A Survivor's Tale: "Half the mountain exploding over our heads"

One thing I love about blogging is hearing from readers, especially readers who have intriguing tales to tell. A bit ago, Timo5150 left a tantalizing clue that one such tale might prove extra-intriguing:

I was living just outside Randle Washington when it erupted, 20.2 miles from it. From there it was more of a low rumble that you more felt than heard. The ash got so thick even indoors that for awhile we thought we would suffocate. I wrote about our experience on Squidoo if you would like to read about what it was like. Just search for surviving Mt. Saint Helens.

And so I did, and promptly ended up perched on the edge of my chair:

On the morning of May 18th, I was in the groggy, lethargic state between being asleep and fully waking when I hear my wife get out of bed saying she thought her father (who also lived on the ranch) was leaving because she thought she heard a car rumble. When she reached the kitchen and looked out the window she let out a heart-stopping, blood-curdling scream that sounded like she was witnessing the end of the world, as I am sure she thought she was. It brought me straight up out of my bed and I ran to the kitchen to see what all the screaming was about. What I saw I will never forget for the rest of my life. It looked like the world was coming to an end. The sky was filled with very dark heavy clouds that were boiling and rolling towards us at a very high rate of speed with the biggest, thickest bolts of lightning I have ever seen. There is nothing I can compare it to. In one sense it was awesome, but in another, it was terrifying. What we later learned was that what we were witnessing half the mountain exploding over our heads but it looked like half the world.

There?s much, much more. It?s an amazing glimpse into what it?s like to have a mountain blow up all over you. Thank you, Timo5150, for sharing your story!

Mount St. Helens in eruption. Aerial view of eruptive column which is very dark. Top of Mount St. Helens is obscured by clouds. 0935 PDT. Skamania County, Washington. May 18, 1980. Image and caption courtesy USGS.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=17a414b73d9e9a6606aea58939c6af84

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2 deaths at embassy suicide bombing

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital on Friday, killing himself and one other person, officials said.

U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardione told reporters that a guard at the gate was killed in the 1:15 p.m. blast, and a Turkish citizen was wounded.

The bomb appeared to have exploded inside the security checkpoint at the side entrance of the embassy, but did not do damage inside the embassy itself. Footage showed that the door had been blown off its hinges and debris littered the ground and across the road. An Associated Press journalist saw a body in the street in front of an embassy side entrance.

Police swarmed the area and several ambulances were dispatched. An AP journalist saw one woman who appeared to be seriously injured being carried into an ambulance.

The police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said police had examined security cameras around the embassy and had identified two people who could have been the suicide bomber.

The embassy building is heavily protected. It is near an area where several other embassies are located, including that of Germany and France. Police sealed off the area and journalists were being kept away.

The phones were not being answered at the embassy. In a statement, it thanked Turkey for "its solidarity and outrage over the incident."

There was no claim of responsibility, but Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey. Kurdish rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, have dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey over the last year.

As well, homegrown Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida have carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul. In a 2003 attack on the British consulate, a suspected Islamic militant rammed an explosive-laden pickup truck into the main gate, killing 58, including the British consul-general.

In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

Turkey has become a harsh critic of the regime in Syria, where a vicious civil war has left at least 60,000 people dead. The first of six Patriot missile batteries being deployed to Turkey to protect against attack from Syria was declared operational and placed under NATO command on Saturday and others were expected to be operational in the coming days.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-suicide-bombing-us-embassy-2-dead-120006594.html

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Buy Tickets 2/23/2013 -- Phoenix, AZ -- Maryvale Baseball Park -- 1:05 pm

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Source: http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/buy/athletics_tickets.htm?pid=1998965

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Columbia recalls Omni-Heat electric jackets due to burn hazard (or, for working too well)

Sure, we may have internet in the skies and refrigerators with Evernote integration, but here's one thing that science can't do: deliver a trouble-free heated jacket. A few years after Ardica hung up the dream due to a battery recall, Columbia is doing likewise. The sportswear company has issued a recall for seven Omni-Heat electric jacket models, citing an issue with the rechargeable batteries within. Reportedly, these cells "have a defect which may cause them to overheat and pose a fire hazard." The company has received just a single report of an overheating battery from its distribution center in France, but evidently that's enough. According to the company's own statement on the matter, a "small number of the 2012 Columbia heated jackets may contain a heated inner wrist cuff component with a manufacturing flaw that may cause an electrical short to occur, giving rise to a potential burn risk."

