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Nicki Minaj holds up H as patterns
PARIS van cleef clover ring yellow gold ring replica A tardy Nicki Minaj held up H fall winter evening show that ended on a stirring note with a performance by The Weeknd. It capped a dizzying day in Paris.Day 2 of Paris Fashion Week saw deconstructed clothes, blown up prints, and contrasting patterns shake up the runways at the VIP filled collections of Dries Van Noten, Maison Margiela and Lanvin.Here are some highlights:LANVIN'S NEW TONEThere's been a dramatic change in tone at Lanvin since Bouchra Jarrar took over the creative reins from Alber Elbaz last year.Slim cut jackets, menswear python chain boots, and gasp pant suits have all been injected into the house's nostalgic DNA of uber feminine, diaphanous and glitzy gowns.The results have been mixed.Jarrar has added a down to earth vibe to the ready to wear designs that has lessened the dreamy romanticism associated with the Elbaz years. But the sense luxury and sophistication has not been completely lost.Contrasts were the order of the day Wednesday in a show that emphasized frothy neck detailing and Victorian silhouettes.A coat in bold chevron motif fur contrasted severely with a pale pink mirror satin slip dress.While, a long striped tweed coat jarred with the soft sheen of a slip dress in ivory mirror satin.Their intentional but stark textural polarity might not be a hit for everyone.The 62 year old star who gained international fame for movies such as "Camille Claudel" and "Diabolique" as well as two fake van cleef & arpels ring yellow gold Oscar nominations slipped into the Hotel de Ville show venue, perhaps hoping how much is the copy van cleef & arpels ring to be hidden behind her turban and shades.But the accessories didn't fool the photographers.The Maison Margiela designer took to the classic wardrobe with couture scissors for an inventive show that pared down garments to their bare essentials. The opening look a traditional stone trench coat was cut away at the chest into a heart shape to evoke the silhouette of a bustier dress.If there was one leitmotif, it was found in the blown up prints, polka dots, faux snakeskin and checks that littered the runway.The vertical lines on a plaid check on a patchwork coat were frayed into tassels the textile itself deconstructed which seemed to mesh with the tousled, frayed hair of the runway model.
PARIS van cleef clover ring yellow gold ring replica A tardy Nicki Minaj held up H fall winter evening show that ended on a stirring note with a performance by The Weeknd. It capped a dizzying day in Paris.Day 2 of Paris Fashion Week saw deconstructed clothes, blown up prints, and contrasting patterns shake up the runways at the VIP filled collections of Dries Van Noten, Maison Margiela and Lanvin.Here are some highlights:LANVIN'S NEW TONEThere's been a dramatic change in tone at Lanvin since Bouchra Jarrar took over the creative reins from Alber Elbaz last year.Slim cut jackets, menswear python chain boots, and gasp pant suits have all been injected into the house's nostalgic DNA of uber feminine, diaphanous and glitzy gowns.The results have been mixed.Jarrar has added a down to earth vibe to the ready to wear designs that has lessened the dreamy romanticism associated with the Elbaz years. But the sense luxury and sophistication has not been completely lost.Contrasts were the order of the day Wednesday in a show that emphasized frothy neck detailing and Victorian silhouettes.A coat in bold chevron motif fur contrasted severely with a pale pink mirror satin slip dress.While, a long striped tweed coat jarred with the soft sheen of a slip dress in ivory mirror satin.Their intentional but stark textural polarity might not be a hit for everyone.The 62 year old star who gained international fame for movies such as "Camille Claudel" and "Diabolique" as well as two fake van cleef & arpels ring yellow gold Oscar nominations slipped into the Hotel de Ville show venue, perhaps hoping how much is the copy van cleef & arpels ring to be hidden behind her turban and shades.But the accessories didn't fool the photographers.The Maison Margiela designer took to the classic wardrobe with couture scissors for an inventive show that pared down garments to their bare essentials. The opening look a traditional stone trench coat was cut away at the chest into a heart shape to evoke the silhouette of a bustier dress.If there was one leitmotif, it was found in the blown up prints, polka dots, faux snakeskin and checks that littered the runway.The vertical lines on a plaid check on a patchwork coat were frayed into tassels the textile itself deconstructed which seemed to mesh with the tousled, frayed hair of the runway model.
Muslim filmmaker revealed
diplomatic missions in the Mideast received logistical help from a man once convicted of financial crimes and featured actors who complained that their inflammatory dialogue was dubbed in after filming.
The self proclaimed director of of Muslims initially claimed a Jewish and Israeli background. But others involved in the film said his statements were contrived as evidence mounted that the film key player was a southern Californian Coptic Christian with a checkered past.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, told The Associated Press in an interview outside Los Angeles Wednesday that he managed logistics for the company that produced of Muslims, which mocked Muslims and the prophet Muhammad. Embassy in Yemen on Thursday.
Nakoula denied he had directed the film, though he said he knew the self described filmmaker, Sam Bacile. But the cellphone number that the AP contacted Tuesday to reach the filmmaker who identified himself as Bacile traced to the same address near Los Angeles where Nakoula was located.
Nakoula told the AP he is a Coptic Christian and supported the concerns of Christian Copts about their treatment by Muslims. consulate Tuesday in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. officials now say they are investigating whether the assault was a planned terrorist strike linked to Tuesday 11 year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Nakoula denied he had posed as Bacile. Federal court papers filed in a 2010 criminal prosecution against him said Nakoula had used numerous aliases in the past. Among the fake names, the documents said, were Nicola Bacily and Erwin Salameh.
During a conversation outside his home, Nakoula offered his driver license to show his identity but kept his thumb over his middle name, Basseley. Records checks by the AP subsequently found that middle name as well as other connections to the Bacile persona. who had promoted the anti Muslim film in recent days on his website. Egypt Christian Coptic populace has long decried what they describe as a history of discrimination and occasional violence from the country Arab majority.
Pastor Terry Jones, of Gainesville, Fla., who sparked outrage in the Arab world when he burned Qurans on the ninth anniversary of 9/11, said he spoke with the movie director on the phone Wednesday and prayed for him. Jones said he has not met the filmmaker in person but added that the man contacted him a few weeks ago about promoting the movie. Jones and others who have dealt with the filmmaker said Wednesday that Bacile was hiding his real identity.
have not met him. Sam Bacile, that is not his real name, Jones said. just talked to him on the phone. He is definitely in hiding and does not reveal his identity. He was quite honestly fairly shook up concerning the events and what is happening. A lot of people are not supporting him. He was generally a little shook up concerning this situation. YouTube account under the username Bacile, which was used to publish excerpts of the provocative movie in July, was used to post comments online as recently as Tuesday, including this defense of the film written in Arabic: is a 100 percent American movie, you cows. who talked guardedly about his role, pleaded no contest in 2010 to federal bank fraud charges in California and was ordered to pay more than $790,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and ordered not to use computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer. Attorney Jennifer Leigh Williams said Nakoula set up fraudulent bank accounts using stolen identities and Social Security numbers; then, checks from those accounts would be deposited into other bogus accounts from which Nakoula would withdraw money at ATM machines.
It was a check kiting scheme, the prosecutor told the AP. try to get the money out of the bank before the bank realizes they are drawn from a fraudulent account. There basically is no money. actors and actresses who appeared in of Muslims issued a joint statement Wednesday saying they were misled about the project and alleged that some of their dialogue was crudely dubbed during post production.
In the English language version of the trailer, direct references to Muhammad appear to be the result of post production changes to the movie. Either actors aren seen when the name is spoken in the overdubbed sound, or they appear to be mouthing something else as the name of the prophet is spoken.
entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer, said the statement, obtained by the Los Angeles Times. are 100 percent not behind this film and were grossly misled about its intent and purpose. We are shocked by the drastic rewrites of the script and lies that were told to all involved. We are deeply saddened by the tragedies that have occurred. She said the director, who identified himself as Bacile, told her then that he was Egyptian. But doubts rose about the man identity amid a flurry of false claims about his background and role in the purported film. But a Christian activist involved in the film project, Steve Klein, told the AP on Wednesday that Bacile was a pseudonym and that he was Christian.
