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White people think the American Dream is least achievable
|Currently living the American Dream
|Not living the Dream, but believe they can
|Not living the Dream, and don't believe they can
The stock market is great at destroying capital and jobs (marketwatch.com). But wait, is the stock market supposed to create jobs? Well, yes, actually. The purpose of a stock market is to give corporations access to capital. Companies are then supposed to use the capital to grow the business. Ultimately that should mean more jobs, yes? That's not what's going on. Capital creates very few jobs in this economy. (Read the article.) And most public corporations are slowly taking themselves private with stock buybacks. (Apple will be private in about 20 years at the current rate.)
This data point explains (in part) the conundrum of the global economy (businessinsider.com). Business Insider is the Shakespeare monkey of journalism, producing gibberish most of the time, but occasionally (by accident) publishing something interesting, in this case a quotation from a McKinsey paper:
In 1990, the top three automakers in Detroit had among them nominal revenues of $250 billion, a market capitalization of $36 billion, and 1.2 million employees. The top three companies in Silicon Valley in 2014 had nominal revenues of $247 billion, a market capitalization of over $1 trillion, and only 137,000 employees.Again: Capital is no longer coupled to job creation, except in an incidental way.
First-ever wheelchair Lego https://t.co/Ab5QmLZvGJ Note service dog at far right! pic.twitter.com/tTmTrb568k
— Kas Thomas (@kasthomas) January 27, 2016
Have we, in fact, reached "peak stuff"? (newscientist.com). This meme is worth oh-so-many blogs. Because fundamentally, it's true: The market for "stuff" is finite, and those of us in the advertising-dominated adhocracies of the world reached peak ability to consume a long time ago (IMHO). Speaking for myself, we wrote about this idea enthusiastically (and prematurely) 40 years ago at The Mother Earth News (where I got my first "real job"). I do think the IKEA guy is right: Mindless consumption has peaked, in the developed economies, at least, and is now cycling down. If you live in an OECD country, chances are, you're buying less meat than ever before, less gasoline, less sugar, fewer burgers, fewer cars, oh hell . . . fewer ironing boards, fewer shirts, less dry cleaning. For crying out loud we've REACHED PEAK COAT HANGER! Steel, concrete, oil, sugar, Happy Meals, inkjet cartridges, "printer paper," aluminum foil, bath towels, ketchup, dishwashing detergent, vinegar, light bulbs, post cards, for God's sake man, is there anything we haven't reached peak consumption of? I could go on. And maybe I will, in future blogs. In the meantime? Immerse yourself in "peak stuff" articles. This meme is immensely important. And congrats for reading up on it, because no professional economist seems to "get it" yet. You're way out front!
It May Be Better If You Don't Read This Story on Public WiFi (medium.com). Hack the right people at Starbucks and you gain access to who-knows-how-many-systems.
Pentagon to take over control of background investigation information (WaPo). I feel so reassured now.
Deutsche CEO predicts cash will be gone in a decade (reuters.com). Just like vinyl records are going away, right?
Climate Change Is Taking A Toll On Farmers' Mental Health (thinkprogress.org). Not a rigorous, statistically reliable study. But still.
Unequal Risk (publicintegrity.org). "Workers in America face risks from toxic exposures that would be considered unacceptable outside the job — and in many cases are perfectly legal." A remarkable series of articles. Among the stories:
'Samsung is to blame' for cancers (publicintegrity.org). Also see:
|Breast cancer victim Carol Bristow worked as a machine
operator in a plastic auto parts factory in Windsor,
Ontario, for 23 years.
6 Prescription Drugs That Aren't as Safe as the Government Claims (alternet.org). Actually, 5 drug categories, plus one actual drug that isn't sold any more (Vioxx).
Who Poisoned Flint, Michigan? (rollingstone.com). The single best long-form backgrounder on the subject so far, IMHO.
The EPA's Silent, Guilty Role in the Flint Water Crisis (newrepublic.com). Who needs an Environmental Protection Agency if this is the best they can do?
And in case you missed it:
Flint's Legionella Outbreak: Yes, It's the Water (blogorrhea).
What If Instagram Used The Blockchain? (cointelegraph.com). It's still all a bit fuzzy, but the virtue of this article is that it does, in fact, give some real-world case studies of businesses that are using blockchain tech in unique ways. One gets the feeling that Digital Rights Management will end up creating a useful use-case for blockchain.
Suicidality and aggression during antidepressant treatment: systematic review and meta-analyses based on clinical study reports (BMJ). This is a hugely damning, highly significant meta-analysis of antidepressant studies, basically showing a clear pattern of fraudulent science in antidepressant clinical trials going back decades. I can't do it justice here. Read it all the way through. It's devastating.
Thanks for visiting. Be sure to check out prior weeks' Water Coolers (see links at right).
Many, many thanks to the fine folks who retweeted me recently on "the Twitter:
Buy my books (or click to find out more, at least):


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Hepco & Becker Rear Sportrack '18-'21 Yamaha MT-07
The Sport Rack is an innovative luggage solution for sport bikes. The Sport Rack is used in place of the passenger seat and is secured using the motorcycle's seat lock. This rack uses the same factory fasteners that lock the rear seat to the bike allowing you to remove the rack just as quickly as the rear passenger seat. Sport racks are made of black anodized aluminum with slots for straps. An enlargement rack is an available extra that has an increased width to fit large soft luggage.
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subset: commoncrawl


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More than just hotels
Apartments, cabins, holiday rentals and more, plus millions of reviews from Aussie & Kiwi travellers
Relax with our Price Promise
Find a lower price on a hotel or package online, before your stay, and we'll refund the difference^
Sidling right up against the South Australian border in outback New South Wales, Broken Hill is pretty popular for such a remote little town. With a thriving arts community, mining heritage and in a perfect spot to get out and explore the outback, Broken Hill will whisk you away from the cities and beaches and give you a true-blue Aussie experience. Book your Broken Hill accommodation with us below.
An absolute must in Broken Hill is to explore the Living Desert Sanctuary, which has two unique sides to it. Wind your way along the cultural trail through 180 hectares of flora and fauna displays, past story pole artworks and other attractions created to give you an insight into local Aboriginal culture. Take the trail through the Sculptures in the Desert, a set of beautiful sandstone sculptures set against the stark rural landscape at the top of the majestic Sundown Hill. Created by artists from around the world, this is one gorgeous and unique outdoor gallery.
Broken Hill is renowned for its arts, and in town there are more than 30 galleries showcasing works by local and visiting artists spanning a diverse range of artistic styles. From painting and photography to sculpture and basket weaving, art enthusiasts will love Broken Hill. Check out Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, the Artists Gallery, and the works of renowned Australian artist Pro Hart at the Pro Hart Gallery. And that's just for starters!
If you'd rather admire buildings than paintings, you'll love the Broken Hill Heritage Trail, a two hour sign-posted walking tour. Broken Hill is home to many gorgeous and grand heritage buildings, including the Post Office, the former St Josephs Convent and the Trades Hall, which are also listed on the State Heritage Register. Wandering through town like this is the best way to really absorb the character of Broken Hill, and meet a few locals too! To top it off in true outback style, pull up a stool in one of the heritage pubs for a cold one.
To truly understand the rural landscape, you just need a take a short drive out of town to feel the remote reality of this unique destination. Make sure you also check out the Mundi Mundi Plains lookout, where from the top of the hill, the flat lands go on and never seem to end. Come at dusk and make it a romantic picnic – the colours in the sky will amaze you! Or, for a different kind of view, take a scenic flight, an outback cycling tour, or a 4WD safari adventure. Broken Hill is the best place to experience the Aussie outback because it's literally in the centre of the Australian desert.
Broken Hill is an outback town that you'll never forget. Just over three hours north of Mildura and nine hours from Melbourne, the road trip there is half the fun! Come and explore the thriving local arts scene, the heritage of the town itself, and the Aussie outback in its backyard. Wot's the hold up? Book your Broken Hill hotel now and get planning!
Hotels in Broken Hill start at AU$103 per night. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
|55 hotels
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|Comfort Inn Crystal, Silver Haven Motor Inn, Royal Exchange Hotel, Broken Hill Tourist Park, Desert Sand Motor Inn, Hilltop Motel, Broken Hill Outback View Holiday Park, Broken Hill Outback Resort, The Astra Hotel


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- Home
- Government
- Departments A - K
- Emergency Management
- Individuals
- Make A Plan
- Emergency Preparedness Kit
Emergency Preparedness Kit
Do you have an Emergency Preparedness Kit? A basic emergency kit for your home is important to have should disaster strike. Living in Blaine County, it is also helpful to have an emergency kit for your automobile. This page will help you put a kit together now. If you already have one, check and restock it, if needed.
Do you have a Personal Emergency Plan? If not, put one together now. Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes, so it is important to think about various situations and plan just in case. Check out our plan page. View in spanish.
Why Build A Kit
An emergency preparedness kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency. Try to assemble your kit well in advance of an emergency. You may have to evacuate at a moment's notice and take essentials with you. You will probably not have time to search for the supplies you need or shop for them.
You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least 72 hours. However, because Blaine County is located in a rural part of the country, it would be prudent to have at least 5 days of these supplies on hand. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours or it might take days.
Additionally, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment and telephones may be cut off for days or even a week, or longer. Your supplies kit should contain items to help you manage during these outages.
Basic Emergency Preparedness Kit
A basic emergency kit could include the following recommended items:
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
- Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
- Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- First aid kit
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food (five day supply recommended for Blaine County)
- Local maps
- Manual can opener for food
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation (five day supply recommended for Blaine County)
- Whistle to signal for help
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
View the Recommended Supplies List (PDF).
Additional Emergency Supplies
Once you have gathered the supplies for a basic emergency kit, you may want to consider adding the following items:
- Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
- Cash or traveler's checks and change, as machines which use credit and debit cards (gas stations, stores, ATMs) may not be operational.
- Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing for cold-weather climate.
- Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or free information from this website. (View Publications)
- Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
- Fire extinguisher
- Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper - When diluted, nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit - EFFAK developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
- Infant formula and diapers
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
- Paper and pencil
- Pet food and extra water for your pet
- Prescription medications and glasses
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding for cold-weather climate.


