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Mazda North American Operations

2013-08-18T00:26:48Z

69.207.14.23: Fixed link to Mazda 3

{{main|Mazda}}
{{Infobox Company |
| company_name = Mazda North American Operations
| company_logo = [[Image:Mazda logo with emblem.svg|180px|Mazda logo]]
| company_slogan = Zoom-Zoom<ref name = "autogenerated1"/>
| foundation = 1970
| location = [[Irvine, California]]
| industry = [[Automobile|Automotive]]
| num_employees = 20,000
| products = [[Automobile|Automobiles]]
| homepage = [http://www.mazdausa.com Mazda North American Operations]
}}

'''Mazda North American Operations''' or '''Mazda Motor of America, Inc.''' (commonly known as '''MNAO''') is [[Mazda|Mazda Motor Corporation]]'s [[North America]]n arm, and constitutes the largest component of that company outside [[Japan]]. The company has its headquarters in [[Irvine, California]]<ref>"[http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/contactMazda.action Contact Us]." Mazda North American Operations. Retrieved on October 29, 2009.</ref> and is headed by [[James J. O'Sullivan]].

==History==

[[Toyo Kogyo]] entered the United States market as Mazda Motor America (MMA) in 1970 with a single car, the [[Mazda RX-2|RX-2]]. The next year there were five cars: The compact [[Mazda Familia|Familia]]-based [[Mazda Familia#1200 (USA)|1200]] and [[Mazda R100|R100]], the larger [[Mazda Capella|Capella]]-based [[Mazda Capella#616/618 (USA)|616]] and [[Mazda RX-2|RX-2]] and the large [[Mazda Luce#1800 (USA)|1800]]. For 1972, the line expanded again with the addition of the [[Mazda RX-3|RX-3]] and [[Mazda B-Series|B1600]]; the 1200 and 616 were replaced by the similar [[Mazda Familia#808 (USA)|808]] and [[Mazda Capella#616/618 (USA)|618]], respectively; and the boring 1800 was gone. The piston-powered 618 was gone the next year, as was the R100, but the 1.2 L [[Mazda Familia#1200 (USA)|1200]] was back for a single year.

Mazda quickly rose in prominence, helped in large part to their use of [[Mazda Wankel engine|Wankel engines]]. 1974 was the year of the rotary with the introduction of both the [[Mazda Rotary Pickup|Rotary Pickup]] and [[Mazda RX-4|RX-4]]. In fact, the 808 and B1600 were the only piston-engined Mazdas offered in the United States that year. 1975 had a similar lineup, minus the retired RX-2.

Mazda had designed the [[Mazda Rotary Pickup|REPU]] and [[Mazda RX-4|RX-4]] with the American market in mind, but the [[energy crisis]] was looming. The company's sales were slipping due to the Wankel's reputation as a gas hog, so Mazda responded with the reintroduction of a [[Mazda Familia|Familia]]-based car powered by a tiny piston engine, the 1.3 L [[Mazda Familia#Mizer (USA)|Mizer]]. That car, and 1977 [[Mazda Familia#GLC (USA)|GLC]] (its next-generation brother) saved the company in the United States with terrific reviews and better sales.

Also introduced in 1976 was the Wankel-powered [[Mazda Cosmo#1975|RX-5 Cosmo]]. But the writing was on the wall for Mazda's mainstream Wankel lineup - every one of the older "rotary" models was cancelled after 1978.

Even though the Wankel engine had lost its allure, Mazda persevered with the technology and found a niche for it. The 1979 [[Mazda RX-7|RX-7]] rotary was the company's greatest image-builder yet, casting a [[halo car|halo]] over the rest of the model line. Also relaunched that year was the company's entrant in the [[midsize car|midsize]] market, the [[Mazda 626|626]].

The RX-7 and 626 buoyed Mazda's American fortunes enough for it to expand. Mazda built an American plant (now [[AutoAlliance International]]) to build the 626, bringing the company to Ford's attention. The two joined together on the 626's 2-door offshoots, the [[Mazda MX-6|MX-6]] and [[Ford Probe]].

Mazda finished the 1980s the same way as the 1970s, with an image-building sports car. The [[Mazda Miata|Miata]] was another tremendous [[halo car]] for the company, kicking off an industry boom in the [[sports car]] segment. The third-generation RX-7, introduced in 1993, was much liked, but few were sold, causing an end of the model's importation just three years later. Mazda consolidated its North American operations as Mazda North American Operations in 1997.

In 2007 [[Mazda]] recorded their best selling year in the US since 1994 in selling 296,000 vehicles.

==Products==

Current or recent Mazda North American product line:

* '''[[Mazda2]]''' — [[subcompact car]] (2010-present)
* '''[[Mazda3]]''' — [[compact car]] (2003-present)
** '''[[Mazdaspeed3]]''' — high-performance version (2007-present)
* '''[[Mazda6]]''' — [[midsize car]] (2002-present)
* '''[[Mazda5]]''' — compact [[minivan]] (2005-present)
* '''[[Mazda Tribute|Tribute]]''' — compact [[SUV]] (2001-2011)
* '''[[Mazda CX-5|CX-5]]''' — [[crossover SUV]] (2012-present)
* '''[[Mazda CX-7|CX-7]]''' — [[crossover SUV]] (2007-2012)
* '''[[Mazda CX-9|CX-9]]''' — crossover SUV (2007-present)
* '''[[Mazda MX-5|MX-5 / Miata]]''' — [[Roadster (automobile)|roadster]] / [[convertible (car)|convertible]] (1989-present)
* '''[[Mazda RX-8|RX-8]]''' — [[coupe]] (2003-2012)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.mazdausa.com Mazda USA Homepage]
* [http://www.mazda.com Mazda Motor Corporation]