Klein had told the AP on Tuesday that the filmmaker was an Israeli Jew who was concerned for family members who live in Egypt.
Officials in Israel said there was no record of Bacile as an Israeli citizen.
When the AP initially left a message for Bacile, Klein contacted the AP from another number to confirm the interview request was legitimate; then Bacile called back from his own cellphone.
Klein said he didn know the real name of the man he called who came to him for advice on First Amendment issues.
About 15 key players from the Middle East Van Cleef & Arpels Perle bracelet gold replica people from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, and a couple of Coptic Christians from Egypt worked on the film, Klein said.
of them best imitation Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet won tell me their real names because they terrified, Klein said. was really scared and now he so nervous. He turned off his phone. Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, said Klein is a former Marine and longtime religious right activist who has helped train paramilitary militias at a California church. It described Klein as founder of Courageous Christians United, which conducts protests outside abortion clinics, Mormon temples and mosques.
It quoted Klein as saying he believes that California is riddled with Muslim Brotherhood sleeper cells are awaiting the trigger date and will begin randomly killing as many of us as they can. his brief interview with the AP, Bacile called Islam a cancer and said he intended the film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
But several key facts Bacile provided proved false or questionable. Bacile told the AP he was 56 but identified himself on his YouTube profile as 74. Bacile said he is a real estate developer, but Bacile does not appear in searches of California state licenses, including the Department of Real Estate.
Hollywood and California film industry groups and permit agencies said they had no Van Cleef & Arpels fake gold bracelet records of the project under the name of Muslims, but a Los Angeles film permit agency later found a record of a movie filmed in Los Angeles last year under the working title Warriors. man who answered a phone listed for the Vine Theater, a faded Hollywood movie house, confirmed that the film had run for a least a day, and possibly longer, several months ago, arranged by a customer known as Inc., which owns YouTube, pulled down the video Wednesday in Egypt, citing a legal complaint. and other countries.
Klein told the AP he vowed to help make the movie but warned the filmmaker that going to be the next Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker killed by a Muslim extremist in 2004 after making a film that was perceived as insulting to Islam.
diplomatic missions in the Mideast received logistical help from a man once convicted of financial crimes and featured actors who complained that their inflammatory dialogue was dubbed in after filming.
The self proclaimed director of of Muslims initially claimed a Jewish and Israeli background. But others involved in the film said his statements were contrived as evidence mounted that the film key player was a southern Californian Coptic Christian with a checkered past.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, told The Associated Press in an interview outside Los Angeles Wednesday that he managed logistics for the company that produced of Muslims, which mocked Muslims and the prophet Muhammad. Embassy in Yemen on Thursday.
Nakoula denied he had directed the film, though he said he knew the self described filmmaker, Sam Bacile. But the cellphone number that the AP contacted Tuesday to reach the filmmaker who identified himself as Bacile traced to the same address near Los Angeles where Nakoula was located.
Nakoula told the AP he is a Coptic Christian and supported the concerns of Christian Copts about their treatment by Muslims. consulate Tuesday in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. officials now say they are investigating whether the assault was a planned terrorist strike linked to Tuesday 11 year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Nakoula denied he had posed as Bacile. Federal court papers filed in a 2010 criminal prosecution against him said Nakoula had used numerous aliases in the past. Among the fake names, the documents said, were Nicola Bacily and Erwin Salameh.
During a conversation outside his home, Nakoula offered his driver license to show his identity but kept his thumb over his middle name, Basseley. Records checks by the AP subsequently found that middle name as well as other connections to the Bacile persona. who had promoted the anti Muslim film in recent days on his website. Egypt Christian Coptic populace has long decried what they describe as a history of discrimination and occasional violence from the country Arab majority.
Pastor Terry Jones, of Gainesville, Fla., who sparked outrage in the Arab world when he burned Qurans on the ninth anniversary of 9/11, said he spoke with the movie director on the phone Wednesday and prayed for him. Jones said he has not met the filmmaker in person but added that the man contacted him a few weeks ago about promoting the movie. Jones and others who have dealt with the filmmaker said Wednesday that Bacile was hiding his real identity.
have not met him. Sam Bacile, that is not his real name, Jones said. just talked to him on the phone. He is definitely in hiding and does not reveal his identity. He was quite honestly fairly shook up concerning the events and what is happening. A lot of people are not supporting him. He was generally a little shook up concerning this situation. YouTube account under the username Bacile, which was used to publish excerpts of the provocative movie in July, was used to post comments online as recently as Tuesday, including this defense of the film written in Arabic: is a 100 percent American movie, you cows. who talked guardedly about his role, pleaded no contest in 2010 to federal bank fraud charges in California and was ordered to pay more than $790,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and ordered not to use computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer. Attorney Jennifer Leigh Williams said Nakoula set up fraudulent bank accounts using stolen identities and Social Security numbers; then, checks from those accounts would be deposited into other bogus accounts from which Nakoula would withdraw money at ATM machines.
It was a check kiting scheme, the prosecutor told the AP. try to get the money out of the bank before the bank realizes they are drawn from a fraudulent account. There basically is no money. actors and actresses who appeared in of Muslims issued a joint statement Wednesday saying they were misled about the project and alleged that some of their dialogue was crudely dubbed during post production.
In the English language version of the trailer, direct references to Muhammad appear to be the result of post production changes to the movie. Either actors aren seen when the name is spoken in the overdubbed sound, or they appear to be mouthing something else as the name of the prophet is spoken.
entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer, said the statement, obtained by the Los Angeles Times. are 100 percent not behind this film and were grossly misled about its intent and purpose. We are shocked by the drastic rewrites of the script and lies that were told to all involved. We are deeply saddened by the tragedies that have occurred. She said the director, who identified himself as Bacile, told her then that he was Egyptian. But doubts rose about the man identity amid a flurry of false claims about his background and role in the purported film. But a Christian activist involved in the film project, Steve Klein, told the AP on Wednesday that Bacile was a pseudonym and that he was Christian.
Klein had told the AP on Tuesday that the filmmaker was an Israeli Jew who was concerned for family members who live in Egypt.
Officials in Israel said there was no record of Bacile as an Israeli citizen.
When the AP initially left a message for Bacile, Klein contacted the AP from another number to confirm the interview request was legitimate; then Bacile called back from his own cellphone.
Klein said he didn know the real name of the man he called who came to him for advice on First Amendment issues.
About 15 key players from the Middle East Van Cleef & Arpels Perle bracelet gold replica people from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, and a couple of Coptic Christians from Egypt worked on the film, Klein said.
of them best imitation Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet won tell me their real names because they terrified, Klein said. was really scared and now he so nervous. He turned off his phone. Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, said Klein is a former Marine and longtime religious right activist who has helped train paramilitary militias at a California church. It described Klein as founder of Courageous Christians United, which conducts protests outside abortion clinics, Mormon temples and mosques.
It quoted Klein as saying he believes that California is riddled with Muslim Brotherhood sleeper cells are awaiting the trigger date and will begin randomly killing as many of us as they can. his brief interview with the AP, Bacile called Islam a cancer and said he intended the film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
But several key facts Bacile provided proved false or questionable. Bacile told the AP he was 56 but identified himself on his YouTube profile as 74. Bacile said he is a real estate developer, but Bacile does not appear in searches of California state licenses, including the Department of Real Estate.
Hollywood and California film industry groups and permit agencies said they had no Van Cleef & Arpels fake gold bracelet records of the project under the name of Muslims, but a Los Angeles film permit agency later found a record of a movie filmed in Los Angeles last year under the working title Warriors. man who answered a phone listed for the Vine Theater, a faded Hollywood movie house, confirmed that the film had run for a least a day, and possibly longer, several months ago, arranged by a customer known as Inc., which owns YouTube, pulled down the video Wednesday in Egypt, citing a legal complaint. and other countries.
