Everyone Outdoors: Recreating Oneself Via Recreation - Posie's Story

I met Posie Mansfield at our horseback riding program last month and was amazed by her end-of-the-summer adventures. Within the week she had been kayaking, surfing and horseback riding, and was aglow with stories of her recent outings. Embracing recreation has clearly helped her transform her life in a positive direction after suffering two major losses. I was delighted when she agreed to share her story and I hope she will inspire others to find new ways to enjoy life. Thanks?for your Guest Post Posie and for all you do to help others find their way! In late December of 2010, I developed a serious and near-fatal staph infection in my left knee, the same knee that?had a total knee replacement in May of that same year. My doctor tried IV antibiotics, but there came a time when it became a choice between losing my life or losing my leg. There really wasn't much of a choice. My children and I met with my surgeon, and on January 5, 2011, they amputated my left leg above the knee. Just a month earlier, in late November, my husband of 46 years died suddenly and tragically from a massive heart attack. I thought my life was over. Losing him left me with my heart broken and my life forever changed.

Instead of seeing the loss of my leg as another tragedy, I decided to see it as an opportunity, a chance to start a new chapter, to rewrite my future and travel a new journey. Never having chosen this path or surely never expecting it, I had to make a decision to do one of two things. I could either retreat into myself, sit alone for the rest of my life, or pull myself up, head held high looking ahead, not back, and push myself to take on my life's challenges with as much strength, dignity and grace that I could muster. Quitting was never an option.

Since losing my leg, I am now stronger, healthier and more active physically than I ever dreamed I could or would be. I miss my husband every day, but I have channeled that emotion by trying new adventures to honor his memory, taking on challenges like sailing, kayaking, rock wall climbing, skiing, horseback riding, skydiving and surfing. I have discovered a whole new world of adventures available to me through many organizations like Spaulding Rehab, DCR, Waypoint Adventures, New England Disabled Sports and more.

Last February, I led a group of amputees up to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, where we were given the opportunity to ski on one ski, sit down while going downhill, or ski and snowboard wearing a prosthesis for those who were below the knee amputees. I tried tri skis -?one ski with two outriggers to help me balance. I had skied for many years as a member of the National Ski Patrol with my husband, so this was a particularly big triumph. Not only did I have past memories to comfort me, I was now making new ones to cherish forever. I am going back this winter to ski again.

I went kayaking a few weeks ago through a program offered through Spaulding Rehab.?It was a beautiful summer day in Topsfield, Massachusetts. I took my leg off and slipped into a sea kayak and paddled with a group down the Ipswich River for a two hour trip. I had previously paddled out at Walden Pond in Concord with the DCR Universal Access Program last summer, then again this year on the Charles River. Going kayaking is relaxing and has given me a chance to get back out on the water where I had spent many years growing up.

Through New England Disabled Sports and the Wounded Warrior Project, I was able to go surfing recently at Hampton Beach, NH when civilians were allowed to join veterans for a day of fun and excitement. Feeling the sea spray in my face was refreshing and exciting. Surfers and surf shops and dozens of volunteers all came together to make this a memorable day. What a great day of fun and making new memories!

Through DCR I have found many opportunities to have fun, recently going horseback riding at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield. I wore my prosthesis and was able to mount and dismount easily. Although I would have liked to have been able to ride without a lead rein, I could understand the liability factor that made this necessary for the program. I grew up with horses, had my first pony at the age of 6, and always had a horse until I left home for college. As an experienced rider it was a bit tame for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The staff were helpful and I was reminded of my years on my farm and a summer spent out west on ranches?in?Montana and Wyoming.
I found a pal to join me in taking on these adventures, another above-the-knee amputee. Together we search for websites and notices about activities to participate in. We are finding that there are more resources available now than ever before. These organizations keep the costs low so that they are accessible to just about everyone who wants to participate. My friend and I recently went out to Orange, MA, to go skydiving. At 13,000 feet, jumping tandem with an experienced instructor, I soared like an eagle, feeling free and light. After almost a minute of freefall, I pulled the ripcord and we floated to the ground. We are planning to go back this fall.
In all my adventures, my family has been right there by my side cheering me on. They know the heartache and grief that I have experienced, and while challenging myself can't bring my husband back, they understand that it serves to heal my heart. My kids know their Dad always pushed me to succeed, and that in accomplishing success I am honoring his memory in a very real way. They are happy for me as my life unfolds. My brother and sisters encourage me to keep my energy directed at the future. Without family I wouldn't have such a wonderful support system.

