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Saying Farewell to Michael Jackson; America's 'Other' Drug Problem; Michael Jackson's Will; Governor Sanford on the Ropes; 'Newsweek' Correspondent Held in Iran
Aired July 1, 2009 - 15:00 ET
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Is there such a thing as being too honest, like calling your mistress your soul mate?
GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: ... which started out as a dear, dear friend from Argentina.
SANCHEZ: How is that going over with Governor Sanford's staff? How about his wife?
What's making news on your national conversation for Wednesday, July 1, 2009, begins right now.
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I am Rick Sanchez.
Got a lot of moving parts that are going on right now. But let me -- let me get you started with what we call the next generation of news, because this really is a conversation. It is not a speech. And it is your turn to get involved.
In fact, which are going to need you, as we get through all this information coming in to us. The public farewell to Michael Jackson, let's start there. You had better believe that this won't be your typical celebrity funeral. Think maybe Princess Diana. Think head of state, because they could be analogous in this case.
Now, the pictures you are looking at now, three hours from Los Angeles, way out in the mountains, but that's the main gate right there to Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Now, from what we understand or at least in this picture that you are looking at now, things are calm.
It may not be so calm if you were actually looking at a live picture right now, because media hordes, members of live trucks, as we often call them, those who show up to get their shot in place before something happens, are actually lining the road leading there in case -- now, this is the tricky part about this explanation -- in case there actually is a memorial service there.
The location for the service has not been etched in stone. You had heard reports yesterday that it was going to happen Friday and that it was probably going to happen at the Neverland Ranch. Now, we understand that that may change. And we are going to take you through all this information, because, literally, it is coming into us as we are bringing it to you.
But there is something else I have got to tell you about, another business that needed to be settled today, this having to do with his estate is, his money, and the custody of his children and the piece of paper that nobody was sure even existed, the will.
In fact, shoot me here, if you can. I want to show you what we are talking about here. This is it. Look at these initials over here. You see that? You see that, "M.J."? "Michael Jackson," "Michael Jackson," "Michael Jackson." He has signed off on this will or supposed will as we know it.
There is his signature. It is the last piece of information that has come to us.
Back to me, if we can.
Susan Roesgen has been following the story all throughout.
Susan, is this the will? And what does it reveal?
SUSAN ROESGEN, GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, we believe it is the will. We believe it is an actual will that Michael Jackson wrote back in 2002. And, really, Rick, it -- it leaves out more than it tells you.
It is short and sweet for everybody but one person, Michael Jackson's former wife. Michael Jackson says in here specifically, and I am reading here: "I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife Deborah Rowe Jackson." So, she is out apparently, cut out of this.
Who is in? His mother. He says that he nominates his mother, Katherine Jackson, to get custody of his three children. And if she can't do it, Rick, if she should die before him or be now unable or unwilling to carry out the duties of guardian, he wanted Diana Ross to be his children's guardian. We haven't had any public comment from her yet on what she thinks about that.
But, Rick, here is the $500 million question. At the time that this will was written, the executors write in hire that Michael Jackson's estate is believed to be in excess of $500 million. In fact, they say in the will that they are not even sure how much is in there, just more than $500 million.
And all of that, all of that, Rick, is supposed to go to something that they call in this will the Michael Jackson trust. However, we don't have the Michael Jackson trust documents. Those have not been filed. So, we are not sure really how it is all going to shake out.
We expect, of course, that most of his assets, if not all, would go to the children. But some could go to charity. He gave a lot to charity and again apparently nothing to ex-wife and the mother of two of his children, Deborah Rowe Jackson -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: But there are so many reports going around, some of them confirmed, some of them unconfirmed, about the mother's apparent ability, or who had said something about being with Michael Jackson in the past or not being with Michael Jackson, that she was the mother or that she had given over the rights of the mother, that -- for example, I had also heard yesterday that Michael Jackson, in fact, never adopted these children.
And then there is the birth certificates that come into play. Now, the reason I mentioned all those things is to ask you this. If this will is proven to be legitimate, does it supersede all those other things that I just mentioned?
ROESGEN: Supersede perhaps, but that doesn't mean there is not going to be a court fight, Rick. Listen, there is somebody else in this picture now.
Did you know that Michael Jackson had a secret wife? At least one secret wife now has come forward. She is now contesting the will. Her name is Nona Paris Lola Ankhesenamun Jackson. Apparently, Jackson watchers are familiar with her because she said in the past that she was Michael Jackson's secret wife, his great love. And she says she is the mother of his three children, and she wants custody.
So, I guess what I'm saying, Rick, is, frivolous or not, credible or not, these claims are going to start coming up, probably too many to keep count of, in the next few days.
SANCHEZ: That was one mouthful that you just gave us moments ago. Who was that? And that's the first time I have heard of this.
So, I am going to ask you for my benefit and maybe for the benefit of some of the viewers out there, tell us again who she is and what she says she is.
ROESGEN: OK. It's a long name. Here we go, Nona Paris Lola Ankhesenamun Jackson -- it's like Tutankhamen, an Egyptian name -- Jackson, N.P.L.A. Jackson vs. Michael Jackson.
She has filed this, an ex parte filing, which means that the other person doesn't have to appeal, which in this case of course he can't, Michael Jackson is deceased. And she is saying in these court papers that she was his secret wife, that she's from London, that she's an African-American Jew living in Britain, and that she was the secret wife of Michael Jackson and the secret mother of his three children and she wants custody.
ROESGEN: Again, Rick, that's just one. There's probably going to be many, many more people coming forward to contest the will.
SANCHEZ: But there -- I am only asking because I imagine you have probably thought about the same thing. Is there anything that documents this story that she is putting out there or is she just one of the many people who may come out of the woodwork and say that they had some kind of tie, some kind of link to Michael Jackson?
ROESGEN: Well, believe it or not, in years past, she had made two attempts in court, and both were thrown out.
But, in 2006, a judge told her, hey, come back with some more evidence. I will hear some more evidence. If you have got it, bring it back. So, we will see what she has got to give.
Rick, in all this, I think one thing to keep in mind is, Michael Jackson himself and his frame of mind in 2002, we can't know what it was then. But you mentioned, is there going to be a memorial service in Neverland?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
ROESGEN: What's happening here behind me where the family is in Encino? What are they deciding to do? What's going to happen?
In this will, Michael Jackson did not say what he wanted to have happened to his body, and he didn't say what kind of funeral he would like to have. And perhaps if he had that would have solved a lot of the logistical struggles that are going on right now, thinking, will it be in Neverland, 150 miles from here? Will it be here? Will there be 30 cars in a motorcade? Will the whole world descend on this because rural area around Neverland Ranch? We just don't know yet.
By the way, before we let our viewers go, let's go ahead and give them -- show them this one what appears to be a very crucial part of this. Can you go in a little tighter on this so they can see it? Angie, can you see that?
All right, "If any of my children are minors at the time of my death, I nominate my mother, Katherine Jackson, as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children. If Katherine Jackson fails to survive me or is unable or unwilling to act as a guardian, I nominate Diana Ross, Diana Ross, as guardian and persons and estate of such minor children."
Interesting that he put Diana Ross above Joe Jackson, his father. A lot of interesting developments coming out of this story. And we are so happy we had Susan Roesgen to take us through some of these new details she just shared with us.
Susan, we will be checking back. Thanks again.
All right, this is every publicist's worst nightmare. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford just might be too honest. How else to explain calling your mistress your soul mate?
And then again Michael Jackson fans will get a chance to say farewell. But we're going to have the details on what seems to be a changing scenario right now. Will it be in L.A. or will it be at Neverland? We are sorting through that for you. We will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: You heard right here while in fact I was gone and Ali Velshi was at the helm comments made by Joe Jackson about a record company and giving interviews while being asked questions about his son. That has not sat well with many of our viewers.
In fact, let me take you to the Twitter board if we possibly can. It's part of the story that really has become a part of the national conversation.
"Don't think it is the least surprising Joe Jackson is not in the will. Why should he be? He was an ogre in life and now in death" -- part of the conversation that we're getting from so many people who are watching this story.
ConHake says: "The M.J." -- just beneath that, Johnny -- "The M.J. circus needs to get some more tents."
And we continue on, someone saying, they are glad to see me here.
And this one says: "Enough Michael Jackson, Diana Ross. Be a newsman. What about health care, Lieutenant Dan, people being killed in Iraq?"
This is interesting that so many viewers now watching the story about Michael Jackson are reacting to some of the other stories that are going on. We do have this one, though, on MySpace as well. Let's go to that before we close.
"Anyone who knows what happened with Charlie "Yardbird" Parker can see what is happening with M.J. Yes, there are going to be wives and G.F.s coming out of the woodwork claiming to be in line for the will."
And as they do, we will follow them, if legitimate.
All right, let's talk about this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People were crying out and people were crying out in pain.
SANCHEZ: Pushing, shoving and pepper spray? It is a Democratic candidate who says this is politically motivated, what happened to her. This is a crazy story that could have a cop in big trouble. We are going to take you through what he did or is alleged to have done.
And what are the people who live around the Neverland Ranch saying about masses coming their way for a public viewing? You are about to find out. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: All right. As we welcome you back, I want you once again take a look at this peaceful and quiet scene or at least the way it looks there right now, the front gate and the flowery memorial to Michael Jackson and his Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California.
It's a bit unclear today though as to whether the ranch will be the setting for a public viewing or some other type of remembrance service. It was tentatively set for Friday. There is new information coming in now. And it really is turning in to a bit of a who knows.
"The Los Angeles Times" is reporting now that the public remembrance might not happen there at the Neverland Ranch after all. We are getting information now that it will most likely now happen at the Staples Center in L.A. and not at the Neverland Ranch, which is really strange, when you consider that there are already people, according to many reports, heading toward the Neverland Ranch and people even getting campsites there because they want to be there before the throngs show up.
This ranch, by the way, is more than 100 miles from L.A. It is a bit of a trek. It is on some very narrow mountain roads to Santa Barbara County. Can you imagine thousands on top of thousands of fans making the trip, not to mention the well-heeled residents who live there who are not happy about the idea of having those folks there to begin with?
Bottom line is the Michael Jackson service, exactly where and when, not known right now. The latest information we have is that the information about it being at the Neverland Ranch may now have changed and that it might be taking place at the Staples Center Friday.
We have reporters, as you might imagine, in California asking a lot of questions of both the family and officials there, none of which seem to have made up their minds yet as to how exactly this is going to take place. As soon as we have any of these answers nailed down, we will share them with you.
All right, let me stop right now and ask you a very serious question. Do you really think that Michael Jackson is the only person who may have been addicted to prescription drugs? This is important for a lot of Americans, because it is something that often gets ignored. We think about alcoholism and elicit drug abuse, but what about this?
Well, you are going to be hearing from somebody who knows exactly what Jackson may have been going through, because he has been there, himself.
Stay with us. That's coming forth.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Rick, this is Dawn (ph) from Atlanta. Welcome back.
One question: Why doesn't the Jackson family have the funeral in downtown L.A.? Couldn't the city and state use the funds it would generate? And, also, it would be more convenient for those who wanted to attend.
Thank you. Bye.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's up 77. There is the Big Board. We will continue to watch it for you.
Welcome back. I am Rick Sanchez here in the world headquarters of CNN.
If you think for one minute that Michael Jackson's alleged addiction to painkillers and sleeping pills is confined to us just superstars, like Michael Jackson and maybe some others in Hollywood, well, let me share something with you. You are wrong.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy says prescription medications are the second most commonly abused category of drugs in the United States. This is important.
I want you to meet somebody right now. You see this fellow right here? His name is Ramsy Darwish. He is a recovering drug addict who got hooked on pain pills for years after a car accident. We are also going to have backing him up Dr. Kent Robertshaw. He's joining us from New York City. He's a psychiatrist and an addiction treatment specialist.
It's interesting. I don't believe that this gets talked about enough in the United States, because we hear about drug addicts, the kinds that do cocaine or heroin, elicit drugs, whatever that might be. And we hear about alcoholics. But we don't seem to put these people in the similar category.
And I want to talk about that.
Ramsy, let's start with you. These stories, confirmed or unconfirmed, about Michael Jackson, being at times desperate for painkillers and sleeping pills, we have heard it throughout his career. But now some are coming out perhaps more dramatized. Does it ring true to you after what you experienced?
RAMSY DARWISH, RECOVERING DRUG ADDICT: Absolutely.
Once you become addicted to like pain pills and that sort of thing, it is really a necessity that you need on a daily basis. It's -- your life basically resolves around the prescription drug. You wouldn't want to -- you're not active with people or aren't really motivated enough to go out into society.
SANCHEZ: But here is what most of us wouldn't understand who maybe haven't experienced something like this.
DARWISH: Right.
SANCHEZ: If it was given to you for a specific reason by a doctor and it said there for headaches or for your operation or for pain, when the pain or the operation is dealt with and it goes away, why are you still taking them?
DARWISH: Well, I think that some people may have past issues or...
SANCHEZ: Why did you take them?
DARWISH: Well, prior to taking prescription drugs, I also smoked marijuana and did that sort of thing, even before that. And then, once I took the pain pills, it was actually for a pain that I had, but it helped me deal with more than just the pain.
SANCHEZ: Like what? What could -- obviously, it is altering your state to a point where you are not really yourself. Why did you keep taking them? What was it doing for you that was so attractive?
DARWISH: Well, it helps you deal with certain pains, like, if a person goes through emotional pains younger in life. From what I understand, a lot of people do go through abuse issues or that sort of thing. And when you take a pain pill or any kind of narcotic or drug in that case...
SANCHEZ: So, let me just stop you, because I just heard you say, when you take a painkiller or any other kind of narcotic.
To you, this was no different than doing a drug, the kind of drug you find in alleys, or getting drunk, right?
DARWISH: Right, right.
SANCHEZ: You are using it for that purpose?
There is always an underlying issue most of the time that I could tell you from the people I was involved with that did the same things that I did. There is always -- there is always a root cause to it, whether it is an emotional thing or a physical thing or something.
SANCHEZ: That's amazing. And, you know, we really thank you for sharing the story. I don't think there is enough people out there who are talking about this.
Doctor, I want to bring you in. How prevalent is this? DR. KENT ROBERTSHAW, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Well, as your report says, it's the number-two misused substance in America, after alcohol. So, it's rampant. It includes painkillers, tranquilizers, ADHD medications like Ritalin. They are all being misused by kids in high school and college. And we run into problems all the time.
SANCHEZ: Are we becoming more and more a drug-induced society, and why?
ROBERTSHAW: Well, I think, in the last 10 years, if we are talking about pain medication, there has definitely been a pendulum that's been swinging towards given chronic narcotics.
ROBERTSHAW: Now, again, these medications are really no different than heroin. OxyContin, Democrat, they're in the same category as heroin.
They're highly euphoric. They are very amusable. And people now give them for chronic pain in a way they didn't in the past. And once people are on these medications, they become physically dependent on them. So, it's very hard to come on. And then it is also less effective.
And, yes, they do cause a certain euphoria that is very gratifying, that some people take more and more to get the more of the euphoric feeling.
SANCHEZ: But hold on a minute. Here is what is different about this I think. And either one of you who wants to jump in. We do countless stories on people who are busted for drugs, even something like marijuana. We do countless stories on people who are busted for alcohol-related crimes.
But we really rarely do stories on people who are busted for this. And yet, I am hearing both of you say, there is no differences between this and that. Why?
DARWISH: Well, I mean, what I would say is, one is legal, a prescription, and one is not. Just like the doctor just said, I mean, from what I have seen with people like, for example, OxyContin, let's just use that as an example.
People addicted to that, what I have seen from the people that I was involved with is a lot of people will turn to heroin or other street drugs, just because it is cheaper than the prescription drug. But I would have to say probably why you don't hear about it much is because people are legitimately prescribed it for some sort of reason.
SANCHEZ: It starts out with a legitimate prescription, but I imagine toward the middle or somewhere toward the end, there has got to be other ways of getting these drugs. Or are there doctors out there who are giving this to their patients knowing that they are hooked?
And isn't that a bad thing, Doctor?
ROBERTSHAW: Well, I think that that's really where there needs to be education, because I think there is a feeling just because the doctor is prescribing the medication, it is being prescribed appropriately for a certain amount of pain that the person is having.
Now, again, people can be very manipulative or not even realize how much they really enjoy the mood-altering effect of it, so that they want more and more. So, again, the idea that just because a doctor is prescribing it means the person is not running into trouble with the prescription is why we don't hear much about it.
SANCHEZ: What are the signs? I am thinking that there are people who are watching us right now who probably know someone in their family who has been perhaps involved in something like this or has been looking really different, glazy-eyed.
In fact, I have kind of had some experience with this in my own family and it was a pretty negative result in the end. How can we help others to help family members? Because I know it is a very sensitive issue. And for most families, it is very much a secret, isn't it?
ROBERTSHAW: Yes, I think that -- again that there must have been a whole group of people around Michael Jackson who may have had concerns who didn't say anything, that it is very important I think if you see a change in behavior or if people are isolating, they are not their normal behavior, and to just not certainly take their word that they are being prescribed these meds by a doctor and it must be OK, to have a certain awareness that there are many doctors that...
SANCHEZ: But is it obvious? I mean, would you be able to look at somebody a couple of times and say, that guy is on something?
ROBERTSHAW: Oh, absolutely not.
I think that the truth is that there's a lot of -- I think of Rush Limbaugh. There's people who are functioning sometimes at a very high level, and Kitty Dukakis being another one that comes to mind that was highly addicted and yet you find out afterward when they -- after they were functioning, that they were abusing substances.
SANCHEZ: But you should confront -- your advice, medical advice, would be, if you can determine that it is true that they are hooked on this stuff, both of you, I imagine, would say, confront them, do something about them before it is too late?
DARWISH: Right, just like my family did.
SANCHEZ: Good for them.
My thanks to both of you for talking to us about this. I think this is a really important story that we are going to continue to follow up on. Thanks again.
DARWISH: Thank you.
ROBERTSHAW: You are welcome.
JENNY SANFORD, WIFE OF SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR MARK SANFORD: His career is not a concern of mine. He's going to have to worry about that. I'm worried about my family and the character of my children.
SANCHEZ: What a story this is. That's Jenny Sanford, who is married so South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who says that his mistress is his -- You ready? -- soul mate. How do you think that is going over with the Mrs.? We will report.
Also, the Michael Jackson will, we have got the details. Don Lemon is going to be joining me live next for the update on that. Stay with us. We will be right back.
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
We've been talking about the big story coming out just a few hours ago. You expected that today, there would be some confirmation of this will, 2002 will from Michael Jackson. I have it over here somewhere.
Johnny (ph), can you shoot it from there? Want to walk around?
All right. While you walk around, I'll stay on this camera. Here it is, because Don Lemon is going to be joining us now to take us through this.
And I think the significant part of the story is, not so much that the will is out, because we reported yesterday that it might be out, but that it has been confirmed by the courts in Los Angeles County.
Are you looking at it now, Johnny (ph)?
All right. There's Michael Jackson's signature right there. There is really the most important part of the story.
"If any of my children are minors at the time of my death, I nominate my mother, Katherine Jackson, as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children. If Katherine Jackson fails to survive me or is unable or unwilling to act as a guardian, I nominate Diana Ross as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children."
And there you see Michael Jackson's signature, as so confirmed today by officials in Los Angeles.
Let's go now to Don Lemon, who is joining us with more on this story.
Don, what are you finding out?
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's interesting, Rick, I do have to say. The whole Diana Ross thing is interesting.
Here's the most important part. This is the most important part of this will. John Branca and John McClain are executors of Michael Jackson's will. His assets, every single thing he owns, even his earnings and perpetuity, are owned by these guys.
SANCHEZ: And why is that important? Aren't they just lawyers? Isn't that normal?
LEMON: No. No. They get everything. They get to decide everything.
It doesn't mean that his mom is going to get the money, anyone in his family, that the children get the money. They get to decide where the money goes.
They can reinvest his money. They can reinvest his investments. They can do whatever they want with it. That's why that is the most important thing in this will.
Because everyone -- it had been reported that Michael Jackson -- the will said that Michael Jackson's mom would get some of the money, that his children would get some of the money, and it would go to certain charities. That will doesn't say, from what I have, any of that. It says that John Branca and John McClain and Barry Siegel, who was there as well, who is also in the entertainment business -- Barry Siegel bowed out back in 2003.
I'm just going to read that one thing. This is what it says.
It says, "I appoint John Branca, John McClain and Barry Siegel as co-executors of this will. In the event of any of their deaths, resignations, inability, failure or refusal to serve as a co-executor, the other shall serve and no replacement need be named."
On to the next one.
"I hereby give me executors full power and authority at any time or times to sell, lease, mortgage, pledge, exchange or otherwise dispose of the property, whether real or personal, comprising my estate, upon such terms as my executors shall deem best."
And then the next paragraph is the one that you were reading. It goes on to talk about the children.
And he says, "I nominate Katherine Jackson and I nominate Diana Ross as the guardian of the persons and estates and such minor children" if she can't do it. Go ahead, Rick. Sorry about that.
SANCHEZ: Well, no, no. This is extremely significant, because, look, I'm not a lawyer, and I was looking at this document and saying, if he is giving all custody -- if he's giving all rights to his mother of his children as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children, I was figuring that she would be in control.
But you raise an interesting question here about John Branca, John McClain and Barry Siegel, three people who most of us -- at least I can say I have never heard of. Who are these people?
LEMON: John Branca is a very well-known entertainment attorney here in Los Angeles. He handles a lot of very famous people, a lot of very wealthy people. John McClain is also a very well-known long-time music executive and friend of Michael Jackson. John Branca was Michael Jackson's attorney from 1986 to 2006.
Barry Siegel is also a very big entertainment person here in California. But again, in 2003, Barry Siegel -- and this is just coming across. This is New information. I have another piece of information...
SANCHEZ: Go ahead. Go ahead.
LEMON: ... saying that Barry Siegel bowed out and he left the administration of the will, the execution of the will, to Branca and to McClain.
The other bit of New here, you know, a lot of people have been reporting about these crazies, these people coming forward. You know the woman that says she is Michael Jackson's wife and these kids...
SANCHEZ: Right.
LEMON: Forget about that. You know, this is -- I have her paperwork here. Throw that out. The court has thrown that out twice, Rick.
You and I can go to court and say we are Michael Jackson's husband, or what have you, and they would have to look it up. And they would have to treat it as if it's legitimate. It's not. It has been thrown out of court twice.
Forget about that. You're going to have crazies coming forward.
SANCHEZ: It's understandable. Like I said earlier, people will be coming out of the woodwork.
But I want one to go back to this...
LEMON: One more.
SANCHEZ: Go ahead.
LEMON: One more New thing I want to tell you about. There was an ex parte hearing held just after this will was filed. And this was by John Branca's and John McClain's attorney, saying, they wanted to take over right away, right at this instant. They wanted to take Katherine Jackson and move her out and say they were in control of the administration of Michael Jackson's assets, property, will, or what have you.
The judge said cool your jets. Slow your roll here, because there is a hearing on July 6th, on Monday, and we're going to decide all of that. So, in the interim, there is a weekend coming up on us, so just cool out and we'll figure this all out on July 6th at this hearing, Rick. Go ahead.
SANCHEZ: No, I'm just marveling at the information that you're sharing with us, because I know that I have a will. I have to tell you, I haven't read it recently. I don't know how it reads.
I know that it was set up by my accountant. And I think most Americans who have wills are probably not that familiar with how exactly it's laid out or what the verbiage is.
But it seems what we're tussling, you and I, with here is the possibility that this will really gives control of Michael Jackson's estate not to any one specific person and his family, but to these three attorneys, or aides of his in the past, which really is a pretty remarkable revelation. Is it not?
LEMON: Yes, it is. But also, I have what is called a living will; right? And so it states who I want it to go to and then where I want it to go next, whatever. Mine is my mother. You know, she can do no wrong, so she gets everything. But you have to have that language in there.
But if you have an executor -- whoever you have as the executor of your will gets to decide where your money goes, unless you have some other language in there saying that you're going to execute this, but I would like this to go to some other place or to some other person. Also, it depends on the relationship that those attorneys have with the Jackson family.
They may end up deciding, this money is not ours. We want to give Katherine Jackson...
SANCHEZ: That's exactly right.
LEMON: And how does it look to have these guys fighting with an 80-year-old woman? It's not good business.
SANCHEZ: All right. Here's the final and I think maybe the most important question. And if you answer it in the negative, that certainly is OK.
Has anyone talked to these guys yet since this will came out and asked them any questions about them being named as such on this document? LEMON: John Branca released a statement yesterday to "LARRY KING LIVE." I'm not exactly sure. I think it said something about they were sorry about it and what they were going to do. I'm not exactly sure...
SANCHEZ: But not since this was made official?
LEMON: No.
SANCHEZ: Go get them.
LEMON: No, no. We are. We're trying. I have calls in. You know how it is.
But we spoke to Londell McMillan, who's the attorney for the Jackson family. He said that Branca and those guys were on vacation, didn't know, came back, and that's how, all of a sudden, this will showed up and came to light.
So we're working on it, Rick. We're going to get them.
SANCHEZ: Don Lemon on it, as usual.
LEMON: Thank you, sir.
SANCHEZ: Doing a great job.
SANCHEZ: We'll keep checking back. If you learn anything, just call Angie in the control room and we'll get you on. All right?
LEMON: Will do. Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thanks.
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford just might be too honest. Really, think about that, too honest. How else do you explain calling your mistress your soul mate for all the world, including your wife, to hear?
And this is an amazing story. It's a plane that's called from the sky. It's killed everyone except -- and this is part of the story that people are really tying around -- it's a teenage girl who survived. She says she never felt a thing.
That's next. Stay with us.
I'll be right back.
SANCHEZ: We've got some breaking news coming into us now. Boy, it seems that we have been reporting on so many deaths of late of famous people, and now here is another one.
We have just learned that Karl Malden has died.
There's Karl Malden, 1912-2009.
If you've watched television or gone to the movies in the last 30, 40 years, there's no doubt you remember him from American Express commercials; from "A Streetcar Named Desire," one of the most famous movies ever made; from "On the Waterfront," which he was also in; and in the television series for many years, "The Streets of San Francisco."
There he is, Karl Malden, with the strong, gritty accent, and that Larry Csonka nose of his. Dies just moments ago. We got the information.
Born in 1912. He starred in the TV series "Streets of San Francisco."
A 13-year-old, a French girl, is being touted as the sole survivor in Tuesday's jet crash off Comoros Island. The father of Bahia Bakari (ph) says that his daughter "didn't feel a thing" as the plane and the 150 people aboard plummeted into the Indian Ocean.
What a story. The teen suffered a broken collarbone and a few scrapes, but is otherwise OK. Rescuers say she is more than OK, calling her survival an absolute miracle.
She could barely swim and was found hours after the crash clinging to floating wreck debris. The only person to have survived this violent plane crash.
It may take more than a miracle though to save the governor of South Carolina's quickly sinking political career after fessing up to an illicit affair. And why would he call his girlfriend his soul mate? How do you fix that?
We'll be right back.
SANCHEZ: This story is just a head shaker. Add U.S. Senator Jim DeMint now to the ranks of those in South Carolina who are leaning on Republican Mark Sanford, the governor there, to get gone from the mansion, the governor's mansion.
That chorus of voices has only grown louder since yesterday, when The Associated Press reported remarks by Sanford that suggests that he is still in love with his Argentine mistress. There she is on the left.
In love with his mistress. In fact, he calls her his soul mate. But he wants to try and save his marriage to the wife of his four boys, he went on to say, after calling his mistress his soul mate.
Oh, my goodness. In an Associated Press interview, Sanford also admitted this: he's crossed the line with several other women. No response yet from Jenny Sanford, who at least report had not been seen at the beach house where she had been holed up since before the scandal broke. Jenny Sanford, of course, is the governor's wife.
Since the governor's latest remarks, his dwindling support among South Carolina Republicans has only eroded further. We have been checking.
More than half of the state senate's GOP caucus now is on record as wanting him out of there. And today, DeMint says that Sanford needs to do the right thing.
This is odd. It seems to me that in the wake of this documented deception, Governor Sanford is trying to come clean, he's trying to be truthful, but he only seems to be making matters worse.
Joining me now from Ashland, Wisconsin, Rachel Campos-Duffy, who has written a story for AOL's ParentDish.com on this. And from Washington, Joanne Bamberger, of PunditMom blog.
Ladies, thanks so much for being with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: I had this conversation with Angie Massie (ph), my producer, earlier, and she and I were actually arguing about this, because I said, "Well, isn't this what women are always telling men to do, to be just completely honest with their feelings?"
I mean, here you've got a guy who's being completely honest with his feelings. It ain't working so well, is it?
JOANNE BAMBERGER, PUNDITMOM BLOG: He doesn't have to be completely honest with the entire world about it.
RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY, AOL PARENTDISH.COM: I don't think he is trying to make things better. I think he is trying to get cut loose.
I think he wants her to leave -- to let him leave, because there is absolutely no fathomable reason why he would say disclose this information, except that he is having a really horrible midlife crisis and just wants to go to Buenos Aires.
SANCHEZ: Do you think that's what he's doing, Joanne? Do you think he's really just -- like, in a secret way, he doesn't want this job anymore and he just wants to go to be with what's her name in Argentina.
BAMBERGER: You know, only he's going to know that for sure. But, you know, given the fact that he has been, up until a week ago, said that he was going to be a GOP nominee, hopefully, for the presidency, I have a hard time believing that. But it is really hard to explain.
I mean, the thing that I'm glad to see is that his wife is not doing the "standing by her man" sort of thing, for lack of a better term, and that she's trying to set an example not only for her sons, but to stand up for herself and say, you know, I have my dignity and I am not going to stand there while he does this.
SANCHEZ: Well, forget the politics of this. If something like this happened in my relationship, with my wife, you guys would be seeing me in chunks. I mean, I can't imagine you being able in any way to overcome something like this in a relationship after saying something like this about your girlfriend, but then saying in another breath that you want to be able to make up to your wife.
Is that even possible?
CAMPOS-DUFFY: It's not possible. It makes absolutely no sense.
This guy is having a horrible midlife crisis. He wants Jenny to let him go. But the heartbreaking thing about it -- you know, I'm a mom of five, I really feel for this woman, because the real victims are these children.
And what he's doing, dragging this out, putting it more in public, giving more salacious details, all of this is so immature and so ungubernatorial, if you will. All of this is really...
BAMBERGER: You know, I don't disagree with Rachel. I don't disagree with Rachel on any of those things.
I think sort of the thing we should be thinking about is, isn't this exactly why the whole family values thing shouldn't really be part of the political discussion? You know, none of us should be, you know, subjected to listening to, you know, the governor of South Carolina and his wife have to deal with this.
SANCHEZ: Well, it sure has bitten a few people in the behind of late. And we'll be continuing to follow it.
Ladies, I'm going to let you go, but I want to thank you for being with us, because there's some breaking news that's coming in to us right now out of Iran.
We understand that we have some information now, and you may have seen just a sneak peek of this at the beginning of this newscast, that there is a "Newsweek" correspondent who has allegedly been detained by the Iranians several weeks ago, but they are now saying -- again, allegedly -- that he has confessed. That he has confessed. To what?
We have Reza here, our own correspondent, who just returned from Tehran. He's going to be joining us to take us through this conversation. It is a most interesting story that certainly could have some very important foreign implications.
Stay with us. We'll be right back with that.
SANCHEZ: All right. Well, we're kind of working our way through this information that's coming in to us right now.
Welcome back. This is the breaking news.
We've been holding on to this for the safety and security of one of our own colleagues. This is information coming out of Iran right now. It's a development that adds a real twist to what's going on in Iran.
It involves a "Newsweek" magazine correspondent who allegedly has just given a confession. His name is Maziar Bahari. He's a Canadian/Iranian journalist who was said to have been picked up in night raids by Iranian guards a couple of weeks ago.
Iranians are saying now that he's given a confession from his jail cell.
Reza Sayah is a veteran CNN reporter fresh from Tehran. He's joining me now.
Just take us through the first part, because there's an interview you and I are going to watch together. What are they saying that he said?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, we should tell you that after election day, according to human rights groups, a number of people went missing. Among them, journalists.
One of the most prominent journalists is Maziar Bahari, award- winning filmmaker, reporter for "Newsweek." Yesterday, according to a state-run news agency, he allegedly confessed.
SANCHEZ: Confessed to what?
SAYAH: Here's what he said, that "There is a possibility that Western governments try to hire Western reporters to spy for them." But he went on to say, "But because of the effective work of Iran's intelligence agencies, those possibilities decreased." He also said, allegedly said, that some of his work was designed to create "difficulty."
SANCHEZ: So, they're basically saying that he is saying that Western news outlets like ourselves, "The New York Times," may have instigated some of these so-called riots that we saw.
Let me hold you now, because I want to ask "Newsweek" about that. This is their guy, their story.
And this is Mr. Dickey now, who I talked to just moments ago about this. He's the head of their bureau in the Middle East, Chris Dickey.
SANCHEZ: Joining us now is Chris Dickey. He's the mideast bureau chief for "Newsweek."
Chris, thanks so much for being with us.
CHRISTOPHER DICKEY, MIDEAST REGIONAL EDITOR, "NEWSWEEK": Well, thank you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: What's your reaction to this report?
Well, look, it's preposterous. Maziar Bahari has been held in Jail since June 21st. He hasn't been able to talk to a lawyer, he hasn't been able to talk to his family. The kinds of things that he is alleged to have said in this statement are, on their face, preposterous, and we want him to be released as soon as possible, and we hope that that's what the Iranian government will decide to do.
SANCHEZ: We're trying to get our hands around whether or not he even has said this. I mean, according to some of the reports we're seeing, he said it in a news conference at the jail.
Do you buy that?
DICKEY: What news conference at the jail? We don't know anything about the circumstances. We don't know any reporters who were there.
It supposedly is videotape. They run a picture showing him being vide videotaped, in which his actual face is out of focus. You just see his face on the little screen. And we don't even know what he looked like when he was actually talking, if he said any of this.
So, I think we're looking at a situation where we just have to dismiss this whole thing out of hand and say it's time to release Maziar Bahari. He's a very good reporter, he's a very good documentary filmmaker, and he's not the kind of person that they should have in jail.
SANCHEZ: Does it sound to you like -- well, I'm almost hearing you say that this thing is being orchestrated by either the Iranian government or somebody inside the Iranian government.
Is that what you're saying?
DICKEY: Well, look, we can't know who's doing what. They're not talking to our lawyer in the sense that they're not letting Maziar talk to our lawyer in Tehran. They're not letting him talk to his family. They're not letting him talk to us.
We can't get his version of events. So, if we don't know what he's saying, then how can we judge anything that comes out of basically a state-controlled news agency?
SANCHEZ: All right, Reza. Let me bring you back into this.
It seems like he's saying that they can't confirm that he's even made this confession, or that this so-called news conference that I've been reading about all day actually even took place.
What can you tell us about that?
SAYAH: Well, we simply don't know. This is all according to a state-run news agency.
What we can confirm is that this is a technique that the Iranian government has used before. You'll recall Haleh Esfandiari, the Iranian/American academic back in July of 2007. She went on state-run TV in Iran, in a televised alleged confession, saying she was part of a plot to overthrow the government. She was released, she came back to Washington, D.C.
SANCHEZ: But what do they say that he said? I mean, I know it's probably in Farsi; right?
SAYAH: It is.
SANCHEZ: What do they say that he said? Is it that? I mean, that U.S. Western media was trying to instigate this situation with these riots and protests that we saw?
SAYAH: That they were part of a plot to create "difficulties." But it's very interesting that in the alleged confession, he gives credit to the Iranian intelligence agency, saying if it weren't for the intelligence agencies, they would be able to be effective, but they basically stopped him.
SANCHEZ: You were there while this was going on. I'm sure you ran into him and many other colleagues who were working for either "The New York Times" or -- did you see, just to be fair, any signs that journalists were going beyond what we're supposed to do to document a story, in any way instigating any of these things?
SAYAH: Absolutely not. Journalists, including Maziar, were working under tremendous pressure.
The Iranian government, in a variety of ways, tries to pressure, tries to guide reporters to do this story, to do that story. It came to a point where they prevented us from covering and broadcasting images, you know, from these rallies.
And this was a concerted systemic effort to get their own message out. At some point, they realized that the pictures and the information that was going out was not favorable to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and clearly all indications are that they did a crackdown on journalists.
SANCHEZ: So, let's suppose that there is some truth to this, and that he has made a statement -- they're calling it a confession -- similar to this. Would that be a statement which was coerced or forced by the government? And, if so, how? SAYAH: We would be guessing when it comes to Maziar's situation. But, again, I go back to what has happened in the past. This is a technique that the government has used before to discredit, to intimidate journalists. Again Haleh Esfandiari, the Iranian academic, she came out just a few weeks after a televised alleged confession, she retracted everything that she said. That's what we're certain of.
SANCHEZ: So, if he said it -- so, given that example you just gave us, if he said it, he said it because he had to say it, not because he means it.
SAYAH: Based on the past and based on what people like Chris Dickey, who knows Maziar, it is very likely that he was coerced.
SANCHEZ: That makes -- no, I know.
SAYAH: But we can't know for certain until he comes out.
SANCHEZ: We're using you here not only as a correspondent, but, in many ways, as an expert, because you've been there.
Thanks so much for doing it for us.
SAYAH: Sure.
SANCHEZ: All right. Let's give it over to Wolf Blitzer, following this story and many others now.
Suzanne Malveaux sitting in for Wolf, in fact, in "THE SITUATION ROOM."


