text:
1. How did the Hampstead SRA hoax begin?
Perhaps the best synopsis of the beginnings of the hoax can be gleaned from Mrs Justice Pauffley's fact-finding judgment, which she issued on 19 March 2015.
In paragraphs 11 through 19 of that judgment, she lays out the bare bones of what happened. She refers to the children, an 8-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl, as 'Q' and 'P' respectively; we have also chosen to anonymise the names of those who were falsely accused.
In September 2014, lurid allegations of the most serious kind were drawn to the attention of the Metropolitan Police. In a variety of ways, it was suggested that P and Q were part of a large group of children from north London who had been sexually abused, made to abuse one another and that they had belonged to a satanic cult in which there was significant paedophile activity.
Specifically, it was said that babies were supplied from all over the world. They were bought, injected with drugs and then sent by TNT or DHL to London. The assertions were that babies had been abused, tortured and then sacrificed. Their throats were slit, blood was drunk and cult members would then dance wearing babies' skulls (sometimes with blood and hair still attached) on their bodies. All the cult members wore shoes made of baby skin produced by the owner of a specified shoe repair shop.
Children, it was alleged, would be anally abused by adult members of the cult using plastic penises or "willies."
Christchurch Primary School in Hampstead was said to be where the "main action" occurred but at least seven other local schools were named. East Finchley swimming pool was identified as one of the other meeting venues for the paedophile ring. Rituals were performed, so it was claimed, in an upstairs room at the McDonald's restaurant where the "boss" allowed child sacrifice because he was a member of the cult. Human babies were prepared, cooked in the ovens within a secret kitchen and then eaten by cult members.
It was alleged that the children's father, [redacted], was the leader of the cult and that others included the children's headteacher, Ms F., another teacher, Mr H., the priest at the adjacent church, a large number of named parents of other children, social workers, CAFCASS officers and police officers. It was said that, in all, more than a hundred people were involved in 'doing sex' to the children.
I am able to state with complete conviction that none of the allegations are true. I am entirely certain that everything Ms Draper, her partner Abraham Christie and the children said about those matters was fabricated. The claims are baseless. Those who have sought to perpetuate them are evil and / or foolish.
All the indications are that over a period of some weeks last summer [2014], P and Q were forced by Mr Christie and Ms Draper, working in partnership, to provide concocted accounts of horrific events. The stories came about as the result of relentless emotional and psychological pressure as well as significant physical abuse. Torture is a strong word but it is the most accurate way to describe what was done to the children by Mr Christie in collaboration with Ms Draper.
The children were made to take part in filmed mobile 'phone recordings in which they relayed a series of fabricated satanic practices. Subsequently, at the instigation of Abraham Christie and Ella Draper, the children repeated their false stories to Jean-Clement Yaohirou, Mr Christie's brother in law, in a late night discussion. It lasted for about three hours; Mr Christie and Ms Draper did most of the talking.
P and Q were ABE (Achieving Best Evidence) interviewed on 5, 11 and 17 September 2014. On the first two occasions, they supplied information about events they claimed had occurred, similar in their overall content to the mobile 'phone video clips and audio recording. On 17 September, in ABE interview, both children withdrew their allegations. Each stated they had been made to say things by Abraham Christie, the mother's partner, which were not true; and they gave very full details of the way in which he had secured their compliance.
2. Who are Abe and Ella?
By way of background: Ella Gareeva Draper was born in Russia. She was married to Mr Draper, and has an older son by him. This young man has lived with his father since 2010.
In 2003 Ella met [redacted], the father of P and Q; by 2006 they were living apart. From that time, RD's access to his children had never proceeded smoothly; he had to keep returning to court to gain access, which Ella consistently thwarted.
According to Mrs Justice Pauffley, "Between May 2010 and October 2013, therapeutic sessions occurred intermittently at the Tavistock Clinic. There was a period, notably between November 2011 and November 2012, when the children did not have contact with their father. There was intermittent concern about P's relationship with her mother and also that both children were presenting as and complaining of being hungry at school".
In May 2014, RD had contact with the children for the first time since October 2013. During that month, Ella met Abraham Christie. Our understanding is that they met at a "raw foods" event; both are very interested in a raw food diet, and in the use of raw cannabis as a "super-food" in particular.
Abraham Christie is a small-time criminal who has 64 criminal charges and 37 convictions to his name, primarily for theft, drugs, firearms, assault & battery, forgery, and the like. He has been in and out of prison, with his longest stint being four years in Malaga, Spain, for theft.
In May 2014 he received a formal police caution for assaulting one of his own children. (A police caution means that the accused person accepts that they committed the crime.)
He and Ella met in May 2014, and within a few weeks he had begun staying overnight at her house. He had several clashes with parents and staff at the children's school:
Abe's relationship with the school was rocky, to say the least. On one occasion, he flew into a rage when he discovered that P and Q had been eating "off-limits" food (they were known in the school for constantly being hungry, and for taking food from other children and from garbage bins on occasion). Abe accused the school of "poisoning" the children, which unsurprisingly did not endear him to the staff there.
My source told me, "The children were already very much on the radar as being at risk. They openly discussed their fear of Abe. They also were constantly hungry and took other people's food. All their classmates knew they hated Abe."
The school notified social services that the children were hungry and fearful of their mother's boyfriend. "That's why the headmistress and deputy were targeted so personally after they reported him."
3. How were the allegations developed?
Again, we turn to Mrs Justice Pauffley's summary. For context, Jean-Clement Yaohirou is Abe's sister's husband, and is a 'Special Constable' with the London Metropolitan Police.
In August 2014, at a time when he was holiday in France, Jean-Clement Yaohirou received 'phone calls and messages from Mr Christie in which he said he had information regarding the abuse of children. In evidence, Mr Yaohirou said that Abraham "had not been coming forward with specific information" but was "trying to give (him) justification." Abraham Christie had said that a church, a school in Hampstead and a police station in Haringey were involved. Mr Yaohirou had asked whether Mr Christie "had evidence". He said, "Yes;" and "that was it for July".
In early August, the mother, Mr Christie and the children went abroad. They travelled to Gibraltar and then Morocco. They returned on 4 September.
It seems entirely probable that the majority of the short film clips of the children 'speaking to camera' were made at the airport whilst awaiting their flight back to England. There are others which appear to have been made whilst Q was either getting ready for bed or had awoken from sleep.
When Mr Yaohirou came back to England on 3 September, he had told Mr Christie over the 'phone that "anyone can make an allegation" but he would need "sufficient evidence for the police to take the case forward." Mr Christie had replied, "I will bring you evidence."
On 4 September 2014 in the late evening, Mr Yaohirou returned to his home after work to find Mr Christie, P and Q present. They were subsequently joined by Ms Draper.
With great presence of mind, Mr Yaohirou recorded the conversations between himself, Mr Christie, the children and the mother on his mobile 'phone.
Because, according to Mr Christie, Haringey police officers were implicated, Mr Yaohirou decided to report the matter to Scotland Yard. Subsequently, he was in touch by email with Detective Inspector Cannon, the senior investigating officer with responsibility for overseeing the police inquiry. By then Mr Yaohirou was, as he said in evidence, "greatly concerned for the children's welfare."
Mr Yaohirou described how he had suggested to DI Cannon that the children should be placed in a safe environment until the case had been sorted out. Mr Yaohirou said he had been unsettled by what he'd heard and believed the children needed some medical or psychological assistance.
We have now completed a full transcription of the audio recording made at Jean-Clement Yaohirous's house on 4 September 2014. Please find the transcript here: The Jean-Clement audio recording: FULL TRANSCRIPT.
This is the only known transcript which includes the entire recording, and it contains a great deal of little-known information.
4. What were the allegations?
The videos recorded by Abe and Ella en route home from Morocco, as well as the audio recorded by Jean-Clement Yaohirou, delineate the allegations the children made.
Again, from the fact-finding judgment:
The mobile 'phone film clips made by the mother and Mr Christie form part of the material relied upon by Ms Draper to support the claims of exceptionally serious abuse. There are 16 short clips in all although 3 appear to be copies. It is useful to set out a reasonably full extract of the first film clip because of the way it sets the scene for the rest.
The children are standing at the side of a car in a public place, possibly at an airport. P and Q look tired. There is a noticeable graze on P's chin and, seemingly, a large bruise in the centre of her forehead.
The conversation begins between the two children and Mr Christie. P and Q talk about deciding to stop touching each other and the children. P says they will "face their fear – and face our urge – and stop touching ourselves." Mr Christie asks, "… what else are you going to stop?" Q replies, "And stop killing babies." Mr Christie says, "You're going to face your fear? Because fear is what?" P replies, "Fear is the mind killer." Mr Christie then says, "And you're going to help us catch, who are you going to help us catch?" Both children reply, "All the paedophiles." P adds, "Papa, Mr H.." Both children say, "the school." Ms Draper interjects, "All the policemen, all the – Social Services." Mr Christie urges the children to "speak up, speak up." The children then repeat, "All the Social Services" and add, "All the shopkeepers – Cafcass – all the cafes, all the Pizza Express – McDonalds."
Mr Christie asks, "Who's Cafcass? … What's Cafcass" P and Q reply, "Cafcass is, they work with – they're for children – they work with Social Services." Mr Christie asks, "And what did they do to you?" Both children, one after the other, respond, "They do sex … They touch each other – they touch me and Q. They have plastic willies. And they stick it in our bottom."
Mr Christie then asks the children to say who has done this. The children reply, "Everybody does." In response to his direct questions, "Who, who, who?" the children say, "Papa, Mr H. – the school …" The mother interjects, "Parents." Q adds, "My dad's family." Mr Christie then says, "Tell me more people, tell me some more people because I'm interested." P adds, "Parents, policemen –."
Mr Christie asks, "What about the teachers at the school, who are the main ones?" The children give names and then they are asked what the head teacher does. Both reply simultaneously, "And she does sex." Next Mr Christie asks, "And what happens in the church?" P replies, "And we do sex with the baby sacrifice and eat the baby." Mr Christie asks what she means and she says, "So we kill the baby and eat it and drink the blood from it." Mr Christie asks Q whether that is true. He replies, "Yes. And we dance with the skulls… Baby skulls."
One of Mr Christie's final questions is as to who kills the babies. Both children reply, "Papa." Mr Christie then says, "And what, he gets you to help him?" Both children say, "Yes." P adds, "So he tells us to hold our hand in a knife and then he holds his hand on our hand, so then he cuts the baby's head off. And he tip it upside down and then we drain the blood." Ms Draper asks, "And then what they do?" P replies, "And then we cook it and then we drink the blood and after we pick the bones, dance with the skulls…"
The other film clips are similar in that the interrogation of the children is undertaken in the main by Mr Christie with occasional interventions by Ms Draper. More and more information about the activities of the cult and the identities of those involved is recorded. In the second extract, the children are instructed to "Tell the camera…. Say what you said to the camera." Ms Draper at one point says, "So what are we going to do? We're going to protect other babies – and children, huh? And save those children who are involved or have been forced to be involved, right?"
The eighth clip starts with Mr Christie saying to Q, "Keep saying it to her." It seems that he and the children are, by then, on a plane. Q then pleads with P to "Tell the truth." He begs her saying, "P it's really important. If you won't tell the truth you'll get yourself into big trouble … so please tell the truth." The tenth clip continues similarly, Q fervently pleads with P to tell the truth. He says, "Mum and Papa Hemp are protecting you and you have to help them protect yourself … and to protect all of us because we're in a group. If the group lies we'll start to get wrong, things will start to happen wrong. And you might like, you might broke a glass, you might hurt yourself." Mr Christie asks, "What about the babies?" Q replies, "And you might get your back your payment for the babies, you might get killed by someone."
The 4 September recorded discussion between Abraham Christie and the children
The 4 September audio recording made by Jean Clement Yaohirou on his mobile 'phone is a key component of the material relevant to this inquiry. It provides an invaluable record of the interaction between Mr Christie and the children, the various prompts and instructions given by him to the children and, later, an insight into the mother's attitude towards the children's relationship with their father.
At the very beginning, Mr Christie instructs the children, "Don't tell Jean Clement any lies … Do you hear me?" He continues, "Otherwise we'll have to lock you up in the jail. Have you got room to lock her up tonight Jean Clement? Have you got room, yes or no?" Mr Christie then laughs and says, "So tell him what you said. You deserve to be locked up for killing the baby. Listen did you kill any babies?"
One of the children replies "No." Mr Christie asks, "Who killed the babies?" A child replies, "Papa. Papa hold our hand… We put on our hand but we – " Mr Christie then interrupts, saying "No, he puts your hand on." The child continues, "And then he puts his hand on ours, cuts off the baby's head. Because he's strong – ." Mr Christie interrupts again, "But he teaches you (inaudible)."
Mr Christie then explains to Jean Clement Yaohirou in the presence of the children what this is all about. He says, "… you don't understand what I'm telling you? They are killing babies wholesale, wholesale. They are killing them, they are drinking the blood and they are eating meat, and the skulls of the babies they are tying them, four skulls here …., one here, two here, elbows here. And they are making, what about the shoes, this baby – " One of the children says, "Yeah, skin, baby skin shoes." Mr Christie asks "Who makes the baby skin shoes?" A man's name is given, and in response to the question as to whether he is a shoemaker, the child answers that he is.
There is a period early on when Mr Christie asks the children a series of quick fire questions, "What about the doctor, is he one as well? Answer "Yes." What about your headmistress, is she one as well? A. "Yes" Q. "How many skulls does she wear when she's dancing?" A. "20." Q. So how many adults are involved then? A. "So maybe like 400, 400 plus, 450, 430, something like that." Q. "How many skulls do they wear?" A. "20." Mr Christie then says, "So, there's over 400 adults and they're all wearing 20 skulls each. Can you do the maths? Over 800 (sic)."
A little later on in the discussion with Mr Yaohirou, Mr Christie introduces the notion that the mother's three children are involved with "this cult". He said the mother had come to him because she knew he could help her, "she didn't know how and (he, Mr Christie) didn't know how." Mr Christie then said, "some of her friends that come to the house – they come to the house and they go to the school and they sex the children behind her back." Mr Yaohirou asks if everything happened in the school. Mr Christie replies, "In the school, in the church and above at the swimming pool, at the local swimming pool." One of the children adds, "In the house." Mr Christie goes on to say, "Happens in school during school hours. You go there on a Wednesday and you will arrest them all. And you will take the children in the school because they do it to every child in the school and I guarantee you, out of the children, 100 of them will talk."
