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Thread: Two more U.S. troops killed
Two more U.S. troops killed
A newly recruited Afghan village policeman opened fire on his American allies on Friday, killing two U.S. service members minutes after they gave him a new weapon as a present. It was the latest in a disturbing string of attacks by Afghan security forces on the international troops training them.
Later Friday, another Afghan in uniform turned his gun on foreign troops in another part of the country, but no one was killed in the second attack, a spokesman for the NATO-led coalition force said.
The attacks in the country's far west and south brought to seven the number of times that a member of the Afghan security forces -- or someone wearing their uniform -- has opened fire on international forces in the past two weeks.
Such assaults by allies, virtually unheard of just a few years ago, have recently escalated, killing at least 36 foreign troops so far this year. They also raise questions about the strategy to train Afghan national police and soldiers to take over security and fight insurgents after most foreign troops leave the country by the end of 2014.
The NATO-led coalition has said such attacks are anomalies stemming from personal disputes, but the supreme leader of the Taliban boasted on Thursday night that the insurgents are infiltrating the quickly expanding Afghan forces.
Friday's deadly attacker in the far western province of Farah was identified as Mohammad Ismail, a man in his 30s who had joined the Afghan Local Police just five days ago.
He opened fire during an inauguration ceremony attended by American and Afghan forces in the Kinisk village, the Farah provincial police chief Agha Noor Kemtoz said.
"As soon as they gave the weapon to Ismail to begin training, suddenly he took the gun and opened fire toward the U.S. soldiers," Kemtoz said.
Ismail was shot and killed as the coalition and Afghan forces returned fire, the police chief said.
A spokesman for the international coalition force, Jamie Graybeal, confirmed that two American service members were killed Friday by a member of the Afghan Local Police.
The ALP is different from the national police and represents a village defense force that is being trained by international forces, including U.S. special forces.
Graybeal gave no other details on the Farah attack other than confirming the shooter had been killed.
Kemtoz, the police chief, said the attack took place about 8 a.m., after the U.S. forces arrived in the village to train the local police. He said one Afghan National Police officer was also seriously wounded in the shooting.
Later Friday, another member of the Afghan security forces fired on coalition troops in the southern province of Kandahar. No one was killed in that shooting, and the attacker was in custody, Graybeal said. He had no other details and did not know which branch of the Afghan security forces the attacker belonged to.
So far in 2012, there have been 29 attacks reported on foreign troops by Afghans they are training, compared to 11 attacks in 2011, according to an Associated Press count, and five attacks in each of the previous two years.
Seven such attacks have come in the past two weeks alone, with six American troops killed last Friday in two separate shootings in Helmand province in the south and another American killed a few days previously on a U.S. base in Paktia province in the east.
The trend raises questions about potential resentment by Afghans after more than a decade of international presence since the American-led intervention to oust the Taliban regime from power for harboring the al-Qaida terrorist leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. The insider attacks also renew concern that insurgents may be infiltrating the Afghan army and police, despite intensified screening.
Insurgent infiltration or recruitment was behind only about 10 percent of this year's reported attacks on coalition forces by Afghan allies, Graybeal said earlier this week, citing investigations into attacks before those of the past week.
Graybeal insisted the deadly violence is relatively small scale compared to the nearly 340,000 Afghan security forces now being trained.
The international coalition has said that Afghan forces are increasingly able to lead operations and already have started to assume responsibility for security in areas of the country that are home to 75 percent of the Afghan population.
However, the Taliban have been quick to seize on the increasing number of attacks as a sign of Afghan rejection of foreign forces and the insurgents' own successful recruitment.
The group's supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar said Thursday night that the insurgents "have cleverly infiltrated in the ranks of the enemy" and were successfully killing a rising number of U.S.-led coalition forces.
In an email to media organizations, Omar said the plan to transfer responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014 is a "deceiving drama" that the international community has orchestrated to hide its defeat.
The Taliban leader's message came on the same day that a U.S. military helicopter crashed during a firefight with insurgents in a remote area of southern Afghanistan, killing seven Americans and four Afghans in one of the deadliest air disasters of a war now into its second decade.
The Taliban claimed they gunned down the Black Hawk.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08...#ixzz23oJYL7WJ
Screw that cesspool; Bring everybody home; gaurd our borders, not theirs! Let the heathen kill each other off!
exactly,, we tried but they don't want to be truly free,, if they did then the locals would be helping us not them..
Sorta reminds Me of some of those Turn Coat Kit Carson F**ks that We had on some Op's.Chu Hoi's they were the 1st F**ks We Wasted when the Chit Hit tha Fan,they had a tendency to go with Whom had the upper Hand in a FireFight with the NVA...Never trusted any of those Commie F**ks...May the Americans whom lost their Lives Rest In Peace
Makes me fvcking sick to read of more of this occurring not to mention the fact we went there at all.
That's my take on it....carry on.
Pull all Americans out, let our nuc subs level the country, problem solved,Semper Fidelis.
I know when Your an American in a War Zone your there to not only there 2 Save your own Ass and Your Fellow Marines...But for You YoungBucks who are there now,or have been in tha Past.I'm no Baby Einstein,so somebody please try and Clue Me in Why just Why are You there? Is it Oil,some Natural Resource such as a Rare Mineral;what's the Real Motivation behind the U.S.Presence there? America has already killed Osama,I just do not understand.Or is it like Smedley Butler said War Is A Rackette $$$$$.GodBless You All.I'm getting Old and this same Ole Chit is still going on,Makes Me wanna go Bust down a Few BREWTONIUMS,and Scratch My F**king Head
And then these MUTHA F**Kers Kill a Young Marine eating Chow...Son Of A B***H,who ever is Running this Bullchit Obama,Gates,or The Big Money Boys on Wallstreet,It surely is not a Marine like former Marine General Pace cause I'm telling Yah...Pakistan all of Karbide or whatev that F**ks name is would have Got His Head Blown off!!! Fighting with One Arm tied behind Your Back...WTF You beat these RagHead F**ks just like the Gooks not with Words You Fight Terror with Terror...Kill all those Mutha F**kers that's the only Language they Understand!!! America better grow sum Stones Fast,Or should I say the POLITICIANS,grow a Pair!!!
Hearts and Minds; Hearts and Minds!!!
(two rounds in the heart, one round in the mind!)
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This article first appeared in Aviation Week & Space Technology.
France's intervention in Mali is testing its legacy air transport fleet as the French air force supports ground forces fighting an advance by Al Qaeda-linked insurgents toward the Malian capital.
French C-160 Transalls, C-130 Hercules and Airbus A310 and A340 aircraft have been tasked with strategic transport of troops and equipment in support of the operation, which President Francois Hollande initiated Jan. 11 after an international mandate to prevent a terrorist takeover of Mali had been slow in taking shape, and because evidence from surveillance indicated a massive move toward its capital city, Bamako.
Named "Operation Serval" after an African wildcat, the French campaign began with about 200 French troops supporting Malian ground forces aided by airstrikes that targeted positions in the rebel-held north, a desert region roughly the size of France. Initially the air raids employed Gazelle helicopter gunships armed with HOT (long-range anti-tank) missiles and 20-mm cannons, and Dassault Mirage 2000Ds and Mirage F1-CR reconnaissance aircraft backed by Boeing KC-135 refueling tankers. On Jan. 13, France sent four Rafale fighters to conduct airstrikes in northeastern Mali before joining six Mirage 2000Ds and five KC-135s at France's N'Djamena air base in Chad.
After several days of bombing failed to halt the insurgent advance, Operation Serval escalated with the Jan. 15 announcement by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian that French troop levels in the region would rise to 2,500, including 800 in Mali.
In the preceding days he said Paris had requested logistical support from allies to bolster a strategic air bridge, but only the U.K. was quick to respond, furnishing two C-17 strategic transports Jan. 13 to deliver heavy equipment and supplies to the land-locked country. Dubbed Operation Newcombe, the British aircraft are now in-theater, though one of the C-17s was grounded in France for more than a day due to an undisclosed technical issue.
Le Drian says a number of allied nations are mobilized to offer "concrete military assistance," including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, the U.K. and the U.S.
"This is necessary because airlift is an area where France must improve its capabilities for transporting troops and equipment," says Alain Dupas, an aerospace and defense consultant based in Paris. He notes that when the A400M becomes available "the situation will be significantly different."
France has ordered 50 A400Ms to be delivered starting this year and will be the first nation to receive the new strategic airlifter. Last year, Airbus Military was set to begin A400M deliveries to the French air force in November 2012, well ahead of the contractual deadline in March, but the program was massively restructured in 2009 due to major development delays.
In September, the first two A400M deliveries were shifted to the second quarter this year related to engine issues that have since been resolved. Function and reliability trials took place in December and the aircraft is due to fly again early this year. Airbus Military is now planning four A400M deliveries in 2013, three to France, one to Turkey.
In October, when Paris began hinting at a Malian intervention, lawmakers questioned the readiness of the air force's strategic transport capability.
"Where is the A400M?" Philippe Folliot asked French armaments agency (DGA) Director Laurent Collet-Billon during testimony before the defense commission in October. "Can deliveries be accelerated, if only to avoid having extend the life of our old Transall?"
Collet-Billon said that by June the air force should begin crew training and planning for pre-operational capabilities.
"I am in favor of increasing the number of A400Ms if given the budget, which is not the case," Collet-Billon told Folliot. "It is convenient to make a trade-off between the transmission capacity logistics and intervention on the ground."
Since Hollande took office in May, the government has been reviewing defense priorities in light of the nation's fiscal crisis. A new strategy and program law are expected in the coming weeks. Already the military has faced a funding reduction of about 10% in 2011-13 that has forced delays in major programs, including procurement of new multi-role tanker transports set to replace the air force's 50-year-old tankers. The first new aircraft now is expected in 2017.

subset: commoncrawl


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Robbers nabbed after video catches them using victim's credit card, police say
Men charged in connection with stabbing of Boston University student
A camera at a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station in Dorchester helped nab two men in connection with an armed robbery and stabbing near Boston University.
Brookline police arrested Wallace Vick, 19, of Dorchester and Shaqone Cazeau, 20, of Boston. They are charged with armed robbery while masked and armed assault with intent to murder.
A research assistant from the Boston University Medical School was stabbed, punched and robbed Tuesday night.
Police said they got a break in the case when they looked at surveillance video from the Jackson Square MBTA Station. The men used the victim's credit card to buy a Charlie Card, police said, not realizing the camera overhead got a clear shot of both of their faces.
Police released the men's photos, and officials said within hours they knew who they were looking for.
"Detectives received information from multiple sources, including the probation department, Boston School Police and Boston police that provided positive identification," Brookline Police Department Chief Daniel O'Leary said.
The victim, a 38-year-old postdoctoral fellow, was attacked at about 8:32 p.m. at the corner of Pleasant and Browne streets. He was treated for two superficial stab wounds at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The suspects were both held without bail after their arraignments in Brookline District Court on Friday.


