Riparian buffers are a best management practice utilized extensively in the protection of freshwater ecosystems from agriculturally-generated nitrate (NO3-) pollution [1, 2]. While there are several routes for NO3- removal from riparian buffer zones, denitrification is thought to serve as the primary mechanism [3, 4]. Denitrification is the biological reduction of NO3- or nitrite (NO2-) under anoxic conditions to either nitrous oxide (N2O) or dinitrogen (N2) gases. This process is achieved through the following series of enzymatic steps: NO3NO2NON2ON2 ; the resultant gases are then permanently removed from the ecosystem. However, despite this vast knowledge of the relationship between riparian buffers and denitrification, there is a paucity of information in regards to riparian buffer microbial community composition. Equally lacking is an understanding of the relationships between these microbial communities and the biological processes – such as denitrification – that occur within the riparian buffer.
Earlier studies suggested a relationship between microbial community composition and denitrification in agricultural soils [6, 7]. Likewise, Martin et al. and Rich and Myrold examined microbial community composition and denitrification in riparian buffer soils [8, 9]. However, none of these studies were performed in riparian buffers adjacent to areas heavily NO3- loaded. Riparian buffers located next to fields receiving high NO3- loads are of particular importance because riparian buffers have a higher propensity for nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions [10-12]. Emissions of N2O, a potent greenhouse gas, play a critical role in the climate change discussion due to its ability to degrade stratospheric ozone . Therefore, in order to better understand denitrification and N2O emissions in riparian soils receiving high loads of nitrate, it is important to examine the microbial community composition of these soils. Such studies would provide insight into whether microbial community composition exerts direct control on the denitrification process and emission of N2O.
While denitrifiers make up a sizeable portion of soil microbial communities (up to 5%) , culturing techniques are rarely able to identify greater than 1% of an environments microbial content . To counter the problems with culturing methods, 16S rDNA gene sequencing is routinely used to provide descriptive overviews of complex microbial communities, something that is currently lacking in the analysis of riparian buffers. Likewise, the use of quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) using primers specific for genes involved in microbial processes allows for the quantification of specific groups of microbial organisms in a variety of ecosystems without the need for culturing.
In this study we examined the microbial communities of a riparian buffer located adjacent to a heavily loaded swine wastewater spray field. Our objectives for this study were to: 1) characterize the microbial populations found in the soils of this riparian buffer zone; and, 2) determine if differences in microbial community structure could be linked to denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) rates.
The riparian zone studied was located on an unnamed tributary within the Herrings Marsh Run (HMR) watershed. The HMR is a 23.6 km2 watershed located in the coastal plain region of Duplin County, North Carolina. The taxonomic classes of the soils varied throughout the riparian zone and are typical of those found of the Coastal Plain (Table 1). The riparian zone had a variable width of 5 to 30 meters and a stream span of 200 meters. The riparian landscape was split into two portions: 1) a restored riparian zone (see RRZ, Fig. 1) located closest to the swine wastewater spray field; and 2) a natural riparian zone (see NRZ, Fig. 1) containing native vegetation located on the opposite side of the stream . The site is more fully described in Hunt et al. (2004). The restored riparian landscape was used to minimize the effect of surface and ground water outflows from a coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) pasture irrigated with swine lagoon effluent which was located upslope (see SWSF, Fig. 1).
A schematic of the experimental site including swine wastewater spray field (SWSF), restored riparian zone (RRZ), natural riparian zone (NRZ), stream, and soil sampling sites.
Rarefaction curves from the three riparian buffer zone transects analyzed in this study.
Taxonomic breakdown of classified 16S rDNA gene sequences from riparian buffer zone.
Neighbor-joining tree of α-Proteobacteria. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of γ-Proteobacteria. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of β-Proteobacteria. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of δ-Proteobacteria. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of Acidobacteria. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of Planctomycetes. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of other taxonomic groups. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of Actinobacteria. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of Firmicutes. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Neighbor-joining tree of Bacteroidetes. The frequency (%) of which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of the bootstrap replicates.
Soil samples were collected from four sites on three transects (three sites in the restored riparian zone and one site in the natural riparian zone) in October 2006. Soil surface samples (5 cm diameter, 15 cm depth) were collected in triplicate. Samples were placed in plastic bags, stored on ice, transported to the laboratory, and stored overnight at 4°C. Total carbon and nitrogen were determined by analysis with a Model CN2000 analyzer (LECO, St. Joseph, MI). Soil pH and EC values were determined using a 1:2 ratio of soil to deionized water and measured with an AP50 pH/Ion/Conductivity meter (Denver Instrument Company, Arvada, CO).
Denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) was measured by the acetylene blockage method  as modified by Hunt . All analyses were performed in triplicate runs, with each run containing two bottles per sample. Bottles measuring incomplete denitrification, received 5 mL of chloramphenicol (1 g L-1) to inhibit protein synthesis, whereas bottles measuring total denitrification, received 5 mL of chloramphenicol (1 g L-1) as well as 15 mL acetylene (produced from calcium carbide) to block denitrification at the nitrous oxide phase addition. Rates of N2O accumulation were expressed on a dry soil weight basis.
DNA from each site was extracted from 1.0 g of soil using a SoilMaster DNA Extraction Kit (Epicentre, Madison, WI) according to manufacturer specifications. This extraction was further treated to remove the PCR-inhibiting, humic acid contaminants. To this end, the entire SoilMaster prep was concentrated to a total volume of 50 µl, mixed with 6 µl DNA loading buffer (20% w/v sucrose, 0.01% w/v Orange G), and run on a 0.5% agarose gel for 45 minutes. The gel was stained with SYBR Safe to visualize the DNA, excised from the gel, and purified using an UltraClean GelSpin DNA Extraction Kit (MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., Carlsbad, CA) according to manufacturer specifications. Final DNA quantity and quality were determined via Biophotometer (Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany), and electrophoresis on a 1% agarose gel stained with SYBR Safe (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA).
Primers used for 16S rDNA gene library construction are listed in Table 2. DNA sequences were analyzed and edited using Geneious (version 4.5.4, Biomatters Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand, ). Chimeric sequences were identified using the programs CHECK_CHIMERA  and Bellerophon . Sequence alignments were performed using the MUSCLE plugin of Geneious , and manually verified. The 16S rDNA gene sequences were compared to sequences in the GenBank database by using BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Sequence Tool) . To determine their approximate taxonomical classifications, 16S rDNA gene sequences were analyzed at the Ribosomal Database Project using the Naïve Bayesian Classifier . Rarefaction curves were calculated using Analytic Rarefaction (version 1.3, ). Prior to regression analyses relative abundances were arcsine transformed to reduce skew . Phylogenetic reconstructions were performed in MEGA (version 4.0, ) using the neighbor-joining (NJ) algorithm, with bootstrap values calculated from 1,000 replicate runs. Evolutionary distances were computed using the Tajima-Nei method, and positions containing alignment gaps and missing data were eliminated only in pairwise sequence comparisons. For all figures of phylogenetic reconstructions, the frequency (%) with which a given branch was recovered in 1,000 bootstrap replications is shown above branches recovered in more than 65% of bootstrap replicates.
All qPCR assays were performed using the LightCycler 480 Real-Time PCR Detection System (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN). Abundances were measured using primers synthesized by Integrated DNA Technologies (Coralville, IA). Fragments of 16S, nirS, nirK and nosZ were amplified via qPCR using the primer pairs listed in Table 2. Assays were carried out using SYBR GreenER qPCR SuperMix (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) in a total volume of 25 µL. The final reaction concentration of reagents was as follows: 1X SYBR GreenER qPCR SuperMix; 200 nM each of forward and reverse primers; and 10 ng of DNA template. The qPCR reaction conditions were as follows: (1) an initial denaturation at 95°C for 5 min; (2) 50 cycles of denaturation at 95°C for 30 sec, an annealing temperature as indicated in Table 2 for 30 sec, and elongation at 72°C for 30 sec; (3) melting curve analysis to confirm amplification product specificity. Fluorescent measurements were taken during the annealing phase of each cycle. Data was collected and processed using the LightCycler 480 software package. All qPCR assays included control reactions without template. Each assay also contained appropriate standard DNA reactions with concentrations between 101 and 109 copies per reaction, and were used to calculate amplification efficiencies according to the equation: E = 10[-1/slope] . DNA standards consisted of plasmids carrying the appropriate target gene that were previously sequenced to confirm their identity and primer binding sites . Each assay was performed in triplicate, with duplicate measurements for each sample.
Prior to statistical analysis, all gene abundances were normalized to the amount of DNA collected per sample and log10 transformed. Corrections for copies per organisms were also factored into the final gene abundance rates, with 1 copy per organism for the denitrification genes nirK, nirS, and nosZ , and 3.6 copies per organism for the 16S rDNA gene . Linear regressions and other statistical analyses were performed using SAS version 9.2 (SAS Inst., Cary, NC). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) analyses were performed using PCORD version 6 (MJM Software, Gleneden Beach, OR). Use of phylogenetic data for NMS analyses were based on presence/absence, as opposed to relative abundance, of each genus.
Nucleotide sequences determined in this study have been deposited in the GenBank database under accession numbers KC786278 - KC786879.
Characteristics of the riparian buffer zone are displayed in Table 1. Soil taxonomy was typical of coastal plain soils, with three soil series classified: Autryville; Blanton; and Torhunta. Depth to the water table ranged from 168 centimeters at the highest point of the riparian buffer zone (T3S1) to 45 centimeters at the lowest points (T1S4, T2S2, and T2S3). Carbon and nitrogen ranged from 1.09 to 30.88% and 0.065 to 1.71% of total soil weight respectively, and carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratios were consistent, with a range of 16.9 to 22.3. The soils of all three transects were acidic, ranging from 3.69 to 5.67. Electrical conductivity ranged from 20.9 to 220 µS/cm.DEA was variable across the riparian buffer: incomplete DEA ranged from 0 to 172.5 ng N2O-N gm soil h-1; total DEA ranged from 0.9 to 610.4 N2O-N gm soil h-1. Previously Hunt et al. demonstrated that carbon, depth to water table, and nitrogen were the most highly correlated factors to DEA . Regression analysis of DEA against the riparian buffer zone physicochemical characteristics revealed that carbon was the most important factor for both incomplete (r2 = 0.799; P < 0.0001) and total (r2 = 0.930; P < 0.0001) DEA.
Soil microbial communities from each of the twelve sites were analyzed by PCR amplification of total DNA extracts with universal bacterial primers. For each of the twelve libraries obtained, a total of 96 clones were selected randomly for sequencing of the V4 and V5 regions of the 16S rDNA gene. A total of 1,152 clones were sequenced, 27 of which were omitted from the study after being identified as putative chimeras by CHIMERA_CHECK and Bellopheron, with an additional 17 removed as sequencing failures. Removal of redundant sequences (100% identity) from the same site only, identified a total of 986 novel, partial 16S rDNA sequences for use in downstream analysis. Comparison of clone sequences with GenBank using BLAST revealed sequence similarities between the ranges of 88 and 100 percent.