Klein told the AP he vowed to help make the movie but warned the filmmaker that going to be the next Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker killed by a Muslim extremist in 2004 after making a film that was perceived as insulting to Islam.
More Safety Improvements Added to Northern Boulevard
A busy intersection along the Astoria/Sunnyside border is the latest location to get traffic safety improvements as part of the City's "Vision Zero" plan. NY1's Leisha Majtan filed this report.
Juan Restrepo grew up in Astoria and says there's only one way to describe the traffic in Queens.
In an effort to prevent more tragedies like that one, the Department of Transportation unveiled its latest round of safety improvements at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 48th Street. It's all part of the City's "Vision Zero" initiative, with Northern Boulevard being a priority.
"It sometimes takes too long, and too many people getting injured, but Van Cleef & Arpels fake gold bracelet we are doing the right thing Van Cleef & Arpels alhmbra bracelet white gold designed on Northern Boulevard now," said City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. extended curbs, added two new crosswalks, and installed a new concrete pedestrian island.
That's something residents say was desperately needed at this often confusing intersection.
"If you're a pedestrian you're like, 'where are the cars coming from?' Now you know you can safely cross half the street, not the full, and then still safely cross the second half, make it to your final destination and not have to worry so much about whether or not you'll make it at all," added Restrepo.
Others say the changes might encourage more foot traffic which could have an impact on area businesses.
"Being able to take back a sense of priority for pedestrians coming here, buses van cleef jewelry replica coming here, is really important because more people will come and we'll see businesses grow because of that traffic," said Christina Furlong, a member of Makes Queens Safer.
A busy intersection along the Astoria/Sunnyside border is the latest location to get traffic safety improvements as part of the City's "Vision Zero" plan. NY1's Leisha Majtan filed this report.
Juan Restrepo grew up in Astoria and says there's only one way to describe the traffic in Queens.
In an effort to prevent more tragedies like that one, the Department of Transportation unveiled its latest round of safety improvements at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 48th Street. It's all part of the City's "Vision Zero" initiative, with Northern Boulevard being a priority.
"It sometimes takes too long, and too many people getting injured, but Van Cleef & Arpels fake gold bracelet we are doing the right thing Van Cleef & Arpels alhmbra bracelet white gold designed on Northern Boulevard now," said City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. extended curbs, added two new crosswalks, and installed a new concrete pedestrian island.
That's something residents say was desperately needed at this often confusing intersection.
"If you're a pedestrian you're like, 'where are the cars coming from?' Now you know you can safely cross half the street, not the full, and then still safely cross the second half, make it to your final destination and not have to worry so much about whether or not you'll make it at all," added Restrepo.
Others say the changes might encourage more foot traffic which could have an impact on area businesses.
"Being able to take back a sense of priority for pedestrians coming here, buses van cleef jewelry replica coming here, is really important because more people will come and we'll see businesses grow because of that traffic," said Christina Furlong, a member of Makes Queens Safer.
Mary Gauthier play
A: It's the fact that nobody sells records any more. So it's just not possible to make a sustainable living writing songs. They haven't figured out a way to replace that.
A: I get a lot of juice from what I take in, which is primarily books and movies. I read constantly, but I'm also a huge film fan. I get a lot of ideas from films. Not really specific story ideas, but more about areas of life I'd like to dive into in songwriting. And on a deeper layer, I get the thrust of what I want to write about from whatever I happen to be going through in my own life. In 2015, replica van cleef blue necklace my "Blackbirds" album was really moved forward by what happens to all of us in midlife the pain of losses in our life. I'm not interested in writing songs that don't speak to things I'm going through right now. I'd say our audiences basically look like us. They're in their 50s, probably. As a woman, talking about aging seems so taboo. I thought, 'That's where I want to go.' I mean, if you tell me there's something I'm not supposed to talk about, that's where I'm gonna go. It's very rewarding to me to write those songs because I felt I was hitting a vein of truth that is hard to write about but is so important to write about. I feel lucky because I can throw a guitar and CDs in a van and go play a gig. That's something that can't be digitally reproduced. One of the things about this show with Eliza and Mary and me is that the audiences seem to be really hungry for that experience. It's one thing to download music and even to buy a CD. But to sit in a dark room van cleef imitation clover necklace and hear stories and feel you're a part of something that is still pretty rare. I think that's why this show works, and I think that is why people like us are van cleef arpels necklace replica still working.
A: It's the fact that nobody sells records any more. So it's just not possible to make a sustainable living writing songs. They haven't figured out a way to replace that.
A: I get a lot of juice from what I take in, which is primarily books and movies. I read constantly, but I'm also a huge film fan. I get a lot of ideas from films. Not really specific story ideas, but more about areas of life I'd like to dive into in songwriting. And on a deeper layer, I get the thrust of what I want to write about from whatever I happen to be going through in my own life. In 2015, replica van cleef blue necklace my "Blackbirds" album was really moved forward by what happens to all of us in midlife the pain of losses in our life. I'm not interested in writing songs that don't speak to things I'm going through right now. I'd say our audiences basically look like us. They're in their 50s, probably. As a woman, talking about aging seems so taboo. I thought, 'That's where I want to go.' I mean, if you tell me there's something I'm not supposed to talk about, that's where I'm gonna go. It's very rewarding to me to write those songs because I felt I was hitting a vein of truth that is hard to write about but is so important to write about. I feel lucky because I can throw a guitar and CDs in a van and go play a gig. That's something that can't be digitally reproduced. One of the things about this show with Eliza and Mary and me is that the audiences seem to be really hungry for that experience. It's one thing to download music and even to buy a CD. But to sit in a dark room van cleef imitation clover necklace and hear stories and feel you're a part of something that is still pretty rare. I think that's why this show works, and I think that is why people like us are van cleef arpels necklace replica still working.
Minimal residual disease cells in AML patients have an apoptosis
Correspondence: Dr GJ Schuurhuis, Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, BR240, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
TO THE EDITOR
Relapse in acute myeloid leukemia is common and is thought to arise from minimal residual disease (MRD) cells surviving chemotherapy.1 Survival of MRD cells has been attributed to drug resistance mechanisms. Defects in apoptosis pathways are probably contributing significantly to resistance to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents. Despite an emerging knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of apoptosis, Bcl 2 still stands at the top of the list of parameters that contribute to chemotherapeutic resistance. In AML, it has been shown that Bcl 2 is of independent prognostic significance. High Bcl 2 predicts failure to achieve complete remission2 and shorter overall survival.3
In this study the expression profile of Bcl 2 and Bcl 2 related proteins in MRD cells was determined to examine whether chemotherapy induced upregulation of an apoptosis resistant protein profile or selection of subpopulations with a high anti apoptosis protein profile occurs during chemotherapeutic treatment.
In all, 61 AML patients were enrolled in this study after informed consent. Fresh bone marrow (BM) aspirates were obtained at diagnosis (n=61), after first cycle of induction chemotherapy (n=22), second cycle of induction (n=15) and after postinduction cycle (n=10) of chemotherapy, at follow up (n=13), and at relapse (n=9). The median age was 54 years, 29 male and 32 female subjects distributed over RAEB t (5 ), M0 (5 ), M1 (7 ), M2 (14 ), M3 (2 ), M4 (12 ), M5 (10 ), M6 (3 ), unknown (3 ) according to the FAB classification. In toal, 11 normal BM (nBM) from healthy donors were included.
