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Total evacuation of New Orleans planned

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

A state of emergency has been enacted in New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana today, after the devastating Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Monday. There were earlier erroneous reports by the news media that martial law had been imposed. Mayor Ray Nagin fears that there may be “thousands” of fatalities in his city alone.

Many hospital staff are struggling without power and supplies. As many as 2,500 patients from hospitals in Orleans Parish were to be evacuated, according to US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, but where they could be sent was still uncertain.

Looters are roaming the city and have already ransacked the city’s upscale shopping district on Canal Street. They have been seen on news reports carrying huge bags of stolen goods. Governor Kathleen Blanco announced plans to completely shut down New Orleans and move everybody left there out of the area. A rescue helicopter was shot at, temporarily halting all rescue operations.

Former mayor Marc Morial summed up his view by saying; “We’ve lost our city, I fear it’s potentially like Pompeii.”

Two of the city’s levees on Lake Ponchartrain failed; one with a football-field size breach.Emergency workers dropped sandbags from helicopters into the levee’s breaches,but the water kept coming.

“It appears that now the bowl is beginning to fill — not rapidly but slowly,” said Walter Maestri, an emergency operations manager. New floods swept through the center of New Orleans and water now covers 80 percent of the city with broken gas lines feeding raging fires. In some locations the water is now at a depth of 20 feet (six meters).

The famous French Quarter, initially less affected by flooding, finally also succumbed.

“Get out of town if you can.” said Ed Freytag, a city worker at the temporary City Hall complex. “We’re damn close right now to that worst-case scenario,” said Dave Cohen, a local radio host.

For those that were staying in the Superdome, officials have begun moving them to the long-vacant Astrodome in Houston, Texas.

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Suitable Replacements For Expensive New College Textbooks

Suitable Replacements for Expensive New College Textbooks

by

Groshan Fabiola

In the last few years, the average costs of new college textbooks have suffered a dramatic increase, forcing students nationwide to spend a fortune on their study materials. Although it may seem exaggerated, the costs of the total amount of college textbooks required by college students during a single school year often exceed the costs of the average student’s tuition. Well aware of this fact, increasingly larger numbers of students have turned away from college bookstores, looking for new, more affordable ways of obtaining their required study materials.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_N7MAr98CI[/youtube]

Realizing that they are at risk of losing an important segment of their clientage, many bookstores across the country have prepared more affordable prices for topical college textbooks over the last few months. Some bookstores have started to reduce the average costs of used textbooks as well, hoping to stimulate the interest of college students in buying study materials from such resources. However, even with the recent discounts and special offers promoted by most new and used college textbook-selling offline resources, online bookstores still hold supremacy when it comes to purchasing textbooks for decent prices. Thanks to the benefits offered to their clients, online bookstores and various other online college textbook-selling resources are literally assaulted by students in search of a good bargain. At present, more than two thirds of college students nationwide solely rely on online resources for purchasing their curriculum-required and facultative study materials. Impressed by their achieved exposure and by the great feedback received from college students, both new and used college textbook-selling bookstores that sustain their activity online have decided to further extend their offer by supplementing the number of study materials. Certain web-based retailers have even dedicated their activity entirely to students, offering them the opportunity to browse through an extensive inventory of college books. The only minuses of purchasing college textbooks online consist in high shipping costs and long delivery time. However, these problems are usually accounted for by dedicated online bookstores, which often minimize delivery time and costs for regular customers. Another great method of finding cheap college textbooks consist in regularly attending to online auctions. The major advantage provided by online auctions is that they enable students to buy the books that they are interested in for only a fraction of the normal cost. However, the main disadvantage consists in the considerably long delivery time. Many programs initiated by various faculty representatives nowadays even offer students the chance to enter in possession of their required college textbooks free of charge! The study materials can be obtained in downloadable format and they include many popular, topical names. Downloadable college textbooks are properly constructed and easy to obtain, features that render them a suitable replacement to regular textbooks. Thanks to the combined effort of the initiators of such programs, existing downloadable college textbooks can nowadays be obtained along with downloadable study guides.

So if you want to find out more about

textbooks

and especially about

college textbooks

, follow these links, you will also find information for the Dutch versions –

studieboeken

.

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Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian released on bail

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Taiwan’s former President, Chen Shui-bian (???), has been conditionally released on bail, some ten hours after he was indicted for corruption. Speaking to media at the Taipei District Court, he said: “I want to thank my lawyers, members of the Democratic Progressive Party and my supporters who have given me huge encouragement. I am grateful to those who cared for, supported and looked after me so I could get through the hardest and loneliest 32 days of my life in prison.” He earns the historical distinction of being the first ex-president of the Republic of China to be indicted for criminal offenses and could suffer life imprisonment if convicted.

