D-Day Landing Sites Then And Now: 11 Striking Images That Bring The Past And Present Together

In a mission described by wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place", D-Day was the beginning of an 80-day campaign to liberate the region which involved three million troops and cost 250,000 lives.
Few are left to tell the story of the D-Day landings, but today, as we remember the sacrifices and heroism of troops involved in the landings, these pictures of tourists soaking up the sun on Normandy's beaches stand in stark contrast to haunting images taken around the time of the crucial invasion.
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    Tourists walk by where the body of a dead German soldier once lay in the main square of Place Du Marche in Trevieres after the town was taken by US troops who landed at nearby Omaha Beach in 1944.
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    Beach goers walk past a captured German bunker overlooking Omaha Beach near Saint Laurent sur Mer.
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    Farmer Raymond Bertot, who was 19 when allied troops came ashore in 1944, stands where US Army troops once made battle plans on his property near the former D-Day landing zone of Utah Beach in Les Dunes de Varreville.
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    Children walk over the remains of a concrete wall on the former Utah Beach D-Day landing zone, once a vital means of defence for US Army soldiers.
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    A farm field remains where German prisoners of war, captured after the D-Day landings in Normandy were once guarded by US troops at a camp in Nonant-le-Pin, France.
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    In 2014, tourists stroll by where the 2nd Battalion US Army Rangers once marched to their landing craft in Weymouth, England June 5, 1944.
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    The former Juno Beach D-Day landing zone, where Canadian forces once came ashore, in Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, France. Once a scene of death and destruction, now a tourist's paradise.
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    Where Canadian troops once patrolled in 1944 after German forces were dislodged from Caen, shoppers now walk along the rebuilt Rue Saint-Pierre in Caen, which was destroyed following the D-Day landings.
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    Where US Army reinforcements once marched on June 18, 1944, tourists now tread the same path to the beach near Colleville sur Mer, France.
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    Tourists top up their tans where the members of an American landing party once assisted troops whose landing craft was sunk by enemy fire off Omaha beach in 1944.
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    Holidaymakers enjoy the sunshine, while on June 6, 1944 US reinforcements landed on Omaha beach during the Normandy D-Day landings near Vierville sur Mer, France.
This week thousands of people, including some of the ever-decreasing number of D-Day veterans, flocked to beaches, cemeteries and villages linked to the landings.
British veterans of landings have honoured their fallen comrades today during a poignant service of remembrance in Normandy attended by the Queen.
David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband and about 400 Commonwealth troops also attended the Royal British Legion service at Bayeux Cathedral.
The Prime Minister said it was "incredibly moving" to be at the events in Normandy and it was "humbling" for people of his generation who had not had to do anything like the heroic actions of June 6 1944.
"It is awe inspiring, it gives you a sense of humility but above all it gives you a sense of extraordinary gratitude for what these amazingly brave people did."
He said the veterans still had a "spring in their step and joy in their hearts about coming back here and remembering what they did".
Guests also included French prime minister Manuel Valls and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who were all packed into the Norman-Romanesque cathedral - the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry - on a day which is expected to mark the high point of the D-Day anniversary events.
At the start of the service the Reverend Patrick Irwin, the Royal British Legion Chaplain to Normandy, told the congregation: "Here in this cemetery we are reminded of the true cost of D-Day whose 70th anniversary we mark today.
"We pay tribute to the dead and welcome enthusiastically the veterans for whose courage and devotion we are most grateful.
"This is a British cemetery and most of the graves in this place are British but D-Day involved many nations and many nations are represented here."
The Chaplain added: "Here in this cemetery men from many nations lie together united in death, and together, united in gratitude, sorrow and respect, we honour their memory - may they rest in peace."

Hair Styles For Black Women With Short Hair And For Weddings With Long Hair

 
 
 
 
By Darren Hartley


Because African-American hair is different to Caucasian and Asian hair in so many ways, short hair styles for black women necessitates extra care and attention. Since the water content of black hair is less, it grows in a slower pace but breaks in an easier fashion. Corollary to this, natural hair requires different care and maintenance procedures from relaxed or chemically straightened hair. On a similar note, male hair and female hair, in this case, follow different guidelines as far as care and maintenance is concerned.