I lead an amputee support group out of Cornell Orthotics and Prosthetics in Beverly, MA, where I got my prosthesis. It has grown from 3 people last November to more than 30 amputees today. We meet monthly and I am constantly on the phone, visiting rehab centers, homes and hospitals, and looking for speakers. This is a wonderful opportunity to give something back and share my blessings. I am in charge of creating my own path, my own memories, my own destiny. I couldn't feel more blessed!

Posie can be reached at posie_m@verizon.net

Source: http://everyoneoutdoors.blogspot.com/2012/09/recreating-oneself-via-recreation.html

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Jessica Espinoza Goes Pink for X Factor Audition


Jessica Espinoza is only 22 years old. She's unemployed. She grew up in difficult, poor circumstances on the south side of San Antonio.

In other words: this hopeful definitely possessed the sort of sympathetic backstory producers look for on The X Factor. But could she provide the vocals that would take her to the next round?

You tell us, THG readers: Watch Espinoza belt out a version of Pink's "Nobody Knows" and decide if you'd want to see more of her on the Fox competition...

How would you compare Espinoza to a pair of other Wednesday evening standouts, CeCe Frey and Diamond White?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/09/jessica-espinoza-goes-pink-for-x-factor-audition/

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NFL replacement officials affecting Vegas bets

Las Vegas casinos think this weekend's NFL games will be the highest-scoring ever thanks to the league's replacement officials.

Oddsmakers say casinos are changing their expectations as interim referees add new variables to the game, changing its pace and the approaches taken by players and coaches.

Casinos haven't fully changed lines yet because there have been only two weeks of games and referees might adjust how they call games based on weekly feedback from the league. But oddsmaker Mike Colbert of Cantor Gaming says home teams will deserve an extra half-point in their favor if games are called all year the way they were officiated in Week 2.

"It's starting to concern us a bit," Colbert said. "(Officials) should have no influence on the total or the side."

Penalties were skewed in favor of home teams during the first two weeks this year, with visitors getting 55.1 percent of 419 penalties. Last year began in a similar fashion? visitors took 54.8 percent of 407 total penalties through the first two games ? before evening out over the rest of the season. Penalties were relatively even between home and road teams for all of 2010 and 2011, and it's anybody's guess how this year's penalties will split.

Sports books make money by encouraging balanced betting action; they get it by using point spreads to account for the advantage one team has over another. In Week 2, home teams went 11-4-1 after going 8-8 in Week 1.

Future lines with interim officials will take a lot of guesswork, said Colbert, whose company runs sports books in six Las Vegas casinos and provides betting lines for the vast majority of Nevada sports books.

"You've got to use prior experience ? I don't know if anyone has prior experience with something like this," he said.

NFL teams generally get a 3-point edge in sports books just for playing at home. An extra half-point added to that would be the equivalent of a team having a superstar receiver or running back on the field or an opponent missing its star because of injury, gambling expert RJ Bell of Pregame.com said.

"That's a strong statement that the people are really considering this to be a legitimate phenomenon," Bell said. "When you're taking hundreds of thousands of dollars per game, those half-points are really meaningful."

In the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl earlier this year, oddsmakers said Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski would shift the line a half-point depending on whether he appeared in the game. He played but caught only two passes in the loss to the Giants.

Public perception makes a big difference in a sports betting world built on complex math and opinion markets ? even if popular opinions don't entirely match what's happening on the field.

Statistically, there were few differences from last year in the way the first two weeks of this season were called. The average number of penalties is down and player safety calls like roughing the passer have been about the same. But defensive pass interference calls are up; there were 44 defensive pass interference calls in the first two weeks this year compared with 30 in the first two weeks last year. And games are taking about six minutes longer on average.

