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Author's Note: Hm, my first attempt at a Naruto fic, and I think I chose a doosey of a subject. I'm sticking to canon (at least trying hard to) so let me know if I screwed something up – like a technique name, someone's age or similar. Know though, that certain events will be altered due to the nature of the story.
Rating: Rated T for the natural violence of ninjas and also for language. Naruto's mouth can be a bit crude, and he's not the only one, either.
Disclaimer: Naruto and etc. aren't mine, but there is a growing collection of original characters that will undoubtedly make their appearances.
Namikaze Brothers Arc One : Magirekomu Bettenchi(to be lost in another world)
By Renatus
Chapter 01 – Jikangire (being out of time)
Naruto woke suddenly, as most Shinobi tended to, though his body didn't otherwise react to his quick conscious shift into wakefulness. He breathed evenly, deeply, as if he was still asleep, listening for the sound or motion that had woken him with such suddenness. The area was quiet with the sound of the wind through leaves, and the distinct absence of birdsong, that made the distant sounds of destruction echo through the trees.
Naruto's eyes opened suddenly, seeing the branches of the tall Konoha trees above him. The forest was cast in shadow, like late evening. There was a wide swath of uprooted trees and trenches of dirt around him. Naruto sat up and groaned as his body protested the movement. He felt slow and worn out, and struggled to feel his own chakra, weakly pulsing beneath his skin. Pushing a few stray branches off of him, Naruto got to his feet, feeling drained and weak.
He looked over himself, looking for unfelt wounds. His clothes were ragged, one dark pant leg tattered at the ends, the other still tucked into the bindings around his calves. His shirtsleeves were dirty and one of the swirled patches on his arms had been torn, and his black and orange coat had deep gashes across his chest, leaving it flapping in the breeze. He was a bit worse for wear and he knew he looked like he just came out of the bad end of a good fight, but he wasn't wounded. At least not anymore.
'What happened?' he thought, taking in the surrounding area. He knew the location, though he barely recognized it with the uprooted trees. It was one of Konoha's outside training grounds, one of the furthest from the village's walls. He could see the top edge of the Hokage Monument in the distance through the trees. Battle sounds echoed through the trees again and Naruto scaled a tree, trying to figure out the direction of the sounds. He perched on a high branch, taking in the view of the village and its walls and the mountain beside it. The sun was low over the horizon, casting long shadows. He turned and stared, motionless in shock.
Crouched low over the forest in the distance stood the Kyubi, its nine tails sweeping in great arcs over its body. Naruto could hear its growls and calls vibrating through the trees. He couldn't believe his eyes. The Kyubi was supposed to be sealed within him, not loose to wreak havoc on Konoha again.
Naruto stared at the sight. He could barely make out the shapes of Shinobi attempting to battle it, desperately trying to turn it away from its path towards the hidden village. Shock and anger and confusion swirled through him and he suddenly felt something that made his anger disappear in an instant and feed his confusion twice-fold.
The Kyubi's chakra was not inside of him.
Naruto frantically looked down at his stomach, pulling his shirt up to stare at his bare stomach. He could see faint traces of the once-there seals, the lines faded like old scars. The Kyubi was not sealed within him like it should have been. Its absence sent Naruto reeling, and not just from the shock, but from the sudden realization of the feeling of emptiness – a great expanse of himself that had once been full to bursting with barely restrained power and rage was no longer there.
"What the hell?" he whispered staring back at the sight before him. The nine-tailed fox swung its tails violently, toppling a great swath of trees and sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air. "How did it get out?"
'Impossible.' Naruto thought, still too shocked to really react. 'What the hell happened?'
Flashes of memory surfaced slowly, then more rapidly as he wracked his brain for some explanation to what was going on and he wondered if he was dead. 'I should be dead.' Scenes of Konoha's distant training grounds in ruins, black flames, a swirled mask and a taunting voice echoed through his head. Madara. Uchiha Madara and the bastard's annoying time jutsus (1) which made a battle with the guy aggravating enough to pull out the nine-tail's chakra so early; too early. Naruto didn't have the strength otherwise to face him, or the speed. But he also remembered, vaguely through the haze that was his mind behind the Kyubi's shroud and tails, that Madara had found him terribly annoying in return; enough to do something about it. Something that Naruto had no idea was possible, but Madara had calmly stood before him and told him exactly what he was going to do – and when.
Naruto knew where he thought he was, but he wasn't sure he believed it.
Naruto twisted his head back around to look at the village, his eyes immediately went to the monument, the faces of the Hokages carved in stone above the village. There were only four. Naruto felt his eyes widen at the sight. The Fifth's face was not there, leaving the space it had – would – take a rough, uneven lump of cliff and stone. Naruto's eyes slowly tracked back to the Kyubi raging in the distance as his mind was locked in a state between absolute numbness and complete chaos.
He had traveled back in time.
"Madara." He growled, watching the fox in the distance with growing anger. He looked around him, trying to find the man responsible for his situation. He couldn't sense him anywhere, but that didn't mean he wasn't near. Naruto looked back to the village, wondering where the man would head to first. Naruto wasn't sure, he couldn't predict the Uchiha.
"Kushina." Naruto whispered, suddenly remembering. Madara was going to go after his infant self and his mother, killing the child before the fox could be sealed. Naruto looked around again, wondering where he would find her. He didn't know where she had lived, or how she had died this night. He could scour the entire village and miss her. The fox in the distance took down another swatch of forest, growling into the darkening sky. Naruto could see its eyes glowing slightly, reflecting the sinking light of the sun. He could feel the malice and anger of the fox's nature from his distance, rolling over and through the forest in near tangible waves of power and rage and killing intent so potent that it took his breath away.
As he watched, suddenly a large summoning grew out of the depths of the forest. Naruto felt his eyes widen at the sight of Gamabunta, the boss toad, standing between the rampaging nine-tailed fox and the village's walls. Atop the toad's head stood the tall figure of a man. Naruto knew who he was. Even from his distance, he could see the features of the Fourth Hokage staring down the visage of the angry fox.
The nine-tails screamed its fury, slashing its clawed hands toward the toad. Gamabunta hopped out of the way, drawing his blade and spitting out great balls of water bombs. The water struck the fox harshly, exploding in great waves of chakra and water. The fox screamed again, but didn't retaliate. Instead it jumped back away from the boss toad. Naruto stared, shocked again as the fox retreated, still screaming and growling in anger and rage as it distanced itself from the toad and the village.
'Why is it retreating?'
"That's not right." Naruto said, standing as he watched the fox's retreat. "What's going on?"
Gamabunta and the Fourth didn't follow far, keeping close to the village's surrounding forest. Naruto watched as the fox screamed one last time before disappearing in a splash of chakra and smoke.
It had left.
"What the hell?" Naruto looked around the area again, wondering if it had just changed locations to attack from a new direction. But he couldn't even feel the lingering traces of the nine-tails's chakra in the area. It had completely left, as if it had been unsummoned. Naruto blinked.
"Madara." Naruto growled, and jumped from his perch, propelling himself forward through the trees, keeping Gamabunta and the Fourth Hokage on his head in his sights. He had to warn him. He cringed as his muscles ached at the forced motion. He wouldn't be able to do much, his body was too worn out and tired.
'Damn Madara.' He snarled to himself, 'He actually wore me out. Forced me to use the stupid fox's chakra. I don't even have the strength to activate my bloodline limit.' It was unusual that Naruto's stamina gave out enough that he didn't have the strength to hold onto the low-chakra-consuming bloodline limit. He wondered if his severe weariness had anything to do with the time-jump, the sudden lack of the Kyubi, or if Madara was actually that difficult. Naruto wasn't sure, he didn't remember much of the last bit of his battle with Madara before he woke up. He recalled only Madara's threat and his own reaction – releasing the sixth tail of the Kyubi sealed within him. He had never done so before. He honestly hadn't thought he would survive it.
Naruto closed the distance to the Fourth quickly, racing through the trees and dodging a couple Shinobi. The Fourth was looking away from him, addressing a team of Shinobi perched in the trees near him, gesturing towards the swath of destruction left by the fox.
Naruto jumped high into the trees and launched himself into the air over Gamabunta's back. The Fourth turned towards him, a kunai in his hand and his coat flapping around him. Naruto landed a few paces away, crouched in his landing. He felt the boss toad shift and move ender him, grumbling.
"Eh, who is that?" Gamabunta said, his voice vibrating threateningly through Naruto's feet. The Fourth watched him carefully, his eyes narrowed. Naruto watched him in return, not moving as he stared at the man. He had spent a lifetime looking up at this man's face carved in stone, claiming his greatness and dreams to surpass the great Namikaze Minato, the man who had sealed the nine-tailed beast within him, his own son.
The Fourth watched him, his eyes narrowed slightly. Naruto remained still, letting the man look him over, trying not to look like he had just impertinently perched himself atop the toad boss's head in order to attack the Hokage. He would be lucky if Gamabunta didn't swallow him whole for his audacity alone.
"Who are you?" The Fourth asked, his voice steady and even and laced with threat. Naruto blinked and stood slowly.
Naruto didn't respond right away, knowing that by his silence he was letting the Fourth know that he was about to say something untruthful, or in the least, not the whole truth. Naruto wanted him to know he was going to give him a false name.
"Kodora." Naruto said, watching as the Fourth's eyes narrowed slightly. Naruto didn't want to lie to him, but he wasn't sure if he should reveal who he really was or not. On one hand, he was sure there were rules regarding the whole time-travel process, rules that had to do with not messing up the timeline and creating things like paradoxes.
"Hokage-sama," one of the Shinobi in the nearby trees said, gaining their attention.
"Satou," Minato said, turning slightly to them, "Make sure the wounded get to the hospital for treatment, set up a secondary defense barrier in a perimeter around the village and make sure there is a rotating guard on all the walls. If the Kyubi is sighted again, notify me immediately!"
"Hai (2)! Hokage-sama!" Satou called and shot off into the forest, taking his team with him. Naruto glanced at them as they left before turning his eyes back to the man across from him. They had been left mostly alone, and Naruto knew that there was no longer anyone close enough to hear their words except for the toad beneath their feet.
"Small tiger?" the Fourth asked, translating the name with a slight raise of a brow.
Naruto felt a mixing of aggravation and long-suffering amusement at the name, and he let it show. "A name a friend gave to me." Naruto said, seeing Sai's face in his mind. "When someone said that I fight as if I was a caged tiger. He found it amusing, and called me 'small tiger' because of my – well, he thought it was funny anyways. It stuck, regrettably."
