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Burhan Khan can't remember exactly when he fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan. He thinks it was about 30 years ago.
"Because there was war. There was killing, there was murdering, there was firing, and they wanted to kill me, and they wanted to kill my children, so I had to come here," he says.
It was the final phase of the Cold War, and CIA-armed Afghan guerrillas were fighting to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan.
Khan and his family wound up where they are today, in a mud hovel on a patch of wasteland outside Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
Khan is 60, though his full white beard and deeply lined face make him look a lot older. He survives by hauling vegetables in a market.
He has never returned to his home, in northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province. He feels it's still too dangerous to try. "We can't go there because if we go, we will die there, our children will be killed; everybody is still killing us there," Khan says.
Each big new conflict in Afghanistan over the past three decades has unleashed a wave of refugees, many of whom have returned home.
Yet Pakistan still has some 1.7 million refugees — mostly Afghans — on its soil. Pakistanis fear another wave will arrive because of the fallout after 2014 from the drawdown of U.S. and NATO forces.
There is widespread concern the drawdown will be followed by a civil war in Afghanistan that will spill over into Pakistan, causing more violence in an already unstable nation. Leading Pakistani analysts say that prospect has led their country's policymakers to change tactics toward its neighbor.
External And Internal Threats
Pervez Hoodbhoy, a leading Pakistani political activist and commentator, says he thinks civil war in Afghanistan is "almost a certainty" after the departure of the international troops.
He wants U.S. forces to leave Afghanistan but says their withdrawal should be gradual. Even so, Hoodbhoy is very worried about what happens next. "It's going to be ugly, bloody, and no one is looking forward to 2014, except for the Taliban," he says.
Pakistan is going through a particularly rocky period in its turbulent history. The economy is in crisis. Conflict between Pakistani government forces and homegrown Islamist insurgents, including the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Hoodbhoy believes if he's right — and there is an Afghan civil war — refugees won't be the only threat to Pakistan.
"We will see the Taliban will become much bolder," he says. "There will be a feeling among Islamist forces in this country, and not just the Taliban, that with the Americans now out of here, it is now time for an Islamic revolution in Pakistan."
Fear that they'll soon face another bout of chaos and bloodshed is preying heavily on the minds of Pakistan's rulers.
A Shift In Policy
Pakistan's military and intelligence services determine the country's Afghan policy. And some analysts see a significant shift in that policy, brought about by Pakistan's desire to avoid more instability and violence.
"I think Pakistan has learned its lesson," says Tariq Fatemi, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington. "It recognizes that in Afghanistan peace can prevail only where there is power sharing among the various ethnic groups."
Fatemi says he has spoken to many people in key positions, who tell him "that they now recognize that these ambitious plans of wanting to determine Afghanistan's destiny was not only a failed policy, but was a policy that caused us immense harm."
That policy is linked to Pakistan's constant worry about being sandwiched between two hostile countries.
Its old enemy, India, lies to the east. So for years, Pakistan sought to influence events in Afghanistan, to the west, by supporting its majority ethnic group, the Pashtuns.
Pakistan helped the Taliban come to power in the mid-1990s. In recent years, Islamabad has often been accused of covertly supporting certain Pashtun militant groups, including the Taliban and the Haqqani network.
With its own large population of Pashtuns, Pakistan has worked on the assumption that a Pashtun-run Afghanistan would be friendly and, it hoped, compliant.
Maleeha Lodhi, also a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington, says that's all changed.
"One of the biggest mistakes that Pakistan made in the past is that it saw somehow a Pashtun solution to Afghanistan, whereas now it sees an Afghan solution to Afghanistan," Lodhi says.
She says Pakistan no longer talks about seeking a friendly government in Kabul, just a stable one.
"If any group is excluded from power then there will be trouble in Afghanistan. That is the lesson from history that Pakistan has learned," she says.
Deep Divisions Remain
But have Pakistan's policymakers really learned that lesson?
Zahid Hussain has written several books about Pakistan and Islamist militancy. He is convinced that Pakistan's military fully signed on to the new Afghan policy a while back.
"It cannot be a policy without the approval of the Pakistani military establishment," he says. "I think there is complete unanimity on that."
Pakistan's military and intelligence establishment is highly secretive, and it's hard for outsiders to know what's going on within it.
Hoodbhoy, the analyst, points to deep internal divisions.
"The army is torn from within," he says. "There is a party which is seriously at war with one part of the Taliban. On the other hand, there is a substantial group which aspires to right-wing Islamist ideology."
Still, those seeking to forge peace in Afghanistan will surely welcome Pakistan's apparent new approach.
Everyone knows, though, that it won't necessarily avert disaster. There are so many unanswered questions: What if Afghanistan's presidential elections, slated for spring 2014, end in turmoil? Will an Afghan peace process ever get off the ground?
Deep distrust prevails between Afghanistan's ethnic groups.
Back in his mud hovel, Burhan Khan, the Afghan refugee, is unsure whether there will ever be peace back home — or if he'll ever be able to return.
Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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Whitehouse, with co-authors Whitcomb and Wilkinson, publish here the results of their inquiries into the medieval Islamic city of Siraf, "one of the largest archaeological sites of any period on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf" (p. 113), conducted from 1966-1973. The findings on the history, topography and environment were readied for publication during the first half of 2008. Although Siraf (pp. 1-8) played its leading role in the maritime trade network between c. 800-1050 A.D., the site should be of interest to those examining international trade in the Sasanian and Islamic periods.
Although written sources (pp. 9-16) remain silent about the city before the ninth century A.D., Whitehouse and his colleagues found Sasanian-era material in widely dispersed areas. Beneath the medieval Congregational Mosque were the remains of a Sasanian fort (figs. 4-7 for plan and reconstruction). It is likely that Siraf, terminus for caravan routes and one of the preferred anchorages on the eastern shore of the Persian Gulf, served both military and economic needs for the Sasanians. By the late 700s Chinese bronze and ceramics were reaching the port and its environs. A detailed account of Sirafi merchants during ninth to eleventh centuries AD is provided by Islamic-era sources, especially Ibn Haugal (p. 13) and Buzurg ibn[?] Shahriyar (p. 111).1
Chapters 3, 4, and 5 cover the excavation and survey results as one moves outward from the urban core to the surrounding regions. Chapter 3 (pp. 17-53) focuses on Siraf's urban topography (ca. 800-1050) and offers exemplary maps and photos. The accompanying CD (363 MB) is duplicable and was able to be viewed using Adobe Photoshop 6 under Windows Server 2003 (Window 7's built-in picture viewer was not strong enough). The major features of western Siraf receive the most attention. Sites J and L, located in the southwest corner of the city (figs. 12, 13), preserve fortifications and parts of the city wall: one should note the juxtaposition of a bathhouse and a warehouse immediately between the Gulf shore and the city wall. As befits an international port, Siraf, in addition to the large Congregational Mosque located in the middle of the city's southern coast (Site B, fig. 16; fig. 25 for the adjoining shops), possessed at least 10 additional mosques, some located in the surrounding suburbs. Many of them had adjoining cemeteries, calling to my mind the disposition of earlier Zoroastrian funerary structures (cemeteries: figs. 45-48, note astodans in fig. 47). Other areas excavated included a bazaar, a palace-like structure, and residential quarters. Site D's "potters' quarter" at the western edge of Siraf possessed workshops the size of a city block. The state of preservation might encourage comparisons with Mediterranean sites plus investigation into the persistence of technology.
Wilkinson (Chapter 4, pp. 54-76) reports on Siraf's hinterland. Those interested in Achaemenid studies might note the continued presence of qanats (fig. 59 and p. 67). But of particular value are Wilkinson's comparison between modern and ancient land usage and the distribution of cultivated land (see pp. 70-71 for maps). Land appears to have been best used during the early Islamic period.
Chapter 5 (pp. 77-97), Whitcomb's contribution, outlines the survey of the high valleys (1973 survey, p. 78, fig. 68). He presents a gazetteer of sites, with preliminary plans of noted structures (table 3a and 3b for site list and chronology). North of modern Bid-i Khar in the Jam Valley (p.83) is the "Mound of Glass", a post-9th century AD glass factory near to which were found scraps of Ming porcelains (ceramics and glass "profiles" are found in figs. 74, 75, 76). The overall settlement pattern parallels Siraf's: traces of the Sasanian occupation remain "nebulous" (p. 94).
Of great interest to ancient historians will be Whitehouse's placing of Siraf into a wider context (300-600, 800-1050 A.D., pp. 98-113). The merchants of Siraf, beginning in the Sasanian period, seem to have reached into Sri Lanka and beyond (pp. 98-101), evidenced by the Chinese ware illustrated in photos (figs. 79, 81-84, pp. 104-107). Apparently Muslim traders commissioned some pieces while in China: their names were inscribed before the firing. Those who have studied early contact with the coast of East Africa will find a summation of evidence from the later, Muslim-era "Siraf period" (pp. 109-110).
What, then, will be the effect of the published report? According to the Editor's preface (p. vii, September 2009 date): "The importance of Siraf is emphasized by the fact that the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research recommenced excavations at the site in 2007." At the present time (July 2010) I have not detected any published results of those inquiries. The report will prove of greatest value to those investigating Siraf as a port and its role in international trade. The recently published proceedings of a February 2004 conference on the Maritime Silk Road (preface, p. 2, October 2009 date) suggests, for example, that future work on the relations between Iran and China (see especially the essay by Ye Yiliang, pp. 3-6) will be enhanced by the Whitehouse publication.2 Whitehouse's reference to the importance of Nestorian Church records for the Sasanian period (pp.100-101, fig. 78) is now complemented by Klaus Koschorke's examination of that church as a continental network.3 When new Sasanian-era (or earlier) data are revealed they will fill out the existing picture.
