Rural women who have taken over sand mining operations in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh are learning to use computers for the first time. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

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Rural women who have taken over sand mining operations in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh are learning to use computers for the first time. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

Shifting Sands: How Rural Women in India Took Mining into their Own Hands
By Stella Paul
GUNTUR, India, August 21, 2015 (IPS)—
Thirty-seven-year-old Kode Sujatha stands in front of a hut with a palm-thatched roof, surrounded by a group of men shouting angrily and jostling one another for a spot at the front of the crowd.

Rare Photos of Mark Twain Playing Pool, ca. 1900s

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The American author Mark Twain, revered for writing classic novels such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was a billiards lover. In fact, there are several documents and speeches that highlight just how much Twain loved billiards. Literature enthusiasts should be thankful that Twain removed himself from a billiards table long enough to write the classic novels.

In the Mark Twain House and Museum, visitors can see the original billiards table the author played on. Twain used the billiards table to spread out his manuscripts while writing the previously mentioned novels.

In a public speech made in 1906, Twain said the following:

The game of billiards has destroyed my naturally sweet disposition. Once, when I was an underpaid reporter in Virginia City, whenever I wished to play billiards I went out to look for an easy mark. One day a stranger came to town and opened a billiard parlor. I looked him over casually. When he proposed a game, I answered, “All right.”

“Just knock the balls around a little so that I can get your gait,” he said; and when I had done so, he remarked: “I will be perfectly fair with you. I’ll play you left-handed.” I felt hurt, for he was cross-eyed, freckled, and had red hair, and I determined to teach him a lesson. He won first shot, ran out, took my half-dollar, and all I got was the opportunity to chalk my cue.

“If you can play like that with your left hand,” I said, “I’d like to see you play with your right.”

“I can’t,” he said. “I’m left-handed.”

Based on this statement, Twain was a much better author than a pool hustler.

In Twain’s autobiography, The Boys Life of Mark Twain, Albert Bigelow Paine describes Twain’s passion with billiards. After several years without a billiards table, Twain was given a pool table as an early Christmas gift by a wealthy friend, Mrs. Henry Rogers. In fact, Paine eventually moved into the Twain’s house at that time to “continue research.” Paine and Twain spent countless amounts of time around the billiards table, which is described in the latter half of the book.

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IRIN Middle East | Iraq’s mystery murders | Iraq | Conflict | Early Warning

Abdul Kareem, originally from Diyala, explained the situation: “Tuz Khurmatu is divided in two: al-Jumhuriyah is run by the Kurdish police, and there are no problems; but Hay al-Askary is controlled by Shia militia. Sunnis will find problems there.”

“I cannot understand exactly what’s going on, but people disappear,” he said. “Some days four people, some days six.”

Mohammed Hassan was attending the distribution with four of his brothers. He lowered his voice: “When ISIS came, the city was antagonised and Sunnis started to be targeted.” To protect themselves, they “only move when it’s necessary.”

A large gathering of Sunni Arab IDPs might attract the wrong sort of attention. There were shouts as people tried to leave the distribution fast, piling the blankets and boxes into shared pick-ups.

Many of the displaced back in Sankur are too scared to even enter Tuz Khurmatu to sign up for a government cash grant. Sa’ad pointed out that they “cannot go into Tuz to register because of the killing.”

via IRIN Middle East | Iraq’s mystery murders | Iraq | Conflict | Early Warning.

CENSORED NEWS: Indian country has had enough of John McCain!

There was a surprise waiting in the statistics at Censored News today. Yesterday, Censored News broke all viewer records, with 42,971 pageviews. The views and comments reveal that Indian Country has had enough of Arizona Sen. John McCain, and the scorched earth campaign of the US government, with its river poisoning US EPA and its genocidal coal and uranium mining.

via CENSORED NEWS: Indian country has had enough of John McCain!.