Casinos expect an average of 46.1 points scored per game for Week 3 ? the highest projected total ever for Vegas casinos, Bell said.

Bell said the jump can't just be another sign of a pass-happy league with rules designed to foster offense.

"What else has changed other than the referees," he said.

SportsBettingOnline.ag, a Costa Rica company that takes bets online, is taking referee bets directly to fans, allowing them to wager on different kinds of penalties league-wide, including the number of pass interference calls, how long games will last and whether home teams will take fewer penalties than visitors. Online sports gambling is illegal in the United States, and such bets wouldn't likely fly in Las Vegas.

Colbert said Cantor plans to allow bettors to wager for the first time ever on total points for the entire league. The over/under line was set to open Thursday morning at 732.5 points, an average of 45.8 points per game.

Colbert said that while it's high, it's lower than the totals of each of 16 games added up, in part because he thinks some casinos are overreacting to the referees and inflated their numbers.

But he said that might not matter to bettors, who notoriously love high scores.

"My gut instinct is they'll bet over," he said.

___

Oskar Garcia can be reached on Twitter on http://twitter.com/oskargarcia .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nfl-replacement-officials-affecting-vegas-bets-074402912--nfl.html

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Why Do People Go through Self Help Books? | http://digifranch.nl

It is an interesting conundrum why technological and social studies are constantly telling all of us that our standard of living is currently better than ever. And yet at the same time we are also swamped with health scares and information to claim that the population is, more often than not, becoming increasingly unhealthy.

With good blood pressure and heart problems on the rise, doctors constantly attribute our health troubles to the stress of every day life. This suggests that while our lifestyles could have improved over the years, it is the quality with which we look after ourselves that is deteriorating.

And for all of the marvels of modern science, it?s with increasing regularity that we are turning to holistic and alternative therapies for solutions. This is evidenced inside the growing industry associated with ?Self Help.? As there is no hard and fast definition of what the term self help describes, thematically it could be said to add a mixture of personal development and popular psychology.

It merely requires a simple browse through any local book store and you will probably undoubtedly come across a stuffed section of self help books, stuffed with no end of games across a multitude of parts. However, even though the concerns covered may be vast and varied, the actual motivation behind this kind of purchases inevitably is placed with a fundamental requirement of self improvement, often which has a desire to deepen someone?s philosophical understanding of one?s self.

So what are the topics protected by such self help reading materials? Common sub-genres tend to include business self help, personal wellbeing, life coaching along with wealth creation.

From these areas you can see that self help guides are not used simply for self reflection and introspection, but in addition for guidance in managing our professional existence, relationships with others and also overcoming physical in addition to mental barriers like fighting addictions as well as overcoming phobias.

For example, there are any number of self help headings that are written to resolve specific problems, like how to quit smoking and ways to lose weight. While these kinds of books may carry an underlying pop mindsets to their strategies, additionally, they sit alongside a number of much weightier material which seek to establish an entire change regarding thinking in the audience?s outlook. Methods and techniques employed by these much more philosophical readings are often told either from an individual point of view, for instance a business person relating advice on how to live your life to become an achievement, or else they might divulge techniques relating to neuro linguistic programming (nlp) as a means involving practical implication.

In essence that self help books and also the industry at large can?t solve anyone?s troubles single-handedly. There will always be motivational elements, willpower and perhaps even the belief that what you really are being told will in reality help bring about change to facilitate the process. There is no quick-fix to any singular problem. However, because of this blossoming industry, there is now a lot of literature to report it.