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post-traumatic stress disorder
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental disorder that follows an occurrence of extreme psychological stress, such as that encountered in war or resulting from violence, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or serious accident. The stressful event is usually followed by a period of emotional numbness and denial that can last for months or years. After that period, symptoms such as recurring nightmares,
short-term memory problems, insomnia, or heightened sensitivity to sudden noises may begin. In some cases outbursts of violent behavior have been observed. The usual treatment for PTSD is individual psychotherapy, including anxiety management, or group psychotherapy with others who have the disorder. Some antianxiety and antidepressant drugs are being studied for their effectiveness.
Certain traits (a history of depression, shyness, impulsivity) appear to heighten a person's risk of experiencing PTSD after a traumatic event. In those who do experience it, there is growing evidence that actual physical changes occur in the brain. The hippocampus, a structure that lies deep in the brain and that is associated with memory, has been found to be smaller in PTSD victims. It has been hypothesized that excesses of cortisol, a steroid hormone released during periods of extreme stress, may damage nerve fibers in the area or actually kill the nerve cells. However, the role of cortisol is not completely understood; studies of concentration camp survivors found abnormally low levels of cortisol rather than abnormally high levels.
Post-traumatic stress disorder was referred to as "shell shock" after World War I and as "battle fatigue" after World War II and was traditionally thought of as a condition of war veterans. Medical and military experts in the United States were slow to recognize the nature of PTSD. Largely due to the efforts of a group of Vietnam War veterans, it was finally acknowledged as an official disorder in 1980. Studies of Vietnam veterans and Nazi concentration camp survivors have added greatly to the knowledge of PTSD. The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (1988) estimated that 31% of the males and 27% of the females who served in the Vietnam War had symptoms of PTSD. Estimates of civilian populations put the rate of PTSD at 10% (women) and 5% (men) in the 15 to 54 age group. Childhood sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and assault are common causes of PTSD in both military and nonmilitary women. In 1989 the U.S. Congress created the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for the study and treatment of PTSD.
G. Schiraldi, The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook (2000, repr. 2009); J. Morris, The Evil Hours (2015).


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NEW YORK – The fans have spoken: The top latino player of the 2012 MLS season is Houston Dynamo Designated Player Oscar Boniek García.
The Honduran midfielder won 55.59 percent of the total votes in the final round of FutbolMLS.com's third annual Latino del Año competition to beat out countryman Roger Espinoza (Sporting Kansas City), who captured 44.41 percent of the ballots.
Boniek García dominated each phase of the FIFA-style tournament format. He emerged from the group stage with 52.59 percent of votes against stiff competition that included Argentinean Mauro Rosales (Seattle Sounders FC), Costa Rican striker Jairo Arrieta (Columbus Crew) and Colombian midfielder Diego Chará (Portland Timbers).
In the Round of 16, Boniek García swept by popular Colombian striker Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders) with 76.62 percent of the votes, earning the highest total percentage of any player in the round.
Beginning with the quarterfinals, Boniek García knocked off three consecutive Hondurans to claim the 2012 title. First he crushed Marvin Chávez (San Jose Earthquakes) with 79.09 percent of the votes in the quarters. Fellow Honduran national teamer and San Jose defender Víctor Bernárdez was his next victim after Boniek amassed 71.36 percent of the ballots in the semis.
The Latino del Año honor caps an unbelievable rise for Boniek García, who only arrived in Houston halfway through the season, making his official debut on June 30. He sealed a starting spot from that first match onward and quickly became one of the team's on-field leaders as Houston advanced all the way to MLS Cup.
Before he was acquired from Honduran side Olimpia, the Dynamo had compiled a 5-5-5 record in regular season play. Houston then proceeded to go on a 11-5-7 run with Boniek García, who scored five goals and collected six assists.
He started all six matches in the MLS Cup playoffs, as Houston finished runners-up to the LA Galaxy with Boniek García playing the full 90 minutes. Many of his team's most dangerous scoring chances involved the midfielder.
Boniek García succeeds Mexican icon Omar Bravo (2011) and Seattle's Montero (2010) as Latino del Año winners.
Final: Boniek vs. Espinoza
2 – Roger Espinoza (SKC): 44,1%


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Microsoft's presence on Apple's iPad doesn't go deeper than a Bing.
But that could soon change with a bang for fans of Microsoft Office.
The once bitter Apple rival reportedly is preparing a version of its popular Microsoft Office software suite for the popular tablet computer, according to the iPad only digital paper the Daily.
"With the iPad making up over 80 percent of the tablet market and millions of people worldwide using Office, that could mean big bucks for the tech giant based in Redmond, Wash.," Daily writer Matt Hickey wrote in his report. "In addition to an iPad-ready version, a new edition of Office is expected for OS X Lion sometime next year."
Apple has its own competitors for Office available and others have made version of Google Docs available for the iPad.
But with both Windows and Office due for an update in the coming year, an Office iPad app could be coming soon.
Microsoft Preparing Apple IPad Office App: Report
Microsoft's presence on Apple's iPad doesn't go deeper than a Bing.


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No reviews yet
Home > Hot & Cold > Therma4 > THERMA1 INSTANT
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Best for when you are on-the-go without easy access to a microwave or freezer. The Instant roller uses specially designed Instant Hot or Cold Packs. Just squeeze to activate and pop into the roller. Comes with 1 handle, 1 Instant roller, 1 Recharge Cold roller, 1 Recharge Hot roller and 1 dozen Instant packs.


text: A coalition of researchers find that moving from a high-poverty to low-poverty neighborhood spurs long-term gains in the physical and mental health of low-income adults. Using data from a MacArthur-supported study, Moving to Opportunity, the paper also finds an improvement in self-reported happiness, despite not improving economic self-sufficiency. With nearly 9 million people living in highly-impoverished neighborhoods, Neighborhood Effects on the Long-Term Well-Being of Low-Income Adults suggests the importance of focusing on improving the well-being of people living in such communities.


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LONDON (AP) - U.S. sanctions targeting the president of Russia's largest oil company could complicate the operations of Western oil companies with important investments in Russia, such as BP and Exxon.
LONDON (AP) � U.S. sanctions targeting the president of Russia's largest oil company could complicate the operations of Western oil companies with important investments in Russia, such as BP and Exxon.
The sanctions target only Igor Sechin, the president of Rosneft, and not the company itself. That means BP, Exxon and others will be able to continue to work with Rosneft, one of the world's biggest oil companies, to explore for and produce oil and gas.
For now.
Analysts are worried that the sanctions by the U.S. against Sechin are a prelude to tougher ones against Rosneft. That could force Western oil companies to abandon or suspend their partnerships and some very ambitious oil exploration plans.
"(Sechin) perhaps may not be able to go shopping in Paris in the foreseeable future, but that is not the same thing as penalizing the actual company," says Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst at Raymond James. "That could be the next step, though."
BP, based in London, owns a 20 percent stake in Rosneft. ExxonMobil, based in Irving, Texas, has a broad agreement with Rosneft to explore for oil in the Russian arctic and across a wide region of western Siberia. Eni of Italy and Statoil of Norway also have deals with the Russian company.
Western investor-owned oil companies and Rosneft, which is controlled by the Kremlin, need each other. These companies are in a constant struggle to find more oil and gas to replace what they produce and sell every day. Russia is one of the few countries in the world that harbor vast reserves of untapped hydrocarbons.
But much of Russia's remaining oil and gas is expensive and difficult to reach, found either in the harsh climate of Arctic seas or trapped in tight rock onshore. Western companies have the capital and the technical expertise to help Rosneft produce that oil and gas � and generate cash that helps the Russian government fund its operations.
Adnan Vatansever, a senior lecturer at the Russia Institute at King's College London, estimates that half of Russia's federal revenue comes from oil and gas sales.
Sechin, like Putin a former KGB officer, has been president of Rosneft since the early 1990s. He is seen as the mastermind behind the 2003 takeover of the private oil company Yukos, whose founder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was jailed following disputes with the Kremlin. Rosneft seized Yukos' most valuable assets, making it Russia's largest company.
Targeting Sechin, a confidante of President Vladimir Putin, is seen as a warning shot, signaling that the West could also go after Russia's biggest companies if Moscow doesn't help to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.
The fact that such sanctions might have an impact on Western interests gives them more heft, said Philip Hanson, associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the think tank Chatham House.
"Sanctions are a message," he said. "They are an instrument that are somewhere between pure diplomacy �talking � and warfare."
At the same time, Western governments also would prefer to avoid sacrificing important investments made by their own companies, or to disrupt oil and gas supplies in a way that would push energy prices higher around the world.
"The goal of these actions is not to punish energy companies, it's to get the Kremlin to think twice," says Molchanov.
Even sanctions against just Sechin complicate life for companies like BP. Because he's an American, BP CEO Bob Dudley may be barred from communicating with Sechin, raising practical questions about how they will continue to work together. For now, Dudley plans to continue to attend board meetings.
Exxon has signed agreements with Rosneft for "a series of multibillion-dollar exploration projects," the company says on its website. Molchanov wrote in a research note last week that Russia comprised 6 percent of Exxon's oil and natural gas production in 2013.
Sanctions and the Ukrainian crisis are already having an impact on foreign companies, if indirectly. Fears that sanctions will slow the Russian economy have caused the ruble to drop sharply in recent months, cutting the value of Russian earnings and assets.
BP said its earnings from its stake in Rosneft fell sharply in the first quarter because of the ruble's decline. Earnings from BP's stake in Rosneft fell to $271 million in the quarter ended March from $1.08 billion during the fourth quarter of last year.
Another effect of the sanctions is that foreign investors are delaying or pulling out of deals in Russia out of concern that further sanctions or turmoil will unravel them.
"The general effect of restricting the flow of international credit to Russia has had quite a chilling effect not just to Russia itself but in the companies that deal with them," said Chatham House's Hanson.
Fahey reported from New York.