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From an integration perspective, we have extensive experience in developing and deploying interfaces between our CRM and other systems that hold customer data such as customer masters, accounts and holdings, etc. By providing cutting-edge tools and techniques equipping you to integrate all of your applications and data into a single view of the customer, we can successfully support your software usability goals.
Our Portal Server:
In addition, our Portal Server, which is used to build the integrated desktop, provides the framework and services that manage the layout of the portlets and orchestrates the communication between portlets. It can integrate with any number of systems and third-party applications to deliver appropriate information and functionality to each role in your firm, whether front, middle, or back-office.
What sets us apart from our competitors is our data integration capabilities, which allows you to understand your customers at a deeper level. We bring the data into the model via analytics, machine learning and cross-domain searches – this is the business advantage we bring to the table.
Our flexible integration and persistence capabilities allow you to access customer, account, and company data at source.
We provide you the ability to make direct API calls to external systems and support a variety of channel types and message formats to access our Intelligent Customer Management Platform. In fact, key data sources, such as customer information, can easily be mapped into our business domain model.
On top of that, our Synchronization Engine can aggregate information from disparate sources, across multiple channels and in different formats. The engine, which is connected to our business model, monitors to changes in the data, and updates all systems accordingly. From a data standardization perspective, it transforms retrieved data into the format you specify.
If you're interested in learning more:
Email us at email@example.com
Book a demo today to learn why leading financial services organizations choose our Intelligent Customer Management Solution to increase assets under management and share of wallet.Book a Demo keyboard_arrow_right
Contact our team today and we will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. If you already use NexJ, you can head over to the NexJ developer community for more technical support.Contact Us keyboard_arrow_right Developer Community keyboard_arrow_right


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Unicorn Matching Adult Newborn Baby Hat Cap NB102 Clearance
Sale price $7.99 Regular price
These Adult/Newborn hats are exactly like the little ones that are given at the hospital but way cuter, super soft, and stretchy
so they will fit most adults!
The hats are made from high quality materials and are designed to keep your little one warm
These hats a MUST HAVE accessory!
Made with a 4 - way stretchy fabric
Material is 95% cotton and 5% spandex.
Machine washable in cold water
Lay flat to dry
One Size fits most Adults
Due to lighting effects, there may be slight variations in color tone/shade when comparing the picture and actual item.


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Advisors1 may charge their clients for services rendered either through automatic billing, electronic invoice or direct billing. You determine the advisor fees at the time of the client's registration, and may modify these at any time in Account Management. In the case of fee increases, the client will be required to approve the fee increase with a signature. In addition to the advisor client fees specified, IBKR will charge its normal commissions to the client.
Specify all client fees on the Manage Clients > Fees > Configure page in Account Management.
Client fee schedules can be applied to accounts individually or can be stored in templates. As an advisor, you can configure fees for one or more client accounts, or set up client fee schedules in templates, then assign the templates to client accounts. The use of templates allows you to easily maintain different fee schedules for multiple client accounts.
If you are a new advisor (i.e., you just opened your IBKR account), then there will be a blank default client fee template, which you can then configure with your own fee schedule. If you are an existing advisor, your old global fee schedule is now the default client fee template. You can modify the default template but you cannot delete it.
As an Advisor, you can elect to charge client commissions to your own Advisor master account when configuring fees for a client account. Commission charges will revert to the client account if the Advisor master account has a balance of less than 1000 USD or equivalent when the commission charges are posted.
By default, minimum monthly fees, market data and research fees are charged to Advisor client accounts. However, Advisors can elect to charge these fees to their own Master account for each client account. Client fees will be charged to the client account if the Advisor master account has a balance of less than 1000 USD or equivalent when fees are posted.
As an Advisor, you can also charge fees on the current value of the amount that your clients have invested in hedge funds who participate in our Hedge Fund Capital Introduction Program (HFCIP), which is part of our Investors' Marketplace. If you have already invested funds for your client at the Hedge Fund Investor Site (available at the Marketplace), the amount invested in the hedge fund will automatically be enabled for the fee program.
For each client who invests in a participating hedge fund, you can charge fees based on the Annualized Percentage of Net Liquidation Value of the current value of the client's investment in the Fund and/or the percentage of profit and loss of the client's investment in the Fund, as well as configure the fee posting frequency (monthly or quarterly). Your clients must approve the fee schedule by signing a form.
Fees entered for the first time in the middle of a period will be calculated and applied as of the date the fee agreement is approved and entered into the system. Fees changed during a period will take effect as of the beginning of the next monthly or quarterly period. If you change the frequency from monthly to quarterly, the change will take effect as of the next calendar quarter. If you change the frequency from quarterly to monthly, the change will take effect after the end of the current calendar quarter.
Advisors can reimburse fees to client accounts up to a maximum of 50% of invoices (net of any prior rebate) for the trailing 12-month period. Advisors can also modify or cancel pending fee reimbursements and view the details of fee reimbursements that have already been processed.
We charge a minimum fee for US stock trades allocated by Advisors to their clients. Advisors can choose to charge the allocation minimum fee to their master account or to the client account. By default, the allocation minimum is charged to the client account unless there is a specific rate arrangement between the client and the Advisor.
The minimum amount charged per trade allocation is as follows:
An IBKR-calculated advisor fee is automatically billed to the client's account with blanket client authorization using any of the following in any combination:
Entered as an annualized percentage, applied on a daily, monthly or quarterly basis.
End of Month_/Quarter_ fee is calculated by using the End of Month_/Quarter_ Net Liquidation Value, the rate and the number of business days in a particular month period.
Clients will be charged for number of business days in a month period for which the fee configuration was enabled.
Clients will not be charged if funds are withdrawn on the last business day of the month period.
Fees will be charged the first U.S. business day of the next month.
(Last Business Day of Month/Quarter NLV amount * Rate) / (Number of business days per year / Number of Fee Days)
Number of business days per year set as 252
Number of Fee Days is the number of business days in a month period for which the fee configuration was enabled
Enter up to five separate net asset-value ranges, and an annualized fee percentage for each.
Entered as an annualized amount, applied on a daily, monthly or quarterly basis (apportioned by 252 days).
A fixed percent is applied to the mark-to-market P&L (positive or negative) at the end of each period. Any changes made to the specified percent during a period will only be applied on a forward looking basis and will not be applied retroactively. If you do make changes during a period, we break the period into two pieces and apply fees accordingly. If at the end of the billing period the accumulated fee calculation is negative, no fee will be charged. Two periods may be specified for this calculation:
The maximum percent of P&L that you can you charge for either period is 30%.
Advisors who select a threshold set a static number or index/benchmark as a performance fee on an annual or quarterly basis. Your client's performance must exceed the threshold for the fee to be assessed to the client.
For example, if the Advisor charges an annual performance fee of 20% and sets a 10% threshold, he/she would not be paid a fee if the client account's annual money weighted return is less than or equal to 10%. If the account's return for the year was 50%, the FA will receive a 20% performance fee on the excess return. (20% of (50%-10%)).
Advisors who select Percent of P&L as the basis of their client fees can apply High Water Marking to the billing period client fees to offset periods of losses in a volatile market. You set up High Water Marking on the Client Fees page in the Account Management. High Water Marking lets an Advisor:
A fee per trade unit may be entered as an absolute markup over and above commissions charged by IBKR, as a percentage of commissions charged by IBKR, or as an absolute amount (commissions charged by IBKR will be subtracted from this amount). Fee per trade unit is not available for US or US protectorate legal residents due to regulatory restrictions, with the exception of US commodity-registered advisors, who are allowed a per-trade schedule for futures. For more specifics on fee per trade unit, see our Broker Client Markup page.
For specific examples of automatic billing, click here.
To help Advisors who bill advisory fees using one of IBKR's Automatic Calculation options meet their compliance obligations, we can send your clients invoices detailing the advisory fees automatically calculated and deducted from their accounts (as they have requested) when those fees are actually charged. These notices describe the method used to calculate the fee, the amount of the fee and the period covered by the fee.
Some states' "custody" rules require that advisors send, or have their broker send, these invoices to clients who sign up for automatic billing of advisory fees. (You may also need to send these invoices to your clients if you have "custody" under the SEC's or your state's custody rule for another reason.) Please review the state (or SEC) rules relevant to your firm to determine if you need IBKR to send your clients these invoices.
In Advisor Portal, you can configure how we send these notices to all of your clients: by email only, by email and in the Customer Service Message Center, or no notification at all. Please note that by default, US Registered advisors will be enrolled during the application. For all other advisors your clients will NOT receive these notices and you must instruct IBKR (through Advisor Portal) to send these invoices to your clients. Regardless of whether you sign up for invoices, all advisory fees processed through IBKR are reflected on the client's Activity Statements.
Advisors can submit electronic invoices from the Manage Clients > Fees > Invoicing page in Account Management. Before you can submit fee invoices for client accounts, you must first configure Automatic Billing for Monthly/Quarterly Invoicing for the account(s) on the Manage Clients > Fees > Configure page in Account Management. You must specify the maximum amount of fees that could be deducted each month or quarter. This can be a dollar amount, or a percentage of the client's Net Asset Value, or both. You then calculate the amount of fees and submit an electronic invoice for each client account at any time, up to the specified limit. The invoice amount will be automatically transferred from the client account to the advisor account.
Invoices submitted prior to 5:30 (17:30) PM EST will be processed by IBKR the same day (U.S. night) and appear on that day's statements. Invoices submitted after 5:30 (17:30) PM EST will be processed by IBKR on the next business day. You can submit invoices for up to ten clients at a time, but only one invoice per client account per day.
You can also upload a .csv (comma-separated values) file containing multiple client invoices. The .csv file must contain fields for:
When you configure client fees or create a client fee template, you can include a maximum invoicing amount or percentage cap on a monthly or quarterly basis. You can charge up to a maximum percentage annually. We calculate the daily equivalent of that limit by multiplying the maximum annual rate by the value of your account at the end of each business day of the previous month or quarter and dividing that by the average number of business days per year. The sum of those daily values over the course of the month or quarter is the maximum amount you can charge for that month or quarter.
You can set an amount or a percentage cap or both. If you set both the amount and the percentage cap, we will use the lower of the two amounts as the amount to be charged.
For percentage cap, we look back on the prior period to calculate the fee limit, while amount looks at the current period.
(Fee Cap % x Ending Client NAV) / 252
where 252 is the average number of business days in a year.
For example:
Interactive Brokers Canada Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Know Your Advisor: View the IIROC AdvisorReport. Trading of securities and derivatives may involve a high degree of risk and investors should be prepared for the risk of losing their entire investment and losing further amounts. Using borrowed money to finance the purchase of securities involves greater risk than using cash resources only. If you borrow money to purchase securities, your responsibility to repay the loan and pay interest as required by its terms remains the same even if the value of the securities purchased declines. Interactive Brokers Canada Inc. is an order execution-only dealer and does not provide investment advice or recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of any securities or derivatives. Our registered office is located at 1800 McGill College Avenue, Suite 2106, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3J6, Canada.
Know Your Advisor: View the IIROC AdvisorReport