<br clear=all>
<center>
'''[[Mazda]] [[United States]] timeline'''
<table cellspacing=1 cellpadding=0>
<tr>
<td align=center rowspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>'''Class'''</td>
<td colspan=10 width=25% bgcolor=#F0F0F0>1970s</td>
<td colspan=10 width=25% bgcolor=#F0F0F0>1980s</td>
<td colspan=10 width=25% bgcolor=#F0F0F0>1990s</td>
<td colspan=7 width=18% bgcolor=#F0F0F0>2000s</td>
</tr><tr bgcolor=#F0F0F0>
<td> 0 </td><td> 1 </td><td> 2 </td><td> 3 </td><td> 4 </td>
<td> 5 </td><td> 6 </td><td> 7 </td><td> 8 </td><td> 9 </td>
<td> 0 </td><td> 1 </td><td> 2 </td><td> 3 </td><td> 4 </td>
<td> 5 </td><td> 6 </td><td> 7 </td><td> 8 </td><td> 9 </td>
<td> 0 </td><td> 1 </td><td> 2 </td><td> 3 </td><td> 4 </td>
<td> 5 </td><td> 6 </td><td> 7 </td><td> 8 </td><td> 9 </td>
<td> 0 </td><td> 1 </td><td> 2 </td><td> 3 </td><td> 4 </td>
<td> 5 </td><td> 6 </td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[compact car|Compact]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Familia#1200 (USA)|1200]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Familia#1200 (USA)|1200]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Familia#808 (USA)|808]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Familia#Mizer (USA)|Mizer]]</td>
<td colspan=8 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Familia#GLC (USA)|GLC]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda 323|323]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda 323|323]]/[[Mazda Protege|Protegé]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Protege|Protegé]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Protege|Protegé]]</td>
<td colspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">[[Mazda3]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda R100|R100]]</td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda MX-3|MX-3]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[sports car|Sports]]</td>
<td colspan=3 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=6 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda RX-3|RX-3]]</td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda RX-7|RX-7]]</td>
<td colspan=6 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda RX-7|RX-7]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=3 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda RX-7|RX-7]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=3 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda RX-8|RX-8]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=8 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Miata|Miata]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Miata|Miata]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda MX-5|MX-5]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[midsize car|Midsize]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Capella#616/618 (USA)|616]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Capella#616/618 (USA)|618]]</td>
<td colspan=6 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda 626|626]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda 626|626]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda 626|626]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda 626|626]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda 626|626]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Mazda6|Mazda6]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda RX-2|RX-2]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=8 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda MX-6|MX-6]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda MX-6|MX-6]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[full-size car|Full-size]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Luce#1800 (USA)|1800]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda RX-4|RX-4]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=8 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda 929|929]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda 929|929]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[luxury car|luxury]]</td>
<td colspan=6 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=3 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Cosmo|Cosmo]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=8 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Millenia|Millenia]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[Minivan]]</td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=6 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Mazda5|Mazda5]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=9 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda MPV|MPV]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda MPV|MPV]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[SUV]]</td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Navajo|Navajo]]</td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=6 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda Tribute|Tribute]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td rowspan=3 bgcolor=#F0F0F0>[[pickup truck|Pickup]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B1600]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B1800]]</td>
<td colspan=7 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2000]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2000]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2200]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2200]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2300]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2500]]</td>
<td rowspan=3 colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|Truck]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=3 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda Rotary Pickup|REPU]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2200]]</td>
<td colspan=1 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2600]]</td>
<td colspan=2 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B2600]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B3000]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B3000]]</td>
</tr><tr align=center>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=10 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#F0F0F0></td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#D0D0D0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B4000]]</td>
<td colspan=4 bgcolor=#C0C0C0>[[Mazda B-Series (North America)|B4000]]</td>
</tr></table>
</center>

[[Category:Mazda]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in Irvine, California]]
[[Category:1970 establishments in the United States]]

Innocence Project

2013-08-11T04:09:06Z

69.207.14.23: /* Wrongful convictions */

{{For|the BBC television drama|The Innocence Project}}
{{Infobox Non-profit
|Non-profit_name = The Innocence Project
|Non-profit_logo = [[File:Logo of The Innocence Project.gif]]
|director = Madeline deLone
|founded_date = 1992
|founder = [[Barry Scheck]] and [[Peter Neufeld]]
|location = [[New York, NY]]
|budget = not disclosed
|homepage = [http://www.innocenceproject.org/ www.innocenceproject.org]
}}
The '''Innocence Project''' is a [[non-profit]] legal organization that is committed to exonerating [[Miscarriage of justice|wrongly convicted]] people through the use of [[DNA testing]], and to reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.<ref name="project">{{cite web|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/about/|title=About Us|accessdate=2011-12-09|publisher=Innocence Project}}</ref> The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by [[Barry Scheck]] and [[Peter Neufeld]]. To date, the Innocence Project has freed 311 wrongfully convicted people, including 18 who spent time on death row.<ref name="Know" />

==Founding==
The Innocence Project was established in the wake of a landmark study by the [[United States Department of Justice]] and the [[United States Senate]], in conjunction with the [[Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law]], which found that incorrect identification by eyewitnesses was a factor in over 70% of wrongful convictions.<ref name="midatlfact">{{cite web|url=http://www.exonerate.org/facts/causes-of-wrongful-convictions/mistaken-eyewitness-identifications/|title=Facts about Wrongful Convictions >>Mistaken Eyewitness Identifications|accessdate=2006-12-12|publisher=Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project}}</ref> The original Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Scheck and Neufeld as part of the Cardozo School of Law of [[Yeshiva University]] in New York City. It became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2003, but maintains strong institutional connections with Cardozo.<ref name="faq">{{cite web|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/about/FAQs.php|title=Frequently Asked Questions|accessdate=2011-12-09|publisher=Innocence Project}}</ref> The current Executive Director of the Innocence Project is Madeline deLone.<ref>{{cite web|title=Staff Directory|publisher=The Innocence Project|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/about/Staff-Directory.php}}</ref>

==Mission==
The Innocence Project primarily exonerates people for whom [[DNA]] evidence is available to be tested or retested. DNA testing is possible in 5 to 10 percent of criminal cases.<ref name="5 to 10 percent">{{cite web|title=The Innocence Project|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Issue_in_focus_Evidence_Preservation.php|publisher=Innocence Project|accessdate=2012-06-06|location=New York, NY|year=2012}}</ref> Other members of the [[Innocence Network]] also help to exonerate those in whose cases DNA testing is not possible.