For more information about Self Help please visit the website.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2012 at 16:30 and is filed under Ideeën. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. -->

Source: http://digifranch.nl/09/why-do-people-go-through-self-help-books/

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    Health Reminder: Lesson 2. Take these pills. They will turn you into the person you are supposed to be. They have no flavour. This is a sequel to HEALTH REMINDER. Just by watching this video, you will be healed of any problems you have in your life. If you don't have any problems, then now is a good time to start looking for them. You got a problem buddy? Wanna make something of it? Watch the original if you haven't seen it already. Follow me on twitter for health updates and remedies http://www.twitter.com/david_firth Go to my site for all natural medicines http://www.fat-pie.com and subscribe to me for prescriptions and information.
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    Fox 25 Commercials (March 1992) (Volume 39)

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    I've made commercial videos in the past, but this is the official installment of my commercial volumes. I'll take you through the journey of 90s commercial from 1991-1996. Here we go. Here are a string of commercials that aired on Fox 25 in March '92: 1. Promo for "Jane" 2. 50 Great Moments In Opera (this is some great stuff...anyone know the name of the song at 1:54?) 3. Promo for "Paul Rodriguez" 4. Fretter 5. Maaco 6. 1992 Toyota Camry 7. Boston Celtics Basketball (Boston vs. Orlando) 8. Robitussin 9. Aspirin Free Anacin 10. McCain French Fries 11. Skittles 12. Super Cuts (geez someone's picky) 13. Home Furniture Discounts 14. CLR 15. Baby Ruth (what a great commercial, from the jingle to the concept of it) 16. Super Cuts (Did he say he's not a fussy customer?...yet he wants all that) 17. Lacrosse (Boston vs. Buffalo) 18. Pennzoil 19. Promo for "World's Greatest Stunts III"
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World?s most powerful digital camera opens eye, records first images in hunt for dark energy

ScienceDaily (Sep. 17, 2012) ? Eight billion years ago, rays of light from distant galaxies began their long journey to Earth. That ancient starlight has now found its way to a mountaintop in Chile, where the newly-constructed Dark Energy Camera, the most powerful sky-mapping machine ever created, has captured and recorded it for the first time.

That light may hold within it the answer to one of the biggest mysteries in physics -- why the expansion of the universe is speeding up.

Scientists in the international Dark Energy Survey collaboration announced this week that the Dark Energy Camera, the product of eight years of planning and construction by scientists, engineers, and technicians on three continents, has achieved first light. The first pictures of the southern sky were taken by the 570-megapixel camera on Sept. 12.

"The achievement of first light through the Dark Energy Camera begins a significant new era in our exploration of the cosmic frontier," said James Siegrist, associate director of science for high energy physics with the U.S. Department of Energy. "The results of this survey will bring us closer to understanding the mystery of dark energy, and what it means for the universe."

The Dark Energy Camera was constructed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, and mounted on the Victor M. Blanco telescope at the National Science Foundation's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, which is the southern branch of the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). With this device, roughly the size of a phone booth, astronomers and physicists will probe the mystery of dark energy, the force they believe is causing the universe to expand faster and faster.

"The Dark Energy Survey will help us understand why the expansion of the universe is accelerating, rather than slowing due to gravity," said Brenna Flaugher, project manager and scientist at Fermilab. "It is extremely satisfying to see the efforts of all the people involved in this project finally come together."

The Dark Energy Camera is the most powerful survey instrument of its kind, able to see light from over 100,000 galaxies up to 8 billion light years away in each snapshot. The camera's array of 62 charged-coupled devices has an unprecedented sensitivity to very red light, and along with the Blanco telescope's large light-gathering mirror (which spans 13 feet across), will allow scientists from around the world to pursue investigations ranging from studies of asteroids in our own Solar System to the understanding of the origins and the fate of the universe.

"We're very excited to bring the Dark Energy Camera online and make it available for the astronomical community through NOAO's open access telescope allocation," said Chris Smith, director of the Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory. "With it, we provide astronomers from all over the world a powerful new tool to explore the outstanding questions of our time, perhaps the most pressing of which is the nature of dark energy."

Scientists in the Dark Energy Survey collaboration will use the new camera to carry out the largest galaxy survey ever undertaken, and will use that data to carry out four probes of dark energy, studying galaxy clusters, supernovae, the large-scale clumping of galaxies and weak gravitational lensing. This will be the first time all four of these methods will be possible in a single experiment.