Along with 13 other family members and close associates, including his wheelchair-bound wife, son Chen Chih-Chung, and daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching, Chen was indicted Friday on charges of embezzling government funds and laundering money or ill-gotten bribes. The panel of three judges ruled he should appear at future court hearings and must not leave the country nor change his address.

Prosecutor Lin Che-hui accused Chen of having “embezzled 104 million New Taiwan dollars ($3.12 million) from a special presidential fund, and received bribes of $11.73 million in connection with a government land procurement deal and a separate construction project; the damning piece of evidence was the presence of NT$740 million ($22.2 million) in cash stashed in a Taipei bank safety vault held by the Chens.” Yuanta Securities director Tu Li-ping said, “she hand delivered NT$200 million ($6 million) in cash to Wu at the presidential residence in 2006 on behalf of executives of an affiliated bank; the money was an incentive for Wu not to interfere with a merger the bank was pursuing.”

Chen insists on his innocence. Contradicting the 100-page indictment, he said that “the $21 million his wife wired to their son’s Swiss bank accounts came from leftover campaign donations. Taiwanese law permits such donations to be kept by political candidates.”

In 1975, Chen married Wu Shu-chen (???), the daughter of a physician. The couple has a daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (???), who is a dentist; and a son, Chen Chih-Chung (???), who, having received a law degree in Taiwan, studied at and graduated with a M.A. degree from the University of California in 2005.

In November 2006, Chen’s wife Wu Shu-chen and three other high ranking officials of the Presidential Office were indicted for corruption, charged with misappropriating NT$14.8 million (USD$450,000) of government funds using falsified documents. Due to the protection from the Constitution against prosecution of the sitting president, Chen could not be prosecuted until he left office, and he was not indicted, but was alleged to be an accomplice on his wife’s indictment.

Chen’s term as President of the Republic of China ended in May 2008. Immediately thereafter, prosecutors began investigating him regarding allegations that he misused his discretionary “state affairs fund”, as well as his connection to the first family’s money-laundering activities. He resigned from the Democratic Progressive Party on August 15, 2008, one day after admitting to falsifying past campaign expenses and wiring campaign contributions to overseas accounts.

In November 2008, Chen was escorted by a security staff, into the Taipei prosecutor’s office for questioning. After 6 hours, he left the Supreme Court prosecutor`s office in handcuffs, was arrested and detained. The charges each carry a minimum penalty of 5 years imprisonment. Following a 6 day hunger strike while in detention, Chen collapsed and was rushed to Taipei’s Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, where he was later transferred to Panchiao Hospital for force-feeding. Despite Chen’s lack of interest in appealing, his lawyer Cheng Wen-long completed a motion seeking his release from detention and filed a notice of appeal of the court’s decision, along with a petition for constitutional interpretation to restrain actions violative of the Constitution.

Prosecutor General, Chen Tsung-ming said that after Chen’s case had been removed to the Taipei Local Court, he would re-file a petition for Chen’s detention. Chen and the main opposition DPP have accused President Ma Ying-jeou‘s administration of “using the scandals to plan a political plot against the former leader.”

Meanwhile, The Straits Times reported that “prosecutors are to investigate former President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000, Lee Teng-hui on suspicion of money laundering, based on allegations made by Chen during his own questioning recently that his predecessor transferred large funds abroad through dummy accounts.” Mr. Lee angrily denied the accusations concerning “a suspected transfer of 50 million Taiwan dollars (US$2.26 million) to Mr Lee from a local stock investor via overseas dummy accounts.” Charges also included transactions made at the end of Lee’s tenure and at the beginning of Chen’s term, including “one billion Taiwan dollars that had been wired to various countries including Singapore.”

The China Post calls for calm and urges fair trial for Chen. “All the people should wait patiently for the outcome of the trial … They shouldn’t do anything to influence the judges in any way, because the rule of law in Taiwan is at stake. We should show the world that Taiwan is a democracy where anybody who commits a crime, be he a man on the street or a former president, is duly punished.” it said.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Former_Taiwanese_President_Chen_Shui-bian_released_on_bail&oldid=4529771”

Mike Daugherty Chevrolet}

Submitted by: Leoth Horn

The all new Daugherty Chevrolet Impala looks excellent from factory, but if you pay a close attention, you will notice that it looks just like the other models of the identical brand-name. How do you differentiate or even personalize it to fit your style and taste? Straightforward! With so several aftermarket offerings, you can simply transform your stock 2010 Daugherty Chevrolet Impala to showoff status with out making a hole in your wallet. Beneath are easy aftermarket accessories to contemplate in enhancing the front, exterior, interior and under the hood of your new vehicle.