If you'll recall, the Circuit Breaker was actually one of our favorite gadgets of 2011, but curiously, we never could pinpoint when and where these were set to go on sale. We were independently contacted by a company that claimed Columbia was using its technology in breach of contract, but never could verify if that was the reason sales seemed to be on hiatus. Evidently, a few hundred of these finally made their way into the warm embrace of consumers, but considering that "Refund" looks to be the only remedy here, we sort of doubt a second generation will emerge. It's important to note, however, that Columbia's non-electric Omni-Heat offerings aren't included in the recall -- and, for the record, that stuff does a stellar job of keeping one warm without any whiz-bang circuitry. Hit up the links below if you're thinking of sending yours back; personally, we'd recommend saving it for eBay. Calling this stuff "rare" is quite the understatement.

Filed under: Wearables

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Via: @itsmescotty (Twitter)

Source: CPSC, Columbia

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/01/columbia-recall-omni-heat-electric-jackets-due-to-burn-hazard/

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PIX: Bollywood attends Mohit Suri-Udita's wedding

Last updated on: January 30, 2013?13:17 IST

After low-key sangeet and mehndi ceremonies, actress Udita Goswami got married to director Mohit Suri (of Zeher, Kalyug, Woh Lamhe, Raaz: The Mystery Contrinues, Murder 2 fame) in a traditional Punjabi ceremony at Hare Rama Hare Krishna temple?in Juhu, a western Mumbai suburb, on January 29.

Here's a look at the star guests and wedding pictures.

Kangna Ranaut, who worked with Mohit in Raaz: The Mystery Continues, looked refreshing in a sari.

Image: Kangna Ranaut
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Mohit Suri's cousin Emraan Hashmi arrived with wife Parveen Shahani and son Ayaan (not in the picture).

Emraan will perform a special?dance number at the reception,?on January 31, at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in South Mumbai.

Image: Emraan Hashmi and Parveen Shahani
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Udita Goswami looked radiant in her bridal finery.
Image: Udita Goswami
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Udita and Mohit exchange garlands.

They had been seeing each other for nine years before they decided to tie the knot.

Image: Udita Goswami and Mohit Suri
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Mohit Suri took a break from the filming of his new movie Aashiqui 2 for the wedding.

Image: Mohit Suri
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Dressed in black and white traditional wear, the groom was escorted to the venue by his grandmother, sister Smiley Suri (who starred in his film Kalyug), cousins Vishesh and Sakshi Bhatt?(Mukesh Bhatt's children) and friends.??

Mohit's mother is the sister of Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt.

Image: Mohit Suri with his grandmother, sister Smiley Suri, Vishesh Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Kangna's sister Rangoli was also present at the wedding.

Image: Rangoli
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Actress?Jacqueline Fernandes, who worked with Mohit in Murder 2,?looked beautiful in her Anarkali dress.

Image: Jacqueline Fernandez
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Shraddha Kapoor is currently working with Mohit in Aashiqui 2, set to release this year.

Image: Shraddha Kapoor
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Mohit Suri's uncle Mahesh Bhatt arrives with wife Soni Razdan, daughter Shaheen Bhatt and director Anurag Basu.