P then says, "And they sell us for £50 each. So Papa sells me and Q." Mr Christie adds, "At the parties. And 100 people do sex with them … 200 times 50 is how much? 10 grand, I've done the maths already…. What else do they sell?" One of the children starts to reply but is told to "Shut up" by Mr Christie who then says, "He makes movies. He makes snuff movies of the babies and he sells them in the Ukraine, in Russia, in Brazil, in Portugal, in Brussels, in England, he sells them all over the world."
At times, Mr Christie sounded very agitated and aggressive, for example when he told Mr Yaohirou that they "have to give the (children's) passports back to the solicitor who is a member of the paedophile group;" and also when he said "… But we're not going to let him (the father) see them (the children). We can't let him see them. They (sic) will kill them."
A little later, there is discussion between Mr Christie and Mr Yaohirou about the court proceedings between the mother and father. Mr Christie explains that [the father] has taken the mother to court "because he wants to see his children." Mr Christie rhetorically asks, "But why does he want to see them? To do sex to them, to make party, to sell them to other people and to make movies…. We cannot allow it to happen anymore. He must be arrested." Mr Christie then introduces the topic of "Papa's secret room" asking one of the children to say what is done there. But nothing is said by either child.
There is evident pressure upon the children when, for example, Mr Christie asks, "Has father got keys to the house." A. "Yeah." Mr Christie says, "Is it a lie? Is it a lie? We do not have time for lies."
Mr Christie is directive towards the children saying, "Be quiet and go outside now, come on. Hurry up. Outside. Outside. Outside. I don't play around, just stay there. That's it. That's right, discipline." And a little later, "Sit round the table properly, son. Don't let me tell you again, you sit down properly, thank you. Thank you. Don't let me tell you again, sit down at the table properly." He adds a few minutes later, "and you speak when you're spoken to. You understand? Come on. Let's have some respect … let's help each other and let's make sure that no more children get killed, ay?" One of the children adds, "And make sure papa goes to jail."
5. What happened during the police investigation?
For an in-depth discussion of what happened during the police investigation, check out the FAQ here.
The police description of the full investigation into the allegations originally made by P and Q is described in detail in the report from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). (Ella had laid several complaints against the police, which led to an IPCC investigation; the results were sent to Ella in March or April 2016, and she and Abe published them on their blog. As they did not like the conclusions reached by the IPCC, they launched a challenge to that report. Their challenge was accepted in October 2016, but they have never published any follow-up to it, leading us to believe that the results were not what they had hoped for.)
The investigating officers were led and overseen by Detective Inspector (DI) Cannon. DI Cannon is the head of the Barnet and Enfield Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT). Clearly such an allegation is taken very seriously and it was for this reason an officer of this rank oversaw the investigation.
Officers were immediately dispatched to your [Ella's] home address. First accounts were taken from both your children who were aged 8 and 9. That same day evidential accounts were obtained using the Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) process. It is through this process that your childrens' accounts can be entered into evidence at any subsequent court proceedings.
Video accounts from the children made by Special Constable Yaohirou were also seized. This would be corroborative material to support your children's ABE interviews.
Given the nature of the case it was raised to senior officers.
On Monday 8th September your children were driven around in an attempt to identify addresses where your children alleged the abuse had taken place. Although both children had previously indicated that they could identify the addresses where the alleged abuse had occurred and the address of their father, they were unable to identify any connected venues.
One address was pointed out to police but it did not contain the features described by the children. It was examined externally by officers. The children indicated that they had been taken on a "drive around" of the area the previous day (7th Sept 2014) by Mr Christie. The officers conducting the enquiry stated that the children were unsure of where they were going and seemed to be pointing out addresses at random.
Whilst I am sure you and Mr Christie may have believed that you were being helpful, the actions significantly undermined the integrity of the process to identify any potential suspect addresses.
I have reproduced a relevant section of DS Fernandez's statement under caution response.
"The allegation of abuse was first recorded on 5 September 2014 on CRIS 2419891/14. [The father] was identified as a Suspect following the first ABE of the children and research was conducted to locate him.
"Several addresses in London were identified as being linked to [the father] and police attended these addresses with a negative result.
DC Martin in addition to this attempted to narrow the search by Use of Google maps again this was unsuccessful.
"Both Victims claimed that they had been to [the father]'s address several times and could identify the premises which due to the late hour and the age of the Victims was not carried out that night.
"Before CAIT officers could arrange for the drive round to be conducted Mr ABRAHAM conducted his own drive round with the children using a taxi this was reported by a concerned member of the public. Both Ella DRAPER and Mr CHRISTIE did not inform police of this until they were challenged with the information".
You will note the entry above makes reference to information which was received from concerned members of the public who called police. The members of the public describe seeing a female child and Mr Christie (on one occasion confirmed by CCTV). It was described that Mr Christie was saying that he had just been released from prison and was discussing decapitation. The girl appeared distressed.
Having viewed the CCTV, I am satisfied that it was Mr Christie taking your children around the area to identify potential addresses of relevance.
It is relevant to mention that members of the public describe a black male with a young girl approximately 6 to 8 years old. The male has been heard to say "You know she's a baby killer". Then talking to the girl he has said "What do you do after you kill babies?" to which the girl replied "I eat them." The male has then said "What do you do after you eat them?" to which the girl replied "I drink their blood". The male has then said "What does your dad do to you?" to which she replied "sex".
All of the officers on our Command are experienced child protection officers who have completed the Specialist Child Abuse Investigations Development Program and are registered practitioners on the National Professional Child Abuse Investigators' register.
I believe that Mr Christie's actions were extremely counterproductive from an investigative point of view as it could taint the integrity of any potential evidence that was to be forthcoming from your children. Officers are trained how to speak to and illicit (sic) information from children who may have been victims of abuse and the approach by Mr Christie was unhelpful to the investigation.
In the following days CAIT officers liaised with Children's Social Care (CSC), education and health partners at formal strategy meetings regarding the children's welfare. A strategy meeting was held on the 9th September. CAIT officers attended.
The children were further ABE interviewed on 11th September 2014. The male child described an incident when his father had taken him and his sister to a public swimming pool. The boy alleged that he had been taken to a disabled toilet where they were joined by twenty parents, a number of teachers and other children. Whilst in the toilet some of the adults touched his penis. He described a church where abuse took place. He stated that babies' skulls were kept at the venue. His sister, in her interview, also described the church and spoke of a fridge where the bodies of dead babies were kept. She described a cupboard where babies' skulls were kept.
The children also described being physically assaulted by Ms Draper's partner, Mr Abraham Christie, the physical abuse taking place during a recent holiday in Morocco.
It is important to detail the entry above as it does require managing within the investigation and is another facet to consider from a safeguarding point of view.
You provided police with a Significant Witness statement. Following meeting you, the investigating officers expressed concerns for your mental health.
The children were placed in Police Protection (PP) on 11th September 2015. This followed the allegations of physical abuse by Mr Christie linked to serious concerns over your mental health and specifically your ability to protect your children. The primary role of our Command is the safeguarding of children and the actions of the officers were not taken lightly.
An Emergency Protection Order (EPO) was obtained soon after. Had the court formed a different view this would not have been granted. The children were placed into foster care outside London. The officers who took the children into PP described them as becoming relaxed and happy. They stated that they showed a change in attitude when told they were being taken into care. The officers believed that this was as a result of fear and dislike of Mr Christie.
I accept that this is the officers' perception but as previously described the officers involved in this investigation are experienced qualified Child Abuse Investigators. The children retracted their allegations of ritualistic abuse in due course.
The children were medically examined on two occasions. Some scarring was found on the anus area of both children. The initial findings by the examining doctor, Dr Hoades (sic) were that the injuries were consistent with allegations of sexual abuse. The first Child Protection (CP) medical took place on the 12th Sept 2014. A verbal report was provided to police. The doctor described the injury but she did not report that the injury was consistent with sexual assault. She did, however, provide potential medical reasons for the injuries. Dr Hoades' report was not received by police until the 8th January 2015.
The medical report also identified that the assault by Mr Christie resulted in your child having a perforated eardrum. I have placed this in the outcome report because this I believe would account for why the children appeared relieved when taken into police protection.
Due to the number of enquiries that were required officers were diverted from other child abuse investigations and it was necessary to cancel officers' weekends to ensure essential enquiries progressed.
Action was taken in relation to crime scenes or potential crime scenes. Of note was the church which is beside your children's school.
Below I have provided details from an email you sent regarding the potential offences that took place in the church.
"Ritual satanic child sexual abuse and sacrifice cult, serial murder.
Main action is happening in Christchurch with at least another 10, possibly more schools involved.
The baby sexual abuse and sacrifices are going on Tuesday, Wednesday (big sex day), Thursday.
There are 2 secret rooms in the church where they perform the rituals.
They first sexually abuse babies and the children, doing sex to boys bottoms and girls front private and bottoms. Adults get children to do oral sex.
Babies are supplied regularly for the rituals: abused, tortured with rat traps, dropped on the floor, then killed. They throat baby's throat (sic), drain blood, drink the blood and then cook the body by either roasting or frying.
The meat is eaten by [the father], teachers, 20 special children and their parents.
Ritual involves special costumes: children wear 13 skulls (sometimes with blood and hair still on the skull), adults – 20, – on their bodies.
Everybody has 13 skulls worn around the neck (4), on breast, front private, belly, knees, elbows. Special children wear 10 skulls.
Your children alleged that babies had been sacrificed and baby skulls were kept at the venue. No evidence was found to support this. The children described a fridge where body parts were stored. A fridge was located but was in a common part of the church accessible to all who used the facility. No human remains were present. Officers reported that the description of the premises bore no resemblance to that described by the children. There were no secret chambers.
I have produced an extract from DS Fernandez statement under caution.
"A search at the church was conducted by DC MARTIN and DC FERNANDEZ and the description of secret rooms and draws were found to be wrong and impossible due to the very specific disclosure. a fridge in the church being used to keep the remains of dead babies which a nursery used but never reported, draws in the vestry which held dead babies skulls but were too shallow to hold the skull approx.2 inches deep."
It should be noted that the church was not forewarned of police attendance and officers had full access to all of the church. In relation to the skulls being kept in a drawer there was only one set of drawers (vestment drawers). As such they were far too shallow to hold any skulls.
Obviously the church was a specific identified venue. Those at the church had no opportunity to be aware of police involvement or to remove or discard any evidence. Officers were able to search the whole of the church and it is clear that there was no evidence to support your children's account and indeed evidence in the form of the drawers which clearly refuted what was being said.
On 15th September 2014 [the father] was questioned under caution regarding the swimming pool incident. He stated that he took the children swimming on 5th July 2014. He confirmed that the family had used a larger sized cubicle. He described it as big enough for him and his two children. He denied any assault.
He denied the allegations that his children had made against him.
[The father] stated that he had had limited access to his children in recent times. Access had been obtained by him via a court order. The officers did not seize [the father's] lap top but arrangements were made for it to be surrendered after he had copied work files.
In respect of the seizure of the laptop this will be addressed under Point 12.
On 16th September Dr Hodes conducted a second CP medical on behalf of CSC. Results were not available to the investigating team until the 8th January 2015. It should be noted that on numerous occasions officers requested a copy of the medical report but that this was not forthcoming.
A third ABE interview was carried out by officers on 17th September. The children had been in foster care for six days. En route to be interviewed and unprompted, both children stated that they had lied and made up the allegations. The children were asked not to discuss the matter further until it could be properly recorded.
In interview both children independently stated that they had lied about the allegations. They stated that Mr Christie had made them do so. They stated that they thought this was as a result of him finding them touching each other sexually whilst on the Moroccan holiday. The girl said she had 'learned' this behaviour from a girl in school, but Mr Christie insisted that her father had shown her.
On 22nd September the police investigation into the satanic allegations was closed for a number of reasons:
- The children had withdrawn their allegations and had stated that they had been made to lie by Mr Christie.
- Police enquiries found no corroborative evidence for the allegations.
- Venues described by the victims did not exist.
- No child interviewed by Children and Social Care, who had allegedly been involved in the abuse, made any allegations.
It should be noted that CSC did speak to children at your child's school to establish if there were any safeguarding concerns in light of the allegations you had raised. It was felt that this was the most appropriate first course of action prior to police involvement given the age of the children. No child spoken to raised any concerns.
- Names of 'suspects' provided by the children were false.
Your children had provided names of police officers within the Metropolitan Police Service. Full research was conducted and it was found that no such officers existed.
With the withdrawal of the allegations there was no power to seize further property, search premises or arrest/interview others named.
The CAIT team consisted of one Detective Inspector, five Detective Sergeants and sixteen Detective Constables split into two investigation teams. The unit is responsible for day to day investigation of referrals of child abuse received from partner agencies within the Boroughs of Barnet and Enfield. Each officer carries a high workload. It is one of the busiest CAIT units in the MPS. The CAIT officers deployed on this case were still required to service the needs of their own workloads. Despite this all appropriate lines of enquiry were explored.
I am of the opinion that there came a point in this investigation when it was clearly established that the offences being alleged could not have taken place. In the face of this and the retractions from the children it would be disproportionate and wrong to continue any form of investigation. There would be no grounds to arrest any person or seize any property as there was no evidence to support that an offence had taken place.
This takes us to the end of the police investigation in September 2014. For more on how this information was re-packaged and marketed to the online conspiracy-believing community, see "Frequently asked questions: The hoax timeline".
Updated: 26 March 2019


