Wind in the floating clouds

The U.S. Department of Justice's U.S. Attorney's office for Connecticut issued the following press release:

Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today tiffany that GENERO MARTE, also known as "G," 44, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in Blackwood, New Jersey, was sentenced yesterday, November 24, by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport to 204 months of imprisonment for supplying cocaine to a New Haven drug trafficking organization. Judge Hall also ordered MARTE to pay a fine in the amount of $25,000. On November 20, 2008, a jury found MARTE guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base ("crack cocaine").

This matter stems from "Operation No Nonsense," an silver key rings conducted by the DEA New Haven Drug Task Force, including agents and officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New Haven Police Department and the West Haven Police Department, into a significant crack cocaine trafficking ring operating in and around the Newhallville section of New Haven.

According to court documents, statements made in court and evidence disclosed during trials of several of the individuals charged as a result of this investigation, during 2006 and 2007, DEA Task Force agents made several supervised purchases of crack cocaine from Mauriel Glover, also known as "Feet," of New Haven. In September 2007, the DEA obtained court-authorization for wiretaps on phones used by Glover and Roshaun Hoggard, also known as "Foot," of New Haven, after which hundreds of incriminating drug-related calls were intercepted and recorded. The wiretap revealed that Glover, Hoggard and others regularly received cocaine from MARTE, which was transported to Connecticut and processed into crack. Glover, Hoggard and others then sold the crack to numerous customers in the Newhallville section of New Haven.

In several recorded conversations, Hoggard described the process of silver necklaces the powder cocaine he had obtained from MARTE into crack. Hoggard also was intercepted complaining to MARTE about cocaine powder that was of too low quality to be processed into crack and which he wanted to return. During the trial of MARTE and Hoggard, the Government presented the testimony of law enforcement agents who followed Hoggard to the Bronx, New York where he met with associates of MARTE to pick up distribution quantities of cocaine.

MARTE, Glover and Hoggard have been detained since their arrests in December 2007.

On May 21, 2008, Glover pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base. On November 20, 2008, a jury found Hoggard guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base, and one count of possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base. Each awaits sentencing.

Two Houston men have been arrested and accused of making millions in a drug trafficking tiffany that reached from Texas to Tennessee, federal authorities said.

Abelardo Guerra, 37, Jose Luis Gutierrez, 51, were arrested earlier this week following their indictments on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston.

A McAllen man, Roberto Canales, 45, also was arrested and is in custody in El Paso following his indictment in connection to the drug-dealing operation.

Another McAllen man, Jose Raul Zavala, 34, who also is accused in the drug ring,charm bracelet at large.

The defendants are accused in the indictment of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, federal authorities said.

They also are indicted on four counts of laundering monetary instruments and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Federal authorities said the indictment alleges that the drugs were taken from Texas to Tennessee for distribution between about October 2006 through June 2008.

The conspirators allegedly would collect the drug proceeds and return them to Texas for further drug trafficking, according to federal officials.

It is alleged that the conspirators laundered more than $2 million. Law enforcement agents seized about $917,286 on Dec. 18, 2006, during their investigation.

Federal officials said they are seeking the forfeiture of about $1,273,000 of drug frank gehry and a residence located in the 17700 block of Badtke Road in Hockley .

All four defendants are charged in both conspiracy counts. Guerra and Gutierrez also are charged in each of the four additional counts of money laundering.

Canales is charged in one additional count and Zavala is charged in two other counts of money laundering.

If convicted of the charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison as well as a $4 million fine.

The money laundering conspiracy and the substantive money laundering counts each carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to twice the amount of the financial transaction or $500,000.

BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology company focused on regenerative tiffany and blood plasma volume expanders. BioTime develops and markets research products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine through its wholly owned subsidiary Embryome Sciences, Inc. BioTime's subsidiary OncoCyte Corporation focuses on the therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer. BioTime also plans to develop therapeutic products in China for the treatment of ophthalmologic, skin, musculo-skeletal system and hematologic diseases, including the targeting of genetically modified stem cells to tumors as a novel means of treating currently incurable forms of cancer through its subsidiary BioTime Asia. In addition to its stem cell products, BioTime markets blood plasma volume expanders and related technology for use in surgery, emergency return to tiffany treatment, and other applications. BioTime's lead product, Hextend(R), is a blood plasma volume expander manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Hospira, Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corp. under exclusive licensing agreements. Additional information about BioTime can be found on the web at www.biotimeinc.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development and potential opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "frank gehry," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

In the coming days, there will be much written, with the usual fingers pointed, about professional tiffany dying before they reach 40.

It is a sad and frighteningly long list. You will hear about punishing schedules and steroids and pain pills and alcohol and illegal drugs.

That's not for now.

Edward Fatu died last week. He was only 36. He was one of the biggest wrestling silver key rings in the world. He won championship belts in every company, in every country he worked.

Fatu's wrestling character, Umaga, was wild and out of control. He was a rule-breaker. His hair was braided, and his 375-pound body was covered with traditional Samoan tattoos. He had a ring though his nose.

He rarely spoke on TV. Mostly he howled something bloodthirsty before thrusting his taped thumb, the dreaded Samoan Spike, into his opponent's throat. Nobody got up after the Samoan Spike.

So fans probably would be surprised to learn that this vicious beast called Umaga, the "Samoan Wrecking Machine," was born in San Francisco, spoke perfect English, though in a quiet voice, and lived in Spring with his wife and four children.

Two years ago, around the holidays, Umaga made an appearance at a small wrestling show in Pasadena promoted by his buddy Booker T.

Umaga, the announcer said, would be hanging around the lobby autographing photos for $10.

I told my son and his friend Spencer, here's some money, go get his autograph. For some weird reason, even though he was a lowdown dirty villain, kids liked Umaga. Maybe it was because Umaga looked like a big chubby kid with war paint and tattoos all over his body. I was very surprised when, at his death, I learned that Umaga was 36. I figured he was maybe 25.

Half an hour later, Spencer's dad and I went looking for our boys. They were in the silver necklaces, talking with Umaga. He was dressed in jeans, a rock 'n' roll T-shirt and sneakers. His face had no war paint, no ring in his nose. He looked almost normal -- for a wrestler.

"He speaks English!" the kids said. Even more surprising, he didn't take their money for his autograph. "He said it was Christmas and told us to use the money for presents for our parents."

Fat chance that happened. If you're not familiar with the wrestling business, a wrestler turning down free money is spectacularly, unfathomably unbelievable.

The autographed Umaga photo is still on my kid's wall.

A drug trafficking ring that smuggled regular shipments of crystal meth and marijuana into tiffany Jersey has been broken up and 28 people arrested, law enforcement officials said today.

The group used the U.S. Mail to ship 20 to 30 pounds of marijuana two to four times a week from Texas to South Jersey, and made weekly deliveries of four to six pounds of crystal meth by car from Ohio, said Camden County Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk.

The amount of crystal meth seized was relatively modest -- about $600,000 on the street -- but Faulk said it was the regularity of the operation's drug smuggling that made it significant. It was in business for some years.

The 22-month investigation by the Philadelphia-Camden High Intensity Drug silver necklaces Area task force involved five federal agencies, five New Jersey prosecutors' offices, and 10 local police departments.

Twenty people were arrested on state charges, and eight on federal charges.

The ring involved a number of people living in the immigrant farm labor community. Those arrested on federal charges included six residents of South Jersey, five residents of them from Hammonton, and two men from Columbus, Ohio, who are charged with transporting meth from that state to South Jersey.

The ring stretched from Mexico through McAllen, Texas, and Ohio to Camden and Atlantic Counties.

The arrests started Dec. 3 and continued through yesterday, a statement from the task force said.

Besides the $600,000 in meth, officials said they also have seized or tracked 2,000 pounds marijuana, 1.5 kilograms of powder cocaine and 10 firearms, including two automatic assault weapons, and eight vehicles.

The federal agencies involved in the investigation were the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Internal Revenue Service; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The local agencies were the New Jersey State Police, the prosecutors offices from cheap tiffany, Atlantic, Burlington, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, the Camden County Sheriff's Department, and the police departments of Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Gloucester Township, Hammonton, Lindenwold, Pine Hill, Salem, Waterford and Winslow.

