All was well with Oman until June 5, when the tropical cyclone Gonu anchored itself inland. Wind speeds exceeded 240 km/hr and cyclone Gonu was classified as the worst cyclonic storm ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean. The most intense cyclone in the Arabian Sea had brought in its wake severe rainfall, thunder storms and giant waves which forced evacuation of 7000 people from the coastal areas of Muscat.
Widespread destruction and flash floods due to the cyclone Gonu knocked down communication links and isolated thousands for hours. Oman faced power outages and business losses to the tune of $ 4 billion. Such a storm was rare in North Indian Ocean and even rarer in the desert areas of Oman. Classified as a class 5 cyclone, Gonu brought along High winds, great gale force, storm surges and tornado activities coupled with power outages and transportation difficulties which made rescue efforts come to a standstill. 20,000 people were affected while another 27 were reported missing four days after the storm dissipated. Waves as high as 10 metres forced large amounts of water to the coast making the ports noperative including the main port of Sohar.
The failure of both the Oman desalination plants triggered massive drinking water shortages in Muscat as the first plant Ghubrah, lost supplies of natural gas, halting production; while the second, Barka, sustained damaged switchgear due to flooding. These plants provided water to Muscat's 631,000 residents and surrounding areas when they were functional. Violent winds, incredible waves,
torrential rains and floods associated with this phenomenon gripped the immediate neighbors of Oman including United Arab Emirates. The storm grazed the Oman coastline before finally crossing over the Gulf Of Oman and entering Iran. Roads, trains and almost every system of transport was disrupted due to water logging and land slides.
The cyclone Gonu, which means a bag made of palm leaves in the language of the Maldives, finally dissipated (even after a tropical cyclone is said to be extra tropical or dissipated, it can still have gale-force winds and drop several inches of rainfall) as it headed inward towards the heart of Iran leaving a vast trail of destruction behind. People returned to their homes and life began to crawl towards normalcy. Traders returned to trucking oil barrels .Offices opened up -- but computers did not!!. Water logging, torrential rains and mud had jammed computers for good. Drives had crashed and so had the data. Data backups had either backfired or were corrupted badly.
The computers were confronted with a multitude of problems. The data loss was due to system crashes and power outages. Grime and moisture rendered the hard disks useless. Lives were taken hostage to data recovery and it was in these situations companies contacted various data recovery services. At Stellar, we received extensively damaged disks. Time is critical to data recovery therefore, being the proud owners of Indias first - Class 100 clean room, we swung into action immediately. The efforts to salvage data began at war footing.
Stellar data recovery experts and clean room technicians worked on the drives till the data was fully retrieved. Hard disks were cleaned; data was recovered and saved on the media chosen by our customers. Damaged parts like read/write heads were replaced from our exhaustive inventory .Sophisticated equipments and trained hands of our recovery experts together lifted any traces of data they could find. Although this involved many complex procedures like drive dissection and analysis, drive imaging etc: most data was recovered with full file structures.
During the recovery process, our team encountered a number of challenges like:
causing electro mechanical damage.
Immediately put off any systems showing signs of damage and pack the affected drives into shock proof material o send them for recovery.
Intelligent, timely and prompt data recovery is possible only if adequate measures are taken. Any strange noises and sounds from the computer shouldnt be ignored. Data backups must be maintained and updated. The data that has been recovered must not be restored to the affected drive. In spite of all this, if you still lose your data, never attempt to carry out the repair yourself. data recovery can revive both you and your organization. But it must always be done by professionals. Stellar has over 15 years of experience in data recovery software & services.
It made sense for the Gonu victims to approach the best in business to bail them out from their worst data horrors. Armed with the never say die attitude, Stellar Information systems always welcomes its customers and sincerely hopes to find solutions for all their problems. We did the same for them and their drives were up and running within no time. Life may take sometime to normalize in the devastated Gonu. But we can still feel proud of ourselves for doing what few others would. Returning people to their offices and giving them hope where no one could.
Andrew Watson is student of mass communication doing research on data recovery software.
Amateur Big Hot TitRemember the plain seam which is sewn right side to right side. This means that the wrong sides are on the outside and the seam is thus sewn on the wrong side; So when you are finished sewing, the seam with its seam lips on both sides is on the inside or wrong side and this is what you want. You want the seam lips on the inside so that all that is seen on the outside is a line of stitching.
