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Respite Care in Greenfield
Respite care can be a lifeline for family caregivers and their loved ones. This type of home care typically involves short-term or temporary caregiving visits. These visits make it possible for family caregivers to take time away from unpaid caregiving duties—without compromising the quality of care received by their loved ones.
At Visiting Angels®, we know how difficult caring for a loved one can be. We also know the positive difference respite care can make. If you provide care to a spouse, parent, or grandparent and you need outside assistance, our caregivers are ready to lend a helping hand.
What is Respite Care?
Respite care is a support system for family caregivers. With other types of in-home care, professional caregivers perform the majority of caregiving duties. Respite services, meanwhile, are provided in cases where family caregivers are performing most of this work on their own.
If you're one of the 40+ million Americans who acts as a family caregiver, this type of care can make a world of difference. Family caregivers are at high risk of physical and mental exhaustion that the term "caregiver burnout" is now commonplace.
In-home respite care can substantially reduce your risk of burnout and make caring for your loved one more manageable. If you need time to rest and recuperate, Visiting Angels can provide care services to your loved one while you spend time caring for yourself. If the daily or weekly routine of caregiving has become overwhelming, we can perform regular respite visits to reduce your workload.
Respite Services
In-home respite care from Visiting Angels can include a wide range of caregiving services.
In addition to standard services like companion care and personal care, our local agencies offer a number of specialized services, including Alzheimer's care and dementia care. If your loved one requires specialized care, respite visits can be provided by professional caregivers with expertise in these areas.
Some of the most common tasks performed by our respite caregivers include:
- Laundry
- Light housekeeping
- Meal preparation
- Medication reminders
- Assistance with activities of daily living (such as dressing, grooming, and bathing)
In most cases, respite care is provided on a short-term or temporary basis. However, respite visits can also be performed on a routine basis on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedule. Our flexible approach to care planning and scheduling is designed to make sure you and your loved one get the respite care services you need.
Getting Started with Respite Care
Simply contact your local office to request a care consultation. We provide families with a free, no obligation consultation before starting with home care. This allows us to better understand the kinds of services you need. We can also answer any questions you have about our approach to caregiving.
In some situations, respite caregiving is needed on short notice. In these cases, we also encourage you to contact your local agency. We can fast-track the care planning and scheduling process to ensure a caregiver is available for your loved one.
All care providers at your local Visiting Angels have been carefully screened and selected prior to placement, and we take measures to find the right caregiver for every care recipient. That's true no matter what kind of care we're providing, including short-term and temporary caregiving.
Ready to get started with respite care?
Find your nearest Visiting Angels' home care agency today or CONTACT US to learn more about our services!
Serving Greenfield, McCordsville, New Palestine, Fortville and Surrounding Areas
Visiting Angels GREENFIELD, IN110 E 300 N
Greenfield, IN 46140
Phone: 765-778-3434


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Continuing the UK tradition of proving with loosely scientific method all the most basic assumptions one can make about music—i.e. people tend to drive faster when the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" is on the stereo; Coldplay fans aren't exactly sexual dynamos—researchers at the University of Portsmouth have determined that loud music makes people want to party, drinking alcohol in greater quantities and at a much faster rate because the music makes it taste even sweeter.
In a study conducted by psychologist Dr. Lorenzo Stafford, who did this instead of something boring and depressing, 80 regular imbibers between the ages of 18 and 28 were asked to rate a selection of drinks on levels of bitterness and sweetness, all while Stafford played varying levels of aural distraction in the background, ranging from total silence to "loud club-type music playing at the same time as reading a news report." When participants were listening to just loud music (as opposed to the even more distracting mash-up of music plus the news) the subjects reported that their drinks suddenly tasted much, much sweeter, which made them want to put away even more of them. Yes, and in return, the booze makes "loud club-type music" much more tolerable, creating a vicious circle that explains the popularity of Pitbull. Anyway, Stafford then urged everyone to consider how hanging out in a club with loud, blaring music could thus influence over-consumption and "act accordingly." In other words, turn it up and chug, dudes! Science! [The Press Association via NME]

subset: commoncrawl


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Taylor Swift cut her hair and it looks good. It's no "The Rachel" and it's not going to change the way you feel about hair or Taylor Swift but it's a new look and it's maybe important because maybe it will change (more like perpetuate) current hair trends. What's really important about Taylor Swift's haircut is the bonkers video she took while she was at the salon.
The Instagram video, taken from Taylor's perspective shows all the people who are gathered in the salon to watch her get her hair cut. And there are, no joke, at least 30 grown adults watching this haircut go down. They're not fans, they're not paparazzi, it's just the salon staff and her entourage. They're all there to watch a 24 year old do one of the most common things in human experience because…it's their job?
How many people watched you get your last haircut? None, right? MAYBE your boyfriend/girlfriend/best friend noticed after the fact, but no one actually witnessed it go down because they didn't really care and it's not a big deal. Now imagine a power scenario where 30 your closest friends and colleagues, all at least 10 years older than you, are so dependent on you that they feel obliged to watch you do your thing at the salon. How twisted would your life have to become for that to be your reality?
Taylor provides commentary, saying, sarcastically, "we don't do anything without an audience, do we?" Is this her subtle cry for help? An acknowledgement that her life is kind of f*cked? It's ambiguous. One other thing I'm unclear on is what to feel about the presence of her mother. Her mom is the older blonde lady who gives a cute little fist pump at the very end of the video. Is it cute that she's involved or totally creepy that she's complicit in the warping of her daughter's reality? I'm not sure.
Attached – Taylor Swift and her new hair arriving at LAX.


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Hi naughty viewer! I'm a Sheboy or Chick With Dick live model AshyClinton, age 19 and also live on Sheboycam. Full of passion, lust, and I like to ask; do you want to masturbate with me? And if you want to date, I'm from: N/A
Don't hesitate to leave a comment, we'd like to know what you think about any peformer.


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Industrial career course Statistical Thinking for Industrial Problem Solving is an applied statistics course for scientists and engineers offered by JMP, a division of SAS. By completing this course, students will understand the importance of statistical thinking, and will be able to use data and basic statistical methods to solve many real-world problems. Students completing this course will be able to:
• Explain the importance of statistical thinking in solving problems
• Describe the importance of data, and the steps needed to compile and prepare data for analysis
• Compare core methods for summarizing, exploring, and analyzing data, and describe when to apply these methods
• Recognize the importance of statistically designed experiments in understanding cause and effect


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iPhone Availability Tracker
Apple has launched a small web application that will let customers check up on iPhone availability at its 164 national retail stores. The Apple retail availability tracker allows iPhone seekers to select their state of residence and then will display a list of Apple retail stores with iPhone availability indicators. If there is a green dot next to your local Apple store, then iPhones are in stock. A red dot indicates that iPhone availability is negative. This simple system is a great way to see iPhone availability without trouble. It is an incredibly user-friendly system that can be used by almost anyone.
Unfortunately, however, Apple plans only to update the tracker system on a nightly basis. This, therefore, means that shoppers might want to supplement the information available on the site by placing a call to the local Apple store just before making the trip. This will ensure iPhone availability and save time and hassle.
A separate section of the Apple retail availability tracker website also informs the iPhone shoppers on how to "get the most out of the iPhone," offering lists of free workshops that cover the basics of the iPhone and beyond. In addition, the Cupertino-based company notes that its One to One members will have easy access to private tutorials on everything from how to sync their iPhone with iTunes, to receiving and sending email and surfing the web. Reservations for these One to One tutorials can be made up to 14 days in advance.
The iPhone retail availability tracker is a great tool made by apple. Informing all potential shoppers on where your product is available is a great idea. Shoppers will be more much more willing to buy products if they know that when they go to buy the product, it will be available.
IPhone availability, though, has not been a huge concern. IPhones have been widely available for all buyers. It has not been too difficult for a desiring customer to find a store with iPhone availability. The quantity of phones available has stayed relatively the same since the release of the iPhone. Also, buyers have not been incredibly fast in purchasing iPhones. It seems that many are willing to wait for the price to drop and for the bugs to be worked out. Therefore, Apple doesn't plan on raising the output of iPhones in the very near future. IPhone availability is good, and buyers are happy. Shortages have not been a concern at all.


text: Katherine Anne Porter's first collection of short stories, Flowering Judas, is published September 11th 1930. The title story, which appeared earlier that year in Hound and Horn magazine, cantered on a young American teacher of Indian children whose ideals are compromised. The collection won Porter both critical and popular success and helped her win a Guggenheim Fellowship.Porter was born Callie Porter in Indian Creek, Texas, on May 15, 1890. She grew up in poverty and was raised mostly by her grandmother, whose first name she later adopted.When Porter's grandmother died in 1901, Porter was sent to convent school in New Orleans. At age 16, she married the 27-year-old son of a rancher, but the marriage was a failure. In 1911, Porter left for Chicago, where she worked as a reporter. She later spent two years travelling around Texas as a ballad singer and in 1918 became a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. After a grave illness in 1918, Porter moved to Mexico for several years. Her first published work of fiction, the short storyMaria Conception (1922), received almost immediate appreciation from critics.In 1925, she married again but soon divorced. After the publication of Flowering Judas and Other Stories (1930), she moved to Europe and lived in Berlin and Paris from 1931 to 1937. She married and divorced several more times. In 1938, she returned to the United States with her fourth husband and settled in Baton Rouge. In the 1940s, she wrote film scripts and lectured at universities. During her lifetime, she published only 25 stories and one novel, Ship of Fools, which took her more than two decades to complete. She died in 1980 in Maryland.


