Aztec Whistle.

Roberto Velázquez Cabrera, 66 a engineer that has been studying a terrifying noise of these whistles that would have accompanied the Aztec's grisly ritual of human sacrifice.
As with death whistles there five types of ritual dance and here is a picture includes handball tournaments as a popular sport, so with gambling. (One whistle is pictured made from jade below) are thought to have been blown by people who were about to be slain and sound like humans 'screaming in pain or whistling wind'. As they have only been thoroughly examined recently, These whistles attracted the attention of archaeologists, because of their skull shape, But it is only recently, that their fearsome sound has been investigated. Some experts have said that the Aztecs likely used the noise to help people’s souls to travel to the afterlife when they were sacrificed in front of square temples, fountain sound.
The whistles may also have been used by warriors to intimidate enemies at the beginning of battle. During the Aztec ball game, gambling was common among the spectators. Gambling reached high levels in the Aztec empire. Just about anything could be gambled, From ornate feathers to land or children. It was common for a person to actually sell themselves into slavery in order to pay off their debt a rare concept. This was known as voluntary slavery, with some parallels to the way, someone today would work at a job he or she doesn't like for years just to pay off a debt.

Listen to the terrifying sound of the Aztec death whistle as 'Screaming'.
This noise replicated from carved skull may have accompanied human sacrifices. Skull-shaped whistles may have been used by Aztecs before they were killed in ceremonies to honour the god of wind' Ehecatl. As there were two whistles were found in the hands of a skeleton in front of the temple. This shrill sound produce has been linked to screaming corpses or howling wind. This instruments may also have been used in battle, to intimidate rival tribes It’s almost impossible to imagine the terror that ancient men must have felt as they waited to be sacrificed by decorated Aztec priests.

But experts have revealed that a terrifying noise would have accompanied the grisly ritual and it was emitted by skull-shaped whistles.

The sound the horrifying death whistles make has been captured on a film and they sound like humans howling in pain, spooky gusts of whistling wind or the ‘scream of a thousand corpses’. The skull is a common motif in Aztec art (a temple wall is pictured) associated with death and sacrifice, and many death whistles bear its shape. The whistles are also associated with death rituals because two examples were found in the hands of a sacrificed male skeleton in front of the temple of wind god Ehecatl. It is thought the death whistles were linked to Ehecatl - the god of wind. As he is usually shown with two masks through which the wind blew and his temple was cylindrical because wind blows in all directions. In the Aztec creation myth, three gods gathered in a sacrificial fire and became the sun and moon. They were immobile until Ehecatl blew on them. In a later legend, he helped sacrifice all the gods apart from one, who escaped to light up the world.
It is thought the ancient culture sacrificed humans to pacify their god Ethecatl.

Death whistles were found in the hands of a sacrificed male skeleton in front of the temple of Ehecatl.
Roberto Velázquez Cabrera, 66, an engineer who lives in Mexico, As they have spent years trying to reconstruct the collection of common instruments of the ancient Aztecs to examine the sound they make and experts think the noise of the death whistle also relates to the wind. The whistles are associated with death rituals not only because of the skull decoration, but because two examples were found in the hands of a sacrificed male skeleton in front of the temple of wind god Ehecatl at Tlatelolco, he wrote in an article for Mexicolore. The finding suggests that the whistles were linked with Ehecatl and the 'Wind of Mictlantecutli' (death). When the sound of a death whistle dating from between 1250 and 1380 was analysed, the noise it generated was likened to the howling wind and the strongest frequencies fell within the range of human hearing, which is 1kHz to 6kHz, adding weight to theories that they were designed to be used in ceremonies and to intimate tribes.

The first drawings of the whistles were only published in 1971 - one of a skull and another of an owl, - which in Mexican culture is associated with the coming of death.
Archaeologists have also found other types of whistles serving specific purposes that were used by the Aztecs which were constructed from different materials, such as clay, feathers, sugar cane and even frog skins, Oddity Central reported.  For example, conch shells were used to start ceremonies, while hunters used animal-shaped instruments to make noises to attract deer. It is thought that ancient doctors tried to use sounds to cure illnesses too. Some experts have said that the Aztecs likely used the noise to help people’s souls travel to the afterlife when they were sacrified in front of square temples (illustrated), but the whistles may also have been used by warriors to intimidate enemies at the beginning of battle.