To enable the study of apoptosis related protein expression in MRD cells, we relied upon an intracellular flow cytometry method.4,5 Briefly, this method consists of two parts; firstly, patient specific leukemia associated phenotypes (LAPs) are determined at diagnosis followed by an intracellular procedure to detect the Bcl 2 related proteins in these cells. The LAP can then be used to detect MRD cells in follow up BM samples. Figure 1a shows an example of an AML patient with a cross lineage LAP. Gating on the LAP+ cells enables quantification of the apoptosis related proteins of these cells (Figure replica van cleef jewelry 1c). The mean Bcl 2 expression was significantly lower in nBM CD34+ cells (Bcl 2: 6.62.5, P=0.001). Also, Bcl xL (2.20.8) and Mcl 1 (6.83.3) were lower and Bax was higher quatrefoil necklace van cleef replica (5.74.0), although these differences were not significant. All this suggests that the majority of AML cases have an increased anti apoptosis protein profile potentially offering the leukemic cells a survival advantage under therapy. This was tested with the same analysis procedure as at diagnosis, but was now performed on the MRD cells from patients in CR. Pgp activity analysis6 was performed in 17/51 MRD samples, showing deviant Pgp activity in MRD cells as compared to normal CD34+ cells confirming the malignant origin of the MRD cells. Figure 1b shows the MRD cells in a BM sample after the second cycle of induction chemotherapy. Surprisingly, the Bcl 2 expression (Figure 1d) of the MRD cells had decreased from 48 to 13. Of interest, this value now is near the range of nBM (range: 3.6 Figures 1e show the Bcl 2 value of all measured samples. In particular samples with high Bcl 2 levels (Figure 1e) but also with intermediate Bcl 2 levels (Figure 1f) and even with Bcl 2 levels within the normal range (Figure 1g) show decreases in expression. Overall, it can be concluded that MRD cells have significantly lower Bcl 2 levels after chemotherapeutic treatment (cycle 1: P=0.01, cycle 2: P=0.0008, cycle 3: P=0.04) and at follow up (FU1: P=0.01 and FU2: P=0.01) than at diagnosis. In all cases gating was performed on CD45low/SSClow cells (a) AML blasts at diagnosis with a CD34+CD7+ LAP. (b) BM sample after the second cycle of chemotherapy from the AML patient of (a) with MRD cells identified by the LAP (CD34+CD7+). MRD cells are 0.25% of all BM cells. Such cells are not present in control BM samples. Gating on the LAP+ cells enables quantification of Bcl 2 (c) at diagnosis and (d) after second cycle of induction chemotherapy. (e Summary of Bcl 2 levels of AML patients in CR after first, second, third cycle of chemotherapy at follow up (FU1 and FU2) and at relapse. of nBM CD34+ cells and (g) within the range found in nBM CD34+ cells (h) Bcl 2 levels of patients not in CR (NCR) at time of BM aspiration after first replica van cleef blue necklace and second cycle of chemotherapy and at relapse.
Full figure and legend (206K)
In contrast, Bcl 2 levels from refractory patients showed no change after first (P=0.64) or second cycle (P=0.79) (Figure 1h).
Despite the fact that the MRD cells in CR were apoptosis sensitive as compared to diagnosis, they were able to survive chemotherapy resulting in some cases in relapse. Bcl 2 expression at relapse had again increased to the level comparable to diagnosis (no difference with diagnosis; P=0.69) after the described decrease in an MRD situation.
Two other anti apoptosis proteins Bcl xL and Mcl 1 and the proapoptotic protein Bax were also studied (Table 1). In summary, although less prominent compared to Bcl 2, in responding patients Bcl xL and Mcl 1 significantly decreased from the second cycle onwards (Table 1a), while no change was observed in refractory patients (Table 1b). Relapse samples had similar protein levels as at diagnosis. On the other hand, Bax showed an increased expression compared to diagnosis, reaching significance after the first cycle of chemotherapy in responding patients. This shows that the prominent results found for the anti apoptosis proteins are not the results of aspecific treatment related cellular changes.
Overall, our data show that MRD blasts do not have a more apoptosis resistant profile. Instead, when a complete remission is achieved, in the majority of patients MRD cells are apoptosis sensitive compared to diagnosis and remain apoptosis sensitive throughout the remission period. Only when patients do not reach a CR or when patients relapse, the leukemic blasts retain their diagnosis apoptosis protein profile. These unexpected results clearly show that neither chemotherapy induced upregulation of an apoptosis resistant protein profile nor selection of subpopulations with a high anti apoptosis protein profile occurs. It does however suggest that external factors likely regulate expression of apoptosis related proteins. Either AML BM stromal cells or AML blasts themselves may account for this. Pertinent to this is the observation of Milojkovic et al (Milojkovic D, Buggins AG, Devereux S, Thomas NSB, Mufti GJ. Blood 2002; 100: 556a, 2184) that AML tumor supernatants can inhibit apoptosis of malignant hematopoietic cells. Combined with our observation this might indicate that AML cells at diagnosis, in follow up situations of refractory patients and at relapse produce apoptosis regulating factors that affect neighbouring cells, while in a CR BM due to the very limited number of AML cells, production is ineffective. Such cells might however be affected by the BM stroma: Konopleva et al7 found that a stromal cell line was able to increase Bcl 2 expression in blasts of 5/11 AML patients. It may then be hypothesized that intact BM stroma from AML patients may induce upregulation of anti apoptosis profiles in intact stroma, while such may be impossible in damaged stroma, the latter in fact resembling the actual situation in remission BM after chemotherapy.
Correspondence: Dr GJ Schuurhuis, Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, BR240, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
TO THE EDITOR
Relapse in acute myeloid leukemia is common and is thought to arise from minimal residual disease (MRD) cells surviving chemotherapy.1 Survival of MRD cells has been attributed to drug resistance mechanisms. Defects in apoptosis pathways are probably contributing significantly to resistance to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents. Despite an emerging knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of apoptosis, Bcl 2 still stands at the top of the list of parameters that contribute to chemotherapeutic resistance. In AML, it has been shown that Bcl 2 is of independent prognostic significance. High Bcl 2 predicts failure to achieve complete remission2 and shorter overall survival.3
In this study the expression profile of Bcl 2 and Bcl 2 related proteins in MRD cells was determined to examine whether chemotherapy induced upregulation of an apoptosis resistant protein profile or selection of subpopulations with a high anti apoptosis protein profile occurs during chemotherapeutic treatment.
In all, 61 AML patients were enrolled in this study after informed consent. Fresh bone marrow (BM) aspirates were obtained at diagnosis (n=61), after first cycle of induction chemotherapy (n=22), second cycle of induction (n=15) and after postinduction cycle (n=10) of chemotherapy, at follow up (n=13), and at relapse (n=9). The median age was 54 years, 29 male and 32 female subjects distributed over RAEB t (5 ), M0 (5 ), M1 (7 ), M2 (14 ), M3 (2 ), M4 (12 ), M5 (10 ), M6 (3 ), unknown (3 ) according to the FAB classification. In toal, 11 normal BM (nBM) from healthy donors were included.
