NBC News and news services report:

Washington's National Air and Space Museum was closed Saturday afternoon after sign-wielding demonstrators tried to storm the building on the National Mall.

Jose Luis Magana / AP

Demonstrators march through the streets of Washington on Oct. 8, as part of Occupy DC activities in Washington.

At least one person was pepper sprayed when the crowd pinned a guard against a wall and another guard came to his rescue, Smithsonian spokesperson Linda St. Thomas told NBC station WRC.

"You cannot bring that stuff in the museum under any circumstances," St. Thomas told WRC.

It was not immediately clear if the protesters were affiliated with the Occupy DC protest that sprung up last week as an offshoot of the larger Occupy Wall Street movement in New York.

Read more here and meet some of the protesters from New York and Seattle.

Jose Luis Magana / AP

A demonstrator lies on the ground at an entrance to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington after police pepper-sprayed a group of protestors trying to get into the museum on Oct. 8, as part of Occupy DC activities in Washington.

Henny Ray Abrams / AP

Occupy Wall Street protesters gather in Washington Square Park, Oct. 8, in New York. The Occupy Wall Street movement started in New York City last month and is spreading to other parts of the country.

AP; Zuma24.com

Left: Cherie Walters, 58, from Mount Clemens, Mich., poses for a photograph, in New York, Oct. 7. Walters, who has participated in Occupy Wall Street protests, is wearing the shirt she wore to two of the protests. Right: A protestor holds a placard with ''Middle class, Middle aged, Also Angry'' during the ''Occupy D.C.'' movement at the Freedom Plaza. Inspired by ''Occupy Wall Street'' movement in New York, activists in Washington continued the ''Occupy D.C.'' movement on its third day.

David Kohl / AP

Protesters march through downtown Cincinnati during the Occupy Cincinnati protest, Oct. 8. The Occupy Wall Street movement started in New York City last month and is spreading to other parts of the country.

By Jonathan Saruk, Reportage by Getty Images

The lights go down and the projector whirs into action as Sher Mohammad, 35, begins his routine, bouncing back and forth between two projectors, winding reels, and adjusting the carbon arc lamps inside the projectors. Below him in the gallery of the Temorshahee Cinema, men sit in their shalwar kameez (the loose-fitting pants and knee-length shirts that are common in Central Asia), sipping mango juice, smoking cigarettes, clapping and sometimes even dancing together on the theater stage as Pakistani women sing and gyrate across the screen.

Jonathan Saruk / Reportage by Getty Images

A projectionist works in Park Cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan. Going to the movies, once banned under the Taliban, has become a popular form of entertainment in Kabul, but women and children rarely take part.

Only 10 years ago, this would have been unthinkable in Kabul – the Taliban had banned, among other things, going to the movies. Theaters sat idle for years and fell into disrepair.  But with the fall of the Taliban, projectionists like Rahmatullah Amane, 36, who had fled to Pakistan during the civil war and worked in a matchstick factory in Kashmir, put the cinemas back together in Kabul, piece by piece

Jonathan Saruk / Getty Images

A projectionist works on a hulking projector at Temorshahee Cinema.

“The place was destroyed,” said Amane, describing the Temorshahee Cinema in the Old City of Kabul after the Taliban fled. “We had to pick up parts and put things back together, taking pieces from all theaters.” After seeing the transformation, the new Afghan government asked him to restore a second classic Kabul theater, Park Cinema. He headed there right away. “We worked 24 hours a day to get it running. Everyone could feel the freedom and was happy,” Amane said. “It was like being born again.”

Jonathan Saruk / Reportage by Getty Images

The projectionist inspects a film at Ariana Cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The draw of cinema started early for Amane. “When I was 13 years old, I saw a James Bond movie, the one with Jaws. I knew then that I wanted to be in the movie business.” While at Park Cinema in Kabul's Shawr-e-Naw neighborhood, Amane began apprenticing under a projectionist. Twenty years later he works 12 hours a day, seven days a week at the most technically advanced theater in the city, Ariana Cinema.

Today there are about a half dozen movie theaters that operate around Kabul, some of which are publicly funded, others restored by international donors. Older Pakistani and Indian films dominate the repertoire, but there are occasional American films and the rare Afghan one. Only matinees are shown and during the week attendance is low. Most moviegoers come from the large ranks of the unemployed. Young children are rarely seen at the movies, and women, while technically allowed to go, never attend. Amane blames that on the constant threat of bombings: "If security improves, they will come again."

Jonathan Saruk / Reportage by Getty Images

A projector shows a Bollywood film at Ariana Cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Until that happens though, Amane generally sees a bleak outlook for the cinema business: "The future looks dark."  He says that the availability of DVD players, which allow families the convenience and safety of watching movies at home, are also hurting the business. He is even reluctant to encourage his 8-year-old son, who is eager to learn about the movie industry: "I don't want my kids to go into the business."