Front Grilles:

Custom Grilles are a excellent way to show that you mean enterprise. A properly deigned car like the Impala deserves a excellent looking custom grille. Chrome grille overlay, chrome billet grills, standard classic billet grilles, custom Q style stainless Z grilles, and stainless wire mesh grilles are a great way to accent the front of your car and give it a new look. These grills are for sale, and are also affordable and cost-effective, and above all, they are easy to install and can be ordered for the 2010 Chevrolet Impala on-line or offline at specialty automotive outlets.

Exterior Accessories:

There is no limit to customizing the exterior of your new Impala. Firstly, if you notice, there are some chrome trims on the new Impala, but it is literary not adequate to make it elegant. Thanks to the aftermarket market for supplying high high quality chrome items like door deal with covers, tail light bezels, b pillars, mirror cover overlay and chrome physique side inserts to contemplate. Utilizing some of these aftermarket chrome trims in a tasteful manner will improve your car from ordinary to extraordinary with luxury and elegance written all over your automobile.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wam84RFe274[/youtube]

Interior Accessories:

Most Daugherty Chevrolet Impala owners invest much more time inside their cars then most of us would like to admit. Aid make that trend a small a lot more comfortable and functional with aftermarket interior accessories. Dash covers, cargo and trunk liners, seat covers, floor mats, navigation systems, LED interior lights, upgrade audio and entertainment systems, first aid kits, wood dash kits, wood grain steering wheel cover inserts, mounting options, air fresheners, cellular telephone accessories and upgrade speakers to name just a few of the aftermarket accessories to offer style, comfort and protection.

Performance Accessories:

With inexpensive aftermarket accessories, you can tweak your engine for maximum performance. For example, upgrading the stock filters with aftermarket filters like K&N, Injen, AEM or aFe will toss that engine-suffocation factory stock air filter in the trash bin. Also, upgrading the air intake systems will feed your engine cooler and cleaner air, and therefore resulting in extra power. For example, most aftermarket high-flow air intake kits, filters and systems improve your vehicles engine horsepower, torque and fuel economy by allowing it to breathe in much more energy enhancing oxygen for an enhanced air and fuel combination. Moreover, spark plugs set, exhaust performance mufflers and performance chips will assist rev up the engine from stock to vrooooom status without having really voiding your warranty.

Custom Wheels:

If you are like me, size does matters! Why drive about with stock wheels that of smaller sizes when you can effortlessly upgrade to a higher size? If you really want to reach the big baller or high roller status, you will need to upgrade to at least a plus 2 or plus 3. Anything much less will be uncivilized, and unacceptable in the streets.

Producing a new and appealing looks for your 2010 Chevrolet Impala is simple if you pick the proper aftermarket accessories. There is neither special design school to attend nor does it requires special abilities to customize your ride. Patience, a excellent theme, a style concept and the right budget in any combination is all you need to transform your ride from basic to outstanding

Daugherty Chevrolet

Mike Daugherty Chevrolet

Mike Daugherty Chevrolet Sacramento

About the Author: For more information about

performancechevy.com/

, visit our website at

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Curing Dog Constipation With Home Remedies

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Having a good diet and getting plenty of exercise areevery important for dogs, and can help avoid constipation for dogs. Dogs livingin the home need to be walked a minimum of two times daily. If you find yourdog is constipated try adding a teaspoon of bran to all his meals, which shouldmake his bowel movements occur much more frequently.

Another home remedy for dog constipation is to addpsyllium into the dogs diet. Half of a teaspoon added two times a day workswonders, with the addition of drinking extra water the constipation should becompletely gone. Mineral oil is another option is adding psyllium to the dietdoesnt work. Make sure to include meats and vegetables in your dogs diet, andto make sure you add enough water to your dogs food.

Many times feces can get tangled up in long dog hair,so its best to keep your dog groomed and up-kept. Dogs are known for eatingeverything they see, its your job to make sure they dont eat and swallow anybones. Its a known fact that almost all kinds of dogs, all breeds and sizes,are prone to becoming constipated. Do not feed your dog from your dinner tableunder any circumstances. Even giving him a few pieces of your food contributesand adds your dogs constipation.

There are certain foods that cause constipation; thesefoods contain rice, dairy, sugar, and abnormally high levels of protein. Sweetsand treats often times cause constipation in dogs. Not having enough fiber alsocauses dog constipation. Mega colon is a common problem found in dogs whichcauses constipation. With this disorder the colon is enlarged, making regular bowelmovements much harder.

If your dog begins to discharge blood, even in smallamounts, you need to take them to the vet. Keeping your dog healthy isextremely important in helping your dog live a long and happy life.