In addition to working on behalf of those who may have been wrongfully convicted of crimes throughout the United States, those working for the Innocence Project perform research and advocacy related to the causes of [[wrongful conviction]]s.

Some of the Innocence Project's successes have resulted in rescuing innocent people from [[death row]]. The successes of the project have fueled American opposition to the death penalty and have likely been a factor in the decision by some American states to institute [[moratorium (law)|moratoria]] on judicial executions.<ref name="Quinn signs bill">{{cite web|last= Rosenthal|first= Brian|title=Death Penalty Moratoria|url=http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/quinn-signs-bill-ending-death-penalty-in-illinois-1.2510908#.T89oPVLYHFs|publisher=Northwestern University|accessdate=2012-06-06|location=Evanston, IL|year=2011 }}</ref>

In the decision of ''[[District Attorney's Office v. Osborne]]'' (2009), US Supreme Court [[Chief Justice Roberts]] wrote that post-conviction challenge "poses to our criminal justice systems and our traditional notions of finality better left to elected officials than federal judges." In a court opinion, another justice wrote that forensic science has "serious deficiencies". Roberts expressed a fear that post-conviction DNA testing risks "unnecessarily overthrowing the established system of criminal justice." The law professor Kevin Jon Heller wrote: "It might lead to a reasonably accurate one."<ref name="CB1">{{cite web|last=Lundin|first=Leigh|title=Dark Justice|url=http://www.criminalbrief.com/?p=7480|work=Capital Punishment|publisher=Criminal Brief|date=2009-06-28}}</ref>

===Wrongful convictions===
As of December 2011, 307 people previously convicted of serious crimes in the [[United States]] had been exonerated by DNA testing since 1989, 17 of whom had been sentenced to death.<ref name="Know">{{cite web|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/know/|title=Know the Cases|accessdate=2011-12-09|publisher=Innocence Project}}</ref> Almost all (99%) of the convictions proven to be false were of males,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Female_DNA_Exonerees_Represent_Only_a_Few_of_the_Women_Who_Have_Been_Wrongfully_Convicted_Nationwide.php|title=Female DNA Exonerees Represent Only a Few of the Women Who Have Been Wrongfully Convicted Nationwide|publisher=The Innocence Project|accessdate=2012-01-03}}</ref> with minority groups also disproportionately represented (approximately 70%).<ref name="Know" /> The National Registry of Exonerations lists 891 people who were convicted of a crime for which they were later exonerated through DNA and non-DNA evidence.<ref>{{cite web |title=The National Registry of Exonerations |publisher=Michigan Law and Northwestern Law|url=http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx}}</ref> The following are some examples of notable exonerations:
* In 2004, [[Darryl Hunt]] was exonerated after serving 19 and a half years in prison of a life sentence for the rape and murder of a newspaper copy editor, Deborah Sykes.
* In 2007, after an investigation begun by The Innocence Project, [[James Calvin Tillman]] was exonerated after serving 16.5 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. His sentence was 45 years.
* Lynn DeJac is a Buffalo woman whose previous conviction of murder in 1994, was reversed on November 28, 2007 on the basis of DNA evidence. She had been convicted of murdering her daughter (Crystallynn Girard), on February 13, 1993.[1] According to the Innocence Project, she is the first woman to be exonerated of murdering someone on the basis of DNA evidence. Steven M. Cohen (Attorney) is now representing DeJac in her lawsuit against the state of New York. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20120117140332/http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/buffalo/article666184.ece DeJac expects worst from state in suit]</ref>
* In 2007, Floyd Brown was exonerated for the murder of an 80 year old woman in Wadesboro, NC. In prison since 1993, Brown served 14 years in Dorothea Dix Hospital. Twenty nine at the time of the murder, Brown had the mental capacity of a 7 year old. There was no physical evidence to convict him, only a false confession written by a State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) agent. The claim was that Brown dictated the confession to the SBI agent but given his mental state at the time, there is no possibility that he could have given such a detailed confession. Floyd was convicted solely on the false confession and was not given the opportunity to stand trial because he was ruled incompetent to stand trial. Because of the injustice Floyd Brown is in the process of suing the state of North Carolina.<ref name="Rogue">Rogue Justice. CNN. Atlanta. 30 Jan. 2011. Television </ref>
* In December 2009, James Bain was exonerated by DNA testing for a kidnapping, burglary, and rape he did not commit. Bain's appeal had previously been denied four separate times. His 35-year imprisonment made him the longest-incarcerated victim of a wrongful conviction to be freed through DNA evidence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8419854.stm|title=US man freed by DNA evidence after 35 years in prison|accessdate=2009-12-19|publisher=BBC News|date=2009-12-18}}</ref><ref name=CNN>{{cite news|title=Man exonerated, freed from prison after 35 years|newspaper=CNN|date=December 17, 2009|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/17/florida.dna.exoneration/index.html|accessdate=December 22, 2009}}</ref>
* In June 2010, Barry Gibbs was awarded the largest civil rights settlement by the [[New York City|City of New York]] to date of $9.9 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/06/03/2010-06-03_barry_gibbs_man_framed_by_mafia_cop_gets_99m_settlement_for_18year_prison_senten.html|title=Barry Gibbs, man framed by 'mafia cop,' gets $9.9M settlement for 18-year prison sentence|last=Marzulli|first=John|last2=McShane|first2=Larry|publisher=[[New York Daily News]]|accessdate=July 6, 2010|date=2010-06-03}}</ref> He received an additional $1.9 million settlement from [[New York]] state in late 2009. He was wrongly convicted of the 1986 murder of [[Brooklyn]] prostitute Virginia Robertson based on coerced testimony by a witness during the investigation by [[NYPD]] detective [[Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa|Louis Eppolito]]. Gibbs's original sentence was 20 years to life for the murder, of which he served just under 19 years. Gibbs never expressed remorse for his crime to the parole board, on the grounds that he was innocent and had no remorse. Every two years at his review, the board denied his parole because of his lack of remorse. Gibbs was exonerated in 2006 with help from the Innocence Project. In addition, the conviction of former detective Eppolito for his sideline as a mob hit man and the change in testimony by a witness in Gibbs's case helped him.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3D81030F930A35753C1A9639C8B63 JOYCE PURNICK, "METRO MATTERS; 19 Years Late, Freedom Has A Bitter Taste"], ''New York Times'', 3 Oct 2005, accessed 14 Aug 2010</ref>
* In September 2010, days before he was to be executed, Kevin Keith was granted clemency by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland,<ref name="KKO">{{cite web|location=Columbus, Ohio|title=An Innocent Man on Ohio's Death Row|url=http://www.kevinkeith.org/|publisher=KevinKeith org|date=2010-09-05}}</ref><ref name="NYT1">{{cite news|last=Driehaus|first=Bob|title=Ohio's Governor Spares Life of a Death Row Inmate|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/us/03ohio.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=2010-09-02|location=New York|page=A13}}</ref> thanks in part to Ohio's Innocent Project.<ref name="CB2">{{cite web|last= Lundin|first=Leigh|title=Death and Destruction|url=http://www.criminalbrief.com/?p=13637|work=Capital Punishment|publisher=Criminal Brief|date=2010-08-29}}</ref><ref name="MNJ">{{cite news|last= Welsh-Huggins|first=Andrew|title=Kevin Keith: Clemency overrides unanimous parole board decision|url=http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20100903/NEWS01/9030311/Kevin-Keith-Clemency-overrides-unanimous-parole-board-decision|newspaper=Mansfield News Journal|date=2010-09-03|location=Mansfield, Ohio }}</ref>
* In February 2010, Greg Taylor was exonerated for the murder of a North Carolina young female prostitute. Arrested in 1991 and convicted a few years later, Taylor served 17 years in prison. Taylor did cooperate with the police and even offered DNA samples and willing to take a polygraph test. Police charged Greg Taylor and Johnny Beck for the murder of the woman. Yet police wanted Taylor to incriminate Beck but he refused. With the help of Christine Mumma of the North Carolina Center of Actual Innocence, Taylor was freed. Mumma was able to prove the lack of physical evidence towards Taylor and the flawed process. Also, the SBI failed to report all of their testing results during Taylor's original trial and misrepresented the evidence. Taylor describes this experience as "The perfect storm of bad luck."<ref name="Rogue" />

