"Learnt the tricks in camouflage.  Till this accident made a prang of things.  How can I help you, Mrs. Peel?"

Noah is a South African comedian and actor who got his start on soap operas, then hosted reality television before moving to comedy full time in 2008. The 31-year-old made his first appearance on The Daily Show back in December, offering an outsider’s perspective on the American experience.

Based mainly upon three things: (1) He picked the New York Post as a target, (2) Kathy Nguyen's unexplained death, and (3) it's an easy drive to Trenton from NYC.....

I realize I have to rethink some things, but I still think the guy is a New Yorker. While the Post might be sold outside of New York, it's not a likely
target for someone who doesn't know New York well. It's a New Yorker's newspaper that isn't well known outside of New York.  IMO

It's my understanding that his mail was just cross-contaminated.  I haven't seen any copies of his letter, and all authorities mention only the letters to Brokaw and the Post (and AMI, of course).  If Rather got an actual anthrax letter, please show me some reference about that.

I'd been discounting these as cross-contamination, but I goofed on that.  Any cross-contamination from the Brokaw and Post letters wouldn't have specifically hit CBS and ABC without hitting a lot of other places in NYC.

So, there were apparently letters addressed to Rather and Jennings, too, but they were discarded and destroyed before anyone became aware of what was going on.

That's going to force me to rethink my suggestion that he watches Brokaw - except for one nagging piece of information.  It still looks like Brokaw got the original letter and the others got photocopies.

Me:  He traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, sometime within the year prior to Sept. 11, 2001.

Martha: Based on what?

Me: Based upon the threatening letters the terrorist wrote and mailed from there. The letters are described in a story published by The New York Post on Nov. 1. 

I spent some time trying to find out if the "Indianapolis letters" were ever mentioned anywhere except that one article in The New York Post back on November 1, 2001.  Today, I found one other mention in NewsMax.com from the same day quoting Sean Hannity and including this additional comment: 

Hannity said that he'd begun receiving the suspicious mail last winter and again in August. 

So, while it was previously only suspected that there may have been "threatening letters" mailed in August, making the timing of the first anthrax mailing very clearly connected to the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention, this now seems confirmed.   However, it would certainly be nice to verify that the handwriting on the Indianapolis letters was indeed identical to that on the anthrax letters.  This all seems much too critical to the case to have been ignored by the rest of the media.  I don't understand why they ignore it.  I'd really like to see comments from some unimpeachable source on this.

An attempt to get copies of the "Indianapolis letters" via the Freedom of Information-Privacy Acts (FOIPA) ended today with a reply from the FBI saying they didn't know what I was talking about - or in their terminology: "No records pertinent to your FOIPA request were located by a search of the automated and manual indices."

It's also interesting that Ms Bell concludes with a Chapter about the Indianapolis letters, i.e., the letters Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly claim were "the exact same handwriting" as in the attack letters.  I once thought those letters were significant, too.  But since that time, I've seen at least a dozen of samples of handwriting which people believe are "the exact same handwriting" as in the attack letters, but which I don't see as even being similar.  I'd still like to see those letters, if just to see how similar the handwriting really is. 

On Saturday, Germany’s Bild newspaper quoted an interview with a former girlfriend of Lubitz’s who described a man who suffered from both vivid nightmares and delusions of grandeur.

“At night, he woke up and screamed: ‘We’re going down!’ because he had nightmares,” the former girlfriend told Bild. “He knew how to hide from other people what was really going on with him.”

She added that last year he had warned, “One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then everybody will know my name and remember it.”

“He was inconspicuous, normal, nice,” said Michael Dietrich, the pastor at the Luther Church in Montabaur who taught Lubitz’s confirmation class.

Some military aviation experts say that an Italian military plane switched its transponder to the emergency code #7700 at 10.35, right near the site where the Germanwings plane began its descent, the Daily Mail reports. Investigators should be able to work out whether the incident was "a coincidence or possibly had some relevance to the passenger jet's demise", the publication says.

1) you yourself have averred numerous times with me and DXer in threads that Ivins' printing looks NOTHING (yes, nothing) like the printing in Amerithrax.

George Washington used the word aver in his first inaugural speech

This word is common in the making of court decision, pleadings made by a lawyer, a part of conjunction used in the language of law.

the coroner song in the Wizard of Oz! As coroner I must aver; I thoroughly examined her....