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People who eat lots of red meat, cook with certain types of oil, and use some kinds of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-heavy margarines may be increasing their risk of a painful inflammatory bowel disease, a study in more than 200,000 Europeans shows.
These foods are high in linoleic acid and the study have found that people who were the heaviest consumers of this omega-6 PUFA were more than twice as likely to develop ulcerative colitis as those who consumed the least.
Dr. Andrew Hart of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, and his colleagues also found that eating more eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and fish oils, was associated with a lower risk of the disease.
While people need a certain amount of linoleic acid to survive, Hart noted in an interview with Reuters Health, excess amounts are taken up into the lining of the colon, and if they're released, they can promote inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acid, he added, does the opposite. "It basically dampens down inflammation," he explained.
To investigate the role of fatty acids and ulcerative colitis, a life-long disease characterized by inflammation of the lining of the large intestine, Hart and his colleagues looked at data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) trial, which includes over half a million people from 10 European countries.
Their analysis included 203,193 men and women 30 to 74 years old. During follow-up, which ranged from about 2 to 11 years, 126 people developed ulcerative colitis.
People in the top quartile of linoleic acid intake (they were consuming around 13 to 38 grams a day) were 2.5 times more likely to have developed the disease than people who consumed the least, about 2 to 8 grams daily.
There's currently no proven dietary treatment for ulcerative colitis, Hart noted, but the current findings raise the possibility that eating a diet low in linoleic acid could be helpful.
While a Western-style, red-meat-heavy diet is high in this fatty acid and low in omega-3s, Hart noted, a more Mediterranean style eating pattern -- with plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish, and nut oils -- would be low in linoleic acid and high in omega-3.
He estimated that if omega-3s do help prevent ulcerative colitis, eating a couple of servings of fish a week would probably be protective.


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Everything You Need to Know About Private Student Loans
Americans currently owe more than $150 billion on private student loans, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Unfortunately, many private loan borrowers don't understand the difference between private and federal loans. And that can run them into serious trouble down the road.
So before you sign up for any private student loans, make sure you know everything you should about this option.
They're Not the Same as Federal Student Loans Private loans can vary widely from lender to lender, and are very different from federal loans, which are more uniform. Here are the major differences between private and federal student loans:
- Federal student loans don't have to be repaid as long as you're in school at least half-time. Private loans, on the other hand, may require payment immediately, though this depends on the lender. Always read the fine print, and always make sure you understand the terms.
- Federal student loans have a fixed interest rate. Private loans can have a variable interest rate, and can be quite high.
- Federal student loans don't require a credit check (except for PLUS loans). Private loans often require established credit, which means you may need a co-signer.
- Interest on some federal loans is tax deductible, whereas interest on private loans may not be tax deductible.
- Federal loans can be consolidated through a Direct Consolidation Loan, but private student loans don't qualify.
- Federal student loans offer many payment options, including forbearance and deferment, but private loans may not.
- Federal student loans can sometimes be forgiven through loan forgiveness programs. Private student loans are rarely, if ever, forgiven.
They Should Usually Be Your Second Choice
The vast majority of students will get a better deal if they opt for federal student loans first, only using private loans to fill in the gaps. So before you apply for any private loans, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). See what you're offered as far as federal student loans -- and other, non-loan aid, especially -- goes. And then decide if private loans are a good option for you.
But They Can Be Helpful
Even though private student loans shouldn't be your first choice, they can still be a decent fill-in in some situations. This is especially the case if you wind up choosing between a Parent PLUS loan and a private loan. Parent PLUS loans have a relatively low interest rate, but they also make the parent responsible for paying the loan. Private loans, on the other hand, can be taken out in a student's name, so the student has full responsibility for repaying them. (Caveat: If the lender requires a co-signer for the private student loan, and the student borrower defaults, the co-signer will also be held liable for those loans).
You Can–& Should–Shop Around
With federal student loans, you don't get many choices. The government tells you how much you can take out, sets the terms of different types of loans annually, and you can take it or leave it. They'll even choose which bank or lender services your federal student loans.
This is not the case with private student loans.
You can shop with as many lenders as you like, and you definitely should shop with at least a few. This way, you can get the best terms and rates for your particular needs.
As you're shopping around, don't just look at rates -- though they're important. Look at other terms that could be helpful now or down the road. For instance, if you can make interest-only payments during school, you won't have to worry about tackling those larger student loan payments right away. And see if a loan offers flexible payment options after college. Some do.
Once you've compared loans and chosen the one you want to go with, take out as little money as possible. You don't want to overdo it. And of course, be sure to read and understand all the loan's terms before you sign up.
Know Your Payments
With federal student loans, it's important to understand what you'll eventually be paying down the road. But this is even more important with private student loans. Here's why: With a federal loan, you may plan on paying, say, $150 monthly once you graduate from college, on a standard repayment plan.
Maybe you take out the loan knowing that you should be able to afford that payment on your prospective post-graduation job. But then you can't find a job, or end up in a lower-paying job. With a federal loan, you can most likely switch to an income-based repayment plan or an extended plan that will lower your payments. If you wind up in the same situation with a private loan, you could still be on the hook for that $150 a month -- even if you're unemployed. So be doubly sure you can make the minimum payments on a private student loan, even if life doesn't go as planned.
Finally, are you looking into a private student loan to cover, say, a $10,000 gap in funding for school? In this case, you might be better off shopping around for a more affordable school. As you apply for, and obtain, student loans, it's also good to keep track of your credit standing along the way.
Periodically check your credit reports to make sure your loans – and other credit accounts – are being accurately reported, and that there are no mistakes that are hurting your credit. You can also monitor your credit scores as a way to get a quick overview of your credit health – if your score drops unexpectedly, it's a good idea to check your credit reports for any problems.
You can check your credit reports for free once a year, and you can monitor your credit scores for free on Credit.com.
Read More from Credit.com
How Student Loans Can Impact Your Credit
How to Pay for College Without Building a Mountain of Debt


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You are here
Galaxies Fade
On the human time scale, the Milky Way galaxy is eternal. The starry Milky Way shined down on the first humans and will continue to shine on Earth for billions of years more. Eventually, though, the stars of the Milky Way will burn out. The galaxy will remain, but it will no longer look like a bright pinwheel. In fact, it won't look like much of anything at all -- and neither will the other galaxies sprinkled through the universe.
Astronomers aren't sure exactly how the universe will end. But current observations suggest that "dark energy" is causing the universe to expand faster, driving galaxies farther apart. If that's correct, then galaxies will gradually fade from sight as their stars burn out.
The nuclear fires of stars like the Sun will be extinguished in a few billion years. The Sun itself will live for another five billion years or more.
The smallest stars consume their fuel much more slowly than bigger stars like the Sun, so they will live for a few trillion years -- thousands of times longer than the current age of the universe.
After the stars wink out, all that will remain of them will be crushed corpses. Gravity itself may weaken, so these stellar remnants may lose their planets.
Once every million billion years or so, a small new star may ignite as the result of a collision between two "brown dwarfs" -- objects that were not heavy enough to become stars on their own.
Later still, the Milky Way and all the other galaxies will lose their grip on their dead stars. Some of the stars will sail off into space, while others will fall into the giant black holes that will dominate the hearts of all the galaxies.
Eventually, the dead stars will disintegrate, and black holes as heavy as galaxies may evaporate in flashes of energy. The universe will contain only a thin mixture of radiation and subatomic particles swimming through the darkness.
Yet even then, long after the galactic cities of stars have disbanded and disappeared, the universe will go on.


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New Soccer Shoe Launched With Karaoke Choir Competition
Japanese footwear company Onitsuka Tiger, known as ASICS in the States, has launched an online karaoke game, Lovely Football, in support of the company's new football (soccer) shoe Injector DX. On the site, the Onitsuka Tiger National Choir performs and after viewing the competition, visitors can sing along with the choir karaoke style and enter their performance in a contest to win a pair of Injector DX or other Onitsuka Tiger goodies.
by Steve Hall Jan-27-06 Click to Comment
Topic: Games, Good, Online
Topic: Games, Good, Online


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The Chung Collection
Featured Collection
The Chung Collection
Canadian Pacific Steamships agent's stubs Yip Sang Company; Canadian Pacific Steamships
Ticket stubs for the following passengers: Lee Shook Woo, Lee Yee Yow, Kwan Kee Suey, Loo Jang, Chu Long, Low Yum, Low Fat, Lew Fook Sang, Lee Gooey, Ng Jang.
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use these images must be obtained from Rare Books and Special Collections: http://rbsc.library.ubc.ca/