text:
You can find the Apple TV app already on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple TV. You'll also find it on streaming platforms, popular smart TVs, and AirPlay-enabled devices.
Find a complete list of supported devices.
Copyright © 2023
Apple Inc.
All rights reserved.
Internet Service Terms
Apple TV & Privacy
Cookie Policy

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The BYOD trend impacts devices, applications and the network itself. BYOD demands policy and control of applications as well as the network itself. This is where a new solution from Aruba Networks comes into play. Aruba Networks is expanding its ClearPass Access Management System this week with added capabilities for control of mobile devices and applications.
The ClearPass solution was first introduced in February of 2012. ClearPass is a Linux-based server appliance that provides FreeRADIUS-based access control. ClearPass 6.2 combines Network Access Control (NAC) for employees with NAC for guests. NAC technology provides device health and posture checks to ensure that a device is secure and able to join the network safely. Prior to the ClearPass 6.2 release, the NAC-for-guests component was a separate product from Aruba, called Amigopod.
In the first Aruba ClearPass release, a server-side component validated user names and did some device profiling, as Manav Khurana, senior director of product and solutions marketing for Aruba Networks, explained to Enterprise Networking Planet. ClearPass 6.2, according to Khurana, "adds device control with Mobile Device Management (MDM) and application control with policy management."
Khurana added that prior to the new release, Aruba only did network access restrictions. With the new release, enforcement on mobile devices on a per-application basis is now possible.
For example, if a user has a personal instance of the Box filesharing application and a corporate instance of Box, they can be controlled by policy. The corporate instance of Box can look up the policy from the ClearPass solution and enforce it. One policy might be that all data must encrypted; another might be that data cannot be copy/pasted or shared with personal apps on a given device, resulting in app-specific security for business-critical data.
App Wrapping
Khurana noted that over Aruba's 10 year history, the company has often improved its network devices with application awareness. Now the company is flipping that model by helping make applications network-aware.
"An application can now signal the network if it is business-critical so that the network can assign more bandwidth," Khurana said. "Or if an application is being used outside the corporate network, the work application can automatically establish a secure VPN back to the corporate network."
For developers, Aruba offers App Wrapping to enable network awareness. Aruba has worked with software partners to "wrap" over 40 popular mobile applications.
"App Wrapper is a very lightweight piece of code that gets added to an application that connects to ClearPass to look up policy," Khurana said.
Going a step further, the new WorkSpace component of ClearPass is a mobile app that runs on a user device.
WorkSpace enables enterprises to distribute approved corporate apps. WorkSpace also provides a user portal with visibility into approved apps, devices, and access controls, and allows users to see all of the devices they might have on their network, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Sharing rules for resources, such as printers, can also be configured via WorkSpace.
The challenge of enterprise mobility and BYOD is a multi-headed one, as it crosses many different IT functions.
"Many different parts of the IT department need to come together to enable BYOD," Khurana said. "Solutions like this that provide a common ground to unite on are helpful."
Khurana added that there is also a skillset challenge that needs to be addressed. In his view, IT staff need to understand the risks of smartphone security and how WiFi architectures need to change to support BYOD environments.
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.


text:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States are meeting "as three sovereign nations joined by a common goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat" al Qaeda and the Taliban.
President Obama is flanked by Afghan President Hamid Karzai (left) and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
To do so, Obama said, the three nations have to deny extremists space to operate and bring a better life to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Obama, in remarks delivered with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at the White House, said the security of Afghanistan, of Pakistan and of the United States are linked.
Al Qaeda and its allies are responsible for killing innocent civilians and challenging the democratically elected governments in the nations, Obama said.
The United States has made a "lasting commitment [that it] will not waiver" in efforts to defeat extremists and support the Afghan and Pakistani governments, he said.
Obama's remarks came after a day of talks with Karzai and Zardari designed to help forge a more coordinated strategy against the resurgent extremists.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with the Afghan and Pakistani leaders earlier in the day. The talks were attended by the foreign, defense, intelligence and agriculture ministers from both countries and a number of heavyweights in the Obama administration, including U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, Gen. David Petraeus, CIA Director Leon Panetta, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
The diverse group, Clinton said, reflects the fact that "promoting peace must be an all-government effort." Watch Clinton say U.S., Afghanistan, Pakistan face a common threat »
The meetings are a continuation of a trilateral process started by Clinton in February, when she invited the foreign ministers of both countries to discuss Obama's strategy for stabilizing the region.
In addition to sending 21,000 more troops and trainers to Afghanistan, Obama has committed a surge in U.S. civilian personnel and aid to boost domestic support for both leaders, both considered weak and unpopular back home.
By having the leaders meet with Obama, the United States hopes to enlist them as full partners working with the United States in a regional alliance to combat terrorism.
Clinton said the talks will address "concrete initiatives" on improving security, boosting economic development and trade and increasing opportunities for both populations.
"I like to know specifically what we're going to try to do together," she said. "I like us to reach agreement on that. And then to specify the steps we will take together to achieve our common goals. I think that helps to eliminate the confusion that comes with distance and misunderstanding."
Clinton said she "deeply regretted" the killing of Afghan civilians during a U.S. airstrike Tuesday in western Afghanistan and pledged to both leaders the United States "will work very hard with your governments and with your leaders to avoid the loss of innocent civilian lives."
Karzai thanked her for her comment and said he hopes the two countries can work together to avoid civilian casualties "as we move ahead in our war on terrorism."
The U.S. military's preliminary investigation into the airstrike, however, found that as many as 15 Afghan civilians believed to be killed in the strike were actually killed when Taliban militants attacked them with hand grenades, according to a senior U.S. military official.U.S. probing Afghan civilians' deaths
The militants then paraded the civilians' bodies through villages, claiming the deaths were the result of the airstrike, the official added.
The talks come amid growing U.S. frustration with the lack of progress by both countries in fighting extremists.
In particular, the Obama administration has voiced increased concern about recent Taliban and al Qaeda gains across much of southern Afghanistan and in Pakistan.
The U.S. military has carried out air strikes against militant targets in Pakistan, after Zardari's government was criticized for not cracking down on militants along the Afghan border. The unmanned drone attacks have rankled relations between Pakistan and Washington. See map of region »
Pakistan's government recently signed a deal that would allow Islamic law, or sharia, in the Swat Valley, in exchange for an end to fighting. The government began a military offensive after Taliban militants moved into the Buner district and refused to disarm in violation of the agreement.
Last week, Obama said Pakistan's government appears to be "very fragile" and argued that the United States has "huge national security interests in making sure that Pakistan is stable" and doesn't end up a "nuclear-armed militant state."
The United States has also accused Karzai's government in Afghanistan of being ineffective and corrupt. Karzai further angered the United States this week when he named Mohammad Qasim Fahim, a powerful warlord accused of violating human rights, as a vice-presidential running mate, despite warnings from Clinton that Fahim would be a polarizing choice.
"We are not perfect," Clinton told the leaders. "No human being is. We will make mistakes, but we need to have the kind of open dialogue, where we express our concerns about those mistakes."
Zardari and Karzai pledged to work together with the United States to combat extremists and stabilize their two countries.
"While we will need high level of support in days to come, we will also be far more transparent in our actions," Zardari told the group. "Here, me, my friend, President Karzai, and the United States assure the world, that we will stand shoulder to shoulder with the world to fight this cancer and this threat."
Pakistani democracy, he added, will defeat terrorism and "avenge the death" of his wife, slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in late 2007.
Clinton called Bhutto an "extraordinary leader" and acknowledged the couple's young son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who attended the talks. He is the chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and heir apparent to the Bhutto dynasty.
Calling the United States his country's "most valued" strategic ally," Karzai said, "I'm certain, through the implementation of the strategy outlined earlier by President Obama, will bring us the needed relief towards better, more peaceful life in both of our countries."
He promised Afghanistan will work hard to "do the right thing" to build confidence and trust with Pakistan to "wage a more effective struggle against the menace of terrorism and the violence that radicalism causes both in Pakistan and in Afghanistan and the danger that they pose to you in America and the rest of the world."
The two leaders signed a trade and transit agreement aimed at increasing commerce and foreign investment in the two countries and will be visiting key congressional leaders and policymakers about U.S. efforts to boost both countries' economies.
A bill called the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009, introduced by Sens. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, and Dick Lugar, R-Indiana, would authorize $7.5 billion in non-military aid to Pakistan over the next five years to foster economic growth and development, and another $7.5 billion for the following five years.
CNN's Elise Labott and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
All About Pakistan • Afghanistan