Some experts have said that the Aztecs likely used the noise to help people’s souls travel to the afterlife when they were sacrificed in front of square temples (illustrated),

So these whistles may also have been used by warriors to intimidate enemies at the beginning of battle. A death whistle made from Jade creates a different, but equally terrifying noise. The finding suggests that the whistles were linked with the wind god Ehecatl (illustrated) and the wind and Mictlantecutli (death). A temple was built as a cylinder in order to reduce the air resistance and was sometimes portrayed with two protruding masks through which the wind blew.
The finding suggests that the whistles were linked with the wind god Ehecatl (illustrated) and the wind and Mictlantecutli (death). His temple was built as a cylinder in order to reduce the air resistance and was sometimes portrayed with two protruding masks through which the wind blew trough. Here is the first known Rubber Ball as depicted in the picture above, This game today would be known as hand ball which is still a popular sport.

Artificial Intelligence.

Its fascinating seeing people chat with online chat-bots as there very sophisticated nowadays smart attractive screens that are very seductive and can venture into looking similar. The development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race, Professor Stephen Hawking has said. The famous astrophysicist said he believed technology would eventually become self-aware and supersede humanity, as it developed faster than biological evolution.As professor Hawking told the world media. "The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have, have proved very useful. But I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. " Stephen Hawking - who as a result of his motor neuron disease is almost totally paralyzed - also spoke of how he had received a "life-changing upgrade" to the computer software that allows him to communicate.

Hawking now uses a system that incorporates predictive text, allowing him to type twice as quickly as before and send emails ten times faster. "I was finding it very difficult to continue to communicate effectively and so do the things I love to do," he told a press conference in London for the launch of the new Intel software platform."With the improvements made, I am now able to write much faster and that means I can continue to give lectures, write papers and books, and, of course, speak with my family and friends more easily. "Medicine has not been able to cure me, so I rely on technology to help me communicate and live," he said. Hawking has chosen to retain his familiar, slightly robotic sounding voice despite being offered something more natural. We are pushing the boundaries of what is possible through technology - without it I would not be able to speak to you today," he said. "Intel's research and development is bringing about changes in the world and in the way that disabled people can communicate."

Hawking has been in partnership with Intel for over 25 years. His MND is related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was diagnosed in 1963, when he was 21, and given just two years to live. He turned 72 on January 8, 2014. This is the first upgrade to his communications system for nearly 20 years. "I hope it will serve me well for the next 20 years," he said. The new ease with which Hawking speaks belies the effort he needs to expend to create even the simplest sentence. In order to be heard, he must first write a sentence using only a single muscle in his cheek, which is then sent to a voice processor. To use the Intel software, an infrared sensor attached to his glasses allows Hawking to control the software by moving the muscle in his cheek. As he selects letters, predictive text offers him options for completing the word, which speeds up the process. Using these predictions, he now needs to key only about 15-20 percent of the characters in any document. It has doubled his writing speed, which had gradually fallen to less than a word a minute after he lost the use of his hands and had to give up using a hand switch. The software will be released to developers and researchers in January 2015, and will be made freely available to anyone who wishes to download it. "Opening a document used to take 3-4 minutes.

The new system uses a specific icon and takes about 10 seconds, "said Lama Nachman, principal engineer and project Leader at Intel. She spent many hours working with Hawking as he tested the software. "I think he likes finding the bugs," said Nachman, describing how he would smile every time he found a glitch in their Windows-based software. This software has the ability to help a much larger community of disabled people. So, to make that happen we decided to open-source the software. We are going to offer it for free to people from January next year, "said Nachman. There are three million people afflicted with MND and quadriplegia. The software has been designed in a modular way that makes it customisable. It could be controlled by touch, eye blinks, eyebrow movements and other gestures. This means it could be tailored to the specific needs of other users. This article was amended on 3 December 2014. An earlier version said that Hawking was diagnosed with MND in 1961 rather than 1963.Artificial intelligence could spell end of human race - Stephen Hawking Technology will eventually become self-aware and supersede humanity both in manipulation and gesturing , says astrophysicist. Prof Stephen Hawking has been in partnership with Intel for over 25 years

Fostered Gorilla Reunites.