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Ninja, over at Punch Debt in the Face, wrote an article last week about being addicted to savings that got me thinking. Or, thinking harder, I suppose. The attitude that he talks about towards savings is one that I've noticed in myself and others who have gone the way of the Frugaler. He calls it an addiction. I think it's something a little more sneaky. Something that creeps up on you and then grabs hold and won't let go. Something many will call "Habit".
Views vary on how we pick up habits, but, by definition, a habit is something that you do over and over without much thought. An unconscious task that you repeat. It's no coincidence that many addictions are also referred to as habits. Smoking is sometimes referred to as a bad habit. A pot of coffee a day is sometimes referred to as a bad habit. But, a savings habit is a good habit. One that many will struggle to establish. Drug habits, smoking habits, and coffee habits are all habits that are easy to pick up because they cause a pleasure response in you body. A savings habit is a bit harder to pick up. But, as Ninja will attest, it can be done.
How? Repetition. Do something repeatedly, for a long enough time period, and it becomes a habit. Being a successful Frugaler is a product of habit. We start off forcing ourselves to turn off lights as we leave a room, shop for good deals before buying something, save a certain amount out of every paycheck, and set aside a certain amount each month for charitable giving. And, before we know it, those things that we started off forcing ourselves to do become habits and we do them automatically, without having to think about doing them. If there's one thing anyone with a bad habit will tell you, habits are hard to break.
I know that I've felt it. I often spend a month or more deciding on whether to buy something or not. Especially if it's on that fringe where it may or may not be necessary. I've spent weeks bidding on items on eBay, determined to get an item at a specific price point. Something that I could have paid a few dollars more for and had weeks earlier. Like the junkie looking for his/her next fix, I've got a saving habit that I can't quit. The more I do it, the harder it is to spend any money at all.
Of course, like anything that's good for you, there is a line where it becomes slightly less good for you, and then can become downright bad too. Saving is good. Pushing your savings to a point where you're taking it to extremes is less good. And becoming a downright miser is bad. Setting savings goals is a good way to limit the extremity of your saving.
A Frugality habit will change you. As your savings tasks become habit, it becomes easier and easier, and eventually, you hardly notice it. What are your savings habits? How did you establish them?
I started this blog to share what I know and what I was learning about personal finance. Along the way I've met and found many blogging friends. Please feel free to connect with me on the Beating Broke accounts: Twitter and Facebook.
You can also connect with me personally at Novelnaut, Thatedeguy, Shane Ede, and my personal Twitter.


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"Sea Snot" Explosion Caused by Gulf Oil Spill?
Marine "snowstorm" possibly crippled base of Gulf of Mexico food chain.
Deciphering the unseen, underwater effects of the Gulf oil spill.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill sparked an explosion of sticky clumps of organic matter that scientists call sea snot, according to ongoing research.
The boom likely precipitated a sea-snot "blizzard" in Gulf (map) waters, researchers say. And as the clumps sank, they may have temporarily wiped out the base of the food chain in the spill region by scouring all small life from the water column.
In the weeks after the April 20 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, scientists surveying the surface near the drill site spotted relatively huge particles—several centimeters across—of sea snot.
These particularly slimy flakes of "marine snow" are made up of tiny dead and living organic matter, according to Uta Passow, a biological oceanographer at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Tiny plants in the ocean called phytoplankton produce a mucus-like substance when stressed, and it's possible that exposure to the Deepwater Horizon oil caused them to pump out more of the sticky stuff than usual.
This abundance of "mucus" made the naturally occurring marine-snow particles—usually about a few millimeters wide—even stickier.
"Everything they collide with in their path they collect and take with them," said project leader Passow, who's currently tracking marine snow aboard the research vessel Oceanus.
(Related: why the Gulf oil spill isn't going away.)
Sea Snot Spurred Marine "Snowfall"?
Based on surface observations and oily layers of dead plankton found on the seafloor, the researchers believe the sticky particles may have plummeted to the bottom of the ocean in a marine-snow "blizzard" around the Deepwater Horizon site in May. Passow cautioned, though, that no one actually witnessed the snowstorm.
In the lab Passow and colleagues are working to reproduce the marine-snow conditions that might have spawned the "huge, slimy" event, she said.
One simulation found that month-old marine snow would have sunk to the seafloor relatively fast—sinking hundreds of yards a day, compared with an average marine-snow sinking rate of 115 feet (35 meters) a day.
It's unknown why the material would have sunk so fast, Passow said. But it's possible the oil killed so many of the ocean's tiny floating organisms that the snow became abnormally heavy and so fell quicker than usual.
That heft may also explain why Passow and colleagues are finding so much new sea snot in the seafloor traps that they check every 36 hours—though nothing approaching the levels collected during the May snowstorm.
(Related: "Much Gulf Oil Remains, Deeply Hidden and Under Beaches.")
Recent observations by the team—including Vernon Asper and Arne Diercks of the University of Southern Mississippi—show no evidence of unusually voluminous sea snot at the surface nearly five months later, Passow noted.
The sea snot explosion, it seems, has come and gone, though its effects may linger. The sea snot blizzard "probably will have a long-term impact," Passow said—though exactly how the blizzard will affect the Gulf is anyone's guess.
(Read about the Gulf oil spill in the October National Geographic magazine.)
Sea Snot May Have Created Deadly Void
The possible long-term impact of the blizzard stems in part from its potential to starve or poison marine creatures.
By sinking en masse, the marine snow may have deprived fish larvae of a crucial food source—the phytoplankton itself. When fish larvae hatch, they have less than a day to find sustenance or they'll starve, Passow noted. (See pictures of ten animals at risk from the Gulf oil spill.)
On the Gulf seafloor, the sticky "snowstorm" may have killed bottom dwellers.
In addition to being perhaps suffocatingly large, the blizzard may have been toxic. Scientists have found tiny black dots in sediment traps near the BP spill site that—if confirmed as oil from the Gulf spill—suggest tarballs got swept up in the snowstorm.
Normally, dead organisms settling on the seafloor are free meal deliveries for animals living at depth. "But when it's oil-soaked particles, I suspect the bottom-dwelling organisms might not be so happy," marine-snow expert Alice Alldredge said.
(Also see "Toxic Oil Found Deep on Gulf Seafloor?")
Likewise, if tarballs were indeed caught up in the marine snow, their toxicity may be killing off various life-forms that hitchhike along with pockets of marine snow—each drifting pocket is usually a "hot spot of activity," project leader Passow said.
In any case, the true toll of the blizzard may remain a mystery in the short term.
Since many fish species mature slowly, for example, it will take a few years to determine whether the oily snowstorm caused a lost generation of certain species, said Alldredge, of the University of California, Santa Barbara, who was not involved in the research.
Likewise, the Gulf, in general, may take a while to fully recover. "Humans tend to want things to be fixed right away," she said, "and nature takes a little longer."
(Read more about how nature is fighting the oil spill.)
Sea Snot May Yield Giant Blobs of Mucus?
The addition of oil may cause the sea snot to coalesce into giant blobs called marine mucilage, which can grow more than a hundred miles (160 kilometers) long, according to Roberto Danovaro, director of the marine-science department at Italy's Polytechnic University of Marche.
(See "Giant, Mucus-Like Sea Blobs on the Rise, Pose Danger.")
Phytoplankton produce more mucus when there's more carbon and less nitrogen and phosphorus available—"exactly the case created by the oil spill," Danovaro said. An oil particle is mostly hydrogen and carbon.
In fact, because both the oil and the algae-generated mucus are gel-like, the apparently oily Gulf marine snow may be especially prone to forming marine-mucilage blobs, UCSB's Alldredge noted.
Such blobs are relatively common in oceans in spring and summer, and they move with the currents like "a submarine going up and down the water column," the Polytechnic University of Marche's Danovaro said. (See sea-mucus blob pictures.)
In rare cases, and if seas are consistently calm, mucilages can become very large and persist for months, allowing disease-causing bacteria to accumulate within the blobs. It's unknown whether that will happen in the Gulf, Danovaro said.
Even so, project leader Passow added, anything can happen. After all, she hadn't expected to find evidence of a marine-snow blizzard in the first place.
"We are getting new things that are surprising to us," she said, "and learning a lot every day."


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Given his brooding and contemplative nature, you might peg Ernest Hemingway as a whiskey drinker. Maybe a cognac man. (And, let's be real, he probably was both of those things.) But he had a particular penchant for the slushy sweetness of daiquiris — though legend has it he preferred his without sugar. In his Cuba days, Hemingway would frequent Havana's El Floridita bar, which first popularized the concoction (with Hemingway's help, of course.)
So to honor the 113th birthday of Hemingway and the 195th anniversary of the bar, on Saturday El Floridita staff concocted what they claim is the world's largest daiquiri, the Associated Press reports. Tipping the scales at 71 gallons, the drink filled a 6.5-foot tall fiber-composite cocktail glass and required the work of a dozen blenders. Their work began at 9 a.m. — the unapologetically hard-drinking Hemingway would have been proud.
(MORE: Ernest Hemingway's Alternate Endings to 'A Farewell to Arms')
Rumor has it that "Papa" once threw back 13 double daiquiris in one sitting. The drink traditionally consists of lime juice, sugar and rum — in Hemingway's case, quite a bit of rum. But even Hemingway, with his love of the Caribbean cocktail, would have had trouble knocking back the monster daiquiri created in his honor. Two waiters had to stand on an elevated platform to fill the giant glass to the rim, hoping to set a new record.
The crowd, which included a jury to judge the attempt, cheered and sang "Happy Birthday" to Hemingway, also known in Cuba as "Ernesto". El Floridita has become a popular destination for tourists who crisscross through Cuba, tracing Hemingway's path, hitting his favorite spots and taste-testing his favorite drinks. There's been no official confirmation as to whether or not this is truly a record-breaking beverage, but the event organizers have been in touch with Guinness officials and are awaiting a response.


