Lackluster welcome to New Year in Kuwait ? Revelers flock to malls ...

Young revelers throng the streets on the eve of the New Year last night.

KUWAIT: Since 2008, January 1 has been an officially declared non-working holiday in Kuwait but this year, Kuwaitis and expatriates hardly seemed excited and spent the day like any other.

No fireworks marked the day, no crackers boomed, and no one organized huge parties to usher in this New Year. Some, however, did usher in the New Year with beautiful celebrations at home with their families and loved ones. A few low-key parties were organized at the restaurants, entertainment clubs and hotels. However, those who have come to Kuwait recently were critical about celebrations being so lowkey. ?I don?t know why they cannot organize the same fireworks display that they exhibited last November. It was very nice, and had they organized a similar show for New Year, it would have been surely beautiful as we would have felt the spirit of the New Year,? commented an expat. ?Other countries organize huge gatherings and parties in the street.

Of course, we cannot do that here but a fireworks display could have uplifted people?s spirits. Honestly, I hardly feel that another year has begun. There was no countdown to cheer it in. I feel as if 2013 came in just like that,? another expat observed. Parties or celebrations are actually not prohibited in Kuwait as long as they follow the rules and guidelines set by the Ministry of Interior. No dancing or alcohol is allowed.

However, such elements were noticed in some parties organized at private places or in the comfort of people?s homes. Organizers can also apply for a permit to party but many local community organizers avoid such gatherings since they attract checks or raids by the authorities. The entertainment facilities throughout Kuwait offered discounts to New Year revelers, especially those run by Touristic Enterprises.

The Scientific Center, along Gulf Street was also open and thronged by many expatriate?s children. The Kuwait Zoo was bustling with many children in the afternoon. Many families also spent time together by the seaside, with barbeques and a host of other activities, such as football and volleyball. From early morning yesterday, the Gulf Road from Salwa to Kuwait City saw many a holiday reveler as the weather seemed conducive to the spirit of the day.

Mustafa and his family were seen enjoying the day with some friends at the Gulf Road yesterday. ?A single-day holiday is definitely not enough, but I really make sure that even if it was just one day, my family should enjoy an outing. So we have barbeques and games here,? Mustafa said. ?Alhamdullahah, the weather is not very chilly and it is not very windy either, so we can really enjoy,? he added. As expected, Kuwait City was thronged by expatriates on the New Year eve and many were utilizing the day to meet their friends and relatives. Among this crowd was Laila from the Philippines who telephoned her parents back home. ?I can only call when I am in Kuwait City as I do not have a cell phone. We are not allowed to keep one by our sponsor. So I availed of this opportunity to call my parents. I was able to talk to them and my New Year is complete now,? she said. Clearly, everyone found his or her own way to usher in the New Year

By Ben Garcia, Kuwait Times Staff

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Source: http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2013/01/01/lackluster-welcome-to-new-year-in-kuwait-revelers-flock-to-malls-entertainment-facilities-seaside/

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Death toll rises to 16 in Angola stampede

At least 16 people were crushed to death during a stampede at a religious vigil held on New Year's Eve. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

By Reuters

Updated at 10:40 a.m. ET: The death toll from a New Year's Eve stampede at a religious gathering in the Angolan capital Luanda has risen to 16, the state-owned daily newspaper Jornal de Angola reported Wednesday.

The victims, including about 120 people who were injured, were trying to enter an overcrowded stadium for a vigil organized by a Pentecostal church, the state news agency Angop said Tuesday.

Angop cited an emergency services spokesman as saying the victims, including four children, were crushed at the gates of the Cidadela Desportiva stadium, where the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God organized a vigil on Monday night.

Angop cited Paulo de Almeida, the deputy leader of the Angolan police, as saying appropriate security measures for the vigil had been put in place but attendance exceeded estimates.

Ivory Coast stampede survivors tell of New Year horror

He said that around 150,000 people tried to attend the event at a stadium that has capacity for 50,000.

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God?is a Pentecostal Christian church created in 1977 in Brazil, where it has over 8 million followers, according to its own website. The church says it is present in most countries of the world.

Full World coverage on NBCNews.com

Ferner Batalha, the church's deputy bishop for Angola, said the vigil had been overcrowded.

"Our expectation was to have 70,000 people, but that was surpassed by far," Angop cited him as saying.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/02/16295451-death-toll-rises-to-16-in-stampede-at-church-event-in-angola?lite

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Home Improvement Caddy: Tips for Building an Addition on Your ...

If you decide to put an addition on the property, its location will be critical. You must make sure you still have access to the back of the house or garden. Existing drains will need protecting and inspection chambers within the addition must be fitted with double-sealed covers.

If you are thinking of building on to any part of the house wall that incorporates a window, you may have to make special provisions for extra light and ventilation for the rooms affected.

Wood-frame addition

Building a wood-frame addition is the quickest way of getting extra living space, so long as the land is available. Once the foundations are in place it is relatively straightforward to erect the wall framing, add the roof and make the structure weatherproof before attending to the internal fittings. Building a single-storey addition is well within the capabilities of the experienced do-it-yourself builder, but it is advisable to leave two-storey work to a builder.

Brick-built addition

At its simplest, your addition may just be for a first-floor utility room. More complicated ones could involve adding on two storeys to accommodate extra bedrooms or a bathroom, with possibly a new or extended kitchen or an extra living room underneath.

A brick-built addition is an ambitious project. You have to prepare proper foundations and have skill in laying bricks, plastering, roofing and so on. If you are building a kitchen or bathroom, extensive plumbing and electrical work may also be involved. You might, there?fore, be happier to do the planning and the finishing off and leave someone else to handle the main construction work.