How To Become A Pack Leader

By Desmo Boss

So you have now bought or adopted your young puppy, or even your dreamed of adult dog and now the reality strikes at your heartstrings and wondering what is the next step to transforming your raw and mischievous puppy or adult dog into a well behaved, well trained and socially accepted family pet dog suitable to being trusted to interact effectively with all members of the family being from the youngest child to the oldest grandparent in addition to the myriad of regular friendly visitors to the family home.

Whether searching bookshelves in the local mall, the thousands of books held in the local libraries or searching on the internet for the best dog training guides which will satisfy your needs specifically suited to you and your puppy or adult dog needs, you will notice many thousands of written material and most of this written material show many different techniques that is perfect for you and your puppies and adult dogs needs, in reality a very confusing choice of Dog Training Guides and knowing which type of Dog Training Guides specifically suits your puppy or Dogs needs will depend of the ultimate aim of the training you wish your puppy or adult dog needs to attain.

The most important advice You can receive is to research all your options and your preferences taking into account of what is best for you and your puppy or adult dog, then make an informed choice although when you have made your choice and initiated the Dog Training with the bought material then don’t deviate from the training techniques as deviating from the training techniques can cause problems not only for your puppy or dog, but also confusion for you and the rest of the family, who should be practicing and reinforcing the various training techniques that you and your puppy or adult dog practice through each lesson – only you will introduce new training techniques and not other members, unless training the puppy or dog is a joint operation and training the puppy or dog by a joint operation is not necessarily the easiest and most effective method to train a puppy adult dog.

The training technique I will concentrate on now has many followers and is arguable preferred by many professional trainers who has experienced many trophies and world renowned accolades by pursuing and persevering with this dog training method, although there are many different dog training methods which I may cover in depth in future articles and blogs, but for now let’s concentrate on Becoming a Pack Leader and then if you decide this dog training method is the dog training method which is suitable for you and your puppy or adult dog, then refer to my further reading recommendation, you will not be disappointed with my dog training guide selection.

When introducing your puppy or adult dog to the first stages of the dog training techniques there are important considerations you must understand and practice on every occasion when in company with your puppy or adult dog, the dog training techniques will only be effective when you and your puppy or dog is having fun and both are enjoying the unique experience of being together as one and the relationship must be controlled but lively, remembering the puppy or adult dog, especially in the initial dog training phase, the puppy or dog will likely have a short concentration span, and both you and the puppy or adult dog can become tiresome in a very short time, so don’t push yourself or your puppy or adult dog to the point where dog training becomes a chore and not exciting, lively and a fun experience.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoiFGva_JoY[/youtube]

Puppies and even adult dogs can be natural at learning manners and basic commands and with patience and encouragement can pick up more advanced commands when using privileged games and rewards incorporated in to the learning and reinforcing process, and after the short dog training sessions, practice and reinforce every one of the new dog training techniques which has just completed, this dog training technique of practice encourages and reinforces the previous short dog training techniques lessons and therefore increases the natural bonding between the puppy or adult dog and the owner.

Understanding one important fact about your pet puppy or adult dog and that is that all dogs are social, pack animals and your puppy or adult dog will respect a strong, clear, fair and friendly leader, and if you fail for whatever reason to establish this position of Pack Leader for yourself, the likelihood is that your puppy or adult dog will try to take the top position of Pack Leader himself.

Pack Leader Role

In the dogs natural environment, dogs live their entire lives within the closely structured social order of their pack. As a young puppy they begin to understand through reinforcement the workings of the Pack’s social hierarchy, and as the puppy ages, through mutual group dynamics and mixed with aggressive behavior, the puppy will begin to establish their rightful placing within the Pack’s dominance hierarchy. The main criterion throughout the puppies earlier years comprise of dominance, submissiveness, leadership, obeying orders, these are all second nature and fiercely understood by every member of the Pack, and these are the criteria that you must understand and be familiar with before you are able relate to your puppy or adult dog in a successful manner, especially when you are responsible for reinforcing the dog training techniques.

Within each Pack there is a dominant leader, this is the individual dog who is the most dominant over the entire Pack members, in the Pack of wolves the most dominant individual is called the “Alpha Male”, this is the only individual who is empowered to makes the decisions, and who must be obeyed without any type of challenge. Arguably, this is the individual you must be to successfully be the leader of your puppy or adult dog – you need to be firm but friendly and consistent.

Professional trainers is well aware that to train a dog without first establishing themselves as the alpha male is a waste of time and effort, every dog needs a leader to obey and respect, as without this alpha male, a dog will feel lost and unstructured, if you do not reinforce this alpha male role yourself, then your puppy or adult dog will be forced to allocate the alpha male role themselves.

The most common training techniques the professional trainers uses to establish the role as the alpha male is straight forward, and involves both behavior and body language – these are two types of communication your puppy or adult dog will fully understand.