The Fourth didn't respond, but Naruto thought he saw some amusement in the man's subtle shift of expression. Naruto pondered his unique position again, weighing the pros and cons of what and how much to say to the man in front of him. He knew that the Fourth had no reason to trust him, but Naruto didn't have the time nor energy to deal with Madara on his own. He needed the Yondaime's help. Naruto decided to throw caution to the wind. His more reckless, insane plans tended to work better anyways.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He said.
The Fourth's eyes widened then narrowed, crouching slightly into a more ready stance. Naruto shifted a foot backwards before stopping himself.
"Look, it's a long story, but I'm not here to fight you." Naruto said, "I'm here to warn you. Kushina's in danger. The guy who summoned the fox is here to kill m- her son before you get the chance to seal the Kyubi inside of him. He's going to kill her! Where is she?"
"Who is going to kill her?" Minato asked darkly.
Naruto sucked in a breath. "Uchiha Madara."
"Yes, look, I know it sounds crazy, but he's got some crazy time jutsu thing and he's come back here to kill her and m- eh." Naruto stopped and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.
"He's come back here?" Minato asked, standing straight again. "Exactly what do you mean?"
"He came from the future." Naruto said. "Well, so did I. But that's besides the point. He came back to- "
"You're from the future?"
Naruto stared at him, not sure if Minato was taking him seriously or if he was trying to decide if he had a crazy person on his hands. Naruto wasn't too sure himself. The whole situation was crazy and he barely believed it himself. He had no idea that jumping through time was even possible to a small scale until he had faced Madara for the first time. Then Kakashi had tried to explain the Fourth's use of time and space jutsus, which had just confused him for ages. But Naruto had seen Madara's space and time jutsus first hand, had tried to fight against him and failed, though even then, Naruto had a hard time believing that he had traveled nearly two decades into the past.
Naruto sucked in a deep breath, "Madara can manipulate time with some sort of jutsu that I can't explain and just confuses the hell out of me, but he does it and it's annoying and he managed to drag me along, though-" Naruto paused, "I wonder if he realizes I got dragged along with him." Naruto shook his head, "Anyways, he's here to get rid of me before I get annoying, he said, so he's going to-" he stopped again, looking back into the bright blue eyes of his father.
Minato was watching him with a blank look, hiding any of his thoughts or emotions. Naruto wasn't sure what else to say to the man. He didn't think they had a lot of time. Kushina and his infant self were in serious danger and Naruto was pretty sure that Madara wouldn't just fiddle around in going after them.
'Why did he call off the Kyubi from attacking Konoha?' Naruto wondered, looking back to the destruction that the fox had left in its wake.
"Oh!" Naruto said, turning his attention back to the man across from him, "That's it!" Naruto took a few steps forward, pulling up his shirt to bare his stomach. Minato watched him carefully, not moving to either raise his weapon or keep the distance between them.
Minato's eyes flickered down to his abdomen and widened slightly. Naruto held the hem of his shirt up so the Fourth could see the faint, scarring traces of the seals that once held the Kyubi within him. Even if the Kyubi was gone, and the seals were barren, they could still be seen. Naruto knew that the Fourth would recognize his own work, even if they were now dead seals, and the man would know what they had been created for.
"It used to house the Kyubi." Naruto said, "I don't know what happened to it, when I woke up here – now – it was gone, but the seals are still there."
Minato remained silent, his blue eyes piercing as he looked into Naruto's own. Naruto had no idea what he was thinking, but he felt only minimal amounts of threat from the man. He seemed to be more curious than threatened, for which Naruto was grateful, but they still didn't have a lot of time.
"It's a long story, but we don't have time for it right now." Naruto said, holding his father's blue gaze. "Madara is going after mom. Now."
"Hey, Minato!" Gamabunta said. Naruto shifted as the toad's voice vibrated through his feet, looking down over the edge of his head. Gamabunta moved, sheathing his sword and pulling his long pipe out of his clothing. "Who is this kid, eh?"
Minato looked at Naruto before turning his attention to the toad below him. "Gamabunta," Minato said, "Can you take us to the village?"
"Eh?" the toad said, puffing on his pipe. "I'm pretty big, you sure you want me to get that close?"
"Just jump in that direction and we'll jump off when we're close." Minato said.
"Well alright." Gamabunta said, "But I want an explanation later. I don't just let anyone sit on my head, Minato!"
"Hey boss!" Naruto called, grinning and rapping on the toad's head with his foot. The toad moved under him, and the two rode the motions out. Minato raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.
"Boss, is it?" Gamabunta said. Naruto could see the toad's eyes rolling to look up at them. The toad chuckled, the sound and motion rolling under their feet. "Ha, haha! Minato, I like this kid! I could use another subordinate. Alright, then, kid. I'll give you a chance to prove yourself to be my subordinate."
Naruto scowled and crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath about ungrateful toad bosses.
"What was that, kid?" the toad said, his pipe letting out a puff of smoke.
"I said I ain't doing that again!" Naruto said. "Once was enough for me."
"Oooh?" Gamabunta said, his eyes rolling again as he pulled on his pipe.
"Gamabunta," Minato said, "We are short on time."
"Very well." The toad said. "Hang on then."
Naruto staggered his feet as the toad shifted below him, noticing Minato barely moving at Gamabunta's motions. Gamabunta crouched low, folding his legs under him, and Naruto braced himself for the force of the toad's impending jump. A second later the toad jumped. Naruto sucked in a sharp breath at the jump, forced to crouch low atop the toad's head as they soared over the short span of forest towards the village. Just before the toad would have landed atop the walls and nearby buildings Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke with an echoing, "Call me later, Minato."
Naruto stumbled at the sudden lack of support under his feet before somersaulting in the air and landing only slightly awkward atop the edge of a roof. Looking around he spotted Minato not far, balanced on the peak of the roofline above him.
"This way." Minato said, jumping to the next roof. Naruto followed, their speed picking up quickly as Minato gauged Naruto's ability to keep pace. They crossed half the village and Naruto followed him down into the street outside of the hospital. Minato looked at him again, his blue eyes piercing as Naruto forced himself not to shift or fidget. Naruto wasn't sure what the other man was thinking, but a moment later Minato turned and headed towards the doors. Naruto followed him silently.
Rin fidgeted slightly, her eyes looking over Kushina's sweat-drenched body in a mixture of concern and support. She rinsed a wet rag in the bowl of cold water next to her before using it to wipe the woman's face. Kushina breathed quickly but deeply and gave her a smile.
"He sure is impatient, eh, Rin-chan?" she said.
Rin smiled. "He'll be strong, I'm sure."
"Of course he will be." The nurse across from her said. The woman fussed a bit with the bedding, her old hands sure and precise in their movements.
Kushina nodded, her body sinking into the sheets around her. Her contractions were growing more intense and closer together. Rin knew that the baby would be birthed soon, within hours, likely. He was already two weeks early, and Kushina's labor pains were increasing fast.
If only it was any other day. Rin glanced out of window, but saw nothing but the village and the darkening sky above it. It seemed peaceful, too much so. The nine-tails was making its way to Konoha and the Hokage had been forced to chose between being there for the birth of his son, or facing down the Kyubi. Rin knew that her Sensei would give his life for the village, but she did wish that he could have been there for Kushina, not that either of the girls would begrudge the man his choice. He was the Hokage after all, and it was his nature to put others before himself, and his village before anything else.
Kushina cried out again, and Rin turned at the sound, watching the wave of pain pass through the pregnant woman's body. She reached out and brushed Kushina's hair to the side, and made a soothing sound in her throat. A moment later the contraction passed and Kushina sagged back to the bed.
"Just breathe, dear." The nurse said. Kushina cracked one eye open to give the woman a tired glare, but it went ignored. Rin smiled slightly and patted Kushina's hand.
"Oh good," a dark voice said from the window, "I'm not late."
Rin spun at the sound and sucked in a breath at the sight of a darkly dressed man perched on the widow sill. He wore an orange, spiraled mask that was cracked, revealing his eyes and a part of his left cheek. The man slipped to the floor with barely a sound, his red eyes – his sharingan eyes – fixed on the pregnant woman lying on the bed. Rin could barely move. The man sent out a steady wall of killer intent that caused the air to freeze in her lungs. She couldn't even breathe as she stared in shock and horror at the man.
"Wh- who are you?" Kushina ground out.
"Me?" the man said, "It's not important, I'm afraid."
Kushina grunted as another contraction hit her and Rin wished that she could move to comfort her, but the terror and intensity in the air had frozen her to the spot. All she could do was stare at the sharingan eyes of the man as he slowly took a few steps forward, his hand raising towards them.
"What do you want?" Kushina asked, her voice strained.
The man glanced at her. "You and that child within you dead."
Something flickered and Rin heard a sharp gasp and pained gurgle from behind her. She finally found the strength to move and looked behind her to see the nurse clutching her throat and staggering backwards. Blood streamed down from behind her hands and the old woman stumbled awkwardly against the wall. Rin watched in growing horror as she slid down the wall, her eyes glassing over.
Rin had fought in a war. She had killed and healed and seen many of the horrible things that shinobi could do to each other, but she had never felt anything like the solid darkness of killing intent the man gave off. She hadn't even seen him move. She had no idea what he had done to kill the nurse so quickly. Rin's eyes slowly tracked back to the man to find the sharingan staring back at her. His expression was bored and uninterested, but the three tomoes twirled lazily as he focused on her. She knew that she was next, and she wasn't sure there was anything she could do about it. Rin screamed, some part of her desperately hoping that someone would hear and come running to help.
They traversed the halls with little delay, Minato greeting a few of those they passed. Naruto took in the minor disorder of the main lobby, wondering how many Shinobi had been injured or killed from the short attack by the fox. He wondered, then, how many hadn't been killed since the nine-tailed fox had retreated before it reached the walls of the village.
A distant scream echoed down the halls and was suddenly muffled. Minato seemed to stop in mid step, frozen for a moment before disappearing, his form flickering down the hall in his speed. Naruto blinked once and chased after him, his body protesting and barely able to keep up with the man's incredible speed. He saw him flicker around a corner at the end of the hall and out of sight and Naruto tried to pull more speed out of his limbs to follow him. He dashed down the hallway and skidded around the corner, crashing into the wall opposite in his wild attempt to change directions in a dead sprint on a slick floor. His heavily drained reserves of chakra flared at the motion, aiding his movements as he charged down the new hallway, spotting a door hanging from its hinges ahead of him.
Another pained shout echoed down the hall, and Naruto skidded across the opening of the door, grabbing onto the frame in order to stop. The small hospital room was a bit crowded, a woman was laying on the bed, bloodied, a girl standing over her with chakra laced through her fingers. A woman was slumped against the wall nearby, her eyes staring off and blood coating her chest from her throat. Minato stood between the girls and a darkly dressed man whom Naruto recognized immediately.