"Aver" is a word I picked up years ago; I don't remember where anymore. I used it in a research paper, but my professor isn't familiar with the word, so I looked it up to verify to him that it is an appropriate word to use in the context I used it in.

Cross word puzzle. The clue was affirm. After answering the other questions "aver" was left. I was verifying that it was an actual word.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."....
"For all averred, I had killed the bird.
That brought the fog and mist."...

couching familiar ideas in pretentious language is taken as a sign of poor intelligence and low credibility

People who experience flow describe it as “a state of effortless concentration so deep that they lose their sense of time, of themselves, of their problems,” and their descriptions of the joy of that state are so compelling that Csikszentmihalyi has called it an “optimal experience.” Many activities can induce a sense of flow, from painting to racing motorcycles—and for some fortunate authors I know, even writing a book is often an optimal experience. 

The normal state of your mind is that you have intuitive feelings and opinions about almost everything that comes your way. You like or dislike people long before you know much about them; you trust or distrust strangers without knowing why; you feel that an enterprise is bound to succeed without analyzing it.

If you care about being thought credible and intelligent, do not use complex language where simpler language will do.

My Princeton colleague Danny Oppenheimer refuted a myth prevalent among undergraduates about the vocabulary that professors find most impressive. In an article titled “Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly,” he showed that couching familiar ideas in pretentious language is taken as a sign of poor intelligence and low credibility. 

“How do I know what I think until I see what I say?" -- E. M. Forster

“I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say.” -- Flannery O'Connor

"I don't know what I think until I write it down." -- Norman Mailer

"...all writers are compelled to write to see what their words tell them." -- Donald Murray

Ed, how many years passed between the infrequent incidents involving disguised writing and the witness statements you rely on? Five years? Six years? Seven years? Can you quote the witness statement you rely on, note the date of the statement and the date of the incidents? ....

You are off in the weeds because you do not understand how case law operates. You should go to the online annotation of the federal rules to find the controlling law interpreting and applying the federal rule of your particular interest, taking into account any other rule that applies and is cited in the controlling case law.

In an appeal of a capital murder conviction, the defendant contended that some documents that were allegedly written by him were improperly identified by his former girlfriend and another associate.  The former girlfriend had been involved in a romantic relationship for several years and testified that she was familiar with the defendant's handwriting, that he had written letters to her, and that she could identify his writing style.  Another lay witness testified that he was familiar with the defendant's handwriting because he had seen him write notes at various times.  In this case, both lay witnesses testified that they were familiar with the defendant's handwriting and that, in their opinion, it matched or was similar to the handwriting on the documents alleged to have been written by the capital defendant.  The Alabama reviewing court held that the testimony was valid under Alabama's rule allowing lay witness opinion evidence and rule 901, which allow for the admission of nonexpert opinion as to the genuineness of handwriting based upon familiarity not acquired for purposes of litigation.

Another permissible lay witness opinion is that of a skilled lay observer who has specialized knowledge based upon firsthand observation, which in turn creates the witness's unique ability to state opinions about these observations.  For example, a secretary may testify that a writing sample matches his/her boss's handwriting because he/she has been repeatedly exposed to his/her boss's handwriting.

In cross examination the defense would elicit testimony from witnesses that Ivins' disguised handwriting when they saw it was so poorly disguised that one could readily recognize it. It was transparently his.

Then when the defense case-in-main came, the defense would:

2) call the Task Force's OWN questioned document examiner as a witness and obtain testimony that Ivins' printing was 'probably non-match' to that of the Amerithrax texts. With as many details as possible.

3) call the defense's own questioned document examiner who could then, in painstaking detail, likely using a projector, highlight all the differences-------likely in the dozens of features----------between Ivins' printing and that of the Amerithrax texts.

In 2001, Los Angeles Police Department document examiner William Leaver concluded it was "highly probable" that the envelope and note were written by Nyle Brenner, Berman's manager and friend. The assessment was "rubber stamped" by Leaver's supervisor, who told detectives this past September that she had not performed her own technical review.

Investigators had not initially analyzed examples of Durst's handwriting, and it wasn't until eight months later that a comparison was made to Durst's limited sample writings. Leaver said "similarities" were enough to request more exemplar writings, which police eventually obtained.