text:
Commercial discounts are available off retail prices shown. Create An Account or Contact Us for more information at 888.499.9869.
Not all products listed on this website are offered for sale or registered in all States.
|Sort Products By:
PyGanic 5.0 Specialty (1 qt.)
PyGanic® offers immediate insect control for organic production on virtually any crop, at any time. PyGanic is an OMRI®Listed, organically compliant, broad spectrum contact insecticide that delivers quick knockdown and kill of crop damaging insects such as aphids, thrips, lygus and leafrollers, and livestock pests such as stable flies, ticks and fleas, but requires no pre-harvest interval or restrictions on the number of applications that can be made per year.
Retail: $154.00
Price Includes Shipping
Qty Add to Cart
PyGanic 5.0 Specialty (1 gal.)
PyGanic® 5.0 Specialty offers immediate insect control for organic production on virtually any crop, at any time. PyGanic is an OMRI®Listed, organically compliant, broad spectrum contact insecticide that delivers quick knockdown and kill of crop damaging insects such as aphids, thrips, lygus and leafrollers, and livestock pests such as stable flies, ticks and fleas, but requires no pre-harvest interval or restrictions on the number of applications that can be made per year.
Retail: $514.00
Price Includes Shipping
Qty Add to Cart
To provide the best value on this item it's been designated Request Quote for the following reasons:
Volume Pricing Applies
- Additional discounts available based on larger quantity or larger volume purchase. See below.
Item Bulk or Weight
- Requires special handling in transit and at customer destination.
- Requires additional handling and coordination with customer at time of order and delivery.
- Requires special transportation parameters to avoid excessive shipping charges.
Seasonal Pricing Applies
- Item price may fluctuate based on the time of year and availability.
Bulk and Commercial discounts are available for Farms, Ranches, Commercial Growers, Landscape & Turf Pros, Municipalities and Golf Course Superintendents.
Create a Commercial Account to receive Commercial discounts for our entire selection of items for Agricultural, Commercial and Professional use.
To receive a quote or for more information call 888.499.9869 or Contact Us.
Price Includes Shipping - General Information
1. Shipments of this item may require up to 3 weeks for delivery. Delivery times will vary based on:
- Weather
- Equipment availability
- Shipping method
- Shipping point
- Carrier
- Shipping destination
- Holidays
- Factors outside of our control not listed here
2. Only shipments for delivery Monday through Friday during normal business hours.
3. Special delivery instructions, over size charges, multiple delivery attempts, lift gate charges, additional handling, restricted access, special equipment, residential or rural surcharges or any other exceptions are not included.
4. Only single carrier and standard ground transportation within the 48 States is included. Interline shipments between carriers does not qualify and is not included. Alaska, Hawaii, International and Express or Expedited shipments of any kind are not included.
5. Ground shipping method and carrier chosen is solely at the discretion of Natural Organic Warehouse, LLC.
6. Certain items may not be available to be shipped to all States.
7. Price Includes Shipping is subject to change or removal without notice on any item.
8. Fuel surcharges may apply at any time prior to order confirmation based prevailing fuel rates and fuel surcharges assessed to Natural Organic Warehouse, LLC.You will be notified of any fuel surcharges prior to confirming your order.
9. Depending on the type, size and weight of items ordered, a shipment can require up to 5 business days to be picked up after order confirmation.
10. Price Includes Shipping may not apply to Commercial and Wholesale prices for the same item.
For more information call us at 888.499.9869 or Contact Us.
This product is suited for Agricultural, Commercial and Professional use.
Commercial prices and discounts on this item are available for:
- Farms
- Ranches
- Commercial Growers
- Landscape & Turf Pros
- Farm to Market Growers
- Arborists
- Greenhouses
- Nurseries
- Golf Courses
- Businesses
- Municipalities
Create a Commercial Account to see the Commercial Price, additional details for this item and our entire selection of items for Agricultural, Commercial and Professional use.
For questions or more information call us at 888.499.9869 or Contact Us.
Organic Products Notice
The National Organic Standards require that all certified organic producers, processors and handlers use materials that comply with the applicable parts of the Standards [7 CFR Part 205]. The Standards include the National List, which dictates allowed and prohibited substances for use in organic crop and livestock production, as well as substances allowed in organic food processing and handling.
Certified operators should always refer to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for further information regarding materials for use in organic food production or contact their certifier for additional assistance. For questions about specific products contact your certification agency to confirm product acceptability and approval prior to purchase and use.
Natural Organic Warehouse, LLC does not make any representations or warranties whatsoever with regard to any product offered on this website as being fit for use or approved for use in any type of operation. This includes, but is not limited to, Certified operations. It is the sole and entire responsibility of the purchaser to determine if any product offered for sale on this website is acceptable and approved for use according to all rules and guidelines applicable to the purchaser's particular operation, growing plan or growing program, as the case may be, prior to purchase.


text:
We are builders. At Corna Kokosing we provide opportunities for associates to grow professionally while working with a brand built on Integrity, Quality and Commitment. Our success is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of all of our associates. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Package that is designed to meet associate needs. We are continuously looking for dedicated and enthusiastic people to join our team.
Clients choose Corna Kokosing for more than our construction management or building services. They seek us out for more than our skilled tradesmen, innovative technology, and large equipment fleet. They come back because they know we are their partners in problem-solving and we have an unwavering commitment to doing what's right.
Recent News
We are proud to provide our clients with quality construction services and to serve as a leader in the building industry, as well as in our community.
Work at Corna
We are continuously looking for dedicated and enthusiastic people to join our team.


text:
Unimpressed by Adobe Systems' Creative Cloud, its forthcoming $50-per-month subscription plan? Adobe wants to change your mind.
The company offered some new details today to show people that the Creative Cloud plan gets people access to more than just the full Creative Suite (CS) Master Collection and tablet-oriented Touch programs. Specifically, according to Scott Morris, senior director of product marketing on Adobe's digital media team, there are these elements:
The Creative Cloud will include Adobe's Muse and Edge software for creating Web pages. Muse won't be part of the Creative Suite, and Adobe hasn't decided whether Edge will be.
When Lightroom 4 is out of its current beta-testing phase, it'll be added to the Creative Cloud subscription, too. Lightroom isn't included in CS.
Creative Cloud subscribers will get early access to new features as they're done without having to wait for them to arrive in the official new CS apps.
An online social-network community will let people share files, comment on each other's work, and follow each other.
Creative Cloud has several other elements, too, including 20GB of online storage that can be used to sync files across multiple machines, access to Adobe's digital publishing tools for repackaging magazines or other content for tablets, use of the TypeKit service for using fonts on Web sites, and use of Adobe's Business Catalyst service for hosting Web sites. (Update: there seems to be confusion about the cloud storage in the comments, so to be clear, it's only for optional syncing and sharing; the local computer runs the programs and stores the files, with or without an Internet connection.)
"It is not repackaging of CS in a subscription model. It is delivering the core desktop apps and the services that tie them together to help solve this publishing challenge for our customers," Morris said, referring to the difficulties of reaching the Web and mobile devices, not just older media such as video and magazines.
In addition, he said, "It's a focal point for creative expression as well as creative inspiration, for delivering inspiration and community with an integrated social experience."
For those who don't want the full Creative Cloud, Adobe plans to make its current subscription plans to Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and various smaller suites more affordable. Morris admitted that the current pricing is prohibitive, but promised subscription "price points for individual products that are very attractive."
The Creative Cloud is something of an inevitability. The world is moving to online distribution of software, dumping the DVDs, and that makes it possible and indeed often competitively necessary to ship smaller, more frequent updates. Subscriptions are a natural way for software companies more accustomed to selling a perpetual license to try to fund such ongoing work.
Change is never easy, though, especially when customers fear they're going to have to pay more. Last year, Adobe faced outrage from customers who wanted the traditional perpetual-license version but who hadn't bought the latest CS5.x versions necessary for a CS6 upgrade. Plenty of customers skip out on alternate versions to cut costs, and it looked like Adobe was in effect railroading them onto the subscription plans.
But Adobe relented and announced a CS6 upgrade promotion for CS3 and CS4 customers, too, that will run through the end of 2012. Details have yet to be revealed, though.
In the long run, Adobe expects DVD distribution to fade away, and perhaps even perpetual-license sales, too.
"For several years to come, we'll deliver the way we are today. It all depends on customer adoption. If we come out with the Creative Cloud and it's fantastically successful, and a huge percentage of customers move, then it will accelerate our discontinuation of shiny disks," Morris said.
And although it's not in the current road map to move to subscriptions only, "it's very possible that a couple years from now we will only offer something like Creative Cloud and subscriptions. The road map today is a choice, but if we see 80 percent going to Creative Cloud because of the value, we probably would eventually get rid of the [perpetual-license] software."
Not everything in the Creative Cloud will ship at once. The debut version of the Creative Cloud will include only a preview version of Edge, a tool under development geared for designers who want to build interactive Web sites, but it'll be updated when the final version arrives. The community features, accessed through a browser, will be missing at launch.
And the enterprise version, which will add collaboration and sharing tools, will arrive later in 2012, too, Morris said. And he revealed that option's pricing: $69.99 per seat.
Those prices are for annual subscriptions. Month-to-month plans are also available, but they'll cost an undisclosed amount more.