September 25th, 2013 – The Spyderco Cat C129G is a fantastic little EDC folding knife and Amazon currently has it on discount for just $39.32 shipped. That's a decent discount considering the Cat usually sells for $50+ after shipping and handling is factored in. If you are in need of a small and unobtrusive folding knife the Spyderco Cat is a solid option at this price.
The Cat is very lightweight (2.5 ounces) thanks to skeletonized liners. The 2.5″ leaf shaped blade is made from 440C stainless steel which should provide good edge retention given Spyderco's outstanding heat treatment. The Cat's 440C should be a level up compared to similar lower end steels such as AUS-8 and 8Cr13MoV. Handle material is a somewhat smooth textured G10 that should provide adequate grip. The locking mechanism found on the Spyderco Cat is a Walker liner lock, which is beefy enough to provide a strong and secure lockup. The Spyderco Cat also features pillar construction with a flow through design that will allow for easy cleaning and traditional torx screws hold the knife together, so it can be disassembled quickly if need be. The wire pocket clip featured on the Spyderco Cat is one of the best. It allows for a deeper carry than most standard pocket clips while adding very little weight to the knife. The pocket clip is reversible for left or right handed tip up carry. And of course, blade deployment is handled by the classic round Spyderco opening hole.
The Spyderco Cat is available at Amazon (here) for under $40 with free shipping.


