Northwest News

Northwest Airlines Flight 253

Northwest Airlines Flight 253

Incident

Getting on Flight 253

On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, arrived at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. Eight days earlier at the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines office in Accra, Ghana, he had paid ,831 in cash for his Lagos-Amsterdam-Detroit round-trip ticket with a January 8, 2010, return date. Abdulmutallab left Lagos on Christmas Eve at 11:00 p.m. aboard KLM Flight 588, a Boeing 777 bound for Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, on Christmas Day, Abdulmutallab checked in for Northwest Airlines Flight 253 to Detroit with only carry-on luggage.

A couple, Kurt and Lori Haskell, stated that, while waiting at the Amsterdam airport to board Flight 253, they saw the man whom they later learned was Abdulmutallab along with a well-dressed man who was assisting him approach the ticket agent. The other man appeared to be around 50 years old, of Indian descent and was dressed in what appeared to be an expensive suit and shoes. Federal agents later stated that they were trying to find the well-dressed man. According to Lori Haskell, the well-dressed man told the ticket agent: “We need to get this man on the plane. He doesn’t have a passport.” The ticket agent answered that nobody was allowed to board without a passport, to which the well-dressed man replied: “We do this all the time; he’s from Sudan.” Lori Haskell added that both she and her husband believe the man was trying to pass Abdulmutallab off as a Sudanese refugee. Lori Haskell then reported the two being directed down a corridor to talk to a manager. “We never saw him again until he tried to blow up our plane,” Haskell said of Abdulmutallab. Only U.S. citizens are permitted to board international flights to the U.S. without passports and even they may be permitted to do so only if the airline confirms their identity and citizenship, said Chief Ron Smith, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in Detroit, and the allegation that Abdulmutallab was allowed to board without a passport has been called disturbing.

Bombing attempt

Flight 253, a Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300 twinjet with 279 passengers, 8 flight attendants, and 3 pilots aboard, left Amsterdam around 8:45 am local time. The plane was scheduled to arrive in Detroit at 11:40 a.m. EST, and was painted in Delta Air Lines’ livery, as Northwest was a subsidiary of Delta at the time.

Witnesses reported that as the plane approached Detroit, Abdulmutallab went into the plane’s lavatory for about 20 minutes. After returning to his seat at 19A (near the fuel tanks and wing, and against the skin of the plane), he complained that he had an upset stomach. He was then seen pulling a blanket over himself.

About 20 minutes before the plane landed, he secretly ignited a small explosive device consisting of a mix of plastic explosive powder and liquid acid. Abdulmutallab apparently had a packet of the plastic explosive sewn to his underwear, and injected liquid acid from a syringe into the packet to cause a chemical reaction. While there was an explosion and fire, the device failed to detonate properly. Passengers heard popping noises resembling firecrackers, smelled an odor, and saw the suspect’s trouser leg and the wall of the plane on fire.

“There was smoke and screaming and flames. It was scary.”

Although there were not any air marshals on the flight, several passengers and crew noticed the attack. A passenger seated on the far side of the same row, Jasper Schuringa from the Netherlands, saw Abdulmutallab sitting and shaking, and tackled and overpowered him. Schuringa saw the suspect’s trousers were open, and that he was holding a burning object between his legs. “I pulled the object from him and tried to extinguish the fire with my hands and threw it away,” said Schuringa, who suffered burns to his hands. Meanwhile, flight attendants extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher and blankets, and a passenger removed the partially melted, smoking syringe from Abdulmutallab’s hand.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport is located in the city of Romulus, Michigan

Schuringa grabbed the suspect, and pulled him to the first class area at the front of the plane. A passenger reported that Abdulmutallab, though burned “quite severely” on his leg, seemed “very calm,” and like a “normal individual.” Schuringa stripped off the suspect’s clothes to check for other explosives or weapons, and he and a crew member handcuffed Abdulmutallab with plastic handcuffs. “He was staring into nothing,” Schuringa said, and shaking. Passengers applauded as Schuringa walked back to his seat.

The suspect was isolated from other passengers until after the plane landed. A flight attendant asked Abdulmutallab what he had in his pocket, and the suspect replied: “Explosive device.”

When the attack triggered a fire indicator light within the cockpit, the pilot requested rescue and law enforcement. The plane made an emergency landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in the Downriver Detroit community of Romulus, Michigan, just before 1:00 p.m. local time. The airport is about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Detroit and the adjacent international border.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

The Toronto Star reported that the plane’s flight route would have had it over Canadian airspace when the attempted bombing occurred. Representatives of two pilot associations told the Star that Detroit Metro airport would have been the nearest suitable airport at which to attempt an emergency landing.

While the plane itself suffered relatively little damage, the suspect incurred first and second degree burns to his hands, and second degree burns to his right inner thigh and genitalia, and two other passengers were injured. When the plane landed, Abdulmutallab was handed over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, and taken into custody for questioning and treatment of his injuries in a secured room of the burn unit of the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. Schuringa was also taken to the hospital. One other passenger incurred minor injuries.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrived at the airport after the plane landed. The aircraft was moved to a remote area so authorities could re-screen the plane, the passengers, and the baggage on-board. A bomb-defusing robot was first used to board the plane, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) interviewed all passengers. Another passenger from the flight was placed in handcuffs after a dog alerted officers to his carry-on luggage, searched, and released.

Analysis of explosives

The substance that the suspect tried to detonate was more than 80 grams (3 oz) of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a crystalline powder that is often the active ingredient of plastic explosives, the high explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP), and other ingredients. It is among the most powerful of explosives, in the same chemical family as nitroglycerin. The powder was analyzed by the FBI at Quantico, and an FBI affidavit filed in the Eastern District of Michigan reflected preliminary findings that the device contained PETN. The authorities also found the remains of the syringe. The suspect apparently carried the PETN onto the plane in a 6-inch (15 cm)-long soft plastic container, possibly a condom, attached to his underwear. However, much of the container was lost in the fire. ABC News cited a government test indicating that 50 grams (2 oz) of PETN can blow a hole in the side of an airliner, and posted photos of the remains of Abdulmutallab’s underwear and explosive packet. Further chemical analysis showed that TATP, another high explosive, was also present.

Al-Qaeda member Richard Reid (the “Shoe Bomber”) tried to detonate 50 grams of the same explosives in his shoes during an American Airlines flight on December 22, 2001. This attack was near the eighth anniversary of Reid’s attempt. In addition, in August 2009, an al-Qaeda bomber from Yemen with PETN hidden in his underwear (originally thought to have been hidden inside his anal cavity) blew himself up near the Saudi deputy Interior Minister in charge of counter-terrorism, Prince Muhammad bin Nayef.