Not every professional dog trainer would agree that taking the role of the Pack Leader is the ideal solution for training your puppy or adult dog, a consensus among professionals will always be impossible and as individuals consensus will be never likely, although I will conclude with the evidence to support my believe in this type of Dog Training Techniques and the effectiveness that I have witnessed over many years working with dogs.

Many professionals believe that the Pack Leader system is way to controlling and they stress not “fair” to the dog. In reality by being consistent and persistent in the handling and reinforcing the commands reducing the demands and time reductions on the dog this dog training technique is being very fair. The dog must have structure – to reinforce the understanding of what the Leader want and reinforcing what the dogs responsibilities are. What is considered truly unfair is forcing the re-homing of your pet dog because of the dogs aggressive and bad behavior towards the family and people the dog comes in contact – aggression and bad behavior caused by the lack of structure and lack of consistent guidance that were the owners responsibility to give to his dog – animal shelters are consistently full on a daily basis with these aggressive and disobedient dogs – this is not fair to the abandoned dogs by their do good owners. Above all firm and loving dog training techniques will keep you and your dog happy.

I am unable to include the more intricate details and an in-depth explanation relative to becoming the Pack Leader which is included in an excellent world renowned Dog Training Guide – Be the Pack Leader, as this short article/ blog would become about 300 pages, so if you consider this dog training guide – Be the Pack Leader, is your preferred choice of dog training techniques, and convinced that this type of dog training is for you and your puppy or adult dog, or if you consider that becoming the Pack Leader needs further investigation for you to make informed choices for you to choose the correct dog training guide that is most suitable for you and your puppy or adult dog, then consider buying the following recommended Dog Training Book – Be the Pack Leader, and I am definitely convinced you will not be disappointed with your excellent Dog Training Techniques Book selection.

This particular best-selling book is a New York Times Best Seller so what better recommendation can you expect or want. Buy Now! while at Discounted Price.

http://dogsiteworld.com/be-the-pack-leader-use-cesars-way-to-transform-your-dog-and-your-life/

About the Author: Worked for many years within the youth justice and youth offending teams where he was a project manager, responsible to the law courts system for diverting the post court young people from further participating in criminal activity.

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How Can I Promote My Business Through Facebook?

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking platforms available on the web. Millions of people use this amazing site to get in touch with their closed ones. They can easily send or receive messages, attachments and much more to their friends, families, and colleagues. It gives many amazing features to its users. Facebook advertising allows businesses, whether its small scale or large scale business to do their promotions through custom ads or content targeting a specific audience, with expenses varying depends on the reach and engagement the ad receives. Facebook ads can display to your target audience in their News Feed or right column on Facebook.

  • You can create a business page on Facebook for the promotion of your business.

While creating a Facebook Page for your business, you need to choose an appropriate category that specifies the nature of your business and will make it easy for people find your Page. The category name is shown on your Page, so it’s one of the first things a user view when they visit your page on Facebook.

  • Visit the Facebook homepage and select option to create a page.
  • Then select a Page category
  • Click to begin and follow the instructions appears on the screen.
  • You need to fill out the full detail of your business in your page information
  • Put a relevant Facebook profile and cover photo
  • You need to create goals for your Facebook ads

When making a planning for your Facebook Ads, ensure that your goals are specific, measurable, relevant, and time-bound. Creating best goals for your Facebook Ads will make it easy for you to achieve an excellent return on investment.

  • You can also easily customise your target audience

This step is very important to run successful Facebook ads. You can target an audience based on age, location, gender, behaviour, interests, and language.

You can customise more by configuring the custom audiences to reach people who already knowledge about your business, or you can also remove them from your ad’s target audience so you can get new people on Facebook. These custom audiences can be built through a website traffic, customer list or app activity.

Targeting the correct audience will ensure that you get the most out of your Facebook advertising dollars. For more information, you can make a connection with experts through autonomous FacebookTechnicalSupportNumber available on the web.

Toll-free number:+1-844-773-9313 (USA, CANADA)+44-800-051-3717 (UK)+61-180-082-5192 (AUS)

A Fence Company In St Paul Helps Property Owners Keep Animals Out Of Gardens

byAlma Abell

A Fence Company in St Paul can help property owners who need to secure their vegetable gardens against intruders. Those intruders aren’t of the human variety, but rather critters like squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, raccoons, and even deer. The neighbor’s dog might even have an ongoing craving for tomatoes. All these animals can be tenacious vegetable hounds, and only a fence will keep them out.

Even though St. Paul and the surrounding municipalities are urban, a wide variety of wildlife roams through the area and takes up residence there. The many lakes are appealing to these animals, and they can easily travel through green spaces and larger lots. Deer and other wild animals thrive in the kind of sprawling land and waterways that characterize the Twin Cities. Considering that many area residents even feed these critters intentionally, the problem has become remarkable.