It's been more than a decade since Djalta and Bimms, two western lowland gorillas born at a wildlife park in England, were released from captivity to live free in the jungles of West Africa. But even after all those years, with the setting of their upbringing so distant from the wilderness in which they live now, the bonds of affection they forged with the people who raised them have yet to be broken. Djalta and Bimms are two of the dozens of gorillas who were raised by conservationist Damian Aspinall at the Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent. He released them into the wild in 2003. Aspinall considers the animals members of his family, so naturally his own children became acquainted with the gorillas at an early age. Aspinall's eldest daughter, Tansy, was just 18 months old when she met Djalta and Bimms, laying the foundation for a friendship that has not been forgotten. from Kent animal park England.

As Gorilla carers Apinall and Tansy as they recently traveled to the dense forests of Gabon, which Djalta and Bimms now call home, to reunite with the gorillas they raised."We looked for many hours on the river to find them, and then they appeared after hearing there names been calls," says Aspinall, in a video of the reunion. "It's a privilege to go and see an animal that you've raised in captivity forage, as you release and you do not see for a few years. Then you find them in the forest and they greet you like long-lost brothers rest on there shoulder. I can see, the way they were playing with me, how pleased they were to see me. It was so gentle, the way they were playing. " Apinall was not sure how Djalta and Bimms would respond to seeing Tansy, who was a still a child when the animals were released more than 10 years ago. But despite the passing of time, they seemed to instantly recognize her imminently.

"As Tansy approached, I could hear the gorilla gurgles and I felt more and more confident that she would be accepted by them,"says Aspinall. Tansy admits that she was apprehensive about meeting the animals whom she had only known in captivity, though she soon found that she was not stranger to them. "It was amazing to see that, not only did they know me, but they also had such gentle looks on their faces that I felt immediately safe and reassured, "Tansy tells her story. "At no point did I feel fear." "It was lovely to see Tansy with her old friends," says Aspinall.

To what extent the emotional experience of gorillas mirrors our own is a subject of scholarly debate, though scientific observations suggest the differences may not be so vast. Like humans, primates are generally highly social animals. Thay forming very strong relationships with individuals in their group. Primates have been found to demonstrate behavior indicative of grief and mourning upon the loss of a companion. So a reunion like the one seen above may very well trigger opposite feelings of happiness and joy. The Aspinall Foundation, which operates two wildlife parks in the UK, focuses on returning gorillas born in captivity to a life in the wild. As of 2010, the organization has released more than 50 gorillas into protected areas of the jungles of Gabon.Gorillas released into native Africa, from captivity as they were reunite with there human carers who raised them when they were children.

female surfers of Iran

The Iranian scenery serves as the surprising backdrop for a new surfing film, which is being shown for the first time in London next month When it comes to filming locations for a documentary about surfing, Hawaii and Australia immediately spring to mind. Or Cornwall, if you're strapped for cash Iran does not. But the Middle Eastern country serves as the surprising backdrop for a new surfing film - 

Into the Sea - which will shown for the first time at East London's Genesis cinema next month. It stars Easkey Britton, the five-time Irish surfing champion and - according to the film's producers - the first woman to surf in the country. The 52-minute French film, directed by Marion Poizeau, recalls that first journey to the country, made several years ago, and follows Britton's recent return to Iran, where she aimed to introduce surfing to female residents.

Iran: not the most obvious surf destination "When we heard about Iran, I realized how little I knew about the place or the people, and most of what I did was shaped by preconceptions fed to me by what we hear in the media, which is overwhelmingly negative," explained Easkey Britton, writing for Ocean Girl Magazine earlier this month. "Family, friends, strangers and even sponsors [had doubts] that we could succeed, that we would even survive. 