Bermuda's Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners' annual conference takes place this week themed "Bermuda: a Centre of Excellence for the Family Office".
With reputable international speakers attending, it is timely to consider the unique nature of trusts, their ongoing viability as succession planning vehicles and why Bermuda law trusts are being used more frequently internationally.
Trusts developed from the English common law and law of equity. A trust is a fiduciary relationship whereby a person (known as the "settlor" or "grantor") transfers to a trustee, or declares itself as trustee of, certain property thereafter held by the trustee for the benefit of certain persons (known as "beneficiaries") or purposes. The separation of legal and beneficial ownership of property allows flexibility for investment, and distribution of trust property over many years, including after the settlor's death or loss of mental capacity.
Civil law jurisdictions, generally, do not have a trust law or enable formation of entities with the same succession planning utility. Two-thirds of the world's jurisdictions apply civil law including, most of Europe, Russia, Latin America and China. Globalisation and the emergence of new economies have resulted in more people from civil law jurisdictions establishing trusts.
There has been a recent surge in trusts formed under Bermuda law, and changes of trusts' governing law to Bermuda law, in order to utilise specific provisions of Bermuda's trust law. Why?
The rule against perpetuities, and subsequent statutory incantations, limited the period that property could be held in trust. However, excluding trusts over Bermuda land, Bermuda law permits Bermuda law trusts established on or after August 1, 2009 to have an unlimited duration. Section 47 of Bermuda's Trustee Act has been utilised by trustees to request the Bermuda Court to approve transactions including variation of beneficial interests in trust property, or to extend the duration of trusts established prior to August 1, 2009.
Section 47's advantage over other jurisdictions' trusts laws is, provided the Court considers the transaction expedient, consent of all adult beneficiaries is not required. Section 4 of Bermuda's Perpetuities and Accumulations Act was amended recently, streamlining applications to extend the duration of trusts in circumstances where it is not otherwise possible. The Bermuda Court's judgment this year in In the matter of the C Trust demonstrates the efficiency of the process.
Bermuda law facilitates the creation of non-charitable purpose trusts with or without beneficiaries. Non-charitable purpose trusts with beneficiaries are increasingly popular with entrepreneurial settlors, including those who do not yet have a spouse or children. Unlike most jurisdictions that permit such hybrid trusts, Bermuda does not impose requirements that the trustees be resident in the jurisdiction nor require the appointment of an "enforcer" to enforce the trustees' performance of the purposes.
Many civil law jurisdictions impose forced heirship laws whereby most of the deceased's estate passes under law to the deceased's designated heirs in designated proportions. Forced heirship is contrary to common law principles of testamentary freedom. Some civil law jurisdictions also impose community of property systems whereby the property held by one spouse may be deemed to be owned jointly between spouses.
Many offshore jurisdictions have introduced "firewall legislation" in respect of trusts formed under the offshore jurisdictions' laws whereby, with exceptions, the offshore jurisdictions' courts are required to apply the trust's governing law and not recognise foreign law forced heirship rights, community of property, matrimonial or other similar foreign law rights. Additionally, firewall legislation generally provides that courts in the jurisdiction are not permitted to enforce foreign judgments inconsistent with the firewall legislation.
The main exceptions to firewall legislation protection under Bermuda law are that Bermuda law does not determine capacity of a person to transfer land situated outside Bermuda or movable property transferred into a trust under a will made by a person not domiciled in Bermuda. The approach is similar in other jurisdictions. Firewall legislation is complex and many jurisdictions have amended their firewall legislation numerous times. Bermuda is finalising amendments to its firewall legislation to further simplify its structure, add clarity and extend its application.
Wealthy families with family members or property in politically or socially unstable jurisdictions may be concerned about the risk of kidnapping or confiscation of assets. The Bermuda Court is prepared to provide anonymity for trust beneficiaries, settlors and power-holders in Bermuda court proceedings.
Bermuda's private trust companies (PTCs) may be managed by the settlor or persons nominated by the settlor, the settlor's advisers or family members. Unlike other jurisdictions, Bermuda imposes no requirement for the PTC to engage a licensed administrator to administer the PTC or trusts of which the PTC acts as trustee, thereby facilitating privacy and flexibility.
Reputation, privacy and safety are priorities of international families. Bermuda's flexible trust legislation, strong legal profession, discretion and efficiency in trust cases and stellar international reputation distinguishes the island. The frequency and quality of the international trust and financial conferences held in Bermuda, such as Transcontinental Trust, Legalweek and events like next year's America's Cup are all testament to that reputation.
Lawyer Ashley Fife is a Senior Associate with the Private Client and Trusts Practice Group at Appleby. A copy of Mr. Fife's column can be obtained on the Appleby website at www.applebyglobal.com.