People generally like to have gardens fenced with metal since that material holds up well against wildlife and pets and doesn’t create a visibly blocked-off portion of the property. A chain-link fence installed by a Fence Company in St Paul is a possibility, or a more decorative structure can be built. Chain-link fencing doesn’t have to look stark and cold, however. It’s available with coatings in various colors, and gardeners have the option of adding vines or shrubbery to brighten it up. Any garden-protecting fence in this region must be sturdy enough so deer or dogs won’t be able to knock it over. Deer, in particular, may be inclined to try this if they are hungry and having any trouble finding food. Fortunately for gardeners, that doesn’t tend to happen during the gardening season.

Fences, as installed by a contractor such as Dakota Unlimited, can even have a roof of the same material. Obviously, it’s essential not to block the sunshine, so a metal grid pattern is beneficial. This blocks animals that can jump from trees or easily climb a chain-link structure. It also keeps birds out. At the other end of the fence, the material can be installed far enough underground to prevent critters from tunneling underneath. Raccoons, possums, and chipmunks may be motivated to try this. Get a FREE Estimate today.

Bat for Lashes plays the Bowery Ballroom: an Interview with Natasha Khan

Friday, September 28, 2007

Bat for Lashes is the doppelgänger band ego of one of the leading millennial lights in British music, Natasha Khan. Caroline Weeks, Abi Fry and Lizzy Carey comprise the aurora borealis that backs this haunting, shimmering zither and glockenspiel peacock, and the only complaint coming from the audience at the Bowery Ballroom last Tuesday was that they could not camp out all night underneath these celestial bodies.

We live in the age of the lazy tendency to categorize the work of one artist against another, and Khan has had endless exultations as the next Björk and Kate Bush; Sixousie Sioux, Stevie Nicks, Sinead O’Connor, the list goes on until it is almost meaningless as comparison does little justice to the sound and vision of the band. “I think Bat For Lashes are beyond a trend or fashion band,” said Jefferson Hack, publisher of Dazed & Confused magazine. “[Khan] has an ancient power…she is in part shamanic.” She describes her aesthetic as “powerful women with a cosmic edge” as seen in Jane Birkin, Nico and Cleopatra. And these women are being heard. “I love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws,” said Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke of the track Horse and I. “This song seems to come from the world of Grimm’s fairytales.”

Bat’s debut album, Fur And Gold, was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize, and they were seen as the dark horse favorite until it was announced Klaxons had won. Even Ladbrokes, the largest gambling company in the United Kingdom, had put their money on Bat for Lashes. “It was a surprise that Klaxons won,” said Khan, “but I think everyone up for the award is brilliant and would have deserved to win.”

Natasha recently spoke with David Shankbone about art, transvestism and drug use in the music business.


DS: Do you have any favorite books?

NK: [Laughs] I’m not the best about finishing books. What I usually do is I will get into a book for a period of time, and then I will dip into it and get the inspiration and transformation in my mind that I need, and then put it away and come back to it. But I have a select rotation of cool books, like Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés and Little Birds by Anaïs Nin. Recently, Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch.

DS: Lynch just came out with a movie last year called Inland Empire. I interviewed John Vanderslice last night at the Bowery Ballroom and he raved about it!

NK: I haven’t seen it yet!

DS: Do you notice a difference between playing in front of British and American audiences?

NK: The U.S. audiences are much more full of expression and noises and jubilation. They are like, “Welcome to New York, Baby!” “You’re Awesome!” and stuff like that. Whereas in England they tend to be a lot more reserved. Well, the English are, but it is such a diverse culture you will get the Spanish and Italian gay guys at the front who are going crazy. I definitely think in America they are much more open and there is more excitement, which is really cool.

DS: How many instruments do you play and, please, include the glockenspiel in that number.

NK: [Laughs] I think the number is limitless, hopefully. I try my hand at anything I can contribute; I only just picked up the bass, really—

DS: –I have a great photo of you playing the bass.

NK: I don’t think I’m very good…

DS: You look cool with it!

NK: [Laughs] Fine. The glockenspiel…piano, mainly, and also the harp. Guitar, I like playing percussion and drumming. I usually speak with all my drummers so that I write my songs with them in mind, and we’ll have bass sounds, choir sounds, and then you can multi-task with all these orchestral sounds. Through the magic medium of technology I can play all kinds of sounds, double bass and stuff.

DS: Do you design your own clothes?

NK: All four of us girls love vintage shopping and charity shops. We don’t have a stylist who tells us what to wear, it’s all very much our own natural styles coming through. And for me, personally, I like to wear jewelery. On the night of the New York show that top I was wearing was made especially for me as a gift by these New York designers called Pepper + Pistol. And there’s also my boyfriend, who is an amazing musician—

DS: —that’s Will Lemon from Moon and Moon, right? There is such good buzz about them here in New York.