To enable the study of apoptosis related protein expression in MRD cells, we relied upon an intracellular flow cytometry method.4,5 Briefly, this method consists of two parts; firstly, patient specific leukemia associated phenotypes (LAPs) are determined at diagnosis followed by an intracellular procedure to detect the Bcl 2 related proteins in these cells. The LAP can then be used to detect MRD cells in follow up BM samples. Figure 1a shows an example of an AML patient with a cross lineage LAP. Gating on the LAP+ cells enables quantification of the apoptosis related proteins of these cells (Figure replica van cleef jewelry 1c). The mean Bcl 2 expression was significantly lower in nBM CD34+ cells (Bcl 2: 6.62.5, P=0.001). Also, Bcl xL (2.20.8) and Mcl 1 (6.83.3) were lower and Bax was higher quatrefoil necklace van cleef replica (5.74.0), although these differences were not significant. All this suggests that the majority of AML cases have an increased anti apoptosis protein profile potentially offering the leukemic cells a survival advantage under therapy. This was tested with the same analysis procedure as at diagnosis, but was now performed on the MRD cells from patients in CR. Pgp activity analysis6 was performed in 17/51 MRD samples, showing deviant Pgp activity in MRD cells as compared to normal CD34+ cells confirming the malignant origin of the MRD cells. Figure 1b shows the MRD cells in a BM sample after the second cycle of induction chemotherapy. Surprisingly, the Bcl 2 expression (Figure 1d) of the MRD cells had decreased from 48 to 13. Of interest, this value now is near the range of nBM (range: 3.6 Figures 1e show the Bcl 2 value of all measured samples. In particular samples with high Bcl 2 levels (Figure 1e) but also with intermediate Bcl 2 levels (Figure 1f) and even with Bcl 2 levels within the normal range (Figure 1g) show decreases in expression. Overall, it can be concluded that MRD cells have significantly lower Bcl 2 levels after chemotherapeutic treatment (cycle 1: P=0.01, cycle 2: P=0.0008, cycle 3: P=0.04) and at follow up (FU1: P=0.01 and FU2: P=0.01) than at diagnosis. In all cases gating was performed on CD45low/SSClow cells (a) AML blasts at diagnosis with a CD34+CD7+ LAP. (b) BM sample after the second cycle of chemotherapy from the AML patient of (a) with MRD cells identified by the LAP (CD34+CD7+). MRD cells are 0.25% of all BM cells. Such cells are not present in control BM samples. Gating on the LAP+ cells enables quantification of Bcl 2 (c) at diagnosis and (d) after second cycle of induction chemotherapy. (e Summary of Bcl 2 levels of AML patients in CR after first, second, third cycle of chemotherapy at follow up (FU1 and FU2) and at relapse. of nBM CD34+ cells and (g) within the range found in nBM CD34+ cells (h) Bcl 2 levels of patients not in CR (NCR) at time of BM aspiration after first replica van cleef blue necklace and second cycle of chemotherapy and at relapse.
Full figure and legend (206K)
In contrast, Bcl 2 levels from refractory patients showed no change after first (P=0.64) or second cycle (P=0.79) (Figure 1h).
Despite the fact that the MRD cells in CR were apoptosis sensitive as compared to diagnosis, they were able to survive chemotherapy resulting in some cases in relapse. Bcl 2 expression at relapse had again increased to the level comparable to diagnosis (no difference with diagnosis; P=0.69) after the described decrease in an MRD situation.
Two other anti apoptosis proteins Bcl xL and Mcl 1 and the proapoptotic protein Bax were also studied (Table 1). In summary, although less prominent compared to Bcl 2, in responding patients Bcl xL and Mcl 1 significantly decreased from the second cycle onwards (Table 1a), while no change was observed in refractory patients (Table 1b). Relapse samples had similar protein levels as at diagnosis. On the other hand, Bax showed an increased expression compared to diagnosis, reaching significance after the first cycle of chemotherapy in responding patients. This shows that the prominent results found for the anti apoptosis proteins are not the results of aspecific treatment related cellular changes.
Overall, our data show that MRD blasts do not have a more apoptosis resistant profile. Instead, when a complete remission is achieved, in the majority of patients MRD cells are apoptosis sensitive compared to diagnosis and remain apoptosis sensitive throughout the remission period. Only when patients do not reach a CR or when patients relapse, the leukemic blasts retain their diagnosis apoptosis protein profile. These unexpected results clearly show that neither chemotherapy induced upregulation of an apoptosis resistant protein profile nor selection of subpopulations with a high anti apoptosis protein profile occurs. It does however suggest that external factors likely regulate expression of apoptosis related proteins. Either AML BM stromal cells or AML blasts themselves may account for this. Pertinent to this is the observation of Milojkovic et al (Milojkovic D, Buggins AG, Devereux S, Thomas NSB, Mufti GJ. Blood 2002; 100: 556a, 2184) that AML tumor supernatants can inhibit apoptosis of malignant hematopoietic cells. Combined with our observation this might indicate that AML cells at diagnosis, in follow up situations of refractory patients and at relapse produce apoptosis regulating factors that affect neighbouring cells, while in a CR BM due to the very limited number of AML cells, production is ineffective. Such cells might however be affected by the BM stroma: Konopleva et al7 found that a stromal cell line was able to increase Bcl 2 expression in blasts of 5/11 AML patients. It may then be hypothesized that intact BM stroma from AML patients may induce upregulation of anti apoptosis profiles in intact stroma, while such may be impossible in damaged stroma, the latter in fact resembling the actual situation in remission BM after chemotherapy.
National Gallery of Victoria to get
Creative Arts Minister Martin Foley said the $28.7 million investment would replica Van Cleef ring help the gallery strengthen its permanent exhibitions over the next Van Cleef ring fake two years and continue its highly successful NGV Summer program.
It would also assist with ongoing maintenance and the management ofmore than 68,000 artworks that make up the gallery's collection.
"Melbourne is renowned as the nation's arts and cultural capital and that's in no small part because of the NGV," Mr Foley said. "With this funding, the gallery will continue to be a major drawcard for Victorians and visitors alike."
Based on an annual survey of global museum attendance, the NGV is now the 19th most visited gallery in the world, standing in the company of New York's Museum of copy Van Cleef and Arpels ring Modern Art and the Muse d'Orsay in Paris.
In recent years, the gallery has pushed up attendance by holding more exhibitions and offering a wider mix thattargetschildren andnon traditional gallery goers. For instance, its growth last year was underpinned by a diverse program that featured the Andy Warhol/Ai Weiwei summer exhibition, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibitionDegas: A New Vision, andtheSummer Kids Festival, which attracted over 22,000 children in 11 days.
Government figures show that five years ago, the NGV hosted 28 exhibitions a year; last year it featured 49. Mr Foley's funding announcementcomes as the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition Van Gogh and the Seasons kicks off this Friday.
Creative Arts Minister Martin Foley said the $28.7 million investment would replica Van Cleef ring help the gallery strengthen its permanent exhibitions over the next Van Cleef ring fake two years and continue its highly successful NGV Summer program.
It would also assist with ongoing maintenance and the management ofmore than 68,000 artworks that make up the gallery's collection.
"Melbourne is renowned as the nation's arts and cultural capital and that's in no small part because of the NGV," Mr Foley said. "With this funding, the gallery will continue to be a major drawcard for Victorians and visitors alike."
Based on an annual survey of global museum attendance, the NGV is now the 19th most visited gallery in the world, standing in the company of New York's Museum of copy Van Cleef and Arpels ring Modern Art and the Muse d'Orsay in Paris.
In recent years, the gallery has pushed up attendance by holding more exhibitions and offering a wider mix thattargetschildren andnon traditional gallery goers. For instance, its growth last year was underpinned by a diverse program that featured the Andy Warhol/Ai Weiwei summer exhibition, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibitionDegas: A New Vision, andtheSummer Kids Festival, which attracted over 22,000 children in 11 days.
Government figures show that five years ago, the NGV hosted 28 exhibitions a year; last year it featured 49. Mr Foley's funding announcementcomes as the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition Van Gogh and the Seasons kicks off this Friday.
Myanmar swears in first elected civilian president in 50 years
Media captionWatch: Behind the scenes at the swearing in of Myanmar's new president
Myanmar's new president has been sworn in, the first elected civilian leader in more than 50 years.
A draft bill obtained by the BBC suggests that the new government is to create a special position for Ms Suu Kyi. The proposed post would be "adviser to the state", with a broad mandate similar to that of prime minister.
Media captionHtin Kyaw (centre) was sworn in as president along with his vice presidents
Vice presidents Henry Van Thio and Myint Swe, who lost to Htin Kyaw in the presidential vote earlier this month, were also sworn in, as were new cabinet fake Van Cleef Alhambra ring ministers.
Most of the ministers belong to the NLD. The list includes Ms Suu Kyi who will be in charge of foreign affairs, the president's office, education, and energy and electric power.
But the military is appointing its own nominees for three key ministries defence, home affairs and border affairs.
Who is Htin Kyaw?
Htin Kyaw, 69, is Ms Suu Kyi's close aide.
He attended university in the UK. He has a reputation for honesty and loyalty, and has kept a low profile.
