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Episode 1
Hugh Armitage is set to challenge George Warleggan's seat as Truro's MP.
S4 Ep1 | 53m 3s
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Episode 2
Who will be the winners and who will be the losers in Cornwall?
S4 Ep2 | 53m 3s
Episode 3
Ross finds notoriety and family in London.
S4 Ep3 | 53m 3s
Episode 4
George makes headway on his plot to return to Westminster. Ross works on his marriage.
S4 Ep4 | 53m 3s
Episode 5
Ross launches a scheme and learns to play politics. Meanwhile, Demelza plays matchmaker.
S4 Ep5 | 53m 3s
Episode 6
George is poised to take down a business rival—and in the process, Ross.
S4 Ep6 | 53m 3s
Episode 7
A passing remark puts the Warleggans' domestic bliss under threat.
S4 Ep7 | 53m 3s
Episode 8
Elizabeth hopes to persuade George that Valentine is his child once and for all.
S4 Ep8 | 52m 42s


text: hey everyone, i have a 5'4 JS Pier Pony with futures fins. i was just wondering what the best fins are for that board? i have the futures F4 that came with the board. and i also have the TechFlex EA fins for one of my other boards that i have used on my pier pony. and i can tell a difference but im not sure thats the right set of fins for my pier pony. what is everyone using?? small mushy weak wave fins?? thanks

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Twins battle, but fall in 13 innings vs. Rays
Correia unable to hold on to lead while offense struggles in extras
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Twins had a chance in the ninth, another in the 11th and there was hope yet again in the 13th. But in the end, their losing skid stretched on.
How do you summarize their four-hour, 47-minute affair with the Rays on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field?
"A lot of missed opportunities," manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Tampa Bay finally capitalized on those missed opportunities in the 13th inning, when Ben Zobrist's walk-off single against Ryan Pressly sent the Twins to a 4-3 loss, a disappointing result amid a frustrating stretch for Minnesota.
The Rays have won eight in a row against the Twins, and Minnesota has now lost four straight, 10 of its last 11 and 15 of 19 dating back to June 21.
"We missed so many opportunities to drive in a run. As they did," Gardenhire said. "That's the way those games normally go."
But the Rays took advantage of their final chance against Pressly. Shortstop Yunel Escobar singled and, with two outs, took second when Pressly missed his target on a pickoff attempt at first base. Pressly went on to walk Luke Scott, setting up Zobrist's game-winning single to right field.
"It was definitely not where I wanted to throw that pitch. You've just got to tip your hat to him," Pressly said. "There's not really anything I can do about it except make a better pitch."
The strikeouts piled up on both sides. The Twins struck out 19 times, and the Rays went down on strikes 16 times. The 35 combined strikeouts tied the record for the most ever in a Twins game, matching the mark set on Aug. 9, 1967. And Minnesota's 19 strikeouts were the franchise's most in 45 years, tying the club record.
Given the length of the game, the high strikeout totals aren't exactly surprising. But the Twins managed only one walk Wednesday night, showing how this losing stretch may be playing into their overly aggressive approach.
"We chased I don't even know how many balls in the dirt. A ton," Gardenhire said. "Guys are trying to do too much. Stay within yourself. We're swinging like mad men. They've got some pretty good pitchers over there that can throw some nasty stuff. But you've still got to make them throw it in the zone."
The Twins might have had their best chance to get back on track in the ninth. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau opened the inning with consecutive singles to put closer Fernando Rodney on the ropes, but the next three batters went down in order.
They had another shot in the 11th, when Mauer drew a one-out walk and reached third on Ryan Doumit's two-out double to right. But Oswaldo Arcia left Mauer hanging, grounding out to second base.
That scenario played out again in the 13th, when Mauer singled and took third on Doumit's base hit to center, only to be stranded by Arcia's fourth strikeout.
"He's just swinging out of the zone. He's swinging a little crazy there," Gardenhire said. "Young kid trying to do too much, trying to hit an eight-run homer with one guy out there. That's all we need is one guy in, and he's swinging like a mad man."
Gardenhire was able to find a silver lining from Wednesday night's marathon defeat: the performance of the Twins' bullpen. Starter Kevin Correia went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and an uncharacteristic five walks while striking out six. He left the game in the sixth after surrendering a game-tying, two-run homer by Kelly Johnson.
"He gave us an opportunity," Gardenhire said. "You'd sure like to see him get through that inning and then we turn it over to a couple guys in relief. It just didn't work out."
From there, the Twins got a combined 6 1/3 shutout innings from Jared Burton, Caleb Thielbar, Casey Fien, Anthony Swarzak and Brian Duensing. Thielbar got out of a jam in the seventh. Fien worked a perfect eighth. Swarzak struck out four over 2 2/3 innings of work.
"Minnesota's got a really good bullpen. Good arms," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "They match up against you versus righties and lefties. They're impressive out of the bullpen."
They gave the Twins lineup plenty of time to strike. But they couldn't keep the Rays off the board forever, and in the 13th inning, a minute before midnight, all the Twins' missed opportunities finally caught up to them.


text:
Many of us worry about surviving the current recession that is costing jobs, homes, college tuition for our kids and retirement security. But we can profit by looking back at how relatives survived during even worse crises.
The critical virtue that motivated them over and over again was hope — hope that they would survive and that the future would be better than the past. Many were willing to suffer through hardships much worse than ours today in the expectation that if their efforts did not pay off during their own lifetimes, at least their children and grandchildren would reap the benefits of their efforts and sacrifices.
Let's look at how that worked concretely.
The Bird family (Kate's family) emigrated to what became the U.S. in the 1760s from Great Britain. They came because their lives in their home country had become untenable — they knew that staying in Britain would lead them to even more impoverished conditions.
Imagine how hard it must have been for them to leave family and friends to travel over treacherous oceans without knowing if they would survive the trip, or even what they might find in an unknown country.
Initially, the Birds settled along the upper East Coast by the Atlantic Ocean. Through hard work and taking many risks, they began to prosper. A couple of centuries later, they risked their lives and worldly positions by joining the Revolutionaries to fight for freedom from Britain.
Family legend has it that the Birds relished their independence and moved westward when they became uncomfortable with their prosperity. They continued their ancestors' example by once again embarking on an odyssey of their own. They came to like being pioneers, settling new lands.
Augustus Bird, a builder, made contributions to American life that are memorialized to this day: His name can be found on the cornerstone of the city hall in what became Madison, Wis.
Then there was Allen Bird, who moved to the wild territory of what became Arizona. He was a mining engineer that traveled by horseback gathering data on mines. His work can be followed in the newspaper he founded.
The Birds' experience was far from unique to them, however. It was replicated by countless other people that endured similar hardships for the sake of a better future for themselves and their descendents. Hope, for them, was a predominant virtue. Without hope, they never would have found the courage to tolerate the many difficulties they went through along the way.
So, what lesson can we take from those distant relatives?
We can draw on their sense of abundant hope. The kind of trust that says we will come out of the current difficult situation sooner or later. We may even be stronger for the hardships we're enduring now. But it won't be easy — perhaps no simpler than it was for our ancestors to face an unknown future and to take such risks for their future security.
We don't see much hope mentioned in the media or by our politicians, but we can refuse to dwell on their doomsday reports. We need to look back at our family and our country's record to remind ourselves that we'll survive this predicament.
Search for those who speak in more hopeful terms. We realize that's difficult to do from our own experience. Like many retirees, we live on fixed incomes and have seen our savings go down by 40 percent or more.
That means making some unpleasant choices in how we are living — something we never expected to do as recently as last year.
E-mail Joe Volz at [email protected] or write to 2528 Five Shillings Rd., Frederick, MD 21701. To find out more about Joe Volz and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.


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text:
Tablets Dominating the Tech Christmas Wish List
12 Dec, 2012, 16:00 GMT
LONDON, December 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
We've had iPods, Nintendo Wiis, laptops and now tablets as the items appearing at the top of the Christmas wish list. Laptop and PC sales have seen a sharp decline that's coincided with the rising popularity of tablet computers - more tablets are sold now than PCs, and by quite a margin. This is due to the ease of use of tablets and their superior portability. So, what are the options for tablets this Christmas?
Right up there with the best of them is iPad mini. Tasked with creating a scaled down iPad, Apple created the beautiful iPad mini. Thinner than even iPhone 5, it is truly a design masterpiece. With all the apps, functionality and style of the traditional 9.7" iPad, but with added portability and ease of use, it's a winner for young and old alike.
The main reason Apple even created a smaller version of iPad is the smaller 7" tablets powered by Google's Android operating system - there was no guarantee that iPad 3 was going to be able to compete if people started to want lighter and smaller tablets. One of the most advanced, yet least expensive, is the Nexus 7 by Asus. The HD screen is sharper and of higher quality than iPad mini's, and inside it has a state of the art quad core processor. With the latest Android software it's also packed with features and is getting people all over the world excited.
Talking of getting people excited all over the world, the Amazon Kindle Fire is also a much sought after tablet. With a 7" display it's small and light, and the dual core processor is pokey enough to deal with 3D games and running multiple apps at once. Now that it's come to the UK, many have realised it offers great hardware and content for a great price.
Another great 7" tablet is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. With typical Samsung design it's light, sleek and shiny, and the display is very response with a high contrast, ideal for movie watching. It's also got lots of unique features and content thanks to Samsung's top programmers, so you'll be able to do things on this that you can't on other tablets.
If you're not a mini-tablet fan, a really top end tablet that's getting a lot of traction is the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. The 10.1" screen is perfect for media watching, although it doesn't quite compare with the sharpness of the display on iPad 3, but with the S Pen stylus there's loads you can do that just isn't possible on iPad 3 - hand write notes, draw, annotate pictures, create gesture shortcuts and more. The powerful quad core processor also means you can run a super smooth split screen mode, allowing you to use two apps at once, side by side.
Of course, you can't forget iPad 3. The fantastic 9.7" display pushes 3.1 million pixels, so it's superbly sharp and your HD content will look flawless. Even with this large screen, battery life is still over 10 hours, and with iOS 6 compatibility, the latest and greatest of Apple's features are all there. Don't forget, there are 275,000 tablets-specific apps for iPad 3 in the App Store, so there's content galore.
For the best deals on these tablets and more, head down to Carphone Warehouse or visit online. Currently it's running a UK's lowest priced tablets campaign, so you won't get a cheaper tablet anywhere else.
Notes to Editors
• Carphone Warehouse is the largest independent mobile phone retailer in the UK, with over 800 stores nationwide
• Discover how to get more from your gadgets with eye openers from Carphone Warehouse. Eye openers is a YouTube channel which features videos of Carphone Warehouse team members sharing useful hints and tips on everything from laptops to Sat Navs to the latest mobile phones. With new videos being added each month, users can search through hundreds of videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/eyeopeners.
About Carphone Warehouse and Geek Squad
In 2006 Best Buy established a partnership with Carphone Warehouse to bring its business model and mobile phone expertise to the US market under the banner 'Best Buy Mobile'. Two years later, Best Buy acquired 50% of The Carphone Warehouse's European and US retail interests for £1.1billion, creating Best Buy Europe. The joint venture now encompasses the following retail and technical support brands: Carphone Warehouse, The Phone House and Geek Squad.
Carphone Warehouse
Alison Gram
PR Manager
SOURCE Carphone Warehouse