NK: Yes! They have an album coming out in February and it will fucking blow your mind! I think you would love it, it’s an incredible masterpiece. It’s really exciting, I’m hoping we can do a crazy double unfolding caravan show, the Bat for Lashes album and the new Moon and Moon album: that would be really theatrical and amazing! Will prints a lot of my T-shirts because he does amazing tapestries and silkscreen printing on clothes. When we play there’s a velvety kind of tapestry on the keyboard table that he made. So I wear a lot of his things, thrift store stuff, old bits of jewelry and antique pieces.

DS: You are often compared to Björk and Kate Bush; do those constant comparisons tend to bother you as an artist who is trying to define herself on her own terms?

NK: No, I mean, I guess that in the past it bothered me, but now I just feel really confident and sure that as time goes on my musical style and my writing is taking a pace of its own, and I think in time the music will speak for itself and people will see that I’m obviously doing something different. Those women are fantastic, strong, risk-taking artists—

DS: —as are you—

NK: —thank you, and that’s a great tradition to be part of, and when I look at artists like Björk and Kate Bush, I think of them as being like older sisters that have come before; they are kind of like an amazing support network that comes with me.

DS: I’d imagine it’s preferable to be considered the next Björk or Kate Bush instead of the next Britney.

NK: [Laughs] Totally! Exactly! I mean, could you imagine—oh, no I’m not going to try to offend anyone now! [Laughs] Let’s leave it there.

DS: Does music feed your artwork, or does you artwork feed your music more? Or is the relationship completely symbiotic?

NK: I think it’s pretty back-and-forth. I think when I have blocks in either of those area, I tend to emphasize the other. If I’m finding it really difficult to write something I know that I need to go investigate it in a more visual way, and I’ll start to gather images and take photographs and make notes and make collages and start looking to photographers and filmmakers to give me a more grounded sense of the place that I’m writing about, whether it’s in my imagination or in the characters. Whenever I’m writing music it’s a very visual place in my mind. It has a location full of characters and colors and landscapes, so those two things really compliment each other, and they help the other one to blossom and support the other. They are like brother and sister.

DS: When you are composing music, do you see notes and words as colors and images in your mind, and then you put those down on paper?

NK: Yes. When I’m writing songs, especially lately because I think the next album has a fairly strong concept behind it and I’m writing the songs, really imagining them, so I’m very immersed into the concept of the album and the story that is there through the album. It’s the same as when I’m playing live, I will imagine I see a forest of pine trees and sky all around me and the audience, and it really helps me. Or I’ll just imagine midnight blue and emerald green, those kind of Eighties colors, and they help me.

DS: Is it always pine trees that you see?

NK: Yes, pine trees and sky, I guess.

DS: What things in nature inspire you?

NK: I feel drained thematically if I’m in the city too long. I think that when I’m in nature—for example, I went to Big Sur last year on a road trip and just looking up and seeing dark shadows of trees and starry skies really gets me and makes me feel happy. I would sit right by the sea, and any time I have been a bit stuck I will go for a long walk along the ocean and it’s just really good to see vast horizons, I think, and epic, huge, all-encompassing visions of nature really humble you and give you a good sense of perspective and the fact that you are just a small particle of energy that is vibrating along with everything else. That really helps.

DS: Are there man-made things that inspire you?

NK: Things that are more cultural, like open air cinemas, old Peruvian flats and the Chelsea Hotel. Funny old drag queen karaoke bars…

DS: I photographed some of the famous drag queens here in New York. They are just such great creatures to photograph; they will do just about anything for the camera. I photographed a famous drag queen named Miss Understood who is the emcee at a drag queen restaurant here named Lucky Cheng’s. We were out in front of Lucky Cheng’s taking photographs and a bus was coming down First Avenue, and I said, “Go out and stop that bus!” and she did! It’s an amazing shot.

NK: Oh. My. God.

DS: If you go on her Wikipedia article it’s there.

NK: That’s so cool. I’m really getting into that whole psychedelic sixties and seventies Paris Is Burning and Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis. Things like The Cockettes. There seems to be a bit of a revolution coming through that kind of psychedelic drag queen theater.

DS: There are just so few areas left where there is natural edge and art that is not contrived. It’s taking a contrived thing like changing your gender, but in the backdrop of how that is still so socially unacceptable.