For the flat fell or fell seam, you begin by sewing your first seam on the inside or wrong side of the fabric. Thus fabrics are right side to right side. This seam should be approximately 3/8 inch and then you snip off one of the seam lips to within 1.8 inch of the stitching line. Then you turn the larger lip in under the smaller one. You aim to enclose the smaller lip, Note that there are three layers. You can ask if you just want to sew the two upper layers together i.e. the two seam lips or do you want to sew the seam lips down to the actual fabric.
This is an interesting move i.e. just to sew the two lips together through hand stitching and this is an elegant finish. The lips will hold together; and the seam will have a turned in look. This is the fell or flat fell seam and this seam is now usually done by stitching the three layers together through a top-stitch. In this way the flat fell is done by holding down the seam lips to the fabric itself; the seam lips having been enclosed in each other.
Then for the French seam, the difference is that you start off at the right side of the garment. Thus the sides are placed wrong side to wrong side and the seam is sewn. You can then see the stitching line on the wrong side. The seam lips are then shortened to approximately one eighth of an inch. The garment is then turned around so that you are working on the right side. The aim is now to enclose the inside seam lips. Sew then at least inch from the fold to enclose the inside lips. This stitching line should not be visible on the outside. What is done here is not a seam at all. It is a stitching line done to enclose the inside lips and to neaten the seam. French seams are an elegant finish for fine and lightweight material such as chiffons and light fine silks.
Busty Amateur Boobs Jewel BathGET ORGANIZED
The first step to planning a successful destination wedding is organization. It is helpful to hire a professional wedding planner; however, if this luxury is not within your budget, enlist a good friend or your parents to help you with all your wedding planning tasks. Ask your wedding vendors for suggestions and helpful hints. Organization eliminates unwanted stress and allows you to enjoy your wedding planning adventures.
CHOOSE A DESTINATION LOCATION
When choosing your destination wedding location, consider the following: your favorite romantic places as a couple, the best time to travel to certain locations, your budget, your guests needs and your guest list size. There are many romantic choices available; for example: caribbean weddings, cruise weddings, hawaiian and tropical beach weddings by the ocean, lakeside weddings, bay side weddings, mountain weddings, and european weddings abroad.
RESEARCH!
Begin researching your destination wedding location thoroughly to avoid any unexpected surprises. A good place to start -- read what other brides and grooms have written about their recent wedding events. You can do this by joining various web rings which are devoted to destination weddings. You may wish to post any questions you may have on wedding message boards; thus, you may receive great advice from brides and board moderators. Subscribe to and read destination wedding magazines and web sites. Request travel and chamber of commerce brochures from the states and locations of your choice. And for information on cruises, surf the web and then visit different cruise and cruise line web sites. Most importantly, visit your local travel agency to pick up brochures. Your travel agency can play a major role in your destination wedding. So make sure the agency you choose will meet all of your travel concerns. For example, your agency will organize and book yours and your guests air and ground transportation, and your lodging. Interview several agents, get everything in writing, learn about their reputation. Ask if you can customize your wedding package with flowers, live music, photography/videography, and other services.
CREATE A PERSONAL WEB SITE
Creating a personal wedding web site or blog is a great way to journal your wedding journey. And for destination weddings, it is a fantastic way to keep family and friends informed. You can include all of your wedding details such as your engagement photos, gift registry, travel arrangement details, directions, wedding itinerary and more. It is a wonderful way to keep family and friends current on your wedding information. You can even have your family RSVP via e-mail, saving you dollars on reply card sets and postage.
LEARN THE LATEST
Make your own destination wedding unique and custom by checking out the latest wedding trends. Once you have your wedding theme chosen, find additional inspiration by reading magazines and surfing the net. Incorporate these creative wedding ideas into your own wedding and add your own personal touch.
Keep a scrapbook of your favorite finds: your dream dress, haute hairstyle, magnificent make-up, custom wedding invitations, reception favors, fabulous flowers, photographer, videographer, record every detail. You can use a tool like Google notebook to keep your scrapbook handy on your computer; it allows you to include everything from your thoughts, to your favorite links, to your important vendor contact information.