text:
It's a theme that crops up a lot in science fiction. Humans encounter a group where everybody behaves like they're part of an ant or bee colony: Each individual is prepared to sacrifice everything, including their lives, for the survival of the group. Star Trek's assimilating aliens, the Borg, are just one of many examples of how we've imagined such societies. But could humans actually become colony organisms?
Given that all social insects started out as individuals and evolved to form colonies, it doesn't seem all that far-fetched — especially when you consider that over half the human population today lives in vast, hive-like warrens known as cities. We talked to scientists to find out what it might take for humans to move from individual organisms to massive superorganisms.
What is an individual?
When you start asking biologists questions about whether humans could form hive minds or colony societies, you immediately realize that the whole idea of an "individual organism" is a lot messier than it seems. Washington University biologist Joan Strassmann, who has published papers on this topic with colleague David Queller, pointed out to me that even when you talk about a tree, it's hard to say whether you've got an individual or not.
"Say it's an oak from an acorn — that's one organism," Strassmann said. "But if it's an aspen, the tree may not be separate. All the aspens in a grove may well be the same clone all coming up from the same root system with connections. Or those connections may be severed." She's referring to the way aspens grow from the same root system, the way many plants and slime molds do. Is your aspen an individual who shares a root system with its neighbors, or are all the trees who share the root system part of one "individual"? And this is just the beginning of the kinds of complexity you run into when trying to define life forms.
So what, exactly, is an organism? There are no hard and fast rules, but Strassmann and Queller call it a "social phenomenon." What they mean by that is all individuals have evolved from simpler organisms that work cooperatively. Your body is a society of cells that function together to make you walk, clean your blood, and digest your food. And even the cells in your body are actually a collection of organelles, or tiny organs, like the energy-producing mitochondria. Scientists believe mitochondria were once single-celled creatures absorbed by larger cells that eventually became the familiar animal cells we know today, with their nuclei, organelles, and cytoplasm all wrapped up in a nice fatty membrane.
Note that Strassmann and Queller use the term "evolution" to describe the process of becoming an organism. To assess whether humans could evolve to form a superorganism where each human becomes like a cell in a larger social body, we first need to understand how the cooperative bodies known as organisms form at all.
The daughters who don't leave their mothers
To find out, I called up University of Minnesota biologists Mike Travisano and Will Ratcliff, who have been doing experiments where they managed to turn single-celled yeast into multicellular organisms in just a few months. They did it by placing yeast in a liquid medium where the cells that clumped together fell to the bottom more quickly. They bred these clumpers exclusively, and found that after 60 days — roughly 400 generations of yeast — they had simple multi-cellular organisms.
"Clustering is the first step," Ratcliff said. But what makes a single celled creature suddenly become a cluster? It's all about children who refuse to leave the nest. Yeast reproduce by "budding," forming a new daughter cell attached to the mother cell wall. "Normally when the daughter is mature it makes an enzyme that releases it," Ratcliff explained. "It looks like what happens is that daughter cell release is inhibited. The mothers remain attached to their daughter cells. That has the effect of making each cluster genetically identical." Multicellular organisms are, generally, packed with genetically identical cells — that's the case in your body, where every cell contains exactly the same DNA.
What Ratcliff and Travisano discovered was that eventually these clusters started behaving like individual organisms, with some cells committing suicide in a process called apoptosis. This seemingly grisly process is actually how multicellular organisms typically maintain their integrity. Older cells who aren't functioning optimally kill themselves off while younger ones continue to divide. Once a cell is willing to accept the death sentence from another in its cluster, you could argue that it is placing the survival of the organism over its own. Now, you have an individual. Ratcliff and Travisano called their multicellular yeast individuals "snowflakes" due to their shapes (see image, with dead cells in red). When these snowflakes got big enough, one would break off from another. Eventually, the researchers found, these yeast were evolving as snowflakes rather than as single-celled organisms.
Through single-celled cooperation, new individual organisms had begun to form. Ratcliff and Travisano are continuing their experiments, trying to figure out whether the yeast snowflakes show other signs of organismality beyond apoptosis. They're also trying to create multicellular green algae too.
Welcome to the hive mind
Now for the real question: What would inspire a group of multicellular organisms like ants or humans to form a superorganism? In their book The Superorganism, biologists Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson argue that it's a complex process involving genetic evolution and environmental pressures. Generally a group of insects like bees will move from behaving as individuals to forming colonies when they are storing food (like honey or pollen) that comes from multiple sources. At that point, a colony has a better chance of surviving than an individual.
But the big transition moment from individual to colony — like the yeast snowflake moment — comes when two bees engage in a division of labor. Hölldobler believes the first division of labor is probably when one insect becomes a reproducer and the other takes care of her babies instead of reproducing herself. She sacrifices her ability to reproduce for the greater good of the burgeoning colony. This crude division is between a reproductive caste and a worker caste. In a typical bee colony, you have bees who care for the young, make honey, and forage for food — and that's just the beginning. Highly complex ant societies have many other castes, including things like farmer castes, garbage collector castes, and major fighter castes who are ants fed special foods to make them grow much larger than other ants in the colony.
What's truly amazing about these insect societies is that, despite the familiar terminology, they don't actually have a queen or ruling class. The queen is simply part of the reproductive caste, ensuring that the hive has a lot of genetic similarity (like our multicellular yeast) and continues to produce young. But each worker has evolved what Hölldobler calls an "algorithm" for making decisions about what jobs to do when, based on communicating with other insects and what caste it is currently in (bees, for example, pass through several castes as they age). There is no insect who is a master controller, who understands the totality of what's happening in the hive.
So colony societies or superorganisms evolve when some individuals give up their reproductive rights and create a division of labor. This scenario is often a response to environmental pressures, such as the need to store food from many sources and protect against many enemies at once. Colonies only survive because they are fitter than individuals in such environments, and there are examples of colony organisms gradually evolving back into individuals when the environment changes.
When humans become a superorganism
Now let's enter the realm of rank speculation and consider whether humans could evolve into a colony organism. Strassmann and Queller speculate in a paper that human cities could be considered colony-like. But is urban life the first step on the way to forming a superorganism? When I asked Strassmann, she was extremely dubious. "The things that would drive a human group to organismality would be suppression of conflict and an increase in cooperation," she said. "That could happen with higher relatedness. But right now there's far too much conflict." She pointed out that the best kinds of cooperative groups for forming an organism are clones, and humans are far from being genetic clones of each other. Plus, she asserted, "Just look at humans. All that conflict. I wish they were more like organisms."
Travisano, having witnessed the birth of multicellular yeast in just a few hundred generations, noted that "it's dangerous to say it's impossible." But at the same time, he and Ratcliff felt that the transition from individuals to colony might be easier with "smaller organisms," at least in the lab. They pointed out that in some ways humans are already colony organisms, if you consider the vast microbial ecosystems that exist in our guts and help us to survive. Ultimately, though, they came up against the same issue Strassmann identified: When organisms make the leap from single cell to multicellular, or from multicellular to colony, they are usually genetically identical or very close.
So maybe you'd need a society of human clones to make the complete transition from individuals to colony. Or maybe, as Hölldobler told Wired's Brandon Keim in 2007, you'd just need a really good division of labor. He said:
What is common in all these social systems is a division of labor; and once this was evolutionarily rendered, it became incredibly successful. This is true for almost any society: once they reach a high division of labor, they have enormous successes due to division of labor. And the second thing, once a society becomes almost like an organism, it becomes very tightly interconnected.
But even Hölldobler admitted that humans experience too much conflict to form colonies — a behavior he calls maladaptive:
15,000 years ago we were hunter gatherers. We showed group cohesiveness and discrimination against other groups. It was adaptive. It was quite understandable that we evolved traits of group recognition, and making sure we recognized foreigners. This is my conviction that this is probably the early basis for our unfortunate xenophobic behavior that is still in us. It's a behavior that is now terribly maladaptive.
Does that mean our xenophobia is what keeps us individuated? Maybe. After all, we have many of the prerequisites required to become a colony organism. We have a highly complex division of labor, and we gather and store food from a variety of sources. We are even very close to each other genetically — as population biologists have pointed out, humans are very inbred.
So what prevents us from crossing the threshold into forming superorganisms? Maybe we just haven't evolved beyond our primitive group differences enough. Or maybe part of what makes us humans, at least right now, is constantly navigating between colony consciousness and conflict. Either way, we're not likely to merge into hive minds any time soon.
Beyond society: The evolution of organismality, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
Experimental evolution of multicellularity, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson, The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies (New York and London: Norton, 2009)
Beehive by Lehrer via Shutterstock
Yeast snowflake via Will Ratcliff
Ant queens and workers by Alex Wild
Rioters by 1000Words via Shutterstock


text:
Darcy Sofa Bed
Product Description
Sofa bed version of this stylish sofa with mid-century design cues. Perfectly crafted slope arms with piped edges and tapered stiletto legs, this sofa will leave a lasting impression.
Mattress: Proper pocket sprung mattress, comfy enough for everyday use.
Bed Dimensions: 3 Seater = Double Bed 135cm(W) x 185cm(L).
Dimensions: Width, click on "choose size" to see all different sofa widths. Sofa height including legs 84cm, sofa depth 84cm, seat height 42cm, seat depth 56cm.
Seat cushions: Seat cushions are removable. Seat covers are removable..
The seat cushion's softness/firmness can be tailormade to your specifications. Just click on "Choose Seat Filling" to make your choice.
Back cushions: Back cushions are removable. The covers are removable.
These cushions are filled with our exclusive "Comfy Fibre" and a foam core. If you prefer feather, for a small fee, email us. Please note, feather is high maintenance.
Scatter cushions: Two 45cm x 45cm matching throw pillows in your chosen sofa fabric included (any other throw pillows pictured are not included). Leather sofas do not come with any throw pillows.
How many seat cushions would you like? It's up to you. Usually we use 1 or 2 seat cushions on the sofa and one long cushion on a chaise. If you would like one long seat cushion or more than 2 seat cushions, just email us after your order. There's no fee for this service.
Removable legs: All our sofa legs are removable and can be replaced with after market legs (please check compatibility with the vendor).
Shapes & sizes? Any of our sofa models can be made in any shape such as L shape, U shape, Corner, sofa bed, sofa + chaise, etc. Just email us with your requirements. Also, any of our sofas can be made to your measurements.
Matching footstool/ottoman
We can make a matching footstool or ottoman for any sofa. Email us with your ideal measurements for a quote.
Make a new sofa model using your photos
We have a highly skilled workforce who can make almost any style of sofa just by viewing a few images. Email us as many photots as you can and provide the measurements and we will make a brand new, totally bespoke sofa in your specifications.
Assembly: Fully assembled.
Please note: Feet may be removed for ease of delivery and will need to be reattached.