After processing, the partial 16S rDNA gene sequences were binned into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on a >97% sequence similarity to other sequences from the same sample site; this resulted in a total of 654 OTUs (Table 3). We opted for a >97% sequence similarity threshold for two reasons: first, it generally correlates with the 70% DNA-DNA hybridization binding criterion used as the gold standard to identify new bacterial species ; and second, it is a frequently used taxonomic threshold, allowing for comparison to other data sets. After generation of the OTUs, the bacterial libraries were analyzed down to the genus level. For all libraries the rarefaction curves failed to plateau, indicating that within these samples the number of sequenced clones failed to exhaust the microbial diversity (Fig.2). Phylogenetic comparison was also performed on all classifiable OTUs to closely related isolates (Fig. 4through 13).
The dominant bacterial division represented in the libraries was the Proteobacteria that accounted for 42.8% (280 of 654) of all OTUs (Fig. 3). When the Proteobacteria were categorized by subclass, the α- and γ- subclasses were the major constituents, accounting for 19.42% (127 OTUs; Fig. 4) and 13.00% (85 OTUs; Fig. 5) of all OTUs respectively. The β- (37 OTUs, 5.66%; Fig. 6) and δ- (24 OTUs, 3.67%; Fig. 7) proteobacterial OTUs were represented in lesser proportions. The identification of a large number of OTUs classified as α-Proteobacteria has been demonstrated in previous studies of acidic soils. Rheims et al. showed a high proportion of α-Proteobacteria from a peat bog , while McCaig et al. demonstrated a predominance of α-Proteobacteria in mildly acidic grasslands . These results are consistent with the riparian buffers acidic soils. Of the 127 OTUs classifiable to the α- subclass, 41 and 46 OTUs belonged to the orders Rhizobiales and Rhodospirillales respectively. Clones that composed OTUs with these classifications were found in 11 of the 12 sites, with T1S3 as the exception. Species within these orders have a wide range of phenotypic characteristics, from nitrogen fixation, to methanotrophy, to phototrophy .
The γ-Proteobacteria were predominantly represented by OTUs classified as belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae (33 OTUs) and the Xanthomonadaceae (21 OTUs). Of particular interest was the identification of Escherichia/Shigella-related OTUs from all sites in this study. It should be noted that the source of these organisms is presently unknown. Previous studies have shown that Escherichia/Shigella sp. can be found naturally, persist, and replicate in the soil [32, 33]. Additionally, Escherichia/Shigella species have also been isolated from a number of feral species highlighting anothe potential reservoir for these microorganisms. As a result, these OTUs may not be tied to the adjacent upslope swine wastewater spray field. While 16S rDNA sequencing is not a quantitative method, the sequences that compiled these OTUs were some the most identified clones throughout the study and therefore likely represent a sizeable proportion of the microbial community in these riparian soils.
Another finding of note was the identification of OTUs in half of the libraries that were closely related to obligate methanotrophs. A number of OTUs were classified as belonging to the α-proteobacterial order Methylocystaceae, which are Type II methanotrophs. These microbes utilize methane as their sole source for carbon and energy, which potentially allows them to serve as indicator organisms for methane generation in their environment. Supporting this observation are studies demonstrating that archaeal methanogens have been isolated in high numbers from the gastrointestinal tracts of swine . Thus, manure effluent may potentially serve as a reservoir of methanogens for the riparian buffer environment. Additionally, the often anoxic soil conditions found in riparian buffers are conducive to methanogenesis .
As a phylum amongst soil microbial communities, the Acidobacteria represent a ubiquitous and abundant group. This was reflected in our study where OTUs classified as Acidobacteria accounted for between 13 and 28% of all 12 libraries (Fig. 3), making them the second largest identified group of microbial organisms within these riparian soils behind the Proteobacteria. When dissected into subgroups, Gp1 (43 OTUs) and Gp2 (36 OTUs) accounted for the majority of the acidobacterial OTUs, followed by Gp3 (17 OTUs) and Gp6 (13 OTUs) (Fig. 8). Utilizing both clone libraries and pyrosequencing Jones et al. demonstrated that Gp1, Gp2, and Gp3 are three of the five most abundant acidobacterial subgroups within soil . Lee et al. likewise demonstrated the predominance of Gp1, Gp2, and Gp3 in pH 5.5, rhizosphere soils . Furthermore, Jones et al. revealed a negative correlation between the relative abundance of acidobacterial subgroups Gp1, Gp2, and Gp3 and soil pH . These results may explain the high rates of these particular subgroups in the acidic soils of this riparian buffer zone. Taxonomic studies aside, the Acidobacteria remain a poorly characterized group, from both an ecological and biochemical perspective. However their abundance indicates that they play a large role within the biogeochemistry of the riparian buffer zone .
sites (Fig. 10). All members of the PVC superphylum have been previously isolated from terrestrial ecosystems . Both Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia are considered one of nine major bacterial phyla associated with soil microbial community structure . The anammox bacteria, so called for their ability to anaerobically oxidize ammonia, are a monophyletic group within the Planctomycetes . This study failed to find any OTUs that represented organisms capable of performing the anammox reaction. It should be noted however that these microbes are obligate anaerobes and their absence may be the product of the shallow sampling depths employed in this study; a hypothesis supported by the isolation of anammox isolates from landlocked anaerobic lagoons within the same watershed . It is hypothesized that these anaerobic lagoons provide conditions suitable for the cultivation and activity of these organisms .
OTUs classified as Actinobacteria (high G+C Gram-positive; Fig. 11) were represented in all libraries, with a range of relative abundances between 1.5 (T2S2) and 15.9% (T2S1) (Fig. 3). Firmicutes (low G+C Gram-positive; Fig. 12) and Bacteroidetes (Fig. 13) were represented by OTUs in 10 and 11 of the 12 libraries respectively (Fig. 3). Rarer OTUs that classified to the Chloroflexi/Thermomicrobia, Deferribacteres, Gemmatimonadetes, Nitrospira, OP10, Spirochaetes, and TM7 divisions were dispersed throughout the libraries (Fig. 10). For the Firmicutes-associated OTUs, approximately two-thirds (18 out of 29) classified to the order Clostridiales. For OTUs classified as Bacteroidetes, the majority (19 out of 39) classified as Sphingobacteriaceae.
When examining the microbial community structure of the riparian buffer zone in the context of denitrification, only the phylum Proteobacteria, taken as a whole, showed a statistically significant, positive relationship with both incomplete (r2 = 0.43, P = 0.02) and total denitrification (r2 = 0.62, P = 0.002). This was not altogether surprising given that in one study, the α-, β-, and γ-Proteobacteria represented 88% of the species (out of 344 total) harboring functional denitrification genes . Therefore one could reasonably predict that an increase in the relative abundance of microorganisms commonly identified with denitrification would result in a concomitant increase in denitrification potential. It should be noted however that this observation was dependent upon grouping the proteobacterial subclasses together; when taken individually, no statistically significant relationship could be found. This may relate into what Cao et al. referred to as a "functionally complementary" link between denitrifier subcommunities within an overall population, each of which become active under different environmental conditions . Since the denitrification enzyme assay produces an ideal environment for denitrification activity, differences in natural behavior (i.e., temporal gene regulation) between these subcommunities may have been masked.
Additionally, spatial analysis using nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) revealed that soil series played a role in the microbial community structure of the studied riparian buffer zone (Fig. 14). Sites composed of the Torhunta soil series clustered separately from sites composed of Autryville and Blanton soils. This mirrored DEA results where the three Torhunta soils exhibited the highest incomplete (iDEA) and total (tDEA) denitrification enzyme activity. Three of the four soils with high DEA rates correspond to sites located in the natural riparian zone (NRZ; Fig. 1) area. These sites are separated from the restored riparian zone (RRZ; Fig. 1) by a stream, and are closer to a field planted with row crops as opposed to the swine wastewater spray field. That eight of the nine remaining plots located in the RRZ – with the exception of T2S2 as a "hot spot" – all have low rates of both iDEA and tDEA appears to indicate that heavy loading rates of ammonia, in the form of swine manure, onto the spray field is not impacting the surrounding riparian buffer zone and resulting in high potentially high rates of nitrous oxide emissions.
Given this spatial connection between denitrification and microbial community structure, we further examined this relationship by looking at the abundances of genes involved in denitrification. To this aim we focused on nirK and nirS, genes which encode for separate nitric oxide reductases, and nosZ which encodes nitrous oxide reductase. Using qPCR we detected these genes in all the soils tested (Fig. 15). Relative abundances, when compared to 16S rDNA (Fig. 15) ranged from 0.02% to 1.46% (mean of 0.50%) for nosZ, 0.28% to 7.07% (mean of 2.28%) for nirS, and 0.32% to 15.64% (mean of 3.41%) for nirK. Additionally, there was a close relationship for both the total (Fig. 15; r2 = 0.42, P = 0.02) and relative (r2 = 0.92, P = <0.0001) abundances of nirK and nirS across the twelve sites studied; a pattern demonstrated in other ecosystems . Relationships between environmental variables and gene abundances for nirK, nirS, and nosZ were not identified. However, relationships between total bacterial abundance with C (r2 = 0.58, P = 0.003), N (r2 = 0.57, P = 0.004), and pH (r2 = 0.32, P = 0.05) were identified. In regards to DEA, nirK, nirS, and nosZ all failed to demonstrate a statistically significant relationship, whereas total bacterial abundances exhibited a significant positive linear relationship with both incomplete (r2 = 0.57, P = 0.004) and total (r2 = 0.60, P = 0.003) DEA.
Spatial analysis demonstrated a pattern between environmental variables and denitrification gene abundances (Fig. 16) similar to that between environmental variables and microbial community structure (Fig. 14). Once again, samples taken from the Torhunta soils clustered separately from those samples collected from the Autryville and Blanton sites; this clustering of these four sites coincided with the four highest iDEA and tDEA rates found at the studied location. Additionally, the three sites located in the NRZ clustered closely together, and indicates again that, with the exception of one "hot spot" in the RRZ (T2S2), there appears to be minimal impact of heavily loading the spray field with swine manure, at least in terms of potential nitrous oxide emissions. These results indicates that while the individual genes themselves failed to demonstrate relationships with DEA, the gene abundance profiles in toto from each site could be used to infer enzymatic activity.
Our thanks go to Dr. David Dyer, Dr. Allison Gillaspy, and the Laboratory for Genomics and Bioinformatics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, as well as Dr. Brian Scheffler and Fanny Liu of the USDA-ARS MSA Genomics Laboratory, Stoneville, MS, for DNA sequencing. We would like to thank Dr. Jarrod Miller for assistance with soil taxonomy.
The mention of firm names or trade products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the U. S. Department of Agriculture over other firms or similar products not mentioned.
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 Braker G, Fesefeldt A, Witzel KP. Development of PCR primer systems for amplification of nitrite reductase genes (nirK and nirS) to detect denitrifying bacteria in environmental samples Appl Environ Microbiol 1998; 64: 3769-75.
 Throback IN, Enwall K, Jarvis A, et al. Reassessing PCR primers targeting nirS. nirK and nosZ genes for community surveys of denitrifying bacteria with DGGE FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2004; 49: 401-17.
 Scala DJ, Kerkhof LJ. Nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) gene-specific PCR primers for detection of denitrifiers and three nosZ genes from marine sediments FEMS Microbiol Lett 1998; 162: 61-8.
 Weisburg WG, Tully JG, Rose DL, et al. A phylogenetic analysis of the mycoplasmas: basis for their classification J Bacteriol 1989; 171: 6455-7.
 Rudi K, Skulberg OM, Larsen F, et al. Strain characterization and classification of oxyphotobacteria in clone cultures on the basis of 16S rRNA sequences from the variable regions V6 V7. and V8. Appl Environ Microbiol 1997; 63: 2593-9.