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Did anyone else think Bounty Hunter, the game from LucasArts that follows Jango Fett, was a mad-dash to cash-in on the buzz? Will Scott of 411mania.com reimagines the game or its imaginary sequel, swapping in Boba Fett for his Episode II pop.
Read the article at 411mania.com
The Fix: Bounty Hunter II - Boba's Revenge
The Plot
Gamers control Boba Fett, the son of the original game's protagonist, in his adventures between Episodes III and IV. The general gist of the plot would be Boba seeking to establish himself as the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, and we can view his early history working for Jabba the Hutt and the disintegrations mentioned by Vader in Empire.
The Game
Bounty Hunter would work best as a GTA-style sandbox game, with an overarching plot. Plot missions would concern important bounties and the various plots against other bounty hunters, while players could choose to spend their time between missions chasing down the random bounties in the various cities of the galaxy. The game would necessarily be fairly massive - like about two to three times the size of San Andreas, if the current generation of consoles can handle that. Give Boba, say, three major cities - Coronet City, a portion of Coruscant, and Mos Eisley (because everyone likes those cities...), as well as a few other areas to conduct plot missions. The player should be able to move between each city through space travel on Slave I...though at most, this would be a simple Kingdom Hearts II-style travel, not a full-on space sim (as much as I'd love it).
You can reply to the author via e-mail.
Our very own message board has some discussion, and opinions, on the game as well. Our Games > Arcade section has a profile on the game, Bounty Hunter, with screenshots and links to walk-thrus, interviews, and more information.
In related news, the new Star Wars game for PlayStation Portable (PSP), Star Wars: Lethal Action, includes Boba Fett. It was released on December 5, 2006. Critical review is mixed, as revealed in MetaCritic.com's spectrum.


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Saturday, October 20th, 2012
Now targeting young minds…
Israel's propagandists have a training manual that teaches the art of sugar-coating and downright lying so that gullible audiences will easily swallow their poison.
Notice how everything Israelis dislikes, and everything that thwarts their lust for domination, is now labeled "Iranian-backed". They'd have us all believe we are in mortal danger from Iran and must therefore huddle together in a collective act of aggression orchestrated by Tel Aviv, Washington and London.
The 116-page instruction manual, called the 2009 Global Language Dictionary, was produced by The Israel Project (TIP), which describes itself as "non-partisan" on Twitter but elsewhere says it's "devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace". See here for an evaluation
TIP provides journalists, leaders and opinion-formers with "accurate information about Israel". Its purpose is to help the worldwide Zionist movement win the propaganda war by persuading international audiences to accept the Israeli narrative and agree that the regime's crimes are necessary for Israel's security and in line with "shared values" between Israel and the West.
And because God, the Great Real Estate Agent in the Sky, gave them the keys to the Holy Land their abominable behaviour is deserving of our support.
The manual teaches the propaganda tricks that Israel's scribblers and drivellers use to try and justify the slaughter, the ethnic cleansing, the land-grabbing, the cruelty and their contempt for international law and UN resolutions, and make it all smell sweet.
Here's a sample slice of hasbara (i.e. pro-Israel propaganda) from the comments to a recent article I penned about the great American journalist Grace Halsell, who fought tirelessly for justice and did so much to expose the nonsense peddled by Christian-Zionism before she died in 2000
Pad Dar · Top Commenter
There is no place called p-stine. My suggestion for p-stinian sympathizers is that you should visit, find out what it is REALLY like there without anyone from either side telling you. REALLY find out what you are supporting. Me thinks this reader [commenter later edited this to 'writer'] has *NEVER* visited the place called pstine. But, you should. Israel is all over the book of Revelation. There ARE, in fact, close to 300K Messianis and Christians in Israel. The word of GOD does NOT change, with or without Hagee. God plainly says to 'bless' Israel. OF COURSE it matters if their government sticks and that should be reported. But, what this site and millions of others FAIL to do, is narrow it down TO the Israeli govt. But, you don't, so everyone hates Israelis because of that. Very unfortunate. VISIT P-stine. Especially near S. ISRAEL, close to Sderot and Ashkelon, and WAKE THE HELL UP. There is NO American that I know that wants rockets shot at them on a DAILY basis. But, of course, GRACE (BAD name for an UN graceful person) you don't report THAT.
In the back of my Bible there's a map of "Palestine at the Time of Our Saviour". An earlier map of the same territory calls it Canaan. True, there's also a map showing the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel which came to a sticky end in 597BC. If you go to you'll see how the Jewish Virtual Library (part of The American-Israeli Co-operative Enterprise) has wiped Palestine off their modern-day map, so let's hear no more about Hamas or Iran wanting to wipe Israel off the map.
There was even a Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem for nearly 100 years, but we don't make a big fuss about it.
In any case, who takes the scribblings of ancient scribes – the hasbara myth-makers of their time – without a very large pinch of salt?
Pad Dar gratuitously insults Grace when she's not here to defend herself, and seems to be saying that Grace never visited the place called "Pstine". Grace, in one of her own articles
says: "By living among Israeli Jews as well as Palestinian Christians and Muslims, I saw, heard, smelled, experienced the police state tactics Israelis use against Palestinians. My research led to a book entitled Journey to Jerusalem."And this tribute to her In Washington Report tells us…
In highly acclaimed books such as Journey to Jerusalem and Prophecy and Politics, she described her young years as a Christian and trips to the Holy Land she later took, "disguised" as a follower, with televangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell. She revealed the unsavory relationship between Falwell and right-wing Israeli leaders, reporting, for example, that the evangelical Falwell had been provided by Israel with an expensive private plane. And that, despite the fact that some 15 percent of Palestinians are Christian, Falwell's American Christian tour groups rarely saw or had the opportunity to talk to Middle East Christians.
Or was our hasbara commenter claiming I've never visited Palestine? If so, wrong again. The question is, has Pad Dar ever been there?
He/she talks of Sderot and rockets. The hasbara instruction manual has the following advice:
"Humanize Rockets": Paint a vivid picture of what life is like in Israeli communities that are vulnerable to attack. Yes, cite the number of rocket attacks that have occurred. But immediately follow that up with what it is like to make the nightly trek to the bomb shelter.
Israelis claim 12,000 rockets were fired from Gaza in the 8 years up to the start of Operation Cast Lead. But they never say how many bombs, rockets and shells (including the illegal and prohibited variety) Israel's F-16s, tanks, armed drones and navy gunboats poured into the densely-packed humanity that is Gaza in the same period.
And they are careful not to mention that the township of Sderot, targeted by Gaza's rockets and therefore a major propaganda asset of the Israeli regime, is built on the ruins of an ethnically cleansed Palestinian village called Najd, whose inhabitants were forced to flee by Jewish terrorists in May 1948. Najd wasn't allocated to the Jews in the 1947 UN Partition – they stole it at gun-point.
There is NO American that I know, or Brit, who would stand for being thrown out of his home by foreign thugs. So if anyone needs to WAKE THE HELL UP it's you, Pad Dar! Get a grip on the facts.
Remember too that Ben Gurion airport, which serves Tel Aviv, was formerly Lydda airport. Lydda, shown on my biblical map of Palestine, was a major Arab town and communications hub during the British mandate and designated Palestinian in the 1947 UN Partition. In July 1948 Israeli terrorist troops seized the town, shot it up and drove out the population. Donald Neff reported how, as part of the ethnic cleansing, the Israelis massacred 426 men, women, and children. 176 of them were slaughtered in the town's main mosque. Of all the blood-baths they say this was the biggest.also See
Out of a population of 19,000 only 1,052 were allowed to stay. The others who survived the murderous onslaught were forced to walk into exile in the scalding July heat leaving a trail of bodies – men, women and children – along the way.
Who was responsible for this act of infamy? Israel's great 'hero' Moshe Dayan, who later became defence minister and foreign minister.
Next time you touch down at Ben Gurion airport, Pad Dar, you should kiss the ground and say, "Hi Palestine, nice to see you again." Israel has no right to it at all – it was stolen in a terror raid, just like Najd/Sderot and hundreds of other Palestinian cities, towns and villages. Is this how the Great Real Estate Agent in the Sky hands over the keys to the old kingdom?
Today I received another gem from somebody calling themselves 'Michelle'…
Your remarks about "Israel occupying the Holy Land" reflects an embarrassingly ignorance of the facts. Israel is the Holy Land, established 3000 years ago by the Jewish People, verified by the archaeological record and Biblical and Quranic texts, in which Israel appears 2500 times. Jesus Christ is called the King of Israel in the New Testament and an entire chapter in the Quran is devoted to "Bani Israil" The Children of Israel. Your so-called palestinians are merely illegal Arab interlopers most of whom invaded Israel in the early to mid-20th century. The most common "palestinian" surname is al-Masri, "the Egyptian" In fact, Jews are the only indigenous nation ever established in Israel over the course of the last 3,000 years.
Fact or hasbara fiction, Michelle? Are you by any chance another one of the hundreds of cyber-scribblers hired and trained by the Tel Aviv lie machine?
Meet the hasbara experts
The Israel Project among other things offers students a Media Fellowship with 9 weeks training and a stipend of $2500. One of the fellowships is in Web Advocacy and Outreach under Brandon Gray, who has former connections with the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) campaign training institute in Washington. The tasks it covers include
- online pro-Israel advocacy by updating TIP's Twitter and Facebook accounts
- Posting TIP videos on Facebook and YouTube
- Monitoring anti-Israel Web sites and news outlets
Sinister. Imagine the situation in, say, 5 years' time. The Arabs and Iranians and specifically the Palestinians set their face against media training and communications long ago. They are amateurs, and in the case of the Palestinians not even that. Lazy, shiftless, unresponsive and a closed shop. Writers like me have no access, receive no support. Why do we bother? Good question. It now has more to do with resisting the tide of Zionism that swamps our own country.
TIP's executive director, Marcus Sheff, served in the IDF for 25 years – "the world's most moral army". Did he dream that one up, by any chance? He was a prominent spokesperson for the IDF during the second Intifada and the Lebanon War. Today, he trains senior IDF officers in media skills.
Josh Block is CEO and president of TIP, and a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute. He's dead against the Palestinians gaining statehood and wrote in Politico
that the Obama administration and Congress were right to stand against unilateral recognition of a Palestinian State and must vigorously lobby other countries, large and small, to join in pressuring the PA to call it off. If Palestinians go ahead it would undermine the quest for peace and risk anti-Israel terrorism.
Block says another reason for opposing the Palestinian move is that "recognition of this Palestinian government would be the recognition of a terrorist state — given the Hamas-Fatah unity pact…"
There are the legal reasons too, he says. "These underscore that the fictional Palestinian state conjured up for the United Nations doesn't meet international law standards…"
Screamingly funny, that, considering that Israeli law falls well short.
"…And it doesn't have defined territory… Perhaps most important, it would be a terrorist 'state', ruled by Hamas, which the EU, the United States, Japan, Canada and other countries have designated as a terrorist organization."The article simply oozes hasbara. Block throws in other reasons such as economic stability and political institutions, reliance on $1 billion from donor states and another $1.5 billion in tax revenue collected [but often withheld] by the Israeli government, and how "the Palestinian Authority is in the midst of a financial crisis".
Those things of course couldn't have anything to do with the illegal occupation and strangulation of the West Bank and the illegal blockade of Gaza by Block's nice friends, could it?
And isn't Israel in receipt of billions of American tax dollars disguised as aid?
No prizes for guessing that Block is the former spokesman for AIPAC.
Stuart Littlewood's book Radio Free Palestine, with Foreword by Jeff Halper, can now be read on the internet by visiting www.radiofreepalestine.org.uk
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!