1. Both are available in European translations. Ibn Hauqal Configuration de la terre (Kitab Surat al-ard). tr. J. H. Kramers and G. Wiet. Paris, 1964. Buzurg ibn Shahriyar. Captain Burzurg ibn Shahriyar of Ramhormuz, The Book of the Wonders of India: Mainland, Sea and Islands. ed. And tr, G. S. P. Freeman-Grenville. London and the Hague, 1981.
2. Ralf Kauz, ed. Aspects of the Maritime Silk Road: From the Persian Gulf to the East China Sea. East Asian Maritime History, 10. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2010.
3. Klaus Korschorke "Die ostsyrische-nestorianische 'Kirche des Ostens' als kontinentales Netzwerk im Asien der Vormoderne," Jahrbuch für Europäische Überseegeschichte 9 (2009) 9-35. I recommend future examination of this journal for progress reports and reviews of the topics mentioned above.

subset: commoncrawl


text: The Buffalo Sabres Temporary Tattoo 4 Pack are a cool and unique way to show your Sabres pride for the big game. The temporary tattoos display an officially licensed team logo and come in a 4 pack. These tattoos are easily applied with a wet cloth. The tattoos can be easily removed with clear tape or a wet cloth making them an ideal way to show off team pride.


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Allusions thermoformed ceiling panels:
Our tiles look like real metal ceiling tiles but are much easier to install! They're great for the average DIY person's weekend project. These panels are 2'x4′ and can be glued over and solid surface. They can even be installed over popcorn ceilings! They cut easily with scissors and are lightweight, making them very simple to handle!
Installation Instructions
Once they're installed, it's nearly impossible to tell they're not the real thing. Because they overlap via the "dot/dash" edge giving them a more traditional and seamless appearance, and avoiding additional costs and labor by having to cover the seams with trim strips like other companies. In addition, there are nine designs and seven available colors, you're sure to find something you like. Our 2 ft. x 4 ft. faux tin tiles are available in a white solid colored styrene which you can install as-is. They can also easily be painted any color to match your decor. This allows you to achieve the same look as metal panels for a fraction of the cost.
This design has a 12 in. repeat pattern and looks good in medium to large areas.


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Review: Mousetrain your rodent
Suspending the mouse cable in order to keep it from from cluttering the table and getting in the way, is an idea that Rocat turned into reality three years ago, when the company launched the Apuri. Although CM Storm wasn't even around then, this Cooler Master's brand has built up quite a name for itself since. CM Storm already has plenty of quality gaming mice and now it's time for some accessories.
So, let's see whether the good old Apuri has a reason to stick around, or the Skorpion's introduction equals Apuri's retirement.
The Skorpion looks a bit like a real scorpio. True, a real scorpio has eight feet, while the Skorpion has three, but it's the sting that evokes the similarities. At the same time, the Skorpion's "sting" is its most important part, and it's described as an active flex rubber mouse cord arm.


text: Looking for top-quality Miele appliance spares? Visit Miele appliance Spares for a comprehensive selection of genuine parts and accessories. Whether you need replacement parts for your Miele washing machine, dishwasher, or vacuum cleaner, Appliance Spares NZ has you covered. Their user-friendly website makes it easy to find and order the exact Miele appliance spares you need to keep your home running smoothly. With fast shipping and excellent customer service, Appliance Spares NZ is your go-to destination for maintaining the efficiency and longevity of your Miele appliances. Visit them today for all your Miele appliance spares needs. Shop now and enjoy peace of mind knowing you're using genuine parts.Discover your artistic potential at Madrid Academy of Art. Our renowned institution offers a diverse range of courses taught by experienced professionals, tailored to unleash your creativity. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist looking to refine your skills, we have something for everyone. With state-of-the-art facilities and personalized instruction, MadridAcademyofArt is your destination for artistic excellence. lionth


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Alex Philippidis Senior News Editor Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
Heavier time investment early on is expected to translate into a faster, more streamlined approval process.
Drug developers and others with a stake in bringing new drugs and biologics to market will have a chance today to sound off on a fifth authorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA V) when FDA holds a day-long public hearing on the topic. Their comments are expected to shape FDA's final recommendation on PDUFA V, which the agency will send to Congress in January 2012.
The companies aren't expected to disagree too much with the framework hammered out earlier this year by FDA and the two groups that represent drug developers, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
Perhaps the most important change, as noted on the Proposed PDUFA V Reauthorization Performance Goals and Procedures for Fiscal Years 2013 through 2017, is that drug industry groups and FDA agreed that companies seeking approval for new drugs and biologics, as well as new indications for drugs already on the market, must communicate more with the agency than required under the current PDUFA IV, which expires at the end of September 2012.
According to the Draft Commitment Letter signed by FDA, BIO, and PhRMA, PDUFA V pushes back the start of FDA's clock for its first review cycle to after its 60-day administrative filing review period. Once the clock starts, however, FDA is committed to reviewing and acting on 90% of standard New Molecular Entity (NME), New Drug Application (NDA), and original Biologics License Applications (BLA) submissions within 10 months—12 months from the date of filing—and on 90% of priority NME, NDA, and original BLA submissions within six months, or eight months from date of filing.
