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Oct 02, 2023
Oct 02, 2023
El Baradei Book: "The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times"
"The war in Iraq is a historic strategic and moral calamity undertaken under false assumptions – undermining America's global legitimacy – collateral civilian casualties, – abuses, – tarnishing America's moral credentials. Driven by Manichean impulses and imperial hubris, it is intensifying regional instability." Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Adviser to US President Jimmy Carter.
"The US has the strongest military in the world and spends more than any other country [almost as much as the rest of the world]. But the US always feels unsafe or insecure about other countries. ... I suggest the United States spend more time thinking about how to make other countries feel less worried about the United States," Cui Tiankai, Chinese vice foreign minister.
"The present system for preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons is at an end is bankrupt." Mohamed ElBaradei, head of IAEA at Davos 6 years ago. El Baradei also described as unworkable the way of thinking that it is "morally reprehensible for some counties to pursue weapons of mass destruction yet morally acceptable for others to rely on them for security and indeed to continue to refine their capacities and postulate plans for their use" (NYT Feb12, 2004)
"It was naive to ask Iran to give up everything before the start of the talks and expect a positive response. But the problem was familiar, nothing would satisfy, short of Iran coming to the table completely undressed," ElBaradei:
In his recently published book "The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times", Mohamed El Baradei, former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), provides a wealth of information on the contentious issues of rogue nuclear diplomacy of western powers led by Washington. He also makes a compelling case for a War Crimes Tribunal to prosecute United States and British leaders who invaded Iraq in 2003 under blatantly false pretext of weapons of mass destruction. Since then Iraq's brutal occupation has led to the destruction of the country worse than what Halagu could boast of. Nearly one and half million Iraqis have been killed, leaving over a million widows, four million orphans and 5 million refugees in neighboring countries and inside Iraq. These are colossal war crimes. Period.
From 2002 to2007 and even later, daily while surfing the internet for truth behind the news, the author watched BBC, CNN and other Western channels and media with horror and contempt their spins, half-truths and blatant lies spewed by Tony Blair, Dick Cheney, George Bush and other western leaders, shamelessly, as if there is no tomorrow or anything beyond the life on earth. Some Christians they are!
The author had the ringside view of the 1990-91 War on Iraq from Amman (Jordan) and spent most of his 35 years as a diplomat mostly in Greater Middle East including ten years in Turkey.
The author had noted the statements and assertions by El Baradei and UN weapons Inspector Hans Blix before the war in March 2003, when the latter had found no stockpiles of WMD and Iraq had made significant progress toward resolving open issues of disarmament. Blix concluded that it would take just "but months" to resolve the key remaining disarmament tasks. But Washington would not wait to invade Iraq for its oil and strategic location, a decision which was arrived at even before Bush was sworn in.
So Bush claimed that there was a breach of UN Resolution 1441, but he failed to convince the UN Security Council to pass a new resolution authorizing the use of force in the absence of evidence. The French (who have now joined US in invading Libya without a specific UN resolution) and Germans had vehemently opposed the US decision to invade Iraq. Failing to get a new UN resolution authorizing use of force, Bush cited section 3 of the Joint Resolution passed by the U.S. Congress. Thus Bush launched the illegal invasion of Iraq, despite multiple dissenting opinions and questions of integrity about the underlying intelligence.
Later U.S-led inspections concluded that Iraq had abandoned its WMD programs earlier. Bush later said that the biggest regret of his presidency was "the intelligence failure" in Iraq, while the Senate Intelligence Committee found in 2008 that his administration "misrepresented the intelligence and the threat from Iraq".
Let us look at other partners in crime. On 10 October, 2002 the US House by a vote of 296-133, and the Senate on 11 October, 2002 by a vote of 77-23, authorized 'Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 '(Public Law 107-243, 116 Stat. 1497-1502), sought by US President George Bush, which came to be known as "Iraq War Resolution". It was signed into law by the President on 16, October, 2002. The military invasion in March, 2003 was code named 'Operation Iraqi Freedom'.
Did the Congress did a due diligence study before authorizing the Iraq war! No. The whole US elite are responsible for the illegal invasion and brutal occupation, something similar to what happened in Nazi Germany with concentration camps like Gulags and horrendous war crimes.
US led West manages to install dummies in key positions like the UN Secretary General and Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as openly manifested by the current incumbents and their partisan role on situations in Libya and Syria and on Iran's legitimate right under NTP to enrich Uranium for Nuclear energy and non-war uses in industry and health etc.
When UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was asked if the US invasion was illegal, he said, yes, it was against the UN charter and agreed that it was illegal. Kofi became persona non-grata with US. So it is an achievement to have Kofi head the UN-Arab League peace mission to Syria.
Baradei Book; "The Age of Deception:
Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times"
The book is divided into 12 chapters with a useful conclusion on the future of nuclear diplomacy. It covers nearly three decades of the author's involvement with various cases, i.e., Iraq, North Korea, Libya and Iran, the notorious "nuclear bazaar of Abdul Qadeer Khan"* in Pakistan, as well as nuclear asymmetry and the hypocrisy and double standard, not to mention outright deceptions, marking the behavior of US and other Western countries(along the familiar North-South divide).
*(On West letting ally Pakistan build nukes, 'Nukes for Missile' tango between N Korea and Pakistan, Iran's nuclear Programme etc)
In the chapters on Iraq, El Baradei defends the proud record of IAAE in refusing to act as a sounding board for post 9/11 war mongering US policies, which earned him often the venom of US corporate media prostitutes who questioned his integrity. In fact, ElBaradei is quite rightly critical of the compliant Western media that often act as media outlets of western states despite their so called claims of neutrality and objectivity. (Before the 2003 war BBC gave only 2% time to antiwar view, CNN, ABC etc. were only slightly better)
Although much of what ElBaradei writes about the US-British deceptions to go to war in Iraq is already well-known, it is instructive to revisit those "grotesque distortions" - as he puts it- from a reputable source that for years was caught in the maelstrom of contesting politics of non-proliferation.
El Baradei states that owing to Washington's complete "disdain for international norms" in its invasion of Iraq, the United Nations should request an opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as to the legality of the Iraq war.
Convinced that the overwhelming weight of evidence favoring a negative verdict if the ICJ ever braved such an initiative, El Baradei then makes a case for the International Criminal Tribunal to "investigate whether this constitutes a war crime".
Like normal human beings, ElBaradei is so morally outraged by the blatant pulverization of a sovereign Middle East country by a Western superpower and its allies that he also advises the Iraqis to demand war reparations - that is sure to amount to hundreds of billions of dollars, at the least. Cost of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has already crossed over a US $ Trillion.
Coming from a man of unimpeachable integrity and honesty, this book depicts Western powers and their leaders as essentially rogue states and war criminals that have caused a new global anarchy by their willful exercise of power without much regard for the rights of others.
Even before the Iraq invasion, the Bush administration's foreign policy had undermined the fragile structure of international law and conventions built up during the past three centuries, to which the United States made important contributions. Former president Jimmy Carter, a respected elder statesman had then written in the Washington Post of September 6 that, "formerly admired almost universally as the pre-eminent champion of human rights, our country has become the foremost target of respected international organizations concerned about these basic principles of democratic life".
With respect to the British role under Premier Tony Blair, whom Baradei accuses of a false alarm on Iraq's chemical weapon capability, the latter actually underestimates the degree to which London influenced Washington on Iraq.
The book is a solid contribution that sheds much light on how the US manipulated the UN atomic agency as "bit players" in its scheme to invade Iraq. Also how the Pandora's Box was opened by the IAEA when it agreed to receive foreign intelligence from member states spying on others, thus opening the door to malicious disinformation often beyond the ability of the agency to counter check. Now the IAEA under pliable US puppet has become a de facto 'nuclear detective agency" that constantly receives tips , more often biased from Western proxies targeting specific countries. Iran is the case in point. The Agency is losing credibility fast.
Regarding North Korea, which left the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and proliferated nuclear weapons without much international backlash, ElBaradei blames the US's failure to live up to its agreed commitment and the fallacy of "attempts to contain proliferation ambitions through confrontation, sanctions, and isolation". (Pg 109)
El Baradei has devoted a whole chapter to the subject of nuclear double standards that discusses, for instance, how South Korea's clear evidence of non-compliance was shoved under the rug by the US in2004 simply because it is a US allay.
The US and other privileged nuclear-have nations have been derelict in their NPT obligations to move toward nuclear disarmament, some, like France and Britain, modernizing their arsenals, while at the same time having the audacity of taking the moral high ground against countries suspected of clandestine proliferation.
El Baradei writes that in the Middle East, "The greatest source of frustration and anxiety was the regional asymmetry of military power symbolized by Israel's arsenal." (pg 223) And yet, Israel, which since its bombardment of Iraq's nuclear facility in 1981 has been mandated by the UN Security Council to place its nuclear facilities under the IAEA inspections, has evaded this obligation with impunity.
Regarding Iran, extensively dealt with in four chapters, El Baradei seeks to present a balanced account that pinpoints the chronology of events, interactions and negotiations that are still ongoing as of this date, thus making the book an indispensable tool for those who follow the developments in the Iran nuclear crisis.
Since his retirement from the IAEA, El Baradei has repeatedly gone on record to state that during his tenure at the agency he never saw any evidence that Iran was proliferating nuclear weapons. What is more, he says that after the 2007 US intelligence report that confirmed that Iran's program had been peaceful since 2003, "I received a follow-up briefing by US intelligence. They did not show the supposed evidence that had let them to confirm the existence of a past Iranian nuclear weapon program, other than to refer to the same unverified set of allegations about weaponization studies that had already been discussed with the agency."(pg 269)
He also writes, "The Americans did acknowledge - as in most previous intelligence briefings - that there was no indication that Iran had undeclared nuclear material." (pg 262) Indeed, this is important information, given that in more than a dozen reports on Iran the IAEA has repeatedly confirmed the absence of any evidence of military diversion of "declared nuclear material".
In Chapter 11, on the "squandered opportunities" with Iran, the author writes about Iran-IAEA cooperation through a work plan that resulted in the successful resolution of the "six outstanding" issues that had led to the IAEA's referral of Iran's file to the UN Security Council.
Solely due to the US-led disinformation campaign with the IAEA, with new data coming from a stolen Iranian lap top, even though El Baradei readily admits that "the problem was, no one knew if any of these was real". (pg 281). His deputy, Ollie Heinnonen, has now become a valuable US asset from his recruitment by Harvard University, of buying "into the US accusations" (pg 281), and laments the fact that on a number of occasions the US scuttled meaningful negotiation with Iran by "refusing to take yes for an answer".
Western nuclear armed bullies, demand that Tehran suspend its 20% uranium enrichment, El Baradei readily admits that under the NPT, Iran has the right to possess a nuclear fuel cycle, like "roughly a dozen countries" around the world. Moreover, he reminds us of the absence of a legal basis for the US's demand, in light of the fact that "many research reactors worldwide also use 90% enriched uranium fuel for peaceful purposes, such as to produce medial radioisotopes". (pg 14)
In the final chapter, El Baradei concludes that in the quest for human security, this cannot be a selective, or rather elitist, process that benefits some while depriving others. In today's increasingly interdependent world, the idea that the threat of nuclear proliferation can be contained while the asymmetrical nuclear-have nations hold onto their prized possessions and even use them to threaten the non-nuclear nations is simply a chimerical dream that has a good chance of turning into a nightmare. This is the core message of ElBaradei's timely book that cannot be possibly ignored.
Conclusion; The book reminds the war criminals till now roaming free that international law will finally catch up with them. Independent Tribunal in Kuala Lumpur in end 2011 has already declared US and UK leaders Bush and Blair criminals (The author participated in the preliminaries to the trial in end 2009). The accused and convicted Western leaders and others dare not leave their own countries as they can be arrested like the Chilean dictator Gen Augusto Pinochet was in London in 2000. He was released by a complicit British government ostensibly on poor health grounds.
More by : K. Gajendra Singh
|This article, and the book it reviews. is a classic example of blinkered, biased thinking, No where does it mention the tyrant reputation, the megalomaniac ambitions of Saddam Hussein, his calling on all Islamic nations to join in Jihad against the great satan America. Nowhere does it mention the invasion of Kuwait and the destructive,.polluting burning of oilwells in retreat. Nowhere does it mention the methods used by Saddam's regime to suppress opposition in his own domain, the gassing of the Kurds, all in disregard of international law. Nowhere does it mention the main cause of Iraqi death and destruction that to this day blights that land - the interminable, abhorrent conflict between Sunni and Shiite factions of Islam: the unbroken succession of bombings, with no warnings given, the total disregard for human life that has come to be the hallmark of Islamic conflict. The article mentions co-lateral damage by the US and British bombings: no such refinement can be accorded the direct slaughter of civilians by Islamic factions. In Tony Blair's words (to that effect) Saddam was a menace and was well rid off. The alternative would have been a religious maniac, who would see in any extension of his stay a sign from God, to eventually, without a shadow of a doubt, go on to developing nuclear weapons. This is the pre-emption that was implicit in the war to remove him. When he was found, having survived the war, he was tried and hanged for war crimes. Nowhere is this mentioned in the article or review.