There is one and only one foundation for healthier and more beautiful short hair styles for black women and that is the care that is given to the hair in its natural glory. The texture of African-American hair varies from kinky to coarse to straight. Washing and conditioning it should be with hair texture specific products and not products based on the skin color.

Enhancing short hair styles for black women through perming, hair relaxing and hair coloring can weaken the hair in the process. This is due to the chemicals that constitute these commercial products. To bring back the strength that the hair lost during its enhancement, hair nourishing and strengthening routines and regimens need to be taken in a regular basis.

The simple parting of the hair at the center is one of the easiest long hair wedding styles that a woman invited to either a classy wedding of utter sophistication or a wedding given a bohemian touch can muster. By just adding soft waves to frame the face, the hair is given a style straight from the pages of a romantic novel.

Glamour, eccentricity and elegance are added to long hair wedding styles through the incorporation of a little bridal pearl jewelry into the mix. Mixing curls with a modern and stylish up do is a unique blend that is sure to have a woman stared at for all the right reasons.

One of the finest long hair wedding styles that women who want to look classy and grown-up can adopt is the wrap-around style chignon interspersed with pearl hair jewelry. For a woman who will be wearing a dress that shows off her neck and shoulders, the popular half up, half down hairdo will be the way to go.



 

How To Choose An Appropriate SMS Service Provider

 
 
 
By Alex D White


Communication systems look incomplete without short text messages. Business organizations rely on these messages to communicate with their clients as well as shareholders because of the benefits that come with using such services. Some business entities work alongside mobile operators to provide the service to business organizations. With the high number of these SMS service providers, choosing the most suitable amongst them can be an uphill task. That is why you will need to consider certain key factors before you pick on any SMS provider.

You will need to evaluate the economic benefits behind using the company instead of just sending the short messages the normal way through mobile operators. This entails doing a cost benefit analysis, a key factor in every business decision. A good short message service company should have the cost of sending many messages at once decreasing as the client purchases more and more credits.

You would need to find out if there are some hidden costs of using the services. Many companies offering this service fail to include some costs like say set up costs on their website and the costs only become visible after you sign a contract with them. Inquire from other people using the same company for their message communications if at all there are some costs that are not included.

Some companies put restrictions on the minimum amount of credits you can purchase. This will require that you be certain about the number of people that are going to use your services. If you do not know or are uncertain about the number of people who are going to use your application, then you are better off with a company that has no such minimum restrictions.

A number of short message service brokers have their credits expire after a certain period. That fact makes it necessary that you make no mistake in oversubscribing, as that will amount to wastage. Thus, you will have to estimate with accurate precision the number of application users you will have on any particular period before your next purchase. Avoid companies that have the Lifespan of their credits extremely short.

Some providers offer limited geographical coverage for their network services. They only deliver short messages to certain countries or locations. In some cases, they are not able to deliver messages intended to reach those in certain networks or using mobile phones supported by certain mobile operators. This information is available in most websites of companies specializing in SMS provision.

Just like you give quality the first priority when making other purchases, so is it in choosing a short message broker. Companies providing poor quality network can delay the receipt of your message or perhaps the message may never reach your target recipient. Use the free credits offered by most providers to ascertain the quality of the network.

It is important that the company offers you a platform where you can manage your account. You should be able to check the credit balance in your account as well as make online purchases. While almost all companies offer you that service, the ease with which you can do it is not equivalent. Try to settle on the company with friendly user applications or interfaces.


Discovering Different Washington DC Audio Walking Tours

 
 
 
 
 
 
By Lila Bryant


Tourist areas often boast a number of bicycle, trolley and guided walking tours. Some of the best can be found in the biggest cities where the narration is often recorded. The Nation's capitol offers a number of different types of tours including several Washington DC audio walking tours.

One of the most popular live narrations in many cities are those related to ghosts and hauntings of various churches, homes, hotels and neighborhoods. Historic ones are often related to exhibits at various museums and are most often pre-recorded. While many historic recordings are free there is generally a nominal fee for those which accompany museum installations and exhibits.