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By Heidi Stevens Chicago Tribune (Photo of Amy Chua)
My son is split between two career paths right now: president of the United States or ninja.
He's 4, so he's got a few years before he has to nail down a college major and land an internship, be it White House page or medieval-era mercenary agent.
Either way, he wants to change the world.
I want my kids to dream big. I want them to feel empowered to carve their own paths and search for meaningful outlets for their singular talents.
I also want them to get jobs and move out of my house. (Eventually.)
Amy "Tiger Mom" Chua addressed this dichotomy recently at an Executives' Club of Chicago breakfast, according to Tribune reporter Melissa Harris, who covered the event.
Chua was promoting her new book, co-written with her husband, Jed Rubenfeld, "The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America" (Penguin).
She argues we need a more rigorous education system and higher overall expectations for our children if they're going to compete for jobs and leadership positions on the world stage.
"Do you want happiness for your child or success?" Chua asked the group. "When you frame it like that, of course, you choose happiness. It's just not that simple. There is nothing happiness-producing about not being able to get the job you want."
I think her question perfectly distills the yin and yang of parenting.
How do we encourage our children to achieve goals that can be measured in both financial and emotional capital? How do we raise them to do well and do good?
A new study conducted by The Intelligence Group (an organization that analyzes young people's consumer preferences) found that 64 percent of millennials (people born between 1980 and 2000) say it's a priority for them to make the world a better place.
Seventy-two percent want to be their own bosses.
In "When Will My Grown-up Kid Grow Up?" (Workman), co-authors Jeffrey Jensen Arnett and Elizabeth Fishel write, "This generation, particularly the college-educated portion of it, holds on to dreams for work that makes a difference to them and to society."
I want my children to find that kind of work. I just wonder if we should surround their dreams with some lessons in sweat equity and resilience and the beauty of timely bill payment.
I called Carl Alasko, a family therapist and author whose work I admire. How, I asked, do I raise my kids to find meaning in their work, but also to, you know, work?
"Somehow this poetic construct got inserted into our language, 'I want to change the world,'" Alasko says. "Often what happens is people say, 'I need to think of something world-changing before I'm going to do anything at all.'"
Alasko lived and studied in Rome for more than a decade before settling in California to practice psychotherapy. Two years ago, he and his daughter, Saroja, opened an Italian restaurant, il Vecchio.
"The restaurant has taught me more about psychology than anything I learned in 25 years," he says. "And much of it has to do with doing a good job today.
"Not aiming for an award," he says. "Not aiming for a write-up in The New York Times. Just doing a good job right now. On this dish. With this customer."
We should encourage our kids, absolutely, to shoot for the stars. But we also have to teach them how to methodically climb up there.
I will be delighted if one of my kids becomes president, particularly if I get to live in Michelle Obama's mom's room. (Ninja will delight me less.)
But I also want them to know that all the leadership skills they're learning in school, Steven Covey's seven habits, leader of the month lunches, star scholar awards, can be called on for smaller endeavors too.
"One issue actually resolves the other," Alasko says. "Doing a good job and finding meaning are so connected.
If we interact well with each other and are ethical toward each other, we gain huge satisfaction from that."
And we change the world, at least our tiny corner of it, in the process.


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#KIphotocontest - Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce
By á-4174
From SERIOUS EATS - Kumiko Mitarai - March 2011
My Picture
- 2 pounds potatoes (about 4 medium baking potatoes, such as Russet and one medium waxy potato, like Yukon Gold)
- 1 whole egg, plus one egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more for adding to boiling water and for final seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh lemon juice, as needed
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F.
With a fork, poke a few holes in each potato and spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are cooked through and tender, about 1 hour.
As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle but still very warm, scoop out the flesh and pass it through a potato ricer or a food mill fitted with a small hole insert. Spread the potatoes onto a clean, cool, lightly floured surface.
Whisk together the eggs and salt together and drizzle over the riced potatoes. Sprinkle ¾ to 1 cup of the flour over the eggs. With a bench scraper, work the ingredients together, cutting into them and gathering them into a mass. Add flour to reduce stickiness.
When the mixture holds together, knead briefly, continuing to flour the work surface to prevent sticking and adding flour if the dough is sticky. As soon as the dough is smooth and soft and holds together, stop kneading and shape it into a thick log.
Working with ¼ of the dough at a time, roll the dough into long ½- to ¾-inch ropes. With the bench scraper, cut them into 1-inch-long pieces. Optionally, form ridges on the gnocchi by rolling them over the back of a dinner fork. Transfer the gnocchi to a lightly floured baking sheet while rolling out remaining dough.
At this point, you may refrigerate the uncooked gnocchi for up to 2 hours or freeze them on the baking sheet and then transfer them into a covered container and store in the freezer for several weeks.
Boil a large pot of water, add a generous pinch of salt, and blanch the gnocchi in two batches until they float. With a slotted spoon or spider, remove the gnocchi and spread on a baking sheet while brown-butter sauce finishes cooking. (Alternatively, you can shock the cooked gnocchi in ice water, remove and spread them onto a baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil, and refrigerate until needed.)
While the gnocchi are cooking, heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and beginning to bubble, add sage. Continue to cook until the solid particles in the butter have browned lightly and the sage is crisp. Add the cooked gnocchi, tossing to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce. Allow the gnocchi to brown lightly in some spots, remove from heat, add lemon juice, salt and black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.
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By Lonnie James Bean, Intern, Administration for Children and Families
The month of June is a celebratory month for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) communities across the world. June has become synonymous with pride parades and street festivals that celebrate the progress the LGBTQ community has made throughout the years. Cultural attitudes and perceptions of what it means to be LGBTQ are shifting, and this can be seen in everything from the rise in support of gay marriage to the increasing presence of families with young children partaking in pride parades. As we celebrate pride and take part in the festivities, however, it is important that we not forget the struggles that many in the community continue to face.
Despite the tremendous strides the LGBTQ community has made towards equality, the community still suffers from a tremendous amount of societal discrimination. There are currently 29 states where you can be fired for being homosexual. The community still experiences hate crimes in big cities and small towns alike. And sadly, LGBTQ youth are more likely than their straight counterparts to be bullied by their peers, ostracized by their communities, or fall prey to the scourge of child sex trafficking.
Each year, thousands of young people across the country become homeless, and LGBTQ youth account for a disproportionate share of the runaway and homeless youth population. Although LGBTQ individuals only account for three to five percent of the population, they account for up to 40 percent of the runaway and homeless youth population. It is estimated that 26 percent of LGBTQ adolescents are rejected by their families and put out of their homes for no other reason than being open about who they are. Once on the streets, they face a significant chance of becoming victims of human trafficking. More people are enslaved today than at any point in human history, and LGBTQ youth are being trapped in sexual slavery at alarming levels. Once trafficked, these children face beatings, mutilations, brandings, rapes, and a host of other crimes that no child should ever live through.
The story of Sam is an example of how easy LGBT runaways can fall prey to human trafficking. When Sam's father found out that he was gay, he threw him out of the house. Having nowhere else to turn, Sam loaded up his car to leave for Chicago. When he arrived in Boy's Town, an LGBT community in Chicago, his first pimp snuck up behind him, put a rag laced with sedatives over his mouth to knock him out, and dragged him off the street. When Sam woke up, his pimp sadistically abused him, forced him to ingest cocaine, and trafficked Sam into prostitution in Chicago and Michigan. His pimp made $400 to $500 a day from Sam's commercial sexual exploitation. Approximately a week after his abduction, Sam escaped his first pimp, but his slavery continued. When Sam needed a way to support himself, he responded to an ad for an escort service in a Gay Chicago Magazine, where his victimization continued by a second pimp.
Like other populations, LGBTQ youth that have been trafficked have specific needs that must be addressed. The Administration for Children and Families has been working to ensure that LGBTQ victims of commercial sexual exploitation receive the services necessary to recover. Services provided through the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program are required to be safe and inclusive for all youth, including those that identify as LGBTQ. The Family and Youth Services Bureau's (FYSB) Runaway and Homeless Youth Program requires its grantees to train staff in how to best serve the unique needs of the LGBT population. FYSB is also currently accepting applications for an LGBTQ Capacity Building Grant for Transitional Living Programs. The purpose of the grant is to build the capacity of transitional living programs to serve youth who identify as LGBTQ and are experiencing homelessness. Additionally, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program is currently accepting grant applications to expand the capacity of both "mainstream" domestic violence organizations and LGBTQ-specific organizations to more effectively identify and address the unique needs of LGBTQ intimate partner violence victims.
As a gay man, I have a lot to be thankful for this June. I am fortunate enough to have a family that loves and accepts me unconditionally. I live in a time when the first sitting President of the United States openly endorsed gay marriage. I live in a city where there is a large, thriving gay community and I can walk down the street without fear of violence. I have seen prevailing attitudes about the LGBTQ community shift at an unprecedented rate. And I am fortunate enough to work for an administration that is actively fighting to end homelessness and sex trafficking among LGBTQ youth.
Happy Pride!
To learn more, seek help, or report tips, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-3737-888 or text BEFREE.