text:
Pilots, truckers, and...cops? Why fatigue may be killing our decision-making
Human performance factors such as reaction time and decision-making — areas of mutual concern for pilots, truckers, and cops — can potentially lead to errors with deadly consequences
Six years ago this month, a sheriff's deputy in California struck and killed two bicyclists. It was widely reported that fatigue may have been a factor in the incident — that he had fallen asleep at the wheel after working a long shift the day before the incident.
The deputy pleaded guilty two misdemeanor counts of vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to four months under house arrest and 20 weeks of community service. Last I heard, he was demoted to a civilian position with his agency. Although I've been unable to discover whether or not he stuck with that new role or moved on, it's safe to say that no matter what came next for that young LEO, moving on from the memory of that type of tragic accident is something we'd all like to avoid.
A new study being conducted by Police1 Contributor David Blake is aimed at precisely that objective — helping police agencies and individual officers find ways to avoid fatal fatigue.
Pilots and Truckers... and Cops?
"Airline pilots and long haul truck drivers can have a direct influence on the safety and wellbeing of the general public," Blake told me recently. "As a result, each has rules and regulations regarding the amount of rest (non-work hours) that exist between work hours or shifts."
These hours of rest are due to "a mountain of empirical evidence showing that fatigue impairs cognitive performance," Blake said.
Blake specifically cited performance factors such as reaction time and decision-making — areas of mutual concern for pilots, truckers, and cops — which can potentially lead to errors with deadly consequences.
"The law enforcement community is no stranger to long arduous hours, shift work, court appearances, and a general lack of uninterrupted sleep. Like the transportation industry, law enforcement is required to make critical decisions in short time periods which require a clear, well-rested, and optimally performing human being. Yet, significant research exists showing many officers are not rested, with some reporting they have made errors because they are tired.
Indeed, significant and serious research has been conducted in this area.
As was noted by Force Science Institute — and subsequently reported here on Police1 — a survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that among officers in the United States and Canada:
• 53 percent get less than 6.5 hours of sleep daily (compared to 30 percent of the general population)
• 91 percent report feeling fatigued "routinely"
• 14 percent are tired when they start their work shift
• 85 percent drive while "drowsy"
• 39 percent have fallen asleep at the wheel
"Even with this mountain of evidence on the effects of fatigue, there seems to be little movement — or even significant concern — within some departments or overseeing organizations in regards to whether officers are well rested before performing their duties," Blake lamented.
"One important area of fatigue and police performance not widely addressed involves the use of deadly force," Blake said. "General research has shown that fatigue impairs attention, decision making, and reaction times. Do these negative effects translate to an officer in a shoot / don't shoot situation?"
Participant Requirements and Instructions
Blake hopes that this study might determine whether sleep habits affect the use of deadly force decision-making and reaction times. Blake and his researchers are looking for shift-working police officers who are willing to participate in this study.
"As a veteran police officer I am well aware of the long list of demands placed upon shift-working police officers and I have always been concerned about the lack of sleep some of my partners received before working a 12 hour — or longer — shift. My passion lies with officer safety and performance issues and I want to make a difference within the law enforcement community by ensuring officers are performing at their best," Blake said.
The study asks that participants complete a simple four-day sleep diary before signing in the first time (time awake, total hours slept, quality of sleep).
Participants will then log in twice daily during a regularly scheduled work week — within an hour before and after shift — and complete a series of science based tasks.
Each sign-in will include answering questions about subjective levels of fatigue, completing reaction time tasks, answering short surveys, and completing a shoot / don't shoot task.
The program allows only four days' of data — a total of eight sign-ins — and the total time to complete one session is approximately eight minutes.
The study is completely voluntary and confidential for departments and individual participants. Potential participants are asked to contact the researchers at email@example.com with any questions of concerns.
To access the study entitled, "Factoring Fatigue into Police Deadly Force Encounters" just go to www.policeuofstudy.com. The homepage includes a literature review and instructions. The study will be active through mid-May, but Blake asks that individuals only register once.
Studies like the one being conducted by Police1 Contributor David Blake may provide a background for police managers, unions, and government risk managers to ensure their officers are well rested and able to perform at optimal levels.
"Simple adjustments in scheduling court, providing short nap periods, or limiting overtime can potentially make a very large difference in overall officer safety," Blake said. "These are minor adjustments that aren't widely accepted even with the current amount of fatigue evidence supporting change."
Blake pointed out that this study is more than a simple survey. Strict adherence to the instructions is required, so only serious participants should involve themselves in this enterprise.
"Lastly," Blake cautioned, "please do not attempt to perform the study on a work computer as the high security settings have shown to cause unrecoverable failures within the program.


text:
The Sportsmen Tug-A-Jug, in blaze orange, rewards and challenges your dog at the same time. The unique design appeals to all five senses to encourage dogs to play; dogs can see, smell, and hear the treats while moving the Tug-A-Jug around to receive a tasty reward. Use it to regulate meals, play games, or teach training commands.
To use, twist off the bottom lid of the Tug-A-Jug. Load with treats or kibble, and then replace the lid. As dogs play with the Tug-A-Jug, treats will randomly come out through the opening at the top of the jug. The rope acts as a barrier to meter the amount of food that is dispensed.
Visit our Product Support Center:


text:
Flower Care
Find a vase :
You may have noticed your flowers no longer have roots, and that they're not longer growing in the dirt. Good catch! That means it's time to get them in your favorite vase with some fresh water and add in flower food.
Avoid Soap :
Also, little known fact: flowers hate soap. If you decide to give that dusty vase that you pulled out from under the sink a wash, make sure to rinse it well to get rid of any soapy residue!
Trim the stems :
Keep those stems and leaves trimmed! Always cut your flowers at an angle so they won't suffocate on the bottom of the vase. After the initial trimming, check the bottoms of your stems every couple of days, and if the ends are looking a bit slimy, just snip off an inch or so.
Trim excess leaves :
Take off any excess leaves so that all the energy is funneled into the petals. Pay special attention to leaves that are in the water as they'll decompose and shorten the lifespan of your flowers.
Mist Them :
Flowers like to be misted as well (honestly, who doesn't?). Spray down the petals from time to time to keep 'em extra fresh and jazzy, and remove any that are clearly past their prime.
Keep them cool :
Finally, keep your bouquet in a cool area as much as you can. Don't put them near radiators, fireplaces, ovens, etc, and be sure to leave them at home when you take that trip to the beach!
That's a lot of rules - sorry to be so high maintenance! But follow them closely and your bouquet will stay beautiful for days or even weeks.