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Neither of the kissers were identified, but the woman told officers that the individual who had dropped her and her date off at the beach, Daniel Eisemann, was the man who took her purse.
She had never met Eisemann before he arrived with her date to pick her up.
After the 27-year-old snatched the purse, which contained her cell phone and $500 cash, the woman's date took off after him, the Sun Sentinel reported.
When he didn't come back, the woman sought assistance and called police.
The woman's date, Eisemann and another man were found at a nearby Red Roof Inn.
The purse, minus the cash, was recovered. Eisemann was charged with grand theft.


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Susanne Posel
Those with nothing to lose the 47% of Americans on social or subsidy programs are expected to be the ones to take to the streets and riot at the beginning of the 2nd American civil war.
Manufactured poverty has become the standard under the Communist-in-Chief, Barack Obama. This breaks the will of the populace as they are unable to feed their families as the economy suffers while the growth of the government continues. Social norms now dictate that a government handout is nothing to be ashamed of. And the road to serfdom is being paved.
Those able and willing to fight against the "change" that has "come to America" thanks to Obama would be the target of most of the violence. In many documents published by the US government and globalist think-tanks, explanation of effective urban combat has been discussed and plotted. One such document is entitled "Combined Arms Operations in Urban Terrain" , dating back to 2002.
Here the "characteristics" of urban centers are explained and how to successfully lock down a major US city is posed to combine the most effective course of action. From aerial attacks, to small-unit battles on the ground, the scenario of combat through intelligence, through knowledge of the terrain, and preparation is analyzed and presented so that commanders and leaders can consider all options before beginning such an endeavor.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has resumed purchasing hollow-point bullets. In December of 2012, DHS solicited for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to have 200 cases, containing 1000 rounds each, of 13-40 Cal, 180 grain, jacketed hollow-point bullets.
The US Armed Forces being given these deadly bullets are:
• Maritime Law Enforcement and Port Security Training
• US Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy
• US Courts Probation and Pretrial Services Training Academy
• US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Training Academy
• Customs and Border Protection Field Operations Academy
• Naval Criminal Investigative Service
The Pacific Southwest Region of the US Forest Service has solicited ammunition that is supposedly needed for target practice. In this instance, the amounts of hollow point bullets, 12 gauge rifle slugs, and other accessories are smaller than the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested through other federal agencies.
DHS previously published a solicitation for 16,000 rounds of .40 S&W JHP. The Social Security Office has also made a ordering more MREs as a replenishment of stocked meals with a shelf life of 30 – 36 months. Because FEMA has made the solicitation, it may be assumed that these MREs are for disaster relief; however knowing how nefarious previous purchases have been, it would leave anyone feeling dubious.
A police lieutenant from North Caroline explains that in his department the officers are being trained for martial law in 2013.
In August of 2012, Major General Jerry Curry asked "who does the government intend to shoot?" Curry asserted that: "No one has yet said what the purpose of these purchases is, though we are led to believe that they will be used only in an emergency to counteract and control civil unrest. Those against whom the hollow point bullets are to be used — those causing the civil unrest — must be American citizens."
Last October, the US House of Representatives passed HR 6566 which is an amendment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 that imbues the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "to provide guidance and coordination for mass fatality planning, and for other purposes."
Elected officials assume that in such an event, funeral homes, cemeteries and mortuaries would be overwhelmed should millions of Americans suddenly die in a tragic event. There must also be allowances for survivors of such an event.
Representatives from local and state governments must coordinate with federal agencies, private sector businesses, non-profit organizations and appropriate individuals to prepare and respond to an incident wherein mass casualties occur.
The Congressional Research Service released a report that expounds on the use of military on American streets for enforcement action against civilians. This document states that the Patriot Act gives the US government permission to use military to assist law enforcement in the establishment of a terrorist infiltration, civil unrest, disaster relief and if needed as first responders. This renders Posse Comitatus useless.
According to George Foresman, former undersecretary of the DHS: "When the military is used – whether the decision is made by the president or governor – there has to be an intimate understanding of Posse Comitatus, and unfortunately, this is not the case. Frankly, this CRS report is a document that every key decision-maker or adviser should keep in their bottom desk drawer as a reference, just above their resignation letter. If they don't, the resignation letter might be the next document they need."
The Canadian military trained for domestic operations in locking down urban populations with the US Military in September of 2012. The supposition was that a massive revolt could break out as global civilian revolution is believed to be imminent.
In Colorado, rumors of Russian troops practicing to deal with terrorist raids and martial law scenarios have been proven correct by our US Armed Forces. Back in April 2012, Commander Wendy L. Snyder, U.S. Defense Press Officer, stated that "The Russian soldiers are here as invited guests of the U.S. government; this is part of a formal bilateral exchange program between the U.S. and Russia that seeks to develop transparency and promote defense reform."
Both Russian and American airborne troops held training exercises that included tactical landing operations with specialized focus on "parachuting, operation planning, reconnaissance, assault operations and evacuations by helicopter."
Back in May of 2012, mainstream media reported that Russian army paratroopers were in Colorado training with the 10th US Special Forces Group at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This collaboration was agreed upon more than a year ago with the purpose of joining forces in "humanitarian operations such as anti-terrorism measures and disaster relief."