You should be ok mate. People who are builders, road workers etc go to the gym i go to and some of them are big. As long as you've got a good diet and enough sleep you should be fine. Only disadvantage is with lifting logs all day im sure you'l feel more tired than others before your workout.
I work as a machinist and some days I have to do alot of heavy lifting. Although now a days I keep it to a minimum and use cranes wherever possible. To be honest it doesn't hinder my training too much. As above, just make sure you get plenty of rest and have a good diet and you will be fine mate.


text:
Sojuz TM-21 je označení ruské kosmické lodi, ve které odstartovala mise ke ruské kosmické stanici Mir. Jednalo se o součást programu Shuttle-Mir. Tři lidé byli na palubě Sojuzu, tři na Miru a sedm na palubě raketoplánu Endeavour jako posádka mise STS-67.

Posádka

Startovali
  Vladimir Děžurov (1)
  Gennadij Strekalov (5)
  Norman Thagard (5)

Přistáli
  Anatolij Solovjov (4)
  Nikolaj Budarin (1)

Odkazy

Reference

Související články
 Mir
 Seznam posádek stanice Mir

Externí odkazy

 Katalog družic na webu Space
 Na webu MEK-Kosmo

Pilotované lety programu Sojuz
Kosmonautika v roce 1995

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text:
Best Yacht
Yacht theme
Brabus Shadow 500. There will be only 28
Review of sailing yacht Beneteau First Class 7.5
Riva Diamond Fund
Your world of yachts
Yachts from A to Z!
The first participants of the Route du Rhum almost made it to Western trade winds
November 9, 2018 JiKjbK5UuHPYYnBs2Ha
The leaders division ULTIME françois Gabaret (François Gabart) and Francis Guion (Francis Joyon), extending to 120 nautical miles from each other, passed the Azores and Madeira and almost came to the Western trade winds. To the zone of constant winds, they, presumably, have to go a few hours. Now for the biggest and speed boats in the fleet of the Route du Rhum opened the way across the Atlantic.
Now they are in the area with winds of about 20 knots and the waves about 2.5–3 meters. Such conditions are incomparably better than the storm, during which on Tuesday at tri – armel Le Cle (Armel Le Cléac'h) just off the right building. This "transitional" zone in the area of Madeira, where the winds are not very strong and stable, requires boaters careful work with sails, but at the same time allows you to finally inspect their boats and to deal with minor repairs. So, Dim admitted that he had broken a pair of lat at the grotto.
To Madeira and suitable fleet of IMOCA, the leader of which remains the Briton Alex Thomson (Alex Thomson). From the nearest pursuers, the German Boris Hermann (Boris Herrmann) and French Fields Malata (Paul Meilhat), it is separated by a little more than 60 nautical miles. Close to the three leaders and the Frenchman Vincent RIOU (Vincent Riou). However, because of the need to take a more southerly course, Thompson, who tried to keep to the North-West the rest of the fleet, may partially lose their advantage. If he is too close to the center of the anticyclone, which is West of it, where the wind loses its force, even its rapid HUGO BOSS will inevitably lose speed.
"The game is to get to the South, in a zone of high pressure and trade winds. First to realize, and he won. There's no doubt about it. There is a strong possibility that we — or I, or the guys behind get stuck in the turn zone of high pressure, so that the most important thing now is to take the South and to try to overcome this boundary," — says Alex Thomson.
Running seventh in division IMOCA Swiss Alan Ruhr (Alan Roura) is pleased to think that the most difficult times in the race now behind us.
"After Lisbon all goes well. The wind is very unstable and the power, and direction, but we're normal, so I'm happy. A lot has happened and I'm glad that's all behind us. We have experienced the worst, and now the wind should weaken. We are waiting for a protracted transitional phase, to reach the trade winds will not be easy. But we — and the people and boats — had already suffered enough," said Rura.
Despite the difficult conditions of the last days, in the Multi50 division still competing all six sides, released at the start in Saint-Malo. Only Thierry Bouchard (Thierry Bouchard) coming in fifth place, damaged the mechanism halyard the mainsail, which was torn from the mast of the ring with a barrage of 55 knots. Bouchard set only the jib and moving South-East, pending advice from the coast team. He's probably going to go in Lisbon (Portugal).
To the coveted trade winds in the South while approaching only the armel Tripon (Armel Tripon). Though formally the leader of the group Thibault Vase-camu (Thibaut Vauchel-Camus) and separated 123 nautical miles, in fact, of the three leaders of the Tripon came the closest to Madeira. Vase-Camus and his closest rival in the 50 nautical miles South-East of Frenchman Erwan Le Roux (Erwan Le Roux), apparently decided to "cut corners" to the North, via the Azores.
Whose decision will be correct, time will tell. It is noteworthy that the "Northern" path is chosen and a novice division Vose-camu, and experienced yachtsman, Le Roux, three — time winner of the transatlantic race name Jacques Vabre (Jacques Vabre) and the winner of the last Route du Rhum Multi50 division.
"We deserved the trade winds. Since then, as I turned West, I met for the third front. Yes, and it is time to get to places warmer, but I have to wear a suit of kit for survival to keep warm. Really looking forward to when we reach the Azores: where the sea will be warmer, nicer, and I'll be able to eat normally. With the start of the race I was able to eat just one freeze-dried dinner and all other meals — nutritional bars and cereal bars" — dreams Vase-Camus.
The leader of the CLASS40 remains a Frenchman Yoann Risom (Yoann Richomme). From the nearest pursuers — Briton Phil sharp (Phil Sharp) and French emerica, Sapele (Aymeric Chappelier) — it is separated by more than 30 nautical miles. In division RHUM MULTI Anthony Pierre (Pierre Antoine) pulled away from rivals at 230 nm. The leader of the RHUM MONO Lavigne Sidney (Sidney Gavignet) comes with a margin of 194 nautical miles.
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Day 22 Today I thought I'd share with you a small excerpt from my NaNoWriMo novel. Please keep in mind it's a hurried first rough draft and will probably be edited to shreds later.
This is from a scene from Act 1 of a superhero story. Until now I've only written non-fiction, so I'm very excited to see how the story ends! Word count to date: 31,043. Pleasant dreams everyone.