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We love zombies. Correction: we love slaying zombies. That's why we're excited that The Walking Dead: Episode 4 – "Around Every Corner" was released today on PC with little warning. It seems that the latest episode of Telltale's point-and-click game takes a turn for the macabre, as the walking dead have become the slayers (I promise, no spoilers). If you've been playing The Walking Dead since the series began, you've survived three action-packed and emotional episodes; the group has changed, loyalties have shifted but the captivating drama and tension of the core game remains the same.
Sure, there's about 2.4 billion games to play right now (XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Dishonored, Borderlands 2 with the new Mechromancer DLC) but The Walking Dead: Episode 4 is at the top of my priority list. I'm a sucker for story and continue to get more excited as the five-episode game nears its completion.
"Episode four begins in the wake of terrible loss."
Throughout the previous episode my group suffered—a lot. As the new episode begins, Lee's ragtag group heads into Savannah in search of a boat to escape their dead(undead?) foes but may get sidetracked by Clementine's need to find her parents.
On top of the infectious flesh-eating zombies roaming around, there are other threats that may be more terrifying in the world of The Walking Dead. Paranoid survivors are constantly on edge, ready to make fatal mistakes, and an anonymous human presence is stalking Lee's group from the shadows of Savannah.
Telltale has released episodes regularly since April, stating that the first season of The Walking Dead will be a five-episode arc that ends before the end of the year. Every episode has led to more drama, more impossible decisions to make and a lot of death. I can't wait to see what horrors await the group in a big city, and am ready for any twists to knock me on my butt.
All I know is they better not kill off Clementine, or I'll be writing some strongly-worded letters to Telltale Games.
The Walking Dead: Episode 4 – "Around Every Corner" is available now for PC/Mac(part of a season pass that costs $24.99), Playstation 3($4.99), Xbox Live Arcade(400 Microsoft Points) and soon available on iOS($4.99).

subset: commoncrawl


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Brazilian architect and designer Maurício Arruda develops and executes projects in architecture, scenography and product design in his studio Maurício Arruda Arquitetos + Designers.
Master in Architecture, specialized in Sustainable Construction, Maurício took part in the development of Agenda 21, which sought to guide new perspectives in Sustainable Building to developing countries.
His design creations full of color, humor and brasilianity also carry environmental and social concerns, result of an extensive research on the fields.
Maurício is also a design professor since 2001 and have lectured in several institutions, having IED - Istituto Europeo di Design, Escola Panamericana de Arte and SENAC among them.
In contemporary architecture and design, Maurício is known as a Brazilian reference in such fields, being invited to showcase his work in galleries such as the Flanders Gallery, in Brussels, Belgium and The Gallery at the civic, in Barnsley, England
- 地址
rua oscar freire 1996
05409-011 Sao Paulo
+55-1131590396 mauricioarruda.net


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Maureen Dowd: 'Hysterical' Paul Ryan's Moderate Mien Hides 'Full-Tilt Virulence'
Maureen Dowd really, really dislikes Paul Ryan, resenting even the man's moderate demeanor for hiding what she is sure is "full-tilt virulence." Her Sunday column for the New York Times, "Beware a Beautiful Calm," not only extensively quotes that well-known political commentator Tom Morello (of the left-wing rock band Rage Against the Machine, which hasn't released a studio album since the year 2000), but diagnosed Ryan as psychologically "hysterical."
What happens when you realize you are the machine you're raging against?
Tom Morello, the Grammy-winning, Harvard-educated guitarist for the metal rap band Rage Against the Machine, punctured Paul Ryan's pretensions to cool in a Rolling Stone essay rejecting R&R (Romney 'n' Ryan) as R&R (rock 'n' roll).
"He is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades," Morello writes, adding: "I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta 'rage' in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically, the only thing he's not raging against is the privileged elite he's groveling in front of for campaign contributions."
...Ryan looks like a bonus Romney son, as Dan Quayle did with Bush senior. Republicans find the tableau of two rich white guys -- same shirts, different generations -- comforting. With W. and Cheney, the usual order switched and the vice-presidential candidate played the role of surrogate dad.
Where Ryan is like Cheney is in tone: at first blush, the Wisconsin congressman emanates a thoughtful, reassuring reasonableness, talking to reporters and sometimes Democratic lawmakers. Cheney's deep voice, like the headmaster of a boys' prep school, seemed moderate and measured, too, at first. But it is deceptive. Both men are way, way out there.
It is, to use a phrase coined by French doctors, la belle indifférence, or "the beautiful calm" of hysterical people. But the closer you look, the uglier it gets.
Just as Cheney, hunter of small birds and old friends, once defended cop-killer bullets and plastic guns that could slip through airport metal detectors, so Ryan, deer hunter, championed concealed guns and curtailing the background check waiting period from three days to one.
Just as Cheney was always willing to cough up money to guerrillas in Nicaragua and Angola but not to poor women whose lives were endangered by their pregnancies, so Ryan helped pay for W.'s endless wars while pushing endless anti-abortion bills, like one undercutting an exemption from the ban on using federal money for abortions in cases of rape or incest, and narrowing the definition of rape to "forcible rape."
Dowd concluded:
Beyond the even-keeled Ryan mien lurks full-tilt virulence. A moderate demeanor is not a sign of a moderate view of the world.