In June 2003, Leaver concluded the handwriting was likely Durst's. By then, Durst had been charged in Texas with murder for the death and dismemberment of Morris Black.

The conflicting assessments meant valuable time lost.

Durst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said the conflicting determinations on the handwriting "shows you what junk science really is."

A young child asks his father, "Dad, does 2 and 2 equal 4?"

The father replies, "Yes."

The child asks, "You're certain 2 and 2 equal 4?

The father replies, "I'm absolutely certain."

So, the child then goes outside and tells another child, "My father says I'm right.  Two trees and two houses equals four tree houses."

“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.”
― Francis Bacon, The Advancement Of Learning

In the weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a series of letters laced with anthrax were sent to members of the news media and public officials in the Washington area, including the White House and members of Congress, prompting weeks of anxiety. The anthrax killed five people and sickened 17 others, and officials eventually blamed a military scientist who later committed suicide.

Now it is the White House's turn to feel the anthrax scare. The deadly germ turned up in a remote White House mail room whose letters pass through the giant postal facility in Washington where at least four workers have been infected, two of whom have died.

After the attack of Sept. 11, 2001, a series of letters laced with anthrax were sent to members of the news media and public officials in the Washington area. As a result, letters and packages destined for the White House are screened at remote locations.

The envelope listed a return address for a man who the alert says has a record with the Secret Service dating back to 1995, which includes sending a package covered in urine and feces.

That person has sent multiple packages over the years; the most recent package was received on June 12, 2012, which contained mini alcoholic beverages.

Accidentally run over a curb in a solid axle RWD car, for instance, and you probably won’t break anything. But hit a curb (or even a deep pothole) in a FWD car and the odds are much higher that something expensive will be damaged. This is why cop cars and other “service” vehicles are overwhelmingly RWD.

The other advantage RWD cars offer is better balance — and because of this, better handling. While a FWD car has most of the weight of the engine and transaxle (the transmission and axle assembly are one unit in a FWD car) over the front wheels, a RWD car spreads the weight of its drivetrain more evenly front-to-rear. This is why most sports cars — and virtually all race cars — are RWD.

FWD cars are nose-heavy, which isn’t optimal for handling — especially high-speed, high-load handling. A related problem is that the front wheels have to do two things at once — put the power to the ground and steer the car. This, too, is not optimal for a performance/sporty car. In a high-powered FWD car, it can sometimes be difficult or awkward to keep the car pointed straight ahead as the car accelerates. The front wheels may jerk to the left or right — a problem called “torque steer.” Modern FWD cars are less prone to this thanks to electronic traction control, but it’s still not the hot set-up for performance applications — which is why very few “serious” performance cars are FWD.

The center of gravity of the vehicle is typically farther forward than a comparable rear-wheel drive layout. In front wheel drive cars, the front axle typically supports around 2/3rd of the weight of the car (quite far off the "ideal" 50/50 weight distribution). This is a contributing factor in the tendency of front wheel drive cars to understeer.

a witness who had received a number of packages and cards over the course of several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s was shown copies of the letters and envelopes used in the anthrax attacks. The witness thought that the handwriting on the envelope addressed to Senator Daschle reminded the witness of Dr. Ivins’s writing. If the witness were to receive a package with that writing on it, the witness would think of Dr. Ivins. The witness noted that, in particular, the style of the block letters with alternating heights stood out, as did the slant of the writing. The witness said that this was the type of writing Dr. Ivins used when he disguised his handwriting as part of a joke.

The two mentioned informants of pages 89 and 90:

1) are not witnesses.

2) are not presented in the document as being eligible to testify about the printing. For that reason their 'witnesshood' is entirely honorary.

3) would not have been eligible to testify about the printing under any circumstances.        

"a competent layperson may provide opinions on certain subjects that are specifically permitted by rule, statute, or case law. Some of these are:

Another person's identity
Another person's sanity
Demeanor, mood, or intent
IDENTIFICATION OF HANDWRITING

"The so-called opinions of ordinary witnesses are received where it is impossible for the witness to detail all the pertinent facts in regard to a subject matter in such manner as will enable persons not eyewitnesses to form an accurate judgment in regard to it. So, an ordinary witness may give an opinion or conclusions upon questions involving identity, HANDWRITING, size, color, weight, value, time, distance, speed, visibility, audibility, physical appearances of fear, anger, excitement, intoxication, insanity, and in many other matters where it is not practicable to put the jury in possession of all the primary facts upon which the opinion is based."

Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?

"[David Lee] Wilson was head of the [FBI's] HMRU [Hazardous Materials Response Unit] between 1997 and 2000, and during those years the number of credible bioterror threats or incidents rose dramatically, up to roughly 200 per year, or one biological threat every couple of days.  Most of them were anthrax hoaxes."

Q: What is the status of the search?

Vessels scanning the sea floor for wreckage using sophisticated sonar have covered about 40 per cent of a "priority search area" in the remote southern Indian Ocean spanning 60,000 square kilometres.

Nothing has been found yet apart from several shipping containers in the Australian-led operation, which is due to be completed in May. Authorities have not yet decided what will happen if nothing turns up by then.

The stormy southern hemisphere winter is expected to begin affecting any future operations within months.

He’s innocent though. Give me one spiff of evidence that proves he is guilty. I have hundreds of ammeter footage that proves the two brothers were setup and are innocent. Of Course you might have not seen them because they are censored and the corporate media would never touch on them.

I have seen zero evidence that these two suspects had anything to do with the bombing. Apparently that video where they placed the backpacks does not exist, it was a lie! Why were they pushing this lie for that long? The backpacks that exploded were completely different than the backpacks that the two brothers were carrying.

So, you don't believe Dzhokhar when he admitted that he and his brother were the bombers?

I won’t believe it until I see his face in court, not just drawings and see him actually say those exact words! I’m not believing corporate media and heresy.

And to think it only took two years to convince this kid that he was responsible for something that he only thought he was involved in. Look at the pictures - he wasn't even wearing the same backpack. Interestingly enough, members of the contract for hire military company, Craft International, WERE photographed that day wearing the exact same type of pack prior to the attack. Huh... I wonder what that was all about...

Why not? It's just as plausible as the governments conspiracy theory that's NEVER been proven, btw. Congress spent more money investigating Clinton's affair than they did 9/11... did you know that?

this whole thing is a farce the corporate news is lying once again to promote the government agenda ... there is plenty of evidence on line that shows those boys had nothing to do with the bombing. Of course the corporate media is ignoring it like they always do.The fact that so many are saying hang the guy is because they fell for the corporate propaganda

How likely is it that during the course of this trial we will find out who really was behind this dastardly act? America is like a haunted house. Distortions, lies, misdeeds and guilt sooner or later come home to roost.

We already knew that people are good intuitive grammarians: at age four a child effortlessly conforms to the rules of grammar as she speaks, although she has no idea that such rules exist. Do people have a similar intuitive feel for the basic principles of statistics? Amos reported that the answer was a qualified yes. We had a lively debate in the seminar and ultimately concluded that a qualified no was a better answer.

Even statisticians were not good intuitive statisticians.

But as language specialists enter the legal world, they find the stakes are high, the science uncertain and the scrutiny intense. Take the cautionary tale of Don Foster, the English professor turned temporary gumshoe from Vassar College who documents in “Author Unknown” his transition from the comforts of academia to criminal investigations and the constant pressures of media exposure. Foster made headlines for connecting a funeral elegy with Shakespeare (he graciously recanted when subsequent scholarship suggested a different author) and for fingering Joe Klein as the author of “Primary Colors.” He went on to such high-profile cases as the Unabomber and JonBenet Ramsey investigations and was sued for defamation by Steven Hatfill after writing a Vanity Fair article that, the suit alleged, implicated the scientist in the 2001 anthrax mailings. (The case was settled out of court.) Foster said in an e-mail that he deeply regrets “ever having waded in[to] the minefield of examining documents” and having faced, as an expert witness, adverse parties who “introduced material dredged up on the Internet.”

Roger Shuy, the now-retired Georgetown professor often regarded as the founder of forensic linguistics, who once helped identify a kidnapper by alerting police that the term “devil strip” — found in the ransom note to describe the patch of grass between a sidewalk and a street — is used almost exclusively by people from Akron, Ohio.