Some travel companies offer past, present and future recordings free of charge. This now allows those who may be homebound for various reasons the opportunity to take a trip without ever leaving home, especially those whom lack the funds to do so. While, others use the podcasts to determine which areas might be good for future vacations.

Many areas have both day and night tours, this is especially true in cities which host ones related to ghosts as most happen at night. Whereas, most historic walking and museum audio tours are only offered during the daytime. When traveling alone, it is often good to get an idea of the safety of an area by checking local crime statistics and participating in group tours or walking with a guide.

Before leaving home, individuals can now download a number of podcasts which feature walking tours of many cities. These audio recordings are often quite informative about the people, places and things which can be found in the region. Some are more historic, while others focus on present day activities and events. All of which can be quite useful whether listening from home or visiting an area for the first time.

A great deal of knowledge can also be obtained by simply listening to the Podcast online from home. Whether planning a trip, or simply needing a great way to relax, these recordings can often help individuals decide places of interest whether traveling now or in the future. Even if one never visits the area, one can still learn a great deal about a city's history and people.

Listening to past recordings of different areas can also help individuals decide whether or not it is an area one might like to visit. Whereas, one can also sign up to receive future recordings on many travel related websites. This is great for individuals who love to travel but are without the funds to do so as many of these recordings are simply sent by way of email attachment on a regular basis.

Whether visiting Washington DC or other cities, these audio recordings can often help individuals find their footing in places far from home. Or, for those who do not have the ability to travel, escape to new and different places without ever leaving home. Whether listening from home, or while on a tour, a great deal of knowledge can be gained about the people, places and history by listening to an audio tour Podcast.



 

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Underwater Sound Examined, Likely From A ‘Small Earthquake;’ Private Contractors To Get 300 Days To Search For Missing Jet

MH370_May2
Australian researchers assisting in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which mysteriously disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board, released data on Wednesday about a noise recorded by two undersea receivers in the Indian Ocean, and stated that there is a very small chance it could be linked to the missing jet.
The low-frequency sound was reportedly picked up off the southern tip of India in the central Indian Ocean and about 3,000 miles northwest of a region in the southern Indian Ocean where searchers have been looking for the jetliner in the past few weeks. The sound, which is outside the normal range of hearing, was recorded on March 8 shortly after Flight MH370 went missing after take-off from Kuala Lumpur. The hunt for the Beijing-bound Boeing 777 has led to very little in the way of concrete findings so far.
"It's one of these situations where you find yourself willing it all to fit together but it really doesn't," Alec Duncan, a senior marine science research fellow at Curtin University near Perth in Western Australia, reportedly said. "I'd love to be able to sit here and say, 'Yeah, we've found this thing and it's from the plane' — but the reality is, there's a lot of things that make noise in the ocean."
Duncan, who is heading the research to find the source of the sound, reportedly said that the sound most likely came from a natural event such as a small earthquake, and added that there is a 90 percent chance the sound was not from the missing aircraft. Duncan also reportedly ruled out a connection between the underwater noise and signals from the black box of the missing Flight MH370.
“It’s way below the lowest frequency that we can hear. It would be associated either with the noise relating to the impact of the plane on the water surface or a part of the wreckage that was effectively sealed but not strong enough to withstand pressure as the aircraft sank. If something had imploded suddenly, that produces a loud underwater noise," he reportedly said, according to The Australian.
Meanwhile, the Australian government on Wednesday released tender documents outlining the first requirements for future search efforts, and stated that private contractors will have 300 days to complete the undersea search, while global experts have been given 26 days to finalize a plan to search the area.
Although details about costs were reportedly not mentioned in the tender, Australian authorities had previously said that about $55.5 million will be set aside for the next phase of the search.
The Malaysia Airlines plane's disappearance has triggered a massive, international search effort involving dozens of countries and agencies, and one that is expected to become the most expensive search of its kind in aviation history.

Sri Lanka’s Central Banker: Emerging Markets Should Be Prepared for Fed Tightening


By PAUL HANNON

The time to have started preparing for the end of the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing program was at the beginning of the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing program.