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Asalam Alikum dear brotherz And sisters.
i need some strong view points in light of quran and hadith regarding the concept of "wasila" in islam
Some people argue alot on this topic that wateva u have to ask,ask from Allah..there should be no correspondent or WAsila between it.
while if u see when Hazrat Adam was sent to earth due to his mistake,he prayed ALlah with the refrence of HAzrat Muhaamad (SAW).
i may not be eligible to describe myself fully...but i think u people gt some idea of what m talking baut..
plz i want ur view point with refernce to quran...
as it may helpme to correct my as well as other peoples confusions..
'Wasila' - Intercession, Ways of Intervention...
Beloved brother in Islam, to assume that by invoking in the unseen the righteous imams, or the noble companions of the Holy Prophet (saws), or even the Noble Prophet (saws) himself, or invoking anyone in the Universe other than the One and Only True Lord of the Worlds would be a clear and manifest form of the unforgivable crime of 'shirk' in Islam.
To assume that any of the pious departed slaves of Allah Subhanah, or anyone else in creation other than Allah Subhanah Alone can hear one's invocations in the unseen, let alone has the power and ability to answer them or get them answered, is a clear and manifest form of the most heinous of sins: 'shirk' with Allah Subhanah.
One of the Noble and Exclusive Attributes of Allah Subhanah is that He Alone is the All-Hearing or 'Al-Samee'. To assume that anyone or anything in creation can hear us in the unseen, let alone having the ability and power to answer or respond to our invocations, is to share one of Allah Subhanah's Exclusive and Sole Attributes with one amongst His creation; and that is a clear and manifest form of the sin of 'shirk'!
There is not a major Surah in the Quran, where Allah Subhanah has not warned the believers against this heinous practice and abomination of taking 'wasila', or invoking others with Allah Subhanah in the unseen! The noble and pious departed slaves of Allah Subhanah never advocated such a practice, nor did it behove them to do so!
Just study these Aayahs of the Glorious Quran to understand and comprehend the Wrath and Anger of Allah Subhanah on those who invoke other beings in creation with Allah Subhanah:
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 20-21: All the other beings, whom the people invoke with Allah, create nothing! Nay, they are themselves created! They are DEAD, not living, and they do not at all know themselves when they shall again be raised to life!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 66: Note it well that all the dwellers of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah. And those who invoke others besides Allah, follow nothing but surmises and merely indulge in guess-works!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 35Surah Fatir verses 13-14: He merges night into day, and day into night, and he has subjected the Sun and the Moon (to His Law); each one runs its course for an appointed term. Such is Allah, your Lord! To Him belongs all Dominion. Those whom you invoke besides Him, do not own even a blade of grass! If you call them, they cannot hear your prayers! And if they hear, they cannot answer you! And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your 'shirk'. None can inform you of the Truth, like the One Who is acquainted with all things.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 46 Surah Ahqaf verses 4-6: Prophet, say to them, "Have you ever seen them with open eyes those whom you invoke instead of Allah? Show me what they have created in the earth? Or have they any share in the creation and control of the heavens? Bring me a Book revealed before this, or produce some remnant of knowledge in support of your beliefs if you are truthful." And who could be further astray than the one who invokes, instead of Allah, those who cannot answer him till the Day of Resurrection. Nay, they are even UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING INVOKED. And when all mankind shall be gathered together (on the Day of Qiyamah), they (the so called leaders and intercessors) will become enemies of those who invoked them and they will DISOWN THEIR WORSHIP!!!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verse 2-3: So worship Allah Alone, making your religion His exclusively. Beware! Religion is the exclusive Right of Allah. As for those who have taken other 'auliyas' (guardians) with Allah (and justify their this conduct by saying): "We serve them only that they may bring us closer to Allah." Allah will surely judge between them concerning all that in which they differ. Allah does not show guidance to any liar and denier of the Truth.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 18: These people serve beside Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, "These are our 'shofa'a' (intercessors) with Allah!" (O Mohammed), tell them, "Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing which He knows not in the heavens or in the earth?" He is absolutely free from, and exalted above the shirk that they commit.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verses 81-82: These people have set up other gods that Allah, so that they may become their supporters! There will be no supporters! They will not only disown your worship, but also become their opponents.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter16 Surah Nahl verses 86-87: When the people who had committed shirk in this world will see those whom they had made associates with Allah, they will say, "Our Lord, here are those associate-deities whom we used to invoke besides You." At this their deities will retort, "You are liars!" At that time, all of them will proffer submission before Allah, and all that they used to forge in this world shall vanish from them.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraf verse 190-196: They associate with Allah partners who do not create anything, but are themselves created; who cannot help them nor have the power (even) to help themselves! If you invite them to follow the Right Way, they will not follow you! It will be all the same for you whether you call them or keep silent. Those whom you invoke with Allah are MERE SERVANTS OF ALLAH LIKE YOU! Just invoke them, and if what you say of them be true, they will answer your prayers! Have they feet that they should walk with them? Or have they hands that they should hold with them? Or have they eyes that they should see with them? Or have they ears that they should hear with them? Tell them, O Mohammed, "Call up the partners you have set up, and then all of you sit down together and plot against me, and give me no respite. My Protector and Helper is Allah, Who has sent down this Book (Al Quran), and, it is He who protects the righteous people."
Invoking other beings in creation in the unseen is a clear manifestation of the abomination and 'the' most heinous of sins in the deen of Islam, that is, 'shirk'! Allah Subhanah has singled out this one sin as absolutely 'unforgivable' on the Day of Judgment, and has guaranteed the everlasting and unending punishment of the Fire of Hell to all those who die in the state of 'shirk', no matter what amount of good deeds they might have done! Such is the gravity of this abomination of 'shirk' or invoking other beings in creation in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, the One and Only Lord of the Worlds!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72: Whoever commits 'shirk' (invoking anything with Allah), Allah shall forbid for him Paradise, and Hell shall be his abode. And for such wrong doers there will be no one to help.
Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48: Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this. For whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 65-66: If you commit 'shirk' all your works will be rendered vain and you will be among the losers. Therefore, you should worship Allah Alone, and be among His grateful servants.


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- Model: NL6448BC33-63D
- Diagonal: 10,4″
- Resolution: 640×480
- Manufacturer: NEC
- Article no.: 8540927
Manufacturer Part No: NL6448BC33-63D
Screen size: 10,4″
Resolution: 640×480
Our replacement displays are tested for function, as good as new and only show slight to normal traces of usage (A-grade). The active area is without shades, blur, dent and free of any kind of mechanical damage. We have most of the displays in stock to be deliverable if one of your machines shuts down, otherwise we can support you within a reasonable period of time.


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Anything promising to simplify a ubiquitous, and often frustrating, activity—like email—is sure to have people salivating. For the new iOS app Mailbox, this promise was effectively hyped with the help of a lovely video back in December. The app has finally dropped, and you know what? It might just live up to the hype.
What Is It?
An iOS app that helps you more effectively read and sort messages in your Gmail account.
Who's It For?
People who are overwhelmed by the traditional workflow of letting email pile up in your inbox.
In a word, Mailbox is—elegant. Everything is laid out with simple and clear visual cues.
Using It
The app is structured around the concept of keeping your inbox at zero. Every message you read gets re-located. After reading a new message, you use swipe gestures to send it to one of 4 places—you can archive it, delete it, categorize it in a pre-defined list, or have it re-appear later with a timed reminder. The ease of Mailbox's swiping scheme is at the heart of the experience. It fuses reading a message with sorting it, eliminating extra steps that inevitably are neglected, leading to an immense stack of undifferentiated slop.
That is pretty much the entirety of the Mailbox experience.
If you were looking for a robust, feature-rich workhorse of an app, time to pump them brakes. Mailbox isn't meant to fill the gaps in other iOS mail apps. Its purpose is pedagogical, to re-condition you into a more direct and streamlined way of working with email. The app even lacks a few abilities that you would think no modern mail app would dare omit. You can't select multiple messages and file them away at once (though you can choose to file ALL your messages away in one swipe). You can't mark messages as spam. You can't save drafts. These are best not seen as omissions, but as choices. Mailbox is a strict parent teaching you to behave, and you will either thank them later, or rebel by breaking curfew and smoking pot in the school parking lot.
The Best Part
Mailbox offers something new, and is bold in its quest. The app is fast and light and fun to use.
Tragic Flaw
Even though Mailbox is live in the App Store, you might find yourself having to wait a while before actually being able to use it. In order to prevent their servers from being overloaded, Mailbox is actually being rolled out to users gradually. In the app you will find a counter of people ahead of you and behind you in the count. It's a strange way of doing things, and will annoy the impatient.
This Is Weird...
Sorting mail using Mailbox on the iPhone, but what about when you go to use Gmail your laptop? It is up to you to try and duplicate the sorting scheme that Mailbox has created. Upon visiting Gmail, you will find that Mailbox has created folders for you, but of course you can't just swipe each new message away. It's more cumbersome, and trying to follow the two workflows could disrupt the simple elegance of Mailbox.
Test Notes
- The app only works with Gmail accounts.
- Options for "snooze" settings are limited. While you can create a custom alarm at the moment that you snooze a message, you can't create new preset alarms outside of "start my day at," "start my weekends at," end my workday at," "later today," and "someday."
- When I downloaded Mailbox, there were about 50,000 users in front of me, and it took about 4 days until I was granted access.
Should You Buy It?
Well, it's free, so yes. You've got nothing to lose.
In many ways, Mailbox is an app that falls right in line with the Apple philosophy. Show you an easier way, simplify your experience, and deny you the ability to transgress. It's an approach that makes many users fume with resentment, and is a saving grace for countless others. But in the end software can only go so far to condition behavior. It's up to you to stay organized, no matter how much Mailbox greases the rails.