In most of the theaters, two behemoth Indian projectors, generally 30 to 40 years old, sit in dimly lit rooms where their servants must switch between the two, constantly changing the 20-minute reels to prevent interrupting the film. Almost all of the machines in Kabul use carbon arc lamps to produce the light that projects the film, a technology that was mostly replaced in the West during the 1960s. Two sticks of carbon are aimed at each other and an electric current is run through them, creating an arc that produces light. The distance between the rods must be constantly adjusted by the projectionists to maintain the electric arc. The rods themselves must also be changed several times during a movie. In short, projectionists in Kabul are rarely sitting still.  The one exception is Amane's Ariana Cinema, which uses more modern Italian machines, thanks to a French cultural grant.

Jonathan Saruk / Reportage by Getty Images

The audience watches an Indian movie at Ariana Cinema.

On a recent Friday afternoon at Pamir Cinema in the Old City of Kabul, the busiest day of the week, a standing-room-only crowd of several hundred young men in a smoke-filled room cheer on the hero of a Pakistani film as he seeks revenge against the villain. Match-heads flicker constantly, throwing flashes of light across the darkened theater as the men chain-smoke throughout the film. Cellphones ring, and men occasionally yell across the crowded room to locate friends. On stage a young boy dances with his hands raised in the air, illuminated by the projector, as his friends in the front of the audience cheer him on. Perhaps the only other place one sees such public jubilation by Afghan men is at weddings.

Jonathan Saruk / Reportage by Getty Images

Afghans look at movie posters outside of Pamir Cinema in Kabul.

Related coverage:

World Blog: Kabul rocks...with music

Afghanistan: What have we achieved? What's next?

Young Afghans reflect on changes 10 years after U.S. invasion

PhotoBlog: 10 years in Afghanistan: With US troops on a mountaintop outpost

The so-called "rally squirrels" have been delighting fans in St. Louis, but stadium officials decided they have to go.  Groundskeepers in Philadelphia today had better luck corralling the critters.

The New York Times has an excellent tongue-in-cheek report on the rally squirrel phenomenon: Who Needs a Black Cat? Rally Squirrel Toys With the Phillies

Matt Slocum / AP

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt walks behind a squirrel on the field before baseball's Game 5 of the National League division series with the St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Oct. 7 in Philadelphia.

Matt Slocum / AP

Philadelphia Phillies groundskeeper Soule Sidibe holds a squirrel he caught before baseball's Game 5 of the National League division series with the St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Oct. 7, 2011 in Philadelphia.

These deployments are always emotional. Getting down to the child's level really makes this picture. The photos were moved today by AP.

Jim R. Bounds / AP

Tristen Williams 2, holds two American flags as he stands next to the father, Army Sgt. Aaron Williams, during the 82nd Airborne's Combat Aviation Brigade deployment to Afghanistan from Fort Bragg, N.C., Monday, Sept. 12.

Jim R. Bounds / AP

Patricia McGlone, right, holds her niece Christine Robert, both of Stedman, N.C., as her son Sgt. Daniel McGlone leaves for his deployment to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Bragg, N.C., Monday, Sept. 12.

As someone who grew up playing hockey on frozen lakes, the idea of NHL teams from Florida and North Carolina is still a bit hard to process. Picnics on the grass and shinny in the parking lot? I don't think so.

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Liz Owens Courtney, Michael Courtney and Chris Brasfield tailgate at the RBC Center prior to the season opener between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 7 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Nick and Steve Bond of Burlington, North Carolina play some hockey in the parking lot prior to the season opening game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center on Oct. 7 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

By Matt Ford, Associated Press

As the U.S. military prepares for its scheduled withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014, the mission ahead appears to be a daunting one: training and working in partnership with the Afghan National Army and the Afghan police, working to gain the trust of the local people and encouraging participation in local governance.

For all those objectives, the most difficult barrier is language.  Afghans speak mostly Dari or Pashtu, and the average soldier does not.

Matt Ford / AP

Staff Sgt. Joshua White, center, Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxell, left, and Brigade Sgt. Maj. Mike Boom, right, observe a joint patrol of U.S. Army and Afghan National Army soldiers and Afghan police in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on Monday, Oct. 3.

To communicate, they rely entirely on interpreters. Most of them are Afghans who studied English in school. They live, eat and sleep on the base with the soldiers who refer to them as "terps" and sometimes suspect them of double-dealing with the enemy. All a part of the modern war.

But out on patrol, the platoon leader has to be able to trust that his words are being accurately conveyed.  A slight variation could be the difference between an expression of empathy and a promise that can't be kept. 