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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A gift from United Technologies Corp. (UTC) will help build the most advanced turbine testing facility in the United States.
Officials from UTC's Pratt & Whitney division presented a check to Penn State President Graham Spanier on Sept. 23 as the second installment of a three-year commitment for the facility.
Karen Thole, professor and head of mechanical and nuclear engineering, said the laboratory, which also is supported by the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), will allow a level of testing that isn't available anywhere else.
Thole explained that in gas turbine engines there are rotating and stationary airfoil components that have gaps at the interfaces. Significant losses in turbine efficiencies occur for both aircraft and power generation turbines because of the leakages from these gaps, which translates to a need for more fuel. Through this research, she said, there is the potential to reduce crude oil savings of about 25 million barrels per year and an associated reduction of green house gas emissions of 10 million metric tons per year.
The problem, Thole said, is that current facilities don't have the ability to evaluate new designs to reduce these gap leakage flows. "Current rigs can't get the rotational speeds and air-flow speeds that engineers need to evaluate the leakage effects," she said.
The new facility, to be housed at Cato Park near the University Park campus, will give researches the opportunity to simulate and test a whole new generation of gas turbine engines that will be more fuel efficient than today's models.
Meeting with Spanier will be Paul Adams, Pratt & Whitney's senior vice president of engineering; Al Brockett, Pratt & Whitney's vice president and UTC-Penn State executive champion; and Anthony Cuigini, director of the DOE NETL.
The gift is the latest in the line of gifts, grants and sponsored research by UTC, the parent company of Pratt & Whitney. Over the past six years, UTC has sponsored more than $5 million in research across the University, including projects at the Applied Research Laboratory, Materials Research Institute, and architectural engineering department, aerospace engineering department, industrial engineering department, and mechanical and nuclear engineering department.
In 2008, Pratt & Whitney established a research Center of Excellence at Penn State. UTC stepped up their efforts in recruiting and hiring engineers from Penn State with 17 new, full-time hires in 2011 and internship offers to nine students already made for summer 2012.
The DOE has historically supported Penn State gas turbine research through its Research Alliance University Program and its University Turbine Systems Research Program.


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mikroProg for PSoC is a fast programmer and hardware debugger. Smart engineering allows it to support all Cypress PSoC 5LP ARM Cortex-M3 devices in a single programmer. Outstanding performance, easy operation, elegant design and a low price are its top features. It is supported in the PSoC Creator IDE.
The programmer communicates with a PC through a USB cable, from which it also draws power. New device support is achieved simply by downloading the latest version of the PSoC Programmer software.
As of February 2014, the following devices were supported: CY8C5267AXI-LP051, CY8C5267LTI-LP089, CY8C5268AXI-LP047, CY8C5268LTI-LP030, CY8C5467AXI-LP108, CY8C5467LTI-LP003, CY8C5468AXI-LP106, CY8C5468LTI-LP026, CY8C5666AXI-LP004, CY8C5666LTI-LP005, CY8C5667AXI-LP006, CY8C5667AXI-LP040, CY8C5667LTI-LP009, CY8C5667LTI-LP041, CY8C5668AXI-LP010, CY8C5668AXI-LP013, CY8C5668AXI-LP034, CY8C5668LTI-LP014, CY8C5866AXI-LP020, CY8C5866AXI-LP021, CY8C5866LTI-LP022, CY8C5867AXI-LP024, CY8C5867LTI-LP025, CY8C5867LTI-LP028, CY8C5868AXI-LP032, CY8C5868AXI-LP035, CY8C5868LTI-LP038, CY8C5868LTI-LP039.
The programmer is connected to the microcontroller via a flat ribbon cable with a female IDC10 connector. You can design an appropriate 2×5 header into your system as explained in the user manual which you can download below.
The mikromedia for PSoC 5LP has pads to install a compatible 2×5 header. Note that this is a 0.1"-pitch connector; it is not a standard 0.05"-pitch Cortex Debug connector.
One nice feature of this programmer is how the ribbon cable goes into the device. It weaves through a slot on the PCB, so tugging on the cable cannot damage the internal connector.
mikroProg for PSoC 5LP User Manual PSoC Programmer Software (registration on Cypress Seminconductor site required)


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Rolling Stone magazine article alleges manipulation of lamwakers.
The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said on Thursday the Army will investigate whether a special "psychological operations" unit was ordered to manipulate American senators into providing more troops and money for the war.
The announcement Gen. David Petraeus made in a brief statement from Kabul said only that the probe would "determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the issue," and that it would be "inappropriate to comment any further at this time."
Rolling Stone reported that psyops, intended to target "hostile foreign groups," are banned by federal law for use on Americans. When Lt. Col. Michael Holmes, the leader of the information operations unit, tried to deflect the Army order given by Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops, he found himself the target of a military investigation to investigate his behavior, which allegedly included alcohol use and having an "inappropriate" relationship with a subordinate.
A spokesman for Caldwell declined comment on the report.
The magazine reported that Holmes said the operations were initially intended to include "seemingly innocuous" work, such as compiling detailed profiles of special visitors to Afghanistan, profiles that included voting records and their personal preferences.
Caldwell's chief of staff is reported to have asked Holmes how the military could manipulate the lawmakers without their knowledge. In an e-mail, Caldwell's staff commissioned Holmes's team for information to shape the general's presentations to the visitors and to "refine our messaging." Holmes said that the team was supposed to provide a "deeper analysis of pressure points we could use to leverage the delegation for more funds."
Among those singled out in the campaign were Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Joe Lieberman , I-Conn.; Jack Reed , D-R.I.; Al Franken , D-Minn.; and Carl Levin , D-Mich.
Senators who received briefings while in Afghanistan said their views have little to do with such sessions and shrugged off their significance.
"I didn't feel anything unusual going on," Reed, a member of the Senate Armed Services committee, said on MSNBC.
Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted: "For years, I have strongly and repeatedly advocated for building up Afghan military capability because I believe only the Afghans can truly secure their nation's future. I have never needed any convincing on this point."
Franken added: "My perspective on the effort in Afghanistan is the product of countless face-to-face meetings with soldiers and Marines, Pentagon officials, State Department officials, outside experts, and my constituents in Minnesota, as well as extensive review of reports and classified material."
Pentagon spokesman Dave Lapan said he could not give an outright denial of what was published in the magazine. He did say that the investigation is "not focused on any particular person other than determining the facts and circumstances that were raised in the story."
When asked if it was inappropriate for an information officer to do the types of tasks specified in the article, Lapan said that it depends on the circumstances of "what's being done and how [the information] is being used."
The investigation is going to look into "what actions took place and what, if any of them, were illegal...inappropriate," the spokesman said.
Rolling Stone won the George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting on Tuesday because of reporter Michael Hastings's last piece, a controversial profile last year of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then-commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. McChrystal was fired by President Obama shortly after its publication.
Yochi J. Dreazen and Dan Friedman contributed to this report.
NEXT STORY: Marine Corps chief closely watching F-35