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graph 2.11.0
Graph is a type of hash that outputs in graphviz's dot format. It comes with a command-line interface that is easily pluggable. It ships with plugins to graph dependencies and status of installed rubygems, rake tasks, homebrew ports, mac ports, and freebsd ports, coloring leaf nodes blue, outdated nodes red, and outdated leaf nodes purple (red+blue). OSX quick tip: % sudo gem install graph --development % sudo brew install graphviz % gem unpack graph % cd graph* % rake gallery % open gallery/*.png


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Whether you like it or not, spay-neuter clinics are here to stay. But just how much do they really impact the livelihood of your practice? And what can you do to keep your profits up when a low-cost clinic moves into your neighborhood? Find out what our experts had to say.
Next >
Spay-neuter clinics: Three simple words that can spark a debate—or at least a lively conversation—among most veterinarians and industry insiders. Good or bad, everyone seems to have an opinion about them. And according to our 2012 Veterinary Economics Business Issues Survey, it's a topic that veterinarians and their staff aren't shy about addressing.
Of survey respondents, more than 50 percent of practice owners reported that nonprofit spay-neuter clinics negatively affect their business, and about 40 percent of associate veterinarians shared the same opinion. To better understand the situation, we turned the results over to our Veterinary Economics experts for their advice on keeping profits up in spite of competition from low-cost clinics.
According to Bob Levoy, a Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member, veterinarians have to address the realities of today's market. "A contributing factor to some client defections to low-cost spay-neuter clinics is the fact that many pet owners view spays, neuters, and vaccinations as commodities, regardless of where these procedures are done or who does them, leaving cost or convenience as the deciding factors in choosing a veterinary facility," he says.
His solution? Resist knocking those nonprofit, low-cost spay-neuter clinics with an apples-and-oranges argument. "Client education is the answer," he says. "It's better to acknowledge that your fees are higher. Let your clients observe a surgery on closed circuit TV or give them an itemized bill of the services you performed. This will help put fees into proper perspective."
Dr. Karl Salzsieder, JD, another Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member and owner of Salzsieder Consulting and Legal Services in Longview, Wash., sees a direct correlation between the perceived threat of spay-neuter clinics and the type of services a veterinary practice offers.
"For decades, spay-neuter clinics have been a threat to veterinary practices that have tried to use those procedures for covering overhead," Dr. Salzsieder says. "Veterinary practices must continue to realize that spays, neuters, and vaccines are 'shopper items' that must be done with the intent of not losing money."
If a veterinary practice can't meet or beat the prices of a nearby low-cost clinic, Dr. Salzsieder suggests packaging spay or neuter surgeries into a 12-month wellness plan that also includes vaccines and examinations. Not only does this guarantee the practice consistent monthly income from the get-go, but if the clients renew their wellness plan—and more than 80 percent of clients do—then the practice would offset the first year's high costs of surgeries and vaccines with the monthly income they'd receive for years to come.


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Sunday, November 28, 2010
Smacksy Sunday Links
Just in time for your Cyber Monday shopping pleasure, Kristen has a list of great gifts that give back to great causes.
And here are some beautiful Dutch paintings.
And my new Voices of Mainstreet column is up and it's all about how we decorate for Christmanukah.
And thanks to my friend Ted, here is :25 seconds of a kitten riding a tortoise.
Happy Sunday.
Labels: links
6 comments:
I could watch that kitten all day. I think he rides English. Pretty sure he was posting. He definitely had the appropriate facial expression for riding a turtle.ReplyDelete
I love them all!ReplyDelete
I stopped over at The Street to read you, and you're awesome! "Black Friday? Meet Super Saturday" should go down in the annals of Great Holiday Writing. And thank you for the cat riding the tortoise. I threw my hands up, and then remembered that college was 13 years ago. (Wah!)ReplyDelete
That is so dang cute! King Kitty Cat!ReplyDelete
I am in love with that video. Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for the mention!ReplyDelete
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The Washington Post by Associated Press –
March 10, 2014:
The share of Americans without health insurance is dropping to the lowest levels since President Barack Obama took office, but sign-ups under his health care law lag among Hispanics — a big pool of potential beneficiaries.
With just three weeks left to enroll on the new insurance exchanges, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, finds that 15.9 percent of U.S. adults are uninsured thus far in 2014, down from 17.1 percent for the last three months — or calendar quarter— of 2013.
Released Monday, the survey based on more than 28,000 interviews is a major independent effort to track the health care rollout. The drop of 1.2 percentage points in the uninsured rate translates to about 3 million people gaining coverage.
Gallup said the proportion of Americans who are uninsured is on track to drop to the lowest quarterly level it measured since 2008, before Obama took office.
"It's probably a reasonable hypothesis that the Affordable Care Act is having something to do with this drop," said Frank Newport, Gallup's editor-in-chief. "We saw a continuation of the trend we saw last month; it didn't bounce back up."
The survey found that almost every major demographic group made progress getting health insurance, although Hispanics lagged.
With the highest uninsured rate of any racial or ethnic group, Latinos were expected to be major beneficiaries of the new health care law. They are a relatively young population and many are on the lower rungs of the middle class, in jobs that don't come with health insurance. They've also gone big for Obama in his two presidential campaigns.
But the administration's outreach effort to Hispanics stumbled from the start. The Spanish-language enrollment website, CuidadodeSalud.gov, was delayed due to technical problems. Its name sounds like a clunky translation from English: "Care of Health."
The feds also translated "Affordable Care Act" as "Law for Care of Health at Low Price" — which doesn't sound too appealing.
A spot check of the Spanish site on Monday showed parts of it still use a mix of Spanish and English to convey information on such basics as insurance copays, risking confusion.
With disappointing Latino sign-ups, the administration is making a special pitch as the end of open enrollment season approaches March 31.
The president was on Spanish-language television networks last week to raise awareness. Obama assured viewers that signing up for health care won't trigger the deportation of any relatives who are in the country illegally. The law's benefits are only for citizens and legal US residents.
Gallup found the biggest drop in the uninsured rate was among households making less than $36,000 a year — a decline of 2.8 percentage points.
Among blacks, the uninsured rate was down by 2.6 percentage points. It declined by 1 percentage point among whites. But Latinos saw a drop of just eight-tenths of a percentage point.
The Gallup poll is considered authoritative because it combines the scope and depth found in government surveys with the timeliness of media sampling. Pollsters interview 500 people a day, 350 days a year. The latest health care results were based on more than 28,000 interviews, or about 28 times as many as in a standard national poll.
The survey can be an early indicator. Gallup saw a modest decline in the uninsured rate in January, and now two full months of data point to a trend emerging.
"This is another indication that the (law) is achieving its key objectives," said Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the Medicare agency, which is also steering the rollout.
Gallup said the drop coincides with the start of coverage under the health care law on Jan. 1. The major elements are now in effect. Virtually all Americans are required to get covered or risk fines. Insurers can no longer turn away people with health problems. New state-based markets are offering taxpayer-subsidized private insurance to middle-class households.
Medicaid rolls are also growing, with about half the states agreeing to the program expansion in the law. Low-income people who qualify for Medicaid are able to sign up year-round, so the uninsured rate may keep going down even after the end of open enrollment for private coverage.
The administration is citing numbers that are far higher than Gallup's: about 4 million people signing up for private coverage, and 9 million for Medicaid.
But those statistics also include people who already had health insurance and switched to coverage offered under the law. They also include children, while Gallup focuses on adults.
The survey was based on telephone interviews from Jan. 2-Feb. 28 with a random sample of 28,396 adults aged 18 and older in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total national sample, the margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point, larger for subgroups.


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(visited by Peter Joede)
14-Aug-2009 -- Visited this CP on a sunny day by bicycle, starting from my home town which is located just about 37 km away.
Driving a narrow paved road you reach a farm house where you find a stone marking the confluence. The landmark is not correct because the actual confluence is about 100 m away.
Taking a farm road you will get as close as 10 m to the point which is in a field.


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- Bath and Wells
- Bath and Wells• Ancient diocese coextensive with the county of Somerset, England
Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006.
- Bath and WellsBath and Wells† Catholic_Encyclopedia ► Bath and WellsBADONIENSIS ET WELLENSIS(Bath, Aquae Solis, Bathonia, Bathensis, Bathoniensis; Wells, Theoradunum, Velliae, Ecclesia Fontanensis, Vellensis, Wellensis).Ancient diocese coextensive with the county of Somerset, England. The first Bishop of Bath and Wells, properly so described, was appointed by the pope in 1244, but the diocese has a much longer history, though its bishops used different titles; Somerset, Wells, Bath, or Bath and Glastonbury, being at different times employed. Æthelhelm (909-914), afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, first exercised episcopal jurisdiction there, choosing the secular church of Wells as his cathedral. Henceforth, there was a certain rivalry between the secular canons of Wells and the monks of the two great abbeys, Glastonbury and Bath. The advantage, however, lay with the latter and the cathedral church at Wells maintained but a struggling existence. During the time of Edward the Confessor (1042-66), the energetic Bishop of Gisa (1060-88), who on his appointment found the church small and poor, and the few canons who served it forced to beg their bread, succeeded in putting matters on a firmer foundation. He not only erected buildings in which they could live a community life, but obtained grants of lands for their support from St. Edward the Confessor, Harold, and William the Conqueror. This good work was partly undone by his successor, John de Villula (1088-1122), who removed the see to Bath, using the abbey there as his cathedral. It was not until the appointment of Bishop Robert of Lewes (1136-66), who rebuilt the cathedral at Wells and in other ways proved himself a wise and liberal administrator, that an arrangement was made by which Bath should take precedence of Wells, but that future bishops should have a throne in both churches and should be elected by the two chapters conjointly. This arrangement lasted through the administrations of Reginald de Bohun (1174-91), who brought St. Hugh of Lincoln to England; the turbulent Savaric (1192-1205), who annexed Glastonbury by force; and lastly Jocelin Troteman de Welles (1206-42), who though a native of Wells was known as Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury until 1219 when he gave up all claim to Glastonbury and styled himself Bishop of Bath. But though he omitted Wells from his title, he did more than any other bishop for the town, for he restored and enlarged the cathedral, adding the beautiful west front, increased the number of canons from thirty-five to fifty, and founded a grammar school. On his death, the monks of Bath ignoring the chapter of Wells, elected as his successor Roger, one of their own community, for whom they obtained royal and papal confirmation, but the consequent appeal by the Wells chapter brought about the final settlement of the difficulty. The pope decided that Roger should remain bishop with the style "Bishop of Bath and Wells", and that the old arrangement as to joint election should in future be observed.The history of the see was thenceforth tranquil, only three bishops during the next two centuries calling for special mention, Ralph of Shrewsbury (1329-63), who completed the buildings; Thomas Bekynton (1443-65), another liberal benefactor of the city; and Oliver King (1495-1503), who rebuilt Bath Abbey in the Perpendicular style. One bishop, William Bytton (1267-74), died with a reputation for sanctity and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage. In the fifteenth century there were two absentee bishops, Adrian de Castello (1504-18), during whose tenure the see was administered by the historian Polydore Vergil; and Cardinal Wolsey (1518-23), who held the see simultaneously with that of York. After the dissolution of Bath Abbey in 1538, the bishop, though retaining the old style, had his seat at Wells alone, but final ruin was impending. In 1549 the notorious William Barlow was intruded into the see, and alienated much of its property. On the accession of Mary he fled, and was succeeded by the last Catholic Bishop, Gilbert Bourne (1554-59), who held the see till he was deprived of it by Elizabeth and imprisoned in the Tower, thus becoming one of the eleven Confessor-Bishops who died in bonds. He died in 1569. Of the twin cathedrals of the diocese, Bath Abbey was rebuilt (1499-1530) in late Perpendicular style and is the last complete monastic building erected before the Reformation, while the cathedral at Wells, though small, is the most perfect example of a secular cathedral and one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in England. Dating in the main from the early thirteenth, it was practically complete by the middle of the fourteenth century. The diocese contained three archdeaconries, Bath, Wells, and Taunton. The arms of the see were:— Azure, a saltier quarterly quartered, or and az.HUNTER, A brief History of the bishoprick of Somerset to 1174 (Camden Society, 1840), 8; FREEMAN, History of the Cathedral Church of Wells (London, 1870); REYNOLDS, Wells Cathedral, its Foundation, Constitution, History and Statutes (1880); Registers of Bishops Giffard, Bowett and Fox (Somerset Record Society, 1889-99); CHURCH, Chapters in the Early History of the Church of Wells, 1136-1333 (London, 1894); DEARMER, The Cathedral Church of Wells and a History of the Episcopal See (London, 1898, 3rd ed., 1903); Somerset Archaeological Society Transactions.EDWIN BURTONTranscribed by Anita G. Gorman
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat. 1910.
Catholic encyclopedia.