==Work==
In the history of the United States (as of June, 2011) there have been 307 post-conviction exonerations due to DNA testing.<ref name="Know" /> According to the Innocence Project these statistics were found on those exonerated:
* The average sentence served thirteen years.<ref name="Know" />
* 70 percent exonerated are a part of minority groups.<ref name="Know" />
* 40 percent of these DNA cases were able to find the actual person who committed the crime.<ref name="Know" />
* About 50 percent of those exonerated through DNA testing have been financially compensated for their time in prison. The federal government, 27 states, and [[Washington D.C.]] have passed laws providing some level of financial compensation to wrongfully convicted people.<ref name="Know" />
* The Innocence Project has had to close 22 percent of its cases because DNA evidence was missing or had been destroyed.<ref name="Know" />

There have been exoneration in Washington D.C and 35 states. There are innocence projects in the majority of the 50 states.<ref name="Know" />

[[New York City]] is where the Innocence Project originated, but it accepts cases from any part of the United States. The majority of clients that are helped are those who are of low socio-economic status and have used all possible legal options for justice. Many clients are hoping that DNA evidence will prove their innocence in their cases. With the emergence of DNA testing, those who have been wrongly convicted of a crime have been able to challenge their cases. The Innocence Project also works with the local, state and federal levels of law enforcement and legislators along with other programs to prevent further wrongful convictions.<ref name="project" />

About 3,000 prisoners write to the Innocence Project annually, and at any given time the Innocence Project is evaluating 6,000 to 8,000 potential cases.<ref>{{cite web |title=How many people write to you each year? |publisher=The Innocence Project |url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/How_many_people_write_to_you_each_year.php}}</ref>

All potential clients go through an extensive screening process to determine whether or not they are likely to be innocent. If they pass the process, the Innocence Project takes up their case. In roughly half of the cases that the Innocence Project takes on, the clients' guilt is reconfirmed by DNA testing. Of all the cases taken on by the Innocence Project, about 43% of clients were proven innocent, 42% were confirmed guilty, and evidence was inconclusive not not probative in 15% of cases. In about 40% of all DNA exoneration cases, law enforcement officials identified the actual perpetrator based on the same DNA test results that led to an exoneration.<ref>http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/How_often_do_DNA_tests_prove_innocence_in_your_cases_Does_testing_ever_prove_guilt.php</ref>

===Funding===
The Innocence Project receives 45 percent of its funding from individual contributions, 30 percent from foundations, 15 percent from an annual benefit dinner, 7 percent from the Cardozo School of Law (with which it is loosely affiliated), and the rest from corporations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Funding|publisher=The Innocence Project|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/How_is_the_Innocence_Project_funded.php}}</ref>

==Innocence Network==
The Innocence Project is also a founding members of the [[Innocence Network]], an organization of law and journalism schools along with public defense offices that work together to help convicted felons prove their innocence.<ref name="project" /> 46 American states along with several other countries are a part of the network. In 2010, twenty nine people were exonerated worldwide from the work of the members of this organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Innocence Network|publisher=The Innocence Network|url=http://www.innocencenetwork.org/|accessdate=November 28, 2011}}</ref>

===Worldwide===
The Innocence Project is a member of the [[Innocence Network]], which brings together a growing number of innocence organizations from across the United States. It includes members from other English-speaking [[common law]] countries—the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.<ref name="network">{{cite web|url=http://www.innocencenetwork.org/|title=Mission Statement|accessdate=2006-12-12|publisher=Innocence Network}}</ref>