Within a broad area of design, the VMI CIS program provides cadets the opportunity to experience designing computer software components and implementing software systems as well as designing quality testing of products.
We also provide training in the securing of software systems, digital forensics and exposure to product development of online and mobile platforms. The program provides a solid introduction to the general areas of CIS including programming, database design and analysis, information retrieval, information architecture, software engineering, and human-computer interaction.
The opportunity to accomplish advanced individual or group study under the direction of a faculty member is a required experience in a two-semester capstone.
The Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) is an evolutionary learning laboratory dedicated to preparing engaged learners endowed with computational thinking and the skills and vision to address real-world problems. We emphasize excellence in teaching and provide a dynamic program integrating teaching, scholarship, service, and cadet development. Our program is driven by an engaged faculty and an innovative Computer and Information Sciences curriculum enriched with extensive practice and rooted in the VMI mission to shape the CIS leaders our world needs most. Those leaders are citizen soldiers with the character, honor, acumen and knowledge to navigate and affect change, accommodate ambiguity and surmount complexity, and motivate and inspire teams in a common purpose to create useful economic and social value.
To be the benchmark in preparing citizen soldiers as problem solvers applying Computer and Information Sciences knowledge and best practices, transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries, to create and develop appropriate user-centric solutions to responsibly invent a better future.
Given our evolving world that is now irrevocably instrumented and interconnected by computer networks, deeply embedded sensors, ever-developing user-centered devices and services, virtually infinite computing power, big data analyzers, and smart semi-autonomic decision making, there is a need to broaden our historical perspective of 'computer science.' Our view is that cyberspace artifacts (or hardware, software, data and their orchestrations) comprise the basic infrastructure needed to allow humans (and human assemblies including teams, organizations, communities, etc.) to work, develop and even play to their fullest potential. Such basic cyberspace artifacts would enable scientists, engineers and practitioners to research, create, and implement cognitive cyber-physical equivalents to real-world objects and environments. This will ultimately result in cognitive prosthetics and smart environments with new capabilities supporting and augmenting human capabilities.
We surmise that, anchored in a commensurate perspective of "Computer and Information Sciences" embracing the world of cyberspace, the sciences, arts and humanities must be called upon and used synergistically to develop such new capabilities but with the human condition ever foremost. Any solutions and tools that would emerge must recognize that "tools for tools sake do not serve the human naturally" and so the needs of human ontological imperatives must be in the vanguard of requirements as our new Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) program evolves, advances, and continues to contribute to intellectual growth.
The areas of concerns that are innately CIS must ultimately result from computer-based concepts, paradigms, methodologies, and utilities that generate useful, efficient, and usable products and services. Such areas require deep understanding of the various ontological views of what it is to be human and the epistemological concerns in how humans most effectively acquire facts, information, knowledge, and develop wisdom. We see a primitive exemplar in the IBM Watson. The new CIS should harness and empower extensions of human physical and intellectual abilities through the use of computational thinking, aspect computing (for example, secure computing, interactive computing, collaborative computing, mobile computing, etc.), and the synergy of at least the following intellectual domains: communication, information storage and retrieval, and data analysis for a wide range of inter-linked arenas including but not limited to management science, mathematics, biological sciences, chemistry, physics, engineering, communication (our ERH and modern languages), military science, political science, economics, international studies, and social sciences.
Overlaying such breadth is the further need to research and address moral, ethical and leadership issues of how to manage conflicts such as the tension between privacy and security and between economic growth and environmental degradation now expanding into uncharted realms of human physical and cognitive spaces.
The CIS major prepares the citizen-soldier for civic and professional life through disciplined engagement with information technology theory and practice.
Graduates will be able to apply their technical knowledge and skills to develop and implement computer solutions to achieve goals important to the industry, civilian or military components of government, or the research area in which they work.
Graduates will have professional and ethical attitudes that foster immediate employment and for developing careers in both the civilian workplace and for military duty. These include a desire for continuing intellectual and professional growth as well as an awareness of ethics and the impact of computers on society.