"Madara." Naruto snarled, feeling the sensation of fury that was oddly cold without the fox's fiery heat to push it. Madara turned sharply at his voice, his sharingan eyes widening slightly.
"You!" Madara hissed, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Came along for the ride." Naruto said, crouching slightly with his hands on the doorframe to either side of him to hold himself up. "What? You didn't realize you had a passenger?"
"You are more trouble than you're worth, Jinchuriki." Madara said, sneering at him.
Naruto growled, the sound rumbling deep in his throat like it had when the Kyubi's fury had leaked into his own, even though he knew that the fox's chakra and emotions were no longer within him. He tensed then shot forward, barreling himself towards Madara. Madara's form flickered slightly, shifting to the side out of Naruto's path. Naruto snarled, and he saw Minato kick out sharply, hitting Madara in the side and sending the man back into Naruto's line of attack. Naruto tackled him, wrapping his arms around the man and digging his shoulder into his gut as the force of their movement took them both through the wall.
Naruto didn't release the man, digging his clawed hands into Madara's collar as they crashed to the pavement below. They rolled, Naruto holding the man to prevent him from flickering away and dragged him to his feet, pulling a kunai from his pouch.
Madara blocked it with his own, the weapons sparking at the contact. Madara shot out his free hand and wrapped it around Naruto's neck. Naruto didn't release him, grunting at the force constricting around his throat and slowly cutting off his air.
"You have proved to be a thorn in my side, Jinchuriki." Madara said, tightening his hold. Naruto ignored his body's need to gag, snarling silently at the man and letting his chakra flare around them. He didn't have much left, yet it swirled around him in harsh currents of wind that cut into both of their skin and clothes.
"This village is mine." Madara whispered with a sneer.
Naruto growled low in his throat despite the hand cutting off his ability to breath. "I. Won't. Let you." He said, struggling to get the words out.
Madara chuckled darkly, squeezing his hand tighter around his neck. Naruto gagged slightly and tried to suck in a breath that couldn't make it through to his lungs.
"You've already failed, Jinchuriki." Madara said with a smirk.
Naruto felt his eyes widen, and he glanced past the man to the gaping hole they had left in the side of the hospital building. Had Madara already killed her? Had he been too late?
He saw Minato standing in the hole, a three-pronged kunai in one hand with a growing Rasengan in the palm of the other. An expression of dark, sharp fury was etched onto his face as his eyes glowed with an icy fire, and Naruto had the fleeting thought that the man was unexpectedly, coldly vicious.
"I'll kill you." Naruto snarled, turning his attention back to the man in his grasp, tightening his hold on the man's clothing and twisting the kunai in his other hand. The two blades hissed against each other as Naruto turned it and plunged it deep into the man's shoulder. Madara sucked in a sharp breath and returned the attack. Naruto was unable to block it, turning his body in the limited range of motion he had and took the kunai attack in his ribs, feeling the blade plunge deep.
Naruto gasped, feeling the much needed air rush into his lungs before Madara's hand tightened its hold on his neck again. Naruto didn't let go of him as Minato's three-pronged kunai sailed through the air. Madara lurched as it lodged itself in his back. Naruto winced as the hand on his throat constricted painfully. A second later Minato appeared behind Madara with a flash of yellow light, the Rasengan already being pushed towards Madara's back. With they sudden closeness, Naruto could see flecks of cold throughout the icy blue of the Fourth's eyes.
Madara narrowed his eyes, the sharingan spinning dangerously as he twisted his body, pulling on Naruto to try to avoid the Fourth's attack. Naruto planted his feet, flaring what was left of his chakra and pulling sharply on the kunai imbedded in the man's shoulder, forcing Madara to take the Fourth's Rasengan directly in his back.
Naruto saw the flare of the Rasengan's attack from the corner of his eyes as he met the spinning tomoes of Madara's sharingan. The world around him melted like wax, the sky dripping onto the buildings and flowing to the ground, leaving behind a vast, unending horizon of blood red and swirling black clouds filled with dark lightning. Naruto sucked in a breath, staring around him at the illusionary world. The melted wax flowed to him, surrounding his feet and legs and crawling up his legs like many hands. Familiar faces and bodies formed from it, rising around him with angry looks and weapons in hand; his friends and team mates, and those of the village who he had befriended.
Naruto knew that it was an illusion. He knew that none of it was real and that it was all created by the torturous illusions of Madara's sharingan, but it felt real. Naruto couldn't move as the cold, waxy substance of the world wound around his limbs, holding him in place as the figures around him raised their weapons and blades to him. Naruto cringed and steeled himself as the blades stabbed towards him, the metal slicing through his body with a wet hiss. Naruto bit through his lip and cried out, throwing his head back as he screamed. The blades retreated, pulled from his body and Naruto felt himself sag in his bonds. He lifted his head enough to see the figures around him raise their blades again, the sharp edges of the swords and knives glinting in the eerie red light as they plunged towards him. The looks of hatred and disgust and cold indifference bit deeply into his heart as the faces of those he loved wielded weapons both physical and emotional.
Naruto gritted his teeth against the pain, trying not to scream as the scene replayed itself over and over again. He clenched his eyes shut to block out the faces of those he loved and those he called friends as they stabbed him. He tried to remind himself that it was all just an illusion, that it wasn't real. But it felt real, and he was struggling to endure the hours as he lost track of time and of reality.
The world melted again, swirling around and away from him like thick smoke, or oil on water. Naruto staggered as he took in the sight of the hospital before him. He sucked in a sharp breath, feeling like his throat was raw and torn. He looked around, noticing that he was crouched low to the ground, his hands still fisted in Madara's clothing. The man was heavy in his grasp, dead weight.
"Are you alright?" Minato asked, leaning over him. Naruto looked up at the man, then back to Madara, nodding slightly and feeling his balance tip at the motion.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Naruto said as the world tipped sideways. He blinked up at the sky, seeing Minato's face enter his narrowing field of vision. The man's mouth moved and Naruto heard sound, but couldn't understand the words. Slowly his vision blackened and he fell into unconsciousness.
Naruto woke to the soft sounds of the village and the afternoon light streaming onto his face. The room around him was silent and still, and he could hear the distant muffled sounds of the Konoha streets drifting though the window. It smelled like the hospital.
Naruto suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the white-washed ceiling above him. He was in the hospital. He would know that ceiling anywhere. He felt inward, looking for his chakra and found it simmering lowly within him, traversing under his skin and through his muscles steadily, if a little sluggishly. He looked deeper and found the emptiness that the fox's absence had left; like some dark, black hole in the back of his mind and soul. His chakra otherwise seemed unaffected by the Kyubi's absence, which comforted him somewhat, though he wondered what sort of changes he could expect. He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, shifting his fingers on one hand to form a simple seal.
"Hakinkage." His whispered. His chakra swirled within him and settled into a swifter pattern and he opened his eyes again. He knew that his eyes were now a different color, no longer the bright blue of his birth. They now reflected the golden color of his hair, a testament to the activation of his bloodline limit. He took a deep breath, holding it for a moment as he felt the subtle shifts of the Kekkai Genkai (3) on his body. It would help him to heal a little faster.
Naruto glanced around and sat up. Or rather, he tried to. He got far enough to pull his shoulders off the bed before his muscles spasmed and he fell back to the sheets with a resounding, "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
He curled around himself, throwing an arm or two out in retaliation to his body's stiff pains. His shouts and motions drew the attention of the medics in the hallway, and two white-hooded medic-nin came through the door, startling Naruto at their sudden entrance. He jumped off the bed to face them despite the pain. The sheets tangled around his legs from his thrashing and he crashed to the floor with a thud.
Naruto heaved a deep sigh and watched the relatively harmless medic-nins from his sprawled, undignified position on the floor next to his bed.
"Ehhh." He groaned out. It had been a while since the opening of a door had startled him enough to send him sprawling to the ground tangled in his own bed sheets.
"Ow." He grumbled, pushing himself off his face. His body protested the motion, but it wasn't as painful as it had been when he first tried to move. There was nothing like a good dumping to the floor to do a recently healing body good.
"You shouldn't be out of bed." One of the medics chastised.
Naruto ignored the comment, allowing the man to help him to his feet and disentangle the rogue bed sheets from his legs. As soon as he was on his feet he pulled his arm back from the man and stood on his own, glancing around the room before settling on the one medic-nin still left in the room.
"What happened?" Naruto asked.
"You don't remember?" the medic-nin asked.
Naruto thought about that, recalling his recent memories of the battle against Madara, the subsequent time-travel and his short fight with Madara with Minato's help.
"Is he dead?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know who Madara is." The medic-nin said as he tried to fix the bedsheets. "The intruder though was killed by the Hokage, though I think you helped in that, yes?"
Naruto shrugged as he watched the medic straighten the bedding. "So he's dead, then."
"The Hokage took care of the body." The medic-nin said. "And he said that he wanted to talk to you when you woke up."
"How long have I been out of it?" Naruto asked, watching the medic retreat to stand between him and the door.
"Eight days."
"Eight!" Naruto looked around the room. That was unusual. "Where are my clothes?"
"They were thrown out." The medic-nin said, "They were beyond repair. What is left is there." He pointed to a small table near the bed. Naruto looked over the small pile of belongings before turning back to the other man with a slightly wild look.
"What am I supposed to wear if you threw away my clothes?"
The medic-nin looked at him sharply. "You can't leave yet! You just woke up!"
"Sure I can." Naruto said with a small grin, "I'm fine."
"You've been asleep for the past eight days! Do you have any idea how bad your wounds were?"
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't remember." He said without bothering to hide that it was a lie. Truth was he wasn't sure. He was relatively unharmed when he woke up in the past, but his chakra levels were at the state of near exhaustion. Naruto remembered the kunai getting stabbed into his chest, and he remembered Madara trying to crush his throat, but he had no idea the side effects of Madara's sharingan-fueled illusions and torture. The Tsukuyomi (3) attack could be psychologically devastating, but otherwise he didn't know what damages it caused.
Naruto stood and stretched, feeling his muscles pull tightly at the action. He was sore and stiff, but he'd been worse. He looked over the table again. It held a handful of kunai and shurikan, his necklace, a couple sealed scrolls, a tool pouch and his sandals. His hitai-ate was sitting atop the pile. A folded stack of standard ninja dress – pants and shirt with a roll of tape – sat next to his personal affects.