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Oct 04, 2023
Oct 04, 2023
by Alka Pande
It is just another day for the energetic Dr Tanveer Aujula, who is in her thirties. As she patiently listens to each one of her patients, sometimes conducting a preliminary check up before giving them medicines, the crowds keep increasing. Dr Tanveer is an MS in gynaecology from Punjab University and this is her routine OPD (Out Patient Department) held under a tree in Mohouli, the last village in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Homely and compassionate, Tanveer, who hails from Punjab, says, "It was my parents' dream that I become a doctor. I don't know when their dream became mine - so much so that I started writing doctor in front of my name even when I was in school."
Talking about her work, she says, "In UP, I started by volunteering to put up camps at police lines to educate people about hygiene, family welfare, and so on. Gradually, these camps became more regular and I started going to remote and interior areas to cater to the tribal people."
Tanveer is not alone in Sonbhadra. Her husband, Dr Pritinder Singh, joins in to attend to the male patients. Together they make an unusual couple providing health care to the people who need it most. Pritinder Singh has an additional qualification. He is also the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Sonbhadra. Whilst he is checking his patients, Singh asks them about the policing problems they may be facing in their village.
The particular reason behind Singh's inquiry is the community policing initiative that has been undertaken in Sonbhardra to deal with the challenges posed by extremists and criminal elements active in the region. Geographically, Sonbhadra is a unique district, as it shares borders with four states - Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. It has a rocky terrain but is richly endowed with natural resources and several industries have moved to the region. In fact, Hindalco has set up Asia's biggest aluminium factory here and there is also a cement plant run by the JayPee Group. Besides this, the various hydel projects in the area have helped to make the region a power generation hub, with 15,000 MWs of electricity being produced here.
Unfortunately, these natural riches seemed to have only helped make Sonbhadra poorer. It lacks even in basic infrastructure. For instance, villages located in the hilly areas do not have electricity, schools or access to medical facilities. And as cultivation is very difficult on this rocky terrain, the only way for people here to earn money is by selling local forest produce to urban traders.
It's this very lack of development and economic opportunity that has seen a rise in political extremism and criminalisation. And that is why community policing - which began in 2007 - has yielded good results here and has helped to change popular perceptions of the police being inhuman and uncaring.
The police force here has got involved with the development of the region. Every day about half-a-dozen teams visit different villages and talk to the local people about their problems. No village has been left out. Daily reports, based on the demands of the people, are given to the SP and copies are sent to District Magistrate, Chief Development Officer, Divisional Commissioner and other concerned officials.
People in Sonebhadra now approach the men in khaki with all sorts of problems - from those related to agriculture, education or health to how they can avail of government schemes. And help is forthcoming. For instance, when Batulan Khatoon of Mohouli village asked police officials to get check dams constructed in her village for rainwater harvesting, Amar Nath Yadav, the police officer in charge of surveillance, decided to solve the problem in another way - he asked his colleague, Sanjeev Mishra, the Mohouli outpost in-charge, to look into the possibility of papaya cultivation in the area since papaya trees grow easily here and do not require much water.
Singh came to know that there was no Primary Health Centre (PHC) or intermediate college within a radius of 30 kilometres of Mohouli after speaking to his patients. Now he has sent a proposal to the government for setting up five PHCs and an intermediate college in the area. "I have requested the government to relax the norms for setting up primary health centres and secondary level educational institutions for areas like ours," he says.
But besides being approachable to the locals and getting infrastructure built - all villages here are now linked by proper roads - community policing has a far more popular activity: The setting up of regular camps in villages by rotation, where various utility items, such as five kilo bags of rice and wheat flour, bicycles for meritorious students, clothes, school bags, books and saris, among others, are distributed. And as the annual budget for community policing is a mere Rs 5,00,000 (US$1=Rs 45.7), and the actual cost of a camp averages around Rs 3,00,000, local sources have been tapped for funding.
These efforts have borne results. The number of extremist and criminal gangs in the region has declined. Yadav reveals, "Three years back, there were 30-35 groups, now only three are active. No new recruitment has taken place over the last five years."
Taking the concept of community policing to a whole new level, Singh is making efforts to rehabilite political extremists, who have either surrendered or were arrested. Two months ago, mass marriages were organised in Kanaura village, where the SP performed 'kanya daan' (a ceremony performed usually by the bride's father) for the sister of a former extremist, and now he is looking out for a match for Sukhadi Mallah, who had given himself up.
Sincere efforts are being made to bring these men and women into the mainstream. Special driving classes for boys and sewing classes for women have been started. On their successfully completing the course, licences are provided to students of the driving school, while sewing machines are given to those who wish to take up tailoring. "We have negotiated with local units to employ these trained drivers and contracts to stitch the uniforms for the police have been provided to the women. These welfare activities involve men and women, who are out of jail and also for other villagers," says Singh, adding, "Twenty-five men released from jail, are now working under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and hold proper job cards."
Singh is a happy man today. His reasons for joining the IPS, despite a flourishing medical practice, have been validated. And so has Tanveer's. Says she, "When we had to come from Punjab to UP initially it came as a shock to me but for family's sake I decided to accompany my husband. When I started working in this area I saw illiteracy and poverty from close quarters - children smeared in cow dung, and so on, which is so different from Punjab. The condition is much better even in the poorest of the poor areas of Punjab." And does she have any regrets? "Never, not even for a minute, as I believe that here my contribution to the society is much more substantial," quips the good doctor, adding, "Although what we are doing here is more like a drop in the ocean, there is so much more potential for good work here."
Her husband agrees. Says Singh, "Had we continued with our practice in Punjab, we would have built a big nursing home there and would have been earning millions, but how many people would have benefited from that, even if we gave free treatment to all the poor? Here, we touch the lives of thousands of people, every day."
By arrangement with WFS
More by : Alka Pande


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Luxury Holiday Homes and Villas in The Loire Valley
We have found 1 properties to book, based on your search for Luxury Holiday Homes and Villas in The Loire Valley, France.
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new services
We offer a full range of locksmith services. All locks & Lock systems, Lockout service (Unlock a door) Lock replacement, Lock repair, New lock installation, Door lock change, Intercom system (CCTV) Buzzer systems, Access control, Wood, metal & Glass doors, Gates & Custom ironwork, Commercial & Residential safes. We are open 24 hours, and our locksmiths are nearby – Call now Locksmith Manchester for an expected response time. Email: email@example.com Phone: 07469 196384


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NEW YORK – Fox News today fired the hosts of Fox & Friends and replaced them with chimps.
Fox & Friends is going bananas! Out go the monkeys, in come the chimps.
Why did Fox News toss aside their morning hosts like a used banana peel?
The hosts of Fox News morning show, Fox & Friends, reported that Los Angeles is going to spend $1 billion on jetpacks that can fly a person up to 63 miles per hour and soar to heights of 8,000 feet.
The hosts of the show – Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade and Gretchen Carlson – took credit for the story, but everyone in the nation knows that it was broken right here by WWN's own, Frank Lake.
After doing a story about glazed donuts and how terrorists were using them to make people in New York City constipated, the hosts spent a half-hour talking about the jetpacks. Their reportage was filled with gaping holes including Kilmeade making a wild claim about LAPD Helicopters.
Kilmead said, ""It's a bloodbath up there. Police choppers are shooting down Jetpack Law Enforcement Officers in the skies over L.A." Kilmeade then spent five minutes making "machine gun sounds" with his mouth.
Roger Ailes, President of Fox News Channel couldn't take his moronic morning hosts anymore, so he fired them late last night. Ailes wanted to hire Rick Sanchez to host Fox & Friends, but realized that Sanchez doesn't have friends anymore.
Ailes came up with yet another brilliant "casting" idea… he hired 3 chimpanzees to take the place of the three fired hosts.
"I decided we should stick to our brand and hire hosts with underdeveloped frontal lobes," Ailes said.
Ailes did a test show with the three chimps in front of a live audience. "The audience couldn't tell the difference. The audience thought the chimps had more intelligent things to say than Doocy, Kilmeade and Carlson – combined," said Ailes.
To promote the new show with the three chimp hosts, Fox is bringing out the heavy guns this morning to sit on the Fox & Friends' couch. Bill O'Reilly will discuss his new book, Foxes on Fox, Sean Hannity will be discussing President Obama's bathing habits and Glenn Beck will explain to the chimps how evolution is nothing but a Progressive plot to take money and freedom away from all human beings – even the ones on Mars.
Kilmeade, Doocy and Carlson are still hosting their show in the backyard of Doocy's New Jersey home. "Our kids love us," Doocy said.
As for the chimps… they plan on taking over Fox News primetime by January 1, 2011.


