Heavy lifting gear is now being used to raise slabs of concrete at the Rana Plaza garment factory, where at least 380 died after Wednesday's collapse.

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"It's one of the largest and finest in the collection of early medieval carved stone grave slabs and crosses to be found at Iona Abbey, " he said.

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Or hit up Nobu, one of the many outposts of the famed sushi dynasty, where Russian models and Armani-clad businessmen dine on slabs of rich fatty tuna sashimi at a long stone bar.

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At the time-warped Palms Grill Cafe, thick slabs of gooseberry, peach and sour cream raisin tempt from a glass case, while the Andrews Sisters croon from the stereo.

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"I've been at some of those addresses, and some of those are just slabs, which means there's more concern that there are more people in the debris, " Cataldie said.

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Second, start at the wall's seams -- the joint between two massive slabs.

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But large cranes outfitted with lights operated into the night to lift massive slabs of masonry, said NPR's Melissa Block, who was at the scene.

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Australian outfit No Anchor understand how to make sinister noise-rock that sounds great: Their 2011 album, Real Pain Supernova, includes slabs of distorted bass notes that rumble and quake, sludgy riffs played at a crawling pace, shrieks of feedback that shoot skyward, and harrowing vocals punctuated with shrill wailing.

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The front room of the shop had been filled with the smell of meat, and my grandfather had stood and looked around at the hams and sausages hanging from the rafters, soup bones and square bacon slabs in the cold counter window, the skinned red lamb with its sharp little teeth lying on the block while Luka cleaved the bone of the leg away.

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