Purpose-built addition

If all you want from your addition is a comfort?able room for use in the warmer weather, then a sunroom would suit your needs. And double glazing will help make it habitable in colder weather. Unless you can afford a custom-made model, you will have to choose from the range of prefabricated options available.

The choice is between the modern and the traditional. The less expensive types have slim aluminum glazing bars, curved eaves and sliding screen doors to guarantee maximum sunlight. More expensive versions offer delightful repli?cas of period styles with delicate framing in timber or cast aluminum, often with traditional French doors and decorative finials.

Depending on the model, some companies give you the choice of either building the sunroom yourself (with the aid of comprehen?sive instructions) or of opting to have it built by the supplier or a franchised builder.

You can do some of the work yourself - for example, preparing the foundation and doing the final decorating - or you may choose to complete the entire installation job yourself. Pricing is flexible according to individual needs.

In order to gain the full benefit of the sun, it is advisable to build a sunroom on a south-facing wall. However, if there are other buildings or trees in the way, you may have to choose another, less sunny site.

Of course, you do not have to build a sunroom on the ground. You can construct it at second-floor level on to a suitable existing flat roof. This is a good way of creating extra space in smaller properties without the benefit of a garden. However, you must discuss your plans with your local zoning or building inspector first.

Source: http://www.homeimprovementcaddy.com/2013/01/tips-for-building-addition-on-your.html

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Could Trip to Mars Cause Alzheimer's?

Space travel has always been portrayed as risky -- no air or water, extreme temperatures -- a place where even a small miscalculation can be fatal. It can also be hazardous to your brain health, particularly on a three-year-long mission to Mars, according to a study published this week in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

The eight-year long study, conducted at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory on New York's Long Island, found that the cosmic radiation on such a mission could accelerate the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

NASA is working on sending astronauts to a passing asteroid in the 2020s, and talks of a trip to Mars in the 2030s. It would take three years, with current technology, to get there and back. Current spacecraft are not heavily shielded from the cosmic radiation crew members would encounter beyond Earth's protective magnetic field.

Researchers used mice that were genetically engineered to be predisposed to Alzheimer's disease. They exposed them to cosmic radiation that was simulated in the lab.

"Galactic cosmic radiation poses a significant threat to future astronauts," said Dr. M. Kerry O'Banion, senior author and professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The study team wanted to see if radiation had the potential to accelerate Alzheimer's in those who were genetically vulnerable. Mouse models have been used extensively in this type of research and the rate at which they develop the disease is well understood.

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Scientists have long worried about the potential dangers of working and living in deep space. Cosmic radiation beyond low Earth orbit, researchers say, could lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease, even cataracts.

Radiation exposure can cause acute effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, skin injury and changes to white blood cell counts and the immune system, according to the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. Longer-term radiation effects include damage to the eyes, gastrointestinal system, lungs and central nervous system.

On Earth, humans are protected by the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field. Crew members on the International Space Station, at an altitude of 200 miles, are still within the magnetic sheath that surrounds us. The 24 Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon between 1969 and 1972 were not protected, but the longest missions lasted less than two weeks.

Once out of low orbit, astronauts are exposed to showers of different radioactive particles. Though engineers say they can protect themselves from the radiation associated with solar flares, so far, they cannot block other forms of cosmic radiation.

The longer astronauts are in deep space, the greater the exposure to this low-level radiation.

This is the first such study to explore effects of radiation on the nervous system, a phenomenon known as neurodegeneration, according to the authors.

"The possibility that radiation exposure in space may give rise to health problems such as cancer has long been recognized," said O'Banion. "However, this study shows for the first time that exposure to radiation levels equivalent to a mission to Mars could produce cognitive problems and speed up changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease."

O'Banion has spent the last 20 years studying Alzheimer's disease.

He and his fellow researchers studied a form of radiation from so-called high-mass, high-charged particles, which come in various forms and fly through space at high speeds. Some come from distant stars that have exploded.

At Brookhaven, where a portion of the research was conducted, particle accelerators were able to recreate some of the radioactive particles found in space.

"It is extremely difficult from an engineering perspective to effectively shield against them," said O'Banion. "One would have to essentially wrap a spacecraft in a six-foot block of lead or concrete."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/astronauts-alzheimers-mouse-study-shows-cosmic-radiation-disease/story?id=18104305

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2013, Time To Disrupt More Business Models!!! ? Direct Response ...

?Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.?? -Henry David Thoreau

2012 was an amazing year filled with unique challenges, exciting victories, and fun new ventures.

As we move into 2013 stay positive and keep a laser focus on your dreams. Lot?s of opportunities (distractions) will come your way, turn everything down that will pull you away from your dreams.

The more success you have the more haters are gonna hate.? The more people hate the more room you know you?re renting in their heads.?? Loved, Hated, BUT NEVER IGNORED.

My #1 2013 New Year Business Resolution is to blow up Completed.com:

What if you could showcase your accomplishments in your business & life to the whole world without looking like a conceited asshole?.

What if you could monetize your accomplishments with little to no effort?.

What if you could conduct a highly targeted search for talented employees whom otherwise wouldn?t have a resume online?..

What if you could nonchalantly procure the salary that a talented employee would take to leave their current employer and join your company?.

What if you could discover the price that a business would sell for even though it?s not for sale?.

Completed will address those demands in 2013.? You?re gonna love it!!!

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Cheers to your success in 2013!? Happy New Year from the Direct Response Team!!!!

Source: http://directresponse.net/2013-time-to-disrupt-more-business-models/

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