text:
Preserving food at home has become modish of late. The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and the New York Times have all noted the intense popularity of canning: overflowing classes, new cookbooks, obsessive blogs, and Twitter-publicized can-ins. Another, more concrete indication of the trend: sales of the Jarden Corporation's Ball glass canning jars are booming despite the recession. Its 2010 sales are up nearly 10 percent, and that's after a 2009 increase of 30 percent over 2008. It's cute that a practice once associated with grandmothers, 4-H-ers, zealous gardeners with too many cucumbers, and the occasional survivalist, is now a litmus test for gourmandism. But there's a revivalist fervor bottled up in those jars—enthusiasts tout the thriftiness, healthfulness, and environmental virtues of marmalades and dilly beans—that seems overwrought.
As with many food trends, today's cultish hobby was yesterday's necessity. In an effort to combat food spoilage in the early 19th century, long before the advent refrigeration, French jam-maker Nicolas Appert systematized the process of hermetically sealing food in jars and sterilizing them. This concept quickly made its way into the United States, and by the turn of the century canning was a common household practice. During both World Wars, government education programs encouraged home consumers to grow their own food in "Victory Gardens" and to preserve it themselves. These programs taught that at- home preserving could reduce food waste and thus ensure the supply of key commercial crops for soldiers.
It was in the 1970s that home preserving first took on an oppositional message—it was part of that era's homespun chic. If back-to-the-landers tried to exit the commercial food economy altogether by canning their homegrown crops, dabblers could at least put up a few jars of homemade chutney to serve as a tasty, handcrafted no-thank-you to Smuckers. But this fondness for handmade preserves didn't stick around. The anti-corporate-food revolution softened its edge and quickly became indistinguishable from the specialty food industry. Au courant pantries featured jars of preserved food from faraway lands (Italian cherries, say), not one's own backyard.
The local food movement of the past 10 years or so (and longer in Berkeley, Calif.) has borrowed a lot from the natural foods movement of the '70s but with additional emphasis on the environment (minimizing the carbon footprint of our foodways, preserving biodiversity) and on hedonism (fewer bean sprouts, more heirloom apples and tattoos). If we want to eat more locally grown food, so the logic goes, we need to capture the harvest beyond the most bountiful growing months. And so preserving, pickling, and charcuterie (for dedicated meat lovers) have taken on the same rosy-cheeked benevolence as weekly trips to the farmers market or a little volunteer weeding at the local organic farm. Young chefs influenced by high-wattage preservationists like Blue Hill's Dan Barber or Momofuku's David Chang dish up house-made sauerkraut or mustard or marmalades beside their entrees. There is even a Jets/Sharks territorial pickling showdown between those who use salt and wild fermentation to make their pickles (and don't heat-process them in jars) and those who use vinegar, lime, and (gasp!) sugar to make more rococo creations. Preserving has also led to a mini publishing boom of sassily titled books like Karen Solomon's Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, Stephen Palmer Dowdney's Putting Up, and Eugenia Bone's Well-Preserved, whose introduction captures the idealism of the current canning moment: "Home canning reduces your carbon footprint, increases the quality of your dining experience, and provides a sense of independence from the industrial food complex."
But don't be fooled: Along with independence there is plenty of self-congratulation. These culinary trophies are emblematic of a project-based food relationship that we urban food junkies are prone to indulge these days: athletic all-weekend bouts of cheesemaking, or bacon curing, or jam and pickle making are so much more bloggable and boastworthy than making a decent brown-bag lunch five days in a row (I should know—I'm occasionally susceptible to such fits of showy industriousness, most often guided by Christine Ferber's gem, Mes Confitures.)
And let's not kid ourselves that home-canning is particularly frugal. It's not impossible to save money by home preserving your food, but it takes a little investment to get set up for it, and you certainly won't cut costs by canning $5-a-pound heirloom tomatoes. Without a source of truly inexpensive produce (like vegetables you grow yourself), you'll find cheaper products in grocery stores. (The more convincing money-saving argument is that canning keeps down entertainment costs: An evening of making and packing picallilly is a cheerful way to pass time with friends, and it might substitute for the cost of a dinner out.)
Beyond money, canning demands an investment of labor and organization. In any volume, it can be serious drudgery. My mother, whose family substantially augmented their diet with food grown in their Maryland garden, does not fondly remember her days of putting up vast volumes of green beans, peaches, and tomatoes with my grandmother—though she does admit that the results were very tasty. Furthermore, only select foods are easy to can. Botulism thrives in low-acid environments, so if you're looking to safely process beans and soups and other low-acid foods—on which you could actually base your diet—you get into the tricky business of pressure canning or the less nostalgic, less photogenic, but much simpler, alternative: freezing. If you're not a die-hard, you'll likely only can high-sugar, high-acid foods like jellies, jams, chutneys, or pickles—in other words, condiments.
And that's OK. There's nothing blameworthy about the pickling and preserving fervor, but let's be honest: It's not about producing serious food for the future, and it's not about shaking a fist at industrial food. (After all, it's not Claussen and Heinz that eco-conscious consumers worry about so much as suppliers of meat, milk, and produce.) Rather, it's about making and sharing delicious, idiosyncratic things that are also, not insignificantly, very pretty. There are few more photogenic scenes than a row of home-canned goods lined up in a sunny window (for proof check the sunlit cover of every recent preserving cookbook). And months later, that gleaming jar of blackberry preserves functions as a postcard from summertime sent into the dark grey winter. While Eugenia Bone advances political motives for putting food up, she is more convincing on the emotional tug: "Preserving is not about immediate satisfaction (for that, eat the cherries fresh). It's about anticipation. And in that sense it's an act of optimism."
Become a fan of Slate on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.


text:
One of the longer-lasting Internet memes in recent years has been the parody trend of the 2004 German film Der Untergang (also known as Downfall). If you have spent more than a couple of hours on the Internet over the past couple of years, you have likely seen at least one or two of these clips, and if you are an aficionado, you know that there are plenty of them. That's why it was surprising when many of these parodies recently disappeared from YouTube thanks to Downfall producer Constantin Film. Taking advantage YouTube's Content ID system, Constantin has decided enough is enough, and copyright advocates are calling foul.
The clips in question always show the bunker scene from the movie, overlaid with new subtitles: Hitler getting mad at Twitter being down, Hitler being upset about the plot of Avatar, Hitler reacting to Kanye West running out on stage with Taylor Swift, Hitler planning to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, Hitler reacting to 2 girls 1 cup; you get the drift. There's even one about how the DMCA takedown system is constantly abused to prevent fair uses of videos. (The latter was created by Electronic Frontier Foundation board member Brad Templeton, who went to great lengths last May to ensure that his clip was created legally). Many of these were taken down from YouTube by Constantin Film this week, though some have already disputed the takedowns or uploaded their videos elsewhere.
As detailed by both the EFF and on Templeton's personal blog, Constantin did not actually use the traditional DMCA takedown route that most others use in order to target video clips uploaded by other users. Instead, the movie company used YouTube's Content ID filter, which essentially gives copyright holders direct access to videos on the site thanks to audio and video fingerprinting. The idea is to give copyright holders the ability to monetize their content uploaded by other users or block it, and they can block varying levels of it depending on their own tastes. A YouTube spokesperson told Ars that copyright owners are allowed to decide what level of "fair use" they're comfortable with—they can choose to keep content under a minute long online while blocking longer clips, for example. Copyright owners can also choose to keep videos that use under a certain percentage of their content while blocking those with more.
This, of course, allows copyright owners to go as far as they want. If they so choose, they can flip the switch on everything they don't like—even if the clips otherwise constitute fair use—and watch the videos disappear. The EFF has publicly hammered YouTube to tighten its ContentID requirements, but the company seems content to let copyright owners themselves determine what's OK and what's not. All users can do is submit a dispute through YouTube.
This is the reason the system is controversial, as it allows copyright holders to take content down without having to work within the legal limits of the DMCA. Content ID bypasses the DMCA, as it's merely a partnership between YouTube and copyright holders who choose to make use of the system. Although affected users can dispute their takedowns, it's not as cut and dried as a typical DMCA takedown would be.
There's another perplexing element to this discussion, too: Downfall's director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, seemingly is a fan of the parodies. In an interview with New York Magazine earlier this year, Hirschbiegel said that he has seen about 145 clips and that one of his favorites features the Fuher having difficulty getting tickets to the broadway musical Billy Elliott.
"Many times the lines are so funny, I laugh out loud, and I'm laughing about the scene that I staged myself! You couldn't get a better compliment as a director," Hirschbiegel told the magazine. "The point of the film was to kick these terrible people off the throne that made them demons, making them real and their actions into reality. I think it's only fair if now it's taken as part of our history, and used for whatever purposes people like. If only I got royalties for it, then I'd be even happier."
Hirschbiegel may have said that last line tongue-in-cheek, but it seems his production company is a little more serious. We tried to get comment from both Constantin Film and Hirschbiegel on the latest turn of events, but did not hear back from either by publication time. Although we have had some luck finding Downfall parodies that have not yet been removed from YouTube, there are plenty of others that remain offline (one digital movie class even made the parodies as an assignment, and only three remain).
As for whether these videos are fair use parodies, that's a question that is usually answered by the courts—another complex element to this discussion, as Downfall was created by a German company, and the laws there are different than in the US. Still, critics say that spinoffs created in the US still fall under US guidelines. "I haven't seen every Downfall parody, and I can't say with certainty that all of them are clear fair uses," EFF Senior Staff Attorney Corynne McSherry told Ars. "That said, the ones I have seen strike me as very strong fair use cases."


text:
The Secretary shall permit hunting, fishing, and trapping on lands and waters under his jurisdiction within the boundaries of the recreation area in accordance with applicable laws of the United States and the States of Utah and Arizona, except that the Secretary may designate zones where, and establish periods when, no hunting, fishing, or trapping shall be permitted for reasons of public safety, administration, or public use and enjoyment. Except in emergencies, any regulation of the Secretary pursuant to this section shall be put into effect only after consultation with the appropriate State fish and game department.
(Pub. L. 92–593, § 5, Oct. 27, 1972, 86 Stat. 1312.)


text:
|My Present Past
|A genealogical experience
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Depot
Wyanet, Illinois Built in 1856
There are four distinct locations on American soil as to the origins of my
ancestors. The first would be where it all began, Charlemont, Franklin
County, Massachusetts, next would be Wyanet, Bureau County, Illinois,
then Argentine, Wyandotte County, Kansas and of course my hometown,
Liberty, Clay County, Missouri.
My ancestors originated from France, Scotland, Ireland and Germany.
Some of the surnames include: Nichols, Engel, Jacobs, Lange, Ervin,
Krauss, Yearnshaw, Blaine, Penman, Crawford, Dunwell, Millard, Hailey,
Barry, Lawrence, Lovelace, Pierce, Frans, Hauter
and Cook to name just a few.
|Click on an image to view full size
|Samuel Crossett January 17th, 1879
Agent for the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Junction at Wyanet, Illinois
Edward, George and Sadie Engel.
This photo was taken in Argentine, Kansas in
1896. Edward was the passenger agent for the
Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe railroad in
Argentine from 1883 to 1928.
Sadie Engel was involved in the suffrage
movement and other philanthropic organizations
in the Argentine area including being one of the
original twelve members of the Hawthorne Club.
George grew up in the Argentine area and
graduated from Argentine High School in 1908.
1877 Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Employee Pass
David T. Nichols and wife
Between Mendota and Burlington
David T. Nichols was the first agent for the Chicago
Burlington & Quincy railroad at Wyanet, Illinois in 1854
Charles Ervin on left, Engineer, Atchison
Topeka & Santa Fe at Argentine, Kansas.
Charles would marry Josephine Alice Lange
(pictured below) on September 8th, 1922.
Jo Lange was the younger sister of
Dorothy Lee Lange (Engel).
1931 Liberty High School Graduating Class
Ruth M. Engel
|Above right:
Josephine Alice Lange in front of the Lange residence at 2019 Ruby Avenue, Kansas City, (Argentine) Kansas.
Sitting on the porch are Louis Lange Jr. and Dorothy Lange. Standing to the right is Willimina Lange.
Photo taken by George Engel 1913