SAROME CO., LTD. Corporation JAPAN, Chiba Pref., Japan, has been issued the tiffany SAROME (Reg. No. 3718801; International Reg. No. 0986290) by the USPTO.

The trademark application (serial number 79062642) was filed on June 25, 2008 and was return to tiffany on Dec. 1.

The goods for which registration was sought are "Power driven, hand-operated screwdrivers. Bladed or pointed hand tools, namely, knives; folding knives; electric razors; razor cases; nail clippers; nail scissors; cuticle flippers. Flash memory cards; magnifying glasses; tape measures; containers for contact lenses; spectacle cases; temperature indicators. Key rings of precious metal; ornaments in the nature of jewellery, jewelry; wrist watches; pocket watches; jewel cases; alarm clocks. Industrial packaging containers of paper; stationery and study guides. Handbags; Leather pouches. Cigarette lighters for smokers; cigarette lighters for smokers of precious metal; ashtrays not of precious metal; portable ashtrays; smokers' articles not of precious metal, namely, keystones for pipes; cigar cutters; tobacco pouches not of precious metal; liquefied gas cylinders for cigarette lighters; pipe cleaners not of precious metal; lighter flints; lighter cases not of precious metal; tobacco; cigars; tobacco pipes not of precious metal; matches". For more information about US Fed News trademarks frank gehry contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, US Fed News, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

The Moscow City Council adopted the city's first comprehensive plan rewrite since 1999 Monday evening following a tiffany that lasted more than four hours.

The council voted 4-2 to keep maps of a proposed ring road/bypass concept in the plan, with outgoing council members Bill Lambert and John Weber voting for removal.

The plan's approval concludes a near three-year rewrite process.

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The controversial ring road/bypass concept predictably dominated discussion at the Moscow City Council's public hearing on the city's proposed comprehensive plan rewrite.

The council was set to begin deliberations at press time after a nearly two-and-half hour valentines day pendants.

Though the comprehensive plan covers a wide array of city planning issues, the ring road concept was the central topic, much like it was during the Planning and Zoning Commission's hearing on the plan in late October.

That hearing mostly featured testimony from residents outside the city limits concerned about the effect a proposed ring road around the city could have on their properties.

This time, many notable Moscow residents also weighed in both for and against the ring road.

Former Mayor Marshall Comstock was the first to speak, and came out in support of keeping the road in the plan as a guide for the future.

Referencing David Trail, the road's most outspoken critic, Comstock said development spurs road building, not city planning, and Trail shouldn't worry about losing his home or surrounding neighborhood.

"With all due respect ... within their lifetime there's not going to be a road valentines day earrings out there unless they (the Trail family) want it to happen," he said.

Trail, representing a group of landowners in what would be the northeast quadrant of the road, spoke for roughly 15 minutes, and several other residents from outside the city limits voiced their opposition as well.

Tri-State owner Gerard Connelly also spoke against the concept, saying the proposed road is an invitation to bypass the city and its businesses.

Connelly's testimony was among the most passionate of the evening. He said the city, whether intentional or not, "seems hellbent on doing as much harm as it can."

Teruyuki Oda of Tokyo, and Hiroshi Takiguchi of Tochigi, Japan, have developed an iron species tiffany. The inventors were issued U.S. Patent No. 7,629,057 on Dec. 8.

The patent has been assigned to Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, and Nippon Piston Ring Co. Ltd, Saitama, Japan.

According to the abstract released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A preform main rings of an iron species preform for forming a metal matrix composite inserted in an aluminum species alloy base material to be cast-in is bored with a first to fourth through holes communicating an inner peripheral face and an outer peripheral face. In a cast-in step, shrinkage in a peripheral direction of the inner peripheral face and the outer peripheral face of the iron species preform in accordance with solidification of the melted aluminum species alloy is uniformly received by shrinkage in accordance with solidification of the melted aluminum species alloy invading the through holes, movement thereof in the peripheral direction is restrained, a clearance can be prevented from being brought about at an interface, a cast-in performance is excellent and a stable bonding strength of the bracelets is achieved."