Once the PDUFA V review clock starts running, drug developers and FDA officials must meet three times:
- A presubmission meeting at which "the applicant is strongly encouraged to discuss the planned content of the application."
- A new mid-cycle meeting to which FDA will call an applicant, generally within two weeks after the agency holds its own internal mid-cycle review meeting on an application.
- A late-cycle meeting at which FDA's review team will meet with an applicant to discuss the status of agency review of the application late in the review cycle.
"What the industry wants to avoid is this syndrome: you submit your application and you suffer this radio silence," Nancy Bradish Myers, president/founder of Catalyst Healthcare Consulting, told GEN. "One of the things the regulatory people in the companies are really clamoring for is predictability. I think this series of meetings will really help the people who are running the actual submission understand where the agency is in reviewing their submission. It is very important."
What regulatory executives within drug developers also want, Myers said, is the opportunity to address FDA concerns as soon as they arise, rather than be lulled into thinking all is well, only to be jolted by a complete response letter (CRL) detailing issues that had not come up before.
Increasing Transparency
Andrew Emmett, BIO's managing director for science and regulatory affairs, told GEN the new review model was a critical component of PDUFA V that marks a paradigm shift for FDA by introducing a new level of transparency in scientific discourse during the course of agency review.
"The underlying principle behind many of these recommendations is, frankly, that the scientific method doesn't operate in a vacuum. FDA is a science-based agency, and it's important that there be engagement and transparent dialogue between scientists throughout this process, both during drug development and during the actual review itself," Emmett said. "If FDA and the sponsor are speaking, they can identify and mitigate any of these potential review issues during the first review cycle, and therefore lead to, hopefully, a first-cycle approval, and earlier patient access to novel therapies."
If an application will be discussed at an Advisory Committee (AC) meeting, the late-cycle meeting will occur not less than 12 calendar days before the date of the AC meeting. AC meetings are set for no later than three months (under a standard review) or no later than two months (under a priority review) prior to the PDUFA goal date.
"Potential topics for discussion at the late-cycle meeting include major deficiencies identified to date; issues to be discussed at the AC meeting (if planned); current assessment of the need for risk evaluation management strategies [REMS] or other risk management actions; information requests from the review team to the applicant; and additional data or analyses the applicant may wish to submit."
Drug developers agreed to the series of meetings with the expectation of a return on investment for all that time spent with regulators—namely a smoother ride to approval of their new medicines within a single cycle of review.
Meticulous Review vs. Faster Patient Access
Indeed the review model laid out by PDUFA V is intended to address a steady complaint of drug developers in recent years—that in the name of safety, FDA's insistence on avoiding another Vioxx (the painkiller pulled from the market following its approval after patient claims linking it to heart attacks and strokes) has slowed down reviews of new treatments to a near standstill, posing a different sort of safety risk to patients.
There are signs that the proverbial pendulum has swung back in favor of drug developers. During the first half of 2011, FDA approved 20 new drugs, just one less than the number for all of 2010. And FDA has cited a study in Health Affairs showing that FDA reached approval decisions faster than the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on 35 cancer drugs approved by at least one of the agencies between October 2003 and December 2010—32 approvals in 261 days for FDA; 26 approvals in 373 days for EMA.
While FDA has maintained goals since 1997 of reviewing standard drug applications within 10 months, and priority applications within six, the agency acknowledges it has had difficulty meeting those timeframes. This has been especially the case since enactment of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act (FDAAA) of 2007, which allowed FDA to require post-marketing studies and clinical trials to address drug safety questions the agency deems unanswered to its satisfaction.
FDAAA lowered the percentage of new drugs, biologics, and efficacy supplements approved by FDA to below 80% in Q2 2009. By the first quarter of this year that percentage climbed back into the mid 90% range, about the same as in Q1 2005. The number of applications pending before FDA spiked up from 2,247 in October 2010 to 2,478 in June. But when only applications not blocked by patent issues are counted, the number dipped during that timeframe from 856 to 722.
Even though most applications get approved, they don't all clear the first cycle. In July testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Janet Woodcock, director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said average first-cycle approval rate for standard NMEs have increased from an average of 30% in 1992 to 38% this year. That's better than it could have been, but still disappointing, especially when the average cost of developing a drug and getting it through testing stood at an all-time high of $1.3 billion as of January. Priority NMEs have fared better with FDA, Woodcock testified, with approvals rising from 46% to 68%.
"I think we owe it to patients to do better than that. And that's really why this new review model seeks to enhance the first cycle approval rate, so we can get to a first cycle approval at 8 or 12 months, rather than waiting 11 or 12, or 14 or 15 months," Emmett said.
Mid-Cycle Meetings
Ensuring that applications clear the first cycle explains why the new mandatory mid-cycle meeting is especially significant. When industry representatives first proposed the idea last year, FDA balked at committing to discuss substantive issues and concerns with applicants at a formal meeting during the application review cycle.