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Cruising the Coast of Europe
The coast of Europe offers beautiful scenery, interesting ports and a rich variety of cultural and natural heritage. Explore this diverse coastline at a relaxed pace, waking up in your comfortable cabin every morning knowing that you are in for a new and interesting adventure.
UNESCO Sites and Port Wine
Starting in legendary Lisbon, you should explore the city before embarking MS Roald Amundsen. Then get a taste of the world-famous Port wine in Oporto. Both cities offer UNESCO sites, historical centers that are deeply charming and each creates a unique atmosphere.
Crossing the border, we find golden sandy beaches and gourmet delights at Vigo on Spain's Galician coast, while architectural delights abound at La Coruña.
Bilbao is the main city of the Basque Region with an amazing mixture of architecture - and home to the famous Guggenheim museum.
Then one of France's best-kept secrets is yours to discover: Come ashore on Belle-île, famed for its natural beauty and unique culture that has inspired painters and authors for centuries. Experience the thrill of approaching the fortified city of Saint Malo from the sea.
Honfleur is a remarkably beautiful port town on the banks of the Seine. Ostend in Belgium is a known beach getaway, but offers small town charm and sights as well. Antwerp, the "diamond capital" has several architectural and cultural gems to discover.
City Life
Amsterdam, a city of canals, cafés and culture has a wealth of museums and art galleries: it was once the home of Rembrandt and van Gogh.
Helgoland offers spectacular nature, great birdlife and a very fascinating history.
Hamburg brings us back to city life, offering everything from medieval history to live bands following in the footsteps of the Beatles.
- See many of the UNESCO World Heritage sites along the European coast
- Enjoy visiting big cities, charming towns and beautiful islands
- Learn more about the history, culture and nature of the places we visit
- Exciting and extensive excursion program
- Hurtigruten expedition in the cabin grade of your choice on a full board basis
- Wind- and water-resistant jacket
- Landings with small boats and activities on board and ashore
- Professional English speaking expedition team that gives lectures as well as accompanies landings and activities
- Complimentary tea and coffee
- International flights
- Travel protection
- Luggage handling
- Optional excursions and gratuities
Price includes:
- Hurtigruten expedition in the cabin grade of your choice on a full board basis
- Wind- and water-resistant jacket
- Landings with small boats and activities on board and ashore
- Professional English speaking expedition team that gives lectures as well as accompanies landings and activities
- Complimentary tea and coffee
Not included:
- International flights
- Travel protection
- Luggage handling
- Optional excursions and gratuities
A Legendary City Built on Seven Hills - Lisbon, Portugal
As one of the oldest cities in the world, Lisbon offers centuries of heritage and charm, and has been influenced by many different cultures over time. It was home to great explorers like Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan and Prince Henry the Navigator. Take time to explore this fascinating city before embarkation.
Lisbon's historic districts feel like different villages as you stroll the charming streets. Visit the city's two UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery. Lisbon has a network of quaint, old-fashioned trams that lurch and screech around the narrow streets. No visit is complete without taking a ride on one of these classic, pre-war, Remodelado trams. Discover the many hidden gems of Portugal's capital at your own pace.
The Home of Port Wine - Leixões / Oporto, Portugal
From Leixões, it is a short yet very interesting trip to one of the last undiscovered European metropolises: Oporto. This ancient port is steeped in history and tradition, but with a modern outlook and bold new architecture. The cultural attractions are so diverse they will please everyone.
See amazing baroque carvings and churches with spectacular interiors as you walk down the monumental avenue Avenida dos Aliandos and discover the historic center, Ribeira, with colorful houses facing the river and its charming boats. A river cruise in a replica of the old Rabelo boats offers a perfect view over the historic city from the riverside.
Oporto is also the home of the Port wine, made exclusively in this area. Join a wine tour through the spectacular landscapes of Portugal. Visit one of the old wineries and taste this sweet and fortified red wine before you finish the excursion with a Portuguese meal. If you want a taste of wilderness instead, you can have an adventure in the only national park in Portugal: Gerês.
Tasty Delights in Vigo - Vigo, Spain
Sailing into the Vigo estuary we pass the beautiful island of Cíes, a National Park. The beautiful clean water here is well known for its fine seafood including local mussels. You might like to try some as part of traditional tapas, combined with some octopus á feira, all washed down with albariño, Galicia's fresh, aromatic white wine.
Time to walk off your lunch? Why not wander through Parque del Castro's botanical gardens and Roman remains, crowned by a 17th-century fort with panoramic views. If all that is too energetic, Vigo has a plentiful supply of beaches a short taxi (or boat) ride outside the town.
Architectural Emblems - La Coruña, Spain
La Coruña is a city full of history. Phoenicians, Celts and Romans lived here and use the sheltered harbor at the isthmus in the north west of Spain. You will get a first impression when we pass the 180 feet high Hercules Tower, the oldest Roman lighthouse in use today, on our way into the harbor.
Take your time for a walk through the historic city and you will be impressed by the relicts from the different people and cultures who gave the city the amazing appearance. The city had its bloom in the 14th and 15th centuries when it functioned as the port for especially English pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
Today the passengers from cruise liners from all over the world start their excursion to Santiago de Compostela in the harbor of La Coruña. When you are walking through the city you should not miss the very famous Street Avenida Marina. Here you will find the world wide very well-known multi-level traditional Galician buildings with an elegant glass front that became an architectural emblem for La Coruña.
Delights of Design - Bilbao, Spain
Bilbao is the heart of the Basque Country. The city boasts an unexpected duality, as it has successfully mixed traditional Basque culture with a new vision for the future. It is sophisticated and humming with action, but at the same time it is super relaxed.
And it is an absolute must for design and culture lovers: The Guggenheim Museum designed by architect Frank Gehry, a timeless Metro system designed by Sir Norman Foster, a community center designed by Philippe Starck. The list goes on and on.
On the other hand you have the Casco Viejo, Bilbao's atmospheric old quarter, full of charming streets, the market and plenty of distinctive, independent shops. At the heart of the Casco are Bilbao's original seven streets, Las Siete Calles, which date from the 1400's. Explore this wonderful and diverse urban landscape, either on your own or with one of our many excursions.
The Legendary Bay of Biscay - At Sea
From Bilbao, on our way to France, we will sail the Bay of Biscay. Due to its legendary reputation, many sailors feared this bay. The area is home to large storms during the winter months and there have been countless ship wrecks reported as a result of the gruesome weather.
To a large extent this is a result of ships, in the days of square-riggers, being unable to make way to windward, so they were often driven into the Bay by the prevailing westerlies. Some of the fiercest weather conditions of the Atlantic Ocean can still be witnessed in the Biscay Bay, but in late spring and early summer the area is cool and cloudy, with large fog pockets filling the southwestern part of the inlet.
We will sail far out to sea, out of sight of land. Enjoy the salt air, hopefully catch a glimpse of birds and sea mammals and listen to the peaceful sound of the ocean. During the day, you can participate in the interesting lectures by the expedition team, and maybe you even get to hear about the many famous naval engagements that have taken place here during the centuries.
A Well-Kept French Secret - Belle-Île, France
As its name suggests, Belle-île is one of France's most beautiful islands. With stunning cliffs, quaint seaside hamlets, pastel colored houses, green countryside and jagged rocky coastlines, Belle-île's beauty has inspired adventure novelists such as Dumas, as well as impressionist painters like Monet and Matisse.
The island is a well-kept secret in France, and now it's your turn to discover it! The town of Le Palais is the "capital" of the island. It is situated around the Bassin de la Saline and is overlooked by the massive Citadelle. From here you can either join several hikes and outings with the Expedition Team, or discover this busting towns many markets, shops and sights independently.
A Pirates Stronghold - Saint Malo, France
Approaching the walled city of Saint Malo from the sea is a sight to behold: impenetrable bastions fringed by shallow beaches ring the city. No wonder that from Roman times onwards it has been held by empires, independents and republics as a strong fort.
Take a tour of the château of Saint Malo which today is the town museum, visit the Privateers House built in 1725 where you can learn about the pirate heritage of the town. If the weather is fine then why not have a restful time on one of the towns' beaches. At a waterfront café, try the oysters from the Emerald coast (just the west of the town) or sample the local cider.
The Most Picturesque Harbor? - Honfleur, France
If a prize were to be offered for "the most picturesque harbor", then Honfluer in Normandy would certainly be in the final. Indeed, Claude Monet thought so as he spent time here painting the distinctive tall and thin slate-fronted houses. Honfleur is located at the mouth of the Seine river.
Venture ashore and wander through the cobbled streets of this medieval town. Discover the largest wooden church in France, dedicated to Saint Catherine. Take a moment to sample some local Calvados brandy produced with apples.
So much more than a beach destination - Ostend, Belgium
Ostend has a six mile long white sand beach and is a popular beach destination for locals, but the city offers so much more. The seafront is Ostend's principal tourist attraction. But as an adventurer, you might enjoy a visit to the small and bustling fish market.
Take a walking tour in the Footsteps of Marvin Gaye, the American singer who spent time here. Have your own personal moment of Zen in the beautiful Japanese Garden, called Shin Kai Tei. Visit the deceptively large Ostende Art Museum, with corridors snaking in all directions. Wander through the subterranean fortifications in the best-preserved sections of the infamous German Atlantikwall.
Stand in line to get a large steaming pot of delicious mussels and fries (moules frites), and later, for dessert, have a waffle or some of the famous Belgian chocolate. Or join in on a trip to Bruges and see the historical center that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Ostend it is possible to visit the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.
Diamonds (and Antwerp) are forever - Antwerp, Belgium
In the 16th century Antwerp was one the most important financial centers of the world and home to baroque superstar painter Rubens. Today it is Belgium's capital of cool with astonishing architectural and cultural contrasts, and a vibrant fashion and entertainment scene. Antwerp is also the world's leading diamond city, as more than 70% of all diamonds are traded here. Join our city tour to get an overview of the fascinating past and present, before you set out to explore the cobbled lanes, quaint architecture, museums, shops and cafés in the intriguing medieval heart of this Flemish city.
Laid-back Amsterdam - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam which is the capital of the Netherlands even though the Dutch government is seated in The Hague. Amsterdam developed from a small fishing village in the 13th century to one of the most charming and culturally important cities of the world.
The city became a very famous worldwide trading center with important connections to the Hanseatic League in the 17th century, Amsterdam's so called "Golden Age". Patrician houses in the city and the Amsterdam Canal District, both international symbols for an impressive urban planning and architecture, are also to date back to the "Golden Age" and belong today to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The city is well-known for its outstanding museums like the Rijksmuseum, the Rembrandt House or the van Gogh Museum.
Small Islands with Big History - Helgoland, Germany
Germany's only high sea archipelago consists of two small islands called Helgoland and the Dune. Helgoland is famous for its unique scenery and diverse wildlife. Germany's smallest nature reserve, Lummenfelsen, consists of one single rock – essentially a huge bird condo, densely occupied by the thousands of sea birds that nest here.
Helgoland also has an intriguing history: Originally, it was founded by Frisians, then became a pirate base in the Middle Ages. Afterwards, it was claimed by the Danes, only to be conquered by the British some years later. Then the British swapped the islands with the Germans for Zanzibar. During WWII attempts were made to wipe the entire island of the map for good. It's safe to say that Helgoland is rich with exciting history. Come ashore to explore this fascinating narrow island!
A Farewell in Hamburg - Hamburg, Germany
The "free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg" to give its official title is a fascinating finale to our voyage. Hamburg has more miles of the canals than Amsterdam and Venice combined, including the UNESCO listed Speicherstadt district with ancient warehouses, now housing a variety of museums, attractions and restaurants.
Although the Reeperbahn is known for things other than the fact that the Beatles played there in the 1960s, it is still today an exciting live music area, with many bars and clubs open to the small hours. Whatever your taste, take some time to sample Hamburg before you head home.
Terms, conditions and restrictions apply; pricing, availability, and other details subject to change and/ or apply to US or Canadian residents. Please confirm details and booking information with your travel advisor.