Verbally disruptive passenger incident

On December 27, 2009, two days after the original incident, the crew of another Flight 253 requested emergency assistance with a Nigerian passenger who they said had become “verbally disruptive”. The crew questioned the passenger after other passengers expressed concern that he had been in the lavatory for over an hour. It was later determined that the man was a businessman who had fallen ill from food poisoning during the flight, and did not pose any security risk.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Main article: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the suspected bomber

The suspect in the attempted bombing was 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The youngest of 16 children, Abdulmutallab’s father is Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, one of the richest men in Africa, former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria, and former Nigerian Federal Commissioner for Economic Development. Abdulmutallab’s mother was born in Yemen and is the second of his father’s two wives. Abdulmutallab was initially raised in Kaduna, in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north, a place he returned to on his vacations.

In high school at the British International School in Lom, Togo, Abdulmutallab was known as a devout Muslim who frequently discussed Islam with schoolmates. He visited the U.S. for the first time in 2004. For the 2004-05 academic year, Abdulmutallab studied at the San’a Institute for the Arabic Language in Sana’a, Yemen, and attended lectures at Iman University.

He began his studies at University College London in September 2005, where he studied Engineering and Business Finance, and earned a degree in mechanical engineering in June 2008. He was president of the school’s Islamic society in 2006 and 2007, during which time he participated in, along with political discussions, such activities as martial arts and paintballing; at least one of the Society’s paintballing trips involved a preacher who reportedly said: “Dying while fighting jihad is one of the surest ways to paradise.” During those years, he “crossed the radar screen” of MI5, the UK’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, for radical links and “multiple communications” with Islamic extremists; none of the information was passed to American officials, due to concerns about breaching his human rights and privacy. His last known address was a 4 million apartment on Mansfield Street, Central London, close to Oxford Street.

On June 12, 2008, Abdulmutallab applied for and received from the U.S. consulate in London a U.S. multiple-entry visa, valid to June 12, 2010, with which he visited Houston, Texas, from August 117, 2008. From January 2009 to July 2009, he attended a master’s of international business degree program at the University of Wollongong in Dubai.

In May 2009 Abdulmutallab tried to return to Britain, ostensibly for a six-month “life coaching” program at what the British authorities concluded was a fictitious school; accordingly, his visa application was denied by the United Kingdom Border Agency. His name was placed on a UK Home Office security watch list, which meant he was not permitted to enter the UK, though he could pass through the country in transit and was not permanently banned. However, the UK did not share the information with other countries.

In July 2009, Abdulmutallab’s father agreed to his request of returning to the San’a Institute for the Arabic Language in Yemen to study Arabic from August to September of that year, and Abdulmutallab arrived in the country in August. “He told me his greatest wish was for sharia and Islam to be the rule of law across the world,” said one of his classmates at the Institute. However, Abdulmutallab ;left the Institute after a month, but remained in Yemen. Earlier, his family had become concerned in August when he called them to say he had dropped the course, but was remaining there. By September, he routinely skipped his classes at the institute and attended lectures at Iman University, which is suspected to have links to terrorism.

The San’a Institute obtained an exit visa for him at his request, and arranged for a car that took him to the airport on September 21, 2009 (the day his student visa expired), but the school’s director said, “After that, we never saw him again, and apparently he did not leave Yemen”. In October, Abdulmutallab sent his father a text message saying that he was no longer interested pursuing an MBA in Dubai, and wanted instead to study sharia and Arabic in a seven-year course in Yemen. His father threatened to cut off his funding, whereupon Abdulmutallab said he was “already getting everything for free”. He text-messaged his father, saying “I’ve found a new religion, the real Islam”, and ultimately, “You should just forget about me, I’m never coming back”, “Please forgive me. I will no longer be in touch with you”, and “Forgive me for any wrongdoing, I am no longer your child”. The family was last in contact with Abdulmutallab in October 2009.

On November 11, 2009, British intelligence officials sent the U.S. a message indicating that a man named “Umar Farouk” had spoken to Anwar al-Awlaki, a Muslim spiritual leader supposedly tied to al-Qaeda, pledging to support jihad, but the notice did not mention Abdulmutallab’s last name. His father made a report to two CIA officers at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, on November 19 regarding his son’s “extreme religious views”, and told the embassy that Abdulmutallab might be in Yemen. Acting on the report, Abdulmutallab’s name was added in November 2009 to the U.S.’s 550,000-name Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, a database of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. It was not added, however, to the FBI’s 400,000-name Terrorist Screening Database, the terror watch list that feeds both the 14,000-name Secondary Screening Selectee list and the U.S.’s 4,000-name No Fly List. Abdulmutallab’s U.S. visa was not revoked as well.

Yemeni officials said that he left Yemen on December 7 (flying to Ethiopia, and then two days later to Ghana). Ghanaian officials said Abdulmutallab was there from December 9 until December 24, when he flew to Lagos.

Two days after the attack, Abdulmutallab was released from the hospital in which he had been treated for burns sustained during the attempted bombing. He was then taken to the Federal Correctional Institution, Milan, a federal prison in Milan, Michigan.

Ties to Anwar al-Awlaki

Main article: Anwar al-Awlaki

Anwar al-Awlaki, who reportedly had ties to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

A number of sources reported contacts between Abdulmutallab and Anwar al-Awlaki, a Muslim lecturer and spiritual leader who is accused of being a senior al-Qaeda talent recruiter and motivator. Al-Awlaki, previously an imam in the U.S. who more recently has lived in Yemen, also has links to three of the 9/11 hijackers, the 2005 London subway bombers, a 2006 Toronto terror cell, a 2007 plot to attack Fort Dix, and the 2009 suspected Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan.

With a blog and a Facebook page, he has been described as the “bin Laden of the internet.”

Despite being banned from entering England in 2006, al-Awlaki spoke on at least seven occasions at five different venues around Britain via video-link in 2007-09. He gave a number of video-link lectures at the East London Mosque during this period. In one instance, the mosque provoked the outrage of The Daily Telegraph by hosting a video-teleconference by al-Awlaki in 2008, and former Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve expressed concern over al-Awlaki’s involvement. On New Year’s Day 2009 the mosque played a pre-recorded video lecture by al-Awlaki, with a poster depicting New York in flames. He also gave video-link talks in England to an Islamic student society at the University of Westminster in September 2008, an arts center in East London in April 2009 (after the Tower Hamlets council gave its approval), worshipers at the Al Huda Mosque in Bradford, and a dinner of the Cageprisoners organization in September 2008 at the Wandsworth Civic Centre in South London (at which he said “We should make jihad for our brothers and an angel will make the same jihad for you”). On August 23, 2009, al-Awlaki was banned by local authorities in Kensington and Chelsea, London, from speaking at Kensington Town Hall via videolink to a fundraiser dinner for Guantanamo detainees promoted by Cageprisoners. His videos, which discuss his Islamist theories, have also circulated in England.