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South Siders workshop at City Theatre
May 26, 2009
City Theatre and Tami Dixon, recipients of the 2008 Fox Foundation Fellowship, will present "What's Your South Side Story?" - a community conversation/workshop designed to spark memories and inspire dialog about Pittsburgh's most eclectic neighborhood.
On Sunday May 31 at 5 p.m. this free workshop will take place after the final performance of Speak American, the world-premiere play commissioned by City Theatre, that tells the story of a group of newly immigrated Slovak, Bulgarian, and Polish steelworkers and their dreams of a better life.
Local participation in the "What's Your South Side Story?" workshop will directly inspire the creation of Slope Stories: Tales From Pittsburgh's South Side, a documentary theatre piece reflecting the history and evolution of this all-American community. [No prior theatre experience necessary.]
Anyone who grew up on the South Side, currently lives, own a business or works on the South Side may come and share their experiences and celebrate the community they love. Register for this workshop and receive a special discount ticket offer to Speak American.
Tami Dixon, local actress and producing artistic director for Bricolage Production Company, was awarded the Fox Foundation Fellowship in conjunction with City Theatre to develop Slope Stories in an effort to connect her creativity with her community. She will combine interviews and workshops with local residents, and training from master artists like Ping Chong, Keith Johnstone and Lisa Kron to create a theatre piece exploring the neighborhood where she lives.
"I am inspired by the links between people, communities, families, and cultures that compose the roots of theatre. Studying the motives of people and reflecting on behaviors help to build understanding of the human condition, and this reflective process inspires me both as a person and an actor. With this fellowship I can make good on a commitment to contribute an inspiring piece that tells the stories of Pittsburgh's Everyman/woman, Ms. Dixon stated.
For reservations and more information on this workshop contact Tami Dixon at firstname.lastname@example.com