Naruto heaved a sigh and plopped back on the bed, ruffling the sheets under him again. The medic-nin gave him a look, which Naruto ignored. He grabbed for his necklace, slipping the cord over his head, and following the motion with his hitai-ate. He wrapped the forehead protector around his head, feeling better with the comfortable weight of it above his eyes.
"Sir, you cannot leave yet." The medic-nin said, watching him with a frown.
"Course I can." Naruto quipped.
"The Hokage specifically requested that you not leave."
Naruto gave the man a look that clearly told the medic how much sanity Naruto thought the man had. The medic glowered down at him, crossing his arms over his chest. Naruto snarled silently at him, grabbing the tool pouch from the table and shoving the loose kunai and shuriken into its depths.
"The Hokage wants to speak with you." The medic-nin tried again as Naruto stood in order to pull on the pants over the shorts he wore. Not his normal color, but the dull navy would do until he could find something more suitable to his tastes.
"Yeah, yeah." Naruto said, grabbing the roll of bandages to wrap his feet and legs, tucking the hem of the pants into the top of the wraps. He slipped on his sandals, and tore off a short strip of the bandage-wrap, twisting it into a thin rope. He glowered back at the medic-nin, matching the man look for look as he pulled his hair into a tail behind his head, tying it with the strip of bandage. He felt the tips of the ponytail brush against his shoulder blades. He had no intention of remaining in the hospital as far as he could help it.
Naruto stretched again as he picked up the long sleeved shirt from the table, complete with the swirled marks on the sleeves and back. He felt better. His muscles weren't trying to seizure at his every movement, a further testament to his healing abilities despite the distinct lack of Kyubi. Naruto tied his hitai-ate around his head before turning towards the door only to find the medic-nin standing in his path.
"Oi!" Naruto said, "I'm outta here!"
The medic-nin moved his hands to his hips, looking down his nose at Naruto, though he wasn't much taller than the blonde. Naruto stuck his chin out and glared back up at him. Their staring contest was interrupted by the door opening again, the second medic-nin leading in a blonde Shinobi, both looking at the two in the room with interest. Naruto glanced at the two newcomers and returned his eyes to the medic-nin standing in front of him, before feeling his eyes widen and shoot back to the shinobi standing just inside the doorway.
Naruto stared at the other blonde, recognizing the man's face immediately. He had wondered if he had been dreaming. He was pretty sure he wasn't anymore. The Fourth Hokage looked back at him before motioning for the two medic-nin to leave. Naruto barely noticed as the door closed behind them.
"How are you feeling?" The Fourth asked as Naruto sunk back to sit on the bed.
"Never better." Naruto quipped, then smiled a bit sheepishly as the Fourth's eyebrow rose. "I'm fine."
Minato stood and watched him silently, and Naruto held his tongue under the scrutiny, watching the man in return. He hadn't really thought about it before, but he was now in the same room with his father. His father, alive and breathing and inspecting him with narrowed, calculating eyes.
"You have the Hakinkage." The Fourth said, and Naruto felt his eyes widen slightly in surprise. It was rare for anyone to recognize it. It had been generations since someone had been able to activate it. Kakashi had told Naruto that the Fourth had begun the process and would have likely activated the bloodline limit had he not died when he did. Naruto hadn't thought that the Fourth would recognize it. He hadn't thought about it at all, actually. He should have known better. Of course the Fourth would recognize the sign of the activated Kekkai Genkai from his own family.
"Yes." Naruto said. "I activated it a couple years ago. Kakashi-sensei told me about it and helped me to find a way to activate it. Or rather, he helped me to see if I even had the ability to do so."
Minato looked at him a moment longer before nodding, his features softening a bit at the motion. He dug into a pocket of his coat and pulled out a scrap of orange material, which he threw towards him. Naruto caught it, looking at it questioningly. It was a scarf, he saw; mostly orange with stripes of red and yellow at its ends.
"You should cover your face." Minato said. "You look far too much like me not to raise questions."
Naruto blinked and looked back at the face of his father. He supposed that they did look an awful lot alike. He hadn't really thought about it before. He had been told, but he hadn't ever considered it. Naruto nodded and stretched the scarf out in his hands. He wrapped it around his nose and chin, twisting it once as he pulled it back, and tied it in a knot behind his neck below his ponytail, letting the long ends of it stream down his back. He shifted it over his nose with his hand. It was a strange feeling to cover his face. He pictured Kakashi's mask and smiled.
"Good." Minato said, getting his attention again. "And you'll go by a codename."
"A codename?" Naruto asked, his voice only slightly muffled by the thin fabric over his face. Minato nodded.
"Yes. You will not tell anyone who you are or where you came from. You will especially not inform others of the time travel. If you think you ought to do so, you will ask for my permission first."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I will insist on informing a couple people."
"The Third, Jiraiya and later on, Tsunade and Kakashi."
If the Fourth was surprised by his list he didn't show it, merely nodding once after a moment of thought. "That is acceptable. I would like to be present when you do so if it is possible."
Naruto shrugged. "Sure. Ah, why am I hiding my identity anyways?"
Minato looked at him a moment. "Because of the time difference for one. Because I have more enemies than is particularly healthy and most of them would mistake you for me, or would take you simply because they had a decent look-alike for a target. Because you are not on the Konoha ninja registry yet even though you wear a hitai-ate and are clearly a trained shinobi. And because while it's not common knowledge, it's no secret that Kushina is an Uzumaki and was going to name her son Naruto."
Naruto blinked and nodded, not really having anything to say in response to any of his reasons. They all made sense and Naruto didn't really mind hiding his face and going under a codename. It had a sneaky aspect that gratified the prankster in him. He had never had the need to hide his identity or sneak around really before. It usually ended up being a moot point anyways. He was just too recognizable. But now, here, no one knew him. Few even knew of him.
"From now on you are Kinatsu." The Fourth said. Naruto tilted his head slightly, thinking about the name.
"Kinatsu." Naruto said, trying it out. "I like it."
Minato nodded. "Your file will be placed under high security access, and any background or origins will be left out. This should keep you safe, and prevent the possibility of anyone getting a hold of the paperwork figuring out who you are. There will be enough speculation as it is."
"What do I tell people?"
Minato raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Nothing."
Naruto blinked. "Ok." How was he supposed to tell people nothing? He was going to have to really watch his mouth. He wasn't used to that sort of exercise in restraint. He sighed. At least he had learned to control his emotions most of the time. He figured he would be able to extend that sort of control to his words as well.
"If it comes down to it, we'll put something together." Minato said.
"What is your rank?" Minato asked.
"Genin." Naruto said, "Officially. I've been taking A-class missions since I was thirteen, though. Well," Naruto chuckled and raised his hand to adjust the knot of his forehead protector. "Well, it's more like the missions end up as A-class, really."
"Genin?" Minato said.
Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, my first Chunin exam got interrupted with an invasion, and I never had the time or desire to try again. It didn't matter. My rank didn't stop Tsunade-obaasan (4) from giving me high ranked missions, or putting me on teams of Chunin or Jonin. Though, that might have had to do with the nature of the missions."
"Hmm." Minato said, "How so?"
"Most missions I took on were kind of personal, or were a direct result of someone coming after me, or I going after them."
Minato's eyebrow rose again and he shook his head. "I'm going to put you down as a Chunin, though I'll test your skills when your health is back up to par."
"Tomorrow." Naruto said. "I'm pretty much set now if I needed to be, but tomorrow will be about perfect. Gives me time to eat and all."
Minato looked amused, but nodded all the same. "Tomorrow then."
Naruto looked back up at his father, and sighed.
"What happened?" he asked, seeing a mixture of emotions flicker through the Fourth's eyes. Minato glanced out the window for a moment before looking back at him.
"The Uchiha is dead." He said. Naruto nodded, feeling relief at the confirmation. "It isn't officially known to the village that he was an Uchiha, but the rumor is strong enough to cause a stir. The Uchiha clan especially."
Naruto scowled slightly at the thought but didn't say anything. No doubt the elite Uchiha's were demanding the body to keep their precious sharingan to themselves. He wondered if the Fourth gave it to them, or if he disposed of Madara's body himself. Naruto wasn't sure which would be better. If the Uchiha clan knew Madara's face, then maybe one of them wouldn't trust him enough to accept teaching from him. He was too torn on the thought of the Uchiha clan anyways. Part of him wanted to save them from their future slaughter and a part of him hoped that they would be killed if just to get rid of that annoying bloodline limit. Naruto sighed and shook his head. It didn't matter, not yet.
"What about mo – Kushina?" he asked quietly. He remembered Madara's threat that he had been too late.
"Kushina is fine." Minato said, his voice thick with some emotion. "But – "
Naruto looked up at him a bit fearfully, curling his fingers into a fist to try to contain his emotions.
"She miscarried." Minato said softly.
Naruto felt his eyes widen, his body frozen at the words. "What?"
"The child was still-born." Minato said. "He didn't survive the attack. Kushina barely did. She only left the hospital two days ago."
Naruto couldn't speak. He could barely think. His eyes lost focus as he tried to process what he had been told. Kushina was still alive. Madara was dead. But the baby had died. Naruto's young, infant self had died in childbirth. He had died.
Naruto sucked in a shaky breath, looking down at his own body to make sure he was still there and alive. How was it possible that he as a baby had died, but he was still there? Naruto shook his head, pulling air into his lungs and forcing himself to breathe. He looked up at his father, his eyes wide. Minato looked torn between sorrow and concern and something else entirely that Naruto couldn't identify at all.
"He – I." Naruto shook his head again and opened his mouth to try to speak but nothing came out. He let his head fall to hang between his shoulders, staring at the floor between his feet. He felt Minato move to stand near him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Naruto shuddered at the contact then stilled, thankful for the man's support and presence as his mind whirled.
Madara had killed the unborn Uzumaki Naruto.
Author's Note on the Japanese: I'm translating most things into English if simply because I'm writing this for an English audience, but there will still be things that remain in Japanese. One of those is the titles/honorifics that are tacked on to the end of names (ie: Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensai, etc.) because there really isn't a decent English equivalent and because I figure that most people reading this know what they mean anyways. If you don't know, let me know, and I'll tack them onto the end of a chapter or get rid of it entirely.
1)Jutsu – technique or art used by a ninja (typically utilize chakra, which is spiritual energy).
2)Hai – yes, yes sir!
2)Kekkai Genkai – bloodline limit, cannot be copied (like w/ the Sharingan)
3)Tsukuyomi – one of the Kaleidoscope (Mangekyou) Sharingan's attacks; illusion used for torture
4)Obaasan – grandmother (Naruto calls Tsunade this. I think he also uses Baa-san.)
Kinatsu is a combination of two names: Kin – 'golden', and Hatsu – 'first son'
Hakinkage is a combination of: Ha – 'leaf', Kin – 'gold', and Kage – 'shadow', thus, I'd translate it to be 'shadow of the golden leaf', but that's just me…