In South Africa, the Wits Justice Project investigates South African incarcerations. In partnership with the Wits Law Clinic, the Legal Resource Centre (LRC), the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC), the Julia Mashele Trust, and the US Innocence Project, the Justice Project investigates individual cases of prisoners wrongly convicted or awaiting trial.<ref name="Wits">{{cite web|last=Gordin|first=Jeremy|title=The Justice Project|url=http://www.journalism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1596&Itemid=506|publisher=Wits Journalism Programme|accessdate=2011-01-04|location=Witwatersrand, SA|month=August|year=2009 }}</ref>

==Causes==
There are many reasons why wrongful convictions occur. The most common reason is false eyewitness identification, which played a role in more than 75 percent of wrongful convictions overturned by the Innocence Project. Often assumed to be incontrovertible, a growing body of evidence suggests that eyewitness identifications are unreliable.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eyewitness Misidentification|publisher=The Innocence Project|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/understand/Eyewitness-Misidentification.php|accessdate=June 6, 2012}}</ref>

Unreliable or improper forensic science played a role in some 50 percent of Innocence Project cases. Scientific techniques such as bite-mark comparison, once widely used, are now known to be subjective. Many forensic science techniques also lack uniform scientific standards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Improper Forensics|publisher=The Innocence Project|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/understand/Unreliable-Limited-Science.php|accessdate=June 6, 2012}}</ref>

In about 25 percent of DNA exoneration cases, innocent people were coerced or threatened into making incriminating statements or false confessions. Of the 292 people freed by the Innocence Project, 28 actually pled guilty to crimes they did not commit (usually to avoid a harsher sentence, or even the death penalty).<ref>{{cite web|title=False Confessions|publisher=The Innocence Project|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/understand/False-Confessions.php|accessdate=June 6, 2012}}</ref>

Government misconduct, inadequate legal counsel, and the improper use of informants also contributed to many of the wrongful convictions since overturned by the Innocence Project

==In popular culture==
* In the non-fiction book, ''[[The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town|The Innocent Man]]'', [[John Grisham]] recounted the cases of [[Ron Williamson]] and [[Dennis Fritz]], who were assisted on appeal by the Innocence Project and freed by DNA evidence, after being wrongfully convicted of the murder of Debra Ann Carter.
* ''[[The Exonerated]]'' (2002) is a play by Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank about six people who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death, but were exonerated.
* The Innocence Project was featured in the documentary ''[[After Innocence]]'' (2005).
* The Innocence Project was discussed in a December 14, 2010 on the 9th episode [[The Good Wife (season 2)|season 2]] of ''[[The Good Wife]]'' entitled "Nine Hours." Innocence Project co-founder Barry Scheck played himself in the episode, which was largely based on the actual Innocence Project case of [[Cameron Todd Willingham]]. Cary Agos, a recurring character on ''The Good Wife'', is said to have worked for the Innocence Project after law school (and is a family friend of Scheck's).<ref>{{cite web|title=Scheck on "The Good Wife"|publisher=The Innocence Project Blog|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Tune_in_Tonight_Scheck_on_The_Good_Wife.php|accessdate=June 6, 2012}}</ref>
* ''[[Conviction (film)|Conviction]]'' (2010), is a film about the exoneration of [[Kenneth Waters]], who was a client of the Innocence Project. [[Hilary Swank]] plays Waters' sister Betty Anne, who went to college and law school to fight for his freedom, and [[Sam Rockwell]] plays Waters. Barry Scheck is portrayed by [[Peter Gallagher]].
* [[Janet Reno]] and her sister, Maggy Reno Hurchalla, donated the fees paid by being guest voices on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Dark Knight Court]]" to the Project.<ref>[http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Tune_In_Innocence_Project_Board_of_Directors_Director_Emeritus_Janet_Reno_on_The_Simpsons.php Article on The Innocence Project Web site detailing "The Simpsons" episode and dedication]</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Northern California Innocence Project]]
* [[Capital punishment in the United States]]
* [[Innocent prisoner's dilemma]]
* [[List of miscarriage of justice cases]]
* [[Medill Innocence Project]], Illinois
* [[Miscarriage of justice]]
* [[Michael Morton (Criminal Justice)]]
* [[Phantom of Heilbronn]]
* [[The Justice Project (Australia)]]
* [[Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted]] (Canada)
* Other persons exonerated by Innocence Project efforts
** [[Cornelius Dupree]], exonerated by the Innocence Project
** [[Douglas Echols]], exonerated by the Innocence Project
** [[Benjamin LaGuer]], defended by the Innocence Project
** [[Anthony McKinney]], considered for the Medill Innocence Project
** [[Anthony Porter]], exonerated by the Medill Innocence Project
** [[Ken Wyniemko]], exonerated by the Innocence Project
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.innocenceproject.org/ Innocence Project home page]
* [http://www.innocencenetwork.org/members.html The Innocence Network members page] — a listing of Innocence Projects around the United States
* [http://www.innocencenetwork.org.uk/ Innocent Network UK]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/student/student_life/article1685105.ece Times Online article about Innocence Projects in the UK]
* [http://www.gcd.ie/innocenceproject Griffith College Dublin – Innocence Project in Ireland] ({{lang-ga|Tionscadal Neamhchiontachta na hÉireann}})
* [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0526/1224247402072.html "On the Trail of the Innocent"] by Michelle McDonagh, ''[[Irish Times]]'', Tuesday, May 26, 2009.

[[Category:Government watchdog groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Overturned convictions| ]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City]]

Expansion tunnel

2013-04-14T18:28:21Z

69.207.14.23: Calspan-University at Buffalo (it should have been "at Buffalo", "of Buffalo" is a local college) is officially just CUBRC now.