The Dark Energy Survey is expected to begin in December, after the camera is fully tested, and will take advantage of the excellent atmospheric conditions in the Chilean Andes to deliver pictures with the sharpest resolution seen in such a wide-field astronomy survey. In just its first few nights of testing, the camera has already delivered images with excellent and nearly uniform spatial resolution.

Over five years, the survey will create detailed color images of one-eighth of the sky, or 5,000 square degrees, to discover and measure 300 million galaxies, 100,000 galaxy clusters and 4,000 supernovae.

The Dark Energy Survey is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy; the National Science Foundation; funding agencies in the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Germany and Switzerland; and the participating DES institutions.

More information about the Dark Energy Survey, including the list of participating institutions, is available at the project website: www.darkenergysurvey.org.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/hAkNWkmg9bc/120917104651.htm

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100% The Invisible War

Kirby Dick is a documentary filmmaker known for picking fights with powerful institutions that operate in secrecy. In the Oscar-nominated Twist of Faith, he scrutinized the abuses of the Catholic Church covering up for sexual predators. In 2006's This Film is Not Yet Rated, he hunted down the then-unknown members of the MPAA ratings board and delivered an overwhelming critique of their ratings hypocrisies. With The Invisible War, Dick has taken on a subject that's even more powerful. The Invisible War, which won some awards at the Sundance film festival, examines the rampant numbers of sexual assaults and rape within the military. Through extensive, emotionally draining interviews and enraging statistics, Dick shows that most of the victims, when courageous enough to report their abuse, are met with skepticism, contempt, and injustice. One interview subject says that being raped isn't what makes her angry the most: "It's the commanders that were complicit in covering up everything that happened." This is a shocking, sobering, and eye-opening documentary that deserves to be seen by every American. You owe it to the brave men and women who serve this country, to see this movie. The ugly truth needs to come out and be finally dealt with. The upsetting statistics of sexual abuse within the military come from the Department of Defense, not an advocacy group, but our own government. Here are some of the most devastating stats: -20 percent of all women in the military have been sexually assaulted and/or raped while serving. -Women are twice as likely to be raped in the military rather than outside it. -Military sexual assault/rape victims have a higher rate of PTSD than soldiers who have fought in combat. This is a profoundly revolting, morally repugnant, and infuriating story presented with damning testimonials clear-eyed logic. When I left the theater, I was radiating unquenchable fury. You could have harnessed my rage as an alternative resource. A lot of people blithely say they support the troops but we as a nation are letting these brave men and women down. The system is letting these people down, protecting rapists, training them to be better rapists, and then setting them loose upon the civilian population to continue their heinous crimes (it's estimated the average sexual predator commits 300 acts in his or her lifetime). Listening to these heartbreaking stories can be grueling, but it is vital to listen. The women speak with such candor and bravery, befitting those ready to lay down their lives out of service for this country. But lest you believe this is merely a "women's issue," the film has a few interviews with male victims as well. With men outnumbering women six to one in the military, men are the majority of the victims of sexual abuse, a fact I doubt many would have known. As the experts attest, for an organization that rewards machismo, the shame for men can be compounded by the rampant homophobia within the American military culture. It's sadly understandable that so many of the interview subjects contemplated or attempted suicide. "Suicide or AWOL, those are your only two real options," a military investigator laments. According to TIME's investigative report, one Iraq and/or Afghanistan veteran commits suicide every day in America. Now remember that stat above concerning PTSD, and think about what the suicide rate must be like for victims of sexual abuse. One military man, husband to a rape victim, breaks down in sobs recounting his phone call for help while he tried to stop his wife from taking her own life. Watching proud, grown men break down into tears when they try and make sense of their institution harming their wives or daughters, it's heartbreaking all its own. These veterans would not advise any woman to consider a career in the military, not when this is the sorry state of justice. These victims were often handled with apathetic, callous, or downright hostile behavior, often being blamed for being attacked. These victims risked their careers to report their abuses, expecting some semblance of justice, and many times they were simply ignored or punished for "making waves." One interview subject talks about how her commanding officer related that he had heard about three rape accusations that week and incredulously asked if the women were all in cahoots. One woman was raped and then charged with adultery; she wasn't married but her rapist was, though he was never brought up on charges. Dick's documentary lays a clear argument that giving the commanding officers, people often without any legal training whatsoever, the power to prosecute cases leads to plenty of ignored abuses. In 2010, the military reported 3,158 reports of sexual abuse (remember that 80 percent of cases generally go unreported), but only one-sixth of those cases lead to a court martial and only 175 of the assailants served jail time. And when they do serve jail time, it's often knocked down to mere weeks. That way, the convicted serviceman doesn't get charged with a felony. This also means when they leave the military, the convicted sexual offender does not have to register with a national sex offender database. When investigations do arise, they are routinely stonewalled. What emerges from this inflammatory documentary is that the command's response