His wife, Su Su Lwin, is the daughter of an NLD founder, as well as being a sitting MP, and a prominent party member.
He has played a senior role at the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, the charity founded in Van Cleef butterfly Ring fake honour of Suu Kyi's late mother, and Van Cleef and Arpels copy ring has been frequently seen at the NLD leader's side, serving as her driver from time to time.
In a brief speech, Htin Kyaw noted challenges ahead including the need for a nationwide ceasefire. The government has been engaged in armed conflicts with various ethnic groups for decades.
He also spoke about the constitution complying with modern democratic values, in a nod to the NLD's stated goal during the election campaign of changing the constitution.
Correspondents say this is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the NLD government's relationship with the army, who have 25% of parliamentary seats. It means the army retains the power to veto any changes to the constitution, as that would require more than 75% of votes.
The constitution contains a controversial clause barring anyone with family members who have another nationality from becoming president widely seen as aimed at preventing Ms Suu Kyi from taking power, as her two sons are British.
Despite the restriction Ms Suu Kyi, who remains hugely popular and prominent in Myanmar, has vowed to act "above the president".
Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Nay Pyi Taw "Myanmar's reform process has been a bumpy, uneven ride"Five years ago Myanmar was an international pariah, rusting in the sidings. Sanctions were in place, and people were scared to speak their minds. More than 2,000 political prisoners languished in jail.
Now, as Thein Sein hands over the controls to Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD, Myanmar is a country on the up.
Where once people were jailed for criticising the junta, there is now a vibrant media and open public debate. The economy's growing rapidly and a telecoms revolution is under way.
With a few exceptions, notably the Rohingya minority, life for Burmese people has got better, and much of the credit for that must go to the stewardship of Thein Sein.
Media captionWatch: Behind the scenes at the swearing in of Myanmar's new president
Myanmar's new president has been sworn in, the first elected civilian leader in more than 50 years.
A draft bill obtained by the BBC suggests that the new government is to create a special position for Ms Suu Kyi. The proposed post would be "adviser to the state", with a broad mandate similar to that of prime minister.
Media captionHtin Kyaw (centre) was sworn in as president along with his vice presidents
Vice presidents Henry Van Thio and Myint Swe, who lost to Htin Kyaw in the presidential vote earlier this month, were also sworn in, as were new cabinet fake Van Cleef Alhambra ring ministers.
Most of the ministers belong to the NLD. The list includes Ms Suu Kyi who will be in charge of foreign affairs, the president's office, education, and energy and electric power.
But the military is appointing its own nominees for three key ministries defence, home affairs and border affairs.
Who is Htin Kyaw?
Htin Kyaw, 69, is Ms Suu Kyi's close aide.
He attended university in the UK. He has a reputation for honesty and loyalty, and has kept a low profile.
His wife, Su Su Lwin, is the daughter of an NLD founder, as well as being a sitting MP, and a prominent party member.
He has played a senior role at the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, the charity founded in Van Cleef butterfly Ring fake honour of Suu Kyi's late mother, and Van Cleef and Arpels copy ring has been frequently seen at the NLD leader's side, serving as her driver from time to time.
In a brief speech, Htin Kyaw noted challenges ahead including the need for a nationwide ceasefire. The government has been engaged in armed conflicts with various ethnic groups for decades.
He also spoke about the constitution complying with modern democratic values, in a nod to the NLD's stated goal during the election campaign of changing the constitution.
Correspondents say this is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the NLD government's relationship with the army, who have 25% of parliamentary seats. It means the army retains the power to veto any changes to the constitution, as that would require more than 75% of votes.
The constitution contains a controversial clause barring anyone with family members who have another nationality from becoming president widely seen as aimed at preventing Ms Suu Kyi from taking power, as her two sons are British.
Despite the restriction Ms Suu Kyi, who remains hugely popular and prominent in Myanmar, has vowed to act "above the president".
Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Nay Pyi Taw "Myanmar's reform process has been a bumpy, uneven ride"Five years ago Myanmar was an international pariah, rusting in the sidings. Sanctions were in place, and people were scared to speak their minds. More than 2,000 political prisoners languished in jail.
Now, as Thein Sein hands over the controls to Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD, Myanmar is a country on the up.
Where once people were jailed for criticising the junta, there is now a vibrant media and open public debate. The economy's growing rapidly and a telecoms revolution is under way.
With a few exceptions, notably the Rohingya minority, life for Burmese people has got better, and much of the credit for that must go to the stewardship of Thein Sein.
Justice Is Michael Morton's Weapon Of Choice
The past few years in Texas have seen a parade of DNA exonerations: more than 40 men so far. The first exonerations were big news, but the type has grown smaller as Texans have watched a dismaying march of exonerees, their wasted years haunting the public conscience.
Yet a case in Williamson County, just north of Austin, is raising the ante. Michael Morton had been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife. He was released six months ago 25 years after being convicted when DNA testing proved he was not the killer.
Instead of merely seeking financial compensation, Morton is working to fix the system. His lawyers, including The Innocence Project, want to hold the man who put him behind bars accountable. They also want new laws to make sure Morton's story is never repeated.
The Day Of The Murder
On the morning of Aug. 13, 1986, Morton was getting ready for work as head of the pharmacy department at a nearby Safeway in Austin. He replica van cleef & arpels clover necklace closed the door to his home, blissfully unaware that the next time he saw his wife of seven years she would be in a coffin. Morton had nine hours of his normal life left. The clock ran out after work, when he arrived to pick up his son from day care.
"First time I figured something was up was when I locked eyes with the baby sitter," he says. "She looked at me real weird, like, 'What are you doing here? Eric's not here, why are you here?' "
Morton was immediately worried and called home. The man who answered was Williamson County Sheriff Jim Boutwell. The sheriff refused to answer Morton's questions and told him to come home immediately. Morton drove there in a panic.
"There were a lot of cars in the street. There was a big yellow crime scene ribbon around our house," he says. "Neighbors were across the street, clustered on the corner . talking to each other, and of course, when my truck comes racing up, they all kind of key on me."
Boutwell met Morton outside the front door and, in front of everyone, bluntly told him Christine Morton was dead, murdered in their bedroom. Morton reeled.
"You really don't know how you're going to react until it happens to you, and with me, I remember it was as if I was . falling inside myself," he says.
Morton was stunned, nearly mute, which fueled the sheriff's suspicions and became a major prosecution touchstone at his trial. The fact that Morton didn't cry out or weep became evidence that he didn't love his wife and had killed her.
Boutwell took Morton into the living room, his wife's body still down the hall. For the next four hours, Morton answered every question the sheriff could think of and never once asked for a lawyer.
"In my mind, I knew that, 'OK, he's doing his job. Boutwell had already decided that Morton was his No. 1 one suspect. The previous day had been Morton's birthday, and the family had gone out for a nice dinner. After getting home and putting Eric to bed, Morton was hoping for a "happy fake van cleef alhambra White Gold Pendant ending" with his wife. That's not what happened, though, and Morton's feelings were hurt. He wrote her something the next morning before he left for work.
"Chris, I know you didn't mean to, but you made me feel really unwanted last night. After a good meal, we came home, you binged on the rest of the cookies, then you farted and fell asleep. I'm not mad. I just wanted you to know how I feel without us getting into a fight about sex. Just think how you'd feel if you were left hanging on your birthday. imitation Van Cleef & Arpels Clover necklace I love you."
This note, left on the couple's bathroom mirror, turned out to be Morton's doom.
Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson used it to weave a sensational tale of unspeakable violence. In Anderson's version of the crime, Morton used a wooden club to viciously bludgeon his wife's head because she wouldn't have sex with him. Then, in triumph over her body, he pleasured himself. The mild mannered pharmacy manager was transformed into a sexually sick, murderous psychopath.
It was all a prosecutorial fantasy; none of it was true. Yet Anderson pounded his fists into his hands and wept to the jury as he described Morton's perversity. Compared with this vivid picture of the crime, Morton's defense didn't have a lot to offer.