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$4 billion dollars per week for US spent on Afghanistan 2011 2010, Afghanistan, Afghanistan mining, Afghanistan war conflict, Al Qaeda, Army Corps of Engineers, civil engineering, Cricket House Studios, cricketdiane, crude oil, diesel fuel, emerald mining, emeralds, exploitation of the natural resources of Afghanistan Pakistan and other countries, gasoline, natural gas, oil, oil and natural gas industries, oil companies, oil well, Osama bin Laden, Pakistan, Petroleum, petroleum crude oil, petroleum industries, Taliban, uranium mining, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid, US foreign military funding, US military operations, USAID, war in Afghanistan
The First Afghan Hydrocarbon Bidding Round
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Latest News
Please be advised that the revised Model EPSC with the updated Article 34 is now on the website.
Please be advised that the revised Terms of Reference, inclusive of the updated Bid Bond form, is now on the website.
Please be advised that the final bid documents have been published.
Please be advised that the Data Package will be available in the following formats:
- As DVD
- As an encrypted thumb drive
For more information on the Data Package and payment information, please refer to Chapter 2,. . .
On the basis of further information and documents received, the Ministry of Mines' decision 28 June 2009 related to Nations Petroleum is amended and Nations Petroleum is qualified to bid for the Jangalikalan, Juma-Bashikurd and Kashkari blocks on offer during this First Afghan Bidding Round. The list of pre-qualified companies is updated as follows:
Addax Petroleum
Nations Petroleum
Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL)
ORIENT PETROLEUM INTERNATIONAL INC's (OPII)
Redwood Petroleum Co, Ltd
Sinochem Petroleum Exploration & Production Co. Ltd.
TOTAL Exploration & Production
Turkiye Petrolleri A.O. Genel Mudurlugu (TPAO)
Of the eleven companies that have submitted EOIs, seven are pre-qualified to bid in the First Afghan Hydrocarbon Bidding Round
A committee was formed by the Ministry of Mines to review the eleven Expressions of Interests (EOI) submitted before the June 15, 2009 deadline. The committee focused in particular on the financial standing, the average daily operated production and the experience in dealing with gas containing high H2S (sour gas) for each of these companies.
The following companies are qualified to bid for the Jangalikalan, Juma-Bashikurd and Kashkari blocks on offer during this First Afghan Bidding Round:
Addax Petroleum
Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL)
ORIENT PETROLEUM INTERNATIONAL INC's (OPII)
Redwood Petroleum Co, Ltd
Sinochem Petroleum Exploration & Production Co. Ltd.
TOTAL Exploration & Production
Turkiye Petrolleri A.O. Genel Mudurlugu (TPAO)
The following companies do not pre-qualify to bid during this First Afghan Hydrocarbon Bidding Round:
AfghCana Energy (Asia) Corp. ("AfghCana")
Ghazanfar Group Co Ltd
Zurmat Group of Companies Nations Petroleum Calgary Canada
The pre-qualified companies are required to keep the MoM informed of any material change that may affect their pre-qualifications. The MoM reserves the right to change the pre-qualification status of any company based on the occurrence of any event, or the availability of any new or previously undisclosed information, that may affect a company's ability to perform its contractual commitments should it be awarded one or more blocks in Afghanistan.
Eleven companies submitted Expression of Interests (EOI)
Eleven companies from eight different countries submitted EOI before the June 15, 2009 deadline. A list of pre-qualified companies will be announced by the Ministry of Mines on July 01, 2009. A copy of the minutes of the official document listing the 11 companies can be reviewed in the Documents section of this web site (https://www.afghanistanpetroleum.com/documents.php?cat=1).
List of companies (in alphabetical order):
Addax Petroleum – New Ventures
AfghCana Energy (Asia) Corp. ("AfghCana")
Ghazanfar Group Co Ltd
Oil & Gas Development Company Limited
ORIENT PETROLEUM INTERNATIONAL INC's ("OPII")
Redwood Petroleum Co, Ltd
Sinochem Petroleum Exploration &Production Co. Ltd.
TOTAL Exploration & Production
Turkiye Petrolleri A.O. Genel Mudurlugu
Zurmat Group of Companies Nations Petroleum Calgary, Canada
Public opening of pre-qualification applications:
Pre-qualification applications shall be opened by the Ministry of Mines on 15 June 2009 at 1400 hrs during a public procedure. The applicants themselves, or their respective authorized representatives are welcome to attend the proceedings. However, attendance at the proceedings is voluntary and the evaluation of the applicants for pre-qualification shall not be affected by whether of not a party has been present during this procedure. The Ministry of Mines should be notified in advanced of the names of any representatives who wish to be present at the opening of applications.
The Ministry of Mines will ensure that minutes are kept of the opening proceedings. The names and addresses of all applicants or authorized representatives present will be recorded in the minutes to be signed by the representatives of the Ministry of Mines and all applicants or authorized representatives present.
The minutes will, on request, be available for applicants after the application has been considered. The minutes will be prepared and disclosed in such manner that avoids disclosure of confidential commercial information.
Announcement Of The First Afghan Hydrocarbon Bidding Round 2009
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, represented by the Ministry of Mines, is pleased to announce that it has initiated the process that will lead to the Bidding Round for the award of Exploration and Production Sharing Contracts for Hydrocarbon Operations in the following blocks in Northern Afghanistan:
• Jangalikalan (Gas)
• Juma-Bashikurd (Gas)
• Kashkari (Oil)
EITI Implementation in Afghanistan
September 15, 2009
Closing Date for Submission of Bids and Opening of Bids
|Field Listing :: Natural resources
|This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.
|Natural resources
|natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
[From – ]
My Note –
I thought it was strange that on the page of the CIA World Factbook about economics and resources of Afghanistan there was 0 exports of natural gas despite confirmed reserves (listed below) and 0 confirmed petroleum reserves or exports or production despite petroleum being listed as one of the known country resources – so I got to looking around . . . and found the bidding opportunities listed above for the rights to explore and develop the petroleum resources in Afghanistan. No wonder the world's military forces, including those of the US, are in Afghanistan – it didn't make any sense when supposedly the Taliban had been defeated and the country returned to its people in 2001 (and certainly thereafter with the NATO / UK / US and international forces from 42 countries there "securing" the area.)
– cricketdiane, 09 -10-09
From CIA World Factbook –
Natural resources:
opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
839 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
1.418 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
0 kWh (2007 est.)
608 million kWh (2007 est.)
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
5,036 bbl/day (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
0 bbl/day (2005)
country comparison to the world: 140
4,534 bbl/day (2005)
country comparison to the world: 162
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
20 million cu m (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
20 million cu m (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
0 cu m (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
0 cu m (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
$-67 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
From – listing on Afghanistan – CIA World Factbook – 2009
My Note –
This site link above has great pictures and information about the mountainous territory where Osama bin Laden and the Taliban have held back the Soviet armies during the Soviet – Afghan war and recently against international forces. It is also the area where the emeralds and other gemstones are mined and it has lots of pictures that are very nifty, informative and interesting.
Through its home page portal, there is also a nice tour of the ruby mining and rubies found in Northern Pakistan farther into the same mountain range,
– cricketdiane
Another nifty gemology scenic and written description of the area.
Then, aside from way too much info I found, there were a lot of great photos in areas where Osama bin Laden had been seen or nearly caught including some beautiful lakes, valleys, very interesting towns with panoramio photos on the Google map. After looking at some of them, I decided to place some markers on significant places from news stories about Osama bin Laden and the emerald mines, lakes and a few towns plus the place where uranium mining is being conducted in Pakistan, so I could understand the relationships between them. It is interesting to see the little markets and the video from Lake Katora. Yeah, he's really been roughing it . . .
– cricketdiane, my note
The Google map I'm working on making –
Name of the Google map –
Islamic Fold
Places in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Hindu Kush Range, Lake Katora and FATA – 2009 – 2010
[and the one marker in Pakistan is where uranium mining is occurring.]
My Note –
I made one of those Google maps with lots of good information but these links probably aren't done quite right because the first one has too many photos and the markers that I placed. The second link may or may not be embedded correctly – I'm going to have to work on that.
Below, is where I found the uranium mining location, however, there were a number of other references to it and to places where those uranium resources are being used to further the Pakistan security directorate.
From wikipedia –
Pakistan's civilian nuclear programme started in 1956 when the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was established, with the initial target of capitalizing on the U.S-Pakistan's quest for acquiring the sensitive nuclear technology. U.S President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace Programme", and its first chairman was Dr. Nazir Ahmad[15]. In 1961, PAEC set up a Mineral Centre at Lahore and a similar multidisciplinary Centre was set up in Dhaka, in the then East Pakistan. With these two centers, the basic research work started[16].
The first thing that was to be undertaken was the search for Uranium. This continued for about 3 years from 1960 to 1963. Uranium deposits were discovered in the Dera Ghazi Khan district and the first-ever national award was given to the PAEC. Mining of Uranium began in the same year.
Dr. Abdus Salam and Dr. I. H. Usmani also sent a large number of scientists to pursue doctorate degrees in the field of Nuclear Technology and nuclear reactor technology. In December 1965, then-Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto visited Vienna where he met with known Pakistani nuclear engineer, Munir Ahmad Khan. At a Vienna meeting on december, Munir A. Khan informed Bhutto about the statue of Indian nuclear programme[17].
[see below on pg. 9 – directly beneath the wikipedia entry]
Hindu Kush
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hindu Kush
Mountains of Afghanistan
Countries Afghanistan, Pakistan
Region Northern Areas
Part of Himalaya
Highest point Tirich Mir
– elevation 7,690 m (25,230 ft)
– coordinates 36°14?45?N 71°50?38?E? / ?36.24583°N 71.84389°E? / 36.24583; 71.84389
The Hindu Kush is a mountain range in eastern and central Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan. The highest point in Hindukush mountain region is the Tirich Mir (7,708 m or 25,289 ft) in the Chitral region of the North-west frontier Province, Pakistan.
It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a sub-range of the Himalayas.
It is also calculated to be the geographic center of population of the world. [1]
[ . . . ]
Military Presence
After historical military presence since the time of Alexander the Great, the recent Cold War caused the presence of Soviet and mujahideen fighters and then revolutionary Taliban. Currently Al Qaeda's presence made the U.S. forces to shift their operation in the Hindu Kush mountain ranges.[9][10]
Pre Islamic Tribes of the Hindu Kush
* Shins
* Yeshkun[11]
* Chiliss
* Neemchas[12]
* Koli[13]
* Palus[14]
* Gaware[15]
* Yeshkuns[16]
* Krammins[17]
Selected photos from the area that I found on Google map –
near Ba-bun di Basti, North-West Frontier (Pakistan)
Uploaded the 2008-08-18 04:17:08
World Map Pakistan North-West Frontier Ba-bun di Basti
Most Beautiful Lake Katora Dir North Pakistan 5
From saeed250656 – 1,813 views
Unbelievable Unknown most beautiful Lake in Pakistan.The land of pashtuns hospitality.
Kalaam, Swat Valley
1 of 2 placemarks in Untitled Map – 1k
At an elevation of 2070m and about 100km from Mingora, Kalam was the center of an independant state in the 19th century. It was later taken by Chitral, and then given to Swat after the Partition. Today it is overwhelmed by an incredible number of tourist hotels, and Pepsi hoardings are everywhere. Day trips can be made from here to the alpine Mahodand lake and some of the most beautiful relatively low-altitude treks are also starting from here. Two of the best are the trek to Sor Laspur near Shandur Top in Chitral and another one starting from Gabral to Dir-Kohistan via the beautiful Kumrat valley.
Magical Kumrat Valley
By glitteringstar
The Magical Kumrat Valley
World Map Pakistan North-West Frontier Khela-n
by little_spy007
This photo is selected for Google Earth [?] – ID: 11836525
3 km from Khela-n, North-West Frontier (Pakistan)
Uploaded the 2008-07-06 05:41:17
World Map Pakistan North-West Frontier Ba-nkhwar
by umar_sharif
This photo is selected for Google Earth [?] – ID: 22555729
10 km from Ba-nkhwar, North-West Frontier (Pakistan)
Uploaded the 2009-05-20 05:10:37
Panjshir Valley – more info »
Hyder, Fazel, Karzai, and many other government officials went to Panjshir to visit Massoud's grave two days before the anniversary of his death. …
1 of 31 placemarks in Middle East project – maps.google.com
[From a gemologist expedition – ]
With the help of Mr. Rahim Azizi we prepared our expedition to Panjshir, seeking the support from some Panjshir valley elderly and other important people. After a short stop at the Massoud mausoleum near Bozarak village we arrived in Dach Te Rewat village. Ahmad Shah Massoud was one of the most famous Afghan Mujahideen commanders. He became very popular for his fight against the Soviets in the Panjshir valley and later against the Taliban.
The Bismal mine in the Panjshir valley was apparently the place where in the early 1970's, the first Panjshir emeralds were found by locals. These locals had gem mining experience from the Sar E Sang lapis lazuli mines. These famous mines located in the north eastern part of the Panjshir valley are known to belong to the oldest gem mining area on earth. Archeological work has shown that the lapis found in some 5000 year old Egyptian tombs came from this area.
Currently emeralds are being mined in the Panjshir valley in three main areas: The Bismal-Riwat, the Ringe and the Mukeni-Zara Kel areas. During our visit to the Panjshir valley, we visited the Bismal mine and the Mukeni area. We were told that somewhere between 800 and 1200 miners were involved in the production of emeralds. One group was working at Bismal and about seven other groups were mining in an area called Yachnow. Around sixty groups were working in the Ringe area while in Mukeni and its neighboring Zara Kel area around 40 other groups were operating.
Bismal emerald mine
1 of 1 placemarks in ~GE14B.kmz – 1k
Visited in the morning on June 28th 2006. We arrived there at 10am after a 2 hours walk. This tunnel is the oldest and the deepest tunnel (100m) in all the Panjshir valley as it was around here that the first emerald were found in Panjshir probably in 1973.
it was the location where we did the videos about the preparation of a mine
blast http://www.fieldgemology.com/afghanistan/TRIPDAY118.jpg
and the following search for emeralds. http://www.fieldgemology.com/afghanistan/TRIPDAY142.jpg
Main Portal page, photos, google earth maps and written info about Afghanistan mines from above website – 2006 tour of area and June 2008 tour – includes photo of Massoud shrine info
Excerpt –
Sixty groups were possibly working in the Khenj area while in the Mukeni and in its neighboring the Zara Kel areas around 40 other groups were operating. Globally one of the reason of the decrease of the number of miners is that the work is very hard and most of the successful miners after getting some money have settled in Kabul and are doing now another business less dangerous and less hard.
On June 28th we started our expedition from Dacht Te Rewat village (35° 28 93N, 69° 48 78E, 2258 meters altitude) and walked for 2 hours and half to the Bismal mine (35° 28 72N, 69° 49 98E, 2690 meters altitude). We were told that this mine was the place where in the early 1970's, the first Panjshir emeralds were found. The first successful Pansheri emerald miners were told us to be Pansheri with an experience of gem mining at the Sar E Sang lapis mines.
The Bismal mine is in fact composed of several tunnels following a quartz albite rich vein. The main tunnel we visited was around 100 meters deep which reflect that these mines are among the oldest in the Panshir valley. It was a strait tunnel penetrating horizontally inside the mountain and nearly high enough for people to be able to walk inside, some consolidation work consisting mainly in stone walls was visible. The mine was worked by a team of 10 miners wearing the standard clothes of the Pansheri.
[also – ]
After this visit to the Bismal mine we came back to Dacht Te Riwat village and took our car to go to Mukeni village a little bit lower in the valley. We then started again to walk for 2 hours in order to reach a small village (35° 25 33N 69° 48 55E, 2563 meters altitude) to spend the night. On the way we passed near the moudjahiddin jails were Massoud fighters were keeping their Russian prisoners.
At the village we stayed in the house of a local commandan and we were joined there by Commandan Ayub a senior Moudjahiddin commander who fought against the Soviets and witnessed the Panjshir emerald mining from the very beginning. This evening turned to be one of the best time we spend in Panjshir, while surrounded by former Moudjahiddins, we enjoyed some great food, great stories of emeralds and epic battles while playing with birds…
[also from the same page – ]
3 ) Visit to the Panjshir valley emerald mines (June 2006).
In the Panjshir they could witness some underground mining activity in the Bismal and Mukeni areas. The production in Panjshir seemed to be still strong especially in small sizes emeralds but the number of miners seems to have dropped compared to the 1980's. Currently around 1000 miners are possibly working the Panjshir mountain large deposit. The prospective for the future looks good as new mines open regularly and seems to produce fine stones.
4) Visit to the Jagdalek ruby mining area (July 2006)
In Jagdalek the official ruby production stopped 2 years ago. The Afghan governement is currently searching for investors to work the mines. Illegal mining looks to be present in the area keeping a week ruby production to find its way to the Peshawar gem market. Rubies are found in Jagdalek from marbles. Mines are not there underground, they are huge trenches. We visited some of these mining trenches in the Khalwat area as you can see on the numerous photos on this report.
[ . . . ]
Afghanistan is a well known gem producing country hosting some of the oldest mines in the world. Its lapis lazuli mines at Sar e Sang as an example are known to have produce gemstones for the Egyptians and are still producing today. Emeralds from the Panjshir valley were also probably known at the time of Alexander the Great as the Bactrian emeralds reported by Theophrastus around 320BC ( Forestier and Piat, L'emeraude p 139-145; and D.Schwarz, G. Giuliani Emerald of the World p 61 to 63). Neverhteless it is during the 1970's that Afghanistan has emerge as an important source for many gemstones. Russians geologists explored the mountains in search for strategic minerals for the Soviet Union then Mudjahedeen were mining to get income to fight the Soviets. During the last 30 years the country was a major source for lapis lazuli (Sar E Sang) and a noticeable supllier of rubies (Jagdalek), emeralds (Panjshir valley), tourmaline, kunzite, beryl and aquamarine (Nuristan).
Art Keller, a blond, blue-eyed CIA agent, sits inside a decrepit building deep inside al-Qaeda territory, staring at his computer screen. He is forbidden by his Pakistani minders from venturing out into the badlands of Waziristan to help to find and kill the world's most wanted man.
He is sick and exhausted, and suffering from food poisoning. Back home in the US his father is dying of cancer. The plumbing is basic, the heat intense — the generator has failed again. He pores over cables looking for any scrap of information — an intercepted phone call, an aerial photograph — that might finally end the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
[etc. ]
Mr Keller was one of an estimated 50 to 100 CIA agents and special operations officers whose mission for the past eight years has been to find and kill bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders in the hostile and forbidding Pakistani border region, where he is believed to be hiding.
[ . . . ]
"Our role in the hunt was done entirely from in front of a computer inside the base," Mr Keller says. When he wanted to follow up a lead, he would get in touch with a local Pashtun proxy to ask him to travel to a certain area to glean information.
From – The Times
September 9, 2009
Former CIA agent's hunt for bin Laden in Pakistani badlands
Osama Bin Laden
Tim Reid in Washington
[plus four other pages of comments]
World Map Pakistan Azad Kashmir Kel
by rajashabbir
near Kel, Azad Kashmir (Pakistan)
Uploaded the 2008-08-02 23:29:45
Zara Kel emerald mining area
1 of 18 placemarks in ~GEE1.kmz – 5k
Not visited. We could see the mining area from the hight of the Mukeni mines on the other side of the valley. During summer 2006 possibly 20 groups of miners were working around here.
World Map Afghanistan Nu-resta-n Wareshtowr
by BLACKY_CR
near Wareshtowr, Nu-resta-n (Afghanistan)
Uploaded the 2009-06-12 18:18:06
World Map Afghanistan Baghla-n Sar-e Bi-d
4 km from Sar-e Bi-d, Baghla-n (Afghanistan)
by BLACKY_CR
Uploaded the 2009-06-12 18:17:59
World Map Afghanistan Hera-t Towdeh
by BLACKY_CR
1 km from Towdeh, Hera-t (Afghanistan)
Uploaded the 2009-06-12 18:17:55
World Map Afghanistan Now Sha-h
by BLACKY_CR
near Now Sha-h (Afghanistan)
Uploaded the 2009-06-12 18:18:22
World Map Afghanistan Ba-mi-a-n Sar-e Gowli-
by BLACKY_CR
near Sar-e Gowli-, Ba-mi-a-n (Afghanistan)
Uploaded the 2009-06-12 18:18:18
World Map Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas Dandaryao
by ikrambuneri
near Dandaryao, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Pakistan)
Uploaded the 2008-12-29 10:49:02
near Kharkai, North-West Frontier (Pakistan)
[my note – picture of big ship / cruise ship somewhere – but check google map here – very interesting and very critical terrain]
by vides
Uploaded the 2007-04-20 04:43:33
Door to the Pacific
in Long Beach, California (United States)
La Playa
Union Station
Los Angeles
World Map Pakistan North-West Frontier Kharkai
near Mohra Telia-n, Punjab (Pakistan)
by Mbilal
* Islamabad
Photo details:
* Viewed 4559 times
* Uploaded the 2007-12-09 11:39:03
World Map Pakistan Punjab Mohra Telia-n
MBilal, on December 9, 2007, said:
Its consists one 7 star hotel (right most) two appartments building and one block for private/public offices
by MHAQS
near Mohra Telia-n, Punjab (Pakistan)
F8 Church
World Map Pakistan Punjab Mohra Telia-n
by Anton Kovalenko
Anton Kovalenko, on July 14, 2007, said:
Please visit http://www.antonkovalenko.com
# Viewed 1335 times
# Uploaded the 2007-01-07 17:11:15
near Samarqand, Samarqand (Uzbekistan)
Kunar Province
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (January 2007)