text: Creating a complex form with lots of form elements or long popup menus can be really slow and tedious. To make this process faster, GoLive includes several pre-built form elements in the Library palette. Open the Library palette from the Window menu and navigate to the Forms section of the application-wide snippets (Figure 193a). Here you'll find snippets of several common form popup lists, such as countries of the world, credit-card types, and months of the year. Just drag and drop these snippets into the Layout Editor.

subset: commoncrawl


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This week, TKO.Media launched a virtual tour of the newly refurbished Quesada Fish and Chips restaurant. The idea of the tour was to showcase the work done by the owners to improve an already popular venue.
We also wanted to show how new media such as virtual tours can benefit by being shared through social media, such as Facebook, allowing visitors and clients, both old and new, from anywhere around the world to see exactly what the new restaurant looks like.
Within a few days, the post had already reached over 13,000 Facebook users, with over 2,000 of those choosing to click the image and take the tour.
Because the tour was shared through Facebook it also allowed for the image to be shared by those who saw it themselves, going "viral" being the popular term. Almost 500 users liked, commented or shared the tour to their friends, hence the widened reach of 13,000 real people.
New technology such as virtual tours does have a "gimmick" element to it. Many marketeers are dismissing it as nothing more at the moment, partly because the end user isn´t ready, that´s you and me in other words. Our phones and devices are not yet fully compatible with the developments already available at the technical and production stage, let alone the fact that many of us are still struggling to get to grips with setting the clock on the microwave.
However, the future is developing at a faster rate than the end user, but we can now appreciate what was popular perhaps a decade ago, when these sort of virtual tours started t be introduced.
We don´t need to panic and buy virtual reality headsets (you only have to look in the secondhand shops to see how many have already been hung out to dry), we just need to be aware of the differences between the technology available and what we can actually use.
Facebook now accepts 360º images and video, Twitter is following on. Websites can also use third-party applications to display these tours to us, without the need for expensive upgrades that won´t actually make a difference.
For your business, the advice is simple. That´s it, keep it simple. Because, if you do want a virtual tour like the Quesada Fish and Chips one, or Autos Direct, another one we produced recently, or the simple image at The Computer Shop in San Luis, then by keeping it simple means that is is more accessible to a wider audience.
You still don´t have to worry though because we can help you. We can guide you all the way to the end production of your presentation. We don´t claim to be Steven Spielberg, why would we. We don´t want to make epic movie, we want to present your product to a wider market.
So, let us come and talk to you. You will be surprised how easy the process of getting a virtual tour produced is. It doesn´t take weeks, it doesn´t take lots of equipment, it just takes the knowhow to produce results.


text:
Angie Down Coat in Deep Grey: A slim fitting longer line parka from Italian outerwear brand Parajumpers. Styled in a grey water resistant outer, with a drawstring hood with a detachable fur trim, a two way zip front fastening with an outer detachable snap closure. The Angie jacket features an inner padded front and collar and ribbed inner cuffs. Make this your go to coat this winter for keeping warm and stylish in great style.
. Slim fitting micro ottoman grey fabric water resistant, down filled parka
. Drawstring hood with a detachable fur collar
. Zip and snap double front closure
. Inner padded neck
. Front pockets
. Ribbed inner sleeves
. The PJ's signature patch on the sleeve
. 100% polyester; lining 100% polyester, fur trim sourced from Finland
. Mild Professional Wet Clean


text:
Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight
On February 20, 2008 the total lunar eclipse can be seen in North America–the earth will pass between the sun and the moon causing the moon to darken while in the earth's shadow.
If your kids stay up late enough to watch the event, the lunar eclipse is completely safe to view (unlike the solar eclipse)–no special glasses or telescopes needed. For detailed information about the times, locations, and how to view the event, check out NASA.gov.
Find out why the Moon is Red During a Total Lunar Eclipse and more fun facts at Lunar Eclipses for beginners. Great photo tips from NYIP.com.
See more moon ideas from Kidoinfo in Make it a Moon Week.
Category: activities: outdoor, nature/science
about the author (Anisa Raoof)Anisa Raoof is the publisher of Kidoinfo.com. She combines being a mom with her experience as an artist, designer, psych researcher and former co-director of the Providence Craft Show to create the go-to spot for families in Rhode Island and beyond. She loves using social media to connect parents with family-related businesses and services and promoting ways for parents to engage offline with their kids. Anisa believes in the power of working together and loves to find ways to collaborate with others. An online enthusiast, still likes to unplug often by reading books and magazines, drawing, learning to knit, making pop-up books with her two sons and listening to records with her husband.
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Moon location and times for any location in the US or around the World can be calculated with the USNO Lunar Eclipse Calculator:
Data for
o ' o '
Eastern Standard Time
hour:min Azimuth Altitude
Moonrise 2008 Feb 20 17:07 74.2 —-
Moon enters penumbra 2008 Feb 20 19:34.9 98.7 25.4
Moon enters umbra 2008 Feb 20 20:43.0 112.0 37.2
Moon enters totality 2008 Feb 20 22:00.5 132.0 48.9
Middle of eclipse 2008 Feb 20 22:26.0 140.4 52.1
Moon leaves totality 2008 Feb 20 22:51.5 149.7 54.7
Moon leaves umbra 2008 Feb 21 00:09.1 183.3 57.7
Moon leaves penumbra 2008 Feb 21 01:17.2 211.9 53.6
Moonset 2008 Feb 21 06:44 281.2 —-
we watched the eclipse from our friends' yard here in mt, tabor. our whole earth making a shadow so far away. it was dreamy. thanks for the heads up! (n. pun. intended.)