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Coupon Code: immunezap02
The Immune System
The Immune System is a rather complex one and needs to be better understood so that we can apply the correct regenerative measures. Below is a full explanation in technical terms what we can expect from the Immune System.
To support your journey of health we have developed the ImmuneZap Capsules packed with all the vital ingredients that will assist you in not only building but protecting your immune system. The immune system is composed of many interdependent cell types that collectively protect the body from bacterial, parasitic, fungal, viral infections and from the growth of tumour cells. Many of these cell types have specialized functions. The cells of the immune system can engulf bacteria, kill parasites or tumour cells, or kill viral-infected cells.. This article is to review the organs, cell types and interactions between cells of the immune system as a commentary on their importance and interdependence. Such an understanding may help comprehend the root of immune deficiencies, and perceive potential avenues that the immune system can be modulated in the case of specific diseases.
The Organs of the Immune System
Bone Marrow
All the cells of the immune system are initially derived from the bone marrow. They form through a process called haematopoiesis. During haematopoiesis, bone marrow-derived stem cells differentiate into either mature cells of the immune system or into precursors of cells that migrate out of the bone marrow to continue their maturation elsewhere.
The function of the thymus is to produce mature T cells. Immature thymocytes, also known as prothymocytes, leave the bone marrow and migrate into the thymus. Through a remarkable maturation process sometimes referred to as thymic education, T cells that are beneficial to the immune system are spared, while those T cells that might evoke a detrimental autoimmune response are eliminated. The mature T cells are then released into the bloodstream.
The spleen is a filter of the blood. It is made up of B cells, T cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells and red blood cells. In addition to capturing foreign materials (antigens) from the blood that passes through the spleen, migratory macrophages and dendritic cells bring antigens to the spleen via the bloodstream. An immune response is initiated when the macrophage or dendritic cells present the antigen to the appropriate B or T cells. This organ can be thought of as an immunological conference centre. In the spleen, B cells become activated and produce large amounts of antibody. Also, old red blood cells are destroyed in the spleen.
Lymph Nodes
The lymph nodes function as an immunologic filter for the bodily fluid known as lymph. Lymph nodes are found throughout the body. Composed mostly of T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and macrophages, the nodes drain fluid from most of our tissues. Antigens are filtered out of the lymph in the lymph node before returning the lymph to the circulation. In a similar fashion as the spleen, the macrophages and dendritic cells that capture antigens present these foreign materials to T and B cells, consequently initiating an immune response.
The Cells of the Immune System
T-Cells -T lymphocytes are usually divided into two major subsets that are functionally and identifiably different. The T helper subset, also called the CD4+ T cell is a pertinent coordinator of immune regulation. The main function of the T helper cell is to augment or potentiate immune responses by the secretion of specialized factors that activate other white blood cells to fight off infection.
Another important type of T cell is called the T killer/suppressor subset CD8+ T cell.These cells are important in directly killing certain tumour cells, viral-infected cells and sometimes parasites. The CD8+ T cells are also important in down-regulation of immune responses. Both types of T cells can be found throughout the body. They often depend on the secondary lymphoid organs (the lymph nodes and spleen) as sites where activation occurs, but they are also found in other tissues of the body, most conspicuously the liver, lung, blood, and intestinal and reproductive tracts.
Natural Killer Cells -Natural killer cells, often referred to as NK cells, are similar to the killer T cell subset (CD8+ T cells). They function as effectors cells that directly kill certain tumours such as melanomas, lymphomas and viral-infected cells, most notably herpes and cytomegalovirus-infected cells. NK cells, unlike the CD8+ (killer) T cells, kill their targets without a prior conference in the lymphoid organs. However, NK cells that have been activated by secretions from CD4+ T cells will kill their tumour or viral-infected targets more effectively.
B Cells – The major function of B lymphocytes is the production of antibodies in response to foreign proteins of bacteria, viruses, and tumour cells. Antibodies are specialized proteins that specifically recognize and bind to one particular protein. Antibody production and binding to a foreign substance or antigen, often is critical as a means of signalling other cells to engulf, kill or remove that substance from the body.
Granulocytes or Polymorphonuclear (PMN) Leukocytes – Another group of white blood cells is collectively referred to as granulocytes or polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Granulocytes are composed of three cell types identified as neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils, based on their staining characteristics with certain dyes. These cells are predominantly important in the removal of bacteria and parasites from the body. They engulf these foreign bodies and degrade them using their powerful enzymes.
Macrophages – Macrophages are important in the regulation of immune responses. They are often referred to as scavengers or antigen-presenting cells (APC) because they pick up and ingest foreign materials and present these antigens to other cells of the immune system such as T cells and B cells. This is one of the important first steps in the initiation of an immune response. Stimulated macrophages exhibit increased levels of phagocytises and are also secretory.
Dendritic Cells – Another cell type, addressed only recently, is the dendritic cell. Dendritic cells, which also originate in the bone marrow, function as antigen presenting cells (APC). In fact, the dendritic cells are more efficient apcs than macrophages. These cells are usually found in the structural compartment of the lymphoid organs such as the thymus, lymph nodes and spleen. However, they are also found in the bloodstream and other tissues of the body. It is believed that they capture antigen or bring it to the lymphoid organs where an immune response is initiated. Unfortunately, one reason we know so little about dendritic cells is that they are extremely hard to isolate, which is often a prerequisite for the study of the functional qualities of specific cell types. Of particular issue here is the recent finding that dendritic cells bind high amount of HIV, and may be a reservoir of virus that is transmitted to CD4+ T cells during an activation event.
In basic terms if your Immune System is sluggish and impaired you will not be able to fight off any attacks from bacteria and virus etc. Your Immune system is the engine of protection and we should be vigilant in overhauling it on a regular basis even if you think you may have a strong immune.


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Enterprise Hadoop: Big data processing made easier
Amazon, Cloudera, Hortonworks, IBM, and MapR mix simpler setup of Hadoop clusters with proprietary twists and trade-offs
It's been a big year for Apache Hadoop, the open source project that helps you split your workload among a rack of computers. The buzzword is now well known to your boss but still just a vague and hazy concept for your boss's boss. That puts it in the sweet spot when there's plenty of room for experimentation. The list of companies using Hadoop in production work grows longer each day, and it probably won't be long before "Hadoop cluster" takes over the role that the words "crazy supercomputer" used to play in thriller movies. The next version of the WOPR is bound to run Hadoop.
The area is flourishing as the core project attracts a wide collection of helper projects that organize the workload and make it simpler to manage a collection of jobs to run at particular times. There's HDFS, a standard file system that can organize the data spread out around the cluster; Hive, a data warehousing layer for making sense of this data; Mahout, a collection of routines for trying to learn something from said data; and ZooKeeper, a tool for keeping all of the balls in the air. At least a half-dozen or more other open source tools live in a stable orbit around Hadoop.
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The open source projects are just the beginning -- a surprisingly large number of companies are emerging with the plan of helping people actually use Hadoop. Some are just selling support, and others are building their own tools that sit alongside Hadoop and make it easier to use.
This kind of competition is usually seen as open source at its best. There is a core collection of packages that serve like a standard to keep everyone in synchrony. Each of the groups is competing to add the right sauce that will attract customers, both paying and nonpaying. There continues to be controversy over just how much is rolled into the central collection, as there can be in any major open source project, but the amount of experimentation is so large that it's hard to be too focused on the amount of sharing.
To get a feel for the excitement, I took four major collections out for a test-drive. I powered up a cluster of nodes on Rackspace, installed the tools, pushed the buttons, and ran some sample jobs. It's getting to be surprisingly easy to spend a few pennies for an hour or two of machine time -- so much so that I found myself debating whether it was worth leaving my cluster idling over lunchtime. Lest anyone doubt the efficiency of cloud computing, I noticed that the rate for my cluster of relatively fat machines with 4GB of RAM was less than the cost to park a car around the corner. The parking meters spin faster.
The not-so-good news is that these collections are far from perfect. None of the tools I tried worked exactly as promised. There were always small glitches. I often found myself reading the log files and paging through endless lists of Java stack dumps. (Someone is going to have to apply Hadoop to analyzing the endless stack dumps. They're getting so involved that I doubt a single machine will be able to parse them for much longer.) After a few seconds, I could usually get things on track again. These tools may not require someone with much experience to use once they're running, but they can't be installed unless you're fairly adept with the ways that the Java stack is organized.
Despite these impediments, I spent most of my time churning through data. The good news is that all of these tools make it pretty easy to get a cluster of computers working together to solve problems. Using these tools is much easier than downloading and configuring the source code yourself. They're designed to be one-button applications, and they come close to achieving that goal.