Coordinates: 35°00?N 71°12?E? / ?35.0°N 71.2°E? / 35.0; 71.2
Kunar (????)
Country Afghanistan
Capital Asadabad
– coordinates 35°00?N 71°12?E? / ?35.0°N 71.2°E? / 35.0; 71.2
Population 413,008 [1]
Timezone UTC+4:30
Main language Pashto
Map of Afghanistan with Kunar highlighted
Kunar (Pashto: ????) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. It borders Nurestan to the north-west, Laghman to the west, and Nangarhar to the south.
Its capital is Asadabad.
* 1 Geography and ethnic makeup
* 2 Military activity
o 2.1 Hunt for Bin Laden
* 3 Districts
* 4 Politics
* 5 Gallery
* 6 References
Geography and ethnic makeup
Kunar is a embedded in the Hindu Kush mountain range, and is heavily mountainous and forested. The population of 413,008 is 95% Pashtun and 5% Nuristani.[1][2] The main tribes are:
* Pashtun
o Safi
+ Gorbuz
+ Masud
+ Wadir
o Shinwari
o Tarkani
+ Salarzai
+ Wur
+ Kakazai
o Mohmand
+ Baezai
+ Sepah
* Nuristani
o Kom
In addition, there are the Nuristani tribes of Kalasha, Tregami, Kshto and Gramsana in smaller number as well, who have their own villages in the province.[2]
Military activity
US soldiers near FOB (Forward Operating Base) Naray.
U.S. Army soldier in Kunar Province.
During both the Soviet occupation, and the more recent conflicts involving U.S., Afghan and NATO forces, Kunar has been a favoured spot of insurgent groups.
Its impenetrable terrain, extensive cave networks and border with the semi-autonomous Pakistani North-West Frontier Province provides several advantages for militant groups. The province is informally known as Enemy Central by American troops.
Like many of the mountainous eastern provinces of Afghanistan, the groups involved in armed conflict vary greatly in strength and purpose.
Native Taliban forces mingle with foreign Al-Qaeda fighters, while mujahadeen militias, such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, continue to operate as they did in the chaotic post-Soviet years.
Another strong militia in the region is the Hezbi Islami faction of the late Mulavi Younas Khalis, who had his headquarters in neighbouring Nurestan Province.
Compounding the problems of the province is an extensive criminal trade in smuggled lumber and other natural resources. This criminal activity is often organized along tribal lines, and has led to intense deforestation in some areas.
Hunt for Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden has often been rumoured to be in the province, or close by. In an intensive military operation in summer 2005, called Operation Red Wing, American forces undertook a massive hunt for bin Laden and other senior Al-Qaeda leaders. While attempting to rescue four stranded Navy SEALS during the operation, 19 American Forces were killed when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down, representing the single biggest loss of American forces since their invasion of the country.
According to Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Osama bin Laden was most likely hiding in Kunar Province in the spring and summer of 2009: According to our information Osama is in Afghanistan, probably Kunar, as most of the activities against Pakistan are being directed from Kunar."[3]
Districts of Kunar
Districts of Kunar Province District ? Capital ? Population[4] ? Area[5] ? Notes ?
Asadabad 29,177 Is the Capital of Kunar Province, which includes Asadabad and adjacent towns, immediately surrounding the confluence of the Pech and Kunar Rivers.
Ghaziabad may be labeled as Bar Kunar 23,663
Bar Kunar 20,716
Chapa Dara 28,681
Dangam 15,509
Dara-I-Pech 44,958 Commonly known as the Pech District or Manogai District.
Khas Kunar 31,950
Marawara 17,316
Narang 27,937
Naray 32,510
Nurgol 25,047
Sawkai 28,905
Sirkani 24,080
Wata Pur 28,778 Is the West portion of the labeled Asadabad Section.
Shigal 33,781 is within the labeled Asadabad Section, East and North of Watapor.
Asmar is between the labeled Asadabad and Dangam Sections, East and North of Shigal.
Assadullah Wafa was the former governor of the province (replaced in Aug 2006).
Asadabad hosts both an American Provincial Reconstruction Team office and a UNAMA development office.
The Noorgal district is the first district of Kunar province. On the way of Jalalabad to Kunar that district come on the way- and first district of Kunar which has near with Jalalabad.
1. ^ a b Afghanistan's Provinces – Konar at NPS
2. ^ a b Kunar Tribal Map on nps.edu
3. ^ Christina Lamb, Stop bombing us: Osama isn't here, says Pakistan The Sunday Times, July 12, 2009
4. ^ http://www.mrrd.gov.af/nabdp/Provincial%20Profiles/Kunar%20PDP%20Provincial%20profile.pdf
5. ^ Afghanistan Geographic & Thematic Layers
Districts of Kunar
Asadabad • Bar Kunar • Chapa Dara • Chawkay • Dangam • Dara-I-Pech • Ghaziabad • Khas Kunar • Marawara • Narang Wa Badil • Nari • Nurgal • Shaygal Wa Shiltan • Sirkanay • Wata Pur
Provinces of Afghanistan
Badakhshan A Badghis A Baghlan A Balkh A Bamiyan A Daykundi A Farah A Faryab A Ghazni A Ghor A Helmand A Herat A Jowzjan A Kabul A Kandahar A Kapisa A Khost A Kunar A Kunduz A Laghman A Lowgar A Nangarhar A Nimruz A Nuristan A Oruzgan A Paktia A Paktika A Panjshir A Parwan A Samangan A Sar-e Pol A Takhar A Wardak A Zabul
Flag of Afghanistan
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunar_Province
Categories: Provinces of Afghanistan | Kunar Province | Territorial disputes of Pakistan
There's more – but maybe later. – cdcp
In March 1985, the US government adopted National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 166, which set a goal of military victory for the mujahideen. After 1985 the CIA and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) placed greater pressure on the mujahideen to attack government strongholds. Under direct instructions from Director of Central Intelligence William Casey, the CIA initiated programs for training Afghans in techniques such as car bombs and assassinations and in engaging in cross-border raids into the USSR.[50]
Pakistan's ISI and Special Service Group (SSG) were actively involved in the conflict, and in cooperation with the CIA and the United States Army Special Forces, as well as the British Special Air Service, supported the mujahideen.
The theft of large sums of aid spurred Pakistan's economic growth, but along with the war in general had devastating side effects for that country. The siphoning off of aid weapons in the port city of Karachi contributed to disorder and violence there, while heroin entering from Afghanistan to pay for arms contributed to addiction problems.[51]
In retaliation for Pakistan's assistance to the insurgents, the KHAD Afghan security service, under leader Mohammad Najibullah, carried out (according to the Mitrokhin archives and other sources) a large number of operations against Pakistan. In 1987, 127 incidents resulted in 234 deaths in Pakistan. In April 1988, an ammunition depot outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad was blown up killing 100 and injuring more than 1000 people. The KHAD and KGB were suspected in the perpetration of these acts.[52]
Pakistan took in millions of Afghan refugees (mostly Pashtun) fleeing the Soviet occupation. Although the refugees were controlled within Pakistan's largest province, Balochistan under then-martial law ruler General Rahimuddin Khan, the influx of so many refugees – believed to be the largest refugee population in the world[53] — spread into several other regions.
All of this had a heavy impact on Pakistan and its effects continue to this day. Pakistan, through its support for the mujahideen, played a significant role in the eventual withdrawal of Soviet military personnel from Afghanistan.
Pakistan went to the point of maintaining a limited air war against Afghan/Soviet forces.[54] [55]
April 1985-January 1987: Exit strategy
Awards ceremony for the 9th Company
Soviet soldier in Afghanistan, 1988.
The first step of the exit strategy was to transfer the burden of fighting the mujahideen to the Afghan armed forces, with the aim of preparing them to operate without Soviet help. During this phase, the Soviet contingent was restricted to supporting the DRA forces by providing artillery, air support and technical assistance, though some large-scale operations were still carried out by Soviet troops.
Under Soviet guidance, the DRA armed forces were built up to an official strength of 302,000 in 1986. To minimize the risk of a coup d'état, they were divided into different branches, each modeled on its Soviet counterpart. The ministry of defense forces numbered 132,000, the ministry of interior 70,000 and the ministry of state security (KHAD) 80,000. However, these were theoretical figures: in reality each service was plagued with desertions, the army alone suffering 32,000 per year.
The decision to engage primarily Afghan forces was taken by the Soviets, but was resented by the PDPA, who viewed the departure of their protectors without enthusiasm. In May 1987 a DRA force attacked well-entrenched mujahideen positions in the Arghandab District, but the mujahideen held their ground, and the attackers suffered heavy casualties.[56] In the spring of 1986, an offensive into Paktia Province briefly occupied the mujahideen base at Zhawar only at the cost of heavy losses.[57] Meanwhile, the mujahideen benefited from expanded foreign military support from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other Muslim nations. The US tended to favor the Afghan resistance forces led by Ahmed Shah Massoud, and US support for Massoud's forces increased considerably during the Reagan administration in what US military and intelligence forces called Operation Cyclone. Primary advocates for supporting Massoud included two Heritage Foundation foreign policy analysts, Michael Johns and James A. Phillips, both of whom championed Massoud as the Afghan resistance leader most worthy of US support under the Reagan Doctrine.[58][59][60]
[ . . . ]
Eyvazov's theory was later strengthened when the Taliban movement developed and formed from orphans or refugee children who were forced by the Soviets to flee their homes and relocate their lives in Pakistan. The swift rise to power, from the young Taliban in 1994, was the result of the disorder and civil war that had warlords running wild because of the complete breakdown of law and order in Afghanistan after the departure of the Soviets.[79]
[ . . . ]
Ideological impact
The Islamists who fought also believed that they were responsible for the fall of the Soviet Union. Osama bin Laden, for example, was asserting the credit for the collapse of the Soviet Union … goes to God and the mujahideen in Afghanistan … the US had no mentionable role, but collapse made the US more haughty and arrogant. [81] As discussed in 'The power of Nightmares' many neoconservatives in the US also believed that through the US aid to the mujahideen the US had caused the collapse of the USSR.
[And from the list of source citations – this one catches my eye – worth reading -]
17. ^ The CIA's Intervention in Afghanistan (Interview with Zbigniew Brzezinski) . Le Nouvel Observateur. 1998-01-21. http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BRZ110A.html. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
[And – among others of interest -]
36. ^ 1986-1992: CIA and British Recruit and Train Militants Worldwide to Help Fight Afghan War . History Commons. http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a86operationcyclone. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
[Excerpted From – ]
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan
Categories: Soviet war in Afghanistan
Anonymous Post
On September 15-16, 2009 on the Islamic Night of Determination there is a strong possibility for activity.
A major muslim leader will either declare himself, or Islam will cause some kind of disaster or war.
Night of Determination is when God determines the course of the world for the following year.
The Islamic who believes that he is to be the emissary of Allah, in order to bring judgment upon the infidels, makes this date a high risk date for a catastrophic event or a revealing/declaring of himself.
This can occur any year on Ramadan.
This date occurs on the 26th & 27th day of Ramadan which is right around September 15-16th.
Note that Rosh Hashanah starts on September 18th, 2009 and Yom Kippur on September 27, 2009.
There has been Seven times in history where the Muslims have declared some terrible war on Ramadan (August 21 to September 19, 2009).
This is the html version of the file –
Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web.
Ramadan and nuke terror
Is 'American Hiroshima' set for this month?
Posted: October 07, 2005
1:00 am Eastern
By Paul L. Williams
© 2009 WorldNetDaily.com
Editor's note: This exclusive report by Paul Williams first appeared in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online, intelligence newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions to G2 Bulletin are now available at half price – $99 a year or just $9.95 per month.
The next terrorist attack on the United States – a nuclear hell storm planned for seven major cities – is set to occur this month.
That's the word from al-Qaida.
In a communiqu? to Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top al-Qaida lieutenant in Iraq, mentions the Great Ramadan Offensive that will create a fateful confrontation with the United States and Israel.
I think that the plans for the next stage of the jihad has reached you or will reach you in a few days, Zarqawi writes in the letter. O God, make the plans of Osama come to fruition
The communiqu?, dated May 30, was intercepted by CIA officials and remains on the Global Information System database that is accessible only to government officials with high-security clearance.
Most U. S. intelligence officials dismissed Zarqawi's letter as wishful thinking until Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's second in command, appeared on al-Jazeera, the official television network of Saudi Arabia, to deliver a message to the American people.
In the message, which was broadcast Aug. 8, al-Zawahiri said: What you have seen, O Americans, in New York and Washington and the losses you are having in Afghanistan and Iraq, in spite of the blackouts by your media, are only the losses of the initial clashes. … You will soon experience horrors that will make you forget the horrors you have encountered in Vietnam.
The al-Qaida chieftain went on to say: Jihadist forces have been established in all of Western Europe to defend the powerless within the nation. For the crimes that the Crusaders have committed against the Muslims will be reaped by Christians and Jews throughout the Western world.
Zawahiri's video messages are viewed by intelligence officials as telling signs that a terrorist attack is imminent. His televised message Sept. 6, 2004, took place before the December 6, 2004, bombing of the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while his message of June 17, 2005, preceded the London bombings.
Concerns about an October attack were heightened even more by reports that the radical Islamic community viewed the ravages of hurricanes Katrina and Rita as signs that Allah was pleased with the plans for the American Hiroshima.
Allah has punished America with winds and water, one imam is quoted in the GIS report as saying. Another imam reportedly quipped that America, as evidenced by the natural disasters, is under the curse of the Jews.
Christopher Brown, research associate with the Hudson Institute's Transitions to Democracy project, maintains that the hurricanes have presented al-Qaida with a unique strategic opportunity.
If this attack is launched soon, Brown said, the devastation to the American economy alone could easily far exceed that of the September 11 attacks and could be equivalent to the detonation of a small nuclear device on American soil.
Ramadan represents the ninth month of the Islamic year, the month in which the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. According to Muslim tradition, the actual revelation occurred on the night between the 26th and 27th days of the month. On this Night of Determination, Allah determines the fate of the world for the coming year.
The fate of the world for the next Islamic year, if bin Laden has his way, will include the nuclear destruction of the United States.
Bin Laden has been amassing nuclear weapons and materials since 1992, when he was in the Sudan. This was substantiated by the testimony of al-Qaida officials in federal court during the hearings of The U.S. v. Osama bin Laden.
When he returned to Afghanistan, bin Laden purchased tactical nuclear weapons from the Chechen Mafia. News of the sale was confirmed by Saudi, Israeli, British, Saudi and Russian intelligence and reported in The Times of London, the Jerusalem Report, Al Watan al-Arabi, Muslim Magazine, Al-Majallah (London's Saudi weekly) and by the BBC.
In 1997, bin Laden made additional small nuclear weapons from materials bought not only from the Chechens but also black market sources in Russia, China, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine.
In 1998, he purchased large quantities of highly enriched uranium from Simeon Mogilevich, a Ukrainian arms dealer. For one delivery of fifteen kilos of uranium-236, Mogilevich was paid $70 million. Bin Laden also purchased several bars of enriched uranium-138 from Ibrahim Abd, an Egyptian arms dealer and several Congolese opposition soldiers.
From 1999 to 2001, bin Laden hired scientists and technicians from the A.Q. Khan Research Facility in Pakistan not only to build new nukes from the highly enriched uranium and plutonium but also to maintain, upgrade, reconfigure, and redesign his off-the shelf nukes, including nuclear mines, so that they could be packed into lightweight (less than eight pounds) suitcases and backpacks or molded into warheads that could be launched from 120 or 155 millimeter recoilless rifles.
Upon the arrests of Dr. Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood and Dr. Chaudry Abdul Majid, two top officials from the Khan facility, the CIA discovered that several of bin Laden's tactical nukes had been forward-deployed to the United States from Karachi.
More information concerning al-Qaida's nukes came with the arrest in Pakistan of Sharif al-Masri, a key al-Qaida operative. Al Masri, an Egyptian national with close ties to al-Zawahiri, operative, informed CIA and ISI (Pakistani intelligence) officials that several tactical nukes for use in the American Hiroshima had been forward deployed to Mexico for transportation across the border by members of Mara Salvatrucha ( MS-13 ), a Salvadoran street gang.
These developments caused both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry to speak of nuclear terrorism in the 2004 presidential campaign as the single greatest danger facing the American people, and for Vice President Cheney to say that a nuclear attack from al-Qaeda appears imminent.
The seven cities targeted by al-Qaida for nuclear destruction are New York, Washington D.C., Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago.
Several Islamic scholars say that Ramadan is an unlikely time for al-Qaida to strike since it is the holiest month of the year, a time in which Muslims traditionally refrain from warfare to spend time in fasting, meditation, and prayer. But many Islamic battles throughout history took place during Ramadan, including the following:
* 624 – The Battle of Badr occurred on 17 Ramadan when the Prophet Mohammed led his forces to victory over the Arabian tribes who opposed him.
* 627 – The Muslims trained for the Battle of Ditch during Ramadan
* 630 – The soldiers of Islam, under Mohammed, established a training camp in Tabouk during the month of fasting and attacked the Byzantine army.
* 653 – During Ramadan, the Muslim army conquered Rhodes and melted the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, into weapons for the soldiers.
* 1187 – The Battle of Hattin in which a combined force of Sunnis and Shiites destroyed the Christian army occurred the morning after the Night of Determination.
* 1973 – On Oct. 6, Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise offensive against Israel to launch the Yom Kippur or the 10th of Ramadan War.
* 2000 – Al-Qaida launches the suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Aden harbor Yemen. The attack of Oct. 5 kills 17 and wounds 39 American sailors.
In 2001, Dr. Fuad Mukheimar, secretary-general of the Egyptian Sharia Association, published an article in which he encouraged bin Laden to launch an attack against the U.S. during the holy month.
During the month of Ramadan, Mukheimar wrote, a great Muslim victory was won over the Crusaders under the leadership of Saladin. His advisers counseled him to rest from the jihad during the month of fasting, but Saladin insisted on continuing the jihad during Ramadan because he knew … that fasting helps to [achieve] victory, because during Ramadan the Muslims overcome themselves through fasting, and thus their victory over their enemies is certain.
Bin Laden, who views himself as Saladin's successor, could opt to heed this advice.
Ramadan began Tuesday, Oct. 4, and ends Nov. 2. The Night of Determination will occur Oct. 29.
Paul Williams is the author of The Al Qaeda Connection. To read his follow-up on the heightened threat of nuclear terrorism during Ramadan, subscribe to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
Special offer: For complete coverage of al-Qaida's Ramadan Offensive and Osama bin Laden's American Hiroshima nuclear terrorist threat, subscribe to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online, intelligence newsletter published by the founder of WND.
What to do if nuclear disaster is imminent – get free report on practical steps for survival of terror attack.
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Pentagon drills for nuke terror
Turkish police seize Russian uranium
How Pakistan's Dr. X sold al-Qaida Islamic bomb
Author says prepare for nuclear terror
If al-Qaida has nukes, why wait to use them?
Hiroshima marks 60th anniversary of bombing
Nuke terrorists' favorite dates
Chertoff warns of nuclear terrorism
Nunn sees nuke terror threat
White House 'concerned' about al-Qaida drug link
How Osama bought bomb
Bin Laden did it, say terror experts
My Note –
Above article was from a 2005 analysis – isn't the 21st century as we count it – considered the 15th century according to the Islamic calendars? and the Night of Determination happens on the 15th of September? And personally, I still think that Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden can be traced using patterns of action and thought to find where they are sitting. Those ideas and the money supporting them aren't occurring in a vacuum.
I watched the CNN news stories where they are currently discussing the operations in Afghanistan with reporters embedded there and I heard a very distressing term – "actionable intelligence" – and that there has been no "actionable intelligence" on Al Qaeda in the area and Osama bin Laden since 2001 – but that can't be true, now can it . . .
– cricketdiane, 09-13-09
A quick note –
Terrorism by definition is a two-part exercise in insanity and perverse dysfunction.
One part is that no one can look everywhere at once on hyperguard to prevent it for extended periods of time.
And two, it breeds in the shadows of mass and professional agencies' lethargy, apathy, contempt for concerns about it and incompetence among professionals and systems designed to prevent it, to secure against it and intended to thwart it once those terrorist acts are in progress.
I don't believe that incompetence among these professionals and agencies occurs naturally or by virtue of ignorance, lack of intelligence in application nor by cause of inability to function competently. It is because of the petty playground politics that begin to occur within the lethargy of still moments in the fight. Between agencies, the bargaining war for power, and the trite vendettas of slights among professionals over their pet projects, pet ideas, favored ideologies, their personalities and egos, takes precedence over the goals that they are intended to serve. That is the place where the terrorist leadership waits to find because in those spaces of time, there is nothing to hold them back.
my analysis, cdcp09
made 09 -13-09
So, dumb question –
could the components of nuclear weapons to be constructed later on site be brought aboard a cruise ship as a tourist and then arrive in the Port of Los Angeles without anyone knowing it?