wasn't to protect the victims but to protect the accused, time and again. These commanders are supposed to be objective and impartial arbitrators, but this is hardly the case. It's all about saving face, and a commander looks bad when he has a rapist in his unit, so rather than expel and punish the rapist, the military often drops the case and punishes the victim. Sometimes the commanding officer the victims are supposed to report the abuse to was in fact the perpetrator. In those instances, the victims have no possible path to justice. Major General Mary Kay Kellogg, Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (DOSAPRO), said victims could appeal to the Defense Department's Attorney General, hence going over their commander's head. Except that of the almost 3,000 cases sent to the DOD AG, not a single case was ever prosecuted. Kellogg also absurdly suggests that victims petition their Congressman. Just imagine a civilian being raped and told, "Better ask your Congressman if you want justice." The response to the systemic abuses has been ineffectual. The military response was to raise awareness, not sift out rapists from the ranks and protect their own soldiers from sexual predators. The ad campaign to raise awareness is jaw-dropping, with slogans like, "Wait til she's sober," and a horrendously ear-splitting rap song about sexual assault prevention. It's so bad you can almost feel the seething resentment of the military. There's also an informative video with a dramatization of a woman, fleeing helplessly after a man tries to touch her (the fact that this dramatization makes the woman look silly is intentional, me thinks). This woman runs into another serviceman who admonishes her, "Where's your buddy?" The implication is that women should know that they can be raped at any time unless accompanied by a buddy. Does this not imply that every man in the military is capable of rape at the drop of a hat? And what if that buddy ends up being your rapist? The military builds a greater sense of camaraderie, and the men and women in uniform feel like a family. As one interview subject notes, when one soldier rapes another, it is akin to a crime of incest, a betrayal of that family. One victim was told she brought on the sexual harassment because of what she was wearing... which just happened to be her military uniform. Dick's film is obviously advocating a very specific side, but who cares about the idea of presenting balance given the subject? The Department of Defense spokespersons and their rote, officious responses are edited for some major points of baffled, incredulous laughter, as we contrast their company line with the testimonials of the men and women they failed to protect. Again, I return to the notion that not every story has two sides. What exactly is the other side in this epidemic of abuses? What possibly could the merits of the other side be, the status quo? This is not just some anti-military screed. In fact, many of the participants speak so highly of the ideals of the military, the duty to serve, and their genuine feelings of belonging to these hallowed institutions. This makes their disillusionment all the more distressing. Almost every interview subject has a military background, some discharged and some retired, and the movie presents its claims with clear, level evidence. The testimonials are so damming, the abuses so clearly documented, the obfuscation from justice so repeatedly maintained, that I cannot even fathom a second side to this story. When it comes to sexual assault, there is only one side to this issue. Dick also doesn't overplay the obvious emotional appeals in the film. There is plenty, but he doesn't sensationalize the drama or amplify the emotions in a self-serving manner. Instead, the film looks to clearly examine a systematic problem. Rather than deal only with potent outrage, Dick's film is also a call to action with some strong ideas on how to better protect the victims of sexual abuses. Set up an independent system of justice outside of the commanders' control, and work on preventing rapists from joining the military rather than cutting down the possibilities of how women can be raped. How about we punish the guilty party? Last year, a group of veterans who had been sexually abused, initiated a class-action lawsuit against the military. This suit was dismissed by the court because, in their words, rape was an "occupational hazard of military service." Reread that sentence again. Let it sink in. Now ask yourself is that at all acceptable given the values we profess for our country? The culture within the military is simply that rape and sexual abuses are just not that big of a deal (a Congresswoman admits that the Defense AG told her they have "other, higher priorities" to worry about), and so it all continues. The implication is that for the military to function, you're going to have to excuse some excess, that excess being an estimated 30,000 sexual assaults a year. I'd like the military brass to explain to me what number would be unacceptable. How prevalent do these abuses need to be before proper action is taken, and not some facile PR, face-saving empty gesture, but something real? To me, one rape is one too many. Dick's excoriating advocacy documentary is powerful, furious, but sensitive to the victims and their horrifying ordeals. It declares that we can and should do better. In April, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta watched The Invisible War and two days later made some changes. He took the decision to prosecute away from the commanders. It's a start, but there's a long way to go to fixing the military's patronizing view of women. The movie opens with a series of advertisements targeted at women through the years, and the treatment is astoundingly patronizing and the film's only spot of bleak humor. At one point, one of the victims asks if she and her fellow victims hypothetically deserve purple hearts for being wounded in battle too. "We're never going to get anything," another replies. These victims deserve recognition and justice, which has long been denied them. You won't see a more challenging, infuriating, and compelling documentary of this year. It's hard to watch at many points, and I cried at five separate occasions, but this is a movie that needs to be watched. I invite all readers to visit the Not Invisible site and consider joining the advocacy of this noble cause. You say you support the troops? Prove it. Nate's Grade: A