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Research: Mormonism
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church, was established by Joseph Smith on 6 April 1830. Mormons believe that, until this time, the true gospel had been perverted and lost. Consequently, Joseph Smith was called upon by God to restore the true church.
At a glance
Father, Son and Holy Ghost are three separate gods. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 370
"As with any man, there was a time when God the Father was childless, when he had not yet begun the procreation of his spirit family. Consequently, the Godhead as we know it did not exist; there was no Son of God and no Holy Ghost." Rodney Turner, "The Doctrine of the Firstborn and Only Begotten," in The Pearl of Great Price: Revelations from God
There is only one God. Isa. 44:6, 8; 45:5
He has eternally existed. Ps. 90:2
He exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:19
In the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons of one substance, power and eternity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
|"Mormonism is simultaneously monotheistic, tritheistic, and polytheistic. There is but one God, yet there is a Godhead of three, and beyond them, 'gods many, and lords many' (1 Cor. 8:5). But regardless of the multiplicity of personages bearing divine titles, they are one in that priesthood which governs throughout the eternities. Unlike the carnal gods of mythical Olympus, they are not competing against one another for status and dominion." Rodney Turner, "The Doctrine of the Firstborn and Only Begotten," in The Pearl of Great Price: Revelations from God
There is only one God. No god existed before the One True God, and none shall exist after Him. Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10, 44:6; 45:5, 18, 21-22; 46:9; John 17:3
|God the Father
God the Father was once a man with a physical body.
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's…" Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 345
God the Father resides near the planet Kolob. Abr. 3:2–18
"He [Eternal Father] revealed to Abraham that his throne is near Kolob, the great governing star of our universe." Joseph Fielding Smith, Man: His Origin and Destiny, p. 537
The first person of the Trinity, God the Father was never a man. Num. 23:19, John 4:24
God the Father has eternally existed (Ps. 90:2) and is immutable in His nature. Mal. 3:6; Jas. 3:6
A created being and the spirit-brother of Lucifer. The Gospel Through the Ages, 15
As a created being and fellow spirit child of God, Jesus is the elder brother of all men. Gospel Principles, 11, 17, 18
The second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, was not created and has eternally existed. John 8:58; Heb. 13:8
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, God in human flesh. John 1:1-4, 14; 1 Tim. 3:16
Jesus Christ is also the Creator of the universe. Col. 1:15-17
|Holy Spirit
The third member of the Mormon godhead. The LDS Bible Dictionary equates the terms, "Holy Spirit" and "Holy Ghost," yet other sources describe the two as distinct from one another.
"The gift [of the Holy Ghost] can come only after proper and authorized baptism, and is conferred by the laying on of hands, as in Acts 8:12–25 and Moroni 2:1–3. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost." LDS Bible Dictionary
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and thus He has eternally existed and is fully God. Heb. 9:14
The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus Christ. John 15:26
He convicts the world of sin. John 16:7-9
The Holy Spirit indwells believers at conversion. Rom. 8:9-14
Speaking with the authority of the Father, the Holy Spirit guides believers in truth. John 16:13-14
The second born, literal son of Heavenly Father (Elohim) and Heavenly Mother, Lucifer (Satan) is the spirit brother of Jesus Christ.
When the head of the gods called a council, it is said that Jesus came up with a better plan of salvation than did his brother, Lucifer. Gospel Principles, Chapter 3
A created being, a fallen angel, who rebelled against God, incurring His judgment. Being cast out of Heaven, Satan took many angels with him. Luke 10:18; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:3–4
Satan is the "father of lies." John 8:44
He first introduced sin to humanity with the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden. Gen. 3:1-15
Satan is the enemy of both God and man. Isa. 14:13, 14; Matt. 4:1-11; Rev. 12:9, 10
Satan has been defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and at the final judgment, he will be cast for eternity into the lake of fire. Rom. 16:20; Rev. 20:10
|Four books are recognized as scripture: the King James Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Gospel Principles, Chapter 10
|The Bible alone is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
|All men "were sons and daughters of heavenly parents," existing as spirit children of the Father. As "spirit children of God," men may work on earth to "develop His divine qualities." Gospel Principles, Chapter 2
Men and women may become heavenly parents and create spirit children just like the Father. Doctrines and Covenants 132:19-20
Mormons will one day become gods:
"As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be." The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow
"Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them." Doctrines and Covenants 132:20
|Man was created by God on the sixth day. Gen. 1:26–27
Due to man's disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden, every man is born dead in sin. Every man, unless redeemed by Jesus Christ, lives in rebellion to God. Rom. 3:11-18
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweat great drops of blood for the sins of men, and on the cross, his work was finished. This work allows for all persons on earth to be resurrected. The blood of Jesus, however, was not sufficient to cover all of man's sins.
"man may commit certain grievous sins–according to his light and knowledge–that will place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of Christ. If then he would be saved, he must make sacrifice of his own life to atone–so far as in his power lies–for that sin, for the blood of Christ alone under certain circumstances will not avail…. Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous that men may commit, that they will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of Christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent." Doctrines of Salvation 1:134, 135
Man, being born dead in trespasses and sins, cannot atone for himself. Eph. 2:1; Rom. 5:8, 3:10-11
God in his infinite love sent Jesus to suffer and die as a substitute to bear the wrath and punishment of God in the place of those who believe. 1 John 4:10; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Pet 2:24
The blood of Christ was the perfect and acceptable sacrifice to God for the sins of all who will believe. Rom. 5:9; Heb. 10:14
With the resurrection of Christ, God demonstrated that He accepted this sacrifice. It is through the atonement that man is reconciled to God. Rom. 5:10
The death and resurrection of Christ allows for universal resurrection. To attain heaven, man must earn his own way.
"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 2 Nephi 25:23
As the perfect sacrifice for the sins of men, Christ's death and resurrection provided salvation for all who would believe.
Through repentance and faith in Christ, man may be forgiven of his sins and saved from the righteous wrath and condemnation of God. Both repentance and faith are good gifts from God. Acts 11:18; Eph. 2:8-9
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Eph. 2:8-9
Salvation is a free gift from God to those who believe in Him. Rom. 1:16; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9
Salvation cannot be earned. Rom. 11:6
|Heaven & Hell
Most people will attain to one of three kingdoms of heaven: Celestial, Terrestrial or Telestial. Doctrines and Covenants 88:16-24
Those cast into Hell are there for a time. Most will eventually enter into the Telestial Kingdom. Mormon Doctrine, 349-350
Eternal life is synonymous with godhood and populating other worlds.
"The Father has promised us that through our faithfulness we shall be blessed with the fulness of his kingdom. In other words we will have the privilege of becoming like him. To become like him we must have all the powers of godhood; thus a man and his wife when glorified will have spirit children who eventually will go on an earth like this one we are on and pass through the same kind of experiences, being subject to mortal conditions, and if faithful, then they also will receive the fulness of exaltation and partake of the same blessings. There is no end to this development; it will go on forever. We will become gods and have jurisdiction over worlds, and these worlds will be peopled by our own offspring. We will have an endless eternity for this." Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation
|Those who are saved by Jesus Christ will be resurrected to eternal life. Those who are not saved by faith in Christ will be raised to eternal punishment. Matt. 25:31-46; 2 Thess. 1:7-10
Further reading
On the scriptures
- The Mormon Church's View of the Bible
- Contradictions in LDS Scriptures
- Problems with the Book of Mormon
On Jesus Christ
- The Mormon Church, The Deity of Christ, and Philippians 2:5–6
- The Mormon Church, Incest, and Jesus Christ
- The Jesus of Mormonism
On basic doctrine
- Mormonism is a Non-Christian Cult
- Is Mormonism Christian?
- What Does Mormonism Teach?
- Walter Martin: Mormonism vs. Christianity
General resources
- Mormonism Research Ministry
- Alpha and Omega Ministries: Mormonism 101 Series
- Institute for Religious Research: Mormonism
CRN articles about Mormonism
- Mormon Church Reportedly Amassed $100 Billion Fund For 'Second Coming Of Christ'
- Mormon church pledges to reverse its anti-LGBT policy
- 'Pope Francis' Meets With Mormon Leader Russell Nelson, Discusses 'Mutual Concerns' Over Societal Issues
- LDS Church, de-emphasizing those three letters, unveils a new internet address with more changes on the way
- Boy Scouts Lost 425,000 Boys One Week After 'Gender Neutral' Name Change
- Mormon No More: Tabernacle Choir Renamed in Big Church Shift
- Mormons End 100-Year Ties With Boy Scouts, Form Own Group
- Glenn Beck Selling His Private Jet as His Media Empire Crumbles
- Glenn Beck Chokes Up Over His Recollection of When Billy Graham Defended Him, a Mormon, as Being Christian
- "Sister Wives" appeal polygamy ruling to US Supreme Court
- Glenn Beck Invites America to Join Him in Another Fast
- Salt Lake Tribune–"Cruz in Utah: Glenn Beck Says He's Fulfillment of Mormon Prophecy"
- Ted Cruz Teams Up With Mormon Talk Show Host Glenn Beck in Iowa Push for Presidency
- Thousands resign from false Mormon church – 'cuz gay pride.
- Mormons Say Duty to Law on Same-Sex Marriage Trumps Faith
- Mormon-Owned Marriott "Love Travel" Campaign Continues Push for Homosexuality in its Hotels
- Mormon church backs Utah LGBT anti-discrimination bill
- Mormon leaders call for measures protecting gay rights
- Mormons admit in new official essay that founder Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives
- Mormon Church Okay with Ending Boy Scouts' Ban on Gay Youth
- Mormonism 'Cult' Claim Vanishes from Billy Graham Site
- Evangelical Leaders Try to Get Out Christian Conservative Vote Despite Objections to Mormonism
- Mormons Lower the Age Requirement for Missionary Service
- Baptist Seminary Panel Asks: Can Christians Vote for a Mormon?
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Want to Drop the 'Mormon' Moniker
- Mormon, Mitt Romney, Throws Fit that Baptist Preacher Led Prayer at Jerusalem Embassy Opening
- A New Prophet Chosen for the LDS Church
- Glenn Beck receives a 'mantle' from a false prophet
- Mormon Leader: More Dead People Should be Baptized
- When Christians Act Like Mormons
- Glenn Beck: Evangelicals Not Listening to "Their God"
- Glenn Beck goes off on "religious people"
- The Beck Lies: Mormon Leads Prayer to False God at Ted Cruz Campaign Office
- Controversial Christian historian David Barton…misinterpretations…errors…and Glenn Beck
- The Bundy Militia's Particular Brand Of Mormonism
- Baptist Scholar Says Mormonism Is Evolving Towards Christianity With "Biblical," Views of "Christ and Salvation"
- Evangelical Visits to Brigham Young University
- How Christians Should Engage Latter-day Saints