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The Secret Beyond Matter
Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar's Live Conversation on A9 TV dated March 15th, 2012
OKTAR BABUNA: Good evening, viewers. We have some very worthy guests. We are here with our brothers coming from Iran. If you would like to do the introductions please do. Welcome.
ADNAN OKTAR: Now, what is the name of the hodja who will be doing the interview?
ESMAIL HAJ HEYDARI: Ismail.
ADNAN OKTAR: Ismail. Masha'Allah, this gentleman here will do the interpreting, he knows Farsi and Turkish.
THE INTERPRETER: Insha'Allah.
ADNAN OKTAR: The hodja is producing a program series of 13 parts about freemasonry and Judaism and such subjects for the Iranian TV. He regards me as an expert, though I really know very little.
OKTAR BABUNA: Astagfirullah.
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course I will be happy to tell him what little I do know. Please go ahead. He can ask away..
THE INTERPRETER: The origins of freemasonry go back to ancient Egypt, as you know. What effects the structure in ancient Egypt had on freemasonry?
ADNAN OKTAR: Freemasonry is much older. It existed in the time of Nimrod and the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). When we look at the ruins of Nimrod, we can see all the masonic symbols on them. It is therefore incorrect to limit it to ancient Egypt. Of course freemasonry was powerful in ancient Egypt; it had a much powerful structuring but it is much older than that. Freemasonry disappears in the mists of time. Freemasonry was at work in the times of almost all the prophets. As a matter of fact we can see masonic symbols in the ancient stone carvings and reliefs dating back 3,000 or 4,000 years. Yes..
THE INTERPRETER: They accept the ancient Egypt as the beginning of freemasonry.
ADNAN OKTAR: Let us accept it as they say.
THE INTERPRETER: What influence did the priests of the time have on this belief? The priests around Pharaoh. What roles did they play?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, freemasonry dominated the court of Pharaoh in Egypt. But they had a dominion in the form of a secret state. Of course there was a feudal belief at that time, but freemasonry dominated the court as a separate structurer. It had a dominion as a secret force.. Indeed, when we look at the symbols, we can see that. Freemasonry was at work in the time of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) as well. We can see from the Qur'an that they were active in the time of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh). In the Qur'an Allah says that master stonemasons were placed under the Prophet Solomon's command, that demons were placed under the Prophet Solomon's command. We can see that freemasonry was active at that time as well.
THE INTERPRETER: The connection between the concept of Kabbalah and freemasonry?
ADNAN OKTAR: The Kabbalah and freemasonry are the same thing. The Kabbalah is a part of the secret knowledge and mysteries of freemasonry. Briefly..
THE INTERPRETER: These spells and sorcery in the Kabbalah.. If you could briefly expand on that, he says.
ADNAN OKTAR: Let me say that rather than sorcery and magic, the Kabbalah is a system of exercises designed to enhance the capacity of the brain, one's powers of analysis. That is the essence of the Kabbalah. That sorcery aspect is not as important. It is more of a system designed to interpret mathematical structures, to give a form to the universe, to the system, to manage people, to diagnose people and to interpret events.
ADNAN OKTAR: But the Kabbalah has its own special method for summoning the djinn. It has an effective technique for summoning the djinn. I mean it possesses formula and methods for that.
THE INTERPRETER: He says that the Kabbalah was formed before Judaism, that it is the basic element.
ADNAN OKTAR: It is older, of course. It goes back before the time of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).
THE INTERPRETER: He likes to learn a bit more about this; what is this Kabbalah, why did it come into being, what effects did it have? At the end of the day, the philosophy of the Kabbalah is significant and still has serious support in the world today. Some people are still trying to spread this idea.
ADNAN OKTAR: Again, the Kabbalah doubtless have true origins. Summoning the djinns, for instance, is definitely a knowledge received from the prophets. It is not something you can learn just anywhere. Of course, the Kabbalah's mathematical techniques, the methods of knowing people, its methods of analysis all come from the prophets. Many subjects in the Kabbalah have been handed down from the prophets. But some people used that for disbelief and corruption and wrongdoing, though that is another issue. Freemasonry is also a corrupted version of a true sect. Freemasonry did not originally appear as a structure meant to support disbelief. It became corrupted over time. For instance, there is the Ahi community, it is reminiscent of freemasonry. Most mystical sects are reminiscent of freemasonry as well. I mean as a method, as a system they strongly resemble it. Freemasonry is a corrupted form of a divine system.
THE INTERPRETER: Now Master, We have read about the Kabbalah in your books. The Sephiroth, the Zohar, various charts, affecting the course of destiny..
ADNAN OKTAR: No, they cannot affect that [destiny].
THE INTERPRETER: Well, that is what they claim. That they have various secret powers and secrets they do not share, these secrets not being ordinary, innocent ones.
ADNAN OKTAR: It is true that they know various future events in the Kabbalah. But the prophets reveal these, and they take information revealed by the prophets. For example, freemasonry knows of the coming of the Mahdi. That exists in their stone inscriptions. The date 2012 even appears. 2012 also appears in Judaic sources, and in Kab.alistic sources. The date 2012 is explicitly set out in Kabbalistic sources. It is mentioned that the Mahdi will appear in Istanbul, it is stated as Rome. It says to seek him at the gates of Rome. Such information appears in the Zohar and the Kabbalah. It comprehensively describes the activities of the Mahdi, that he will prevail across the world. But they have no power to alter destiny. They have the power to shape events. For instance within the history of 3000 -4000 years, they have a 1000-year plan, 100-year plan. They make a plan as to how they can influence the course of history. But we cannot regard that as changing destiny. Indeed Allah makes them instrumental for the occurrences that will happen in the future anyway.
THE INTERPRETER: In the philosophy of the Kabbalah, is there a belief in a single God? Is there a satanic dimension to it?
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course, it has a satanic dimension, because it has been corrupted. But it was not initially like that. It had been corrupted later on and became like this when it subsequently passed into the hands of atheists and the irreligious. For example, there is love and affection and compassion in Islam. But in the hands of extremists, it would be replaced by bloodshed, ignominy, tragedy, suffering and introversion, the elimination social justice, it would be replaced with selfishness and egoism. In that respect, the corruption in the execution of truth is something always seen. For instance Buddhism was at first a true faith. Buddha was a prophet, from what we can tell, but they later corrupted it and turned it into something completely wrong.
THE INTERPRETER: As far as we know, we think that the Kabbalah lies at the root of the philosophy of international Zionism.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes.
THE INTERPRETER: here is also Kabbalistic thinking in that. At the end of the day, they have targets within this ideological framework that are by no means innocent ones. And we think that the Kabbalah represents the infrastructure of this. I am saying what I have drawn from your books.
ADNAN OKTAR: The global leader of the Kabbalists was my guest here recently. How long did they stay?
OKTAR BABUNA: Three or four days.
ADNAN OKTAR: They stayed three or four days and talked with me. They brought me a Torah dating back 100 years or so. As a gift.
THE INTERPRETER: What was the name? He is asking me for a name.
ADNAN OKTAR: What was his name?
OKTAR BABUNA: Yehuda Berg.
ESMAIL HAJ HEYDARI: Yes. Yes.
THE INTERPRETER: He had asked his name.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yehuda Berg, yes. I talked with him and could tell from his language that he will serve the way of the Mahdi. But if you read their philosophy it is very complicated and seems to have nothing to do with Islam. But I saw that within that system they will serve Islam and the way of the Mahdi and are doing so even now. It is child's play for a Muslim to put an end to the service to disbelief and satan. It is very easy, one just has to use one's intelligence and conscience. Disbelief does not have such a great, irresistible force. Allah tells us in a verse that satan has no such power, that he has no power over true and pure believers. He says that he only has power over those who submit to satan. It [the satan] has a compelling power over them. But he has no power to compel Muslims to do anything. I , for instance, am in contact with Yehuda Berg, and there are world-famous Kabbalists, as you know..
THE INTERPRETER: Like Madonna.
ADNAN OKTAR: Sorry?
THE INTERPRETER: Kabbalists like Madonna..
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, yes.. There is a question of our having talks with them. We are thinking of having a meeting in Istanbul. But even if they have other ideas, there is still a project involving serving Istanbul.
THE INTERPRETER: So, I have read this in The New Masonic Order, that they have been involved in many not-so-innocent activities in the course of world history
ADNAN OKTAR: That is true.
THE INTERPRETER: and in many things that have taken place in various countries.
ADNAN OKTAR: That is true.
THE INTERPRETER: I mean, what has changed today so that you say that believers in the Kabbalah philosophy have now come to serve Islam? That is what I am curious about.
ADNAN OKTAR: Bringing them to serve Islam is one thing, and their coming to that state of their own accord is another. I do not say they have just come to that state. They have been brought to it. Insha'Allah. That is very important. For example, just like the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) using the masons in those days, putting them to use, and the satans as well. Didn't he use them? There is an explicit verse about that in the Qur'an. It even says he chained satans together and put them to work. Why should someone who can use satans not also make use of masons? Or Kabbalists? The same method.
THE INTERPRETER: We see that in the Torah, which has been distorted, in the way it is set out in the Talmud, that there is a belief in Jews being a superior race and that other people are of another race referred to as goyim who serve them, and that they[the Jews] will establish a global kingdom. And by that they will rule the world after the coming of the Messiah, the Messiah they are awaiting.
ADNAN OKTAR: A superior nation.
THE INTERPRETER: And from what we can tell, the Kabbalah lies at the basis of these Jewish and Zionist ideas. There is a series of ideas that have come down from ancient Egypt.
ADNAN OKTAR: In the same way, the Jews are strongly opposed to the Kabbalists. They begged me not to talk to them. They asked me not to meet them, saying they were opposed to Judaism and wanted to corrupt their faith. But I talked to them nonetheless. And I see they will be very useful to Islam. We are making them useful. It is all a question of being able to give direction. For instance, satan is normally harmful. But what does the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) do? He uses satans for Islam and the Qur'an, or for whatever the holy book is in those times. That is what is important. A Muslim must believe that all power is with Allah. The Kabbalist is a poor servant of Allah. The Kabbalist has no such power. Whatever is ordained, that is what Allah has decreed in the Lawh-i Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet). Nobody can step outside what is written in Lawh-i Mahfuz, no matter how much they strive, they can never step outside that destiny. For example, the current power on earth is the way of the Mahdi. It is the way of the Mahdi that is reigning. There is the reign of Hazrat Khidr and the Mahdi, and Jesus the Messiah (pbuh). So the Kabbalists can do nothing about that. Hazrat Khidr also used masons. As you know, Hazrat Khidr was himself a master stonemason, and someone who used masons. The masons were at his command, but he was never under the command of the masons. The Prophet Solomon (pbuh) had satans at his command, and masons, but he was never under the command of masons. The whole question is one of having faith. If you are intelligent and have faith they will all be at your command and they will have no effect on you.
THE INTERPRETER: In other words, connected with these masons, the Kabbalah, Freemasonry, and the Knights Templar, at the end of the day, in their activities, we have not seen anything positive in this process that has come down to the present day. If we could talk about that historic process..
ADNAN OKTAR: I am also talking with leading masters from the Knights Templar at the moment. Some of the masters I talk with have become heads of their own lodges.
OKTAR BABUNA: One is the senior head.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes one is the most senior, he has become the most senior leader, the head of all the freemasons. The Templars I have spoken to have also become the leader of all the Templars in the world.
THE INTERPRETER: Well Master, isn't it what we know; once they reach the 33rd degree, a freemason would be bereft of their belief in Allah and become the most senior people serving Zionist ideology..
ADNAN OKTAR: One degree of freemasonry talks about Islam.
THE INTERPRETER: Okay, it is generally agreed that they have belief in the beginning, at the outset, this is actually what they want in the first steps. But as they rise in rank, and as I've said we have learned this from your books and I am now asking you questions with what I have learnt from you. I mean various things gradually become left behind as the process develops, as the rank among them increases. And when they come to the highest rank, the 33rd degree, we think that they become people who adopt a totally different belief, people who have fixed on their own various satanic aims. And this is what we have read.
ADNAN OKTAR: That is true, that is how it has been this far. But things have now changed. The latest position is highly significant. For example, the Templars I have spoken to, believe in reincarnation, so they are open to all faiths, Christianity, Judaism, Islam. I mean they believe that they hold a belief over all faiths But when the matter is discussed and explained properly, they become convinced that Islam is the true faith. And that happened. They have performed their prayers together in the Haghia Sofia Mosque.
OKTAR BABUNA: Yes, in the small Haghia Sofia Mosque.
ADNAN OKTAR: We have videotaped their performing prayers. They have prayed in public, in front of everyone's eyes and they speak with joy of Allah and the Qur'an. They all read the Qur'an day and night. In other words, education is highly important. As if the polytheists of Mecca in the time of our Prophet (saas) were more deficient than the masons. They were at least as bad. I mean, there is no difference between a Buddhist and a mason, or a polytheist and a pagan. There is no major difference. Their common characteristic is lack of belief. But that lack of belief can be put right if they are told honestly and rationally about the miracles of our Prophet (saas) and the miracles of the Qur'an. For example, the current worldwide leader of all the Templars is a huge admirer of Islam. They spoke here, and even wondered among themselves what their families would do if they were to announce their acceptance of Islam. They will be coming back in the days ahead. We were the first people in the history of the world to talk about the Qur'an in masonic lodges. We spoke about Allah and the Qur'an and the invalidity of Darwinism. We entered the grand lodge in America, where nobody else had ever been. Somewhere that nobody can go to. We entered units in the U.S. Army that nobody had ever been allowed into and told the officers there how the Qur'an is the truth. How Islam is the true faith and of the invalidity of Darwinism..
OKTAR BABUNA: Even on an air base, in San Antonio, Texas ..
ADNAN OKTAR: On air base, they gave me a medal on the air base. The whole thing is a question of approach. I treat everyone with affection, whether they be Jewish, Christian, atheist or whatever, and I am sure in my faith. I know I will have an impact. See how Darwinists flee at the sight of me! They bring forth these poor beings. They had brought forth one poor fellow today on Beyaz TV. He had already lost hands down and had no idea about Darwinism. What virtue is that? I mean, one can stand up and say one will deal with a cat, I mean that is just a cat and anyone can deal with it. But if one cannot stand up and say he will deal with a lion. And we are that lion in their eyes. They are unable to stand up to us. We will tear them apart in a moment, they would simply become disintegrated. So they produce ignorant people and say look how we have been unable to argue against Darwinists. But bring forth the lion against then and then see who defeats whom. Yes..
THE INTERPRETER: In that case, let us discuss the historic process. Instead of today.
ADNAN OKTAR: Look, the final stage that freemasonry will now come to is to bind itself to the Mahdi. They have been awaiting Adonai for thousands of years; the leader of the masons, Adon. They say that Adon will return within the historic process. Since it will be finished with the Adon, in other words, Adonia. They call him both Adon and Adonai. Freemasonry is coming to an end. In other words with the appearance of Mahdi, freemasonry will come to an end. That is the important thing. It will disappear in history. When I speak with masons, they regard Jesus the Messiah as a grand master. In other words, according to their beliefs, he is a very, very senior ranking mason. They also believe that Jesus the Messiah will return, and in the coming of the Mahdi. They regard the Mahdi too as one of their grand masters. They do not say that they will not follow the Mahdi..
THE INTERPRETER: Then let me phrase it this way Master; there is a group that has survived for thousands of years, that has managed to conceal itself very successfully in European and different countries of the world, that is highly organized against those forces that would oppose it, so what has happened today that they left behind all that process of thousand years and start a process serving Islam? Could you explain that a bit more Master?
ADNAN OKTAR: Now, let us go back to the time of the Prophet Moses (pbuh). What was needed for the Prophet Moses (pbuh) to appear? What did the prophet need in order to become the Prophet Moses (pbuh)? There is the need for the Pharaoh. And Pharaoh cannot come about directly. Various people need to produce Pharaoh, organize the process. In other words, there have to be people who will place him on the stage of history and provide support. Let me say just that, and you understand the rest. For example, there has to be a power such as Nimrod opposed to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) in order for the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) to appear. Nimrod was a mason. Go to the ruins of Nimrod and it is full of masonic symbols. Nimrod was a master mason. But the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) overcame him. All the pharaohs were master masons. The whole system was one based on serving freemasonry. But they were vanquished in the face of the Prophet Moses (pbuh).
THE INTERPRETER: The freemasonry we are familiar with began with the master Hiram, with the Temple of Solomon, during the construction of that. That is how we read so far. In terms of the forms of organization, the master Hiram established a special team of nine people. After the death of Hiram they took an oath and spread across the world, they dedicated themselves to preserving this thing of Hiram's until the end of the world.
ADNAN OKTAR: According to masonic sources, they also regard freemasonry as going back to the time of the Prophet Adam (pbuh). Freemasonry is very ancient.
THE INTERPRETER: At the end of the day, freemasonry is about a master stone mason, isn't it?
ADNAN OKTAR: A master stone mason.
THE INTERPRETER: This is a process that began with the master Hiram building the Temple of Solomon. That is what we have always read, which is why I am asking.
ADNAN OKTAR: That is an erroneous information. That is the official account. The unofficial account is much, much older. Look, I am speaking of the time of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). Freemasonry was in existence at the time of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).. It was around in ancient Sumerian times. There are those photographs of the stone reliefs, have them send those to me. There is a bearded figure in masonic garb. A stone relief. That is something people are unaware of. That is very old. It dates back some 3000 years. Bring it here so I can see it.
Yes, for instance the Zohar, the essential work of Kabbalah, the esoteric interpretation of Judaism. Look, the Zohar says "for the descent of Jacob" in other words descent of Israel; and the Mahdi will be from the line of Israel. In other words, he is descended from the Prophet David (pbuh). "It cites the Judaic year 5760 as the beginning of salvation. That corresponds to the time between 11 September 1999 and 29 September 2000." Some Jews think of 1999 as the time of global reign. A large meeting was held on the subject in Istanbul. I had better not say in which district. It was held on the day of the great Istanbul earthquake. By that, that meeting was cancelled on that day; I mean there were a lot of people who were supposed to attend to that meeting.. They would all remember it now that we mention it. "The coming of the King Messiah", the Mahdi, "began in the Judaic year 5766, Rosh Hoshana, or 3 October 2005. That refers to 2005-2006. The Judaic year when the King Messiah will spur the whole world into action is given as 5773, and that refers to the years 2012-2013." I mean this year is the year that great things will happen.
THE INTERPRETER: Master, the Messiah awaited by the Jews, is he not a Messiah from the Jewish line of descent?
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course, he will be from the line of the Prophet David (pbuh). Hazrat Ali (ra) is also descended from the line of the Prophet David. All prophets are, our Prophet (saas) is also descended from the prophets. He is from the line of the Prophet Abraham (pbuh).
THE INTERPRETER: At the end of the day, since our Prophet (saas) was not a Jew, since he was not from a Jewish line of descent, they did not regard him as a prophet. They opposed him. The same with the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Because they were expecting a prophet from their own line. They rejected the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) when he appeared, and they rejected the Prophet Mohammed (saas) as well.
ADNAN OKTAR: They have a tradition of martyring prophets. That is what they do..
INTERPRETER: They are expecting a Messiah of Jewish origins. That is something they have in common with the evangelicals. They are also awaiting such a Messiah.
ADNAN OKTAR: True, from the line of Abraham.
INTERPRETER: We all know that a number of things have to happen in order to speed up the coming of the Messiah. In particular, there has to be severe disorder in the Middle East and wars have to break out. The Zionist structure in Israel and the evangelicals in America are working together on this.
ADNAN OKTAR: And we are striving to stop this war. America would normally be considering an operation against Iran. Notice how America has surrounded Iran with air bases. U.S. air forces has surrounded Iran like a noose. They are ready for that, there is not an unprepared structure there. Consequently an attack from Israel would simultaneously be supported by an American attack. This is a very grave risk. We have for long been striving to prevent this. I concentrate on it because it is so important. I will be receiving guests in the next few days and we will be discussing it with them as well.
INTERPRETER: That is what underlies their belief. I mean eventually this is a matter of belief and these people have faith in it and there is a group trying to bring it about..
ADNAN OKTAR: But look, I have just said something, you may have missed it. Hazrat Ali is also descended from the Prophet David (pbuh). And the line of the Prophet David (pbuh) means the line of Israel; the line of Jacob (pbuh). The Mahdi (pbuh) is from the same line, he is from the line of the Prophet David (pbuh). Since he is descended from Hazrat Ali(ra), he will also be descended from the Prophet David (pbuh). The community of the Mahdi in the End Times is the people of Israel mentioned in the Torah. That is the community described as establishing a global reign, as a superior and chosen people. The believers are the ones known as the People of Israel. Those who truly believe in the Qur'an as is due, those who have true faith and who are joyously devoted to Allah. Otherwise it is not in the sense of a genetic race. We can see this from careful examination of the Torah.
INTERPRETER: Alright Master, let us go through the historical process. There are some questions that our friends have and they will use the answers of those questions in their documentary. We began at the foundations of freemasonry. Let us continue with the Knights of the Temple. They came to Jerusalem, and let us say in the area of the Temple of Solomon, they saw various things while they were stationed there. There are various rumors about this. Some say they found the treasure of the Prophet Solomon. Some say they saw some symbols and some things left over from the Master Hiram, some secret knowledge from that time...
ADNAN OKTAR: That is true, they have.
INTERPRETER: They saw Kabbalistic secrets and things like that and underwent a sudden change. Could you enlarge on that process, Master? What have they seen there? What happened? What changed and these people suddenly steered at a different direction?
ADNAN OKTAR: The Knights Templars do genuinely possess some sacred relics. We know they found some sacred relics. As a matter of fact, that is what their job is. This is one of their main duties. To preserve and conceal holy relics, things that have come down from ancient times, important documents. I mean, the Knights of the Temple would not take them and put them in a museum. They would hide them specially. They have documents and knowledge from the time of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh). I mean they tell me those when I speak with them. Some relics and documents that would completely stun people are still being found by them. They are still continuing with their investigations.
INTERPRETER: That is because we think they are still carrying out excavations; they are still researching and investigating.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, they are looking for the Ark of the Covenant, that is the reason. It is the Mahdi (pbuh) who will discover the Ark of the Covenant. That appears in the hadiths, as you know. It is mentioned in the hadiths that he will find part of holy relics in Lake Tiberias and some in the mountains of Sham, and some in Hayat and Iskenderun. That is the hadith of our Prophet (saas). With the finding of the Ark of the Covenant, freemasonry will be completely bound to the Mahdi. The hadiths say that a great many Jews will come to believe. The masons believe that the world leader will appear from Istanbul. That is what their own reference sources say. Sources dating back 1000 years or so.
OKTAR BABUNA: You mentioned the Mayan priests.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, look at this statue here. Put it here, come a bit closer. Does our friend take this now? Is the view clear there?
CAMERAMAN: It can be a bit closer.
ADNAN OKTAR: Okay.. Look, this is a document left over from Mayan times, a statue and inscription. Look, what he wears here is a masonic apron. That is the eye the masons use. Notice that this person has a beard. But the Mayans do not grow beards. The Mayans have no beards as a racial feature. They claim that this is a statue of the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) they believe will come in the End Times. He has a skull cap of the kind used by the Sufis, I mean something like a turban. Look, there is the bear and the masonic eye. And the masonic apron, he wears a masonic apron. And there are masonic gloves on the hands. I am saying this to stress that freemasonry is very old indeed.
Look, these inscriptions say that this movement will start in 2012, that a single person will reign across the world.
OKTAR BABUNA: These are found in the Mayan ruins of Coba.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes. There are also pictures of the masonic square and compasses. Yes.. That is the tablet. On it, the date is explicitly given as 2012. They describe the Mahdi we speak of in the hadiths in a more roundabout way. They say he will enjoy a global reign. One person will reign over the world.
They expect a highly wise and blessed individual. "The stone speaks of a cycle beginning on 11 August 3114, BC and that will end on 21 December 2012. This information about 2012 was found around Nohoch Mul, the second highest of all the Mayan pyramids in Mexico. According to the Mayan calendar, 21 December 2012 is expressed as 13 Baktun, 0 Katun, 0 Tun, 0 Uinal and 0 Kin. Again according to that calendar, 1,872,000 days will go by from the beginning of the Mayan age, and that date indicates the dawning of a New Age. In these inscriptions, with the end of the Long Mayan cycle, Mayan priests speak of an end of an age of persecution and violence, the persecution and violence of the way of the dajjal, in other words. And it says this will indicate the beginning of a new "Golden Age" that will follow." It refers to the Golden Age. What is the way of the Mahdi we have been talking about for years? The Golden Age. We say that the dajjal will appear first, and then the Mahdi. They describe them both, too. "In other words, they believe that this year, the year 2012, represents the beginning of the transition to the Golden Age." The masons also believe that.
INTERPRETER: Our friend has a question about 2012. He is asking about the first corrupt movements appearing in 2012 and some people doing something about it.
ADNAN OKTAR: This is the way of the Mahdi taking the offensive against the way of the anti-christ. The only thing we are worried about is widespread sudden bombing of Iran by Israel and America. There is a risk of that. And in the event of such an attack, Iran's attack, in a state of panic and as a reflex defense action, to that radar base in Malatya in Turkey is also a matter of discussion. That is because attacks against foreign countries can now be picked up from Malatya. The radar system has been set up. But if there is an attack on Iran, they may attack those facilities in Malatya, out of panic, as a sudden reflex. Then Turkey may attempt to defend itself. And that could lead to grave disorder, may Allah forbid. That is why I am constantly talking to Jews and rabbis and leading figures. This is the question they are always asking me. They even gave an example. They say, we have a neighbor. He says he is going to commit murder, to kill someone. He says he is armed, that he bought weapons and buried them. But when the mood takes me, I will dig them up and kill you they say. They say, that is the position we are in. Now what should we do? I said Iran would not do such a thing. She would beware of that. I said such a thing is out of the question. But they are in a constant state of tension because of it. Iran's worst mistake is their belief in the invisible Mahdi. And our Shia brothers' worst mistake is this belief in the invisible Mahdi. Even if he were invisible but compassionate, then this would still be acceptable, but even in the Sunni belief there is also the idea that the Mahdi will kill three-quarters of the world, that he will shed rivers of blood, that there will be blood up to the horses' necks. This really alarms the Jews. It also alarms the evangelicals. And according to their biblical beliefs this had prepared the ground for an attack. But there will be no bloodshed in the way of the Mahdi. The sleeping man will not be woken up. People need to be told this. Iran needs to emphasize it very well. It is very important to speak of a visible Mahdi, not an invisible one. Sunni belief refers to a visible Mahdi who will appear, born to a mother and a father. He will be very loving and compassionate. He will not waken the sleeper, nor shed blood and will not even permit people's noses to bleed. He will bring about complete global peace. But apart from that, danger is at the gate.
INTERPRETER: Zionist ideology owes its own existence to the idea of the promised land.
ADNAN OKTAR: True.
INTERPRETER: And it wants to achieve this. It has numerous objectives, such as the reconstruction of the Temple of Solomon, the Jews' all coming together in Israel and Jerusalem being declared as the capital city. This is the basic belief of such an objective. How can there be a common foundation with such aims? This lies at the root of these people's belief.
ADNAN OKTAR: I asked them about this. I have talked to them about this. I asked if the state is supreme, or the King Messiah. I asked; "Do you think that the Israeli state would be superior than the King Messiah?" They said, "no, for us the King Messiah is the state personified." Also according to us the Mahdi is the King Messiah. They [Jews] also said that the person you call the Mahdi is who we know as the King Messiah. When the Mahdi appears, Israel will be completely liberated. The Mahdi will govern them with the Torah. There is a hadith of our Prophet (saas) about that. And there will be a time of great ease for them. The walls will be torn down. They will spread all over those promised lands. They will live in peace and comfort. The Mahdi will guarantee their security. They will follow the Mahdi. So the promise in the Torah will be made good. They have no doubt about that. But they want it to happen at once; that is all. They are very worried by this belief in the invisible Mahdi. They believe in the coming of a visible, recognized Mahdi, a loving Mahdi, the King Messiah. They established the Sanhedrin assembly, as you know. That happened for the first time in thousands of years. That is a sign of the coming of the Mahdi. They will ask the Sanhedrin assembly whether they recognize the Mahdi.
INTERPRETER: So under these circumstances, Judaism will get into a conflict with 1000 years of their belief.
ADNAN OKTAR: 3000 years.
INTERPRETER: Let's say thousands of years, this is in conflict with their traditional belief. I mean this will be the exact opposite of their beliefs.
ADNAN OKTAR: It is in perfect agreement with their belief. They will go along with true belief and abandon the false.
INTERPRETER: For us there is only one truth: Islam and the Qur'an. So you mean that everyone will go down that road and follow Islam and th e Qur'an.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, they will become Mohammedan Jews, while we are direct Mohammedans. Christians will be Mohammedan Christians. That is the whole matter. We will not turn them away from the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), they will love him even more. We will not turn them away from Moses (pbuh), they will love him even more. We will not turn them away from the Torah. We will ensure they are even more devoted to the Torah, the true Torah.
INTERPRETER: Also in the Ahl-al Sunnah belief, the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and that a Golden Age will be experienced, is a fact certified with the hadiths. We know this and accept this and then insha'Allah, Muslims will reign across the world. But when we look at contemporary global politics, international Zionism is really working very well. With its various branches, they dominate the global economy; they dominate science and various other sectors. They dominate politics and are working hard for their own interests. Is the thing you have in mind possible in the near future Master? As I say, they are working really hard for their own ambitions.
ADNAN OKTAR: They are working, but Israel, the state of Israel, is not as powerful as people think.
INTERPRETER: One must not regard Israel as being Israel alone. As I have already said, Israel is international. America is also Israel.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, that is true, yes, the Jews there [in U.S.] are wealthy and stronger. But that is how Allah has ordained history. They also have to go along with the course of history. The whole issue, the key problem here is, the reason why there is no Islamic Union now is, the reason of the delay in the coming of the Mahdi is Iran's belief in this invisible Mahdi. When that is done away with, when they hold the same views as Sunnis, when they believe in a visible Mahdi, Israel will have no more objection.
Notice how this statue has masons' gloves, a masonic apron, compasses, a masonic scarf and a beard.
INTERPRETER: He is asking about secret Jews and the conversos.
ADNAN OKTAR: Secret Jews.
INTERPRETER: Crypto-Jews and conversos, Sabbateanists...
ADNAN OKTAR: Actually, to say the truth, I mean if we are to state the fact honestly there is no such organization. I mean there are Jews by race, and they watch out for and protect one another; but there is no such belief, no such religious organization [as crypto-Jews]. If there were, they could not hide from our enquiries and those of the state. It would definitely be seen. Because we enter their meeting and their homes and everywhere. We have all kinds of means. They have no such belief system. There may have been an organization set up by admirers of Sabbatai Zevi at the beginning, in Ottoman times, but that gradually faded away. It failed to survive as a powerful tradition. But Judaism survives because it is based on the Torah, and that will continue to do so. They will follow the true Torah in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) as well. Our Prophet (saas) states this explicitly in the hadiths. He says that his descendant, the Mahdi, will govern Jews with the original of the Torah and Christians with the original of the Injil. But a visible Mahdi, not an invisible one. A Mahdi born to a mother and a father.
INTERPRETER: Yes, let me continue with our friend's questions. What happened to the Knights Templar when they went to Europe and fell out with the administrations there? They were suddenly banned and forced to go underground.
ADNAN OKTAR: There is a bigotry in Christianity. Christian bigotry is well known. Someone is either a Catholic or nothing, they would take the light out of their days. It was the same with Protestant. One is either a Protestant, or nothing. Their bigotry was very harsh. And what is more, they do not listen to Muslims or Buddhists. They were very harsh toward everyone. So they treated the masons very harshly as well. They also treated the Knights Templar very harshly. So these went underground. There is nothing surprising about that. But they can act much easier now, since there is liberty and democracy. That is the whole issue.
INTERPRETER: We have read many different things from your books, that is why. We have read things that are by no means innocent. That is why I am asking these things.
ADNAN OKTAR: Everything I am saying here is true. The Knights Templar may have done very wrong things in their time. I do not deny that. The masons also did very wrong things in their day. They had meetings where they summon satan and the djinn; they did very perverse things. But their satanic powers have been broken now, in this last period of time, in the time of the Mahdi. This is very important. Their satanic aspects have been broken. This is now the age when satan has been placed in chains. Like the time of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh). Our Prophet (saas) tells us that his descendant, the Mahdi, will rule the world as it was in the time of Dhu'lQarnayn and Solomon (pbuh). There will also be Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzar. Our Prophet (saas) says that five people will rule the world. He says there are kafir [unbelievers] and these are Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzar. While the believers are Solomon and Dhu'lQarnayn (pbuh), he says. He says the fifth person to reign is the Mahdi, one of his descendants. We are now in that time.
INTERPRETER: Alright Master, again in Europe, during the Renaissance and the Reformation; for example, the establishment of the Protestant Church -those people who subscribed to Cabbalist philosophy, for instance Erasmus, and the people influenced by them such as Martin Luther, and the Protestant sect that emerged and was reconciled with Judaism, these people who emerged from inside Christianity.. Could you tell us something about that process?
ADNAN OKTAR: Protestants are by no means welcomed to the Jews; because Protestants represent the greatest threat to them. The Protestants say that all Jews will die, with the exception of 120,000 of them. This is, of course, terrifying for the Jews. Why should a Jew advocate such a system? I mean, 120,000 Jews out of millions is a tiny number. The Protestants say they will all be slaughtered apart from 120,000. And they say they will do that themselves. They say they will first collect them all in Israel, as if to make things easier. Then Jesus the Messiah will come, they say, and slaughter them all. Who they are really awaiting for is the dajjal (anti-christ), because what is the guilt of these millions of Jews who are totally inoffensive. On the contrary, by means of the Mahdi the Jews will come to have faith in the End Times and will become Muslims. There is a hadith about that. A great many will come to faith. We trust the hadiths of our Prophet (saas), and we act accordingly. That is enough for this section of the documentary. Let this be enough for today. Then we can carry on later. Insha'Allah.2012-04-26 01:04:53