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Americans with Disabilities Act
Accessible Features at our Hotel
Graduate Hotels believes that hotel spaces should be accessible to all, regardless of sex, color, creed, or ability. Our hotel in Providence includes accessible features within our public spaces, amenities and guest rooms to help make everyone's stay enjoyable.
For additional information or if you require specific accommodations, please email us at email@example.com or call us at (401) 421-0700.
1. Guest Rooms
Graduate Providence offers accessible guest rooms and amenities to accommodate guests with disabilities. This includes:
- Bathtub grab bars
- Accessible bath
- Adapted room door
- Bathtub chairs available upon request
- Closed caption TVs
- Impairment aides available upon request
- Knock light available upon request
- Lowered electrical outlets
- Toilet grab bars
- Accessible bathroom vanities
- Roll-in showers available upon request
- Shower/bath bench or chair available upon request
- Accessible toilet
- Accessible light switches
- Lowered door viewport
- Guest room doorbell
- Television with subtitles or closed captioned functionality
- Audible emergency alarm for sight impaired guests available upon request
- Service animals allowed
- Pillow alarms available upon request
2. Public Spaces
Graduate Providence's public spaces have been modified to accommodate guests with disabilities and meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This includes:
- Accessible elevators
- Elevator near accessible rooms
- Elevators with braille instructions
- The hotel entrance is accessible
- The restaurant entrance is accessible
- Registration desk is wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed in public areas
- Wide corridors
- Wheelchairs available
- Braille/large print used throughout the hotel
- Disabled emergency plan in place
Accessibility in our Digital Spaces
Graduate Hotels also believes that the web should be open to all, regardless of sex, color, creed, or ability. That's why this website is built to conform to the web content accessibility guidelines set out in the WCAG 2.0 + 2.1 for the purpose of making this website accessible to everyone regardless of any disability. It is designed and built to work with assistive devices and applications like JAWS and VoiceOver.
1. Certification
There is no formal certification process or entity that recognizes the accessibility of websites. Those that conform to the recommendations of WCAG 2.0 + 2.1 (web content accessibility guidelines) do so as a commitment to accessibility and adhere to universally accepted standards around these principles. It does not represent a review or validation of conformance by W3C or WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative). Rather it is meant to promote accessibility on the web and indicate a claim of conformance to a specified level of WCAG.
This website was also built to comply with the most current rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title III, administered by the Department of Justice in the United States.
2. Testing
Testing for the website is conducted with a combination of manual testing and the use of the following tools: Wave by WebAIM, Koa11y, and browser color contrast checkers to ensure compliance is met in the WCAG level A or AA. Items found are flagged and passed onto a team of digital strategists, developers and editors based on the issue (be it content or a functional area of concern) to be corrected.
3. Execution
We rely on a proprietary methodology and development framework that delivers a Level A or AA compliance for WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. Alongside resources that are provided at the beginning of our audit process, we conduct regular checks to ensure that content updates and edits continue to the desired level of accessibility and reflects changes adopted by the WCAG.
4. Feedback
We encourage feedback from users on how we can further improve accessibility to our website and/or any of our digital platforms by emailing us at email@example.com.
5. Third-Party Sites
Third parties like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are not covered by this statement as we do not manage accessibility in those places. This includes any embedded item, iFrames, or API's. Accessibility policies or terms of use for common third parties can be found below.
- Facebook accessibility policy - https://www.facebook.com/help/accessibility
- Instagram terms of use - https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870
- Twitter terms of service - https://twitter.com/en/tos


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Bug Slinger™ Bonefish Neck Gaiter
Regular price$15.00
- Delivery and Pickup Available.
- In stock, available only for LOCAL PICKUP. SHIPPING NOT AVAILABLE.
- Inventory on the way
Over 25 Years
Your local source for sales and rentals
We have been in business over 25 years and whether you are fishing, exploring, or exercising, we have chosen the best, most durable and dependable brands for your watersport's adventures. We have been a Hobie brand dealer for over 15 years.


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Scorched Souls (The Complete Saga) by C.L. Riley: Release Blitz
Book: Scorched Souls
The Complete Saga
Author: CL Riley
Genre: MC Romance
Hosted By: Francessca's Romance Reviews
This is the special edition, trade paperback that includes all four books from the Scorched Souls Serial Series.
Firetrap - Firefight - Firestorm - Fireworks ... all in one place.
In addition, a never before published, bonus chapter is included. What happened with Boone and Olympia on Christmas Eve?
Purchase Links
Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/1S9wO6D
Amazon USA – http://amzn.to/20PzLuu
Amazon CA – http://goo.gl/0ZAEcp
Amazon AUS – http://goo.gl/Nhxxec
What Others Are Saying
Let me just say this book is like the description says – it's like the film Overboard with a dollop of wrong thrown in! – A Brit and A Yank on FireTrap
What a start to this series it has so many brilliant aspects . It will you have you intrigued and keep you hooked waiting for many questions to be answered. – Firetrap Goodreads Review
What a great book but it was so short, but that's just me being a cry baby! Boy what a kinky guy Boone is and I love it! Great MC read with the right amount of bad ass biker, kinky sex, club whores, drama and suspense! – Goodreads Review on Firefight
Great story which touched on some serious subjects and was a times a bit difficult to read and leaned a bit towards the dark side. This is a MC story with all elements I like - hot bikers, steamy sexy scenes, drama, emotional, club whores and all that good stuff. Can't wait for Fireworks! ~ Goodreads Review on Firestorm
What a great end to a wonderful series. I really enjoyed this series it was sad to see it end but I am glad that Boone and Olympia finally got their HEA. ~ Goodreads review on Fireworks
About the author
C.L. Riley makes her home in rainy Oregon with her teenage daughter, her son, just home from college, and several furry friends. She is a vivacious reader whose love for reading became a passion for writing.
She enjoys reading almost anything but has a major soft spot for broken, bad boy, alpha males, and has found a new love for MC (biker) romances. You will find her reading and writing dark romance, dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and erotic suspense. Though you can expect a wide range of future projects as she ventures into other genres.
Taking time for her readers is always a priority and she will do her very best to respond to your queries. She hopes you will visit her online.
You can Stalk me here:


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Mine Detection Dogs Clear Afghan Roads
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, July 13, 2012 – Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Black moved back toward the mine clearance vehicle to watch from a safe distance as a team traced the wire of a suspected improvised explosive device back toward the road.
Black's military working dog, Lobo, was held on the end of a leash as the pair took a short break after searching the last 500 meters along the road.
Suddenly, enemy forces unleashed AK-47 rifle fire. The U.S. soldiers hugged the ground and returned fire. Support vehicles joined in engaging the enemy and after five minutes, forced the attackers to withdraw.
The team lost the wire's location during the engagement and was now scrambling to find it. Black brought Lobo up to search. Lobo walked out front, nose to the ground, with Black still on the leash close behind. After no more than 70 meters, Lobo stopped. Black called Lobo back, marked the site, and called for support. The site was inspected and 200 pounds of homemade explosive was found buried four feet down.
Black and his partner Lobo are assigned to the 49th Engineer Detachment from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Military working dogs are trained to search for, detect and warn of buried mines, explosives and other casualty-producing devices. Handlers are experienced combat engineers who work with and direct the dog during searches.
The 49th has maintained a constant presence in Afghanistan since 2004, neutralizing the threat of mines and unexploded ordnance in support of tactical operations. The detachment deploys squads of dog teams. Mine detection dogs have proven effective in Afghanistan, capable of area reduction and delineation of minefields, route clearance, clearance verification, creation of safe lanes through mine fields, and minefield casualty extraction.
Potential handlers go through the six-month mine detection dog course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and graduate with the "K9" additional skill identifier. Potential handlers must also interview with a military kennel master. Once accepted to the school, handlers spend months with their new four-legged partners, training on obedience, explosive detection and minefield clearance, as well as studying canine behavior and behavioral conditioning techniques.
Teams arriving at the 49th Engineer Detachment immediately begin training for deployment. The senior trainer of the detachment, an experienced mine detection dog noncommissioned officer, leads the training, implementing real world scenarios. Teams also conduct training missions with units on post, units conducting pre-deployment training and field training exercises.
Mine detection dog teams are also utilized for unexploded ordnance, or UXO, clearance in support of range control. Prior to deployment, mine detection dog teams must gain certification. Mine detection dog teams travel to Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., where officials certify the teams.
The 49th's engineers deployed to Afghanistan to work with the Mine Action Center, performing quality assurance and quality control tasks for the mine clearance of Bagram Airfield, one of the most heavily-mined areas in the world. Since 2004, the mine detection dog teams assisted in the clearance of 6.7 million square meters on Bagram Airfield.
"It's here where they show their true capability beyond the instrument search limitations," explained Australian Maj. John Riley, Mine Action Center officer-in-charge. "We would not be able to achieve the quality assurance that we provide without their support."
The 49th Engineer Detachment also assists the Mine Action Center with quick reaction force missions for vehicles, aircraft or personnel caught in minefields. Mine detection dogs are able to search more rapidly and deploy to areas unreachable by manual and mechanical means, so that a mine detection dog team is always on standby for these missions. Mine detection dog teams have been called upon many times to clear safe lanes through potentially mined areas to reach downed aircraft or stranded vehicles.
The U.S. military also employs mine detection dog teams for quality assurance and quality control of potential sites during the construction or expansion of bases and outposts. Prior to construction, mine detection dog teams deploy to the potential build site to ensure the area is free of explosives prior to construction. Since 2010, mine detection dog teams have cleared more than 250,000 square meters in preparation for site construction in Afghanistan.
In 2010, mine detection dog teams started integrating heavily into route clearance operations due to the constant improvised explosive device, or IED, and mine threat along routes in Afghanistan. Route clearance units continue to see the added value to having a mine dog team. Mine detection dog teams are able to detect the deep-buried explosives that mechanical means may not pick up. They are able to traverse routes not accessible to much of the route clearance equipment and they provide a faster means of search for deliberate clearance.
Because of their growing reputation, versatility and effectiveness record, the mine detection dog teams have made an enduring impact on the global war on terrorism and are sought after by engineer, infantry, and special operations forces to support route clearance and maneuver operations. Mine detection dogs have deployed to all regions of Afghanistan and have proven effective in any environment.


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Oven Baked Homemade Italian Meatballs - Recipe
Ever thought on how easy and quick is to make your own Oven Baked Italian Meatballs? With this recipe you will learn how to prepare delicious, healthy and completely homemade Italian polpette meatballs for your whole family. Perfect for your meatball spaghetti or as fingerfood appetizers!
- Level: Easy
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Cooking Directions:
Traditionally the recipe for Italian polpette meatballs calls for pan frying. In this recipe we show how to cook them in the oven for a healthier and lighter result.
Using a food processor reduce in pieces pancetta, onion, celery, Italian parsley and garlic.
Transfer the mixture in a large bowl and mix, with the help of your hands, with the bread crumbs and the ground beef.
Add the two eggs and knead to obtain an homogeneous dough. If the mix is too sticky, add some more bread crumbs. If too dry, add one or two tablespoons of water.
With your hands, shape the polpette in small balls of the desired size (we suggest meatballs as big as walnuts).
Lay the polpette meatballs on a baking tray covered with baking sheet or lightly greased.
Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot. You can eat them as they are, with your favorite sauce or as main ingredient for your pasta.
You can vary the flavor of the homemade Italian Meatballs mixing to the ground beef olives, grilled red peppers, or steamed eggplants.
Instead of ground beef you can prepare oven baked polpette meatball using ground turkey or chicken.
Bread crumbs can easily be made at home. Simply use a food processor to crumble dry bread. It can be obtained heating fresh bread slices in a oven or a toaster for few minutes until slightly dry.
Do not overcook the meatballs to avoid them being too dry.
Other Finger Food ideas:
More Recipes using Ground Beef, Bread Crumbs:
Baked Bell Peppers stuffed with Ground Beef
Oven Baked Bell Peppers stuffed with Ground Beef are a juicy and hearty main dish when served with a side of steamed rice or cous cous. This colorful recipe is great either cold or warm or reheated. It can be prepared ahead of time to serve both small and large families.


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Regardless of where you live or which cable provider you choose to do business with, you probably feel like you're paying too much and that your cable company is taking advantage of you.
You can find various ways to lower your monthly bill, such as by avoiding hidden fees or even canceling your cable service altogether! If that's not an option, and you've already eliminated hidden fees, then there are three more ways to reduce your bill, just by asking.
Here are three discounts your cable company can give you, but won't unless you ask:
1. Service Discount — No matter which cable company you work with, your biggest expense is going to be directly related to the service. For example, I used to pay about $75 per month for the basic package and a couple of sports upgrades.
After discussing my options with a customer service rep and asking for a discount, I learned that they could give me a service discount of $5.99 per month. Over the course of a year, this small discount goes a long way and helps make my cable bill more manageable.
Also keep in mind that your cable company will offer service promotions from time to time. This could be anything from small discounts to six months of a free channel package. Keep an eye out for these promotions and, of course, ask about them.
2. Equipment Discount — In addition to the service fees that you pay, you are also being charged for the equipment that you use on a monthly basis. This is the area in which you can potentially save the most money.
My cable bill includes charges for two cable boxes and an Internet modem. I recently realized that I was paying more than $30 per month for this equipment alone. By speaking with a Comcast supervisor, I was granted a $14.99 waiver for one of my cable boxes. This is only going to last one year, but for the time being it is saving me quite a bit.
Another tip for saving money on equipment: instead of calling your cable company, go to a local "hub" and speak with somebody in person. The last time I did this, a supervisor gave me the newest DVR box with all the bells and whistles.
3. Free Upgrades — This doesn't actually lower your bill, but it will get you more for your money. I have found that this is the easiest of the three to receive since it's free to your cable provider, and makes customers happy. Not to mention the fact that there is a good chance you will continue to pay for the upgrade after your trial period expires. Some of the free upgrades that I have received include: cable packages (sports channels and premium channels), higher internet speed, and free On-Demand movies.
Final Word
Don't expect your cable company to give you discounts and free upgrades just for being a good, loyal customer. While this may happen once in a blue moon, you should not rely on it. If you want to receive the discounts and upgrades detailed above, you need to get on the phone, ask for a supervisor, and explain your situation. You may be surprised to find that you qualify for these discounts and many others. There's no harm in asking!
(photo credit: JVCAmerica)


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Women are fond of wearing dresses as per the changing trends and latest fashion. They aim for changing their wardrobe in order to follow ongoing fashion trend. You can easily find various kinds of dresses, suiting to wear on different occasions, in their wardrobes 24*7 . They are commonly fond of lace dresses as they can wear on their wedding and other special events also. Through lace dresses, some kind of freshness can be felt in the complete attire of a woman. Moreover, lace dresses are not only meant for marriage purposes, but also for routine office purpose as well as formal meets.
The trend of lace dresses never goes from the fashion world. Women can adapt this style to look the best amongst all. Lace dresses are made from the finest fabric and provides utmost comfort to a wearer. You can wear light accessories like bangles, earrings, etc. with lace dresses to give a perfect look. If you do not want to wear a complete lace dress, you can give lace touch in the bridal veils, as a waistband or on the skirt. There are two types of styles followed while wearing lace dresses. They are:
1. Empire Waist Lace Dress: This style of dressing gives a very elegant look and flatters the figure of a women in the perfect manner. In this kind of style, the waist line is kept under the bust line. Available in various colours and styles, garments containing empire waist lace can be worn on several occasions. Gold flower lace ponte and signature lace dresses are very popular amongst women.
2. Sleeveless Cut Lace Dresses: If you are looking for a lace dress meant for summers then you can choose to wear sleeveless lace dresses. They give a very casual look and seems to be perfect for any woman. The best part is that they are light in weight and airy, thus easy to be carried on.
Women can buy a beautiful lace evening gown that gives a lovely outlook to them on their wedding day. If they are searching for exclusive range of lace wedding dresses, ball gowns or for any other dress, do make research in clothing stores nearby your places. Adding to it, you can find your specific designer lace clothings at online stores as well. They have a huge stock of latest lace dresses as per the changing trends like antique-style laces. Moreover, online stores offer dresses at affordable rates as well. So, purchase trendy yet affordable lace dresses from reputed UK based online stores.