August 26, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_invisible_war/

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Foreign workers dead in Kabul airport suicide blast

Omar Sobhani / Reuters

Afghan security personnel investigate at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Sept. 18. A suicide bomber blew up a mini-bus carrying foreign and local contract workers near Kabul airport, with at least nine bodies lying near the wreckage, a Reuters witness at the scene said.

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By NBC News staff and wire services

Updated at 5:28 a.m. ET: A suicide bomber attacked a minibus near Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people including eight foreign civilians working for an international aviation company, according to reports citing local officials.

Afghan militants claimed responsibility, saying the attack was carried out by a young female in retaliation for a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad.

Five of the victims were from South Africa, General Abdul Zahir, director of the local?Criminal Investigation Department, told NBC News.


Reuters reported that the eight foreign workers were a mixture of?South Africans and Russians working for international aviation company ACS. Unidentified?police sources put the total death toll higher than the local officials, saying 12 had died.

The attack underscored growing anger in Afghanistan over the film, which has enraged much of the Muslim world and led to the killing last week of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

US-Afghan military operations suspended after attacks

Thousands of protesters clashed with police in the Afghan capital on Monday, burning cars and hurling rocks at security forces in the worst outbreak of demonstration-related violence since rioting in February over the inadvertent burning of Qurans by U.S. soldiers.

The death toll from the suicide attack was the highest on foreigners in the city since April 2011 when an Afghan air force pilot gunned down eight U.S. military flight instructors and an American civilian adviser after an argument at Kabul International Airport.

Crowds of angry protesters showed up in Kabul, Afghanistan and Jakarta, Indonesia. The violent uprising followed a deadly weekend marking the deaths of eight International Security Assistance Force members. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.

Haroon Zarghoon, a spokesman for Hizb-i-Islami -- a?radical militant group that shares some of the Taliban's anti-foreigner, anti-government aims -- told the Associated Press that the attack was carried out by a 22-year-old woman named Fatima. However, the AP noted that?suicide bombings carried out by women are extremely rare in Afghanistan ? and few if any women drive cars.?

Another spokesman for the group,?Zubair Sediqqi, told Reuters:?"A woman wearing a suicide vest blew herself up in response to the anti-Islam video."

Zahir told NBC News there was no way of?confirming yet if the bomber was a male or female.