So says Ajith Nivard Cabraal, governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Thursday, Mr. Cabraal said he would not expect the Fed to take account of the impact its actions will have on some developing economies when the time comes for it to end its program of bond purchases, and then begin to raise its benchmark interest rate.

“Every country will make their own decisions based on their own requirements,” he said. 

“As to whether it will be the most benign impact for other countries, I don’t think they have the luxury of contemplating. I think that’s something we all have to recognize and appreciate. If we understand that, and we build up our own cushions to deal with any kind of impact that follows such decisions, I think that’s the best way of handling these types of conditions.”

In other words, it’s every central bank for itself, and that is unlikely to change. Mr. Cabraal’s view of the obligations central banks have to each other is at odds with that ofRaghuram Rajan, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, who Wednesday again called on the Fed and other developed country central banks to plan for a normalization of monetary policy “whose pace and timing is responsive, at least in part, to conditions they (emerging markets) face.”

Hence Mr. Cabraal’s argument that the only way to have prepared for a withdrawal of foreign capital when the Fed begins to tighten is not to have allowed very much of it in to your country in the first place.

“At the time QE commenced, we took a fairly calculated position that it would end at some stage,” he said. “We didn’t encourage huge inflows of capital. We didn’t change our limits on foreign investment. Our investors are there for the longer term.”

As the Fed’s easy money policies helped lower interest rates around the world, many emerging markets fueled breakneck growth in part by issuing record levels of government and corporate debt.

But as the Fed began to wind down some of those policies, economic growth in many developing economies started to slow. In two periods around the middle of last year and early this year, investors began to pull their cash out of emerging market equities and bonds en masse.

In recent days, however, there have been signs that investors are returning to emerging markets.

Sri Lanka limits the share of foreign capital allowed in its treasury markets to 12.5%. Mr.Cabraal said he isn’t advocating that all developing economies follow that example, since some may need more foreign capital than others to generate growth. Instead, he said regulators should focus on whether the level of capital flows is appropriate to an economy’s needs.

“We should always be conscious of what flows are necessary for an economy,” he said. “Low inflows could be one of the factors that would not provide you with sufficient resources. High outflows can cause many shocks. Always be conscious of that.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/05/29/sri-lankas-central-banker-emerging-markets-should-be-prepared-for-fed-tightening/?KEYWORDS=sri+lanka

An Ideal Guide For Loan Against Property

In today's competitive world, you need money for everything, right from funding your own business to paying for your children education. One of the first thoughts to come to one's mind is, "Where do I get the money from?" There are several ways to get the funding; however, one of the easiest ways is to pick a loan and a 'loan against property' is certainly the easiest loan available to people today.

What does it mean?

The first thing to do would be to understand what a 'loan against property' is. In simple language, it is a loan, which is disbursed or sanctioned against the mortgage of one's property. You can mortgage the property whether it is self-occupied or rented out to someone else. This property can be both in the form of a housing area or in the form of a piece of land.

How can I qualify?

Banks will specify different eligibility criteria for you to be able to opt for a loan against property  in India. Most banks and finance companies will conduct a study to ensure that a person's finances are of sound nature. The bank undertakes a study to find out how much you earn, details about your savings, and the debts that you have. The lenders will also make sure that you have cleared all your previous loans and credit card payments.


Why is it used?

A loan against property in India , especially, can be very helpful as it can be used for a varied range of purposes. It is considered a secured loan because the borrower of the money provides his property as collateral. This loan can usually be taken for a period of 15 years. Usually, the rate of interest on the loan against property is between 12-15%, which is much lower than any unsecured loan.

Is it better than a personal loan?



There is a difference between a loan against property and a personal loan. The personal loan falls under the category of being an unsecured loan because the borrower does not provide the bank with any kind of collateral. The rate of interest on a personal loan is much higher than the loan against property interest rates.

Also, a personal loan can be taken only for a period of 5 years. The loan against property is one of the best ways of sourcing money. However, one main disadvantage is that the bank will take hold of the property mortgaged if the borrower fails to repay the loan. A person should only take up such a loan if he is sure that he can repay the same in due time.

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