The SEALs on board braced themselves as the tail rotor swung around, scraping the security wall.

NEWYORKER: Getting Bin Laden

Markets appear to have braced themselves for a good February non-farm payrolls report.

FORBES: Labor Market Optimism? 'Bubble' States' Job Growth Paves The Way

Flights over Scotland and Ireland were halted as carriers braced themselves for more disruption from volcanic eruptions in Iceland.

ECONOMIST: Business this week

Qataris braced themselves for the worst after Uzbekistan had beaten their national team 2-0 in the opening game of the Asian Cup.

CNN: Five things we've learned from Qatar's Asian Cup

The next 20 minutes were cagey and the fans couldn't help but go quiet as they braced themselves for a half-hour of extra time.

WSJ: Victory At Last for Big, Bad, Bayern

Rail passengers also braced themselves for heavy traffic and long lines.

NPR: Americans Take Off for Thanksgiving

The May unemployment report from the U.S. Department of Labor was weaker than expected, even as market watchers braced themselves for smaller job growth after a poor report from payroll firm ADP earlier this week.

FORBES: Gold Seen Rising Next Week

The bearded academic made headlines as investors braced themselves for what they thought would be a transcendental Jackson Hole speech, which, let many down. (Read The Failure Of QE2: A Look At Gold, Oil, Equities, Emerging Markets, And The Dollar).

FORBES: A Transcendental Q3 Comes To An End: Equities Erased All Their Gains For The Year

Farther north, Germans braced themselves.

ECONOMIST: The continent awash