Representative Pete Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said on the day of the attack that Obama administration officials and officials with access to law enforcement information told him “there are reports [the suspect] had contact [with al-Awlaki]…. The question we’ll have to raise is was this imam in Yemen influential enough to get some people to attack the U.S. again.” He added: “The suspicion is … that [the suspect] had contact with al-Awlaki. The belief is this is a stronger connection with al-Awlaki” than Hasan had. Hoekstra later said credible sources told him Abdulmutallab “most likely” has ties with al-Awlaki.

The Sunday Times established that Abdulmutallab first met and attended lectures by al-Awlaki in 2005, when he was in Yemen to study Arabic. The two are also “thought to have met” in London, according to The Daily Mail. Fox News reported that evidence collected during searches of “flats or apartments of interest” connected to Abdulmutallab in London showed that he was a “big fan” of al-Awlaki, as web traffic showed he followed Awlaki’s blog and website. CBS News and The Daily Telegraph reported that Abdulmutallab attended a talk by al-Awlaki at the East London Mosque (which al-Awlaki may have participated in by video teleconference).

University of Oxford historian, and professor of international relations, Mark Almond wrote that the suspect was “on American security watch-lists because of his links with … Al-Awlaki”.

CBS News said that the two were communicating in the months before the bombing attempt, and sources say that at a minimum al-Awlaki was providing spiritual support. According to federal sources, over the year prior to the attack, Abdulmutallab intensified electronic communications with al-Awlaki. One government source described intercepted “voice-to-voice communication” between the two during the fall of 2009, saying that al-Awlaki “was in some way involved in facilitating [Abdulmutallab]‘s transportation or trip through Yemen. It could be training, a host of things.”

Abdulmutallab reportedly told the FBI that al-Awlaki was one of his trainers when he underwent al-Qaeda training in remote camps in Yemen, and there were “informed reports” that Abdulmutallab met al-Awlaki during his final weeks of training and indoctrination prior to the attack. According to a U.S. intelligence official, intercepts and other information point to connections between the two:

“Some of the information … comes from Abdulmutallab, who … said that he met with al-Awlaki and senior al-Qaeda members during an extended trip to Yemen this year, and that the cleric was involved in some elements of planning or preparing the attack and in providing religious justification for it. Other intelligence linking the two became apparent after the attempted bombing, including communications intercepted by the National Security Agency indicating that the cleric was meeting with “a Nigerian” in preparation for some kind of operation.”

Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi, said Yemeni investigators believe the suspect traveled in October to Shabwa, where he met with suspected al-Qaida members in a house built by al-Awlaki and used by al-Awlaki to hold theological sessions, and that Abdulmutallab was trained and equipped there with his explosives. “If he went to Shabwa, for sure he would have met Anwar al-Awlaki,” al-Alimi said. Al-Alimi also said he believed al-Awlaki is alive. And Abdul Elah al-Shaya, a Yemeni journalist, said a healthy al-Awlaki called him on December 28 and said that the Yemeni government’s claims as to his death were “lies”. Shaya declined to comment as to whether al-Awlaki had told him about any contacts he may have had with Abdulmutallab. According to Gregory Johnsen, a Yemeni expert at Princeton University, Shaya is generally reliable.

At the end of January 2010, a Yemeni journalist, Abdulelah Hider Shaa, said he met with al-Awlaki, who said he had met and spoken with Abdulmutallab in Yemen in the fall of 2009. Al-Awlaki also reportedly said Abdulmutallab was one of his students, that he supported what Abdulmutallab did but did not tell him to do it, and that he was proud of Abdulmutallab. A New York Times journalist listened to a digital recording of the meeting, and said that while the tape’s authenticity could not be independently verified, the voice resembled that on other recordings of al-Awlaki.

Al-Qaeda involvement

On December 28, 2009, Obama in his first address said the incident “demonstrates that an alert and courageous citizenry are far more effective than anti-terrorist laws which wreak havoc on our basic freedoms.” On the same day, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced that it was responsible for the attempted bombing. AQAP said that the attack, during “their (Christians) celebration of the Christmas holidays”, was to “avenge U.S. attacks on the militants in Yemen”. The NEFA Foundation posted the full al-Qaeda statement.

On January 24, an audio tape said to be from Osama Bin Laden praised the bombing attempt and warned of further attacks against America, but did not explicitly claim responsibility for it. The short recording that was broadcasted on Al Jazeera television, said: “The message delivered to you through the plane of the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a confirmation of the previous messages sent by the heroes of the September 11.” An adviser to the U.S. President said he could not confirm whether the voice was actually that of bin Laden. In the past, the CIA has usually confirmed Al Jazeera reports on tapes attributed to bin Laden.

While in custody, Abdulmutallab told authorities he had been directed by al-Qaeda. He said he had obtained the device in Yemen, along with instructions from al-Qaeda as to how to use it and to detonate it when the plane was over U.S. soil. Abdulmutallab said he had contacted al-Qaeda through a radical Yemeni imam (who according to The New York Times on December 26 was not believed to be al-Awlaki) whom he had reached through the internet.

The New York Times reported on December 25 that a counter-terrorism official had told them Abdulmutallab’s claim “may have been aspirational”. But U.S. Representative Jane Harman] (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment, said the following day that a federal official briefed lawmakers about “strong suggestions of a Yemen-al Qaeda connection” with the suspect. On January 2, 2010, President Obama said that AQAP trained, equipped, and dispatched Abdulmutallab, and vowed retribution.

In reaction to suggestions that the U.S. launch a military offensive against the alleged terrorists’ sanctuary in Yemen, The Washington Post noted that Yemeni forces equipped with U.S. weapons and intelligence had carried out two major raids against AQAP shortly before the bombing attempt, and that the terror group may have lost top leaders in a December 24, 2009, airstrike.

Jasper Schuringa

Jasper Schuringa, who was en route to Miami, Florida for a vacation, stopped the attack and got burn injuries in the process. He lives in Amsterdam, and was born in 1971 in Curaao, Netherlands Antilles. Schuringa is a graduate of Leiden University, Leiden. He is a film director of low-budget Dutch films for an Amsterdam-based media company, and was the assistant director for National Lampoon’s Teed Off Too.

Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos phoned Schuringa on behalf of the Dutch government the day after the attack, and conveyed the government’s compliments and gratitude for Schuringa’s part in overpowering the suspect. Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders called Schuringa “a national hero” who “deserves a royal honor”, which Wilders said he would ask the Dutch government to award. According to the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Queen Beatrix expressed her feelings of gratitude towards Schuringa. The Dutch poet Nico Dijkshoorn compared Schuringa to both Superman and Hans Brinker.

On February 10, 2010 Schuringa announced that Reinout Oerlemans Eyeworks will make a documentary about Schuringa act during the flight. Schuringa, who is a filmmaker himself, will be closely involved in the production.