text: The National Science Foundation (NSF) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) provides significant investment in 28 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming), the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Territories of US Virgin Islands and Guam. Building on that investment, EPSCoR seeks to catalyze novel and innovative mechanisms to promote scientific progress nationwide. Key to the improved academic research competitiveness in each EPSCoR jurisdiction has been the increased attention to both innovation and broadening participation. Continued progress can be catalyzed by connecting the multiple sectors of society that influence and/or benefit from the engagement of diverse communities in scientific discovery and economic development. Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-3: (RII Track-3) awards provide up to $750,000 per award for up to 5 years to support the strategic goal of broadening participation to improve future R&D competitiveness of EPSCoR jurisdictions. RII Track-3 seeks to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields supported by NSF - underrepresented minorities, women, persons with disabilities and those in underserved rural regions of the country.


text:
That Puzzler Has Punch!
Tom and Ray,
Usually your infantile puzzlers take me no more than 15 minutes to conjure up the correct answer... but this week it's driving me crazy and has caused problems.
I'm in my kitchen last night, which happens to have a double light switch, trying to figure out your "Prisoners in Peril" puzzler. As I go through the various scenarios, I flip the switches testing my different hypotheses. Soon there is a policemanat the door asking if anything is wrong. He tells me that various neighbors have seen the my lights blinking in strange setsof 23, or 12 or 11, and thought I was signaling a distress call. I tried to explain what I was doing, but only got a very strangelook in reply. He asked if I would stop until I could tell my neighbors what I was doing, so they wouldn't call 911 any more. Iagreed but in two minutes after they left, my house is full of concerned neighbors, asking "What happened?"
I received the same "LOOK" from them as I did the Police Officer. They all left mumbling. The few words I could make outwere: "Shame... he's so young," or about a "beautiful mind" or maybe it was a "strange mind."
Don Hatosy
P.S. And I'm sure my electric bill will be higher this month thanks to you both!