Image: Soni Razdan, Shaheen Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt and Anurag Basu
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Mohit's uncle Mukesh Bhatt arrives.
Image: Mukesh Bhatt
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Actress Dia Mirza arrives with beau Sahil Sangha.
Image: Sahil Sangha and Dia Mirza
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt arrives with wife Aditi.
Image: Aditi and Vikram Bhatt
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Actress Tanushree Dutta arrives.
Image: Tanushree Dutta
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Govinda, who is busy promoting his long-delayed film Deewana Main Deewana, arrives with wife Sunita and daughter Narmada.
Image: Narmada, Govinda and Sunita Ahjua
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Jannat director Kunal Deshmukh arrives with wife.

Image: Kunal Deshmukh with wife
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Source: http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-pix-mohit-suri-udita-goswami-exchange-wows/20130130.htm

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Pusha T Believes Cruel Winter Was Once Real

'I can tell you right now, I probably have 15 verses that are just over beats,' Pusha tells MTV News of the intended LP.
By Rob Markman

Pusha T
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1701037/pusha-t-cruel-winter.jhtml

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Ala. gunman holed up in bunker with young boy

MIDLAND CITY, Alabama (Reuters) - The gunman suspected of fatally shooting an Alabama school bus driver before holing up in an underground bunker with a young child is a Vietnam veteran with anti-government views, authorities and an organization that tracks hate groups said on Wednesday.

Law enforcement officials from multiple agencies were bivouacked near the bunker in Midland City but offered few details about an overnight standoff with the shooter that stretched into Wednesday evening.

Authorities said driver Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was killed after the gunman boarded a bus ferrying more than 20 children home from school on Tuesday.

The suspect demanded the driver let a student off the bus, Alabama media reported. When Poland refused, the man boarded the bus and shot the driver before taking a 6-year-old kindergarten student and fleeing the scene.

On Wednesday, the gunman remained holed up with the boy in the underground bunker on his property down a dirt road. Dale County Coroner Woodrow Hilboldt said the man and child were barricaded in "some kind of a tornado bunker."

The shooting comes as national debate rages over gun violence, especially in schools, after a gunman shot dead 20 students and six staff members at a Connecticut elementary school last month.

Schools in the area of the Alabama shooting were closed on Wednesday and will remain shuttered for the rest of the week.

Dale County Superintendent Donny Bynum lauded Poland as "a hero...who gave his life to protect 21 students who are now home safely with their families."

The superintendent's assistant said the young boy still being held by the gunman appeared to have been chosen at random.

"Emotions are high, and it's a struggle for us all to make sense of something so senseless, but let us keep this young student, his family and Mr. Poland's family in our thoughts and prayers," Bynum said in a statement.

Reuters could not independently verify the gunman's identity. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported on its Hatewatch blog that a chief investigator with the Dale County Sheriff's Office identified the gunman as 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes.

Investigator Tim Byrd said Dykes' friends and neighbors described him as a "survivalist" who did not trust the government, according to the law center blog.

"He was standoffish, didn't socialize or have any contact with anybody," Byrd told Hatewatch.

Dykes had not been on the law center's radar before the shooting and standoff, and there was nothing to suggest he was a member of any hate group, said senior fellow Mark Potok.

"What it looks like is that he's some kind of anti-government radical and survivalist," Potok told Reuters. "And exactly what that means, we don't know."

Court records show Dykes had been due to appear for a bench trial on Wednesday following his arrest last month on a menacing charge.

James Edward Davis told CNN the arrest stemmed from an altercation he had with Dykes that ended with Dykes allegedly firing two gunshots from a pistol, as Davis sped off in his car.

"He fired the gun twice," said Davis, adding that he had a child inside the vehicle when the shooting occurred.

Neighbors told the Dothan Eagle newspaper they also had seen Dykes walk around his yard late at night with a shotgun and flashlight. Ronda Wilbur, who lives across the street from Dykes, said he once beat her family dog with a lead pipe. The dog later died from his injuries, she said.

(Reporting by Kaija Wilkinson in Mobile, Alabama; Additional reporting and writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Tom Brown and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-shoots-school-bus-driver-alabama-child-seized-015512702.html

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