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Adaptogens for Women's Health
This blog does not intend to provide diagnosis...
In this article:
- Panax Ginseng
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
- Licorice (DGL or deglycyrrhizinated licorice)
- Maca Root
- Rhodiola
An adaptogen is an herbal substance that helps protect a cell from damage caused by environmental and chemical stressors. Their strength and ability to protect against these stressors is due to that fact that they grow under harsh climate conditions. For example, Rhodiola and ginseng, two well-known adaptogens grow 10,000 feet (3 km) above sea level, an altitude where oxygen is low and weather is cold. According to Life Extension's Book on Disease Prevention, for an herb to be classified as an adaptogen, it must has to meet three criteria: it must be non-toxic, have a physiologic normalizing ability, and have more than one mechanism of action.
Adaptogens can be a great boost to women's health due to their ability to improve the immune system, fight fatigue, reduce menopausal symptoms and more.
Panax Ginseng
Panax ginseng is taken for a great number of medical conditions. The origins of this plant start in Korea, and it has been used for over 2,000 years since. Also grown in areas of China and Siberia, panax ginseng is unique—it should not be mixed up with other known ginsengs, such as the American or Siberian ginseng. Panax ginseng is also referred to as Korean ginseng, Chinese ginseng, or Asian ginseng.
Available in tablet, liquid, or powder form, the dosage of panax ginseng varies, depending on the reason it's being used. The length of time one should take it is also dependent on certain factors. While there are many benefits to taking panax ginseng, some of the more popular ones backed by a great deal of research include the following:
- Immune system support
- Cancer-fighting properties
- Cardiovascular health
- Neurological health
- Weight management
- Blood sugar control
- Anxiety and depression
- Fatigue
Suggested dose: As directed on the label. Can also be consumed as a hot tea.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
Ashwagandha can be helpful in managing chronic low energy. Native to Asia, specifically India and regions of China, this herb is commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine as therapy for fatigue for two reasons:
Improves energy
A 2013 study in Integrative Cancer Therapies showed that ashwagandha could help improve energy and quality of life in those undergoing treatment for cancer.
Improves endurance
Animal studies have also shown that ashwagandha can help improve energy levels and endurance. A 2015 study of athletes in Ayu showed that ashwagandha could help improve endurance and quality of life.
Suggested dose: Ashwagandha - 500 mg once or twice per day
Licorice (DGL or deglycyrrhizinated licorice)
When most think of licorice, candy (not an herb) comes to mind. However, licorice is an herb that has long played an important role in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is frequently used to help those with adrenal fatigue, a common condition in women. The active ingredient in licorice is glycyrrhizin and genistein among others.
Studies have shown the benefit of DGL licorice for decades. A 1968 study showed this natural medicine's ability to help heal stomach ulcers and intestinal ulcers while a 1978 study in the British Medical Journal showed it may also be of benefit in the prevention of stomach ulcers. However, it is also beneficial for those who have an upset stomach according to a 2012 study.
Suggested dosage: Licorice root 450-900 mg daily.
Maca Root
Maca root (Lepidium meyenii) is an adaptogenic herb cultivated in the Andes Mountains of South America. It grows at elevations of 13,000 to 16,000 feet (4000-5000 m) above sea level. Traditionally used by the Incas, maca has had numerous medicinal benefits and was used primarily to improve both libido and fertility. It was considered an aphrodisiac by many. Over time, other benefits have been observed:
Improve anxiety-related symptoms
A 2008 study in Menopause showed that women who took 3.5 grams per day of maca had a reduction in anxiety- and depression-related symptoms and lower levels of sexual dysfunction when compared to women who took a placebo pill.
Improve menopausal-related symptoms
Around age 50, women start to have hormonal changes commonly known as menopause. While most women go through this change seamlessly, some experience menopause-related symptoms, which can be difficult. A 2005 study showed maca could improve symptoms women undergo during early menopause.
Improve Libido
Millions of women worldwide take anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications. A common side effect of these medications, which are known as SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) is the reduction in libido, or sex-drive. A 2015 study concluded that maca root could help alleviate this common side effect.
Suggested dose: As directed on the label.
Also known as "golden root", rhodiola grows in the arctic regions of Asia and Eastern Europe—it's also called "arctic root" for that reason. It is a staple of Traditional Chinese Medicine and was also used by Vikings for its ability to increase stamina and help the body deal with the effects of environmental and psychological stressors. It has many benefits for women today.
Anti-fatigue effect
Rhodiola may be an option for those with unexplained fatigue. A 2009 study in Planta Medica concluded that use of rhodiola has an anti-fatigue effect.
Improves physical endurance
Athletes at all levels of competition frequently search for ways to improve their endurance. Rhodiola may be beneficial. A 2009 study in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine concluded, "The combined herbal supplement of Rhodiola and Gingko could improve the endurance performance by increasing oxygen consumption and protecting against fatigue". A 2013 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research also supported rhodiola's ability to improve exercise endurance.
Anxiety and Depression
Millions of people worldwide are affected by symptoms of anxiety and depression. For many, it can be life-altering and have physical repercussions as well. Consulting with a counselor or psychologist can be beneficial, but sometimes it is not enough. Medications are frequently prescribed but many worry about side effects and desire a more natural approach.
A 2016 study in Phytomedicine showed Rhodiola could be an effective treatment for those suffering from depression. A 2015 study by Dr. Cropleyconcluded Rhodiola users
"….demonstrated a significant reduction in self-reported anxiety, stress, anger, confusion and depression at 14 days and a significant improvement in total mood."
Protect Against Dementia and Alzheimer's
Rhodiola can help protect the brain against oxidative damage and can play an important part in the prevention and treatment of dementia. This vital adaptogen plays a role in the natural approach to Alzheimer's disease by UCLA Neurologist, Dr. Dale Bredesen. Learn more.
Numerous studies have shown the benefits of rhodiola, including a 2016 study by Dr. Bei Zhang. A 2015 study included rhodiola as a promising treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure affects millions of women worldwide. A 2017 study showed Rhodiola had blood-pressure-lowering benefits. A 2012 study in Phytotherapy Research also demonstrated rhodiola's blood-pressure-lowering properties when consumed regularly. A 2006 study using rabbits showed Rhodiola could lower an enzyme called ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme). This is similar to a class of drugs doctors used called ACE-inhibitors. Note: never stop taking blood pressure medications unless under the advice of your physician.
Suggested Dosage: Rhodiola capsule – 200-500 mg once or twice per day or as directed on the label. Rhodiola liquid extract – as directed on the label.
- Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2013 Jul;12(4):312-22. doi: 10.1177/1534735412464551. 2012 Nov 9.
- J Med Food. 2002 Winter;5(4):211-20. Ashwagandha improves endurance in animal studies.
- Choudhary B, Shetty A, Langade DG. Efficacy of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera [L.] Dunal) in improving cardiorespiratory endurance in healthy athletic adults. Ayu. 2015;36(1):63-68. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.169002.
- Tewari SN, Trembalowicz FC. Some experience with deglycyrrhizinated liquorice in the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers with special reference to its spasmolytic effect. Gut. 1968;9(1):48-51.
- Hollanders D, Green G, Woolf IL, et al. Prophylaxis with deglycyrrhizinised liquorice in patients with healed gastric ulcer. British Medical Journal. 1978;1(6106):148.
- Raveendra KR, Jayachandra, Srinivasa V, et al. An Extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GutGard) Alleviates Symptoms of Functional Dyspepsia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM. 2012;2012:216970. doi:10.1155/2012/216970.
- Brooks N. A., Wilcox G., Walker K. Z., Ashton J. F., Cox M. B., Stojanovska L. Beneficial effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on psychological symptoms and measures of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women are not related to estrogen or androgen content. Menopause. 2008;15(6):1157–1162.
- Meissner HO, Kapczynski W, Mscisz A, Lutomski J. Use of Gelatinized Maca (Lepidium Peruvianum) in Early Postmenopausal Women. International Journal of Biomedical Science : IJBS. 2005;1(1):33-45.
- Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2009 Jun;15(3):177-83. doi: 10.1007/s11655-009-0177-x. Epub 2009 Jul 2.
- Journal of Strength Conditioning Research. 2013 Mar;27(3):839-47. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825d9799.
- Phytomedicine. 2016 Jun 15;23(7):770-83. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2016.02.009. Epub 2016 Feb 24.
- Phytother Res. 2015 Dec;29(12):1934-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5486. Epub 2015 Oct 27.
- Zhang B, Wang Y, Li H, et al. Neuroprotective effects of salidroside through PI3K/Akt pathway activation in Alzheimer's disease models. Drug Design, Development and Therapy. 2016;10:1335-1343. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S99958.
- Sun Z-K, Yang H-Q, Chen S-D. Traditional Chinese medicine: a promising candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Translational Neurodegeneration. 2013;2:6. doi:10.1186/2047-9158-2-6.
- Ma Y-G, Wang J-W, Bai Y-G, Liu M, Xie M-J, Dai Z-J. Salidroside contributes to reducing blood pressure and alleviating cerebrovascular contractile activity in diabetic Goto-Kakizaki Rats by inhibition of L-type calcium channel in smooth muscle cells. BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology. 2017;18:30. doi:10.1186/s40360-017-0135-8.