"FDA stated that application review is only partially complete at mid-cycle, and comprehensive feedback would not be feasible at that stage," the agency told industry representatives, according to the minutes of the FDA-Industry PDUFA V reauthorization meeting held Sept. 13, 2010. "While acknowledging the potential benefit of providing early feedback to sponsors, FDA stated that such mid-cycle feedback would also generate submission of further sponsor questions, requests for meetings, and submissions of application amendments that significantly increase the review workload as the reviewers attempt to stay on their originally-planned schedule."
An explanation for FDA's change of view was unavailable; a spokeswoman had not responded at deadline to that and other questions submitted to the agency.
FDA's existing Good Review Management Principles and Practices for PDUFA Products guidance, issued in 2005, includes a nonbinding recommendation that the agency hold mid-cycle meetings where officials discuss progress and findings of reviews, consults, and inspections. Officials determine if any additional interaction with applicants is needed related to labeling, REMS, and postmarketing commitments.
"What's missing is then a discussion with the sponsor about what issues have been identified, and how to resolve those issues. Typically, FDA will hold on to the issue until they issue a CRL several months later, and the sponsor doesn't have an opportunity to help resolve it, even if it's a minor issue—for example, pointing to something that's already in the application, or conducting a minor fiscal re-analysis," Emmett said.
Myers said the mid-cycle meetings are very important to drug or biologics applicants: "Who wants to be the head of regulatory affairs who gets that surprise complete response letter, and you have to go back and explain to your executive team and your investors why all of a sudden, something you thought was on track isn't on track?"
Extra Funding
In addition to offering something for drug developers, PDUFA also gives FDA something it wanted—another $100 million to be collected from industry toward hiring staff to review drug and biologics applications. That raises to $3 billion the amount of user fees to be collected by the agency during PDUFA V, from $2.9 billion on hand for PDUFA IV.
Some of that funding will be used to address FDA priorities. By Sept. 30, 2013, the agency plans to develop a dedicated drug development communication and training staff within the Office of New Drugs in CDER, and increase the existing manufacturers' assistance staff at FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, with the goal of enhancing communication between FDA and sponsors. Also by that date, FDA plans to hold a public meeting to discuss biomarkers and pharmacogenomics, and potential strategies to facilitate scientific exchanges within and outside of agency reviews. PDUFA V commits FDA to developing staff capacity to review submissions that involve pharmacogenomics and biomarkers.
"What we've discovered is that FDA has not always had the manpower, adequate fiscal staff, to review all of these submissions with biomarkers that are associated with them. It is important for FDA to be able to qualify new biomarkers for their use in a regulatory setting—both biomarkers developed through consortiums, and those that are unique to individual drug development programs," Emmett said.
By Sept. 30, 2014, the OND drug development and communication staff will provide training to all CDER staff involved in review of INDs. And by March 31, 2015, FDA will publish draft guidance for review staff and industry describing best practices for communication between FDA and IND sponsors during drug development.
Orphan Drugs
Another significant portion of PDUFA V calls for beefing up staff focused on rare disease drug reviews. By Sept. 30, 2013, FDA committed itself to completing a staffing and implementation plan for the CDER Rare Disease Program within the Office of New Drugs. The plan calls for FDA to add five staffers to the CDER Rare Disease Program, and establish and fill a rare disease liaison position within CBER.
"It certainly is appropriate to begin with five. How many we will ultimately need, what's the right number, I cannot say right now. But I do know when is the right time to start, and the answer is as soon as possible," Timothy R. Coté, M.D., who until May headed FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development, told GEN. He is now chief medical officer for the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and a faculty member at the Keck Graduate Institute.
According to Dr. Coté, the Office of Orphan Products Development had 38 FTEs when he left FDA, but the staff was dedicated to implementing the Orphan Drug Act, including its grants program and designation process.
Small as it may be, any help FDA can give to its rare disease drug development effort is especially welcome. But industry willingness to fund those jobs is less a matter of altruism than of emerging reality: These days, even big biopharma is interested in developing new drugs for orphan diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people (U.S.) or fewer than 5 in 10,000 people (EU). As big biopharma struggles with the loss of patents for blockbusters, and with meager results for the billions spent on R&D over decades, it has finally embraced orphan drugs.
Likewise, the biopharma industry's willingness to step up PDUFA funding overall shows how eager it is to shorten review timeframes and bring new drugs to market, even if it has to pay some more money and spend some more time in meetings to do so.
Alex Philippidis is senior news editor at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News.


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Samora Machel was born in 1933 and was raised in the village of Chilembene. He was a member of the Shangana ethnic group and his parents were poor. Machel parents were forced to grow cotton by the Portuguese, rather than food such as corn which they could eat. In the 1950's his parents' farmland was taken and given to Portuguese settlers. In order to avoid starvation, his relatives went to work in the South African mines under repressive and dangerous conditions. Soon after, his brother was killed in a mining accident.