NK: Yeah, the theatrics and creativity that go into that really get me. I’m thinking about The Fisher King…do you know that drag queen in The Fisher King? There’s this really bad and amazing drag queen guy in it who is so vulnerable and sensitive. He sings these amazing songs but he has this really terrible drug problem, I think, or maybe it’s a drink problem. It’s so bordering on the line between fabulous and those people you see who are so in love with the idea of beauty and elevation and the glitz and the glamor of love and beauty, but then there’s this really dark, tragic side. It’s presented together in this confusing and bewildering way, and it always just gets to me. I find it really intriguing.

DS: How are you received in the Pakistani community?

NK: [Laughs] I have absolutely no idea! You should probably ask another question, because I have no idea. I don’t have contact with that side of my family anymore.

DS: When you see artists like Pete Doherty or Amy Winehouse out on these suicidal binges of drug use, what do you think as a musician? What do you get from what you see them go through in their personal lives and with their music?

NK: It’s difficult. The drugs thing was never important to me, it was the music and expression and the way he delivered his music, and I think there’s a strange kind of romantic delusion in the media, and the music media especially, where they are obsessed with people who have terrible drug problems. I think that’s always been the way, though, since Billie Holiday. The thing that I’m questioning now is that it seems now the celebrity angle means that the lifestyle takes over from the actual music. In the past people who had musical genius, unfortunately their personal lives came into play, but maybe that added a level of romance, which I think is pretty uncool, but, whatever. I think that as long as the lifestyle doesn’t precede the talent and the music, that’s okay, but it always feels uncomfortable for me when people’s music goes really far and if you took away the hysteria and propaganda of it, would the music still stand up? That’s my question. Just for me, I’m just glad I don’t do heavy drugs and I don’t have that kind of problem, thank God. I feel that’s a responsibility you have, to present that there’s a power in integrity and strength and in the lifestyle that comes from self-love and assuredness and positivity. I think there’s a real big place for that, but it doesn’t really get as much of that “Rock n’ Roll” play or whatever.

DS: Is it difficult to come to the United States to play considering all the wars we start?

NK: As an English person I feel equally as responsible for that kind of shit. I think it is a collective consciousness that allows violence and those kinds of things to continue, and I think that our governments should be ashamed of themselves. But at the same time, it’s a responsibility of all of our countries, no matter where you are in the world to promote a peaceful lifestyle and not to consciously allow these conflicts to continue. At the same time, I find it difficult to judge because I think that the world is full of shades of light and dark, from spectrums of pure light and pure darkness, and that’s the way human nature and nature itself has always been. It’s difficult, but it’s just a process, and it’s the big creature that’s the world; humankind is a big creature that is learning all the time. And we have to go through these processes of learning to see what is right.

Dogs Just Relish Non Veg Dog Foods, Why?

Dogs just relish non veg dog foods, why?

by

Willey Martin Dogs just relish non veg dog foods, why?

Most of the dog owners ask the veterinarian about the food to give to their pets. The most important question of concern for owners is it good to give raw food to their pets and answer to that is yes. Yes one can surely give raw chicken food to their pets, pets like dog got a strong digestive system and they love to jump on the chicken food every day.Yes absolutely true dog loves to relish on non-veg food! Get the dog foods with nutrient values for maintaining dog health.

Dog health depends on the quality of food he takes. Its owner\’s duty to provide their pet a balance diet including vitamins, minerals, fasts and essential nutrients.This article will help you to understand the importance of dog food in keeping your pet happy and healthy.

Do not worry regarding the raw dog foods; your pet is capable of digesting them. One can give their pet following non-veg dog foods.

1) Turkey: backs, necks, drumsticks, wings, gizzards, hearts

2) Whole, oily fish: herring, sardines, anchovies, mackerel

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU[/youtube]

3) Chicken: backs, necks, legs, carcasses, organs, wings, eggs

4) Beef: ground chuck, stew meat, organs, marrow bones

The above non-veg dog foods are pretty affordable and extremely good for your dog health.

Here are given the benefits of giving non-veg food to your dog:

1) Your pal will glow with lustrous skin. Fish oil supplementation will add stars to the beauty of your healthy pet.

2) Consuming raw food and chewing the bones will help them clear up the deposited plaque and will make your dogs teeth gleaming.

3) Good dog foods will provide your dog a resistance for allergies and minor illnesses and will cut the cost of visiting veterinarian repetitively.

4) Shopping the wholesale chicken and bones and organ meats available in the market is significantly cheaper than buying commercial dog food.

The dog will love to see their favorite food in the feeding bowls and you can save on your budget as well and will get the satisfaction of giving nutritious food to them in the form of raw chicken.

Get the perfect dog foods and make your pet\’s life healthy and happy! Make things easy for your pet, give them which they love to gorge on. Add best of nutritious food to their feeding bowls and keep them going throughout the day.

Give your pets proper vaccination and flea control medications on time to reduce the pain of further infections and disease to them. Grooming is also essential for pets to save their skin coat and to make them look charming!

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