"The idea to go back last year did not come from us, but from ... pioneering sportswomen from Iran who were excited by the possibility of learning to surf in their own country. That seemed like a story worth telling: the first surfers in Iran, who are women; a surf history that is being shaped by women! And not just in Iran, but in the remotest corner of the country, in Baluchistan, considered by some to be one of the most dangerous corners of the world. "

The world premiere of Into the Sea will take at the London Surf  Film Festival on October 9, 2014 (9.15pm), at the Genesis cinema in East London. Tickets can be ordered at London's best cinemas and filming locations. 

London's best cinemas - including options for indie screenings and blockbusters - and the city's most memorable filming locations Twenty destinations for 2014: Iran As it was known for beheadings a so called  part of the so-called "axis of evil", Iran may open up its considerable glories to Western visitors this year www.londonsurffilmfestival.com/into-the-sea.

Maikäfer Josef Ganz.

The beetle car won the accolade, car of the nineteenth century. As this has all the hall marks of an epic film, May Bug prototype was assembled in 1930, in the Ardie motorcycle company from Nuremberg by Ganz gave a glimpse towards new opportunity to build his first German peoples car as manufactured in 1930. This was his dream car made for safety to passengers as with an air cooled engine at its back first little Volkswagen. The prototype featured a central backbone chassis with a mid-mounted engine, all-round independent suspension with swing axles, and simple, open, beetle-shaped bodywork .

Production to plans, however this was halted when the consortium of leading German car manufacturers were blocked when a bylaw was introduced as this change the regulation proposal. This law stipulated not to let holders of motorcycle-driving licenses operate or drive small cars. Blocked the manufacturing market for competitive smaller models, also changed niche market in favor, for example Opel. (Josef Ganz test-driving the 1930 Volkswagen Ardie-Ganz prototype) The remarkable construction attracted the attention of car manufacturer from Frankfurt Adler. Which Ganz employed as a consulting engineer and offered him their facilities to build a new and improved car prototype.Ganz completed this car in May 1931 and nicknamed the brainchild his new 'Maikäfer (May Bug). To comply with the conventional buying and public perceptions, Ganz gave the car a more, conventional looking, low-slung body with a fake radiator at its front. (Josef Ganz in the May-Bug prototype, 1931)  As Porsche test-drives the May Bug just as had happened at Ardie, industrial development force a block by the further meaning leader. This car was been marketed in a car show 1933 as these sketches brought to attention Ferdinand Porsche.

Top of the May Bug at Adler, but Ganz was allowed to keep the prototype. He used the May Bug and technology as a demonstrator and took countless engineers and journalists on test-drives in this, proving all its worth of his Volkswagen concept. This included people that no longer available such as Ferdinand Porsche. He tested the May Bug before designing a similar vehicle for the motorcycle company Zündapp. In the summer of 1931 was the May Bug was transported by truck to Stuttgart, where it was severely tested by the board of directors and engineers of Mercedes-Benz. This resulted in the development of a Beetle-like car with a rear-mounted 4-cylinder boxer engine,  with designed  assistance of Josef Ganz. He had by then been employed as a consultant engineer by Both Mercedes-Benz and BMW. (the 1931 Beetle-like Mercedes-Benz 120H prototype with a rear-mounted engine) May Bug Becomes Superior Car as the May Bug, had set off a bomb in the industry. Manufacturers that had previously fought Ganz and his Motor-Kritik magazine critical to silence this voice now started adopting these new evolutionary ideas. The race was one for who would be the first to create a successful rear-engine, lightweight, streamlined Volkswagen, Ganz, However, was the first to market in the Volkswagen, backed by the motorcycle manufacturer of Standard Fahrzeugfabrik from Ludwigsburg. 