Reactions and investigations

Governments

United States

Barack Obama discusses the incident with National Security Council chief of staff Denis McDonough at the Kailua Winter White House on December 29, 2009.

The U.S. investigation into the incident is being managed by the Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is led by the FBI and includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and other law enforcement agencies. Among other questions, they are attempting to answer the following: what training did Abdulmutallab receive, who else (if anyone) was in the training program, are others preparing to launch similar attacks, was the attack part of a larger (possibly worldwide) plot, was it a test run, who assisted him, who gave him the chemicals, who sewed the explosives in his underwear, who further radicalized him, who sent him on his way, and how was he able to smuggle the explosives past airport security.

President Barack Obama was notified of the incident by an aide while on a vacation in Kailua, Hawaii, and spoke with officials from the Department of Homeland Security. He instructed that all appropriate measures be taken in response to the incident. While the White House called the attack an act of terrorism, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has not declared the incident an official terrorist act.

Representative Hoekstra said that Detroit may not have been singled out for the attack, but the focus may have simply been to attack a destination with many international travelers. The attack occurred over the city because the plane had not flown over U.S. land prior to that time. In addition, it was suggested that it is possible that the attack was a test to see if such materials could pass through screening, and how much damage the blast would cause. The U.S. is examining what information it had before the attack, why its National Counterterrorism Center did not put together the warning from Abdulmutallab’s father and intercepts by the National Security Agency (NSA) of conversations among Yemeni al-Qaida leaders about a “Nigerian” to be used for an attack (months before the attack took place), and why the suspect’s U.S. visa was not revoked after his father’s warning. Abdulmutallab’s name had come to the attention of intelligence officials many months before that, but no “derogatory information” was recorded about him. A Congressional official said that Abdulmutallab’s name appeared in U.S. reports reflecting that he had connections to both al-Qaeda and Yemen.

One U.S. intelligence officer said on December 30: “Abdulmutallab’s father didn’t say his son was a terrorist” when he visited the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, “let alone planning an attack. Not at all. I’m not aware of some magic piece of intelligence that suddenly would have flagged this guyhose name nobody even had until Novembers a killer en route to America, let alone something that anybody withheld.” Representative Hoekstra questioned, however, why the apparent links were not put together before the attack took place, saying: “You would think if you did a Google search on these different threads, it would bring these things together quickly. There are organizations that deal with massive amounts of data in real time every day. Talk to MasterCard.”

On January 7, 2010, James L. Jones, the national security advisor, said Americans would feel “a certain shock” when a report detailing the intelligence failures that could have prevented the Christmas Day attack were released that day. He said that President Obama would be “legitimately and correctly alarmed that things that were available, bits of information that were available, patterns of behavior that were available, were not acted on.”

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the UK would take “whatever action was necessary”. The day after the attack, British police searched a family-owned flat at which Abdulmutallab had lived while in London.

Netherlands

A Dutch military police spokesperson said that Abdulmutallab did not go through passport control at Schiphol, where large numbers of passengers are processed en-route to North America from Africa, and the Dutch counter-terrorism agency NCTb said that it had started a probe into where the suspect originated. A preliminary investigation, however, found no security lapses, and despite being listed as having a potential terrorism connection, the suspect had a valid U.S. visa. Dutch officials also said that they will now use 3D full-body scanning X-ray technology on flights departing to the U.S. Body scanners are being implemented despite concerns from privacy advocates. Dutch officials said that security must take priority over the privacy of the individuals being scanned. The developer of the technology said the scanned imagery does not compromise individuals’ privacy, as the imagery resolution is too low to display the body in anatomical detail; but that it would certainly detect non-metallic objects under clothing, such as powdered explosives.

Members of the Second Chamber (Lower House) of the Dutch parliament demanded an explanation from Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin, asking how the suspect managed to smuggle explosives on board, despite Schiphol’s reportedly strict security measures.

Nigeria

The incident raised concern regarding security procedures at Nigeria’s major international airports in Lagos and Abuja, where tests for explosive materials are not conducted on carry-on baggage and shoes, and where bags are allowed to pass quickly through X-ray scanners. In response to strong international criticism, Nigerian civil aviation officer Harold Demuran announced that Nigeria will also set up full-body scanning X-ray machines in Nigerian airports.

Canada

In response to the incident and to comply with new US regulations, the Canadian Government will install full body scanners at major airports. This technology is used in secondary screening of passengers. The first 44 scanners were planned to be installed at airports in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax.

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, which owns Northwest, said its Detroit group did not handle security for the flight. It released a statement calling the incident a “disturbance,” and saying that Delta was “cooperating fully with authorities”.

According to an internal communication to employees, Delta’s CEO Richard Anderson was upset that another terrorist incident such as this could reoccur, especially after the September 11 security reinforcements put in place around the globe: “Having this occur again is disappointing to all of us… You can be certain we will make our points very clearly in Washington.”

Security firms

In January 2010, ICTS International, a security firm that provides security services to Schipol airport, and G4S (Group 4 Securicor Aviation Security B.V.), another security firm, traded blame over the security oversight, as did authorities at Schiphol Airport, the Federal Aviation Authority, and U.S. intelligence officials. According to Haaretz, the failure was two-fold: An intelligence failure, as Obama stated, in the poor handling of information that arrived at the State Department and probably also the CIA from both the father of the would-be bomber and the British security service; and a failure within the security system, including that of ICTS. Abdulmutallab’s “age, name, illogical travel route, high-priced ticket purchased at the last minute, his boarding without luggage (only a carry-on), and many other signs should have been sufficient to alert the security officers and warrant further examination of the suspect. However, the security supervisor allowed him to get on the flight.”

Criminal charges

Prison grounds at Federal Correctional Institution, Milan, where Abdulmutallab is incarcerated

On December 26, a criminal complaint was filed against Abdulmutallab in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, charging him with two counts: placing a destructive device in, and attempting to destroy, a U.S. civil aircraft. The U.S. Attorney’s Office assigned to the case federal prosecutors Jonathan Tukel (chief of the counter-terrorism unit) and Eric Straus (former chief of the same unit). Abdulmutallab was arraigned and officially charged by U.S. District Court Judge Paul D. Borman later the same day at the University of Michigan Hospital.

On January 6, 2010, a federal grand jury indicted Abdulmutallab on six criminal counts including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder. “Not guilty” pleas were entered on the behalf of Abdulmutallab at the hearing. If Abdulmutallab is convicted on the charges he could face a life sentence plus 90 years. He faced his first court hearing, a detention hearing, on January 8, 2010. A former federal prosecutor told the Detroit News that “there’s no chance of getting this guy bond in a million years”.