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Sausageball pasta bake
Using leftover sausagemeat to make meatballs is a thrifty way to jazz up an oven-cooked pasta pot
Nutrition and extra info
- Freezable
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal860
- fat41g
- saturates17g
- carbs88g
- sugars11g
- fibre7g
- protein41g
- salt3.75g
- 450g sausagemeat
- 50g fresh white breadcrumb
- 1 tsp thyme or rosemary leaves, chopped
Rosemary's intense, fragrant aroma has traditionally been paired with lamb, chicken and game…
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Olive oilol-iv oyl
Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
- 500g carton passata
- 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste
- 300g fusilli or other pasta shapes
Pasta is the Italian name for Italy's version of a basic foodstuff which is made in many…
- ½ small Savoy cabbage, cut into 1cm-wide slices
- 250g ball mozzarella, cubed
- 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and rich, fruity flavour. It…
Put the sausagemeat, breadcrumbs and thyme or rosemary in a bowl and mix to combine. Shape into 20 small balls.
Heat oil in a wide pan and cook the sausageballs for 10 mins until nicely browned. Add passata and tomato paste, cover and simmer gently for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, cook pasta following pack instructions, adding the cabbage for the final 5 mins of cooking time. Drain cabbage and pasta, toss with the sauce and spoon into a heatproof dish.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Push mozzarella cubes into the top of the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 15-20 mins until bubbling and crusty.


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Westmoreland County woman crowned Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania
Katie Smith hopes to be advocate
An accident six years ago changed a local woman's life forever, but she still doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit."
Katie Smith's perseverance and determination have earned her an honor that will allow her to see the world beyond the wheels of her chair.
And beyond those wheels the newly crowned Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania is many things, but disabled is not one of them. Nor is helpless or hopeless or least of all -- disabled.
"I would say I'm blessed, and I'm just really lucky to have what I have," said Smith, who lost the use of her legs in a car accident. "I didn't have any feeling. I didn't have any function."
Becoming a nurse had been her dream before the crash, but even though dreams change -- "I broke my neck about here, C6, C7" -- her determination hasn't wavered.
After about six months in rehab, Smith decided to start living independently. She now drives a specially equipped car herself. Along the way, she picked up adaptive skiing and wheelchair rugby: "They threw me into a wheelchair, and they crashed into me a couple of times, and I was sold on it."
Smith also found herself getting into advocacy. "I love talking to children and adults and letting them know that I'm in a wheelchair, but that I can still do things," she said.
But what she loves more than anything else is proving things to herself. "Being able to get out and do that small thing, like drive to the store and pick up milk on your own, just makes a huge difference," she said.
Smith was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania on Saturday in Bradford. During her reign, she will represent the state in the national pageant in Houston this summer. She'll also travel the state and speak on behalf of other Pennsylvanians living with disabilities.
After all, so much of life is getting the conversation started.


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1In a large stockpot, bring 6 quarts water to a boil. Place the bones and beef chuck in a second pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the bones and beef to the first pot of boiling water. Discard the water in which the meat cooked (this cleans the bones and meat and reduces the impurities that can cloud the broth). When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Skim the surface often to remove any foam and fat. Add the charred ginger and onions, fish sauce and sugar. Simmer until the beef chuck is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove 1 piece and submerge in cool water for 10 minutes to prevent the meat from darkening and drying out. Drain, then cut into thin slices, and set aside. Let the other piece of beef chuck continue to cook in the simmering broth.
3When the broth has been simmering for about 1 1/2 hours total, wrap the star anise and cloves in a spice bag or piece of cheesecloth and add to the broth. Let infuse until the broth is fragrant about 30 minutes. Remove and discard both the spice bag and onions. Add the salt and continue to simmer, skimming as necessary, until ready to assemble the dish. The broth needs to cook for at least 2 hours. (The broth will taste salty but will be balanced once the noodles and accompaniments are added.) Leave the remaining chuck and bones to simmer in the pot while you assemble the bowls.
5To serve, place the cooked noodles in preheated bowls. (If the noodles are not hot, reheat them in a microwave or dip them briefly in boiling water to prevent them cooling down the soup.) Place a few slices of the beef chuck and the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil; ladle about 2 to 3 cups into each bowl. The broth will cook the raw beef instantly. Garnish with yellow onions, scallions, and cilantro. Serve immediately, inviting guests to garnish the bowls with bean sprouts, herbs, chiles, lime juice, and black pepper.
1kg of beef chuck, cut into 2 pieces
1piece of ginger, cut in half lengthwise and lightly bruised with the flat side of a knife
2 yellow onions, peeled and charred
10 whole star anise, lightly toasted in a dry pan
500r of wide rice sticks, soaked, cooked and drained
200g of beef sirloin, slightly frozen, then sliced paper-thin across the grain


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"For the confirmation of this a fresh Manifestation was given me, by the appearance of a Head that was all as of Fine Gold transparent, with a pair of Wings only joining to it. Under each of which Wings there were seven Eyes all fiery and piercing. Upon which this first Salutation greeted me, saying, "Tho' thy corporeal Eyes be Dim, these Eyes are come to make up that Impediment, whose Properties to thee shall be into the Worlds and Regions to see that to mortal sight all hidden be." Then Immediately I felt as if this Head and Wings did clasp themselves about the Vital part of my Heart. From whence it was said, The pure in Heart should be all seeing; and the Ears fixed in the Golden Head should become the true Hearing."
– from The Signs of the Times Forerunning the Kingdom of Christ and Evidencing When It Will Come, Jane Leade (1699)
Augustine of Hippo taught against the practice of historically interpreting prophetic, apocalyptic and visionary works. For Augustine the City of God comes about by a radical application of Christ's passivity and subjection to the Divine Will rather than being immanatized through active participation with word, action or attention.
In seeking to understand this it is interesting to compare the eschatological 19th century charts of Charles Larkin, outlining the kind of historical eschatology favored by heterodox evangelicals like Harold Camping and Tim Lahaye, with an illustration from an edition of Jacob Boehme's Theosophische Werke, published in Amsterdam in 1682.


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Created for: The Sims 4
New Hair mesh ll 27 colors ll Support HQ mod ll no morph ll smooth bones assignment ll support with hats ll All LODs ll with Ambient Occlusion/Shadow Map
Short URL: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1370115
ItemID: 1370115
Filesize: 28 MB kB
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Credits: Anto, Stealthic, Cazy
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text: Enjoy great PC DIY plus better system cooling and reliability with GRYPHON Z87 TUF Fortifier - Bolsters boards against bending damageThermal Armor - Total airflow-boosting heat dissipationDust Defenders - Repel the dust, expand the lifespanSuite up your GRYPHON Z87 Motherboard Shop Modal header *GRYPHON Z87 is sold separately. Gear Up Your TUF TUF /tΛf/, stands for The Ultimate Force. The TUF series delivers a "tough" image. With the unique design & high quality components (military-standard), TUF series is born for pursuing the preeminent stability, all-round compatibility, and extreme durability. Armor Kit with GRYPHON Z87 The GRYPHON ARMOR KIT optimizes TUF DIY experiences. It includes Thermal Armor for better heat dissipation and TUF Fortifier strengthened back plating to prevent PCB bending or bowing due to heavy components. It also features Dust Defenders to resist dust build-up, and bundled thermistor cables to monitor the thermal status of key components. * Picture is for illustration only. Please refer to the product manual for the exact numbers of dust defenders and thermistor cables. TUF Fortifier IntroPrevent Bending TUF Fortifier Bolsters boards against bending damage TUF Fortifier adds a strong backplate so the motherboard doesn't buckle under the weight of heavy graphics cards and CPU coolers. Reduced PCB bowing and bending means an end to potentially damaged circuitry. Prevent Bending Prevents bending due to heavy components TUF Fortifier can handle more weight than that of really heavy CPU coolers and graphics cards, giving you a huge safety margin. Even the largest and heaviest can be installed with no risk of causing motherboard PCB stressing. Thermal Armor IntroConvection Holes Thermal Armor Total airflow-boosting heat dissipation New Thermal Armor, with its military-styled design, covers the entire motherboard, providing boosted airflow for rapid cool down. The I/O cover fan draws cold air in for extra stability where it counts, helping conduct heat away with the smart shunt design. Newly added custom PCB convection holes provide underside circulation for even greater heat mitigation, denying temperatures room to build up. Convection Holes PCB Convection hole for better cooling Openings in the board are strategically-placed to improve air circulation and ensure effective cooling reaches under the board. PCB convection holes lower in-case temperatures, adding to system stability and endurance. "Safe & Stable!" Guardian Angel - Dust Defenders Dust Defenders Repel the dust, expand the lifespan TUF design protects back I/O ports, expansion and memory slots plus critical connectors from dust and particles that degrade system performance over time if left unchecked. With a filter to ensure the back I/O fan doesn't draw dust into the board, Dust Defenders guards against dust build up, helping your PC perform in an optimal and stable state longer.