YOUR wedding STATIONERY AND FAVORS
Keep it chic. Keep it sophisticated. Keep it simply a reflection of good personal taste. There are a lot of wedding stationery choices available now. Our advice is not to skimp on your wedding invitations and not to go with anything that is too trendy. We suggest having fun with your save the dates; bring a creative spirit and fun first impression of your destination wedding with a whimsical save the date. For example, are you planning a beach wedding? Be unique and use beach wedding invitations like the ones on this link at http://www.calligraphylady.com/beachweddinginvitations/Beachweddings.htm as customized save the date cards.
When it comes to the wedding invitations; however, remember that classic is better than trendy. This element of your stationery wardrobe will become your heirloom keepsake. Ask yourself, I like this invitation now, but will I love it 50 years from now? Spend the bulk of your stationery budget on your wedding invitations. For reception favors, less is definitely better than more. Consider one small exceptional wedding favor (like handwritten calligraphy place cards, personalized beverage napkins, small gift bags) that wont compete with your wedding guest table landscapes and centerpiece flowers.
ONE MORE DETAIL: PASSPORTS
United States citizens are required to have a passport for all overseas travel. Be sure everyone gets their passports well in advance. The wait could be long for its arrival. You may even wish to post this on your wedding website or e-mail your guests with this advice.
~ Dayna Bischof is a master calligrapher and owner of CL - Unique wedding Invitations Studio which offers top brand and handwritten wedding invitations and calligraphy services. Her education is in language, literature and art. Her calligraphy has been featured in bridal magazines such as Martha Stewart weddings, Brides, CosmoBride and the Knot. She also offers creative hand lettering and graphic designs for logos, headlines and magazines. Her illustration and lettering portfolio may be found at daynabischof.com
Baby Shower Sport InvitationMPLS appears to be the next generation of communications. There are numerous applications that can take advantage of this latest technology in being able to prioritize data packets by assigning labels to them. Of course, it's still in the "early days".
MPLS is what ATM should have been. All the traffic control of ATM, without the limitations of fixed cell sizes. In general where you want to manage services with different QoS, MPLS is the right answer for high bandwidth pipes, ATM is the right answer for low bandwidth pipes (which is why it is used for DSL).
Lots of products have the label MPLS, but beware - there are several partial implementations (Cisco included) of the MPLS specifications, many of which do not give the full range of QoS and hence support for carrying diverse services at the same time. For multi-service networks MPLS is what I would be basing the networks on today - but please check the small print to ensure they do actually do what you want.
I would say that MPLS is the 'Now' (not the Next) Generation of backbone technology. In Europe and AsiaPAC it is already the technology of choice for most new WAN implementations.... and the number one service offering from most Global Telco's, not to mention the main focus of Vendors.
My only caution would be to not forget to compare the business cases for MPLS and competing legacy technologies when considering a change. Often the Service Providers push customers into MPLS because it is fashionable and the margins are better for them as they can bundle multiple services with it (Data and VOIP plus enhanced network monitoring tools etc). Whether MPLS 'costs in' for a customer will depend on:
(a) existing and future bandwidth requirements;
(b) the need to flex bandwidth on demand;
(c) geographical spread of WAN (distance from the exchange and regulatory restrictions).
There have been instances where companies have been halfway through the rollout of an MPLS WAN....only to realize that they are going to spend more (not less) on a technology that they won't really benefit from. Also some companies have ditched MPLS when they realized that they could double their existing ATM bandwidth cheaper and faster in some locations....rather than deploy MPLS.
Overall though, with (a) the refresh of network infrastructure now better built into operating budgets; and (b) the realisation that things like VOIP and convergence of legacy and current data networks are no longer a leap of faith; as well as (c) the removal of premiums for MPLS services - it is truly becoming the default technology for todays Wide Area Networks.
British Telecom as well as all the other UK, European and US Telcos I can think of, all deploy MPLS as their carrier backbone technology. It is highly likely that if you buy ATM in some locations today it will be encapsulated over MPLS anyway!
Every major telco in the US is pushing MPLS. In fact, Sprint is abandoning the frame relay service at the end of the year and getting everyone on their MPLS network.
Just remember that you have to have MPLS at every site in order to full take advantage of the technology. However, from the US, every telco ATT, Sprint, Verizon, GX can offer the service globally.
Just a side note "Aw Ha moment"....the cost reductions touted however, depends on your network topology as well as the Telco being used.