text:
It was May. I was home from my sophomore year of college...
One direction images665173193
- by Tessieboo
- Rating:
- Published: 6 Jun 2013
- Updated: 11 Aug 2013
- Status: In Progress
I personally love reading images so I might as well write some. Just comment below your name,age,looks,personality,scenario, and which lovely lad you want and I'll be sure to write you one.
Join MovellasFind out what all the buzz is about. Join now to start sharing your creativity and passion
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text:
Flore Allemandou
WoMoz leader, mozillian, mozilla rep, webmaker mentor, MozFr member. Amateur photograph, medieval history geek, celt, Lego fan. I sailed and volunteered for 5 years at Glénans.
I've been a mozillian since 2004 (I attended FOSDEM for the first time in 2004). I helped on l10n (Camino and Nvu), contributed to labs projects (lightweight themes formerly known as personas), organized events in Lyon. I became more and more involved in community and became a mozilla rep in 2012. I attended my first mozcamp in Warsaw in 2012 and in 2013 everything sped up! I became a webmaker mentor, WoMoz new leader...
2014 felt even more crazy. Let's see what 2015 will bring...
Tagscouchsurfing, france, mozfr, sf-monument, summit2013, summit2013-brussels, webmaker, womoz, webmaker mentor, repsmozfest2014, famous photo star, photography, firefoxos, mozilla guides
IdiomasInglés, Francés
Sitios web
Cuentas externas
- Mozilla Add-ons: flore_
- Mozilla Reps: Flore
- SlideShare: flore_mozfr
- Twitter: fallemandou
- Mozilla Webmaker: flore
Recomendado por
Henrik Mitsch
Flore is my Mozilla Reps Mentee, see her reps profile.
Monique Brunel
Mozillian very active for 10 years, Flore took charge of the organization of the launch of Firefox OS in France (summer 2014) and coordinated the various actions of the "Équipe des mobilisateurs"
Dino McVouch
An automatic vouch for attending Summit 2013 Day 1
Dino McVouch
An automatic vouch for attending Summit 2013 Day 2
Dino McVouch
An automatic vouch for attending Summit 2013 Day 3


