Iraqi President Nuri al-Maliki called for dialogue and resolve to halt the recent rise in violence across the country and avert a "civil war." "We should not let those extremists ignite the sectarian strife in this country," he said.

In a couple of weeks more than 100 people have been killed and hundreds of others wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and Sunni tribes in Iraqi provinces.

March 2003 to December 2012 (IBC/Wikipedia)

  • 110,937-121,227 civilian deaths from violence
  •  172,907 civilian and combatant deaths
  • 4,487 US Soldiers killed, 32,223 seriously wounded
  • estimate of the Iraq War's cost  $1 trillion USD

Syria has rejected what it calls an attempt by the UN to broaden a probe into the alleged use of chemical weapons in the country's conflict. A Syrian foreign ministry source said that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had asked for "additional tasks" to be added allowing investigators to spread over the entire country, which the source said would constitute a "violation of Syrian sovereignty".

According to UN figures, tens of thousands of Syrians have been killed (80 000) since the start of the crisis 2011 and the number is rising by the hundreds daily. Many more were injured or held in custody. Moreover, 1.1 million Syrian refugees have been registered in neighboring countries and are estimated to be displaced within Syria. - About 4.8 million have lost their homes!

(RIA Novosti) US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have urged Moscow to join an international effort to end the civil war in Syria, where more than 80,000 people have died and five million have been forced to flee their homes.

(BBC) Russia has sent sophisticated anti-ship missiles to Syria which could be used to deter future military intervention, US media reports say.

(CNN) Syrian government forces launch airstrikes on rebel-held Qusayr in Homs province, after months of fighting on the outskirts of the city, the opposition said.

Washington (CNN) -- The United States is quickening the rate at which it is stepping back in Afghanistan. Afghan forces will take the lead in combat missions starting this spring. - The United States will hand over full control to Afghan forces post 2014. 

The Boston Marathon bombings were meant as payback for U.S. wars in Muslim lands, the surviving suspect said in a note found at his hiding place, a law enforcement source says. (BBC)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

follows the adventures of a rebellious young seagull learning that there is more to life than filling one's belly. He learns to fly in ways no gull ever has, and then he learns in heaven the meaning of life as perfection and unity with the Great Gull beyond time and space. He returns to Earth to teach this truth to willing young gulls over the objections of the stodgy gull establishment.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a freethinking young gull, not content just to fill his belly with scraps scavenged from the fishing boat like the rest of the Breakfast Flock. He wants to experience the freedom of flight enjoyed by other bird species. Opposed by everyone, including his own family, Jonathan experiments, often disastrously, until he figures out the dynamics of flight and practices its techniques to perfection.

FLY WITH JONATHAN DOWN HERE:

PDF-tiedostoSeagull Jonathan_2013.pdf (473 kB)
BE FREE TO FLY...

Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference and/or the use of reason. The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri' which is usually translated as 'to look inside' or 'to contemplate'. Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot justify in every case. For this reason, it has been the subject of study in psychology, as well as a topic of interest in the supernatural. The "right brain" is popularly associated with intuitive processes such as aesthetic abilities. Some scientists have contended that intuition is associated with innovation in scientific discovery.

Intuition is a combination of historical (empirical) data, deep and heightened observation, and an ability to cut through the thickness of surface reality. Intuition is like a slow motion machine that captures data instantaneously and hits you like a ton of bricks. Intuition is a knowing, a sensing that is beyond the conscious understanding, a gut feeling. Intuition is not pseudo-science.  (Wikipedia)

Statements

  • Intuitors process data more deeply and are happy to trust their subconscious and 'sixth sense', intuition.
  • They are good at spotting patterns and taking a high-level view, as opposed to digging into the detail.
  • They like ideas and inspiration and tend to have a focus on the future, where they will plan to change the world rather than continue to live in the imperfect present.
  • At work, they like to acquire new skills and working at the strategic level.

(CNN) -- A Japanese operator of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners said it suffered a "minor" setback while conducting a test flight of an aircraft this month. All Nippon Airways, the Japanese airline that is the largest operator of Boeing's beleaguered Dreamliner, said an electric distribution panel overheated and blackened during a 787 test flight recently. - The Dreamliner fleet was grounded in January.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • United Flight 1 is the first U.S. commercial Dreamliner flight in more than four months
  • Battery troubles led the FAA to ground the 787, the first model fleet grounded in 30 years
  • Experts say plane is safe; travel advisers say enthusiasts are requesting bookings
  • It's the first of a new generation of efficient airliners that can carry 200-plus passengers