Aftermath

Effect on travel

The U.S. government did not raise the Homeland Security Advisory System terrorist threat level, orange at the time (high risk of terrorist attacks), following the attack. However, the Department of Homeland Security said that additional security measures would be in place for the remainder of the Christmas travel period. The TSA detailed several of the measures, including a restriction on movement and access to personal items during the last hour of flight for planes entering U.S. airspace. The TSA also said that there would be more officers and security dogs at airports.

On December 28 Transport Canada announced that for several days it would not allow passengers flying to the U.S. from Canada a carry-on bag, with some exceptions. British Airways said that passengers flying to the U.S. would only be permitted one carry-on item. Other European countries increased baggage screening, pat-down searches, and random searches for passengers traveling to the U.S. A spokesperson for the Dutch airport used by the attacker said that heightened security would be in place for “an indefinite period”. However, in spite of the extra measures said to have been put in place to prevent a follow-up attack, Stuart Clarke, a photoreporter from the British newspaper Daily Express claimed to have smuggled a syringe containing fluid, and which could have contained a liquid bomb detonator onto another plane. On January 3, 2010, Clarke said he boarded a jet from Schiphol Airport bound for Heathrow Airport just five days after the Christmas Day terror attack, and that the airport appeared to have imposed no additional security, such as precautionary pat-downs which could easily have discovered the syringe which he claimed he kept in his jacket pocket throughout.

On December 27, a Lufthansa flight headed for Detroit was diverted to Iceland when it was discovered to be carrying a bag from a passenger who was not on the plane. In addition, a passenger on a Baltimore-to-New York flight was detained when a firecracker was discovered in the seat he had used.

U.S. political fallout

Beginning on the day of the incident, Obama was kept informed via secure conference calls and follow-up briefings.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said several times on Sunday talk shows that “the system had worked”, a statement that engendered some controversy. The next day they retracted the statement, saying that the system had in fact “failed miserably.” According to Napolitano, her initial statement had referred to the rapid response to the attack that included alerts sent to the 128 other aircraft in U.S. airspace at the time, and new security requirements for the final hour of every flight, rather than the security failures that allowed the attack to happen.

The day after the attack, the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee both announced that they would hold hearings in January 2010 to investigate how the device passed through security, and whether further restrictions should be placed on air travel; the Senate hearings began on January 21.

Four days after the attack, Obama said publicly that Abdulmutallab’s ability to board the aircraft was the result of a systemic failure that included an inadequate sharing of information among U.S. and foreign government agencies. He called the situation “totally unacceptable.” He ordered that a report be delivered detailing how some government agencies had failed to share or highlight potentially relevant information about the suspect before he allegedly tried to blow up the airliner. Two days later Obama received the briefing, which included statements that information about the suspect had failed to cross agency lines, and that the failures to communicate within the U.S. government had led to the threat posed by Abdulmutallab not being known by certain agencies until the attack. Obama said he would meet with security officials and specifically question why Abdulmutallab was not placed on the U.S. no-fly list, despite the government having received warnings about his potential al-Qaeda links.

Under new rules prompted by the incident, airline passengers travelling to the U.S. from 14 nations would undergo extra screening: Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The inclusion of non-Muslim Cuba on the list was criticized.

Account of pre-boarding event

Kurt Haskell, a U.S. passenger on Flight 253, said he saw two individuals approach the boarding agent at Schiphol, in Amsterdam. One was a “poor-looking black teenager around 16 or 17″ whom Haskell claims was Abdulmutallab. The second man was a “sharp-dressed” Indian man around 50 years old who spoke “in an American accent similar to my own.” According to Haskell, the Indian man attempted to negotiate with the airline employee to allow Abdulmutallab to board without a passport. Haskell claimed that the older man said: “He’s from Sudan. We do this all the time”, to which the employee responded by referring them to management.

A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official and spokesman in Detroit confirmed that there were not any Sudanese refugees on the plane. The Dutch counter-terror agency said that Abdulmutallab presented a valid Nigerian passport and U.S. entry visa when he boarded Flight 253, and after reviewing more than 200 hours of security camera recordings, did not find any indication that Abdulmutallab had accomplices at the airport or that he acted suspiciously there. Haskell suggested authorities should, “Put the video out there to prove I’m wrong.”

Federal agents said they were attempting to identify a man who, according to passengers on the flight, helped Abdulmutallab change planes in Amsterdam. U.S. authorities had initially discounted the passenger accounts, but the agents later said there was a growing belief that this man played a role to make sure Abdulmutallab “did not get cold feet”.

See also

Detroit portal

Aviation portal

Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown

2001 shoe bomb plot

2006 Transatlantic Aircraft Plot

List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners

List of terrorist incidents, 2009

“Flying while Muslim”

References

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^ “Key dates surrounding the Christmas Day attack”. WTOP Radio. Associated Press. December 30, 2009. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=116&sid=1851004. Retrieved March 2, 2010. 

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^ a b Bohn, Kevin; Labott, Elise; Henry, Ed; Streitfeld, Rachel (December 25, 2009). “Explosive device set off aboard airliner”. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/12/25/airliner.firecrackers/index.html. Retrieved December 25, 2009. 

^ a b Egan, Paul. The Detroit News, 28 December, 2009, “Passenger Says Accused Terrorist Got Help Boarding”

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^ McClatchy Newspapers, 29 Dec. 2010, Agents Question Whether Airliner-Bomb Suspect Had Help

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^ Chambers, Jennifer; Egan, Paul (January 1, 2010). “Customs official confirms report of 2nd man held from Flight 253″. The Detroit News. http://www.detnews.com/article/20100101/NATION/1010405/1410/METRO01/Customs-official-confirms-report-of-2nd-man-held-from-Flight-253. Retrieved January 1, 2010. 

^ Cizio, Rene (January 2, 2010). “Attorney who was passenger on Flight 253 critical of how situation handled on ground”. The News-Herald (Southgate, Michigan). http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/01/02/news/doc4b3cf12370898024670269.txt. Retrieved January 2, 2010. 

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^ a b c D. Shear, Michael; Johnson, Carrie; Hsu, Spencer S. (December 26, 2009). “Airports intensify security measures worldwide in wake of failed bomb attack aboard U.S.-bound jetliner”. The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/25/AR2009122501355.html. Retrieved December 26, 2009. 

^ Barrett, Devlin (December 26, 2009). “Christmas Day terrorism suspect is charged”. KATU. The Associated Press. http://www.katu.com/news/national/80140857.html. Retrieved December 26, 2009. 

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^ “Saudi suicide bomber hid IED in his anal cavity”, Homeland Security Newswire, September 9, 2009, http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/saudi-suicide-bomber-hid-ied-his-anal-cavity 

^ Kennedy, Dominic. “Passengers face security crackdown after failed airliner bomb plot”, The Times, December 28, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.