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Hey hey! I was contacted by Lip Monthly to review this new subscription box. Lip Monthly is a subscription box from the US that primarily features lip products, and it only costs $10 per month. Like most international subscription boxes, you need to also pay for shipping - for it to be shipped to Australia it costs an additional $6.
I believe this is the second box from Lip Monthly, so it is a relatively new box on the market. You can check out more information at the Lip Monthly website, and you can use the code SUMMERLIPS to get $5 off your first box.
Note: I was originally pretty excited to review this box and on first impressions I thought this was great value (see opening video below), but as I was researching each of the products while writing this post, my opinion of this box changed significantly... so please read the rest of this post before you consider signing up to Lip Monthly.
Sorry to Lip Monthly for the following review, but I have to be honest to my readers... even if you send me the box for free!
You get this cute tiny little box, but because most of the products didn't fit in this box, the rest of the products came in a cellophane bag. Even though this tiny box isn't very practical... I love tiny things so I might keep it for lipstick storage.
It also came with a mini information card. This card gives some basic information about the products, but doesn't specify whether the product is full size or sample, and what the price of each product is. It does mention that each box contains a Mix Up item, which is a non-lip product to mix things up.
On further investigation, I have realised that they have omitted a lot of information about each product for a very good reason... because most of these products are old stock from brands and products that have been discontinued years ago!
This is what I got in the June box. There are four lip products and one hand product.
The first product is the Lipology Anti-Feathering Stick. This is a clear balm that is designed to help prevent feathering of lipstick. This isn't a twist up product, so it seems like the amount you get in the tip is all of it. I generally wear long wearing matte lip products so feathering isn't really an issue for me, so I probably won't use this product. I don't understand what happens when you wear down the point... it will start applying like a chap stick. I can't find much about this in online reviews, but you can only buy this from discount warehouse websites are selling them for around $4.
The next product is by Purple Lab and it is the Huge Lips Skinny Hips plumping lip gloss. I got the shade Red Sole, which is a sheer red gloss shade.
I decided to do a bit of research about this product and it seems the all of the reviews are from around 2010-2011, and in fact the Purple Lab website is no longer up, and they haven't posted a tweet on their twitter since 2011. This concerns me. Some of the reviews were saying that the active ingredient "hoodia" can have some side effects, and even though I don't necessarily worry about side effects of ingredients... I am concerned that we are being sent old stock from 2010, of a product that is no longer available, from a company that no longer exists.
The next lip product is by LOL (Lots Of Love) and it is a lipstick in the shade Dance With The Devil. This is a sheer but buildable lipstick, and it even though it applies quite well, it definitely has a cheap teenage makeup vibe to it. Looking these up, it seems like you can buy these lipsticks for around $2 each, but hey, at least they are still available to buy!
Lastly is the Mary Kate and Ashley Lip Foils. These are highly metallic lip sticks in small chap stick tubes. They are very pigmented and impressive to swatch, but on the lips they are far too frosty. Doing some research on these, I actually can't find any Mary Kate and Ashley makeup site... and the only places you can buy these are makeup wholesale websites or ebay. Again, the only reviews of these are from 2009!
|l-r: Huge Lips Skinny Hips, LOL lipstick,
Mary Kate and Ashley Lip Foils
So all in all, I originally thought this was a great value box... and my first impressions was very positive, but on more investigation this seems like it's a box that buys discontinued old stock and charges $10 plus shipping for it.
Some people might be ok with that, and if you are then I recommend trying this box... but I personally think it's a disgrace! I do not want to pay for old expired makeup from brands that no longer exist!
I think the only thing I will keep from this box is the Essie hand sanitiser.


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Advantage of hiring business advocates and influencer
The referral marketing place has seen the adoption of new techniques. The most prominent is the influencer or advocate marketing. The question that arises is when is the best time to use any of these terms interchangeably.
Most companies are undecided on which referral program works best. It remains undecided on the right way term to call costumers who go out of their way to promote their brands. You might have heard ambassadors, advocates or rock stars, etc. All terms mentioned relating to marketing space. However, none of these terms specifically relates to a certain market type. The terms remain interchangeable throughout the process.
Advocate marketing
This refers to brand advocates. Their presence dominates social media as they promote various brands or retailers, many people might have advocated for the brands they like without knowing. Advocate marketing naturally happens as people share good products or experiences with their friends.
Advocacy marketing
This form of marketing encourages all customers to create a buzz for certain brands and company. It can be described as word-of-mouth marketing amplified. Customers who love certain company and its product can spread the word around as they brag of its brilliance. An advocate generally means anyone who greatly appreciates your brand.
Why customer advocacy marketing
This method of promotion is affordable as most influencers will not ask anything in return. Additionally, the advocates will share their appreciation for certain products or brands. The advocates are comprised of individuals who are highly respected in a given network and community. Most of the influencers' followers will trust their opinions and follow suit.
The advocate may have a popular website or blog which caters a certain niche of people. Most individuals that follow the blog remain in the position that seeks ideas, guidance, and advice from the advocates. They advocate then forced to mention these products to their followers who then try the same product from someone they can trust.
Before most people commit to a certain product or service, they will check out their reviews. This might be a beauty product, electronic appliance or software. Most reviews are displayed online because that is the first place where most people inquire. Family and friends also are highly sought after for advice. Consumer surveys show that over half of the respondents believe reviews from costumers online than any other opinion. This means that advocate marketing is here to stay.
Influencer marketing
Influencer Marketing Agency has been of great help on referring good influencers to endorse products. Influencers are individuals who are considered to be experts in certain fields. Their reputations are unrivaled and can move a lot of customers your way if they endorse your product. This can be seen when popular celebrities promote products on their social media platforms. Influencers can be found on Instagram, vlogs, blogs and more.
Why use influencers?
Contrary to public perception, it is not an expensive promotion because some companies pay these celebrities with incentives like free product package or a hefty discount. For instance, a makeup artist would give the endorser a free sample work as they shoot a video. Alternately, an athlete may give a sports drink to give out to their fans.


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Argentine football legend Diego Maradona now is staying in Kolkata for a three-day visit. He arrived in Kolkata on Sunday at 8:00 pm (local time).
He will pass busy hours today (Monday) in Kolkata. He is supposed to deliver a long interview to the cancer affected patients in Salt Lake under the arrangement of Sreevum Club. He will also unveil a 25-feet sculpture of himself at this afternoon.
The iconic footballer is also scheduled to play a charity football match against former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday at Barasat, West Bengal.
Maradona, who is now coach of the Dubai-based club Al-Fujairah SC, is accompanied by partner Rocio Oliva.
The trip was originally slated to take place in October but was postponed several times. This is the former Napoli star's second visit to the eastern metropolis.
The 1986 World Cup winner first came here in December 2008 when thousands of fans gathered to welcome him past midnight at the airport.


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King 01 Varsity Jacket
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I'm a native North Carolinian, and I've been around long enough to remember Sam Ervin Jr. His quivering eyebrows and acute folk wisdom charmed the nation when he chaired the Senate's Watergate Committee. Senator Sam, from Morganton, described himself as just "an ol' country lawyer" without mentioning his Harvard law degree. He had no patience for lies, excuses and especially towering claims of power reserved to people in high places.
Sam Ervin would have a lot to say today.
One can only imagine, with relish, how he'd react to the obnoxiously assertive Stephen Miller, a presidential aide, when Miller said the other day of President Trump's refugee ban, "The powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned."
The young man would have received a history lesson. Ervin said this from his Watergate Committee chair: "The Founding Fathers . . . knew that those who are trusted with power are susceptible to the disease of tyrants, which George Washington rightly described as 'love of power and the proneness to abuse it.' For that reason, they realized that the power of public officers should be defined by laws which they, as well as the people, are obligated to obey."
And imagine Ervin taking on the White House line to forget about Russia's efforts to swing last year's election and "just move on." He would have stripped the matter to its essence. He said of the Watergate burglars that they were "in effect, breaking into the home of every citizen in the United States," not to steal money or jewelry "but something much more valuable – their most precious heritage, the right to vote in a free election."
His star turn during Watergate came after a history of speaking truth to power. In the 1950s, he took on witch-hunting Senator Joe McCarthy when McCarthy was claiming communists had infiltrated all levels of the U.S. government, including the army. McCarthy was popular. But his bizarre and destructive behavior forced the Senate to study whether to discipline him for his wild allegations and abuse of witnesses. The Select Committee was Ervin's first assignment in the Senate.
He didn't waffle or shirk or dodge the question or escape out a back door somewhere. He said something everyone could understand: "The issue before the American people is simply this: Does the Senate of the United States have enough manhood to stand up to Senator McCarthy?"
These times demand that issues be stated just as clearly. Hardly anyone is doing that, certainly not in the majority. They seem cowed, either by the bullies in the White House or their own leaders, to whom power is more important than getting at the truth. Indeed, the truth itself is under attack by a barrage of "alternative facts."
I applaud Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina for standing up with Democrat Mark Warner to announce that the Senate Intelligence Committee, which they lead, must examine any contacts between Trump's people and Russian officials during the campaign. But that examination must be public, not behind closed doors as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has threatened.
Sam Ervin's words from 43 years ago guide us once again: "Our citizens do not know whom to believe, and many of them have concluded that honest governance has been rendered impossible. We believe that the health, if not the survival, of our ... form of government requires the most candid and public investigation of the evidence. ... The nation and history itself are watching us."
Nick Taylor is a writer and North Carolina native living in New York.


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Homegrown Festival is proud to be the only festival exclusively supporting East Anglian Musicians. Held over 3 days, 2 stages, 40+ acts with camping on site. Our 6th annual festival will be here before we know it, and 2018 is set up to be our best year yet! This is where you will see the stars before they get big! Please support us and local live music.
Homegrown Music Festival will return to Barrow from 8th – 10th June for a long weekend of live music from the best of East Anglia's signed and unsigned talent.
Enjoy a showcase of the local bands, with realistically priced food and drink available. As well as great music there's activities such as yoga and art workshops.
Friday 8th – Campers Only!
Saturday 9th – Full On Festival Madness!
Sunday 10th – Chilled out and Free Entry!
8–10 June 2018
at Suffolk Academy
Barrow, Bury St. Edmunds, IP29 5AX
Homegrown Music Festival was developed to promote and support our vibrant local talent and live music culture. We have taken the festival experience back to grass roots, making it enjoyable, comfortable, family friendly and affordable. Our focus is simple… showcasing Homegrown music from our thriving local music scene and just having a really good time!