Using Ganz's many patents they developed as with the Standard Superior, a production version of the May Bug-like Beetle with enclosed bodywork, which was now introduced at the Berlin motor show in February 1933. Hitler Had Been appointed Hitler as Chancellor of Germany less than two weeks prior, and in this new capacity opened the motor show. He praised the work of the German engineers and during his tour of the exhibits expressed serious interest in the 'Standard Superior' and the idea of a Volkswagen to motorize the German people in safety with affordablity. One of the first new laws introduced by his office was that holders of a motorcycle-driving license could operate small cars like the Standard Superior. A Standard Superior was even tested by the 'National Socialist Motor Corps' and a favorable report appeared in the official army magazine. (Superior standard as displayed at the 1933 Berlin Motor Show) Then things took an unfavorable turn. The Gestapo falsely accused of Josef Ganz blackmailing the automotive industry and arrested him in Berlin in May 1933, Ganz was imprisoned for a month and was only released thanks to highly influential friends. ​​sure that any Jewish connections to the Volkswagen were erased from  any of this history. They Ganz banned from publishing, as well as the Entire German press from publishing anything about him. Overnight the name Josef Ganz disappeared from the German motoring scene.

Although he was released from prison, the Gestapo forced Ganz out of his positions as editor-in-chief of his Motor-Kritik, and as consulting engineer at BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The Standard Superior was meanwhile claiming successes in trials and car races. A new and improved version was Introduced in September 1933, and Marketed as the 'fastest and cheapest German 'Volkswagen'. (Brochure for the Standard Superior Used, 1933) Hitler Assigns Porsche by then Hitler was determined to support the development of a Volkswagen for the German people. Having found no cooperation among the big car manufacturers, an independent development consortium was created, led by Ferdinand Porsche. As a Jew, Josef Ganz was an impossible choice. Porsche was now set the task to design a people's car for 1,000 Reichsmarks - a maximum selling price propagated by Ganz in Motor-Kritik. The Nazis made

Swiss Volkswagen Just three months later, frightful during 'The Night of the Long Knives', the Gestapo appeared at Ganz's home in Frankfurt to arrest and most probably murdered him. As Ganz was saved from this horrific affairs by extraordinary luck: he was on holiday in Switzerland to calm his nerves. He was later warned by a friend not to return to Germany. He only made ​​one trip to salvage his daring secret archives from Frankfurt. After wondering around Europe for almost a year, Josef Ganz settled in Zurich in Switzerland. There he demonstrated the May Bug prototype as Standard Superior before Swiss Government Officials and landed a contract to develop a 'Swiss Volkswagen' with're funding - exactly as Porsche was doing in Germany. The first Swiss prototypes of the Volkswagen were finished in 1937 and closely resembled Ganz's original sketches from 1923 as production plans in Switzerland, France, and Poland came to an abrupt halt after the German army invaded Poland in 1939 Europe was now at war. (Josef Ganz in one of the Swiss Volkswagen prototypes in 1937)

Sanctuary in Australia Josef Ganz survived the war in Switzerland, but faced many problems with a Swiss company trying to lay claims to his Volkswagen design, and Gestapo officers after his blood as to erase him. These and other events resulted in lengthy court cases after the war. The Swiss Volkswagen was only produced in small numbers, as was a French variation called the Julien MM5. Leaving all of his problems in Europe behind, Josef Ganz He immigrated to Australia in 1951 found employment as an engineer at General Motors - Holden until health problems forced him into retirement. He suffered multiple heart attacks and practically Became an invalid, after spending his days at home working on his final memoirs. Josef Ganz died in obscurity on July 26, 1967. here as book club highlight a few examples with this intriguing story.

Ballet Shoes.

Michaela DePrince took to the stage at the prestigious New York venue and performed an excerpt from the ballet, which saw her embody the evil Black Swan. While it marked a milestone in her dance career, the determined teenager told 'I feel like I've come a long way, but there's so much more that I need to do.' Her father was shot dead, her mother starved to death. Then she was plucked from war-torn Sierra Leone by a U.S woman. But most staggering of all, tonight Michaela will appear on the New York stage in Swan Lake. Michaela DePrince's father was shot by rebels when she was three.

