"
Thousands of U.S. Marines descended upon the volatile Helmand River valley in helicopters and armored convoys early Thursday morning, mounting an operation that represents the first large-scale test of the U.S. military's new counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

The operation will involve about 4,000 troops from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which was dispatched to Afghanistan earlier this year by President Obama to combat a growing Taliban insurgency in Helmand and other southern provinces. The Marines, along with an Army brigade that is scheduled to arrive later this summer, plan to push into pockets of the country where NATO forces have not had a presence. In many of those areas, the Taliban have evicted local police and government officials, and taken power.

Once Marine units arrive in their designated towns and villages, they have been instructed to build and live in small outposts among the local population. The brigade's commander, Brig. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, said his Marines will focus their efforts on protecting civilians from the Taliban, and on restoring Afghan government services, instead of a series of hunt-and-kill missions against the insurgents." (WP)

"The neon lights are no longer flashing; the roulette wheels have spun their last turn. Casinos across Russia closed their doors on Wednesday as a sweeping ban on gambling came into effect, less than a week after a similar ban hit neighboring Ukraine. Lawmakers in both countries say the bans were necessary to bring under control spiraling addiction and a notoriously shady business. But critics say the moves will leave hundreds of thousands out of work and force the industry underground." (Time)

Netizens of Nomadlife:

On July 4, prepare for a gallery of Mental Masterpieces. On that date, myself and another nomad, A. King, will open the doors on Brain Canvas.

Check out the home of the "What If?" right here.

Reach inside your brain and pull out something beautiful!

Labels: brain canvas

"11:51 am: Conservative cleric turns on Khamenei ? Haddi Ghaffari, a former minister under Ayatollah Khomeni, gave a speech Monday directly addressing the Supreme Leader and criticizing him for his behavior since the election and for his support of Ahmadinejad. Ghaffari played a major role in the creation of Hezbollah ? he is no reformist by any stretch of the imagination ? and his frontal assault on Khamenei would have been extremely taboo prior to the election.

?Khamenei, your recent actions and behavior has brought shame to us clerics. Our image in the streets and bazaars has been tarnished as everyone is placing us in the same category as Ahmadinejad.?

?Khamenei, you are wrong, your actions are wrong. I believe in the velayat e fagih more than you.?

?I?m not preaching these messages so that I could be associated with the West. I loathe the West and will fight to the last drop of my blood before I or my land succumbs to the West. On the contrary, I?m preaching these messages on the count that the respect for our profession is gone.?

?Young people are not praying anymore, whose fault is that? It is your fault Mr. Khamenei, it?s your fault for placing us in the same line as that lunatic Ahmadinejad.?

?Ahmadinejad is nobody, you should congregate with us instead of him.?"

(NIAC)

Mayor of Tokyo arrives for a visit to Mayor of New York.

"Magnitude 6.7
Date-Time
Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 09:30:12 UTC
Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 12:30:12 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
34.188�N, 25.426�E
Depth
38 km (23.6 miles)
Region
CRETE, GREECE
Distances
130 km (80 miles) S of Iraklion, Crete, Greece
195 km (120 miles) SE of Chania, Crete, Greece
270 km (165 miles) NNE of Tubruq, Libya
450 km (280 miles) SSE of ATHENS, Greece
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 7.1 km (4.4 miles); depth +/- 12.8 km (8.0 miles)
Parameters
NST= 51, Nph= 51, Dmin=131.6 km, Rmss=1.19 sec, Gp= 72�,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
us2009ina1" (USGS)

"Barack Obama has reportedly tapped Brazil's president, Luiz In�cio Lula da Silva, to be the next head of the World Bank.

The US president, as Bill Clinton did in 1995, is said to be ready to break with the tradition of appointing US citizens in order to install an outsider who would symbolise a commitment to fighting global poverty.

Lula, an immensely popular leader at home and abroad, has indicated he would be "honoured" to take the job at the bank after he steps down as Brazil's president in 2011, according to the Brazilian magazine Exame" (Guardian)

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Try this font demo, css demo, this picture demo, video demo. It gives a taste on the web in the near future (give or take 2 years after everybody else catches up)

"Is it really possible for one man to precipitate a global economic catastrophe? In the August 2009 issue of Vanity Fair, contributing editor Michael Lewis, one of the most insightful Wall Street critics writing today, investigates the central role of A.I.G.?s Financial Products division in the subprime-mortgage and financial crises that necessitated a $182.5 billion taxpayer bailout out the insurance behemoth."

(Vanity Fair)