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^ Tapper, Jake.”The August Attempt on Saudi Prince Mohammed – and the Link to Flight 253″ ABC News Blogs, January 3, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2010.

^ Devlin, Barrett. AP Source: Man on Sunday Flight Posed No Threat. December 27, 2009.

^ Wong, Kristina and Pierre Thomas. “Christmas Day Terror Suspect Moved to Prison; Air Security Measures Questioned.” ABC News. December 27, 2009. 1. Retrieved on February 12, 2010.

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^ “Abdulmutallab Shocks Family, Friends”. CBS News. Dece…

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Sixty Firms with $75 Billion of Capital Under Management to Descend on Seattle in August

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) June 29, 2006

Franz von Bradsky, Chairman of the Northwest Growth Financing Conference announced today that 60+ firms from across the United States and Canada with over $ 75 billion in capital under management will be in attendance at the inaugural Northwest Growth Financing Conference. von Bradsky noted, “this will prove to be the largest collection of investment firms and capital assembled in the Northwest.”

The conference is being presented by the Seattle chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) on August 10, 2006 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on Pier 66 in Seattle. Mr. von Bradsky went on to say that registration has been extremely brisk for this inaugural event and has now exceeded 60% of the facility’s capacity and is quite likely to sell out the facility.

Glenn S. Burroughs, president of ACG Seattle and vice president and head of PNC Business Credit’s Seattle office said, “it is readily apparent from the activity we are seeing in the Seattle marketplace, there are many companies and private equity firms that have abundant cash available and are aggressively trying to find investments to put the cash to work. There is little doubt this has helped to drive interest in the conference.”

von Bradsky, who is president of Green Tree Capital and a director of ACG Seattle, concurred with Burroughs remarks and added, “this increased level of transaction activity in general as well as an interest in Northwest companies which has increased markedly in the last two years has greatly piqued interest from investors outside of the Northwest.”

The conference will highlight the latest trends and developments affecting the financing of “middle market” companies. Highly experienced investment professionals who have consummated numerous financing transactions in a wide array of industries have been assembled to provide a broad array of perspective on the current state of the market.

ACG was founded in 1954 as a forum for corporate leaders and other professionals to exchange ideas and address pertinent issues related to both internal and external corporate growth. Its mission is to foster and facilitate sound corporate growth – high quality and rising earnings as well as increased shareholder value. It is the premier global association for senior executives involved in corporate growth, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions.

PRWeb is the exclusive news distribution service of the Northwest Growth Financing Conference.

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Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate

Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate

Offering daily news and analysis from the Evergreen State and beyond. The Advocate is NPI’s unique perspective on world, national, and local politics.Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you’re not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

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Newfoundland Travels-Northwest Newfoundland

Newfoundland Travels-Northwest Newfoundland

Northwest Newfoundland is a penisula starting at Gros Morne Naitonal Park in the South to L’Anse aux Meadows on the Noth end.  This as one area not to be missed.

Today we traveled to Gros Morne National Park. Our first stop, however, was at the Newfoundland Insectarium outside of Deer Lake. They have a tropical butterfly garden and exhibits of many worldwide insects. Some of them are huge. But the most dangerous ones to man seem to be the smaller ones, like the mosquito.

Off to Gros Morne. We camped at Lomond River Campground, just outside the park. For .00 CA, we received full hookup. The campgrounds in the park charge .00 per night for no services. That is pretty steep. Took the walking trail along the Lomond River, a salmon river. The salmon were not running, but the scenery was outstanding.

Thursday, August 21, 2003

Off we went hiking today on one of the many trails in the park. We chose the Green Garden Trail. There are two versions: the long one and the short one. Of course we chose the short one, only nine kilometers in length. We avoided the long hill of the one trail. But we did not miss the one going down to the shore. What goes down must go up, etc. The views were spectacular. The garden is known for its sea stacks and sea caves when the tide has ebbed. The hills are a challenge, but WOW! Neither words nor pictures can do justice for the variety of beauty. Once again the weather was perfect. Rain will be coming, however.

Friday, August 22, 2003

This morning it rained. By the afternoon the rain stopped and we were able to hike the Tableland Trail. The Tablelands is an interesting phenomenon in Gros Morne. Millions of years ago, when the Appalachian Mountains were formed by a collision of the African Continent and the North American Continent, the Tablelands were the upheaval of the ocean floor. What were left are deposits of heavy metals, such as nickel, iron, manganese, etc., which do not support much life. The rare plant life is found where there is coursing water down the sides of the mountains.. The Provincial plant of Newfoundland, the pitcher plant, grows in abundance. It does not need nutrients from the soil. It receives its nourishment from insects drawn to their death inside the interior of the plant—Yum, Yum!! Audrey II, where are you? Visually, the area looks like someone stripped mined the region and left slag hills as a reminded. This time, however, man is not responsible. The tops of the mountains are relatively flat; thus giving the name of The Tablelands. Across the road is the Green Gardens trail, which is comparatively lush in growth. That trail we took yesterday.

From the Tablelands we drove to Trout Lake, once a fjord. A delta formed and enclosed the fjord, making it an inland lake. Here the Tablelands rise to the left, while verdant cliffs ascend to the right. The contrast of geological landscapes is stunning. Neither pictures nor words can adequately describe the beauty.

On the way back home, we stopped at the Discovery Center, which explains many of the unique features of this world renowned park. The exhibits were done with a sense of humor, to take some of the stuffiness out of unpronounceable geological names and eras in the world’s development.

Saturday, August 23, 2003

Another overcast day. We wanted to take the fjord trip on Western Brook Pond. A pond is the Newfoundland name for a lake. WB Pond was once an open fjord filled with salt water. Over the years the mouth filled with debris and the only water in it is fresh from snow melt and from rains. The water is almost pure, sustaining very little life. That means that there is very few fish, little plant life and bacterial life. After parking we have to walk almost one hour to the boat ramp through a variety of coastal ecosystems: peat bogs, marshes, boreal forests, etc. Once we arrived at the wharf with the other 120 tourists, we were greeted with a downpour. Welcome to the fjords. A fjord is literally a finger carved out of the mountains by glacial flow thousands of years in the making.. The walls of the mountains rise from almost 500 feet in the water to over 2500 feet into the sky. Combined with the erosion from the water and the air, these monuments of grandeur are in constant change. Rockfalls can occur any time,and do.

The boat takes us through the entire length of the fjord, about 16 miles. The clouds, mists, fog, sun and occasional downpour play with our senses as we travel the canyons.

After two and a half hours we return to the wharf for the hike back. Everyone was a buzz with the experience of the trip.