Expansion and shock tunnels are aerodynamic testing facilities with a specific interest in high speeds and high temperature testing. Shock tunnels use steady flow nozzle expansion whereas expansion tunnels use unsteady expansion with higher [[enthalpy]], or thermal energy. In both cases the gases are compressed and heated until the gases are released, expanding rapidly down the expansion chamber. The tunnels reach speeds from [[Mach number|Mach]] 3 to Mach 30 to create testing conditions that simulate [[hypersonic]] to [[re-entry]] flight. These tunnels are used by military and government agencies to test hypersonic vehicles that undergo a variety of natural phenomenon that occur during hypersonic flight.<ref>Stalker R.J."Modern developments in hypersonic wind tunnels,"The Aeronautical Journal January 2006</ref>

== Expansion Process ==
===Expansion Tunnel===
Expansion tunnels use a dual-diaphragm system where the diaphragms act as rupture discs, or a pressure relief. The tunnel is separated into three sections: drive, driven, and acceleration. The drive section is filled with high pressure helium gas. The driven section is filled with a lower pressure desired test gas, such as carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, or oxygen.. The acceleration section is filled with an even lower pressurized test gas. Each section is divided by a diaphragm, which is meant to be ruptured in sequence causing the first diaphragm to rupture, mixing and expanding the drive and the driven. When the shock wave hits the second diaphragm, it ruptures casing the two gases to mix with the acceleration and expand down the enclosed test section. Operation time is approximately 250 microseconds.<ref>Hollis, Brian R.; Perkins, John N., “Hypervelocity Heat-Transfer Measurements in an Expansion Tube,” AIAA Paper 96-2240 (New Orleans, LA: 19th AIAA Advanced Measurement and Ground Testing Technology Conference, 1996)</ref>

===Shock Tunnel===
Reflected shock tunnels heat and pressurize a stagnant gas by using shockwaves that are redirected back into the center; this excites the gases and produces movement, heat, and pressure. The gases are then released and expanded through the nozzle and into the test chamber. Operation time is approximately 20 milliseconds.<ref name="Mach 10">Bakos, R. J.; Tsai, C.-Y.; Rogers, R. C.; Shih, A. T.,"The Mach 10 Component of NASA's Hyper-X Ground Test Program," Langley Research Center(1999)</ref>

==Testing==
During the expansion process, a variety of test are run to analyze the aerodynamic and thermal properties of the test vehicle.
* '''[[Skin friction]]'''
: The drag that is created when an object travels through a fluid, such as a liquid or gas.
* '''[[Flow chemistry]]'''
: The analysis of reactions that take place during a continuous flow.
* '''Durability'''
: The ability to withstand deterioration.
* '''[[Turbulence]]'''
: The disordered movement of fluids.
* '''[[Heat transfer]]'''
: The thermal energy transfer from one system to another.
* '''Aero elastic'''
: The forces created by the movement of air and the manner in which air bends around the object.
* '''[[Thermal protection]]'''
: The ability to withstand heat transfer, reducing the temperature.
* '''[[Vibration]]'''
: The oscillation, or shaking, of the molecules.

==Testing Instruments==
* '''Thin-film Heat Transfer Gauge'''
: When the gauge is heated, the resistance changes; this causes a change in voltage, which is used to calculate the amount of heat transferred into an object.
* '''Piezoelectric Pressure Transducer'''
: Under pressure, crystals became electrically charged, proportional to that of the pressure exerted.
* '''Laser Diode Spectrograph'''
: Measures the properties of the refracted light, generated by the laser traveling through the turbulent gas around an object.
* '''Force -Moment Balance'''
: Used to measure three or six components, three forces (lift, drag, and side) and three moments (pitch, roll, and yaw), to completely describe the conditions on the model. Forces on the model are detected by strain gauges located on the balance. Each gauge measures a force by the stretching of an electrical element or foil in the gauge. The stretching changes the resistance of the gauge which changes the measured electric current through the gauge according to Ohm's law. This resistance change, usually measured using a Wheatstone bridge, is related to the strain by the quantity known as the gauge factor.

==Facilities==
=== Hypervelocity Expansion Tube (HET) ===
The HET is an expansion tube facility operating at the [[University of Illinois]] Urbana-Champaign. It is part of the Compressible Fluid Mechanics Lab directed by Professor Joanna Austin. It is a 150mm inner diameter facility with the capability to reach Mach 4-8, and was built in 2005.<ref>http://cfml.ae.illinois.edu</ref>

=== HYPULSE ===
NASA's Hypersonic Pulse Facility (HYPULSE) is operated by the [[General Applied Science Laboratory]] (GASL) in New York. The HYPULSE facility was developed for the testing of re-entry vehicles and air-breathing engines. The specifications of the HYPULSE include a diameter of 7 feet and a 19 foot length. This facility was upgraded to have two modes, Reflected Shock Tunnel (RST) and Shock-Expansion Tunnel (SET). HYPULSE-RST generates speeds from Mach 5 to 10, whereas the HYPULSE-SET produces speeds from Mach 12 to 25.<ref name="Mach 10" /><ref>Tamagno, Jose; Bakos, Robert; Pulsonetti, Maria; Erdos, John, “Hypervelocity Real Gas Capabilities of GASL's Expansion Tube (HYPULSE) Facility,” AIAA Paper 90-1390(Seattle, WA: AIAA 16th Aerodynamic Ground Testing Conference, 1990)</ref>
:Vehicles tested at HYPULSE:
*'''[[Hyper-X]]'''
*'''[[X-34]]'''
*'''HYPLUSE Scramjet Model (HSM)'''

=== LENS-I,II ===
Large Energy National Shock tunnels (LENS) were constructed over the past 15 years at the Aerothermal/Aero-optic Evaluation Center (AAEC) at CUBRC. The LENS facilities were developed for the testing of advanced missile seekerheads and scramjet engines. LENS I and LENS II have similar control, compression and data acquisition systems. LENS I facility has an 11-inch diameter by 25.5 foot long drive tube that is electrically heated with an 8-inch by 60 foot driven section capable of reaching Mach 7 to 18. Test models can have a maximum length of 12 feet and a diameter of 3 feet. The LENS I heats up the drive gas to 750 degrees F to operate at a maximum 30,000 psi. The LENS II facility integrates a 24-inch diameter to both the 60 foot drive and also the 100 foot driven tubes, which runs between Mach 3 and 9.<ref>T.P. Wadhams,M.S. Holden, M.G. MacLean,"Experimental Space Shuttle Orbiter Studies to Acquire Data for Code and Flight Heating Model Validation," AIAA 2010-1576(Orlando, Fl:48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit 2010)</ref>
:Vehicles tested at LENS-I:
*'''HyFly'''
*'''[[X-34]]'''
*'''Orbiter model'''
*'''National Aerospace Plane(NASP)'''
:Vehicles tested at LENS-II:
*'''HyFly'''
*'''BLK IVA'''
*'''[[NASA X-43|X-43]]'''
*'''ARRRMD'''
*'''HyCause'''
*'''RRSS'''