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OCEAN CITY — On Thursday, April 14, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association (OCHMRA) Past President and Empress Motel owner Susan Cropper installed the 2011-2012 Officers and Board of Directors of the OCHMRA at the Princess Royale Resort Hotel.
More than 200 members gathered for this annual ceremony which was also a celebration of the Association's 40th Anniversary.
Founded in 1971, the OCHMRA is a tourism advocate and the voice of industry. Executive Director Susan Jones led the attendees through the memories and milestones looking back at the association's history. During the early years, Ocean Mecca Motel owner Kathleen Harman urged business owners to join the association for $25 membership fees stating, "much can be done to benefit the town and businesses through the strength generated by one group." Forty years later, that message still rings true as the association continues to assist the hospitality businesses and the town in marketing the resort.
Special recognition was given to the recently retired, OCHMRA Past President Paul Wall of Phillips Seafood Restaurants. In the early 70's, he brought Restaurant Association of Maryland's Tish Carter to the OCHMRA to help create a tradeshow. He was the organizing force for many years behind the long-standing Expo, which is now one of the region's largest.
During the meeting, Mary Eastman, owner of Cayman Suites, was installed as president; Travis Wright, owner of The Shark on the Harbor, was installed as 1st Vice President; and Chris Trimper of Trimper's Amusements was installed as 2nd vice president. Shawn Harman, owner of Fish Tales, reaffirmed his term as the secretary-treasurer.
The three-year Board of Directors installed include Doug Buxbaum, owner of Buxy's Salty Dog Saloon; Dave Robinson of Boardwalk Hotel Group; and Caryl Cardenas, owner of Park Place Hotel. Two-year directors include G. Hale Harrison of Harrison Group Hotels and Restaurants; Bob Torrey, owner of Happy Jack Pancake House; and Patrick Staib of Grand Hotel. One-Year directors include Mark Elman of The Clarion Fontainebleau Hotel; John Lynch, owner of Commander Hotel; and Tammy Patrick-Cebula, owner of Galaxy 66 Bar & Grille.
Outgoing President Malcolm VanKirk, co-owner of Sea Bay and Best Western Suites Hotels, was presented with a plaque in appreciation for all his hard work and dedication as OCHMRA president.
Service Recognized
OCEAN PINES — Marlene Ott of Re/Max Premier Properties in Ocean Pines was recently recognized for 30 years of service with Re/Max.
Ott's specialties include senior real estate and residential sales in the Berlin, Ocean Pines and surrounding areas.
New AGH Staff Member
BERLIN – Atlantic General Hospital recently appointed John D'Ambrosio, M.D., who will be working as an eCare Telemedicine Provider at Atlantic General Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine and emergency medicine.
Realtor Changes Affiliation
BERLIN — Dr.Carl Ortman, Broker of Record for Re/Max Premier Properties, has announced that Edie Brennan has joined as an associate broker at the Ocean Pines office on Route 589.
Licensed for 35 years, she is a past president of the Coastal Association of Realtors, a past Realtor of the Year, and has received hundreds of sales accolades including being inducted into the Re/Max Hall of Fame in 1988. She has chaired the professional standards and grievance committees for the Coastal Association. She is also the only woman to have served two consecutive terms as president of the Women's Council of Realtors. She was the first woman in Ocean City to receive the Certified Residential Specialist designation.
Chamber Work Underway
BERLIN – The Berlin Chamber of Commerce has selected Lifestyle Builders to do the renovations on its new building at 14 S. Main St. The chamber expects to move by June 1 into the new location, which will also be home to the town Visitors and Heritage Centers.
The rear of the building will house artist studios where local artists may lease space, allowing local area artists affordable space within the borders of the town's Arts and Entertainment District, which provides special tax benefits to artists.
The artist studio will be named The Artists Studio at the Old Post Office, keeping in mind the historical significance of the building, which was originally built by the U.S. government in the 1950s as the Berlin Post Office. The chamber is now accepting applications from artists who would like to lease studio space, artists who are interested can contact the Chamber for more information.
The chamber was able to obtain the building through the Town of Berlin with grants from the Humphrys Foundation and the state. The chamber will begin a capital campaign later this year to help pay off the remaining mortgage and renovation costs.
"We are thrilled to have this opportunity to have a permanent home for the Chamber," said Berlin Chamber President Tanja Giles. "It is a bonus that this project will also allow us to bring together the business, art and historical communities while enhancing our retail district for visitors to our town", added Giles.


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BioShield-S1 by AMSilk makes implants safer
Planegg, Germany, November 30, 2012 / B3C newswire / - AMSilk is developing a novel spider silk-based coating, called BioShield-S1, for silicone breast implants designed to reduce commonly known side effects that are initiated when the immune system reacts to the implants. Preclinical tests conducted jointly with the University of Bayreuth, Germany and the Department of Trauma, Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the University of Wuerzburg, Germany, showed the efficacy of the implant coating. A first test in rats showed that coated silicone implants were accepted much better than implants without silk coating. In particular, capsular fibrosis and inflammation at the tissue border to the coated implants were significantly reduced.
A follow-up one-year study, completed in 2012, confirmed the results and the findings are currently being prepared for publication. In this second study it was shown that the capsule formation around the implant differs significantly from controls, resulting in a thinner, more flexible and translucent capsule accompanied by a significant reduction in inflammation markers. Some inflammation markers, as well as fibroblast infiltration, were found to be at lower levels even twelve months after surgery. "This new technology offers a real option for further improving current implants and can be used for nearly all silicone-based products," says Dr. Philip Zeplin, a surgeon who conducted the study.
Silicone implants are primarily in use for reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery. The BioShield-S1 coating consists of a thin layer of recombinant spider silk proteins manufactured at AMSilk. It modifies the implant, presenting a more biocompatible surface to the immune system. This new technology addresses a number of problems associated with silicone implants. More than 10% of all women who undergo reconstructive breast surgery, for example after breast cancer, experience pain, inflammation or deformation of the breast due to the contraction of the capsule which forms around the silicone implants. Between 2.4% and 4.6% of women who receive such implants for purely aesthetic reasons face the same problem within six years. Complication rates are even higher over the lifetime of an implant.
The coating can be applied to any silicone implant after the final production step, just prior to packaging and sterilization; it does not alter the mechanical performance of the implant. Other surgical applications will be tested in the future.
About AMSilk
Spider silk has attracted man's interest for thousands of years, mainly due to its toughness and elasticity. The silk is biocompatible and can be used in formulations for specialized coatings, films, nonwovens and in pharmaceuticals. Spider silk has evolved over millions of years resulting in a combination of properties that far exceed any man-made material. AMSilk has developed a proprietary process for producing spider silk on an industrial scale. Tailor-made materials using the AMSilk®-Technology enable new and superior products with previously unachievable features, spanning multiple industries and applications, including medical devices, pharmaceutical applications and technical fibers.
AMSilk was founded in 2008 and is located at the IZB in Planegg near Munich. AMSilk's investors are MIG Funds and AT Newtec, Munich. Projects are partially funded through grants from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology with project management provided by the PTJ and VDI. For more information visit our website at www.amsilk.com.
AMSilk and Spidersilk are registered trademarks in the European Union and trademark applications in the USA of AMSilk GmbH, Germany.
Contact for Europe and Asia/Pacific:
AMSilk GmbH
Axel H. Leimer
Managing Director
Am Klopferspitz 19 im IZB
82152 Planegg/Martinsried, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)89 38156-4430
Email: pr(at)amsilk.com
Contact for the Americas:
AMSilk GmbH
Mathias U. Woker
Chief Business Officer
Phone: +1 (781) 864-5868
Email: bd(at)amsilk.com


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Apple supplier Foxconn has denied forcing vocational school students in China to work at its factories, following claims that the students must remain employed at the company or lose school credit.
Foxconn said in a statement on Tuesday the company has "long had a short-term internship program" to bring students from vocational schools to work at the factories. All the students are within legal working age, and on average make up 2.7 percent of the company's work force in China.
"The internship programs range in length from one to six months and students are free to leave the internship program at any time," the company said.
New York-based China Labor Watch, however, said it found instances of Foxconn interns being misled to come and work at a company manufacturing base in Zhengzhou, China, which is building Apple's new iPhone.
The student workers must continue to work, or else lose school credit and be unable to graduate, said Li Qiang, founder of China Labor Watch. But because media reports have been covering the controversy, Foxconn has issued a notice, saying students can return to their schools if they no longer wish to work, he added.
Labor experts have said the use of vocational students in factories is common in China. In the case of the students at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory, schools are arranging the internships in order to make money from Foxconn, Li said.
Foxconn said in its statement that the schools themselves recruit the students under the supervision of the local government. During the internship, teachers are then assigned to "accompany and monitor" the students, who are paid the same wages as full-time entry-level workers.
In denying the allegations, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant also pointed to recent audits of its factories carried out by the Fair Labor Association, which found no evidence that the students were pressured to continue with the internship program. Those audits, however, did not investigate factories in Zhengzhou.
While Foxconn denies any forced internships, a company worker in Zhengzhou said in an interview on Tuesday that there are cases of students being required to work at Foxconn in order to graduate.
Some interns have just entered their schools, but are being forced to work at Foxconn, he said. "If they don't come to Foxconn to work, they won't be able to get their diploma," he said. "I don't see what the benefit is of them coming from school to work here."
IDG News Service visited Zhengzhou last weekend. Foxconn recruitment offices are prevalent across neighborhoods near the factories and seeking to hire workers from age 16 to 45. Entry level pay starts at $284 a month.
One high school worker, aged 18, said he came to the factory to work as part of an internship arranged by his teacher. However, he said he came to work because there was little for him to do during the summer break. He declined to give out his name for fear of being punished.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