text:
KhamakarPress News Portal with news on Islam, muslims, Arabic spring but most of all Palestine
App KhamakarPress Nieuws Portaal
Dag: 8 januari 2017
PPS expresses concern over treatment of Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody
On: 8 januari 2017 By: KhamakarPress
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) — The health of a Palestinian prisoner held by Israel has recently severely deteriorated, the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) said in a statement on Sunday, expressing concern over the treatment of the detainee.Iyas Rifai, 32, has suffered dizziness, fainting, bleeding, vomiting, and low body temperature, a PPS lawyer who visited him in Nafha prison in southern Israel said.Rifai told the lawyer that the Israel Prison Service (IPS) sent him urgently to the prison clinic, where the doctor in charge "only gave me a strong painkiller," the PPS statement added.Rifai was later transferred to the Eshel prison facility to be examined by a doctor there, in what he called an "agonizing" three-day trip during which he was diagnosed with a virus weakening his immune system and making him vulnerable to diseases such as tuberculosis.Rifai, a resident of the village of Kafr Ein in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah, has been imprisoned by Israel since August 2006 and is currently serving an 11-year sentence.He underwent surgery in 2015 to remove a tumor in his intestine.Palestinian officials and rights groups have long accused the IPS of medical negligence towards injured Palestinian prisoners.In December, the Palestinian Prisoners' Center for Studies (PPCS) reported that 32 disabled Palestinians were being held in Israeli custody without receiving suitable medical care.In November, Palestinian Committee of Prisoners' Affairs director Issa Qaraqe said that IPS did not properly treat injured Palestinians when they were in Israeli custody, and that there was "a deliberate policy of medical negligence against injured and sick Palestinian prisoners."Prisoners rights group Addameer said in a January 2016 report that the policy of medical neglect in Israeli manifested in IPS "denying their responsibility in providing appropriate health care and periodic medical checkups for prisoners and detainees."According to the group, since the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000 until 2008, 17 Palestinian prisoners died in Israeli prisons and detention centers as a result of medical negligence.
(Source / 08.01.2017)
Category: Politics Tagged Palestine, Politics, Terrorism Leave a comment/
Israeli forces deliver demolition orders to Palestinian homeowners in Salfit
SALFIT (Ma'an) — Israeli forces delivered stop-work orders and demolition orders to Palestinian owners of three homes in the town of Burqin west of Salfit in the central occupied West Bank on Sunday, under the pretext that the structures did not have Israeli-issued building permits.Local sources told Ma'an that the homes were located in Area C — the more than 60 percent of the occupied West Bank under full Israeli control — along an Israeli bypass road connecting illegal Israelis settlements located just west of Burqin: Peduel, Ale Zahav, and Leshem, which was recently recognized by the Israeli government as a settlement unto itself after first being established as a "neighborhood" of the Ariel settlement block.
Salfit-area researcher Khalid Maali told Ma'an that as of Sunday, some 22 demolition orders had been delivered to Palestinian homes in the Salfit area over the past five days alone. He did not specify how many of the three warrants delivered on Sunday were for demolitions, and how many were stop-work orders.
A spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli agency responsible for implementing Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territory, was unavailable for immediate comment on the incident.
Nearly all Palestinian applications for building permits in Area C are denied by the Israeli authorities, forcing communities to build illegally, and placing them under the constant risk of demolitions at the hands of Israeli forces.
Meanwhile. the estimated 550,000 Jewish Israeli settlers in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem are more easily given building permits and allowed to expand their homes and properties.
Demolitions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem saw an unprecedented surge in 2016, as Israeli authorities had demolished 1,081 Palestinian structures as of Dec. 26 according to UN documentation, more than doubling the number of demolitions since 2015, when 531 Palestinian structures were demolished.
Last month, the extreme right-wing Regavim movement reportedly filed a petition to the Israel's Supreme Court against the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Civil Administration for "neglecting for a decade to demolish an illegal Arab building which is on state land within the administrative borders of the town of Leshem."
In May 2016, after repeated instances of settlers leveling Palestinian lands in the area to prepare for infrastructure to build hundreds of settlement units in Leshem, a COGAT spokesperson told Ma'an the leveling activities were part of "a master plan in effect on state lands and the work there is legal."
At the time, Maali told Ma'an that such leveling works were being carried on a near-daily basis in order to expand 24 settlements in the area.
A recent report by Israeli rights group B'Tselem argued that under the guise of a "temporary military occupation," Israel has been "using the land as its own: robbing land, exploiting the area's natural resources for its own benefit and establishing permanent settlements," estimating that Israel had dispossessed Palestinians from some 200,000 hectares (494,211 acres) of lands in the occupied Palestinian territory over the years.
B'Tselem highlighted the "key role" of Israeli settlers in further isolating Palestinians from their lands, either through the establishment of outposts officially unrecognized by the Israeli government, or through the regular use of violence or threats of violence against Palestinians.
The movement of Israeli settlers taking over Palestinian land, and further displacing the local Palestinian population has been a "stable" Israeli policy since the takeover of the West Bank and Jerusalem in 1967, B'Tselem said, underscoring that all "Israeli legislative, legal, planning, funding, and defense bodies" have played an active role in the dispossession of Palestinians from their lands, despite the international community pinpointing settlements as one of the major obstacles to peace.
Category: Terrorism Tagged Terrorism Leave a comment/
Mansour calls on PA to release political detainees in its jails
Palestinian lawmaker Mona Mansour has condemned the Palestinian Authority (PA) for persisting in carrying out political arrests in the West Bank, calling for necessarily releasing all political detainees in its jails.
In press remarks to Quds Press on Saturday, MP Mansour stressed the need to honor the signed reconciliation agreements and put a real end to the arrest of citizens because of their political affiliation.
"The general situation in the West Bank has not changed and every time there is a talk about the reconciliation and efforts to end the internal division, arbitrary arrest campaigns are carried out against citizens," the lawmaker said.
She said that the PA political arrest policy did a disservice to the Palestinian people who suffer from occupation and contributed to the disintegration of their social fabric.
Mansour pointed out that her son has been detained by the PA preventive security for about 11 days in al-Junaid prison, without being able to see his family.
Category: Politics Tagged Palestine, Politics Leave a comment/
German minister calls for total ban on Salafi Islam
Sigmar Gabriel, who has previously linked the rise of terrorism to Saudi Arabia, said Germany needed to conduct a 'cultural struggle' against the growth of fundamentalist Islam.
Germany's Vice Chancellor called for a blanket closure of Salafi mosques on Friday, linking the ultra-conservative school of Islam to Islamic State's attack on Berlin's Christmas market.
Sigmar Gabriel called for a 'zero tolerance' attitude towards combating Islamist terrorism, adding that those who preach violence should forgo protections created under religious freedom laws.
"Salafist mosques must be banned, the communities dissolved and the preachers should be expelled, as soon as possible," he said in an interview with German weekly, Der Spiegel.
Calling for a "cultural struggle" against Islamist violence, the leader of the Social Democrat Party argued for increased expenditure on social programmes.
This includes ensuring that "urban areas are not neglected, villages do not fall into disrepair and people do not become more and more radicalised."
The chief suspect in the Berlin truck attack massacre, Anis Amri, who killed 12 people on 19 December, has been linked to Salafi preacher Abu Walaa.
Walaa was arrested in November along with a number of other Salafis for attempting to recruit German Muslims to join Islamic State.
Gabriel previously called on Saudi Arabia to stop financing fundamentalist mosques in 2015, linking them to a rise in terrorism.
"From Saudi Arabia, Wahhabi mosques are financed throughout the world," he said in an interview with the newspaper, Bild am Sonntag.
"In Germany many Islamists considered dangerous persons emerge from these communities."
Gabriel also touched on the issue of austerity, pointing out that Germany's insistence had created fundamental divisions in Europe, meaning that a collapse of the European Union was now a possibility.
According to national statistics, there are around 9700 people who identify as Salafi Muslims in Germany.
The Salafist movement is a fundamentalist branch of Islam that promotes a return to the early ways of Islam.
Gabriel's comments come as the country prepares for a parliamentary election some time between August and October.
The political mood in Germany has changed in recent months, with anti-immigration parties such as Alternative for Germany (AfD) polling well.
Category: Politics Tagged Islam, Politics Leave a comment/
Saudi royal family betraying Islam, Muslims: Commentator
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman recently caused a stir by making inflammatory remarks against Iran. Reacting to the statements, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has blamed Saudi Arabia for plunging the Middle East into chaos by sponsoring Takfiri terrorism. He said the remarks were just a blame game to downplay the crimes committed against civilians in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Qassemi added that Saudi Arabia has betrayed Muslims and the cause of Palestine by being in league with the Israeli regime. He urged Saudi officials to correct their behavior and ponder on the repercussions of their destructive acts.
Talking to Press TV, Tony Gosling, an investigative journalist, praised Qassemi for his wise and restrained reaction to the recent comments by the Saudi deputy crown prince, warning that Saudi Arabia's continuation of such incendiary policies would cause grave troubles inside the country.