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Salvaging Careers of Managers Who Behave Inappropriately
W HEN ONE OF your most valued managers behaves inappropriately toward others, what should you do?
David Prosser, chairman and chief executive officer of RTW Inc., a worker's compensation-management firm in Minneapolis, faced this problem last year, when employees began to complain about a company manager. The otherwise talented executive "would become angry and just yell, usually at lower-level people who wouldn't dare fight back," says Mr. Prosser....


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Sites visited today: Kensington Garden + Palace, Peter Pan Statue, Tavistock Square (Peace Square), University of London, Russell Square Park
A new city, a new semester, and new adventures…
In less than 36 hours, I've flown from Portland to London, met my host family, settled into my home for the next three months, rode the Tube for the first time, met the lovely group of people I'll be studying with, gone through orientation, and trekked around the beautiful and sunny (that's right…sunny) London until blisters started forming on my feet. Even though I slept for a good eleven hours last night, I'm still wiped out tonight. At least I made it past 7 pm, unlike yesterday.
My host dad, Ken, is currently watching San Fran beat the Cowboys (what a surprise), so it's safe to say that even though I'm thousands of miles away from Washington, I feel right at home here. With their kids and grandkids running in and out of the house, the place is never short on people or noise, but when a 2-year-old is running into your arms every couple of minutes to be tickled, the noise is never a problem. They've all been so nice and welcoming, I can tell that things are going to run smoothly around here. I have a housemate, Ellie, who is Harry Potter obsessed, so I can already tell that my start in the HP world from last semester will be continuing on in London.
The Tube, although an obviously easier form of travel here than car, is very similar to the Max Train in Portland, only on a much bigger scale with more people riding it, and of course much of it is underground. After orientation, which was just like any other orientation only in British accents, a group of us went out to start our exploration of central London. It was only a dent in the ultimate list of things to do in London, and even though I had no idea where I was 90% of the time, I'm starting to get my bearings.
As writer Paulo Coelho once said, the adrenaline and stress of an adventure are better than a thousand peaceful days. After only one day in London, I can already tell that each day here full of adventures will be worth a thousand lazy days.


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Bristell Aircraft
- Lancaster Airport
- 500 Airport Rd.
- Lititz, PA USA 17543
- Map It
Contact Information
Milan Bristella, the designer and creator of the Bristell Light Sport Aircraft, has revolutionized the Light Sport Aircraft industry with his unique designs and specifications. His design credentials are impeccable with and strong reputation for design excellence (Evektor, Sport Cruiser/Piper Sport). The NG4, manufactured at Milan's BRM-Aero facility in the Czech Republic, was just the start of the Light Sport revolution. The BRM-Aero NG5 further advanced the design with as the Bristell. Milan has subsequently created a fleet of Light Sport Aircraft to suit the needs and meet all the expectations of a wide range of pilots. The family of models are the Classic Tri-Cycle S-LSA, E-LSA, and E-AB kit, the TDO (Tail Dragger Option), and the RG (Retractable, not an LSA in the USA sold as E-AB). This plane is unmatched in fit and finish. Bristells are exciting, fun, and affordable planes to own and fly. Beautifully crafted and designed to accommodate two full size adults, with a generous cockpit accessible luggage space allowing up to 33 lbs and a 7 lb. hat shelf. There is an additional storage locker in each wing that can hold 44lbs each. Each airplane has its own custom luggage bags to be packed at home and slid into the locker right before the trip. Expect to cruise at 120 knots at sea level; and because of the low empty weight of just (normally equipped) 675lbs- 725 lbs, you'll see a great climb rate to 14,000 feet. The thought and care that has gone into the design of each model is clear to all those that are fortunate to have flown in a Bristell or, indeed, own one. For example, the unique single motion latching canopy design requires no additional latches or locks, just shut the lid and it's closed. The wing design is special to the Bristell; the wingspan extends 18" out from the fuselage, this means that the pilot need not step on the wing itself to get in and out of the plane, thereby reducing risk of damaged wings. The planes can also be equipped with high tech avionics...


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS-0jES79d8 A composition rendered by independent artist Ronkini Gupta in new Bollywood film 'Tumhari Sulu' (Yours Sulu) is being rated as one of "finest pieces" heard this year. That may not be an overestimation, considering Bollywood's contemporary repertoire is mostly cacophony masquerading as music. "Rafu" (which means darning) has been composed by indie musician Santanu Ghatak, … Continue reading Like Vidya Balan, this melody from 'Tumhari Sulu' stands out too
Category: films
"Kapoor & Sons" and a brief history of "family" in Bollywood
Shakun Batra's "Kapoor & Sons" (2016) is the latest example of how Bollywood's portrayal of the family is changing dramatically. The film is about the Kapoors, living in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor hill station (nobody knows how these Punjabis landed there). The husband and wife (Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak Shah) play a perennially quarrelling married couple, … Continue reading "Kapoor & Sons" and a brief history of "family" in Bollywood
Reading "Carol" and "Fire" together
The most everlasting feature of American film-maker Todd Haynes' "Carol" is Cate Blanchett. In the film, she is Carol Aird, a charming, but unhappy woman suffering a bitter divorce from Harge (Kyle Chandler). While seeking out a younger woman, Blanchett acts out Carol's seducing skills with stunning brevity - an affair that has repercussions for her family. [Review by The Telegraph] "Carol", … Continue reading Reading "Carol" and "Fire" together
Film Review – 45 Years
"The direction and screenplay is understated, but younger viewers might find themselves stifling a yawn or two at times. The slow pace however, can make 45 Years somewhat brisk run-time seem much longer. On the other hand, the film is perfect for the elderly to see, be intrigued by and savor," The Times of India … Continue reading Film Review – 45 Years
The lonely old men of 'Aligarh' and 'The Lunchbox'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JezwsQKpXuU 'Aligarh', a film about a professor caught in a scandal for having sex with a man in his apartment, reminded me of 'The Lunchbox'. Although the two films are worlds apart in their themes, they give an insight into lives of two men who, despite having full-time government jobs, are on the fringes of … Continue reading The lonely old men of 'Aligarh' and 'The Lunchbox'
Love is (always) Strange
Yes, it is. And it's many other things too. But did we need a film to tell us it is so? Perhaps. 'Love is Strange' is about two older men, who get married after knowing each other for 39 years. But the marriage costs George, a Catholic school music teacher, his job as the news … Continue reading Love is (always) Strange
Learning to Drive – on road and elsewhere
Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley-starrer 'Learning to Drive' uses the metaphor of a driving lesson in New York to make a point about life and relationships. Clarkson plays Wendy, a book editor, who's husband has just left her for another woman. Kingsley is Darwan, a meticulous and gentle Sikh man, who is Wendy's driving instructor. … Continue reading Learning to Drive – on road and elsewhere


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A Scam Email with the Subject "From Mrs.Asiyah Ahmed Hassanal Bolkiah" was received in one of Scamdex's honeypot email accounts on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:26:25 -0800 and has been classified as a Employment/Job Scam. The sender was assiya hmed <firstname.lastname@example.com>, although it may have been spoofed.
--_f542be54-83e2-4b2d-9d77-d39c50b07548_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <head> <style> .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } </style> </head> <body class=3D'hmmessage'>


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By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Tickets are currently available online for the upcoming 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The events, which feature disabled and impaired athletes, will take place on September 7th through the 18th next year in the city following the 2016 Olympics Games which will take place from August 5th through the 21st.
Ranging in price from R$10 to R$130, tickets are onsale for the twenty-two sporting events and ceremonies of the Paralympic Games including the opening and closing ceremonies.
Tickets for the sports of boccia, wheelchair fencing, goalball, marathon, table tennis, tennis in a wheelchair, archery, weightlifting, road cycling and sailing start at R$10.
The tickets for the wheelchair basketball final ranges from R$90 to R$130 and tickets for the Athletics event ranging from R$70 to R$110. Ticket prices for the opening and closing ceremonies range from R$100 to R$1,200.
Both the opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the famed Maracana Stadium. Sixteen additional venues located in and around Copacabana, Deodoro, Maracanã, and Barra da Tijuca will host the sporting events during the games. Two new sports, canoeing and the paratriathlon, will be introduced to the Paralympic Games in 2016.
The testing event for boccia was held earlier this year in November and the tests for wheelchair ruby and basketball will take place on February 26th through the 28th. Additionally, testing for the Athletic Paralimpics will take place on May 18th through the 21st.
The tickets for the Paralympic Games can be purchased online at the official Rio 2016 website.