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Friday, March 15, 2013
Shattered Haven Launch Trailer -- 1.0 is March 18th!
Shattered Haven goes to 1.0 on Monday, March 18th, 2013! Get the game from the Arcen site, Steam, Gog.com, GamersGate, or Green Man Gaming!
An Environmental Puzzle Game About Family, Grit, and Survival
Grays roam the land, largely in the absence of human interference. These aren't your typical Zed -- theirs is a very different sort of apocalypse. Animals spontaneously transform into twisted, violent beings. The earth decays, collapsing into a network of abysses. The wilderness thickens.
It has been nine years since That Day when it all started. Pockets of humanity still exist, but are ignorant of one another. Within these isolated havens people try to live as best they can -- for even in a world so broken and dark, daily life must go on.
Darrell and Mary Williams were able to build such a life inside a five-acre fenced yard out in the country. They were even secure enough in their isolated compound that they had a daughter five years after the zombie-like grays appeared.
Life carried on as normally as it could, until another refugee on the run is killed during a nearby attack. Her son is saved and taken in by the Williamses -- who do not realize that this kind action will destroy their home and threaten their entire family. They find themselves caught in the midst of a struggle between two eldritch horrors, and the path to survival is anything but clear.
1 comment:
Congrats Chris! I'm really excited about Shattered Haven!
- March 15, 2013 at 4:36 PM
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Aww Yeah Sandal
Or 4 installments of $13.50 by Or 4 installments of $13.50 by Or 4 installments of $13.50 by Or 4 installments of $13.50 by Or 4 installments of $13.50 by afterpay Learn more about Afterpay
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- Rubber upper and sole
- Imported
- Elastic slingback strap with velcro closure
- Cushioned upper and midsole
- Approx 89mm/ 3.5 inch platform
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- Revolve Style No. UGGR-WZ198
- Manufacturer Style No. 1136762
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The Secret Beyond Matter
General Knowledge from the Qur'an
The Understanding Of Aesthetics Commended In The Qur'an
What is the Garden promised to those who guard against evil like? It has rivers flowing under it and its foodstuffs and cool shade never fail. That is the final fate of those who guard against evil. But the final fate of the disbelievers is the Fire. (Surat ar-Ra'd, 35)
Those who guard against evil will be amid Gardens and Springs: 'Enter them in peace, in complete security!' We will strip away any rancour in their hearts – brothers, resting on couches face-to-face. (Surat al-Hijr, 45-47)
An image of the Garden which is promised to those who guard against evil: in it there are rivers of water which will never spoil and rivers of milk whose taste will never change and rivers of wine, delightful to all who drink it, and rivers of honey of undiluted purity; in it they will have fruit of every kind and forgiveness from their Lord. Is that like those who will be in the Fire timelessly, for ever, with boiling water to drink which lacerates their bowels? (Surah Muhammad, 15)
In them are two gushing springs. (Surat ar-Rahman, 66)
GOLD, PEARLS, SILK, BROCADE AND ASSORTED JEWEls
They will have Gardens of Eden with rivers flowing under them. They will be adorned in them with bracelets made of gold and wear green garments made of the finest silk and rich brocade, reclining there on couches under canopies. What an excellent reward! What a wonderful repose! (Surat al-Kahf, 31)
But Allah will admit those who believe and do right actions into Gardens with rivers flowing under them where they will be adorned with gold bracelets and pearls, and where their clothing will be of silk. (Surat al-Hajj, 23)
They will enter Gardens of Eden where they will be adorned with gold bracelets and pearls, and where their clothing will be of silk. (Surah Fatir, 33)
A large group of the earlier people but few of the later ones. On sumptuous woven couches, reclining on them face to face. There will circulate among them, ageless youths, carrying goblets and decanters and a cup from a flowing spring –it does not give them any headache nor does it leave them stupefied. And any fruit they specify and any bird-meat they desire. And dark-eyed maidens like hidden pearls. As recompense for what they did. They will hear no prattling in it nor any word of wrong. All that is said is, 'Peace! Peace!' And the Companions of the Right: How happy are the Companions of the Right! Amid thornless lote-trees and banana-trees (with fruits), one above another and wide-spreading shade and outpouring water and fruits in abundance never failing, unrestricted. And on elevated couches. (Surat al-Waqi'a, 13-34)
Wearing fine silk and rich brocade, face to face with one another. (Surat ad-Dukhan, 53)
She was told: 'Enter the palace,' but when she saw it she supposed it to be a pool and bared her legs. He said, 'It is a palace paved with glass.' She said, 'My Lord, I have wronged myself but I have submitted with Sulayman to the Lord of all the worlds.' (Surat an-Naml, 44)
But those who have fear of their Lord will have high-ceilinged Halls, and more such Halls built one above the other, and rivers flowing under them. That is Allah's promise. Allah does not break His promise. (Surat az-Zumar, 20)
As for those who believe and do right actions, We will lodge them in lofty chambers in the Garden, with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. How excellent is the reward of those who act. (Surat al-Ankabut, 58)
And We gave Sulayman power over the wind – a month's journey in the morning and a month in the evening. And We made a fount of molten copper flow out for him. And some of the jinn worked in front of him by his Lord's permission. And if a single one of them deviates at all from Our command, We let him taste the punishment of the Searing Blaze. They made for him anything he wished: high arches and statues, huge dishes like cisterns, great built-in cooking vats. 'Work, family of Dawud, in thankfulness!' But very few of My servants are thankful. Then when We decreed that he should die, nothing divulged his death to them except the worm which ate his staff; so that when he fell down it was made clear to the jinn that if they had truly had knowledge of the Unseen they need not have stayed there suffering humiliating punishment. There was also a sign for Saba in their dwelling place: two gardens – one to the right and one to the left. 'Eat of your Lord's provision and give thanks to Him: a bountiful land and a forgiving Lord.' (Surat as-Saba, 12-15)
We place in it gardens of dates and grapes, and cause springs to gush out in it, so they may eat its fruits – they did not do it themselves. So will they not be thankful? (Surah Ya Sin, 34-35)
How many gardens and fountains they left behind, and ripe crops and noble residences. (Surat ad-Dukhan, 25-26)
The Companions of the Garden are busy enjoying themselves today, they and their wives reclining on thrones in the shade. They will have fruits there and whatever they request. (Surah Ya Sin, 55-57)
They will recline on thrones ranged in rows and We will marry them to dark-eyed maidens. (Surat at-Tur, 20)
On thrones gazing in wonder. (Surat al-Mutaffifin, 23)
And raised-up thrones. (Surat al-Ghashiyya, 13)
(They will be) on Thrones encrusted (with gold and precious stones). (Surat al-Waqi'a, 15)
We will strip away any rancour in their hearts – brothers, resting on thrones face-to-face. (Surat al-Hijr, 47)
They will have Gardens of Eden with rivers flowing under them. They will be adorned in them with bracelets made of gold and wear green garments made of the finest silk and rich brocade, reclining there on thrones under canopies. What an excellent reward! What a wonderful repose! (Surat al-Kahf, 31)
They and their wives reclining on thrones in the shade. (Surah Ya Sin, 56)
Sweet fruits and high honour in Gardens of Delight on couches face to face; a cup from a flowing spring passing round among them, as white as driven snow, delicious to those who drink, which has no headache in it and does not leave them stupefied. (Surat as-Saffat, 42-47)
Carrying goblets and decanters and a cup from a flowing spring. (Surat al-Waqi'a, 18)
The truly good will drink from a cup mixed with the coolness of camphor. (Surat al-Insan, 5)
They will be given there a cup to drink mixed with the warmth of ginger. (Surat al-Insan, 17)
Platters and cups of gold will passed around among them and they will have there all that their hearts desire and their eyes find delight in. You will remain in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat az-Zukhruf, 71)
Carrying goblets and decanters and a cup from a flowing spring. (Surat al-Waqi'a, 18)
Were it not that mankind might all become one community, We would have given those who reject the All-Merciful silver roofs to their houses and silver stairways to ascend and silver doors to their houses and silver couches on which to recline, and gold ornaments. All that is merely the trappings of the life of this world. But the hereafter with your Lord is for those who guard against evil. (Surat az-Zukhruf, 33-35)
Dark-eyed, secluded in cool pavilions. (Surat ar-Rahman, 72)
Where they will recline, calling for plentiful fruit and drink; (Surah Sâd, 51)
Wearing fine silk and rich brocade, face to face with one another. (Surat ad-Dukhan, 53)
Reclining on them face to face. (Surat al-Waqi'a, 16)
They will be reclining on couches lined with rich brocade, the fruits of the Gardens hanging close to hand. (Surat ar-Rahman, 54)
CUSHIONS and rugs
Reclining on green cushions and exquisite rugs. (Surat ar-Rahman, 76)
And lined-up cushions, and spread-out rugs. (Surat al-Ghashiyya, 15-16)