We headed North out of the park and wisely stopped at Parson’s Pond overlooking the Bay of St. Lawrence. Almost immediately came a sea squall with rains and winds buffeting our trailer. We were happy to have shelter. When the rain ended we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset and afterglow, the best one we’ve had since Sarasota, FL. We also learned here that the earth is truly round.  With our GPS in hand we tried to point our satellite dish at 22 degrees.  Even though we were fifty feet up on a cliff, we were unable to get a signal.  To all the members of the Flat Earth Society: “You are wrong”.

Sunday, August 24, 2003

Started our trek on the Northern Peninsula. Our first stop was the Arches, a natural phenomenon of four arches carved into one rock. Further along is Daniel’s Harbour, the home of Myra Bennett, the Florence Nightingale of the North. She ministered up and down the coast as the only medical practitioner around, delivering over 700 babies, setting bones, performing surgeries, and tending to the general health care of the population. The town was in the news yesterday, having the funeral of the modern doctor who had allegedly killed her baby and then herself.

Port au Choix is a National Historic Site, having been the home to the Atlantic Maritime, Dorset Indians and numerous other tribes. Each left records in the earth of their habitation of the area. All along the coast are small towns, whose main occupations were fishing or sealing. Today the government has banned cod fishing, and has put monthly limits on halibut, turbot, lobster, crab and other sea food. From the number of lobster traps seen along the highway, the lobster business must be very good in the area. On the opposite side of the road are the Long Range Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountain Range. The scenery is stunning.

Saw Labrador across the Strait of Belle Isle. We made reservations for the ferry from Cartwright to Goose Bay for Friday evening. We have a few days to spend on the peninsula. The road took us across the peninsula near the northern tip. Here the land is marsh and bog, the home of the highest concentration of moose and caribou on the island. We spent the night along the road near a quarry. So far no moose or caribou. Perhaps they are afraid of Morgana. We did see a bald eagle flying along the coast: a first for us.

All along the road in the bog areas the locals have planted their vegetable gardens, usually of potatoes, turnips, onions, cabbage, etc.-all of the ingredients for a genuine ‘jigs dinner’. Their plots are twenty by twenty and larger. Some are miles from the nearest towns. There is no poaching of another’s garden, except by the moose and caribou.

Monday, August 25, 2003

Drove to L’Anse aux Meadows (Anse is an Old French term for Cove) , an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site was discovered by Drs. Helge and Stine Ingstad who had been searching for the Viking settlement known as Vinland in the New World. From the Norse sagas and maps drawn they knew that the Vikings had come to the area about 1,000 AD. They traveled the route taken and recorded by the Viking sagas and stopped at the isolated villages asking if there were any ruins in the area. When they came to L’Anse aux Meadows after hundreds of disappointments, fisherman George Decker brought them to some ruins in the grazing fields. The origins were still unknown. It could have been from paleoeskimo times or other Aboriginal Tribes. With permission they uncovered Viking ruins c. 1000 AD. They found an iron smelter, the first one in North America, with the remains of leftover slag. With the help of the National Geographic Society, they uncovered eight buildings, including dwellings, workshops, smithy and furnace. They have come to believe that a group of 70-90 people settled here as a jumping off point for further exploration South. They are led to believe that Leif Eiriksson even spent some time in the settlement, where ships were repaired and sailors were given a safe haven. The site is directly on the Labrador Current, which extends from Greenland and passes by Labrador and Newfoundland. From the site you can see the shore of Labrador about twenty miles distance. Also found were chips of European Pine, used for ship building and a bronze pin to hold their garments together. No one knows why the area was abandoned. Inuit legend says that they warred with strange men and drove them away. Also on the premises is a modern reconstruction of an Iron Age Viking village. Because of safety reasons more ventilation is provided and the fire is propane. The rest of the building is pretty authentic, judging from my memory of visiting similar structures years ago in Europe.

On the way out of the parking lot, we encountered our first moose: three bulls and one cow. They were at the side of the road, the males laying down chewing their cud, while the female was standing over them. After a while she gave up on them and sauntered off into the forested area. In a month the scene will change and the males will not be so contented. It will be rutting season and they will be vying against each other for the amorous attentions of the cow. Right now they are acting like couch potatoes, munching on their snacks and watching the tourists.

Our next stop was the Black Tickle Ecomuseum of berries. Here local berries are made into jams and other delicacies. These berries include such exotic names as bake apple, squash, partridge, crow, blue, black, cracker, etc. The visitor can view the process of making the products through glass windows and then sample some of the products for sale.

Our next step is the Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve. Guided tours are given by the staff at Pistolet Provincial Park twice daily. We were too late for them and went on our own. The area looks like a barren rock with patches of green interspersed. In these green areas are over three hundred different varieties of plants, at least thirty are extremely rare and some are only found at this site. What makes this place so unique is the weather patterns. The area is about one hundred feet above the shore. The winds and waves have carved out sea caves and other interesting oddities. These same winds, frequent rain and constant fluctuations between hot hand cold make this area a unique ecosystem. Many of the flowers are no larger than a pin head. You have to be careful of where you walk lest you crush one of them. There are trails which you can follow to other parts of the reserve. They are very narrow and the drop-off to the sea is usually fatal. Took the tail a way, but then saw storm clouds quickly rising in the West. Seeing that trail would be very slippery when wet, I did not want to have a swim in the cold waters. So I headed back to safety.

Our final stop was St. Anthony to pick up necessary provisions. This is the home of Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, a medical missionary, who helped develop the area and minister to the needs of the settlers about 100 years ago.

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

More rain and wind today with temperatures in the 40s F. We are happy we did our sightseeing yesterday. We made the decision to drive to the ferry in St. Barbe and go over to Labrador. We arrived at the ticket office in plenty of time for the 13:00 crossing, but were told that it was dangerous goods only. We reserved a spot of the 18:00 crossing. Mags was very interested in the departure of the ferry boat, with the bow of the ship closing like a shark’s mouth. So for the next five hours we did an Otis Redding (Sitting on the Dock of the Bay), had lunch and read, while the wind howled around us.

At 17:30 we were the first to board the ship and had a nose position in stern-the ferry opens at both ends for easy moving of cars and trucks. The crossing took only 1 ½ hours, fighting the high winds and the Labrador Current. Many passengers were using the little white bags. The Apollo is quite a dowager, in need of some TLC. She has staterooms, a sit-down restaurant, and cafeteria, play area for the kids, lounge and a few recliners. The latter were hard to get. Since we were one of the first ones on board, we were lucky. They broadcast the news on a television right in front of us. Because of the headwinds we arrived a little behind schedule at Blanc Sablon, PQ. Mags was delighted again, because she saw the boat opening up from the inside this time.(She amuses easily.) First off the boat, we found a perfect parking spot on a hill overlooking Blanc Sablon on one side and L’Anse-au-Clair, NF on the other: A Tale of Two Cities and Provinces.

For our efforts of the day, we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset and afterglow starring all the colors of the spectrum.