"I think it is a very mature approach from Tehran, from Bahram Qassemi from Foreign Ministry that he is not judging them. This is a mature spiritual attitude. He is saying 'Look! Correct your behavior and reflect on what you are doing.' Because everybody knows around the world that Saudis have been lured into these relationships with the Americans and the Israelis," Gosling said, adding that unless Saudi officials mend their ways, they will have to encounter more problems at home.
The commentator also described Saudi Arabia as "a dictatorship" which has truly betrayed Islam and Muslims in recent years through its alliance with the Israeli regime.
"It is quite right that Saudi Arabia has betrayed Islam. It is in cahoots with the Israelis and the British and the Americans and of course there is a big connection there and a lot of embarrassment over the 9/11 attacks in connection with the Bin Laden family," he noted.
Gosling finally reiterated that the British empire has created Saudi Arabia and, hence, it has to bear the responsibility for its crimes.
"We all know here in Britain and in London that there were many Saudi princes, people from the royal family, coming over in the 1970s and 80s with high-class prostitutes in London. So, they have basically been lured in through this source of intelligence tactics to betray what Islam is really about."
In an interview with the American magazine Foreign Affairs published on Thursday, Prince Salman, whose country is widely believed to be among the major sponsors of terrorism, accused Iran of creating instability, encouraging terrorism and violating the sovereignty of other nations in the region.
Category: Revolution Saudi Tagged Islam, Revolution, Saudi Leave a comment/
Video: PA officers push back Israeli army jeep from entering Qalqiliya
QALQILIYA (Ma'an) — For the second time in recent weeks, Palestinian security forces early Sunday morning blocked Israeli troops from entering a city in the occupied West Bank and forced them to leave.
In a video obtained by Ma'an, several Palestinian national security service and police officers can be seen standing in the middle of the road a few meters away from an Israeli military jeep that is attempting to enter the city of Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank.
A Palestinian officer is heard telling another officer to signal to the Israeli military jeep to retreat. "Tell him 'lekh'," he says, using the Hebrew word for "leave."
Another Palestinian officer is heard asking his commander, "These are our borders, right?" to which the commander answers, "Yes, these are our borders. Let him go back." The Israeli jeep eventually moves back.
https://youtu.be/ySUGJRuR7QQ
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an they would look into the case.
Last month, Palestinian forces blocked Israeli troops from entering the city of Jenin in a similar incident, with both cases representing a rare standoff between Palestinian and Israeli forces, as the Palestinian Authority (PA) regularly allows Israeli forces to enter PA-controlled areas in the West Bank to conduct daily detention raids and other military operations, in contravention of the Oslo accords.
As Palestinian forces pushed back the Israeli jeep in Qalqilya, Israeli forces were entering other towns in the occupied West Bank carrying out predawn raids Sunday, when they detained at least five Palestinians, according to local sources and the Israeli army.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Society, which documents overnight raids by Israeli forces, said in a statement on Thursday that it had recorded the detention of 100 Palestinians, including 18 minors, since the beginning of 2017.
Turkish Army, FSA suffer heavy losses in failed offensive in east Aleppo
BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:40 P.M.) – The Turkish Army, alongside their allies from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), launched a new offensive in the eastern countryside of Al-Bab on Sunday, targeting the Islamic State's positions in Umm Adaseh, Qabr Maqri, and Al-Saghlaniyeh.
Beginning the offensive with nonstop airstrikes, the Turkish Army hoped that this assault would weaken the Islamic State's resolve and allow their forces to enter Al-Bab with relative ease.
This calculation would prove entirely wrong, as the Islamic State not only beat back the assault, but they also inflicted heavy casualties on the encroaching soldiers from the Turkish Army and FSA.
In a matter of hours, the Turkish Army and FSA could be seen frantically retreating from the eastern outskirts of Al-Bab in order to avoid anymore casualties and losses to their arsenal.
ISIS released a statement confirming the Turkish Army and FSA defeat, while also posting images of the latter retreating across the eastern countryside of Al-Bab; thus, corroborating their statement
Category: Revolution Syria Tagged Revolution, Syria Leave a comment/
Aleppo: How The US Manipulates Humanitarianism For Imperialism
Syrian army soldiers march through the streets in the Ansari neighborhood, east Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec 23, 2016
The United States is manipulating humanitarian concern in an effort to protect its proxy militias and its imperial regime-change project in Syria.
The media and intellectual classes are dutifully falling in line, promoting a narrative of military aggression under the cover of "protecting civilians." These same "responsibility to protect" arguments led to the invasions of Iraq and Libya, exponentially increasing the massacres, chaos, and proliferation of violent extremism within those countries. They are hypocritical, designed to further interests of conquest and domination, and will lead to more death and destruction in Syria as well.
The United States has no stake in the wellbeing of Syrian civilians, despite their condemnations of Russia's offensive in Aleppo. This is clearly shown in the fact that the people they are supporting are guilty of the same crimes they accuse Russia and Syria of: indiscriminate attacks, targeting of civilians, destruction of schools, hospitals, etc. Furthermore, the offensive in Aleppo is really no different from what the U.S. did in Manbij, where they are said to have incorporated a "scorched earth policy" while they liberated the city from ISIS, whereby the civilian population was treated "as if they were terrorists or ISIS supporters."
Arguably their conduct was even worse, as they there earned the distinction of launching the deadliest single airstrike on civilians out of the entire 5-year conflict, massacring at least 73 where no ISIS fighters were present. The Manbij operation elicited no moral outcry from the media and punditry, understandably since these were "unworthy victims" given that they were our victims and not those of our enemies. The same can be said about the U.S. operations in Kobani and Fallujah, whereby the entire towns were essentially reduced to rubble without any uproar.
Saudi Arabia as well has no concern for Syrian civilians, as they have been ruthlessly besieging and bombing Yemen, with the support and help of the United States, for two years without any concern for civilian lives. Their assault has led to a humanitarian situation even more dire than in Syria, leaving at least 19 million in need of humanitarian assistance; in Syria it is estimated that a total of 18 million are in need of aid.
Turkey as well is not concerned, as is evidenced by their conduct towards their Kurdish population, yet the recent quiet by Erdogan over the fate of Aleppo is indicative of an understanding reached between him with President Putin, whereby Turkey establishes a presence in northern Syria and blocks the advance of the Kurds, and in return limits its support to the rebels and the insurgents in Aleppo.
The real reason the U.S. is decrying the Russian operation is the fact that they are staring aghast at the near-term possibility that their proxy insurgency in Aleppo will be defeated. Not only will this mark the decisive turning point in the war, the rebels all-but being fully overcome with the Syrian government in control of all the populated city centers except Idlib, but others have argued that it could as well mark the end of U.S. hegemony over the entire Middle Eastern region in general. In other words, the U.S. is trying to turn global public opinion against the Russian effort in an attempt to halt the advance and protect their rebel proxies trapped in Aleppo.
File: A Syrian rebel sniper looks at the rubble in the Syrian city of Ain al-Arab. on Jan. 30, 2015
So, who are these rebels?
In short, they are an array of U.S.-supported groups in alliance with and dominated by al-Qaida. During the past ceasefire agreement these rebels refused to break ties with al-Qaida and instead reasserted their commitment to their alliances with the group. The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria recently explained that over half of the fighters in eastern Aleppo are al-Nusra (al-Qaida's Syria affiliate), while, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, it was "primarily Nusra who holds Aleppo."
Expert analysis concurs, as Fabrice Balanche of the Washington Institute details how these rebel alliances indicate "that the al-Nusra Front dominates more different rebel factions, including those considered 'moderate.'"
He explains that al-Qaida's "grip on East Aleppo has only increased since the spring of 2016."
It is these fighters, al-Qaida and their affiliates, that the U.S. is trying to protect from the Russians, and as well other U.S. intelligence operatives that are likely embedded with them. The narrative that Russia is committing a humanitarian catastrophe is intended to hide this fact, as well as to shift the blame for the suffering in Aleppo off of the United States' shoulders. Yet it was the U.S. support to the rebels that is primarily responsible for the suffering.
To illustrate this, the people of eastern Aleppo never supported the rebels nor welcomed them. The rebels nonetheless "brought the revolution to them" and conquered the people against their will all the same. Of the few reporters who actually went to the city, they describe how Aleppo has been overrun by violent militants through a wave of repression, and that the people only "saw glimmers of hope" as the Syrian army was driving them from the area. The people decried this "malicious revolution" and characterized the rebel's rule as a "scourge of terrorism." This, of course, was of no concern to the U.S. at the time, who now proclaims the rebels to be the "protectors" of the civilians in Aleppo.
Prior to the Russian-led evacuation, around 200,000 – 600,000 of the original population fled and relocated in the government-held western part of the city. Of the civilians who remained, they were primarily the families of the fighters, who themselves are paid to stay and fight. The official numbers for those remaining were 200,000, yet the actual number was likely much lower, around 40-50,000.
Nonetheless, the remaining civilians who were trapped within this warzone were prevented from leaving.
During the first ceasefire, humanitarian corridors were opened and the civilians were encouraged by the Syrian army to leave, yet the rebels stopped them, with reports saying they went as far as to shoot at those who tried. The attempt to evacuate the civilians was condemned by the US, who argued that the innocent people "should be able to stay in their homes." During the recent rescue, Nusra Front burned buses intended to evacuate civilians.
