Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez dead at 58

James Robbins looks back at the life of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has died, his vice-president has announced.

Mr Chavez had not appeared in public since he returned to Venezuela last month after cancer treatment in Cuba.

An emotional Nicolas Maduro made the announcement on Tuesday evening, flanked by leading Venezuelan political and military leaders.

Earlier, he said the 58-year-old Venezuelan leader had a new, severe respiratory infection and had entered “his most difficult hours”.

Former U.S. Consulate Guard Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Attempting to Communicate National Defense Information to China
Bryan Underwood, a former civilian guard at a U.S. Consulate compound under construction in China, was sentenced today to nine years in prison in connection with his efforts to sell for personal financial gain classified photographs, information and access related to the U.S. Consulate to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), announced Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Gregory B. Starr, Director of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.

Underwood pleaded guilty Aug. 30, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of attempting to communicate national defense information to a foreign government with intent or reason to believe that the documents, photographs or information in question were to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle. Upon completion of his prison term, Underwood will be placed on two years of supervised release.

Underwood, 32, a former resident of Indiana, was first charged in an indictment on Aug. 31, 2011, with two counts of making false statements and was arrested on Sept. 1, 2011. On Sept. 21, 2011, he failed to appear at a scheduled status hearing in federal court in the District of Columbia. The FBI later located Underwood in a hotel in Los Angeles and arrested him there on Sept. 24, 2011. On Sept. 28, 2011, Underwood was charged in a superseding indictment with one count of attempting to communicate national defense information to a foreign government, two counts of making false statements and one count of failing to appear in court pursuant to his conditions of release.

“Bryan Underwood betrayed America’s trust by attempting to sell access to secure areas of the very U.S. Consulate compound he was charged to protect,” said Assistant Attorney General Monaco. “Today, he is being held accountable for his actions. As this case demonstrates, we remain vigilant in protecting America’s secrets and in bringing to justice those who seek to compromise them.”

“Access to classified information is a special responsibility to be honored, not a financial opportunity to be exploited,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Bryan Underwood is going to prison because he tried to make millions by selling secret photos of a U.S. Consulate to a foreign government. His sentence demonstrates our dedication to jealously guarding our nation’s secrets. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to the agents who detected and stopped Underwood before he succeeded in betraying our country.”

“Bryan Underwood attempted to betray his country by using his access to sensitive information for his own benefit. Fortunately, he was stopped before classified information fell into the wrong hands,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Together with our partner agencies, the FBI will continue to diligently work to combat potential acts of espionage that threaten our national security.”

“The close working relationship between the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office resulted in the conviction of Bryan Underwood before he could potentially harm the security of our country,” said Director Starr of the Diplomatic Security Service. “This was a great success by all of the agencies involved.”

According to court documents, from November 2009 to August 2011, Underwood worked as a cleared American guard (CAG) at the site of a new U.S. consulate compound that was under construction in Guangzhou, China. During this time, the compound was not yet operational. CAGs are American civilian security guards with top secret clearances who serve to prevent foreign governments from improperly obtaining sensitive or classified information from the construction site. Underwood received briefings on how to handle and protect classified information as well as briefings and instructions on security protocols for the U.S. Consulate, including the prohibition on photography in certain areas of the consulate.

In February 2011, Underwood was asked by U.S. law enforcement to assist in a project at the consulate and he agreed. In March and April of 2011, Underwood lost a substantial amount of money in the stock market. According to court documents, Underwood then devised a plan to use his assistance to U.S. law enforcement as a “cover” for making contact with the Chinese government. According to his subsequent statements to U.S. law enforcement, Underwood intended to sell his information about and access to the U.S. Consulate to the Chinese MSS for $3 million to $5 million. If any U.S. personnel caught him, he planned to falsely claim he was assisting U.S. law enforcement.

As part of his plan, Underwood wrote a letter to the Chinese MSS, expressing his “interest in initiating a business arrangement with your offices” and stating, “I know I have information and skills that would be beneficial to your offices [sic] goals. And I know your office can assist me in my financial endeavors.” According to court documents, Underwood attempted to deliver this letter to the offices of the Chinese MSS in Guangzhou, but was turned away by a guard who declined to accept the letter. Underwood then left the letter in the open in his apartment hoping that the Chinese MSS would find it, as he believed the MSS routinely conducted searches of apartments occupied by Americans.

In May 2011, Underwood secreted a camera into the new U.S. consulate compound and took photographs of a restricted building and its contents. Several of these photographs depict areas or information classified at the Secret level. Underwood also created a schematic that listed all security upgrades to the U.S. consulate and drew a diagram of the surveillance camera locations at the consulate. In addition, according to his subsequent statements to U.S. law enforcement, Underwood “mentally” constructed a plan in which the MSS could gain undetected access to a building at the U.S. consulate to install listening devices or other technical penetrations.