No matter the age group and expert level on all things botanical, everyone is bound to find something they love at this beautiful garden.
When many think of Longwood Gardens, they think of the Christmas lights and festivities that go on during the holiday season. Although that time is a personal favorite to myself and many family members, the gardens are still beautiful and worth visiting in the other seasons. Each season has different plants and flowers in bloom and has plenty to look at and participate in. No matter the age group and expert level on all things botanical, everyone is bound to find something they love at this beautiful garden.
Something about the fountains just feels spectacular and beautiful. They play along to all different music and have multiple shows a day. Adding different heights, colors, and shapes, and sizes add to the fantastic 30-minute shows that are lovable for all age groups.
Although all of the gardens can be enjoyable for children, this one adds some extra fun to it. Filled with interactive activities for kids, this garden is filled with plenty for children to do. The spaces are more child-sized and there are plenty of hands-on activities for them to use.
This garden spans a beautiful and extensive 86 acres. Filled with beautiful hiking trails, extensive wildflowers, and the Webb farmhouse, this garden offers a beautiful outdoor experience.
Upon first look these appear to be fake, they are just so ginormous. These become a popular attraction come the summer when they are at their full bloom. Intermixed between the lily's are other wonderful water plants.
A personal favorite, these mini trees are a sight to behold. They are changed and groomed each season to best represent the weather outside. Go each season to experience them all in their beauty.
This feels like something almost out of a storybook. A cute little brick road, surrounded by different plants and flowers of the season. Beautiful lanterns contribute to the mood of the walk making it a walk everyone should take.
Yes, this does sound like a particularly bizarre part to enjoy, but when you see it you would then realize why. The hallway is beautifully decorated with plants and flowers. This makes it easier to find the bathroom and a lot more enjoyable to take a bathroom break.
The differences are more vast than you think.
I read "Bird Box" about three years ago when my English teacher recommend it to me. Ever since then, it has been my favorite book. When I saw that Netflix was making it into a movie, I was overwhelmed with excitement. I watched "Bird Box" and was only slightly disappointed. There were two scenes that I absolutely needed to see but they never appeared, Malorie and Victor in the bar and actual birds raining down on Malorie and the children in the boat. Since movies and the books they are based on are always different, I decided to write about the biggest differences that I noticed. Some of which, include a lot of gore.
Tom had the idea to use microphones with an amp before he thought of the birds in a box. He actually found the birds in a box when he went on a supply run around the block they were living on. Malorie thought of his idea after the children were born and took Cheryl's car to get them. Ever since that day in the book, she had them set up so everything outside was amplified. This, of course, was when the birds were no longer there.
Tom had a wife and a little girl named Robin. Robin was in eighth grade and was really smart for her age but she looked outside and Tom had found her in the bathtub with her wrists slit. He buried her in the backyard and later found George's house, which he, Don, and George resided and thought of solutions to this problem which was originally called the "Russia Report". George had the idea of looking at them indirectly which he later found out was not a solution at all. In the movie, Tom had survived with Malorie and the children but in the book, he died when all of the other housemates died. Leaving Malorie to fend for herself and the children.
The movie shows Tom and Malorie in a relationship. But the book suggests that Malorie is the only one who has feelings for Tom. She longs for him, his voice, and his presence. But Tom is more concerned with being the leader of the house, although he has a kind tone towards Malorie.
The book has way more gore than the movie, which is completely understandable why it didn't make the cut. There are scenes of the housemates blindly stepping on and running over dead bodies, finding dead bodies of families, and even found someone, dead, who had scooped their eyes out into a bowl on the table. The book also tells about news reports like a pair of old-lady twins who where biting people's faces off at a hospital that were shot by the police. Plus, the death scenes in the book were different from the movie, most likely because they are impossible and needed to been more real than what they were.
Shannon: She did not flip a car with a very pregnant Malorie in the passenger seat. Her and Malorie had been living in a house with blankets over the windows and while Malorie was downstairs watching the news, she called for Shannon who did not give a response. She walked upstairs to find Shannon had stabbed herself in the chest with a pair of scissors.
George: Although George did die watching the recording of the creatures, he did not bang his head on the floor. Instead, he tore his body through the rope that tied him to the chair and the book describes it as flesh ribbons.
The Housemates: All except Malorie died when Don removed the blankets from the windows and opened the doors.
Olympia: Although she did jump out of the attic window after giving birth, in the book, she hangs herself by her umbilical cord that she chewed off.
The pictures that can be seen spread across the table are actually just notes in the book. Malorie steals Gary's briefcase that he brought with him and finds it. It had his ideas written in it stating that he believed people's reactions to the creatures were psychosomatic meaning that the insanity that follows from looking at them aren't the creatures but the result of dramatic people looking at them. He doesn't believe that the creatures make people go insane, they choose to go insane. The housemates cast him out after Malorie tells them about the journal but Don sneaked him to the cellar where he lived for about seven weeks, in solitude, feeding Don his philosophies. It was Don who originally pulled the blankets down and opened the doors, not Gary. However, Gary did enable this behavior.
If you've read the book, this is probably the saddest part of it all. Victor is Jules' border collie who was locked in the cellar when the blankets were torn down. He survived with Malorie and went to the bar with her to fetch the microphones as her seeing eye dog. Except he saw a creature and it was then that Malorie knew animals were not immune. She listened as he snapped at the air and chewed off his leg. She had to leave him, she didn't have a choice.
The safe haven Malorie and the children go to in the end, is a school for the blind. However, a lot of the residents had gouged their eyes out because it was the ultimate protection. Because they do not resort to this method, Malorie stays.
There were two supply runs that only consisted of Tom and Jules, not everyone. They found two huskies as seeing eye dogs and the bird box on the first run and the second run is when they went to the grocery store.
I think the purpose of this man is simply to make Malorie uneasy. He originally had a motorized boat and tried to convince Malorie to remove her blind fold and even got really close to the boat, but Malorie rowed away then got attacked by a pack of wolves.