The radical groups were using the civilian population as human shields in order to protect themselves, and the U.S. was supporting it. Further corroborating this is the special U.N. envoy Steffan de Mistura, who quotes reports indicating that the rebels have been utilizing "intentional placement of firing positions close to social infrastructure, aside and inside civilian quarters."
This is because it has always been the policy of the Syrian government to separate civilians from insurgents, as it is simply much more militarily effective to fight against an enemy that is not ensconced within a civilian population. Likewise, it has always been U.S. and rebel policy to prevent this separation.
According to a knowledgeable individual with contacts with high level Syrian officials, the U.S. and EU always rejected the Syrian governments proposals to separate civilians from the fighters, as they explained, "because doing so will be helping you win."
This makes sense, given that if all of the civilians from eastern Aleppo were evacuated there would then be nothing stopping the Syrian army from crushing the remaining fighters, and there as well would be no international outcry over them doing so.
The source explains: "Syria's war is an urban war theater. [The] only way for insurgents to compete is to use residential areas to hide and operate out of. This is in direct contrast to [the] Syrian army who would like to fight a theater totally void of civilians."
Those claiming to be protecting Aleppo's civilians from the Russian and Syrian onslaught are in actuality using them as a means to protect their success on the battlefield.
Given this, the strategy of the Syrian government has been to bomb sporadically in order to scare the civilians and force them to flee from areas controlled by the militants. This is also why the Syrian army just recently halted their advance in order to allow civilians to evacuate; they wanted the civilians out of the picture so they could militarily defeat the rebels more quickly and easily.
If one actually were concerned about saving the civilians in eastern Aleppo it is pretty straight forward that one would try to evacuate the civilians from the area, and that the backers of the rebel groups would put pressure on them to allow this to happen. From there it would follow that all sides abide by the U.N. Security Council resolutions of which they agreed to, which call for the suppression of financing, fighters, and support to al-Qaida, for the suppression of al-Qaida "and all other entities associated" with them, and "to eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Syria," of which Aleppo is one of the largest.
Unfortunately, it is only Syria and Russia who followed through on these commitments, while the U.S. and its allies consciously blocked them. The media and intellectual opinion are as well fell in line, obscuring from the narrative all of these inconvenient truths that do not support the interests of the policy planners in Washington.
In this way, the media were shown to be completely subservient to state power, drumming up support for another aggressive war based on falsities and half-truths in the exact same way that led to the continuing catastrophes in Libya and Iraq. When the U.S. was driving ISIS from Manbij, just as Syria is now driving al-Qaida from Aleppo, killing hundreds of civilians at a time, there was not so much as a debate about it, much less an international outcry.
Yet now there are countless calling to "save" Syrians by bombing them and flooding the warzone with more weapons and fighters, ironically using "humanitarian" concern to call for policies that will lead to even more death and misery. The rebels are dominated by jihadi extremists, and any further support to them will further strengthen the radicals engaged in a project of ethnic cleansing, conquest, and reactionary theocratic governance. Bombing would only help to further descend Syria into chaos and death, just as it did in Iraq and Libya.
This is an international proxy war and humanitarian concerns are being manipulated unscrupulously in support of interests having nothing to do with concern for innocent lives. Don't fall for this faux humanitarianism from which more war, imperialism, and thus more death and destruction will result.
Israeli settlers grab hold of Palestinian home near Aqsa Mosque
Israeli settlers at dawn Sunday seized a Palestinian home in Jerusalem's town of Silwan, to the south of the holy al-Aqsa Mosque.
Settlers from the extremist Elad settler organization, accompanied by police forces, reportedly grabbed hold of a Palestinian building in Silwan at the crack of dawn.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center refused to release further details as regards the seized building, saying data has to be checked out meticulously so as to allow the house owners to successfully appeal to Israeli courts.
The Israeli Elad settlement organization has been notorious for its land and home grab in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in East Jerusalem and its Old City
Harassment and attacks against activist who filmed Hebron shooting continue
HEBRON (Ma'an) — Israeli settlers attempted to break into the Hebron home of activist Imad Abu Shamsiyya and threw stones at the house Saturday evening, as he has continued to be the target of death threats and harassment after he filmed an Israeli soldier shoot a Palestinian to death last year.
In a rare move move, the soldier was convicted of manslaughter earlier this week, in large part due to the damning footage captured by Abu Shamsiyya, amid a backdrop of what critics have called a culture of impunity for Israeli soldiers who are not held accountable for similar cases of apparent "extrajudicial executions" of Palestinians.
On Wednesday, the day of conviction, Abu Shamsiyya said he "feared for his life."
Since his footage went viral the day of the shooting back in March 2015, Abu Shamsiyya has been the target of violent settler incursions on his home and has received hundreds of death threats online.
Leading up to the announcement of the verdict, Abu Shamsiyya said that members of Elor Azarya's family — the soldier who was ultimately convicted for the shooting — broke into his home and "asked me to go to court and change my testimony." He said he had video footage proving the incursion took place.
Israel settlers returned to his home Saturday evening, he told Ma'an, and attempted to break into his home.
Abu Shamsiya told Ma'an that settlers gathered around his house, and when they failed to break in, they hurled stones, causing minor damages.
He highlighted that large numbers of Israeli forces were present when the settlers attacked the house and soldiers intervened and drove away the attackers.
Abu Shamsiyya added that in March he had asked the Israeli army to provide him protection from settlers, as death threats began pouring in on Facebook while others attempted to bribe him to change his witness testimony.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an they were looking into the reports of Saturday nights attack.
The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner last month condemned the "daily violations" of human rights and international law faced by activists and human rights defenders in the occupied Palestinian territory.
A "worrying number of complaints" have been filed by human rights activists to the UN in recent months, which have highlighted in particular the Israeli government practice of arbitrarily detaining Palestinian activists "as a direct result of their important work in their communities."
"The right of all those who are seeking hope and participation in concrete, nonviolent action must be protected, particularly as we are seeing the deepening entrenchment of the Israeli occupation and the accompanying human rights violations," the report said.
Amnesty International released a statement Wednesday saying that the conviction of Elor Azarya "must pave the way for justice for unlawful killings."
"Today's conviction of a member of the Israeli forces is a rare occurrence in a country with a long record of using excessive and unwarranted force, and where soldiers who may have committed crimes under international law very seldom face prosecution. The verdict is a small step in the right direction and offers a glimmer of hope that soldiers who commit unlawful killings may no longer go unpunished," said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International."Sadly, this case is just the tip of the iceberg. Time and again we have witnessed cases where Israeli forces appear to have carried out unlawful killings, displaying an appalling disregard for human life. The authorities' repeated failure to hold anyone accountable for flagrant violations has fostered a culture in which unlawful killings have become acceptable," said Philip Luther.Amnesty international said that they sent a memorandum to Israeli authorities in Sep. 2016, citing at least 20 cases of apparently unlawful killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces, of which at least 15 of those killed were deliberately shot dead, despite posing no imminent threat to life.
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Cho, Kevin singled to center field.
Cho, Kevin advanced to second on a throwing error by p, failed pickoff attempt, advanced to third.
Bumpers doubled to left center.
Johnson singled to right center, RBI; Bumpers scored.
Picha homered to left field, 2 RBI; Johnson scored.
Trevino, Jose singled to center field.
Goro, Nate singled through the right side; Boss, Tyler advanced to second; Trevino, Jose advanced to third.
Williams, Chris fouled out to lf, sacrifice fly, RBI; Trevino, Jose scored.
Colt, Austen doubled to left field, RBI; Goro, Nate advanced to third; Boss, Tyler scored.
Cho, Kevin singled, RBI; Colt, Austen advanced to third, out at home p to c; Goro, Nate scored.
Olivas reached first on a fielding error by 2b.
Olivas advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Bumpers doubled to left center, RBI; Olivas scored, unearned.
Johnson singled to left center, RBI; Bumpers scored, unearned.
Picha singled to right field; Johnson advanced to third.
Angelle to p for Carver.
Brandy, Matt singled to right center.
Goro, Nate reached first on a throwing error by p.
Healy, Brandon tripled to right center.
Colt, Austen singled through the left side, RBI; Healy, Brandon scored, unearned.
Giller, Kurt to p for Bowen, Drew.
Bumpers singled to right field; Luevanos advanced to second.
Johnson singled through the left side; Bumpers advanced to second; Luevanos advanced to third.
Picha singled to center field, RBI; Johnson advanced to second; Bumpers advanced to third; Luevanos scored.
Olivas singled up the middle.
Goro, Nate tripled to right center.
Williams, Chris grounded out to 2b, RBI; Goro, Nate scored.
Cho, Kevin singled to right center; Colt, Austen advanced to third.
Coram to p for Angelle.
Bunner singled to left field.
Williams, Chris homered to left field, RBI.
Colt, Austen walked; Healy, Brandon advanced to second.
Cho, Kevin tripled to right field, 2 RBI; Colt, Austen scored; Healy, Brandon scored.
Brandy, Matt singled to center field, RBI; Cho, Kevin scored.
Moore to p for Coram.
Domenico, Logan walked; Brandy, Matt advanced to second.
Trevino, Jose singled to left field, RBI; Domenico, Logan advanced to third; Brandy, Matt scored.
Boss, Tyler doubled down the rf line, RBI; Trevino, Jose advanced to third; Domenico, Logan scored.
Goro, Nate flied out to lf, SAC, RBI; Boss, Tyler advanced to third; Trevino, Jose scored.
Olivas singled to right field.