text:
Agneta and her man share intense sex and hot fun
Agneta has her man over and he is very horny for her. He licks her pussy and ass from behind and wants her. She gives him a hot blowjob to keep him hard and he fucks her hairy pussy until he cums on her.


text:
World Bulletin/News Desk
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the Polish capital on Saturday in one of the largest demonstrations in years to demand more jobs and higher pay, blaming Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government for failing to tackle unemployment.
The city council said about 100,000 people turned out for the march organised by trade unions, waving flags and blowing trumpets as they walked peacefully through central Warsaw.
The Polish economy has seen two decades of uninterrupted growth but narrowly avoided recession at the start of the year. It has since shown signs of picking up but the recovery has been too weak to significantly bring down unemployment, especially among youths. The jobless rate stands at 13.1 percent, after hitting a six-year high of 14.4 percent in February.
"We have come to Warsaw to show a red card to the government," said Tomasz Danielewicz, 43, a nurse taking part in the march.
Unions are opposed to new legislation that gives employers more flexibility in determining the working hours of employees. One of the banners carried by protesters read: "Part-time job, full-time exploitation".
"The government gets its last warning today. If it draws no conclusions, we will block the whole country, all roads and highways," Jan Guz, leader of the OPZZ union told demonstrators.
The economic slowdown has brought Tusk's government approval ratings to their lowest levels since he came to power six years ago, and opinion polls from recent weeks show his party has lost ground to the opposition.
In August, a poll showed the ruling Civic Platform trailed the main opposition party by a record 11 points, but a different poll this week showed Tusk's party was still in the lead.
The government, which has won praise from investors for its pro-business policies, has also raised the retirement age to 67 from 65 for men and upped the value added tax by one percentage point to 23 percent to curb the fiscal deficit, angering many voters.
In a bid to breathe life into the largest central European economy, Tusk's cabinet loosened fiscal discipline earlier this year and widened the planned budget deficit. It also decided to shift treasury bonds held by private pension funds back to the state to give it more room to stimulate growth.
But the effects of those moves will take time to have an impact on the economy and stem the frustration of many in Poland, which has been seen as a beacon of political stability in the region after Tusk won an unprecedented second term in office in 2011.
"One has to protest because it is getting worse," said a young woman named Ola. "Compared to Western states we are a sinking ship, despite the fact that we are in the centre of Europe and we have the prerequisites to become a European powerhouse."
The next scheduled parliamentary election is not until late 2015, but Tusk's Civic Platform party will compete for votes in elections to regional governments and the European Parliament next year.Last Mod: 15 Eylül 2013, 10:36


text:
Park road is in Bury in the county of Greater Manchester which resides in the North West region of England. The postcode is within the North Manor ward, which is in the constituency of Bury North. This page is a collection of useful information for Park road, Bury, and the neighbourhood in which it resides.
Regarding the Index of Multiple Deprivation, BL0 9RZ has a score of 31065 out of 32844.
We found 15 house sales in BL0 9RZ. The most recent transaction was number 31 that sold for £208,000 on 21 Jul 2017. The most expensive house purchase so far has been number 31 that sold for £208,000 on 21 Jul 2017 and the lowest has been number 21 that sold for £54,000 on 17 Mar 1997. If you are interested in more detailed information then keep reading as we give insights about all of them in this page later on.
The most common ethnicity is Indian. Residents have the following ethnicities: 381 White, 0 Gypsy, 63 Indian, 49 Bangladeshi, 8 Other asian, 4 Black, 54 Mixed.
According to the 2011 Census, the UK population claims itself as 87% white. The second largest group are asian 6% and black 3%.
|White: 381
|Gypsy: 0
|Indian: 63
|Pakistani: 49
|Bangladeshi: 49
|Chinese: 0
|Other Asian: 8
|Black: 4
|Mixed: 54
|Other: 1
The national average of social housing is over 18%.
|Owned outright: 70
|Mortgage: 67
|Shared Ownership: 0
|Council: 0
|Social other: 2
|Private rented: 17
|Private employer: 0
|Private relative: 0
|Private other: 1
|Rent free: 3
In 2011 this place had 71 detached houses, 38 semi-detached houses, 50 terraced houses, 6 flats, 3 converted house shares, 1 flats in commercial buildings, 0 caravans.
The most common house type here is Detached house.
Please note that the figures may include adjacent streets
|Detached: 71
|Semi-detached : 38
|Terraced: 50
|Flat: 6
|Converted house share: 3
|Flat in commercial: 1
|Caravan: 0
Please bear in mind that an individual may hold one or more passports.
|No passport: 36
|Ireland: 2
|Other EU: 10
|Other Non EU: 3
|Africa: 1
|Middle East & Asia: 3
|North America & Caribbean: 22
|Central America: 0
|South America: 0
|Antarctica & Oceania: 0
|British Overseas: 0
The UK is mainly a Christian country, with 59% of residents. 25% of the population claim to have no religion. 4% of the population identify themselves as Muslim, 1.3% Hindu, 0.7% Sikh, 0.5% Jewish, 0.4% Buddhist, and 0.4% as other religions, while the remaining 7.2% did not state their religious views.
|Christian: 280
|Buddhist: 1
|Hindu: 0
|Jewish: 5
|Muslim: 223
|Sikh: 0
|Other: 0
|No religion: 75
|Not stated: 25
Proportion of the population experiencing deprivation relating to low income
Proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market
Lack of attainment skills in local population
Risk of premature death and the impairment of quality of life
Risk of personal victimisation
Measures the quality of the local environment
Proportion of all children aged 0 to 15 living in income deprived families
Proportion of all those aged 60 or over who experience income deprivation.
Attainment of qualifications among children
Lack of qualifications in the resident working-age adult population
Physical proximity of local services
Accessability of housing due to affordability
Quality of housing
E.g. Air quality, road accidents
|No qualification: 42
|GCSES 1 to 4 any grades: 196
|NVQ Level 1: 22
|One A level: 260
|NVQ Level 2: 40
|Apprenticeship: 22
|Two plus A level: 125
|NVQ Level 3: 46
|Degree: 101
|NVQ Level 4-5: 24
|Professional qualification: 95
|Other vocational qualification: 63
The median age of this location's residents is 22.0 while the mean age is 33.01149. The most frequent age group is Fourty-five to fifty-nine. These conclusions are made from the following data: 0-4 years: 17, 5-7 years: 10, 8-9 years: 10, 10-14 years: 88, 16-17 years: 56, 18-19 years: 55, 20-24 years: 64, 25-29 years: 9, 25-29 years: 9, 30-44 years: 71, 45-59 years: 99, 60-64 years: 35, 65-74 years: 47, 75-84 years: 17, 85-89 years: 1.
This location in Bury is categorised as Urban major conurbation.
Some people have different preferences regarding the altitude of areas, this postcode's altitude is 172 metres above sea level. Areas at higher altitudes could be more favourable due to the expected rise of sea levels in the not so distant future.
358 had very good health and 0 had very bad in this area.
This data lists the total number of room each house have.
|One: 0
|Two: 1
|Three: 5
|Four: 21
|Five: 21
|Six: 32
|Seven: 13
|Eight: 17
|Nine: 50
According to the latest census which took place in 2011, this postcode had a population of 23 people that includes overnight visitors as well as permanent residents. Furthermore, there were 12 households.
This data lists the total number of people normally resident within each household.
|One: 38
|Two: 66
|Three: 25
|Four: 23
|Five: 8
|Six: 0
|Eight: 0
Across the UK, the gender split is equal.
|Total: 609
|Males: 427
|Females: 182
Health is usually influenced by age and the affluence of a neighbourhood, since deprived areas often showing poorer standards of health.
|Total: 609
|Very good: 358
|Good: 196
|Fair: 50
|Bad: 5
|Very bad: 0
Many postcodes have been retired over the years but BL0 9RZ is not one of them and it was first introduced on 01 Jan 1980.
Geographically this area resides in -2.33573 longitude and 53.633311 latitude.
If you are interested in getting to know more about the location codes of this area then it might also be valuable that it resides 377897 eastings and 415251 northings.
Some might find it useful that this area's grid reference number is SD778152. The grid reference number uses cartesian coordinates.
The district code of BL0 9RZ is E08000002 and its county code is E11000010.
Its MSOA code is E02001019, its LSOA code is E01005021, its parish code is E43000156 and its constituency code is E14000611. These codes can come handy when you want to find out more about this location as not all services work with postcode.
Furthermore this area is in a national park.
We found 1 crimes in BL0 9RZ in December 2018. Our records show that there were 0 antisocial behaviours, 1 violence and anti-social behaviours, 0 burglaries, 0 criminal damage and arsons, 0 drugs and 0 vehicle crimes. For more detailed analysis please continue reading as we have data for each crime type and all the nearby streets, close to BL0 9RZ.
|Crime type
|Last outcome
|Violence and sexual offences
|Under investigation
If you are interested having a closer look at this postcode then check out the link below that links directly to google maps with the postcode already set. Once clicked it will open in a new tab.
|Greater Manchester
|North Manor
|Bury North
|North West
|"Bury, unparished area"
|Terminated Postcode
|County Code
|National Park
|Built Up Area
|Greater Manchester
|Built Up Subdivision
|Lower Layer Super Output Area
|Bury 001F
|Grid Ref
|District Code
|London Zone
|LSOA Code
|MSOA Code
|Middle Layer Super Output Area
|Bury 001
|Parish Code
|Census Output Area
|Constituency Code