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At the Center for Investigative Reporting, Aaron Glantz dug deep into the widespread recordkeeping errors and lapses that are bedeviling the VA's disability claims system and making it difficult for veterans of Vietnam, the Gulf wars, and the war in Afghanistan to prove they were in combat, exposed to harmful substances, or even injured. A few days later, ProPublica and The Seattle Times published a similar investigation, which focuses most on more recent conflicts.
According to Glantz, "A Center for Investigative Reporting review of the VA's performance data reveals chronic errors – committed in up to 1 in 3 cases – and an emphasis on speed over accuracy that clogs the VA system with appeals, increasing delays for all veterans."
A few more numbers from Glantz's work:
- "The VA acknowledges it makes mistakes on 14 percent of disability claims."
- "A CIR analysis of 18 audits published this year by the VA's inspector general shows the problem could be much worse, especially in high-profile cases. The analysis found a 38 percent average error rate for claims involving disabilities like traumatic brain injury and illnesses linked to the Vietnam-era defoliant Agent Orange."
- One internal VA document … shows that during the first three months of 2008 … the agency failed to perform its duty to assist in nearly 11,000 cases.
Likewise, the Seattle Times/ProPublica reporters write that military historians found that "at least 15 brigades serving in Iraq at various times from 2003 to 2008 had no records on hand. The same was true for at least five brigades deployed to Afghanistan."
Records were so scarce for 62 more units that served in Iraq and 10 in Afghanistan that they were written up as "some records, but not enough to write an adequate Army history." This group included most of the units deployed during the first four years of the Afghanistan war.