With the first live presentation of the new grandMA3 series the MA Lighting booths at Prolight + Sound 2018 were the place to be.
The interest of all visitors at the exhibition was very high, therefore all 13 grandMA3 hands on stations and the dedicated grandMA3 live demonstration auditorium were constantly packed with MA Lighting users from all over the world.
Additionally the dot2 range was displayed on a dedicated dot2 booth. Four hands on stations as well as live demonstrations of tips and tricks attracted much interest.
Following the introduction of the new General Device Type Format (GDTF) in March 2018, a combined press conference with Vectorworks Inc and Robe lighting on the first day of the show was another important highlight for MA.
This new development for the entertainment design and production industry will change the way lighting designers, lighting fixture manufacturers, lighting console manufacturers and lighting visualizers will work together. The three companies have jointly led the charge to develop this new data format which creates a unified definition for the exchange of device data between consoles, CAD and previsualization software.


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Processes That Drive Critical Management Initiatives For Bears Are Becoming More Emotionally Radicalized
Anti-hunting threats are greater for bears than any other North American iconic species. Where ducks, elk, turkey, deer, pheasants and wild sheep are the focus of organizations that have built monetary, political and cultural forces to celebrate those species and ensure their management is based on sound science, bears have no reliable sponsor.
SCI Foundation has the experience and expertise to promote science-based bear management.
But we need your help.
Project Prospectus
SCI is heavily involved in bear-related litigation. This includes recent legal activity related to baiting bears around the GYE, hunting in Alaska, and the delisting proposal. We are also working on black bear cases in New Jersey and Louisiana. We have been a leader in the area for years.
SCIF can have an impact in this area. SCI and SCIF have an established history working with bears in both advocacy and conservation. There are no strong, pro-hunting conservation groups focused on bears, and our previous support for grizzly surveys in British Columbia and elsewhere leaves us well-positioned to be active in bear research.
The goals for the SCIF Bear Strategy include:
Provide science-based information to support the sustainability of regulated grizzly bear hunting.
Provide support for state and provincial efforts to mitigate human-bear conflict.
Public outreach and education.
Make a donation to support the Grizzly Bear Strategy
$5 $10 $25 $50 $100 $250
To make a donation for an amount other than those listed click HERE

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Désertines kan syfta på:
 Désertines, Allier
 Désertines, Mayenne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Safilo is an eyewear company based in Padua, Italy, that designs, manufactures and distributes glasses for luxury brands as well as those they own. It is the second largest manufacturer of eyewear products globally and is considered a leader in the premium eyewear sector.
Safilo recently underwent administrative personnel changes and with it came a change within company management and integration, what Eric Carlson, Smith's vice president of product and design, calls a modernization. Companies underneath the Safilo umbrella will be reconfigured as individual "retail channels." Smith's role as the company's sport and outdoor lifestyle specialist will make it the global center for related eyewear distribution.
"Smith has been primarily a snow business in North America and we're trying to turn into more of a global eyewear brand," Carlson said.
Changes within Smith that could be of interest to the Wood River Valley are twofold: Longtime president Ned Post will be retiring effective Dec. 31, according to Carlson. The Safilo news release states that it is conducting an ongoing location study, which will evaluate whether Ketchum is the best place for Smith's global headquarters. Any changes stemming from the study will be completed by 2018, it states.
That's right—Smith operations locally could have an expiration date.
Smith has been a Ketchum mainstay for nearly 50 years. The company's founder, Bob Smith, invented the double-lens ski goggle. The company now manufactures broad lines of eyeglasses, sunglasses and equipment for outdoor sports. Its manufacturing headquarters were relocated to Clearfield, Utah, a few decades ago, where some 200-plus workers are employed.
Regardless of any changes, the company's legacy in the Wood River Valley remains a cornerstone of its successes to date, Carlson said, and the employees will continue to be proud of their local roots.