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Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances—US Constitution Amendment I.
An old cliché says that anyone who has herself for a lawyer has a fool for a client. Nevertheless, going to trial in Washington, DC, this past June 14, I and 23 other defendants prepared a pro se defense. Acting as our own lawyers in court, we aimed to defend a population that finds little voice in our society at all, and to bring a sort of prosecution against their persecutors.
Months earlier, on January 21, we had held a memorial vigil for three innocent Guantanamo prisoners, recently revealed to have been in all probability tortured to death by our government with what would turn out to be utter impunity – and because we had wished the culpable parties to take notice, we'd staged a vigil where they worked, specifically, on the Capitol Steps and in the Rotunda of the US Capitol Building. We had been charged with causing a "breach of the peace," a technical legal term for a situation that might risk inciting people to violence. In abetting administration use of torture, Congress had been inciting others to horrendous violence, and we'd been protesting perhaps one of the gravest imaginable breaches of the peace. Now, we were making our small attempt to take these crimes to court, in the course of defending ourselves against what we felt to be a misdirected charge.
At the time of our arrest, we were on the final day of a 12-day fast organized by Witness Against Torture, aiming to help end the US practice of torturing prisoners. Calling for the long-promised and long-delayed closure of Guantanamo, release of all detainees held without charge there and an actual end to US usage of torture, we had considered it our duty under international law and our right under the Constitution, to assemble peaceably at the seat of government for redress of extremely serious grievances.
"And what were those grievances," Ed Kinane asked me, as we teamed up for a "dress rehearsal" in preparation for our trial. Ed, my fellow pro se defendant, planned to question me, as a witness, about our actions.
I recited our reasons for taking action on January 21:
We harbored a grievance against the US government for violating the rights of detainees held in Guantanamo, some of whom have been detained for over eight years without charge; still others are being held even though there has been a US court order for their release. On October 7, 2008, a US federal judge ordered the release of 17 prisoners held in Guantanamo. They still have not been freed.
We harbored a grievance on behalf of three men whom US military officials claimed committed suicide in an exercise of "asymmetrical warfare," but who may well have been murdered in custody. In light of credible evidence that has yet to be analyzed in a court of law, they may have been tortured to death.
Ed had designed his questions so that I could deliver as much information as possible regarding our motives for being in the Capitol.
Each of us, when introducing ourselves to the court, would speak our own name and then give the name of a particular Guantanamo detainee on whose behalf we were speaking. Ed, (speaking for Fahmi Salem Said Al-sani), asked me to tell the court something about the man whom I was representing:
"Ahmed Mohamed is a 32 year old citizen of China," I said. "He was captured near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in December 2001. As of June 11, 2010, he has been held at Guantanamo for eight years and one month. He is a detainee from the Uighur Muslim minority in western China and is one of 17 Uighurs who were approved for release from Guantanamo on October 7, 2008. However, a federal appeals court stayed the order after the US government appealed."
We were also keenly aware of three men who supposedly had committed suicide in Guantanamo. Two days before going to the Rotunda to protest the Guantanamo nightmare, we had read, on the Harper's Magazine web site, a January 18, 2010, article "The Guantanamo 'Suicides': A Camp Delta Sergeant Blows the Whistle."
In this article, investigative journalist Scott Horton reports on interviews with Army Staff Sgt. Joe Hickman and Spc. Tony Davila, both of whom had been deployed to Guantanamo, and establishes a strong case that three men reported as having committed suicide, – 37-year-old Salah Ahmed al-Salami, 30-year-old Mani Shaman al-Utaybe and 22-year-old Yasser Talal al-Zahrani -were suffocated to death in the interrogation chair. In 2006, these three prisoners had been brought, dead, to the medical clinic at Guantanamo and a Navy medical corpsman had told Hickman that the men, one of them severely bruised, had died from having had rags stuffed down their throats.
At our trial rehearsal, I told Ed that I'd believed I had a responsibility and a duty to demand an accounting for what had happened to these men. I believed that no US citizen, whatever the consequences, should choose the convenience of political silence in the face of grievous crimes against humanity still being committed at Guantanamo, Bagram, and other US detention sites.
In the Rotunda, Jerica Arents, (speaking for Saaid Fahri), now one of our co-defendants, had entered into the area where a recently deceased president's body is laid in state, an area marked by a white circle, and silently placed a mourning cloth upon that spot, bearing the names of Mr. Al-Salami, Mr. Al-Utaybe and Mr. Al-Zahrani. Our co-defendant, Carmen Trotta, speaking for Shaker Aamer, had explained the purpose of our action to onlookers, after assuring the nearby Capitol guard that we were raising important questions. Other members of our group, myself included, had poured different colored rose petals over the banner bearing these names.
We had knelt to express our remorse. We had recited brief biographies of each of the three victims. Then we had sung the verses to a song that had been sung by South African prisoners under Apartheid, when other prisoners were being taken away for interrogation, torture or execution. We had, however, adapted the song to embrace our brothers and sisters in US bondage: "Courage, Muslim brothers, you do not walk alone. We will walk with you and sing your spirit home."
Many people come to the Capitol every day of the year. They are free to ask questions and to make comments. But if you raise questions and comments of a political nature, police officials believe they must enforce a law to restrict your enactment of this right, even though the Constitution insists that Congress shall make no law to abridge the right of people to assemble peaceably for redress of grievance. We believed that expression of grief and remorse for the lost lives of these three men should properly happen in a place where US people mourn the loss of a president's life. While a US president possesses near-unimaginable power, the men whom we mourned suffered from unimaginable powerlessness. Earnest mourning of these lost lives was crucial for truthful recognition that the US government has used torture as a means of punishment, possibly even lethal punishment, in violation of international law and basic human rights.
The prosecution claimed that those who had assembled in the center of the Rotunda were "noisy and boisterous," yelling prayers and hymns. Officers who arrested other defendants on the capitol steps claimed that a group of people were shouting in a way that tried to "imitate an Arabic dialect." In cross-examination, Clare Grady and Malachy Kilbride, both co-defendants, helped clarify that these defendants were reading the names of people imprisoned in Guantanamo and Bagram. By mid-afternoon, the prosecution rested its case.
Judge Russell Canan had asked the prosecutors, several times, to help him understand how our actions at the Capitol building would have been likely to produce violence on the part of others. At one point, he cautioned all present that he wouldn't tolerate any noisy outbursts in the courtroom. Ed and I exchanged surprised glances. "He's going to acquit us," I murmured. About ten minutes later, Judge Canan granted our motion for acquittal and the trial was abruptly over.
Of course, we are not, in good conscience, acquitted from our duty to stop the Pentagon from engaging in further war crimes at Guantanamo, Bagram, and other places where the US military is holding people without charge, places where torture has been routinely practiced, – and may still be. We still bear responsibility, every day, to fulfill our duties under international law and expose the practices, at Guantanamo and Bagram, which constitute a horrendous breach of the peace and are likely to produce even more violence. Understanding the difference between law and justice, we must try to narrow the gap between justice and the enforcement of US laws.
"If you act like there is no possibility of change," Bill Quigley, one of our attorney-resource people, told the court, "you guarantee there will be none. These people have acted like there is a possibility for change and they are trying to bring about that change." Bill, who is the Center for Constitutional Right's legal director, said that those who won't adjust to injustice bring hope into the world. He quoted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech, delivered in April, 1967, at the Riverside Church: "We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision. For we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us."
Dr. King's Riverside church speech will guide us, as we plan our next action.
We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, for those it calls "enemy." For no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers. I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution until some attempt is made to know them and hear their broken cries. We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence, or violent co-annihilation. We must move past indecision to action. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality and strength without sight.
We hope Dr. King's words can help convey our remorse and sorrow to the families and friends of detainees imprisoned, tortured and, in some cases, killed because we have not yet succeeded in ending US practices of torture and illegal detention. We long to acquit ourselves justly by closing not only Guantanamo, but every military base that prolongs the foolish agony of war in our world.
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One of the world's largest hard drive makers has emerged as another victim of the floods that've hit Thailand, with WD reporting that one of its Thai plants has been "inundated" by water and some equipment is currently underwater.
WD has two production plants in Thailand: the Bang Pa-in Industrial Park is the one that's currently properly soaked and ruined, while the second facility at the Navanakorn Industrial Park is struggling, too. WD says that: "...the park flood defenses were breached on Monday morning local time and water has begun to flow into the park, threatening the company's facilities there."
Which, according to a WD spokesman, means there will be "significant impact on the company's overall operations and its ability to meet customer demand for its products in the December quarter."
What with this and the strange smelling laptop factory from yesterday, we might be looking at a mostly wood-based selection of Christmas presents this year. [The Register via Gizmodo UK]
Our newest offspring Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.