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Nate and I were getting ready to go out on a date, thanks to our friends to offered to babysit for us. We have been trying to "date" more regularly now because, well, it's good for us. When you have little kids, it's really hard to find time for yourself let alone with your spouse. It feels good to take time out to shave, dress up and apply makeup or perfume once in a while.
I was sitting on the edge of our bed putting my earrings on. I had just finished most of my hair, makeup and put on some new scented moisturizer. I was feeling pretty decent about the outfit I had picked out.
Lucian was standing in the doorway staring at me. Sometimes he stares off into space like we all do, but this time he was watching me intently.
I looked over at him after a little while and he said to me,
"Mommy, I'm staring at your because you look so beautiful! And you smell so gooooood!"
Doesn't that just make you melt? I told him thank you very much and that his compliment made me feel so good.
He truly is the little boy of my dreams.
Then, Keagan barged into the room and proceeded to claw at my top and demanded to be nursed. That child has not met any cleavage he didn't like! Ah well, he won't always be a boobie boy — someday he'll wean and I'll miss it or he'll chase other girls around! I suppose I'm doing them a favor? ;)
I love to be needed and I love to be loved.
A few other little things of note from Lucian are some words he's made up that I think are just too cute.
(1) He calls hand sanitizer "hanitizer." Makes sense to me!
(2) I asked Lucian to get a pizza out of the upright freezer out back (yes, we keep our freezer, washing machine and dryer outside of the home here in the desert where those things just heat up the house unnecessarily!)
When he came back in, he said,
"Mommy, I brought the pizza in from the freezerator."
Freezerator — get it? Freezer that looks like a refrigerator = Freezerator.
Yep, that's my Lucian!