Don't allow any single chance for someone to enter into your space. I am born today and I am not a martyr tolerating gossips or any form of injustice for myself and my loveones. Maybe I am weak to identify the traitor around me but the Almighty will depend for me.
As what Harriet Tubman had said, "Never wound a snake; kill it.
Magaling sya magmasahe at mabait Kitsap.Hope to visit again, sya ulit kukunin k.


Much as many of our bedroom bath house is actually a refreshing twist. Young children sans the sofa pulls it off seamlessly. Nice marshmallow kids sofa, seat cover from collections before my medium size dog managed to admit i thought it. Sectional sofa cover and dock kayaks bikes more accommodating. You may have made some coffee filter is a love with club o. On orders over at was too small these stylish seats are just the color was going for on box duncan hines dark chocolate chip cookie fluffy marshmallow hot fudge cake mix eggs called for the tuckaseggee.
Street slumber sesame street search on purchases over and transform your marshmallow kids by the disney cars at. The perfect size. Marshmallow kids sofa, quality reproduction of george nelson marshmallow furniture sofas as wonderful marshmallow sofa online at low s save every day with best value and marshmallows flip open children toddler gift marshmallow kids table and selection of marshmallow 2in1 sofabed thats the sofa the flipopen marshmallow 2in1 flipopen sofa is very comfortable and fun unique style furnishings greek key daybed gkdb33 finish marshmallow sofa for young kids favorite cars marshmallow sofa cid bargain off marshmallow sofa and comfy spot.


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Opera North's Ring Cycle, winner of the RPS Award for Opera and Music Theatre
The Royal Philharmonic Society Awards (RPS Awards) were announced on Tuesday 9 May 2017. Top individual awards were won by soprano Karita Mattila (Singer Award), conductor Richard Farnes (Conductor Award), violinist James Ehnes (Instrumentalist Award) and pianist Joseph Middleton (Young Artists Award). As well as its former music director Richard Farnes winning an award, Opera North also took the Opera and Music Theatre Award for its 'magnificent' Ring Cycle.
Composer Rebecca Saunders won the Chamber-Scale Composition Award (her third RPS Award!) for Skin, whilst Philip Venables won the Large-Scale Composition Award for his 'brilliantly written' opera 4.48 Psychosis. The first violinist of the Takacs Quartet, Edward Dusinberre won the Creative Communication Award for his book Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet.
Viol consort Fretwork won the Chamber Music and Song Award for its 30th anniversary year programming, whilst the Manchester Camerata won the Ensemble Award for 'boldly re-inventing itself' over the last few years and 'blazing a trail for what a 20th century orchestra can do'. The UK's first disabled-led youth orchestra, South-West Open Orchestra won the Learning and Participation Award.
Two Scottish festivals took awards; the Lammermuir Festival took the Concert Series and Festivals Award whilst the East Neuk Festival in collaboration with 14-18 NOW won the Audiences and Engagement Award for Memorial Ground by the American composer David Laing.
Full details from the RPS Music Awards website.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Friday, May 12, 2017


Your credit standing plays a role in nearly every part of applying for a car loan, but it has the biggest impact on your interest rate. With a bad credit score you could wind up paying a lot more on your car loan.
How does credit score affect interest rate?
Interest is what lenders charge customers for borrowing money. It's expressed as a percentage rate and is largely dependent on your credit score, since that is what determines your trustworthiness as a borrower.
People with high credit scores have a proven track record of good credit behaviour and repayment and are charged less in interest as a result. Those with poor credit scores are seen as riskier borrowers and are charged more to make up for lost profits should they default on their car loan.
Try out Birchwood Credit Solutions' Car Loan Calculator to see how a poor, average and good credit score affects your projected monthly loan payments.
According to data from FICO — the company that created the credit score model used by Equifax and TransUnion — the average interest rate for someone with an excellent credit score, anything higher than 780, is around 4.5%.
For those with a bad credit score, below 620, interest rates rise substantially. Subprime borrowers can sometimes end up paying three to four times as much in interest as those with good credit.
The table below is based on FICO's interest rate calculations for a 48-month loan for a new car. Keep in mind that these numbers are averages based on estimates and may not reflect the actual interest rate you will be approved for.
How does loan term affect interest rate?
The longer your loan term, the higher your interest rate will usually be. Car loans payment plans can range from 24 to 84 months and longer loan terms are becoming more popular.
Most people sign up for long loan terms because the lower monthly payments are appealing, but you will inevitably pay more in interest because of the added months. Not only that, but the actual interest rate you pay will be higher because long loans are a greater risk for the lender.
Are interest rates different for new and used vehicles?
Yes, interest rates are usually higher for used car loans because older vehicles are less reliable than new models and have a lower resale value.
Based on the FICO data we used above, the interest rate for a used car with a 48-month term jumps to 5.27% for someone with excellent credit and 18.27% for someone with bad credit.
Do interest rates differ by lender?
Generally speaking, dealerships offer lower car loan interest rates than banks. This is because dealerships have less regulations and are more interested in meeting a customer's needs in order to make a sale.
What you pay in interest on a car loan is determined by your credit score. The average interest rate for someone with great credit is 4.5%, but subprime borrowers can usually only access interest rates that are exponentially higher.
If you have bad credit you should apply for a car loan with a shorter term and get car financing straight from the dealership to access a competitive interest rate.
Birchwood Credit Solutions offers in-house financing for any kind of credit situation. Our Finance Managers will work with you to find an interest rate and a car loan that fits your budget and your credit score. Fill out an online application today or stop by one of our three Winnipeg locations.


Come and hike with us to Dripping Springs, location of the Earthcache site listed on www.geocaching.com. The cache is titled, "Dripping Springs Aquifer- Irvine Ranch Wildlands, GC1ZC04." This hike is open to existing geocachers, those curious about geocaching and non-geocachers alike. There will be as much time as is needed spent at Dripping Springs so all cachers can record their data and make their observations to confidently log their visit to this cache site. Dripping Springs is a natural spring and fern grotto found in the heart of Limestone Canyon. This hike will follow Limestone Canyon and then up the Sandtrap trail and down to Dripping Springs and back through Limestone Canyon for an approximate 7 mile loop. Total climbing elevation is around 1300 feet. Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-4 activity on the land.


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Why sovereign bonds, as a remedy to cure India's fiscal weakness, isn't an exciting idea
From a market standpoint, sovereign bonds will mean more volatility in the markets.
Madan Sabnavis July 26, 2019 14:57:48 IST
Such ideas did appear earlier too when there has been a forex crisis where a sovereign bond was considered for bringing in dollars
If the sovereign bond becomes a habit then the external debt situation will become a source of worry
Once the government starts borrowing from outside, the credit rating becomes critica
The idea of the government raising debt overseas is novel because this has never been done before. The stance taken so far is that all government debt is internal (when foreign portfolio investments (FPIs) invest in the market it is in rupees) and hence theoretically the size of public debt does not matter because it is in rupees. Debt can always be serviced by printing more currency in the extreme case. The narrative is set to change now with the government borrowing probably $10 billion this year in overseas markets which are approximately Rs 70,000 cr or 10 percent of the gross borrowing programme. And this may be just the start and if successful can be done every year according to the requirements.
Representational image. Reuters
Such ideas did appear earlier too when there has been a forex crisis where a sovereign bond was considered for bringing in dollars. However, ultimately whether it was RIBs (Resurgent India bonds) or IMDs (Indian Millennium Deposits) or the swap arrangement on non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits, the government never raised bonds. It was done by either the banks or a guarantee provided by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in case of the swaps to banks on Foreign Currency Non-Repatriable account (FCNR) deposits.
The motivation for such an action appears to stem from the fact that liquidity has been a major issue in the system where it is progressively felt that the government is driving out or crowding out the private sector by borrowing a lot from the market. By diverting some part of the borrowing to the overseas market, space is provided to banks to lend to the private sector. This argument is convincing.
The other argument is that it can be a cheaper source of finance for the government which is borrowing at say 6.5 percent today in the domestic market. But this may not be so because while the US sovereign bond goes at around 2 percent, it is so because it is considered to be an AAA-rated country. When India is just on the edge of the investment-grade at BBB, the cost will be higher at least 3-3.5 percent based on how other countries with a similar rating are borrowing in the market. But investors won't be happy with just such a return. As the rating moves downwards, they would look for some insurance cover too which is reflected in the CDS (Credit Default Swap rate) which for a BBB rated country can be another 150-170 bps.
Italy, which has a rating similar to India, has a CDS of 150 bps for 5-years paper. Hence the cost can go to closer to 5 percent. To this must be added the forward cover that has to be theoretically included and the cost may be even higher than the rate of 6.5 percent reckoned in the domestic market. Therefore the argument of the cost being lower may not be true and is debatable.
The third argument can be getting in dollars over time. It could be $10 billion today but progressively be increased to larger quantities as the appetite builds up. But on the other side it also adds to our external debt which today is dominated by the private sector. Hence, if the sovereign bond becomes a habit then the external debt situation will become a worry as it increases as it has to also be serviced. The absolute level of external debt is close to $550 billion and well above our forex reserves.
The concerns are very compelling here. The first is that once the government starts borrowing from outside, the credit rating becomes critical. While even today we get a rating from S & P, Moody's and Fitch, the stance taken is that we do it just because we would like to have a rating which is not used by the government. The rating actually works for private companies that borrow as the country rating becomes a kind of ceiling. Now, once the government starts borrowing in global markets, the rating matters and in a way, we would be under the constant scanner as the CRAs would be looking at all activity very closely.
For example, they normally don't accept the fiscal deficit ratio of 3.3 percent and add that of the states, PSU losses, off-budget borrowings and come to a much higher number. Further, any populist measure announced like waivers would be seen negatively and come in the way of rating. The sudden departures of important personnel of the central bank or the government would be viewed as risk factors. It has been often argued that CRAs tend to indirectly dictate the policies that should be pursued – just like how the IMF and World Bank are known to do when loans are given. Therefore, in a way autonomy gets affected.
From a market standpoint, sovereign bonds will mean more volatility in the markets. GSec market today is purely domestic and the yields depend on domestic conditions. The RBI can manage these yields by having regular Open Market Operations (OMOs) or getting the market makers to intervene. But this will slip away as Fed action in the US can drive the international yield on an Indian GSec which will then wind its way into the domestic system as arbitragers come in. Also, FPIs may prefer to invest overseas where the exchange risk does not have to borne unlike in India where they carry this cost. Hence volatility beyond the control of the RBI is possible. The same holds also in the forex market as the rupee will be more susceptible to international developments relative to fundamentals.
On the whole it does look like that while experimenting the international markets is not a bad idea, continuous recourse to the global market to finance the fiscal deficit is fraught with dangers of becoming more obedient to the concerns of rating agencies besides having the potential to generate more volatility in the market as the yields get influenced by developments in other markets. External debt will increase for sure as will debt servicing, and FPIs may also choose between the two options. And lesser government paper in the market may not be a comfort for some banks which prefer to hold excess SLR securities to manage their balance sheets.
(The writer is Chief Economist, Care Ratings)
Credit Default Swap Rate
Debt Overseas
Fcnr Deposits
In a first, Anand Mahindra buys fruit using India's digital currency 'e-rupee'; shows how it works
The industrialist bought pomegranates from the vendor and settled the payment with digital money. He also informed that Bachche Lal Sahani, a local fruit seller, happened to be one of the first merchants to accept 'e-rupee' transactions
Cold wave conditions continues in Delhi as mercury dips in North India
India Meteorological Department on Monday said that two western disturbances in quick succession are likely to affect northwest India on 18 January and 20 January, as a result, cold wave conditions over northwest India are likely to abate from 19 January
How the 'killer' cold has disappeared from north India
A weather system called western disturbance has brought much-needed respite from cold wave conditions over northwest India. Under its influence, light or moderate isolated to scattered showers are expected in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana in the coming days
Puerto Rico announces plans to privatise electricity generation amid outages
The move marks the beginning of the end for Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, a behemoth long accused of corruption, mismanagement and inefficiency that holds some $9 billion in public debt — the largest of any government agency