Machel attended Catholic school and when he was not in class he worked in the fields. He studied to become a nurse, one of the few professions open to Mozambican Blacks at that time. Machel was attracted to Marxist ideals and began his political activities in a hospital where he protested that the black nurses were paid less than whites, who were doing the same job. He later told a reporter how bad medical treatment was for Mozambique's poor by saying, "the rich man's dog gets more in the way of vaccination, medicine and medical care than do the workers upon whom the rich man's wealth is built."
Rebellion against Portugal was not new to Samora Machel. His grandparents and great-grandparents had fought against the Portuguese in the 19th century. In 1962 Machel joined the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique or FRELIMO, as it was called by most. FRELIMO was dedicated to creating an independent Mozambique. In 1963 Samora Machel left Mozambique and travelled to several other African nations where he received military training. In 1964 he returned to Mozambique and led FRELIMO's first guerrilla attack against the Portuguese in northern Mozambique. Machel spent most of his time in the field with his men, leading them in combat and sharing their dangers and hardships. By 1970 Samora Machel became commander and chief of the Frelimo army. He believed in a guerilla war and Frelimo's army established itself among the poor in Mozambique's. He was a revolutionary who was not only dedicated to throwing the Portuguese out of Mozambique but also radically changing the society. He said, "of all the things we have done, the most important - the one that history will record as the principal contribution of our generation - is that we understand how to turn the armed struggle into a Revolution; that we realized that it was essential to create a new mentality to build a new society."
Machel's goals were to be realized. The revolutionary army weakened Portugal, and after the country's coup in 1974, the Portuguese were forced to leave Mozambique. The new revolutionary government, led by Machel, took over on June 25, 1975. Machel became independent Mozambique's first president and was affectionately referred to as "President Samora."
Machel put his revolutionary principles into practice. As a Marxist, he called for the "nationalization" (government ownership) of the Portuguese plantations and property. He moved quickly to have the Frelimo government establish public schools and health clinics for the poor. He called for Frelimo to organize itself into a Leninist Party.
Samora Machel supported and allowed revolutionaries fighting white minority regimes in Rhodesia and South Africa to operate within Mozambique. Soon after Mozambique's independence both of these countries attacked Mozambique with an anti-Frelimo organization called RENAMO. RENAMO's activities included: the killing of peasants, the destruction of schools and hospitals built by Frelimo, and the blowing up of railway lines and hydroelectric facilities. The Mozambique economy was strangled by these depredations and began to depend on overseas aid - in particular from the Soviet Union. Nonetheless, Machel remained popular throughout his presidency. Samora Machel was awarded Lenin Peace Prize in 1975-1976.
On October 19, 1986, Samora Machel was on his way back from an international meeting in Zambia in the presidential Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft when the plane crashed in the Lebombo Mountains, near Mbuzini. There were nine survivors but President Machel and twenty-four others died, including ministers and officials of the Mozambique government. Although several years before the aeroplane went down Machel had signed a non-agression pact with South Africa, there was widespread suspicion that the apartheid regime was implicated in the crash.
On October 6, 1986, just two weeks before the crash, South African soldiers (SADF) were injured by landmines near the spot where the borders of Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland converge. This site was very close to where the Tupolev Tu-134 went down. Time magazine noted that this "really seemed too much a coincidence". Throughout southern Africa, angry people mourned the loss of Samora Machel. In South Africa, protestors blamed their government for Machel's death. In Zimbabwe, thousands of youths stormed through downtown Harare. The crash remains a mystery: with some blaming it simply on bad weather and others still believing in South Africa's guilt. No conclusive evidence to either effect has yet emerged.
Samora Machel remembered [Online]. Available at: news.bbc.co.uk [Accessed 23 June 2009]|Mozambique's First President: Samora Machel [Online]. Available at: jlhs.nhusd.k12.ca.us. [Accessed 23 June 2009]|Samora Machel Biography [Online]. Available at: biographybase.com [Accessed 23 June 2009]


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Tess Masters launches new cookbook The Blender Girl Smoothies plus Kitchen Aid Giveaway
Dear Readers:
Today is July 1st, to me the true beginning of summer and the perfect day to share the news that Tess Masters has published a new cookbook: The Blender Girl Smoothies. 100 gluten-free, vegan, & paleo-friendly recipes, to help you "blast your way to good health and blended bliss", all summer long. Hurray!
To those who read my blog, you probably already know, I'm huge fan of Tess Masters' work. I was wowed by her first cookbook, the Blender Girl, and wrote about it here. Tess has taken something seemingly mundane and turned it into a high art form. She's created levels of flavor and texture that one never could have imagined possible in a glass. Her blender sensations are truly a sensorial delight, and chock-full of nutrients for optimal health to boot.