According to court documents, the photographs Underwood took were reviewed by an expert at the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security who had original classification authority for facilities, security and countermeasures at the U.S. Consulate. The expert determined that several of the photographs contained images classified at the Secret level and that disclosure of such material could potentially cause serious damage to the United States.

In early August 2011, Underwood was interviewed several times by FBI and Diplomatic Security agents, during which he admitted making efforts to contact the Chinese MSS, but falsely claimed that he took these actions to assist U.S. law enforcement. On Aug. 19, 2011, Underwood was again interviewed by law enforcement agents and he admitted that he planned to sell photos, information and access to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou to the Chinese MSS for his personal financial gain.

After initially being arraigned in this case on Sept. 1, 2011, Underwood was released on his personal recognizance, with certain conditions, including staying within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and returning to court for a status hearing on Sept. 21, 2011. Instead of returning to court as promised, Underwood purchased a bicycle, racks, panniers, helmet and multiple energy snack bars. He left a fake suicide note at his hotel room in Springfield, Va. Then, alive and well, he pedaled west out of Springfield and eventually boarded a bus in Wytheville, Va., under a false name. He was arrested on Sept. 24, 2011 in a hotel room in Los Angeles, with over $10,000 in cash and 80,000 Japanese yen. He has been in custody ever since.

The U.S. government has found no evidence that Underwood succeeded in passing classified information concerning the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou to anyone at the Chinese MSS.

This investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Brandon L. Van Grack from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Young pianist soars with a perfect 100: James
In January, while the media focus on Jamaican youth was all about violence, Rashaan Allwood was out stunning the world of classical music.
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RICHARD LAUTENS / TORONTO STAR
At 18, Rashaan Allwood, pictured in his parents’ living room in Mississauga, is already a piano phenom. The first-year U of T music student recently added a National Gold Medal from the Royal Conservatory for scoring 100 points on piano performance in January, the tops in Canada. He also won 3 categories at the Kiwanis music competition last week.