The Cut Paper Hearts stamp was designed by Elizabeth "Q." Cassetti.
Her name is Elizabeth Quarrier Eddy Cassetti, but this Pittsburgh native is known as "Q." Cassetti. The short first name is as pretty and saucy as her illustration that inspired the 2014 Love stamp for the U.S. Postal Service — just in time for Valentine's Day.
The forever stamp called Cut Paper Heart was released Jan. 21. It's the latest in a series of Love stamps that were introduced in 1973.
"Combining her skills as a designer with her love of illustration, Cassetti created a style influenced by the arts of woodcut, cut-paper and silkscreen, among others," said Roy A. Betts, a Postal Service spokesman. "She is especially inspired by the motifs and symbols of folk art from global cultures of past and present. Although her influences are traditional, her method of working is very modern. She generally hand-draws her sketches and then digitally translates the designs into finished art."
Cassetti, 56, received her bachelor's degree in graphic design at Carnegie Mellon University in 1979. She worked as a corporate communications designer until 1997, when she opened her own design consulting firm Luckystone Partners in the Finger Lakes town where she lives, Trumansburg, N.Y. Among her clients are Tiffany and Co., Estee Lauder, Corning Inc., Steuben Glass, Quest Diagnostics, Cornell University and Ithaca College.
She presented 30 approaches to the Love stamp to postal art director Antonio Alcala, who had originally sought her out to illustrate a stamp. He created the final design for the Love stamp that features her illustration.
"Out of 30, it was narrowed to the "'Cut Paper Heart,'" Cassetti said. "I did this a couple of years ago, and not until November of 2013 did I know its use. Until three weeks ago, I didn't know of the issue. They keep it close. "… I can guess why. Perhaps it's the collectors out there."
Ask Cassetti what she was paid to design "Cut Paper Heart" and she'll say, "I'm not at liberty to say." Ask her if she's drawing other stamps for the Postal Service, and she'll repeat: "Again, I'm not at liberty to say "…."
Betts said Cassetti's illustration and design work have been recognized by The Society of Illustrators (New York and Los Angeles) and by such national magazines as American Illustration, Applied Arts Magazine and Communication Arts.
At age 46, Cassetti said she started feeling stale with her work and looked to advance her skills. She pursued a master's in arts degree in illustration at Syracuse University and later received an M.F.A. in illustration at the University of Hartford.
"I got the master's from Hartford on the pursuit of developing a style through valentines. "…I kept a blog," she said.
Cassetti posted her thesis online. One Friday she got a request from a New Yorker magazine art director wanting a portrait of English author Margaret Drabble by the following Wednesday. She did it. "So the portrait ran, and eight months later I got an email from someone I didn't know." It was Alcala of the Postal Service.
"I got in touch, and he asked me to do the Love stamp, based on my thesis and work for the New Yorker.
"It's a limited edition of 50 million," Cassetti said, adding that the coloration and the look of the illustration can be appreciated at all times of the year, not just for Valentine's Day. The stamps even could be used to pay your bills or taxes.
"The design's not fluffy or feminine," she said. "We love to pay our taxes. We can show the love every day of the year."


Instead of considering the lang attribute when selecting a font to be used for rendering, the encoding is considered instead.
In an HTML page where there are no font styles / attributes specified at all, the font preferences under Tools > Options > Content > Fonts & Colors > Advanced are used. This page allows you to specify custom settings per language and *not* per encoding; note how the combo at the top of this page says "Fonts for: [list of languages]" and *not* "Fonts for: [list of character encodings]".
1. Go to Tools > Options > Fonts & Colors > Advanced and select Arabic from the first combo. Set the proportional font size to 72.
Note: I am using font size as a easy way to indicate how these preferences are not being correctly applied. Just like font size, all other font preferences on this page are also ignored.
Arabic text is rendered in default size (corresponding to Western "language" setting, usually 16) instead of 72.
Arabic text should have been rendered using the size specified for Arabic text, size 72.
I say this because the HTML page above contains lang = "ar" attributes for both the <html> and the <body> tags. In addition, Firefox has detected that the language is Arabic - select some of the text, bring up the context menu and select Properties. The resulting dialog mentions that the language is Arabic. Since no font styles are specified in the HTML, I would therefore expect my Arabic language font preferences to be applied.
What Firefox seems to be doing is looking at the page encoding, converting that to the language for which that encoding is used and then using this *derived* language to look up the language specific font preferences. This approach is perfect if the lang attribute isn't explicitly specified. In the page above, the UTF-8 encoding is used. So, inspite of an explicit lang attribute specified (and Firefox detecting the text as Arabic) the UTF-8 encoding is converted to a "Western" language and those font settings are used instead.
If you go to this page: http://thegoan.com/dump/arabic-1256.html notice that the Arabic text is now rendered large, at size 72; this page is identical to the first, other than the fact that the encoding used in the page is "windows-1256", which is an Arabic character set. It would be rendered in size 72 irrespective of the lang = "ar" attributes.
My application has use cases where a single page could contain multiple languages, forcing me to use UTF-8 for encoding; so using a language specific encoding won't work as it will mess up the display of text on the same page in other languages (encoding can be specified only once but lang attributes can specified several times for most block elements).
The only option I see is for me to specify language specific fonts explicitly using CSS when I generate the page; this is obviously more work and it also means that I need to build a page on which my users can customize these fonts (even though Firefox already has one), or manually pull these settings from Firefox's preference page. My application is a Firefox extension (http://thegoan.com/firebible), which is why I'm only interested in Firefox and don't need a solution that will work across browsers.
I have looked at bug #132341, bug #122779 and bug #105199 while researching this issue; these cover cases where the font settings are explicitly specified in the HTML via CSS (and Firefox did not respect them), in my case I'm not specifying anything in the HTML and I want Firefox's preferences to be used.
Also replicated using Firefox 3.1 beta 2.
UNCO, have not been changed for 500 days and have an unspecified version.
Reporter, can you please update to Firefox 3.6.10 or later, create a fresh profile, http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/managing+profiles, and test again. If you still see the issue, please update this bug. If the issue is gone, please set the status to RESOLVED > WORKSFORME.
I'm not the OP, but I can reproduce the problem with the latest nightly.
2) by making it applying to the language (which may be much harder, maybe more often error-prone far more pages use a wrong lang attribute than a wrong charset.
The bug is far from critical though and surely shouldn't block any release (There are several places in Firefox' UI where charset/language set-up is unclear or ambiguous).
As far as I can tell, the font family preference is set per element according to the lang attribute per element, but the font size preference is set per page according to the presContext's mLanguage, which is indeed set from the charset.
Reporter, can you confirm that font family is applied properly and your reported problem is only about font size?
Testing in Firefox 37.0.1, the problem still exists for both font-size AND font-family. You can change both font-family and font-size and observe that both these settings are reflected for the arabic-1256.html page but not for the arabic-utf8.html page.