The original application was filed on Sept. 28, 2006.

For further information please visit:http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=7629057&OS=7629057&RS=7629057 For more information about US Fed News contract awards please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, US Fed News, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

An inmate accused of participating in a prison drug ring involving smuggling of cocaine and tiffany into Four Mile prison here was sentenced Wednesday to an additional three years.

Stefan Schutter, 27, pleaded guilty to felony criminal attempt to commit silver bracelets with the intent to distribute the controlled substance heroin. He was sentenced to three years in prison to be served after the sentence he currently is serving for robbery, drug abuse and theft convictions.

The drug ring allegedly involved several inmates at the prison as well as people from Pueblo, Aspen and Denver. Inmate Josh Jost, 36, of Pueblo, pleaded guilty to an identical charge earlier this year and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Investigation into the drug case started in September 2008 when both heroin and cocaine were discovered at the minimum-security Four Mile prison. Corrections Investigator Bill Claspell focused on milk truck driver Henry Verstraete of Pueblo, who was accused of accepting $200 to transport drugs from his home in Pueblo to inmates working at the prison cow dairy.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Verstraete told Claspell that the only silver cufflinks he had smuggled into the prison was tobacco and creatine, a weight-lifting supplement. Verstraete, 46, has been charged with introduction of contraband and is slated to enter a plea Dec. 17. Another inmate, Joshua Belo, 28, was charged with conspiracy to commit distribution of a controlled substance, but that charge was dismissed Nov. 19.

Stefan Schutter's brother, Devin Schutter, 30, of Aspen, is charged with conspiracy to commit unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and is slated to return to court Dec. 17 for a possible plea.

Noront's President and CEO Wes Hanson notes: "Freewest's management appears to be tiffany employing defensive tactics to frustrate Noront's Offer at the expense of Freewest's shareholders. Noront's Offer is a simple, unconditional offer predicated on the fact that Freewest shareholders should have the right to participate in any significant upside of the Ring of Fire."

Additionally, Noront has asked the Director appointed under the Canada Business Corporations Act to consider whether any form of initial order sought by Freewest in connection with the special meeting is fair and reasonable in the circumstances of a pending takeover offer and that Cliffs be prevented from voting its Freewest shares at the special meeting of shareholders on January 15, 2010.

Record Date

It does not appear to Noront that there is a legitimate purpose for Freewest to set the record earrings on sale one day before Noront has the opportunity to take up shares tendered to its Offer. There is no urgency for the special meeting of shareholders to be held, nor the corresponding record date set as it has been; Freewest and Cliffs have until March 31, 2010 to hold a shareholder meeting. Freewest's decision appears entirely a defensive tactic designed to assist in Freewest management's opposition to Noront's right to vote, as an owner, any shares it may own at the special meeting on January 15, 2010.

Voting of Cliffs Shares in Freewest

In a recent high profile ruling, with respect the combination of Hudbay Minerals Inc and Lundin Mining Corporation, the Ontario Securities Commission stated that "an acquirer should not generally be entitled, through a subscription for shares carried out in anticipation of a merger, to significantly influence or affect the outcome of the vote on that transaction". Cliffs has increased its ownership in Freewest by way of a recent private placement. It should not be permitted to vote its shares at the special meeting of shareholders. Cliffs does not have the same economic interest as other Freewest shareholders and should not be permitted to influence the vote as a result of its opportunistic key rings on sale of additional Freewest shares.

Freewest Change of Control Payments

Mackenzie Watson stated in the December 8, 2009 shareholder conference call, "I will note that when Cliffs and Freewest entered into a definitive agreement on November 23, Freewest's senior management agreed to reduce the change of control payments due to us from C$6.5 million to C$2.5 million. We did so to help secure a deal that we absolutely believe is in the best interest of Freewest and its shareholders. We did not initially advertise this part of the deal, but now we feel that it is necessary to set this record straight. In contrast, a deal with Noront would result in the full C$6.5 million in change of control payments to management."