I'm somebody who works smoothies and juicing into my diet, sometimes for a meal, sometimes for a day, and at the start of every season, for 3 days. I have gone as long as 10 days on a liquid diet, but that was before I'd discovered Tess's recipes and at the time, it was too darn long. I was bored, and felt deprived. Well, good bye deprivation! With this book, I'd happily take a month to revel in the endlessly delicious possibilities of drinking smoothies all day! Just look at a brief snapshot of the beauties you get to choose from!
The Blender Girl Smoothies book is based on The Blender Girl Smoothies app that launched in October 2014. To celebrate the launch of the book, the app is being offered at the special rate of 99c until July 6th. Get it while it's cool!
In addition to this, in honor of the book's launch, Tess is hosting a huge giveaway with KitchenAid. One LUCKY winner in the U.S has a chance to win a KA Gift Pack (Torrent Blender, Pro-Line Stand Mixer, and Pro-Line food processor) valued at $2,000! The giveaway runs for the whole month of July and is open to residents of the US. To enter, here's the link.
And for a sneak peak, read on….
pomegranate slam it!
With a complex, mind-blowing flavor that explodes like a firecracker (don't omit the cayenne), this is a heart-healthy delight. Pomegranate lowers blood pressure, keeps arteries supple, decreases inflammation in blood vessels, and helps manage cholesterol. Its phenolic antioxidants (also in strawberries) combat oxidative stress, making this an antiaging tonic.
serves 2
1 1⁄2 cups (360ml) unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 orange, peeled, seeded, and quartered
1⁄4 cup (35g) chopped red bell pepper
1⁄8 cup (3g) loosely packed arugula
1⁄2 small avocado, pitted and peeled
1 cup (160g) frozen strawberries
1 cup (125g) ice cubes
optional boosters
1 tablespoon pomegranate powder
1⁄2 cup (15g) loosely packed chard leaves
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Throw all of the ingredients into your blender and blast on high for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy.
nutritional facts (per serving)
Calories 232 kcal | Fat 6 g | Saturated fat 0 g | Sodium 23 mg | Carbs 45 g | Fiber 6 g | Sugars 37 g Protein 2 g | Calcium 79 mg | Iron 0 mg
green mojito
This is a cold-and-flu buster and potent detoxifier, all in one zesty cocktail! The bromelain in pineapple suppresses coughs and loosens mucus, while mint clears respiratory congestion, soothes sore throats, and alleviates nausea. The vitamin C in limes has antibiotic power, anti-inflammatories in kale and pineapple combat arthritis, and ginger boosts immunity, aids digestion, and adds a powerful zing.
Serves 2
1 cup (240ml) coconut water or water
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
3 limes, peeled and quartered
1 cup (25g) torn-up curly green kale leaves (1 or 2 large leaves with stalk removed)
1/2 cup (18g) firmly packed mint
2 cups (320g) frozen pineapple
5 drops alcohol-free liquid stevia, plus more to taste
Throw all of the ingredients into your blender and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy.
1 teaspoon wheatgrass powder
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Reprinted from THE BLENDER GIRL SMOOTHIES Copyright © 2014, 2015 by Tess Masters. Photographs copyright © 2014 by Erin Kunkel. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Copyright © 2014 Anson Smart
Australian-born Tess Masters is an actor, cook, and author of The Blender Girl cookbook, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and creator of The Blender Girl Smoothies app. She shares her enthusiasm for healthy living on theblendergirl.com.
As a presenter and recipe developer, Tess collaborates with leading food, culinary, and lifestyle brands. She has been featured in the L.A Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Real Simple, Prevention, Family Circle, Clean Eating, Vegetarian Times, Living Without, Allergic Living, Thrive, New Idea, The Age, Today.Com, Yahoo.com, Shape.Com, Glamour.Com, FootNetwork.Com, Parents.Com, Chow.Com, among other websites, blogs, and publications around the world.
Away from the blender, Tess enjoys a diverse performance career. She has toured internationally with stage productions, worked in film and television, and lent her voice to commercial campaigns, audiobooks, and popular videogame characters.
Follow Tess on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, You Tube, and Google +
Self Magazine Review of Allergy Free and Easy Cooking
"Dinner in Under 30 Minutes for EVERYONE in Your Crew… Whip up just a few of these 75 comfort food-inspired recipes, and send your guests home with full bellies that won't be acting up."
Gluten Free Recipe Box Review and Cookbook Giveaway
"No other gluten-free cookbooks have impressed me this much. This cookbook contains a variety of recipes, well balanced in flavor and nutrition. There is something for everyone from traditional dishes to food-to-go recipes."
Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking hit the shelves today! I'm thrilled to finally have this book out there after so much anticipation. I want to let you know about a lovely review and giveaway going on over at Gluten-Free Recipe Box. Enter to win a free copy of Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking, and check out what they have to say about my new book. Thanks, Carla! What a great way to debut!


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Babywearing Apparel - a collection of universal outer clothes, which has the option of placing a baby under the clothes in a wrap or a carrier. Designed so as to be used during both pregnancy and babywearing. Consummately protects all parts of the body of the baby and the wearer - very comfortable apparel, facing even extreme weather conditions.