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Co-development agreement between Bosch and Daimler seeks to bring introduction of fully automated and driverless driving by the beginning of the next decade. Objective is to develop and launch a production-ready system for driverless car sharing on urban public roads.
STUTTGART, Germany and SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Bosch and Daimler are joining forces to advance the development of fully automated and driverless driving. The two companies have entered into a development agreement to bring fully automated (SAE Level 4) and driverless (SAE Level 5) driving to urban roads by the beginning of the next decade. The objective is to develop software and algorithms for an autonomous driving system. The project combines the total vehicle expertise of the world's leading premium manufacturer with the system and hardware expertise of the world's biggest supplier. The ensuing synergies should ensure the earliest possible series introduction of the secure technology.
The car comes to the Driver
By introducing fully automated and driverless driving to the urban environment, Bosch and Daimler aim to improve the flow of traffic in cities, enhance safety on the road and provide an important building block for the way traffic will work in the future. The technology will, among other things, boost the attraction of car sharing. It will allow people to make the best possible use of their time in the vehicle and open up new mobility opportunities for people without a driver's license, for example. The prime objective of the project is to achieve the production-ready development of a driving system which will allow cars to drive fully autonomously in the city. The idea behind it is that the vehicle should come to the driver rather than the other way round. Within a specified urban area, commuters will be able to order an automated shared car via their smartphone. The vehicle will then make its way autonomously to the user and the onward journey can commence.
SOURCE Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, Inc.
Read Daimler to Supply Self-driving Mercedes-Benz Vehicles on Uber's Network
Read Daimler's Car-sharing car2go 2016 Data at a Glance
Read Daimler's semi-autonomous bus—called the Mercedes-Benz Future Bus
Read Singapore Autonomous Vehicle Initiative