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People who plan to run Windows XP after Microsoft pulls the patch plug should dump Internet Explorer (IE) and replace it with a different browser, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) said Monday.
US-CERT is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and regularly issues security warnings and threat alerts.
"Users who choose to continue using Windows XP after the end of support may mitigate some risks by using a Web browser other than Internet Explorer," US-CERT said in a Monday bulletin. "The Windows XP versions of some alternative browsers will continue to receive support temporarily. Users should consult the support pages of their chosen alternative browser for more details."
US-CERT's advice was not new: Security companies and experts have said the same before.
Because Microsoft ties support for Internet Explorer (IE) to the underlying operating system's end date, people running Windows XP will also not receive patches for IE7 or IE8, although others, including customers running the same browsers on Windows Vista and Windows 7, will continue to receive fixes.
IE6, which debuted several months before XP in 2001, will be retired from all support next month.
With IE patches ending, security professionals have urged people sticking with XP to run a browser that will receive bug fixes, like Google's Chrome, Mozilla's Firefox and Opera Software's Opera.
That anything-but-IE advice stems from on the fact that Windows malware often enters a PC by exploiting a browser vulnerability. Exploits of unpatched bugs, described as "drive-by attacks," only require the user to browse to a malicious or compromised website, where attack code has been pre-planted.
Chrome will be patched until at least April 2015, Google pledged last October, leaving the door open to a later stop date.
However, Mozilla declined to specify a patch-until date when asked Monday.
"We listen to our users closely, and right now many of them are on XP and expect to stay on that platform. We have not announced any end of support for Firefox on XP at this time," said Chad Weiner, director of product management, in an email response to questions.
Mozilla typically discusses impending support stoppages on its planning forum months before it discontinues updates for an operating system. Developers have not begun talking there about dropping support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or SP3.
And Mozilla often supports an OS long after its maker has stopped: The last version of Firefox that ran on Windows XP SP1, the patch roll-up Microsoft quit supporting in October 2006, was Firefox 12, which shipped in April 2012.
Previously, Opera has issued statements along the lines of Mozilla's but it did not immediately reply to questions today, including whether it has set a firm end-of-support date for Windows XP.
Current XP users are most likely running IE8, the latest browser supported by the OS, because in early 2012 Microsoft began automatically upgrading users to the newest version of IE supported by a given operating system.
According to measurement firm Net Applications, IE8 accounted for 37.3% of all instances of Internet Explorer used in February. IE6, the version originally released with XP, accounted for 8% of all copies of Internet Explorer, a high percentage considering that Microsoft had gone to great lengths to eradicate that version.
Chrome, Firefox and Opera can be downloaded from the websites of Google, Mozilla and Opera Software.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed. His email address is email@example.com.
See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.
Read more about windows in Computerworld's Windows Topic Center.


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Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up Monday in twin attacks on Moscow subway stations jam-packed with rush-hour passengers, killing at least 37 people and wounding 102, officials said. They blamed the carnage on rebels from the Caucasus region.
The blasts come six years after Caucasus Islamic separatists carried out a pair of deadly Moscow subway strikes and raise concerns that the war has once again come to Russia's capital, amid militants' warnings of a renewed determination to push their fight.
Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing late last year on a passenger train en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who built much of his political capital by directing a fierce war with Chechen separatists a decade ago, vowed Monday that "terrorists will be destroyed."
The first explosion took place just before 8 a.m. at the Lubyanka station in central Moscow. The station is underneath the building that houses the main offices of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the KGB's main successor agency.
A second explosion hit the Park Kultury station about 45 minutes later.
"I heard a bang, turned my head and smoke was everywhere. People ran for the exits screaming," said 24-year-old Alexander Vakulov, who said he was on a train on the platform opposite the targeted train at Park Kultury.
"I saw a dead person for the first time in my life," said 19-year-old Valentin Popov, who had just arrived at the station from the opposite direction.
The iconic Moscow subway system is one of the world's busiest, carrying around 7 million passengers on an average workday, and is a key element in running the sprawling and traffic-choked city.
Russian TV showed amateur video from inside the Lubyanka station of wounded and possibly dead victims sitting and lying on the floor. The train platform was filled with smoke.
Outside both stations, passengers flooded out, many of them crying and making frantic calls on their cell phones. The wounded were loaded into ambulances and helicopters, some with their heads wrapped in bloody bandages, as sirens wailed.
The last confirmed terrorist attack in Moscow was in August 2004, when a suicide bomber blew herself up outside a city subway station, killing 10 people. Responsibility for that blast was claimed by Chechen rebels.
Russian police have killed several Islamic militant leaders in the North Caucasus recently, including one last week in the Kabardino-Balkariya region. The killing of Anzor Astemirov was mourned by contributors to two al-Qaida-affiliated Web sites.
The killings have raised fears of retaliatory strikes by the militants.
In February, Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov warned in an interview on a rebel-affiliated Web site that "the zone of military operations will be extended to the territory of Russia ... the war is coming to their cities."
Umarov also claimed his fighters were responsible for the November bombing of the Nevsky Express passenger train that killed 26 people en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu said the toll was 37 killed and 102 injured, but he did not give a breakdown of casualties at each station.
In a televised meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov said body fragments of the two bombers pointed to a Caucasus connection. He did not elaborate.
"We will continue the fight against terrorism unswervingly and to the end," Medvedev said.
Neither he nor Putin, who was on an official trip in Siberia, announced specific measures and it was not clear if Russia has new strategies to unleash in the Caucasus, where violent separatism has spread from Chechnya into neighboring republics.
Although the Russian army battered Chechen rebels in massive assaults a decade ago, the separatists continue to move through the region's mountains and forests with comparative ease and launch frequent small attacks.
New York's transit system beefed up security as a precaution following the Moscow bombings. A spokesman for New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Kevin Ortiz, said the agency has a "heightened security presence," but declined further comment.
The agency is in charge of New York City buses and subways, as well as suburban trains, and bridges and tunnels.
The Moscow blasts practically paralyzed movement in the city center as emergency vehicles sped to the stations.
In the Park Kultury blast, the bomber was wearing a belt packed with plastic explosive and set it off as the train's doors opened, said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's top investigative body. The woman has not been identified, he told reporters.
A woman who sells newspapers outside the Lubyanka station, Ludmila Famokatova, said there appeared to be no panic, but that many of the people who streamed out were distraught.
"One man was weeping, crossing himself, saying 'thank God I survived'," she said.
Associated Press Writers Jim Heintz, Lynn Berry and Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow contributed to this report.


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My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn't quite realized that the cave experience wouldn't be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
Samhith sitting in one place is not something you can see very often. Samhith listening to something intently is even rarer! But, there was a time last week, when my little boy actually sat quietly (well, almost quietly) for over an hour, intently listening, asking questions in between, peering close to see the details he was hearing about. What was it that interested him? Nothing less than the Egyptian Mummy which has travelled all the way from London to our very own Mumbai!
|Photo Courtesy: Mummy - The Inside Story, Facebook Page
Nesperennub was a priest, who, like other members of his family, served at the temple complex of Amun-Ra at Karnak, in the shrine of Khons. The reason for his death isn't very clear, but he must have lived sometime between c. 945 – 715 BC. His mummy was discovered at Luxor, the site of the ancient city of Thebes, in the 1890s and brought to the British Museum in London, in 1899. Now, more than a century later, he travels the globe, educating people across the continents, about his ancient civilization.
What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the exhibits don't just explain the history and practices of the Egyptians, but they explain how we know about these things in the first place. Each item in the exhibit has its own story, and explains how it fits in with the rest. The mummy literally comes to life, with the visual presentation taking us inside, showing us what is left of Nesperenubb, and how we learn so much about him.
The Mummy exhibit begins with a visual presentation in the auditorium. "Mummy – The Inside Story" is screened every single day, every hour, on the hour, at the Auditorium right next to the Museum store. Please sit through the presentation before setting forth to see the exhibits. Believe me, it helps explain so much!
The exhibition itself is spread over 4 rooms, and there are free guided tours available at 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM every day. If you are not in time for these, or want a peaceful tour of the exhibits, there are audio guides available at the entrance for Rs. 70. This is not too steep a charge for a guide which takes you through the entire exhibition, step by step. The running time for the audio guide is about 45 minutes, but actually walking through the exhibits and listening to it took us more than an hour and a half. And this is what made Samhith actually sit down and listen. No human guide could have done that! So, go, get yourself and your kids an audio guide and see how much more they listen!
There is no doubt that the exhibition is aimed at the children. The language is simple, and easy to understand, no matter how complex the story told. Besides, the third section is just for kids – there are books to read, bookmarks to be made, drawing and colouring to be done, and photos to be taken, all on the Egyptian theme. Besides all these, there are also some lovely books at the exit, perfect for kids of all ages! My only grouse is that most of them are too expensive. However, the exhibit catalogue is on sale, and is worth a buy. It explains the entire exhibition in detail, and helps you remember all the facts you might have missed or forgotten.
The Mummy is at the Mumbai museum for exactly 2 more months – till the 24th of March. If you live in Mumbai, or are even visiting, during this period, please do not miss this exhibition. The museum has been kept especially open on Mondays just for this, so please make the most of it.
The Museum also has put up a load of information on their website, giving information for people visiting, for teachers, and also activities for kids. Please check their website before you go.
There are also loads of activities for kids, but most of the events have been held either on weekdays or weekends when we haven't been free. But I have been hearing good things about them, so if you can, go, attend them... and let us know how they were. Also, there are special activities conducted for school groups, and you can contact the museum for further details.