Her mother later died of starvation as there was not enough food for them both. She is currently the youngest member of the Dance Theater of Harlem and made her professional debut last year. As a 18-year-old ballerina who was orphaned in war-torn Sierra Leone at the age of three, fulfilled a childhood dream on Wednesday night as she played the lead in Swan Lake at the Lincoln Center. As Latin Loving Scripts remains a committed patron to both Ballet, Sight Savers and Sierra Leone in the hope that this ravage economy will prosper, as one swan emerges from the ashes of near destruction of war this will make Mr Nelson Mandela Proud. Discriminated, while she demonstrated talent and enthusiasm, Michaela often lost parts in productions to her white counterparts - but she said that made her more determined to succeed Lifelong passion: The teenager, pictured in 2012, started dancing when she was five years old Mrs DePrince said that she soon noticed Michaela's love of ballet and the toddler watched a video of the Nutcracker 150 times and could recite the moves. Inspiration: Michaela DePrince, who lost her parents at the age of three, said that her obsession with dance originated from a photograph of a ballet dancer she found while she was at an orphanage in Sierra Leone. She is currently the youngest member of the and made her professional debut last year in Le Corsaire at the Johannesburg Theater in South Africa.

Michaela - who was then called Mabinty Bangura - was born in 1995 in the midst of Sierra Leone’s 11-year civil war, which claimed more than 75,000 lives. Recalling her early years, she previously told 'I have a lot of bad memories. I remember seeing a lot of rebels killing people that I knew. It was disgusting and just revolting. 'When she was three years old her father was shot by rebel soldiers and her mother - who didn't have enough food to feed herself - later died of starvation. Her three brothers also died young. Childhood dream: The teenager, who now lives in New Jersey, played the Black Swan in an excerpt from Swan Lake at the Lincoln Center on Wednesday night. Enchanting one reviewer described Michaela as the 'sweetest seductress you ever saw'.

As a result Michaela was placed into an orphanage by her uncle - an experience which she said scarred her for life. She remembers going hungry, being mistreated by carers and taunted as 'the devil's child' because of vitiligo on her neck - a skin condition that causes patches of lightened skin. 'I have a lot of bad memories. I remember seeing a lot of rebels killing people that I knew 'when reports emerged that the orphanage was going to be bombed, Michaela fled and walked shoeless for miles until she reached a Ghanian refugee camp. It was there that Michaela's life changed, as two volunteer workers, Elaine and Charles DePrince, decided to adopt her along with two other girls, Mia and Mariel. The couple took the children back to their home in New Jersey in the U.S. in a bid to provide them with a fresh start. Michaela said that her obsession with dance originated from a magazine she found while she was at the orphanage in Sierra Leone. The cover featured a photograph of a female ballerina. But not knowing what a ballet dancer was, she believed it was a fairy. 'I was just so fascinated by this person, by how beautiful she was, how she was wearing such a beautiful costume,' she told CNN 'So I ripped the cover off and I put it in my underwear. 'Distressing time: Michaela said that she saw a lot of rebels killing people during the Sierra Leone civil war.

 A savior came when she was four years old Michaela was adopted by Elaine DePrince from New Jersey. So when she was five years old Michaela started taking classes at the Rock School of Dance in Philadelphia, and the painfully shy youngster found it easier to express herself through movement rather than words .'I was just so fascinated by this person, by how beautiful she was, how she was wearing such a beautiful costume' But while she demonstrated talent and enthusiasm, she often lost parts in productions to her white counterparts. One of her first encounters of discrimination occurred when she was eight years old and rehearsing for The Nutcracker. Just a few days before she was due to perform a teacher told her: 'I'm sorry, you can't do it. America's not ready for a black girl as Marie [the heroine].'

'To say this to an eight-year-old is just devastating. It was terrible,' Michaela told the Associated Press. But she refused to let the negative comments hold her back and when she was 13 years old she earned a full scholarship to the prestigious American Ballet Theater's summer intensive in New York. Two years later she won a full-time place at the school. Giving back: The dancer, who still describes herself as African, plans to return to Sierra Leone one day to open a performing arts school. The teenage dancer also became the subject of First Position, an award-winning documentary about the competitive field and performed on the TV show dancing with the Stars. She has been described as one of the ballet world's 'rising stars' and a reviewer from who attended Wednesday night's performance said she was the 'sweetest seductress you ever saw' and 'her fouettes [turns] nearly carried her offstage. 'Michaela, who still describes herself as African, plans to return to Sierra Leone one day to open a performing arts school. But before then, with Swan Lake ticked off her list, she yearns to dance the lead roles in Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet.