The collection includes Asymmetrical Hoodie, Babywearing Sweatshirt, Raincoat, Cover fo Baby Carrier / Wrap and Turtlenecks for Two. Babywearing sweatshirts and hoodies enable front and back carry. Babywearing Apparel can be also used during pregnancy, breastfeeding or as a regular piece of outer clothing.
You can read more about babywearing apparel on our blog.
If a product from your favorite wrap is not available, please contact us.


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OCEAN CITY – The debate over budgeting a position for a crime analyst continued at the City Council meeting on Monday after the decision was put on hold last Tuesday, but the request this week was derailed by a split 3-3 vote.
Last week, the council went back and forth on the issue after hearing presentations from Police Chief Bernadette DiPino and three crime analysts from Salisbury, Frederick County, and Baltimore County. The council ultimately decided to postpone the final decision for this week's meeting when all the council would be present. Unfortunately, all of the council was not present, with Councilman Lloyd Martin absent. There was a suggestion to postpone the issue again, however the decision needed to be made so that it could be included in the budget being passed that evening.
The debate continued as the council remained split on the issue of adding a full time crime analyst to the police department. A crime analyst is a member of the law enforcement team who works to identify and analyze patterns, problems, and trends in crime.
Police Chief DiPino and Councilman Jim Hall brought a compromise to the table this week, suggesting a trade off of one potential police officer for the crime analyst position. "We have five positions currently open that we plan on sending to the July academy. We haven't selected the five yet, so we would send four instead," said DiPino. Simply stated, the crime analyst position would be budgeted in the place of a potential police officer in the 2008 budget.
"The chief thinks this is a very important position, as do I, and she'd rather have this position, a crime analyst, as opposed to another officer," said Hall.
Councilwoman Mary Knight, who was absent from last week's discussion, said that after extensive review of the information and after talking to several people about the issue, she wasn't sure that the position was necessary at this time.
"I'm not saying I don't ever want to do this, I'm not saying no, I'm saying that at this time I don't feel the urgency to put this in our budget."
Councilman Joseph Mitrecic also didn't feel it was a position that was necessary at this time. "I think an officer on the street can solve more crimes than an analyst sitting in an office."
Councilman Jay Hancock agreed saying, "I think that it's more important that we have the guys on the street than we have someone sitting in the public safety building, most of the year without having very much crime to analyze." Hancock also reiterated his statements from last week emphasizing the short period of time in which our crimes occur. "Most of our serious crimes occur in a limited period of time," he said.
DiPino addressed this issue and stressed that some of the more serious crimes do occur in the off-season. "If we had this analyst, we would know when they are coming down and where they are committing crimes."
Councilwoman Margaret Pillas supported the position but offered a compromise of finding a former retired police officer or someone part-time that wouldn't add as much to the budget. She also made the suggestion to "look for someone part-time that already has experience."
Others agreed with this suggestion but Councilman Hall said, "this is an important job, I don't think that a part-time person will keep the contingency going." Both DiPino and Hall said that the position requires someone full time who can dedicate themselves to crime analysis, not other areas.
"How can we gauge how much it's going to cost for someone not to be a victim of a burglary," DiPino asked in response to concerns over the budget and substitution of a police officer. "With this help, it will take less police officers in the long run."
Mayor Rick Meehan addressed his concern over the existing computer systems. "Is this crime analyst the final piece? I thought the programs that we had were sufficient and I'm hearing that they're not. I just want to make sure it's the final piece." DiPino assured the council and Mayor Meehan that this was the piece that they needed to be able to utilize everything that they currently have.
Councilwoman Pillas supported DiPino, reminding everyone that DiPino had in fact requested a crime analyst when the computer systems were installed. "You (DiPino) were proactive there about wanting a crime analyst at that time," she said.
Councilman Martin was not present to contribute to the discussion, however the week before he had, like Councilwoman Pillas, voiced the idea of looking to retired police officers or part-time employees.
After further discussion the council voted on the motion to include a crime analyst position in the 2008 budget instead of including a police officer in the 2008 budget. The vote split 3-3 with Councilmen Hancock, Mitrecic, and Councilwoman Knight in opposition. Councilman Hall and Councilwomen Howard and Pillas were in favor. As a result the issue is now a dead issue and no action will be taken. A majority vote is needed for a motion to pass.


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Lobster Legs - K2
Lobster Legs - K2
In Stock: 10
Lobster Legs combines complex deep seaweed greens with a wash of bronzy brown.
K2 is a bouncy chunky yarn that will work beautifully for large-scale accessories. It knits up fast and warm, soft but still substantial, with a brilliant depth of color. The 3-ply construction is very round and gives balanced stitch definition.
Size: 120 yd / 4 oz (110m / 113g) skeins
Content: 100% Merino wool
Gauge: Chunky weight. 3-3.5 stitches per inch knit on US 10-11, 2-2.75 stitches per inch crocheted on US K-M.
Care Instructions: Hand wash, dry flat.