A Mother's Plight: 'The Most Devastating Thing'
"The defense was that [Morton] didn't do it, and we don't know who did it. But whoever did it snuck in and committed a really vicious, vicious murder," says Bill Anderson, now a criminal law professor at the University of Texas who was Morton's lawyer in 1986. "And that is very frightening. A jury, by convicting [Morton], makes themselves safe. They've solved the case and they can go on about their business."
What the jury and the defense lawyers didn't know about was the evidence that had been concealed by Williamson County law enforcement. "There were fingerprints on the sliding glass door, and there were fingerprints on the luggage that was piled on Christine Morton's body," he says. That's not all: A neighbor told police that she'd seen a man in a green van casing the Morton home. Repeatedly.
"The neighbors report that they had seen a strange van driving around the neighborhood, stopping around the Morton house. The man in the van would drive around back to the wooded area and walk into the wooded area in back," Raley says. "The interesting thing is, it's around that area where the bandanna that contains the DNA was eventually found."
A bloody bandanna had been found by a deputy behind the Morton home. Incredibly, the sheriff's office decided to ignore it and left it lying on the ground.
Leads Not Followed
Raley says the evidence trail got even hotter.
"On Aug. 15, 1986, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office was contacted by San Antonio police regarding an attempted use of Christine's credit card at a place called the Jewel Box in San Antonio, Texas," he says. "It was used under fraudulent circumstances."
The past few years in Texas have seen a parade of DNA exonerations: more than 40 men so far. The first exonerations were big news, but the type has grown smaller as Texans have watched a dismaying march of exonerees, their wasted years haunting the public conscience.
Yet a case in Williamson County, just north of Austin, is raising the ante. Michael Morton had been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife. He was released six months ago 25 years after being convicted when DNA testing proved he was not the killer.
Instead of merely seeking financial compensation, Morton is working to fix the system. His lawyers, including The Innocence Project, want to hold the man who put him behind bars accountable. They also want new laws to make sure Morton's story is never repeated.
The Day Of The Murder
On the morning of Aug. 13, 1986, Morton was getting ready for work as head of the pharmacy department at a nearby Safeway in Austin. He replica van cleef & arpels clover necklace closed the door to his home, blissfully unaware that the next time he saw his wife of seven years she would be in a coffin. Morton had nine hours of his normal life left. The clock ran out after work, when he arrived to pick up his son from day care.
"First time I figured something was up was when I locked eyes with the baby sitter," he says. "She looked at me real weird, like, 'What are you doing here? Eric's not here, why are you here?' "
Morton was immediately worried and called home. The man who answered was Williamson County Sheriff Jim Boutwell. The sheriff refused to answer Morton's questions and told him to come home immediately. Morton drove there in a panic.
"There were a lot of cars in the street. There was a big yellow crime scene ribbon around our house," he says. "Neighbors were across the street, clustered on the corner . talking to each other, and of course, when my truck comes racing up, they all kind of key on me."
Boutwell met Morton outside the front door and, in front of everyone, bluntly told him Christine Morton was dead, murdered in their bedroom. Morton reeled.
"You really don't know how you're going to react until it happens to you, and with me, I remember it was as if I was . falling inside myself," he says.
Morton was stunned, nearly mute, which fueled the sheriff's suspicions and became a major prosecution touchstone at his trial. The fact that Morton didn't cry out or weep became evidence that he didn't love his wife and had killed her.
Boutwell took Morton into the living room, his wife's body still down the hall. For the next four hours, Morton answered every question the sheriff could think of and never once asked for a lawyer.
"In my mind, I knew that, 'OK, he's doing his job. Boutwell had already decided that Morton was his No. 1 one suspect. The previous day had been Morton's birthday, and the family had gone out for a nice dinner. After getting home and putting Eric to bed, Morton was hoping for a "happy fake van cleef alhambra White Gold Pendant ending" with his wife. That's not what happened, though, and Morton's feelings were hurt. He wrote her something the next morning before he left for work.
"Chris, I know you didn't mean to, but you made me feel really unwanted last night. After a good meal, we came home, you binged on the rest of the cookies, then you farted and fell asleep. I'm not mad. I just wanted you to know how I feel without us getting into a fight about sex. Just think how you'd feel if you were left hanging on your birthday. imitation Van Cleef & Arpels Clover necklace I love you."
This note, left on the couple's bathroom mirror, turned out to be Morton's doom.
Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson used it to weave a sensational tale of unspeakable violence. In Anderson's version of the crime, Morton used a wooden club to viciously bludgeon his wife's head because she wouldn't have sex with him. Then, in triumph over her body, he pleasured himself. The mild mannered pharmacy manager was transformed into a sexually sick, murderous psychopath.
It was all a prosecutorial fantasy; none of it was true. Yet Anderson pounded his fists into his hands and wept to the jury as he described Morton's perversity. Compared with this vivid picture of the crime, Morton's defense didn't have a lot to offer.
A Mother's Plight: 'The Most Devastating Thing'
"The defense was that [Morton] didn't do it, and we don't know who did it. But whoever did it snuck in and committed a really vicious, vicious murder," says Bill Anderson, now a criminal law professor at the University of Texas who was Morton's lawyer in 1986. "And that is very frightening. A jury, by convicting [Morton], makes themselves safe. They've solved the case and they can go on about their business."
What the jury and the defense lawyers didn't know about was the evidence that had been concealed by Williamson County law enforcement. "There were fingerprints on the sliding glass door, and there were fingerprints on the luggage that was piled on Christine Morton's body," he says. That's not all: A neighbor told police that she'd seen a man in a green van casing the Morton home. Repeatedly.
"The neighbors report that they had seen a strange van driving around the neighborhood, stopping around the Morton house. The man in the van would drive around back to the wooded area and walk into the wooded area in back," Raley says. "The interesting thing is, it's around that area where the bandanna that contains the DNA was eventually found."
A bloody bandanna had been found by a deputy behind the Morton home. Incredibly, the sheriff's office decided to ignore it and left it lying on the ground.
Leads Not Followed
Raley says the evidence trail got even hotter.
"On Aug. 15, 1986, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office was contacted by San Antonio police regarding an attempted use of Christine's credit card at a place called the Jewel Box in San Antonio, Texas," he says. "It was used under fraudulent circumstances."