By: Royson James City Columnist, Published on Tue Mar 05 2013
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Even for a rare piano talent who has won medals at every level since 2002, this performance at the highest level of the Royal Conservatory was astonishing.
Rashaan Allwood, 18, played through a one-hour piano exam of baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist and 20th century music with such panache and precision that enthralled adjudicators gave him a perfect score.
Allwood’s “perfect 100” set the music fraternity abuzz in January, when he received the national gold medal as Canada’s top student sitting an exam for the world-renowned Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) diploma.
The first-year University of Toronto piano performance student even surprised himself with what a conservatory spokesman calls a “very, very, very rare” achievement.
“When I saw the score I didn’t believe it, so I called them to confirm it,” Allwood told the Star. “It seemed unfathomable.”
The conservatory, which holds 100,000 exams a year, confirmed his brilliance.
“It felt really, really amazing,” said the Mississauga resident. “I think they were saying, ‘You have the potential to be really, really good. This is our way of giving you a boost.’ It’s something to encourage me to work even harder than before; not to be cocky.”
The honour confirmed everything Filmore Allwood and wife Joyce envisioned for their son, and brother Yannick, since the parents immigrated here from Jamaica.
Be a strong dad. Watch over the children like a hawk. Provide unstinting support. Set high goals. Watch them soar.
But even as Rashaan received his gold medal at Koerner Hall on Bloor St., on Jan. 13, a new wave of gun crime was about to wash over the GTA — eclipsing the achievement of the majority of black youth, amazing ones like Rashaan’s, and the everyday success of the majority of others.
“I am hoping this will make an impact on the youths of our community, to inspire them to achieve to be the best in whatever they want to be,” the dad wrote in an email late January, requesting news coverage.
Most media were preoccupied with the shooting death of 15-year-old Tyson Bailey on Jan. 18, Kesean Williams, 9, five days later; and St. Aubyn Rodney, 15, on Feb. 11.
By the end of February, Dad had given up.
“I fully understand the situation,” he wrote. “This would have been recognized as news if my son was involved in crime or drugs. Then we wouldn’t have enough room on our driveway for cameras and journalists.
“I guess my son has found himself in a field where ‘he does not belong’ because of his ethnicity (he is not white or Asian).”
The words cut, with a ring of truth.
Pulling away from the daily dose of Rob Ford nonsense, I attended Rashaan’s performance at the 70th annual Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival last week. He entered three categories: Chopin, Bach and Beethoven. He won them all.
“One step above everyone,” was just one of many accolades delivered by adjudicator, acclaimed pianist Jean Desmarais.
Rashaan’s performance of Chopin’s Fantasy in F Minor broke new ground, Desmarais said. He had never envisioned the composition could be played that way but, not only did Rashaan do it, he “convinced me.”
“He’s going to be a star,” said audience member Ann Luu, watching the Kiwanis performance with more than casual interest. She’d donated a scholarship to the winner and was ecstatic at what she’d heard.
Rashaan and Yannick started piano lessons about 12 years ago. (Yannick is studying piano performance and actuarial science at University of Western Ontario. Rashaan received a full scholarship and wants to become a concert pianist and music teacher.)
Teacher Anna Fomina has taught hundreds of students in Moscow and the Mississauga School of Music over 40 years. “Rashaan is the most talented,” she says.
He lives the music, embodies it and makes it his own. And he’s not afraid to capture the emotion of a composition and deliver it to the heart of the listener.
“Most students have talent, but they understand the music with their head so they play like a computer, a machine; Rashaan feels with his heart, so he touches people’s hearts,” says Fomina.
Rashaan credits this to the effort he takes to understanding what the composer was going through as he created the music. The technical skills honed over a grueling practice regimen — he’s at U of T at 7 a.m. most days and doesn’t get home till late — are important in that they allow him the freedom to inhabit the musical score without being distracted by technical obstacles.
His gold medal performance demanded he play five works of contrasting styles. For an hour he played Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel and Prokofiev, plus Russian composer Moszkowski.
The two adjudicators thanked him for his “uninterrupted excitement” and “virtuosic fluency.”
“Your abundant musical talent allowed you to surpass the technical and musical challenges which were presented to you in this very fine, challenging program. We enjoyed hearing you and wish you the best in your continued studies.”
Fomina says Rashaan’s achievements are at least 50 per cent his father’s doing.
He often sits through Rashaan’s lessons. He would hear what Fomina demanded of Rashaan and reinforce it at home. Most parents expect the one hour of music lesson to create genius. Rashaan’s dad didn’t leave it to the teacher — not with a musical discipline that is more demanding than regular homework from school, she says.
He surrounded him with all kinds of music, including European classical recordings — a fact that helped him develop an appreciation for all kinds of music and a love of Bach.
Not surprisingly, Filmore Allwood has lots to say about rearing children and what it takes to keep them out of trouble and away from the influences of the street.
One key solution to street violence “comes right back to parenthood,” he says. “You pay attention and see the kid is volunteering and excelling. You have to be there, help the child, make sure he’s involved in community service, learns to respect his peers, relatives and friends.
“If you don’t have those things and teach the child, you will have problems. The child must be able to express himself, have a conversation. And the best place to have a good conversation is at the dinner table. You have to make sure you have something to impart every day. You can’t stop. So, when the child goes out, he will remember what the parent said and that will prevent him from doing bad things.
“They go to school and hear hundreds of things and many voices, including their peers. Where is your voice?
“You have to give it when they wake up and when they go to sleep. If you don’t, you have the problems we have on the streets. Go to any parent whose kids are doing good — see how much effort they put into it.”
And, he says, institutions like the church must step into the gap where parents are missing.
Rashaan and his brother found their early love for music in the church. Both played roles as Young Simba in the Mirvish production of Lion King. Rashaan plays at numerous community events with his jazz band. And he’s adopted a school in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, sending money he earned from awards to repair the school.
With a strong sense of his identity, Rashaan says he is not deterred by the lack of African-Canadians in his music circle.
“You don’t usually see them in competition. People are surprised to see me doing well, because it’s not something black people really do.
“It feels good because, really, it doesn’t matter what colour your skin is. Music is music. You don’t have to be Russian or German or Italian or Asian to do classical music. It comes from the soul. It all comes from the soul, and we all have a soul.”
Royson James usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: [email protected]

() — George Zimmerman’s attorneys say they’re abandoning their pretrial attempts to argue he’s immune from prosecution in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, contending they don’t have time to prepare for that and the trial.
Zimmerman, charged with second-degree murder, says he shot the 17-year-old in self-defense after he saw the young man acting suspiciously in his neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. An April 22 hearing had been expected to determine whether Florida’s self-defense laws shielded him from prosecution.
But Zimmerman attorney Mark O’Mara told a judge Tuesday that he didn’t need time in April for pretrial motions. He told reporters that he still could file a motion for immunity when the trial begins June 10, or later if a civil case arises. But O’Mara indicated that with the jury trial about three months away, it was time to prepare primarily to get Zimmerman acquitted through that venue.
“We don’t have time … to spend two weeks or so” on an immunity hearing, O’Mara said outside a Sanford court Tuesday morning.
“Our focus is to get him to a jury and get acquitted,” he added.

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