=== LENS-X ===
LENS-X is an 8 foot diameter by 100 foot expansion tunnel with a top speed of Mach 30. The drive chamber, filled with helium or hydrogen gas, is compressed to 3,000 psi at 1000 degrees Fahrenheit; this breaks the first diaphragm, causing the driven chamber to experience an influx of hot gas, generating pressures over 20,000 psi before the second diaphragm is ruptured.<ref>Bland, Eric, "Fastest Wind Tunnel to Put NASA's Orion to the Test,"Discovery News. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/05/wind-tunnel.html</ref>
:Vehicles tested at LENS-X:
*'''Orion'''
*'''DARPA Falcon'''

===High Enthalpy Shock Tunnel (HIEST)===
It is located at Kakuda Space research centre – [[JAXA]] (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Both high pressure and high temperature can be simulated simultaneously in this tunnel. Major applications include Aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic tests on scale models of returnable spacecraft; and Combustion process tests on scramjet engines. [[HYFLEX]] (Hypersonic Flight Experiment) which was a re-entry demonstrator prototype vehicle of JAXA was tested in this facility. Another speciality of this tunnel is 3 pistons of different masses can be used. <ref>
http://www.rocket.jaxa.jp/kspc/english/tf/hiest.html</ref>

===T4 Shock Tunnel===
It is located at [[University of Queensland]], Australia. It is a large free piston driven shock tunnel capable of producing sub-orbital flow speeds at a range of Mach numbers.The T4 shock tunnel began operation in April 1987 and commenced routine operation, after a commissioning period, in September 1987. The 10000th shot of T4 was fired in August 2008. <ref>http://www.uq.edu.au/hypersonics/index.html?page=32641&pid=0</ref>

===T5 Hypervelocity Shock Tunnel Facility===
It is a free piston shock tunnel located at [[California Institute of Technology]], USA.It is an impulse facility capable of reaching very high stagnation temperatures and pressures at relatively high densities. It uses air or nitrogen as driver gas and a thin mylar film as its diaphragm. The 120kg piston can reach maximum speeds in excess of 300 m/s. <ref>http://www2.galcit.caltech.edu/T5</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Alliant Techsystems}}
[[Category:Aerodynamics]]

Telebrands

2013-03-10T04:47:12Z

69.207.14.23:

{{Advert|article}}

[[File:Telebrands Logo As Seen On TV.jpg|frameless|right|Telebrands Logo]]
'''Telebrands Corporation''' is the oldest existing [[direct response marketing]] company and the original creator of the "As Seen On TV" logo and category of trade.<ref>{{cite news |author= |coauthors= |title=Pitch Perfect |url=http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/01/01/05|work=[[On The Media]] |date=January 1, 2010 |accessdate=2010-01-16 }}</ref> Telebrands CEO and Founder [[Ajit J. Khubani]] started the company in 1983, creating print ads for his products in publications such as [[National Enquirer]]. In 1986, Khubani began experimenting with television, producing three short form infomercials, one for an ultrasonic flea collar, one was for a home bicycle exercise product and the other was for AmberVision sunglasses; all of these products were very successful. <ref>{{cite news |author= |coauthors= |title=A.J. Khubani, TeleBrands: My First Million |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/26/aj-khubani-telebrands-my-first-million_n_913210.html}}</ref> The AmberVision infomercial was a great success, spurring sales of 15 million pairs of the sunglasses. <ref>“[http://corporate.telebrands.com/our_story.html Our Story — Telebrands]”, retrieved on January 26, 2013.</ref>

Today, Telebrands is the leader in the $20 billion direct consumer marketing industry. Since 1983, Telebrands has sold hundreds of millions of "As Seen on TV" products including AmberVision sunglasses, the PedEgg, Doggy Steps, One-Second Needle, Pasta Boat, Jupiter Jack, Bottle Tops, Aluma Wallet, InstaBulb and many more. The PedEgg foot file which launched in 2007, is the top-selling “As Seen on TV” product of all time, with over 45 million units sold and counting. <ref>“[http://www.nyreport.com/leadership/articles/83721/still_growing_strong_aj_khubani Still Growing Strong: AJ Khubani]”, retrieved on January 7, 2013.</ref>

Telebrands' products are successfully marketed using TV, Internet and Print advertising and through major retail chains worldwide in over 120 different countries. <ref>“[http://www.housewares.org/HousewaresConnect365/Detail?com_uid=51100 Telebrands Corporation]”, retrieved on January 7, 2013.</ref> Telebrands now tends to have 10 to 12 products on store shelves, the most of any company in the direct-response television space. <ref>“[http://www.nyreport.com/leadership/articles/83721/still_growing_strong_aj_khubani Still Growing Strong: AJ Khubani]”, retrieved on January 7, 2013.</ref>

Telebrands works with famous infomercial pitchmen including the late [[Billy Mays]] and [[Anthony Sullivan (pitchman)| Anthony Sullivan]]. The company and its CEO, AJ Khubani were featured in many episodes of the [[Discovery Channel]] TV series ''[[PitchMen]]''. The show followed the adventures of Billy Mays and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan as they searched the world for inventions destined to be the next "As Seen On TV" hit, with Khubani acting as the final say-so. <ref>“[http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/pitchmen/about/about.html Pitchmen: Season 1]”, retrieved on January 7, 2013.</ref>

Once a month, the company hosts an "Inventors Day" where entrepreneurs nationwide come to convince Khubani and his team that their invention is the next infomercial success. "Inventors Days" are held across the country, with past locations being the Telebrands headquarters in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Chicago. <ref>“[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/nyregion/16inventors.html?_r=2& At Home of ‘As Seen on TV,’ a Chance for Inventors]”, retrieved on January 7, 2013.</ref>

2013 marks Telebrands' 30th year in business. The company continues to have huge success with recent products such as a line of nonstick cookware called OrGreenic, the Olde Brooklyn Lantern, and Who Knew Books.