text:
Unsolved animal killings haunt New Canaan
NEW CANAAN -- Fourteen-year-old Alena Abramowitz ran into her parents' bedroom and cried when she realized the bird she'd spotted on the front porch of her family's New Canaan home had been decapitated.
"I was devastated and sad when I saw it," the New Canaan High School freshman said Thursday evening. "I don't want to see a decapitated bird on my deck."
The family has dealt with an injured bird here and there over the 16 years they've lived in New Canaan, as any family living in a glass faced-house tucked away in a forest of tall trees might. But the bird Alena found at 8 a.m. Saturday was clearly decapitated by a human being, according to Alena's father, Roy Abramowitz.
And it's just the latest in a string of unsettling occurrences involving dead animals left for New Canaan residents, according to police. On Oct. 9, a senior at New Canaan High found a dead bird placed in her car, which she had left unlocked with the windows rolled up.
Five days later, Elizabeth Ruksznis of Laurel Road -- the same winding road the Abramowitzes live on, in the sylvan northeastern corner of one of Connecticut's most idyllic towns -- found a cleanly severed cat's head in their driveway. A black cat that was known in the neighborhood to be afraid of people, and was reported missing by a neighbor at about the same time.
Then on Oct. 16, the first decapitated bird was found by the Farley family at their home on Autumn Lane, near the center of town. At first, Chris Farley, a 47-year-old mother of six, said she didn't think much about finding the animal, and tossed the head into the woods. But then her daughter mentioned the dead bird in her friend's car and the severed cat head another friend's mother had found in their Laurel Road driveway.
"A light bulb went off in my head," Farley said Thursday evening, adding that the realization was very concerning. She asked, "Who would decapitate an animal?"
There's a common theory that links serial killers with earlier crimes, beginning with doing harm to small animals.
"People with some underlying, extreme psychological problems have been known to abuse animals and even kill animals," said New Canaan Police Department spokeswoman Carol Ogrinc. "It's that lack of a conscience, which sometimes can lead to harming humans in the same way."
And that's not something that's gone unnoticed by the people churning whispers through the quiet, close-knit town's rumor mill. Families mentioned hearing a wide range of theories -- from the idea that teenagers could have decapitated the cat after a car accident as a prank, to gossip that several other birds have been found but not reported. It's hard to tell what's gossip and what's substantiated, said Farley, who noted that the police are keeping mum since the incidents are currently under investigation.
"It's certainly something the kids are talking about," said New Canaan High School Principal Bryan Luizzi.
The idea that something that malevolent could occur in a town like New Canaan, which bills itself as "The Next Station to Heaven," is hard to wrap one's mind around, said Ruksznis, a New Canaan native.
And it's been enough to put the people involved on edge.
"The girls are definitely disturbed by it, and they'd like to see the person who did it get caught," Farley said. "And I think a lot of my friends are bothered by it, because obviously when you start severing the heads of animals, it takes everything to another level."
It's not the kind of thing that happens in New Canaan, where street lights illuminate large, well-manicured lawns enveloping multi-million-dollar homes, and moms drop off their children at top-notch schools in the morning. Ogrinc said that she's never dealt with anything like this in the 26 years she's worked on the local police force.
It's clear to police that the three of the incidents are related, but the fourth incident, at the Abramowitz home, seems to be separate. Roy Abramowitz, who is seeking a seat on New Canaan's Town Council, suggests it might be politically motivated.
Ogrinc said she thinks it's likely the four cases are the end of the string.
"I would have to think that if someone found one even three weeks ago, they would now report it. As far as any in the future, I would hope not," she said.
In the meantime, the police department is working diligently to track down the responsible party or parties, who would likely face felony charges for cruelty to animals as well as disorderly conduct "at the very least," according to Ogrinc.
"I think something like this is really disturbing anywhere, but this is a fairly safe town," she said. "The violent crime rate is not high. And that's a violent act to do that -- even to an animal, which is why this is pretty shocking."
email@example.com; 203-964-2229; http://twitter.com/MagEGordon


text:
I've played a handful of 3DS games here at Nintendo's press event in New York and learned a good bit about the hardware in the process. As the images indicate, it bears a strong resemblance to the standard Nintendo DS in basic look and feel.
Opened up, the glossy black bezel around the top screen initially looks a little incongruous with the rest of the device. But, as with Apple's recent MacBooks which have a similar treatment, it pays off in providing the display a good viewing background.
This particularly comes into play with the 3D effect, for which the black finish provides a good backdrop. Any other treatment could potentially have been distracting and disrupted the 3D.
Nintendo did a great job with the analog control stick. It fit naturally right under my thumb and the concave top and soft coating gave a good sense of grip and control. The range of motion for the stick likewise feels comfortable. Unlike the stiff nub on Sony's PSP, the stick on the 3DS moves with the resistance balanced to keep it from being loose while allowing it move smoothly.
The other controls--the D-pad and buttons--appear to be borrowed directly from the DSi. Though they may appear to be part of the touch screen, the new "home" row at the bottom center of the 3DS are in fact physical buttons. They have the common membrane switch mechanism underneath them and I could feel a subtle click when I used them.
How well and to what degree the 3D effect works varies a good bit depending on the game. The slider for controlling the strength of the 3D proved to be much more important than simply a way to turn it on and off. With each game, I needed to take a moment at the start to dial-in the 3D. None of the games actually felt good at full intensity and over the ones I played I never seemed to use the same setting twice. Viewing distance and angle also seem to factor into getting the setting right.
As far as "seeing" the 3D, the screen exhibits differing sensitivity to being viewed off-angle, but in all directions the sweet spot is fairly narrow. The 3D fell apart fairly quick if I moved to looking at the screen from above. I'd guess that it was only a few degrees of 'over the top' before it started to blur. On the other hand, looking at the screen from low angles, the effect held together all the way down to looking at the angled screen from level with the lower deck. Side-to-side tolerances are about on par with that of 3D TVs using glasses--get a few degrees to either side and the screen becomes an eye-crossing blur.
For less-intensive games, the viewing window shouldn't pose much problem. Action games, though, could be more challenging. All 3DSs here are tethered, making it hard to hold them exactly as I would without the block on the back, but in Madden for instance, getting excited about a play and jamming the stick to make a move sometimes jostled the 3DS around enough to momentarily break the 3D.
There's also the sleeper features of the 3DS that may or may not become more than a novelty (remember the GameBoy sticker printer anyone?). Take 3D photography. It looks cool but given that it requires the viewer to have a 3DS as well to see how valuable will that be in world where we love to share pictures online? At $250 the 3DS is probably in range for those excited about the technology and the "wow factor" of it.
Beyond that, I think the first year or so will be telling as to whether playing games with the device in your hand can be done steadily enough to make it consistently good experience. We'll know soon enough as the first gamers get their hands on the 3DS next month in Japan.


text:
Take time out with baby-friendly screenings of the latest releases
We understand that being a new parent is a rewarding, yet sometimes demanding, experience.
ODEON Newbies are our special film screenings designed for you and your little one. This is a place to leave behind your stresses, escape from the everyday and lose yourself in the latest releases.
Remember, while you're with us, you're our guest. From the moment you get here to the moment you leave, we'll do everything we can to make you and your baby feel welcome and comfortable.
These screenings are only for parents and guardians and their babies. So there's no need to worry about disturbing other guests while your film's playing.
Softer volume. Ever-so-slightly brighter lights. Our special in-screen conditions are a lullaby to your baby. This is a peaceful setting, where you can gently rock your little one away to the land of nod and ease yourself into the world on-screen.
*ODEON Newbies is in selected cinemas only
During the holidays, some ODEON Newbies performances will not be screening. ODEON Newbies screenings are all about allowing parents and their young babies to enjoy a film in a calm and relaxed atmosphere. We have found following guest feedback that this can be disrupted during the holidays. Newbies screenings will resume back to normal once the school holidays are over.
Dates of holidays does depend on where the cinema is located. To view scheduled Newbies performances please select your cinema below.
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