Reuters cited unidentified police sources saying the bomber was a woman, possibly?driving a Toyota Corolla car rigged with explosives, which she triggered.

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Local photojournalist Massoud Hossaini who posted a picture of the blast scene on Twitter, said all the foreign bodies he saw were "without any uniform."

Protesters in Kabul and several other Asian cities have vented their fury over the film at the United States, blaming it for what they see as an attack on Islam. The outcry saddles U.S. President Barack Obama with an unexpected foreign policy headache as he campaigns for re-election in November. His administration has condemned the film as reprehensible and disgusting.

In response to the violence in Benghazi, Libya, where U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed, and elsewhere lastweek, the United States has sent ships, extra troops and specialforces to protect U.S. interests and citizens in the Middle East, while a number of its embassies have evacuated staff and are on high alert for trouble.

The identity of those directly responsible for the film remains unclear.

Clips posted online since July have been attributed to a man named Sam Bacile, which two people connected with the film have said was probably an alias.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, a Coptic Christian widely linked to the film in media reports, was questioned in California on Saturday by U.S. authorities investigating possible violations of his probation for a bank fraud conviction.

NBC News producer?Akbar Shinwari in Kabul,?Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/18/13927553-foreign-workers-killed-in-suicide-attack-on-minibus-near-kabul-airport

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Travel and Leisure: Summer Time in Courmayeur - Harris Kelly 67's ...

If you are one of those hearty souls who look out for adventurous holiday destinations that allow you the chance to stretch your legs and get outdoors in beautiful settings, then you should consider taking the easy 100-kilometre trip from Geneva to Courmayeur.

Courmayeur is located in the northern part of Italy, at the foot of Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in western Europe. The town shares the administration of the mountain with its French neighbours St Gervais Mont Blanc, who can actually claim the title of "highest town in Europe". During the winter months, Courmayeur is known for its fantastic skiing and it shares glacial ski access of the Vallee Blanche with another French neighbour, Chamonix. But if you are not a fan of the cold winter months, then don't worry, a summertime trip from Geneva to Courmayeur is simple and opens up a world of hiking and biking.

Hiking

On the journey from Geneva to Courmayeur, it is the last town before the Mont Blanc tunnel, and it is a great location if you want to get in some hiking in the warm summer months. Not only does staying here offer you the option of going hiking or climbing up the face of Mont Blanc, it also provides a range of hikes that last from two hours to many days and cover a variety of skill levels and difficulty. While here, you certainly need to try some of the local hikes such as the Gran Paradiso, trekking the Alta Via Dei Giganti, or any of the 280 kilometres of mountain trails for summer hiking.

Mountain Biking

Much like the hiking trails that so many travel from Geneva to Courmayeur for, the mountain biking circuit here is rich with diversity. You can rent your bikes in the town and hit the Aosta Valley to find your perfect trail.

If you want something that is challenging, then try the Mont Blanc tour by mountain bike which takes you on a demanding 230 kilometre trip with 8,500 vertical metres to climb (during the course of the ride) over one mountain and three countries. Likewise, you can take a mountain biking tour of the Gran Combin, which will take you along the border of Italy and Switzerland and covers three hills, which range from 2500 to 2800 metres, on a trail that is 125 kilometres long. If you are one of the ultra-active souls that wants to combine a bit of biking and climbing then book a trip through Gran Paradiso National park by mountain bike, where you will take the trails and arrive at the mountain face where you then lose the bike and climb the 4,061 metre mountain using traditional climbing gear. But if you like to bike but want a more gentle [and gentile] route, then there are rolling hills and plenty of vineyard trails to ride that lead between the picturesque towns and green valleys that don't feature the daunting vertical climbs.

Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct. If you're looking for Geneva to Courmeyeur transfer, Shuttle Direct provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don't miss your car on your holiday abroad.

Source: http://documentthesilence.blogspot.com/2012/09/summer-time-in-courmayeur.html

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Source: http://harriskelly67.typepad.com/blog/2012/09/travel-and-leisure-summer-time-in-courmayeur.html

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