mom urges vaccination as her sick baby girl suffers in hospital
SubscriptionsGo to the Subscriptions Centre to manage your:My ProfileA Vancouver Island mother whose baby is hospitalized with whooping cough says her sick daughter is proof that children who are not vaccinated can harm others.Annie Mae Braiden says her 10 week old girl, Isabelle, has been in the pediatric intensive care unit for more than a month after contracting the disease and needed to be on a ventilator for weeks.Annie Mae Braiden and her daughter Isabelle are shown in a photo from Braiden's Facebook page, during Isabelle's treatment for whooping cough at Victoria General Hospital. (Annie Mae Braiden/Facebook)"What you do with your kids is your choice, but do not tell me that not vaccinating your kids isn't hurting anyone but your own kids," Braiden wrote in a Facebook post that had been shared copy van cleef alhambra bracelet nearly 21,000 times by Tuesday."Isabelle is proof that it harms the other little babes who aren't old enough to get their vaccines yet."Braiden told her story and posted photos of the tiny girl with tubes replica van cleef and arpels necklaces taped to her face in an emotional Facebook entry on Friday. She expects her child could be hospitalized for another two months.'Please vaccinate your kids'Braiden, who declined an interview, said in her post that Isabelle was on a ventilator for three weeks. The girl has had to learn to eat again, and has endured van cleef alhambra knock off necklace withdrawals from morphine and sedatives, she wrote.On one occasion, the mother watched a nurse pick up Isabelle and run down a hall to the intensive care unit because it appeared the girl might die, she wrote."We were hours away from losing her," Braiden wrote."Please vaccinate your kids, it's not fair that my little girl is in the [hospital] coughing and not being able to breathe from a disease that shouldn't be around in this day [and] age."Jeff Bishop, a pediatrician who is treating Isabelle at Victoria General Hospital, says whooping cough is incredibly infectious and spreads easily through contact with anyone who is inadequately vaccinated.Bishop says he has noticed over the last year that the hospital has treated more children with whooping cough than usual and says there have been some deaths during the past five years.He says immunization can be an emotional topic for parents but extensive research shows the benefits of vaccinations far outweighs the risks. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
SubscriptionsGo to the Subscriptions Centre to manage your:My ProfileA Vancouver Island mother whose baby is hospitalized with whooping cough says her sick daughter is proof that children who are not vaccinated can harm others.Annie Mae Braiden says her 10 week old girl, Isabelle, has been in the pediatric intensive care unit for more than a month after contracting the disease and needed to be on a ventilator for weeks.Annie Mae Braiden and her daughter Isabelle are shown in a photo from Braiden's Facebook page, during Isabelle's treatment for whooping cough at Victoria General Hospital. (Annie Mae Braiden/Facebook)"What you do with your kids is your choice, but do not tell me that not vaccinating your kids isn't hurting anyone but your own kids," Braiden wrote in a Facebook post that had been shared copy van cleef alhambra bracelet nearly 21,000 times by Tuesday."Isabelle is proof that it harms the other little babes who aren't old enough to get their vaccines yet."Braiden told her story and posted photos of the tiny girl with tubes replica van cleef and arpels necklaces taped to her face in an emotional Facebook entry on Friday. She expects her child could be hospitalized for another two months.'Please vaccinate your kids'Braiden, who declined an interview, said in her post that Isabelle was on a ventilator for three weeks. The girl has had to learn to eat again, and has endured van cleef alhambra knock off necklace withdrawals from morphine and sedatives, she wrote.On one occasion, the mother watched a nurse pick up Isabelle and run down a hall to the intensive care unit because it appeared the girl might die, she wrote."We were hours away from losing her," Braiden wrote."Please vaccinate your kids, it's not fair that my little girl is in the [hospital] coughing and not being able to breathe from a disease that shouldn't be around in this day [and] age."Jeff Bishop, a pediatrician who is treating Isabelle at Victoria General Hospital, says whooping cough is incredibly infectious and spreads easily through contact with anyone who is inadequately vaccinated.Bishop says he has noticed over the last year that the hospital has treated more children with whooping cough than usual and says there have been some deaths during the past five years.He says immunization can be an emotional topic for parents but extensive research shows the benefits of vaccinations far outweighs the risks. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
Matt Lauer Failed The Moderator Test
NEW YORK Wednesday night's Commander in Chief forum on NBC should have gone down as the first time the two 2016 presidential candidates shared a stage. But it will be remembered replica Van bracelet pink gold largely for the shortcomings of the man who was tasked with moderating.
Matt Lauer, the "Today" show host, flunked in primetime. And his failure was even more remarkable because he had the very information he needed to succeed. invasion, even though he's falsely claimedthroughout hisentirecandidacyto have been staunchly opposed to it.
"My opponent was for the war in Iraq," Clinton said at the forum simulcast onNBC and MSNBC. "He says he wasn't. You can you can fake van clover bracelet go back and look at the record. He supported it. He told Howard Stern he supported it."
But when Trump took the stage in the second half of the event, he cited his criticism of the war in an August 2004 Esquire story as evidence he opposed the invasion, which actually began 16 months earlier. In a room full of Iraq War veterans, Lauer didn't challenge Trump's false claim.
The failure to fact check on Iraq didn't go unnoticed among many journalists on Twitter, including Lauer's colleague, NBC News senior political editor Mark Murray.
Trump repeats that he was against the Iraq war from the outset.
That is not true. Hegrilled Clintonfrom the start on her handling of classified information while using a private email account as secretary of state. After several questions on the subject, Lauer turned to a member of the audience who also referred to the email situation in asking Clinton about handling sensitive information.
Clinton's use of a private email account is perhaps the most replica Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet litigated subject of the presidential campaign. That doesn't make it unworthy of resurfacing. But the amount of time Lauer lingered on the topic drew befuddlement from Clinton's backers and some second guessing from other media members, who wondered why other weightier topics weren't given the same attention. "Well, I've built a great company. I've been all over the world," Trump began. intervention in Libya that toppled late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. should intervene,as another of Lauer's colleagues, MSNBC host Chris Hayes, noted on Twitter.
Two of Trump biggest critiques of Clinton are Iraq and Libya, both of which he supported. senator or secretary of State when the Iraq and Libya decisions were made, as was the case with Clinton, so he clearly had less of a role in these military interventions. To his credit, he didconfront Trump on a 2013 tweet in which Trump suggested sexual assaults had risen in the military because women were allowed to serve alongside men.
Still, Lauer neglected to challenge Trump on a number of controversial statements and past actions that would have had obvious relevance to the audience of veterans. They included the businessman'sfour Vietnam draft deferments, mocking Sen.
By the end of the night,Lauer himself had become the story, which is often not the way a moderator wants his debate to be remembered.
Trumps getting softer questions and Lauer mainly isn as aggressive. But Trumps still not doing great. Lauer interrupted Clinton answers repeatedly to move on. Not once for Trump. Tough to be a woman running for President
NEW YORK Wednesday night's Commander in Chief forum on NBC should have gone down as the first time the two 2016 presidential candidates shared a stage. But it will be remembered replica Van bracelet pink gold largely for the shortcomings of the man who was tasked with moderating.
Matt Lauer, the "Today" show host, flunked in primetime. And his failure was even more remarkable because he had the very information he needed to succeed. invasion, even though he's falsely claimedthroughout hisentirecandidacyto have been staunchly opposed to it.
"My opponent was for the war in Iraq," Clinton said at the forum simulcast onNBC and MSNBC. "He says he wasn't. You can you can fake van clover bracelet go back and look at the record. He supported it. He told Howard Stern he supported it."
But when Trump took the stage in the second half of the event, he cited his criticism of the war in an August 2004 Esquire story as evidence he opposed the invasion, which actually began 16 months earlier. In a room full of Iraq War veterans, Lauer didn't challenge Trump's false claim.
The failure to fact check on Iraq didn't go unnoticed among many journalists on Twitter, including Lauer's colleague, NBC News senior political editor Mark Murray.
Trump repeats that he was against the Iraq war from the outset.
That is not true. Hegrilled Clintonfrom the start on her handling of classified information while using a private email account as secretary of state. After several questions on the subject, Lauer turned to a member of the audience who also referred to the email situation in asking Clinton about handling sensitive information.
Clinton's use of a private email account is perhaps the most replica Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet litigated subject of the presidential campaign. That doesn't make it unworthy of resurfacing. But the amount of time Lauer lingered on the topic drew befuddlement from Clinton's backers and some second guessing from other media members, who wondered why other weightier topics weren't given the same attention. "Well, I've built a great company. I've been all over the world," Trump began. intervention in Libya that toppled late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. should intervene,as another of Lauer's colleagues, MSNBC host Chris Hayes, noted on Twitter.
Two of Trump biggest critiques of Clinton are Iraq and Libya, both of which he supported. senator or secretary of State when the Iraq and Libya decisions were made, as was the case with Clinton, so he clearly had less of a role in these military interventions. To his credit, he didconfront Trump on a 2013 tweet in which Trump suggested sexual assaults had risen in the military because women were allowed to serve alongside men.
Still, Lauer neglected to challenge Trump on a number of controversial statements and past actions that would have had obvious relevance to the audience of veterans. They included the businessman'sfour Vietnam draft deferments, mocking Sen.
By the end of the night,Lauer himself had become the story, which is often not the way a moderator wants his debate to be remembered.
Trumps getting softer questions and Lauer mainly isn as aggressive. But Trumps still not doing great. Lauer interrupted Clinton answers repeatedly to move on. Not once for Trump. Tough to be a woman running for President