For example
Sprint: Moving from a traditional frame relay network to an MPLS network will save you money. IF you have a fully meshed frame relay network the savings is greater. Why? Because with Sprint the Class of Service is free. So you go from loop + port + PVCs to loop + port.
Verizon Business: Verizon offers car (Commmitted access rates) with their MPLS offering (Private IP or PIP). So you don't have PVCs, but now you ahve to pay for CAS depending on what you want it can be the same or more.
ALL MPLS offerings allow clients who previously did not have a full meshed network to now have the benefits of one. This plays well into most clients Disaster Recovery plans too.
Now....on a devil's advocate approach to the hype of MPLS.
Firstly, MPLS provides CoS (class of service) not QoS which ATM "does" provide for true clarity of the subject. The problem I've seen and dealt with surrounding MPLS is its implementation. Its touted as a "cheap" - or lower cost (word this how you'd like) solution to ATM and it is to a degree (equipment wise) - but its also a different service.
Now, for MPLS to be effective, your entire route from point A to point B has to be MPLS enabled. So given locations A say in England and location B in say Chicago, this entire path from both locations have to (emphasis on HAVE to) be MPLS enabled. Or else, your packet markings are useless.
Here is a sample packet flow:
VoIP Call from London --> Provider A (MPLS)
Provider A --> Upstream --> Upstream's Provider (No MPLS)
Upstream's Provider --> Back to Location A (No MPLS)
Since the Upstream's Provider doesn't have MPLS enabled, anything you "think" you made better was worthless. Those MPLS 6509's and better you configured, made no dent in your traffic speed, saved you zero dollars.
Static routing?.....MPLS is highly dependent on static routes, routes flap, routes go down. Fact of life. MPLS is brutally dumb and takes an insane amount of configuration on the engineers for failover scenarios.
QoS?.....Same applies, you could color your packets a rainbow of colors. If the upstream or anyone in the path strips those colors, its a wasted effort. Vendors - especially bandwidth vendors - won't make mention on how MPLS is not all that its cracked up to be. They'll pitch you a product. "Fastest bandwidth on the planet". But unless the locations are strictly on that provider's network. There is no guarantee from another provider they will honor any colorings of packets (QoS/CoS) of MPLS or ATM. Outside of that...... MPLS is IP based and succeptible to all kinds of attacks. At least with ATM the attack vectors are slightly more difficult.
Now that you're thoroughly enlightened....you can make the decision for MPLS (or not) even easier by using an unbiased consultant. My number 1 recommendation is to take advantage of the free services at DS3-Bandwidth.com.
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.
Wall Decor Or SconcesOur friend Alex lived two miles from us in Jakarta in the 1970s. He worked in the same office as my father, so it was decided that my father and Alex would travel to work together in the mornings.
Alex would come to our house by bechak, which was a small, bicycle powered conveyance. The rider would sit on his bicycle pedaling away, and his passenger or passengers sat in a covered compartment in front of him, facing forward. Such vehicles sat two passengers, on PVC covered seats and with their feet resting upon a small wooden platform in front.
The hood of the compartment was canopied rather like an oversized pram, to keep off sun and rain, and the entire contraption was hair raising in the extreme, as the rider would power the thing into the thick of the rush hour traffic oblivious to all traffic regulations, ringing his bell and usually yelling his head off.
Alex was late one morning and we all began to worry about our unfailingly punctual friend. He had not been well recently and we knew he had been to the doctor only a few days previously with yet another of Jakartas ultra aggressive stomach disorders. Alex had an appointment this morning to take his latest stool sample for testing, so he had arranged to arrive ten minutes earlier than his usual seven thirty. It was now seven forty and no Alex.
Finally at ten minutes to eight, he arrived, and immediately collapsed onto the cane chair on the patio near the front door, shaking and trembling. After a few seconds we realized he was shaking with laughter.
Alex had hailed a bechak and begun his usual hell ride through the traffic, his briefcase and his stool sample in a jar wrapped in brown paper on the wooden platform between his feet. A pickpocket stole his stool sample and ran off through the traffic, waving his spoils and jeering at Alex who was also waving his arms around, in horror, and Alex had been unable to stop laughing since.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Inflatable Mattresses Amp Air Beds CompareIf you seen those nice new flat wide-screen LCD TVs, I am sure you want one, but often they are over-priced. So why pay full price when there are discount LCD TVs? Many people don't know about this secret and often buy very expensive ones from their nearest electronics store. Discount LCD TVs are not too hard to find, if you know what to look for and where. Once you have found the spot, you are set up for your new TV. This article will tell you about how there are discount LCD TVs and a link to where you can buy discount LCD TVs from a trusted company I have bought mine from.