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Fighting Malnutrition in Sindh, One Child at a Time
Jamshoro, Sindh – November 2016: With the distant hum of a whirring power generation plant and the air reeking of burnt coal fumes, the women of Village Imdad Khoso have gathered at the small compound committed as a centre for Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM). Luckily the wind is not blowing in this direction today from the coal powered power plant, so residents of this small settlement can go about their daily chores in peace.
The chatter in a local dialect is interrupted by the children who have been brought here for their bi-monthly nutritional checks. Most of these children are recovering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a very common occurrence in this area.
"These women are godsends, they saved the life of my grandson," says Maai Jeaari whose had to convince her daughter and son in law for the treatment of her grandchild Raza Muhammad. Now 10 months old, Raza had initially come to the CMAM centre at three months of age weighing a mere 2.7 kilograms suffering from SAM.
Families in this area associate such symptoms in children with myths and superstitions, preferring to take children to the local cleric for prayer. "We went knocking at every door trying to save our child, taking him to the Imam, and the local dispenser but they all said that he could not recover. It was only through the effort of these young ladies that he is alive today," says Jeeari, while praising the CMAM staff for their dedicated support and guidance.
Commercialising Child Health
Raza's family had been giving formula milk and a diet of commercially available cereal supplement to the 3-month-old, which are aggressively marketed by popular brands as the means of fulfilling a child's nutritional needs. This led to repeated episodes of diarrhoea, resulting in chronic malnourishment during the critical period of his life.
Back at the Centre for Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition, staff from UNICEF's implementing partner Shifa Foundation conducted an assessment of Raza's condition and counselled his mother for the initiation of breastfeeding. The family had suspended this natural practice in favour of formula milk and diluted cereal on advice of the local dispenser, who markets the commercial supplements in return for kickbacks.
Once exclusive breastfeeding was re-established, it not only helped in controlling the diarrhoeic episodes but also assisted Raza in gaining back the strength he had lost. The recovery was initially slow, as he gained only one kilogram during the next few months. On reaching six months of age, the nutrition staff introduced complimentary food as well as Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) supplied by UNICEF, to supplement the mother's feed. Four months after the treatment began, at seven kilograms of weight, Raza passes as a case of Moderately Acute Malnourishment (MAM), a vast improvement from when he first came.
"I can't even bear to see the photographs of Raza from that time," says his mother Sabhagi. "All that matters to me is that my child is now healthy which is due to the efforts and guidance I have received here. I am filled with pride now, when I look at my child. I can see that it was me, his mother, who has helped save his life. One day soon he will be running alongside his brother, without any reflection of what has passed."
© UNICEF/PAKISTAN/2016/Dania Ali
Raza Muhammad's family can rejoice in the knowledge that he is growing up as a healthy child, his parents Sabhagi and Abdul Haq pose for a photo with Raza and their elder son Abdullah.
Introducing Diet Diversity
"The dietary patterns of the people in this village lack in fulfilling their nutritional needs, their meals usually consists only of a roti (flat bread) and lentil soup." explains Mehwish Nazir, Infant Young Child Feeding (IYCF) coordinator for Shifa Foundation. "For them, having more vegetables or any meat is a luxury they cannot afford very often. It remains a mystery to me how the parents were taking out the money to purchase formula milk and cereal supplement out of desperation for their child's life."
Most of the men from these households work at the power plant or adjacent coal mines, for a meagre 10,000 rupees (USD 95) a month, which is lower than the government-approved minimum wage. With a very low literacy rate, these people work as unskilled coal miners, drivers and porters, barely earning enough to provide for their families. This has led to a higher number of nutritionally deficient diets and food insecurity among the communities.
Fighting on many fronts: Early Motherhood
Back in her mud house, Noorzadi (17) has too much on her plate to deal with. Her husband works a 12-14 hour shift at the coal mine while she takes care of her two children, born hardly a year apart. She has to run errands and complete the household chores, leaving her four month old daughter Safia with a milk bottle in the hammock tied to her charpoy (bed). Her elder son Karim (18 months) is still recovering from SAM caused by recurrent diarrhoeic episodes.
Noorzadi's case is a classic example of the social and medical dangers of Child Marriage. Both her children, the first of whom was born to her at the age of 15, had a low birth weight, resulting in childhood malnutrition. Not only that, but her early motherhood led her into post-partum depression and a lack of understanding on her part as a mother. This significantly contributed to the children's health issues.
© UNICEF/PAKISTAN/2016/Dania Ali
Noorzadi (17) struggles to take care of her children, while her husband works at the coalmines for a meagre income. Her son is recovering from Severe Acute Malnutrition, while her infant daughter is also malnourished.
While many young mothers would never have a chance to realise the problems concerning child health, the opening of a CMAM centre in her village saved her children from the risks of stunting and morbidity. Nutrition staff at the CMAM centre flagged the lack of understanding due to her young age as a huge barrier throughout the course of the treatment. Although grateful for Karim's recovery, Noorzadi does not understand the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for a child under six months of age, despite attending IYCF sessions at the community centre.
"I cannot feed the child myself as I don't have anyone else to help me take care of the house," she responds upon inquiry from the community mobilisers about why she was bottle-feeding the infant. "She would starve if I was to feed her breastmilk alone. I also have to give milk to her brother who needs the strength to grow up into a young man."
IYCF coordinator Mehwish initiates a counselling session there and then to make Noorzadi understand how the older child can now take supplementary foods, while the younger one cannot yet digest the goat milk she has been given. Prior to training, the CMAM staff had noticed a lack of interest on the mother's part in her children's health. She started showing more concern in the children's wellbeing once she was informed on the dangers of malnutrition and stunting. However, the lack of awareness and work load have led her to take the easy way out when feeding her children.
"She is too young to understand what you are teaching her," says Maai Jeeari who is regarded as a village elder among the women. "Her husband has to stay at the mines for days on end and the poor soul is left to take care of the babies. From now on, I will come check on her myself to ensure that she is feeding the right stuff to the children."
© UNICEF/PAKISTAN/2016/Dania Ali
Community mobiliser Maai Jeaari has played an elemental role in building trust among the locals for the UNICEF supported nutrition programme
The kind of bonds people from village communities like Imadad Khoso are rare to find elsewhere. The participation of a village elder like Maai Jeeari has contributed greatly in the success of the programme. She has not only convinced her son-in-law to have Raza Muhammad treated by the CMAM staff but has also assumed the role of a community mobiliser bringing other women from the village to the centre. UNICEF and its implementing partners have designed the nutrition programme on just these lines by engaging locals in an effort to make the most of these linkages which form the very social fabric of these communities.
Support for Healthier Communities
UNICEF's Pakistan Nutrition Programme is reaching out to vulnerable communities in Sindh province, by providing nutritional assistance with the support from European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations agency (ECHO). The intervention targets drought affected districts of Tharparkar, Umerkot and Jamshoro. The main objective of the intervention is to reduce morbidity and mortality among children and pregnant and lactating women, who are regarded as the most vulnerable groups of the population, through provision of comprehensive package of nutrition services.
As part of the intervention UNICEF and its partners have established CMAM Centres where trained Nutrition staff delivers sessions on IYCF, hygiene practices, diet diversity, age appropriate feeding as well as conducting cooking demonstration for the women.
"We teach these women how to cook in a safe and healthy manner," says Mehwish while explaining what constitutes the community health sessions. "We inform the mothers and grandmothers how important it is to have a clean environment and to maintain diet diversity so that their family's nutritional needs are fulfilled. Another aim for us is to end open defecation and help the community adapt better hygiene practices for a sustained and healthier environment."
For children like Raza Muhammad, the nutrition intervention has given him another chance at life. However, numerous other children and families across Pakistan are still struggling with the challenges of overcoming issues and taboos related to malnutrition. According to the Multi Indicator Cluster surveys (MICS), conducted in all parts of the country nearly 43 per cent of children under 5 years of age are stunted, while low nutrition status and poor dietary patterns are common among infants, young children and expectant mothers, putting many more at risk. UNICEF and its partners have embarked on a mission to end this life threatening condition, reaching out to every child in order to provide a safe and healthy environment for them to grow in.


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Here's the MCFK press release for our single "Telemachus," written by our dear friend and fellow adventurer Maggie Toth of Trot Fox. Check it out.
When recording studio Mama Coco's Funky Kitchen flooded on a Thursday back in May, Ishmael's plans to record the second half of their album were temporarily thwarted. What first appeared as misfortune soon revealed itself to be kismet, as the band came back to the studio a lunar phase later than they had intended, with a brand new assembly of notes in various rhythms on four different instruments (including voice) that had been written in the interim. That song was…"Telemachus"!
Andy Werle's first guitar notes bring to my mind an initial slip and tumble down a rock face: Nick Otte's bass line chunkily frames the glassy guitar licks like solid boulders that dictate both the path and the non-path of he who falls; Aaron Silberstein's quick yet subtle percussive trills are the pebbles and rocks rustled up in the spill. This first third of the song is comprised of three different instrumental sections, and the band navigates these sharp yet flowing turns as a cohesive, unfaltering unit, hurtling forward and challenging their balance, without ever stumbling.
Though these conjured images were a knee-jerk reaction that I justified to myself after the fact, they seem to match the sentiment expressed in Nick's lyrics. His voice floats in long drifts over Andy's staccato riff, which takes a minor turn. Using no more words than needed, Nick tells of a companion once close who has grown unfamiliar. "Time…waits. What are you made of?" He then lines out the Telemachian awareness of the absence of a valued someone from your scheme of things, singing: "Weren't we lions once there too? I forget your face." This feeling of not knowing the Delphic will of another plays out in my mind as the incalculable fall down a rocky terrain.
And the song tumbles further down the slope, until a chord splashes up from water below…a second splash and we are submerged in the ocean. The song has coasted off of a cliff and with a soft shift the bass begins to churn out thick and soothed currents, as the guitar seeps down in tapped beads and the drums cut in choppy waves. Released from wondering about some someones, the guitar peels back with a final burst of watery light, the last bass note sustains, fades, and we are headed out to sea.
Ishmael's debut full-length album, "Lotic," will be out in a few weeks, and it contains the water-beasts the name suggests, both furtive and vibrant, lurking deep within. Keep your ears to the water.
-Maggie Toth
–Thanks for the kind words Magdus.
Also "Telemachus" is now streaming on The Math Rock Blog.
Cheers, Internet!


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Nails Studio was founded in 2002, and is located at 28050 Walker Rd S in Walker.
Nails Studio can be found at Walker Rd S 28050. The following is offered: Salons. The entry is present with us since Sep 8, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 12, 2013. In Walker there are 9 other Salons. An overview can be found here.