The road to customization on Android devices does not just start with installing a new or custom version of the operating system; it starts a lot earlier with features like boot animations, launchers and themes widely available for many devices including the Advent Vega tablet. If you want to customize the way your tablet starts, we have two custom boot animations for you. Want to try them out? Read on.
Can't wait to install one of these bootanimations to your tablet? Here is the guide.
Astro File Manager (free) or Root Explorer ($4.07) to copy files into Android system folders.
Download the boot animation of your choice to your PC.
Rename the file to 'bootanimation.zip' (important).
Move the renamed zip file to your SD card.
Use any of the above mentioned file browsers to browse to your tablet's /data/local folder with read+write (r/w) access.
In case you want to backup your existing boot animation, copy the existing bootanimation.zip file in that location to another location, or rename it to something else such as bootanimation.bak if you want to leave it at the same location.
Now copy the 'bootanimation.zip' file of the new custom boot animation to /data/local.
Once it has been copied, simply reboot your device.
Enjoy the new boot animations on the Advent Vega! Follow the same procedure if you want to switch to the other animation or if you simply want to remove the animations and move back to stock, just delete the 'bootanimation.zip' that you just copied and replace it with the old bootanimation.zip file or rename the old one back to bootanimation.zip in case you had renamed it to something else during the installation process.