‘Story Corps’

‘Story Corps’ bringing true life stories into the creative genera of literature , the project began in a recording booth in New York City and then spread nationwide: Almost 75,000 people have participated, including these six couples, whose courtship tales will surprise and delight you. "The minute I saw you, I knew you had found the note." For Stuart and Lauren, X marked the spot when it came to true love. Their airport game led to a proposal and a long-awaited happily ever after. The Millers had a good life, but things changed. Here, they recount the story of their relationship, and how it took a divorce to bring them back together. recorded in Fredrick Maryland 22-5-2010

 

As friends, stationed in Iraq, but their friendship became a scene from a romance film within the war. Says the couple, "We did what normal couples would do. We just did it in Iraq.""I got down on my knees, weapon slung on my back, hoping we wouldn't get hit. I was hesitant — being proposed to in Iraq is not what every girl dreams of." They were friends, stationed in Iraq, but their friendship became a scene from a romance film. Says the couple, "We did what normal couples would do. We just did it in Iraq. JOEY: The first time we met, I stepped into your office and asked you to sign one of my papers — I guess it was for my meal card. But we didn’t talk at all until we got deployed and I heard you were coming to Company B. DELORA: You sent me a couple of e-mails, but I was there to work. I was, like, We’re in Iraq. There’s no time for romance. So we spent four months as friends, seeing each other at work. During that friendship phase, I heard you talking about your family, and I loved it. I’m very family oriented too. I also noticed your leadership — the way you talked to your soldiers and your supervisors, how you carried yourself, the way you dressed, how your weapon was always clean. I liked how driven you were. And as we became friends, I liked how you were opening up to me — you were so honest and real. JOEY: But you gave me the cold shoulder. So I was, like, I’ll stay focused on being friends for now. Because I knew one day you were going to change your mind. DELORA: The defining moment was when I was about to leave on R & R, but a sandstorm kept me in Baghdad. You were helping me with my bags outside the tent. All of a sudden we get indirect fire — mortars started falling. Boom! Boom! Boom! So I ran to the bunker. Eventually, you came in kind of casually, because you were seasoned. And then we were crouching across from each other, waiting for the all clear. I was just looking at you, and it was like a romantic movie scene where all the visions of the last four months come into play: everything we talked about; how you talked to your kids on the phone; the fact that you called your mother; how you treated me. And I thought, You know what? I can’t let this one go or I’m a fool. When I went on R & R, I had you on my mind. And when I got back, we would walk every night to get away from the other soldiers and talk. Doesn’t really sound romantic, I guess: being fully dressed in uniform with a weapon slung on your back. JOEY: But from our perspective, we did what normal couples would do. We just did it in Iraq. Delora: You picked out a ring online. And when you handed me the box, more mortars hit. We had to evacuate and go back into the bunkers. I thought, Is this a sign? Later that day, you walked me home. JOEY: That’s when I got down on my knees with my weapon slung on my back, hoping we weren’t going to get hit. And it wasn’t your traditional engagement ring box — it was more like a post office box — and I tore that open and said, “Would you marry me?” I was kind of hesitant at first — being proposed to in Iraq is not what every girl dreams of.Delora: But I knew you were the one for me. So when you said, “Do you want to wait?” I said, “No. This is where we are. This is the moment.” JOEY: You didn’t turn your back on me. You gave me a chance, and you accepted me. I can’t ask for anything better than you. Joey is currently serving a 12-month tour in Korea. Delora left the Army last February to care for their daughter, Leila Rose. The couple recently traveled to Guam so she could meet his family, including his two older daughters, and to take his son, Jeremiah, back home (he’d lived with Joey and Delora for one year). They are expecting a baby boy this month.