You only will find Discount LCD TVs online
You will not find discount LCD TVs in your electronic store. The reason why is because stores raise the price not only to make a profit, but to offset the cost of stocking inventory. A LCD TV cost money to order and ship to the store. Once the store receives the LCD TVS, it takes up inventory space, often for months at a time. This all cost the store owner money, so by keeping the prices high in the thousands he/she is able to make up any monetary loss and some profit. A online store do not have the same problem as an "brick & mortar" store, many online stores simply ship off any products they have directly from their warehouse to you. There are online stores that will transfer the savings to you by selling discount LCD TVs that are priced lower than what you will find in an electronics store.
Searching for Refurbished TVs is another way of finding discount LCD TVs
If you don't know what refurbished means, basically it is any product that is repaired, cleaned, and restored to a "brand new" condition. Now it is good for you to know that most refurbished LCD TVs are up-to-date products that are new in the market, they just simply needed some fixing done before being sold. The manufacturer or a professional company will repackage the product. You will also have the new warranty as any new product. Now the best part about refurbished LCD TVs is that they are sold at a significantly lower price than the original price. The reason why companies can not sell them at the original price is because that would illegal. If you buy a name brand refurbished LCD TV, you is buying a name brand product for a much lower price than what everyone else is paying for the same exact product!
Checking out less-known companies for discount LCD TVs
Some people over look products made by less-known brands or companies because they think the product is of lower value, but in many cases with high-end electronics this may not be the case at all. The reason why prices are higher for products from name brand companies, is because of their well known names. Many well known companies often do not make the individual parts within the LCD TV, but instead buy them from the same manufacturer less-known brands buy from and just simply put the pieces together. If you also always overlook the less-known brands, you might be missing out on a golden opportunity.
The following link: Discount LCD TVs will lead you to the site for finding Discount LCD TVs
Decorative Sconce LotDo you suffer from back problems? Do you find that you wake feeling stiff, sore, and not rested? If so, then chances are you need a different mattress. Today, the market is flooded with wonderful mattress options designed specifically for people who suffer from back pain. These mattresses provide needed support that makes a huge difference in the way you sleep and the way you feel upon waking.
One such option is the magnetic mattress. Keep in mind that magnetic therapy has been around for a long time. The ideology behind this therapy is that by placing magnets on painful parts of the body, blood flow and circulation improve. Although magnetic therapy is surrounded by controversy, many people swear by it. With a magnetic mattress, the magnets are incorporated in the overall design.
A number of people who suffer from back pain and aching joints have tried the magnetic mattress, finding it provides relief. In fact, a number of studies have been conducted show that the magnetic mattress also provides comfort for people living with depression, arthritis, MS, and other chronic diseases. If you are interested in trying this type of mattress for better sleep, the most important thing is choosing one that has a large number of magnets. This can be done by determining the number of magnets per pad.
Another type of mattress that works quite well for people with back pain is the Sealy Posturpedic. Considered one of the most popular choices, this mattress provides comfort and firmness in one. First introduced to consumers in 1950, Sealy has continued to improve the technology and materials associated with the Posturpedic mattress. Although a little higher priced than other mattresses, this one has helped many people enjoy a better nights sleep and it comes with a guarantee.
Now, another high-end option is the adjustable bed and mattress. In this case, the head and foot of the bed can be adjusted on a person-by-person basis. Each person can incline the bed according to comfort need, ensuring absolute support for the back. With a simple touch of a button, this type of bed offers changes according to the persons needs. As far as the mattress, we recommend you stick with foam or latex material.
Finally, foam mattresses are exceptional for people with bad backs. This type of mattress is less expensive than some other types while still providing needed support and comfort. One of the best sellers is the memory foam mattress, which actually contours to your body. The benefit is that every time you move while sleeping, the mattress continues forming around your body like a glove. Available in a wide range of sizes, the foam mattress is often recommended by leading orthopedic doctors.
Article provided courtesy of Bedding Plus - a resource for teen girl bedding, bed comforters and luxury bedding.
Replace A Pull Chain Ceiling Fan