Painting 5 was part of an exercise suggested by the art club. They invited a watercolour artist Paul Simmons to show us how to paint figures with movement but in a quick style. On Tuesday we were asked to produce our own ideas and paint them during the session.
I chose a picture of England rugby players against Wales in last Saturdays match.
Painting 6 came from a photo I took on Monday when visiting my Mother in Weybridge. The Oatlands Park Hotel is very close to where she lives and I have always like the Italianate Tower. Funnily as a link to the previous picture the Welsh rugby team use the hotel as their base when they come to Twickenham.


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"It's high time that Sweden acknowledges her veteran soldiers"
A dedicated website for each international mission, information aimed at children and increased personal contact to catch those with emotional problems. These are some of the proposals presented by the government inquiry concerning veteran soldiers. At the same time, veteran peace-keepers association, The Peace Berets of Sweden, has opened an around the clock emotional support helpline.
"It's high time for Sweden to acknowledge her veteran soldiers", says Bo Wranker, chair of veterans association The Peace Berets of Sweden.
Nearly 100 000 Swedish soldiers and officers have served abroad over the years. And that figure is only going to grow. With increased international commitments the level of concurrently serving officers/soldiers is due to double. Planning for the next duty period, starting in 2011, for the Nordic Battlegroup, which will have between 2000 and 2500 soldiers, is already under way. At the same time, there is a tendency for combat situations to become more common during international missions.
Most of those performing, or who have performed, international military service have relatively sound psychological health; and have so far, with very few exceptions, been spared the worst sort of traumatic experience. But there is no doubt that international service can be extremely wearing for both the individual soldier and his or her family. The question is: what is the best way in which Sweden, and the Armed Forces, can lend support to those who serve abroad?
The proposals contained in the report of the government inquiry concerning veteran soldiers, issued on the 1st October, provide, it is hoped, an indication of how that question can be answered.
"International operations have become much tougher and we need to acquire a complete picture of how those sent out to participate in such operations are affected. We need to fulfil our responsibilities well. A key issue to address is how we support family members, says Peter Öberg", special adviser to the inquiry.
Information, insurance cover, reactions of those around them, opportunities to communicate with near ones during a mission, research into how children react to a parent's absence, psychosocial and practical assistance are central to a pair of recent studies into the experience of being a family member or close friend of someone on mission abroad.
The results of a comprehensive survey conducted by the Association of Military Officers in Sweden during the spring of 2008 showed, among other things, that four out of ten close relatives experienced some form of negative physical or psychic reaction to service abroad.
Many expressed a wish for information on their own situation, as a friend or relative, and those emotional reactions which could be expected. Two out of three would appreciate having a personal contact, someone who would be able to respond to all the questions that can pop up - a system similar to a successful Danish scheme.
Not everything that is done for soldiers' next of kin in Sweden is given poor marks, but the results of both recent studies clearly show that there is scope for significant improvement - if future recruitment is not to be put at risk. Most exposed are families with young children.
One out of five in the group "families with younger children" were negative towards serving overseas before the start of a term of service abroad. Twice as many expressed negative feelings following a period of service. A phenomenon that is likely to have a detrimental effect on willingness to apply for further terms of service abroad.
Several worthwhile initiatives are in place up and down the country, according to Peter Öberg, but these need to be supplemented and coordinated by a common policy for families, to ensure consistent treatment across the country.
The government report proposes authoring information materials aimed at children. This is something which other armed forces have been already been doing. Those doing military service abroad with children of school age are to be given the opportunity to make an in-school presentation of what international service involves.
A dedicated website for each mission, an information source for friends and relatives that complements the occasionally biased news reports and a forum for contacting others in a similar situation, is another proposal. Forms of psychosocial support, such as mentor schemes, networks, expanded get-togethers for family and friends and individual contact persons are discussed in the inquiry's working material.
Follow-up of those who have served abroad is another crucial point. All of those who return home go through a homecoming programme, in which counselling sessions are offered. A follow-up meeting is arranged six months later. After two or three years veterans are contacted by the Armed Forces with a survey, which has the aim of identifying those in need of further assistance. However, the poor reply rate, of barely 15 per cent, presents difficulties.
"I am convinced that some form of personal contact is needed. We need to give an active lead on this issue. The fact that 80 percent of those who undertake international service disappear into civilian life, after their return home, makes our attempts to follow their progress difficult", Peter Öberg continues.
Bo Wranker, head of the department of Leadership and Management at the National Defence College, and, moreover, national chair of Sweden's only veterans association, The Peace Berets of Sweden (Fredsbaskrarna), welcomes the inquiry and expresses the view that "It's high time for Sweden to acknowledge her veteran soldiers".
Bo Wranker left the Armed Forces in 2004, having attained the rank of brigadier, with a large number of terms of service abroad to his credit.
"Ten to fifteen percent take impressions home that can be disturbing for them. The scale ranges from isolated incidents to the worst things that one can experience."
The only way to reach those in need of help is, according to Bo Wranker, via personal contact. Preferably with someone who has international experience.
"Talking directly to the Armed Forces can be difficult. Many are concerned for their career prospects, their image and that sort of thing. You just have to look to yourself. Perhaps it won't be particularly appreciated, going up to my superior officer and telling them that I need help dealing with my experiences?"
The PeaceBerets of Sweden organisation has for a number of years offered peer counselling to all veteran soldiers, not simply their own members.
Those involved in the Peace Berets' peer counselling scheme are trained in defusing, a term which refers to "defusing" an "emotional" charge, and are themselves veterans. This training is partly financed by the Armed Forces. Last year, Peace Beret peer counsellors had contact with almost a hundred veteran soldiers in need of support.
"When we notice that someone may be in need of more professional help, we try to bring them round to realising that fact for themselves, so that we can pass them on to the Armed Forces."
In the coming autumn the Peace Berets are to launch an around the clock helpline. This is also partially financed by the Armed Forces.
"There is a lot that can be done, says Bo Wranker. The Netherlands arrange return visits to the scene of events that have prompted traumatic reactions. A method that the Norwegians have now adopted."
Family members already take contact with the Peace Berets' counselling team. It is expected that more will do so once the telephone help line is marketed as a resource for both veteran soldiers and their near ones. Bo Wranker believes that the Peace Berets could function in the same way as their Norwegian sister organisation. But he doubts that Allan Widman, liberal member of the Riksdag, will be too cautious to go so far as to propose that sort of total solution for veteran policy.


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