancing to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (Covid-19). These measures, to reduce the social interaction between people, involve:
Avoiding contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough
Avoid non-essential use of public transport, varying your travel times to avoid rush hour, when possible
Work from home, where possible. Your employer should support you to do this. Please refer to employer guidance for more information
Avoid large gatherings, and gatherings in smaller public spaces such as pubs, cinemas, restaurants, theatres, bars, clubs
Avoid gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media
Use telephone or online services to contact your GP or other essential services.
Source: gov.uk
The Convention of Human Rights requires the government to carry out a full investigation into any death where there is arguable state complicity.
This will be a complex challenge if the pandemic results in the thousands of deaths predicted.
The government has agreed that Parliament should review the Emergency Coronavirus Bill every six months.
It came after MPs and human rights groups warned that the Act's two-year timeframe could result in powers being abused by the government.
Labour MP Chris Bryant has highlighted that a similar piece of legislation called the Civil Contingencies Act – which also outlines government powers during an emergency – must be renewed by Parliament every 28-days.
I can tell you now, this is the greatest emergency we've faced for many years, but I'm not voting for draconian emergency measures that last two years unless they require regular renewal by parliament. The Civil Contingencies Bill requires renewal every 28 days.
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) March 18, 2020
It is unclear at this time how long the Covid-19 pandemic will last. A Public Health England document leaked to the Guardian suggests that the outbreak could continue until spring next year.
A final note
Parliament's Joint Human on Rights Committee has announced it will scrutinise the government's Covid-19 response.
Chairwoman Harriet Harman MP said: "Times of national crisis call for strong and decisive leadership.
"However, at this time, it is also vitally important that checks and balances are in place to ensure that human rights are not disregarded, and that people remain fully protected under the law."
You can submit evidence to be considered by the committee here.
Adam Wagner, chairman and founder of EachOther, has been appointed a special advisor to the joint committee of human rights committee. He played no role in writing this article.
Health / 16 Mar 2020 Coronavirus: How Can I Protect Vulnerable People?
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Discrimination / 11 Feb 2020 3 Ways The Coronavirus Is Affecting Human Rights
Justice / 10 Mar 2020 Coronavirus: Concerns Over Plans To Hold More Trials By Video


The Lumiere arrives, battered and worn, at Dante in 1380 a.t.
The world of Dante was colonised in 1380 a.t. by the Company of Venturers from Nova Terra in the relativistic ship Lumiere, one of the first colonisation efforts by the Novans.
Despite the fact this world is tidally locked to the red dwarf star HIP 85647 an earth-like alien biosphere had developed in the zone between the hot day-side and the cold nightside; the slow rotation of Dante as it orbits the sun is enough to maintain a circulation in the atmosphere from west to east. It is apparent from the fossil record that life developed on this world more than two billion years ago, when the world was not yet tidally locked.
Because Dante remains oriented towards the local star, the easternmost and westernmost points of the terminator have distinct climates, and are known as the 'east and west poles'. The low-level airflows are darkward at both east and west poles and return over the north and south poles, while the very high-level circulation forms a superrotating jet stream around the planet.
Air moving over ice from the cold hemisphere at the north and south poles towards the warm hemisphere becomes warmer (both due to entering the warmer hemisphere, and because the air descends from the icecap and is heated by compression). This means the air at the north and south poles where the dark-to-light return flow occurs is not moist enough for rain. The air does however cool enough to allow precipitation where the hot (but not completely dehydrated) air returns from light to dark, at both the east and west poles.
As on Twilight and other vesperian worlds, surface winds are quite high in many habitable regions, so wind sports of various kinds are popular.
Dante's aboriginal biology has developed quite differently in the two habitable zones, which are separated by dry regions of tundra/savanna at the poles. The West has dark brown and purple coloured rain forests, adapted to catch the infrequent thermal driven rainstorms; the east has low-lying moss-like scrub, adapted to exploit the near-constant drizzle and the glacier melt water. Animal-like sessile land anemones catch the numerous flying insect-like thirps, while larger ground thirps patrol the leaf litter layer.
Due to the distribution of wavelengths in the sunlight from the red dwarf sun, the vegetation seems dark, almost to the point of blackness; however in artificial white light the green tint of many of the plant-like species is apparent. In fact the biochemistry of Dante aboriginal life is quite similar to that of Earth; chlorophyll is assisted by a wide range of accessory pigments including phytocyanin and allophytocyanin to absorb red and infrared light; the genetic material of the biosphere is a mixture of zDNA and twin strand RNA, not far different from Earthly nucleic acids. This has allowed the human population of Dante to exploit the local biosphere for food with relatively little genetic modification to themselves and to their food crops, and giant thirp hunting is a favourite pastime on this world.
The two habitable zones are both very limited in size, and population pressure was soon a problem. The single gas giant Beatrice offered limited opportunity for off-world migration, and by 3500 a.t this giant world was encircled by several thousand rotating habitats under the watchful eye of the local power, DaCapo. By contrast the human population on Dante, a self-sustaining Vesperian Gaian world, did not need or desire transapient oversight. The two habitable segments of Dante continued to develop independently of the Beatrice habitat fleet and of each other.
By 4210 the archanarchists of the Western habitable zone were at loggerheads with the Etodist faithful of the soggy east; over and again the hemispheres fought against each other in the hot dry desert of Sunward and the icy black wastes of Nightward.
Long after the Version war, during which Dante was placed under Solarist occupation but Beatrice remained a free independent zone, the hemispheres remained bitter rivals and opponents.
When at last the importation of the Virsurroundings memetic complex in the 7700's provided a partial solution to the problems of crowding on this world, the ancient feuds became largely history and paradoxically a subject for nostalgia.
This technology allows nearbaseline humans and other clades to choose the appearance and dimensions of their surroundings, using a combination of direct neural interface and utility fog environment simulation. Even when meeting face to face two people using Virsurrounding tech will perceive their worlds, and each other, in totally different ways. In this way the people of Dante have become more diverse, and less prone to sectarian politics; they are also able to have a rich and varied lifestyle in comparatively little physical space.
There have been many proposals for the terraforming of this crowded world, involving the melting of the ice on the dark side and the cultivation of the dry side; these have ranged from relatively simple sunshade and mirror schemes to plans for an artificial rotation to be imparted to the planet. Most of the artificial rotation schemes were judged to be too disruptive by the world council, while the sunshade and mirror and other illumination schemes have been indefinitely shelved since the introduction of the virtual surrounding technology.


Claire Marshall // Channel Link // I was first introduced to Claire through Jenn Im and I instantly fell in love with her overall aesthetic when it came to her lifestyle, her fashion, and her makeup. I really enjoy her minimalist style and her ability to articulate when it comes to reviewing beauty products. She also thinks outside the box for many of her videos like her 'Whats in my Purse' and 'Favorite Lipsticks'.
Siena Mirabella // Channel Link // One thing that made me happy about finding Siena's videos was that she is the same age as me. She has such a natural funny, sarcastic personality that is unlike anyone else on YouTube our age. Her minimal style and love for books, games, fangirling, fashion, and beauty really made me connect with her on a deeper, spritual level. She is attending the University of Washington in Seattle this Fall, which shows were are meant to be together because I am going to college too!
I can go on and on talking about how much I LOVE Lindy! However, the most important thing is how much she inspires me to live life in a positive way. There are no need for LA or the NYC lifestyle, a fancy car, a fancy house, designer clothing/handbags, or any luxuries. Just nothing makes life more worth living than a family, friends, a home, and spending it with your one true love.