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How to draw Backgrounds?
This section is intended ONLY for topics which are no longer relevant, but may be needed for future reference.
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- Vishkaa
- Pack Initiate
- Posts: 378
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- Preferred Name: Vish
- Location: CO, USA
I always have trouble drawing decent, detailed backgrounds. I'm able to sketch something up, but I can never figure out how to detail my piece to the point where it looks really good :c Anyone have any tutorials or tips? Any kind of scenery tutorial will work for me!
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Mark Zuckerberg has just announced that there are "more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month." That means one-in-seven people across the entire planet log on to the social network every month.
When you stop and think about it, that's kinda crazy. [Facebook]
Image via AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA / Shutterstock.com


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Ariana Grande Shares Photos of Her Furry Friends
It's official — Ariana Grande has the cutest dogs ever.
The singer posted a series of photos starring her furry family on Instagram earlier today (May 23). The four pups all took turns posing — or sleeping — for their glamour shots. There are a lot of cute celebrity dogs out there, but these guys give the rest of them a run for their money.
Earlier this week the 'Problem' star got fans talking when she posted a photo of her ex-boyfriend Jai Brooks holding two sweet-looking, fluffy puppies. Could she be looking to add to her crew of adorable pooches?


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Controversial Malaysian billionaire Tan pulled no punches in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC which fans' groups believe will only serve to further divide opinion on the 62-year-old.
One aspect saw Tan criticise former boss Malky Mackay and one-time head of recruitment Iain Moody for a considerable overspend on new players last summer.
Tan is now keen to have a more hands-on role, although Solskjaer maintains that he chooses the players he believes will strengthen his squad.
"I do football matters, the football decisions are mine," said Solskjaer.
"But Vincent Tan has to be a part of the structure that agrees on transfers - ins and outs - and that it's managed with a budget of x, not x plus y.
"He needs to know how much that is, and he needs to know agent fees and everything.
"He is very willing to invest and wants us to be successful and wants to know what we do, but it's got to be transparent, structured, and he is involved in that.
"But he doesn't identify players
We have scouts and I decide on who we go for, and then it's about whether we have the resources."
With a clash against Tottenham at White Hart Lane looming on Sunday, Tan's comments - as he criticised fans, the British media and Mackay - have undeniably overshadowed the build up.
Despite that, Solskjaer said: "It doesn't change the focus for the game
He is coming on Sunday to watch, and he will come to see us before it."
Tan believes he should be seen as the hero for saving Cardiff from bankruptcy, rather than being portrayed as "a villain" by the British media he claims have been "a little bit racist and unfair".
Despite the fury over his decision to change the club's colours from blue to red, Tan is adamant he has no qualms, and instead it is the fans who should apologise to him for some of their criticisms.
The Cardiff City Supporters' Trust suggests such comments will "divide the fan base even more than it is already".
But Solskjaer can understand Tan's point as he said: "I see that he's really backing or praising 95 per cent of the supporters.
"My glass is always half full, so that statement he made is very pleasing.
"Of course there are always going to be people criticising what you do, but we wouldn't be in the Premier League without his investments."
Solskjaer can, however, appreciate the fans' outcry over the shirt colour change, but again refused to criticise Tan for his decision.
"Yeah, of course I understand fans' concerns about the shirt change because that's the identity they've been a part of," added the former Manchester United star.
"But that was a decision made before my time.
"Was the shirt change a mistake? You know what mistakes I look at..
maybe picking this player or picking that game plan."
Source : PA
Source: PA


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The present boxset contains the following titles:
Various institutes and associations across the country conduct Olympiads & Competitions for Class 1 students. This specialized combo has been designed to provide relevant and the best study and preparation material for Class 1 students preparing for English, Mathematics, Science and Reasoning Olympiadsand competitions.
This book has been designed to give the students an insight and proficiency into almost all the areas of English, Mathematics, Science and Reasoningtopics asked in various Olympiads competitions. The present combo covers English, Mathematics, Science and Reasoning syllabi and ample number of solved examples set according to the pattern and level of Indian National Olympiads. The books also contain complete theoretical content based on the syllabi of the Olympiads. Exercises have also been given in the books. Problems from recently held Olympiads have also been given in the books. The books also containpractice sets designed on the lines of the questions asked in the precious years' Olympiads. Also answers and explanations for the practice sets have been provided at the end of every book.
As the combo contains ample study as well as practice material, it for sure will help aspirants score high in the upcoming Olympiads and competitions for Class 1 students.
Additional Rs. 60 will be charged for Shipping.


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10. Silicon Valley. Californians love your technology, but we're not ready to put your executives in charge of the state.
9. Money. The Federal Reserve suggests deflation may be the threat to the national economy, but the California political economy is showing strong signs of runaway inflation. Even $140 million of your own money isn't enough to buy the governorship.
8. The art of conceding. Whitman and Fiorina refused to concede long after it was clear they had lost. What explains this? Two theories I've heard. A) No one in Silicon Valley ever admits defeat; just when it looks like your company is cooked, you might happen on a technology that makes you a billionaire. B) Upper-middle-class baby boom girls never learned how to lose. But Title IX, which has since opened up school sports to women, has changed that for younger generations.
7. Local governments. You might have expected to see them on the list of the winners because of the passage of Prop 22, which protects their funding streams from the state legislature even in budget emergency. But Prop 22's victory may lead to defeat. Expect state legislators to find ways to take revenge for Prop 22. And look for more scandals of the type seen in Bell, since Prop 22 protects local government funding – without changes in governance that would make city officials more accountable.
6. Democrats. Yes, the party won big. But now the party has full political custody of the ungovernable state of California. It's all downhill from here.
5. Steve Cooley. Los Angeles District attorney and GOP attorney general contender declared victory on election night. By morning, he appeared to have lost.
4. The Tea Party in California. Yes, the Tea Party's big political committee may be in Sacramento, but Tea Party candidates didn't get far here. Fiorina's courting the Tea Party didn't help.
3. The initiative process. Voters still prefer to make their own choices, but half the state thinks the process needs reform. This year's slate of initiatives show that half of the state is right.
2. Southern California. Yes, we saw all the ads, but the major candidates in the governor's and Senate races were from the north. And you could tell they don't quite get us. Even after three terms, Barbara Boxer was clueless enough about Southern California that she talked of her enthusiasm for the San Francisco Giants in a downtown Los Angeles rally. Uh, Senator -- Dodger fans were rooting for Texas.
1. Political consultants. Brown mostly did without them and won. Whitman surrounded herself with a GOP dream team of consultants and lost. The consultants still say that they're necessary to successful campaigns. But you know what? We think we'll need to see more recent data before we buy that.
Click here for a look at the Top 10 Winners in the election.


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No. Pelicans aren't cars. They aren't planes. They aren't trains. They don't run on gasoline at all. But that doesn't make this any less cool.
Meet Big Bird. Big Bird is a pelican in Tanzania. He lost his flock and is all alone. Somehow, researchers attached a GoPro to his beak and were able to capture footage of his first flight.
Pretty amazing stuff, though, as a human, I'm not sure how I'd feel about having a GoPro forcibly attached to my face. Maybe he signed off on it beforehand.


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Social media has always been praised for its capacity to give its users control over how they are viewed by others in the online community.
Like it or hate it, Facebook will be giving its users ultimate control over their "life stories," as the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at Thursday's F8 Conference, where he announced some dramatic changes on the website.
His key announcement was the redesign of the profile page, which will now be called Timeline. Zuckerberg said rather than just show status updates, the new profile will present "the story of your life."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Timeline will allow users to create a visual diary. Users can add key elements to the lifespan of their Facebook profile, such as books they've read or significant events they attended.
Some elements have the ability to be highlighted. Those are called "stories," and users will be able to feature them – and hide them.
Other changes announced include the "Listen" option, which may be a step closer to a music-streaming application. "Listen" is a way to share what you are listening to on your computer with your friends. Users can actually see what their friends are listening to and listen simultaneously. Facebook teamed up with music sites such as Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody and VEVO to make this possible.
Already, some changes have irked users – such as the live ticker of friends' activities.
Read about some other changes Zuckerberg announced at Thursday's conference here.


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American Milestones, The Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution marked a major turning point in human society and the world. This book describes fascinating facts and fun activities your students will love! The American Milestone series are a favorite among teachers nationwide! Each book includes ideas for lesson plans, hands-on activities, biographies, fascinating facts and stories. Your students will be amazed as they study how the Industrial Revolution impacted major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation. The American Milestone series meets national and social studies standards. This 32-page book is reproducible and educational.
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Aries Spears New Freestyle As Biggie, Method Man, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, DMX & Jay-Z In CT!
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People in a study who began smoking marijuana as teenagers and continued to use it heavily for decades lost a few I.Q. points along the way, while those who started in adulthood did not, researchers reported on Monday.
The findings, from a study tracking people's habits from childhood through middle age, suggest that the developing teenage brain is especially vulnerable to drug use, the authors concluded. The research appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The new report draws on periodic interviews with 1,037 people tracked from birth to age 38, who talked about how often they smoked marijuana and whether it was causing any problems.
"Adolescent-onset cannabis users showed significant I.Q. declines, and more persistent use was associated with greater declines," said the lead author, Madeline H. Meier, a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University.
The study participants who used marijuana heavily from high school through age 38 scored 8 points lower on an I.Q. test than they had when originally tested, as 13-year-olds. I.Q. scores are usually very stable, and those who did not use marijuana or started as adults showed no real change, averaging about 100.
"We know that there are developmental changes occurring in the teen years and up through the early 20s, and the brain may be especially vulnerable during this time," Dr. Meier said.