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Leading Northwest Food & Wine Publications Merge

Portland, Ore. (PRWEB) June 15, 2006

Pacific Northwest food and wine lovers will soon be enjoying a broader range and depth of tasty culinary coverage, thanks to the just-announced merger of two of the region’s most respected food and wine publications, Northwest Palate magazine and the Oregon Wine Report.

“By combining our ownership of these publications under the single Northwest Palate brand, we are better able to satisfy the public’s fast-growing hunger for easily accessible, and in-depth, insider information on the Northwest’s phenomenal food and wine scene,” said co-publishers Cole Danehower and Cameron Nagel, in a joint statement.

Northwest Palate, founded in 1987 by Cameron Nagel, is the longest-running and most successful consumer magazine focusing on food, cooking, dining, wine, and culinary travel in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Idaho. Available by subscription and at bookstores, newsstands, winery tasting rooms, and culinary destinations throughout the region and nationwide, Northwest Palate reaches 45,000 consumers in the U.S. and Canada six times a year.

“The Northwest Palate brand is unique and compelling—it celebrates the epicurean lifestyle of the nation’s most vibrant and creative culinary region,” said Danehower, a James Beard Journalism Award-winning writer who joins Northwest Palate as co-owner. “I am truly thrilled by what the new Northwest Palate can do for the legions of curious food and wine lovers throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.”

“In twenty years of publishing Northwest Palate, I have never been more excited about our region’s culinary culture,” agreed Nagel, co-owner and co-publisher. “Around the country, people envy the range and quality of ingredients we have here, as well as the creative spirit we bring to the epicurean lifestyle. When you look at the expanding numbers of Northwest wineries, restaurants, chefs, cheese producers, farmers’ markets, gourmet shops, fine meat purveyors, organic orchards, small seafood suppliers, and individual food crafters—well, it’s breathtaking for us to be at the heart of such dynamic growth, and in a field that is so important to the quality of so many people’s lives.”

Under the new ownership arrangement, Northwest Palate will continue to be published bimonthly, providing feature stories on the sources and styles of Northwest foods and wines, regional culinary travel destinations, as well as restaurant and chef profiles, easy-to-use recipes, culinary events and news, wine reviews, and buying recommendations.

“We’ve had a winning recipe for twenty years,” says Nagel. “With this merger, we’re adding some new ingredients that should keep us cooking for the next twenty!”

About Northwest Palate Launched in 1987, Northwest Palate is a regional consumer magazine covering the food, wine, and culinary travel of the Pacific Northwest. Published six times a year, with a readership of 45,000, Northwest Palate is the leading publication in its market. Content includes feature stories on regional culinary ingredients, artisans and destinations, plus wine reviews and profiles of restaurants, chefs, farmers, culinary events, and recipes. For editorial guidelines, contact Angie Jabine, Editor, at 503-224-6039 or angie@nwpalate.com. For marketing and advertising information, contact Cole Danehower, Co-Publisher, at 503-224-6039 or 503-753-8061. Visit Northwest Palate magazine at www.nwpalate.com.

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Arvest tugs customers’ heart strings. (A Look at News from Northwest Arkansas).(Arvest Bank Group Inc.)(Brief Article): An article from: Arkansas Business

Arvest tugs customers’ heart strings. (A Look at News from Northwest Arkansas).(Arvest Bank Group Inc.)(Brief Article): An article from: Arkansas Business

This digital document is an article from Arkansas Business, published by Journal Publishing, Inc. on May 20, 2002. The length of the article is 370 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Arvest tugs customers’ heart strings. (A Look at News from Northwest Arkansas).(Arvest Ba

List Price: $ 5.95

Price: $ 5.95

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January 9,1891 THE NORTHWEST NEWS Philadelphia Paper

January 5 1947 The Aero Tribune Magazine Private Flying News Pacific Northwest

US $4.95 End Date: Friday May-18-2012 20:16:36 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $4.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list

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US $1.57 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday May-21-2012 16:08:01 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

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Racing News Northwest CRASH Sprintcar Latemodel

2006 over view of stock car and srint car racing in the Northwest. Wenachee Valley Super oval, Demming Speedway, Grays Harbor Raceway Park in Elma, South Sound Speedway, Yakima Speedway

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January 9,1891 THE NORTHWEST NEWS Philadelphia Paper

January 5 1947 The Aero Tribune Magazine Private Flying News Pacific Northwest

US $4.95 End Date: Friday May-18-2012 20:16:36 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $4.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $4.95 End Date: Friday May-18-2012 20:16:57 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $4.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $1.57 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday May-21-2012 16:08:01 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

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Hair Restoration Services Northwest Available to Hair Loss Patients

Hair Restoration Services Northwest Available to Hair Loss Patients

If you are suffering from hair loss, naturally you would want to know what options you have that will help you cope with your condition. When you visit any clinic in the northwest, or anywhere else in the country, for your consultation, you would want to know what hair restoration services northwest are available to you.

Hair restoration services northwest may be found, depending on the actual condition of hair loss that the patient displays. The most common service offered is surgery, and hair replacement surgery involves grafting individual hairs to the scalp. When these hairs grow, they will follow the natural growth pattern that the person originally had. Or at least it is supposed to work that way.

Hair replacement surgery is known to be the most efficient way of treating hair loss, compared to application of medicine or wearing wigs. There is no doubt that the treatment can be costly, depending on the extent of the treatment needed and the state where the clinic is located, but in the long run, undergoing surgery is more cost-effective than taking medicine or wearing hair pieces. Surgery only takes a few sessions to complete, whereas medicinal intake or wearing wigs is continuous.

The sad news is that not every person suffering from hair loss is the perfect candidate for hair replacement surgery. Therefore, anyone who has been turned away from seeking surgical treatment for hair loss must look to other means. Thankfully, surgery is not the end-all and be-all concerning hair loss treatment; the patient can still turn to therapeutic alternatives.

The most popular drugs prescribed for hair loss treatment are Propecia (Finasteride) and Rogaine (Minoxidil). Propecia is taken in orally while Rogaine is applied topically. Both are clinically proven to be effective in encouraging hair growth, but the hair growth stops when the drug intake or application stops.

For those who are open to dabbling in alternative medicine, one can always turn to acupuncture. In acupuncture, the nerve endings just underneath the skin of the scalp are stimulated. Eventually, blood circulation to the scalp is improved and the additional nutrients that improved blood circulation brings encourage the growth of new cells in the hair follicles.

Finally, there are the good, old, reliable hair pieces. The adventurous and fashion-savvy patient can actually indulge in different hairstyles by wearing different types of wigs. Great care, however, should be taken in cleaning these hair pieces because the adhesives can irritate the skin. A patient seeking hair restoration services – northwest, southeast or anywhere else – can find a wide variety of hair loss options.

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