Telebrands was first based in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1998, Telebrands moved to Fairfield, New Jersey.

==External links==
*[http://www.telebrands.com/ Telebrands] - Main site
*[http://telebrandstheblog.com/ Telebrands] - Official blog

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Direct marketing]]
[[Category:Infomercials]]

{{US-company-stub}}

DALnet

2013-02-03T04:34:29Z

69.207.14.23: is now ranked size #8, among the top networks

{{third-party|date=April 2012}}

{{About|an Internet Relay Chat network|the library consortium|Detroit Area Library Network}}
{{Infobox IRC network
| name = DALnet
| image = [[Image:DALnetLogo.png]]
| founded_on = 1994
| located_in = [[United States]]<br />[[Europe]]<br />[[Canada]]
| based_in = [[World]]wide
| executive_board =
| website_url = [http://www.dal.net/ www.dal.net]
| primary_dns = [irc://irc.dal.net irc.dal.net]
| average_users = {{IRC NQNS link|DALnet|12,000 – 23,000}}
| average_channels = {{IRC NQNS link|DALnet|7,000 – 11,000}}
| average_servers = {{IRC NQNS link|DALnet|40}}
| main_content = Public/Unrestricted
}}

'''DALnet''' is an [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC) [[Computer network|network]] that is populated by a stable population of around 14,000 users in about 7,000 channels, with 33 servers making up the network.<ref>[http://irc.netsplit.de/networks/details.php.en?net=DALnet&submenu=weeks Network statistics over the last two weeks]</ref>

DALnet is accessible by connecting with an [[IRC client]] to an active DALnet server on ports 6660 through 6669, and 7000. SSL users can connect on port 6697<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dal.net/kb/view.php?kb=189 |title=DALnet Knowledge Base #189 |publisher=Dal.net |date= |accessdate=2012-09-02}}</ref> as well. The generic [[Round robin DNS|round-robin]] address is <tt>irc.dal.net</tt>.

==History==

DALnet was founded in July 1994 by members of the [[EFnet]] [[Star Trek|#startrek]] channel. This new network was known as "dal's net", after the nickname used by the administrator of the first IRC server on the network, "dalvenjah", taken from the [[European dragon|dragon]] "Dalvenjah Foxfire", in a fantasy novel by [[Thorarinn Gunnarsson]]. The network was soon renamed from dal's net to DALnet.<ref>{{Wayback |url=http://zine.dal.net/previousissues/issue8/startrek.html |title=startrek |date=20110723073240 }} </ref>

In contrast to other IRC networks of the time, in 1995 DALnet implemented "[[IRC services|services]]", a system that enforced IRC nickname and channel registrations. Traditionally, on IRC, anybody can own a channel or a nickname; if no one is using it, it can be used by anyone who chooses to do so. On DALnet, however, this was no longer the case. This service—which many users saw as a way of firmly establishing their online identities—was a significant factor in DALnet's popularity and afforded the network a distinctive reputation among IRCers. While attempts to implement a similar system had been made before and other networks have since developed registration services of their own, at the time DALnet's successful decision to allow and enforce nickname and channel registration was considered to be unique and even controversial, as it went against established practice.

From 25 users in July 1994, the number of users grew to 1,000 by November 1995, 5,000 by June 1996, 10,000 by December 1996, 50,000 by October 1999, 100,000 in November 2001, and peaked around 142,000 in April 2002.<ref>[http://docs.dal.net/docs/history.html#3 DALnet History - Growth Chart]</ref> At that point DALnet was one of the four biggest IRC networks. The user count then slowly reduced again until the [[Denial-of-service attack|DDoS attack]] (see below) at which point it plummeted and never really recovered. The number of servers grew from 2–4 when started, peaking at 44 in April 2002.

The network operation was severely disrupted in late 2002 and early 2003 due to [[distributed denial of service]] attacks.<ref>{{Wayback |url=http://zine.dal.net/previousissues/issue22/situation.php |title=DALnetizen - The Current Situation |date=20110723073250 }} </ref> Added to the DDoS issues was the fact that the owner of twisted.dal.net (the world's largest single IRC server, hosting more than 50,000 clients most of the time) delinked his servers (for personal reasons).<ref>[http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=27080 The End Of DALnet?]</ref> The other servers on the network could not absorb the extra client load, leading to users' complete inability to connect to DALnet. The network was first crushed by attacks, and then by its own userbase. About 60% of DALnet's population moved to other IRC networks due to these extended connectivity issues.

It was around this time that DALnet closed many of their channels that were dedicated to serving content such as [[MP3]] files and movies. File transfers were still allowed but not on a large scale. This raised suspicion as to whether DALnet was being targeted by the [[RIAA]], although this was not true, but a precautionary measure.

In 2003, DALnet put up their first [[anycast]] servers under the name "The IX Concept", and made irc.dal.net resolve to the anycast IP.<ref>[http://www.dal.net/?page=peering Peering - IX]</ref> Since then, most new client servers linked are anycast.<ref>[http://www.dal.net/servers/ DALnet Servers]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Internet Relay Chat}}
* [http://www.dal.net/ DALnet website]
* [http://docs.dal.net/ DALnet documentation]
* [http://docs.dal.net/docs/history.html DALnet history]
* [http://www.nohack.net DALnet Help channel for virus help]
* [http://www.dalnetbulteni.com/ Turkish DALnet portal]
* [http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/1573551 Impact of the DDoS attacks on DALnet]
{{IRC NQ|DALnet}}

{{IRC networks}}

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