Red Platoon leader U.S. Army 1st Lt. Christian Gehrels, of the 172nd infantry brigade at Forward Operating Base Tillman in Eastern Afghanistan, and his interpreter, who goes by the name T, are inseparable while on patrol. They walk side-by-side, T wearing a small flak jacket with multiple walkie-talkies — one for the police and one for the Army.  Gehrels gives his instructions to T who then relays the orders to the Afghans.

Matt Ford / AP

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Christian Gehrels, center, and his interpreter talk with local Afghans in eastern Paktika province on Monday, Oct. 3. U.S. Army and Afghan National Army soldiers are trying to convince local elders to attend a weekly shura council at their base.

Gehrels is 25 years old.  T is either 19 or 20, he doesn't know exactly.  Together, they are directing operations with men twice their age and discussing local issues with Afghan elders far older than that.

When they meet with Afghans living in small villages near the local base they act more like diplomats than soldiers. They listen to grievances,  hand out warm clothes for the upcoming winter and ask people to come to the base to discuss local issues.  Few have ever shown up.

T and most of the other interpreters at FOB Tillman worry about possible retribution from the Taliban once the NATO forces leave.  Many hope to leave Afghanistan when the Americans do.  T has considered this option, but hopes that the Afghan National Army and Afghan police will be able to provide security, and he can safely go to college and maybe someday teach English to other Afghans.

Matt Ford / AP

Capt. Wahidullah, head of the Afghan National Army at Forward Operating Base Tillman in eastern Paktika province, talks with local children after giving them warm clothes for the winter on Monday, Oct.3.

Meet the soldiers who work, and play, at a mountaintop outpost on the Pakistan border

Explore both the impact on coalition military forces as well as civilians in Afghanistan, a decade into the war

Look back at Afghanistan at the start of the war

It is said that every dog has his day. Today, 'Da Bears got theirs. The original presidential recognition didn’t happen because the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during liftoff just two days after the Bears won the 1986 Super Bowl.

Jason Reed / Reuters

President Obama holds a football jersey given to him by 1985 Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka as Obama honors the Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears NFL team on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Oct. 7, 2011. In 1986, the team's White House reception was cancelled due to the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy.

NBC Sports reports:

President Obama honored the Super Bowl-winning 1985 Bears at the White House today, but one player, Dan Hampton, said he doesn’t like Obama and chose not to attend.

Hampton’s former teammate, Tim Wrightman believes that political differences can be put aside for an occasion like this.

“This is the Bears’ once in a lifetime opportunity that has been given a second chance,” Wrightman wrote in a Facebook message. “Some people don’t realize our initial trip in 1986 was cancelled because of the Challenger space shuttle accident. I think it was a classy thing for Obama to right the misfortune of our team. Besides, the White House is not President Obama’s house it’s the people’s house.”

Deathandtaxesmag.com reported on Friday that there is a big difference between the Occupy movement in New York and the one in Minneapolis. In Minneapolis the mayor supports the cause.

Genevieve Ross / AP

Protesters gather at the Hennepin County Government Plaza on Oct. 7, 2011, in Minneapolis. The demonstration is in support of the Occupy protests that began on Wall Street in New York City.

Genevieve Ross / AP

Kathryn Fink, 24, a student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, participates along with other protesters during a demonstration at Hennepin County Government Plaza, on Oct. 7, 2011, in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak says in his blog that he is sympathetic with the demonstrators.

“While middle-class and working families are still struggling to recover (when they’re not still falling behind), those at the very top are concentrating their wealth in ways that are nothing short of alarming for our economy, our society and our democracy.

We aren’t going to solve all the issues of the global economy in Minneapolis, but we have to do what we can to close the gaps and level the playing field.”

More Occupy Wall Street PhotoBlog coverage

• Taking it to the streets: Meet the Occupy Seattle protesters
• Anti-Wall Street protesters gain support nationwide
• Who is occupying Wall Street? Not just your average Joe
• Occupy Wall Street protests spread to Boston, L.A.
• Protesters march in Manhattan, criticizing Wall Street, getting arrested

By Sevil Omer, senior writer for msnbc.com

Msnbc.com visited the Occupy Seattle demonstration at Westlake Park in Seattle this week. Here are some of the people we met.

Jim Seida / msnbc.com

Albert Postema of Snohomish, Wash., protests as part of Occupy Seattle in Westlake Park in downtown Seattle.

Albert Postema, 46, of Snohomish, Wash.
Postema dressed up in a crisp white shirt, gray suit and gray shoes, finishing off his wardrobe by tying a noose around his neck and taping a $1 bill to his mouth. The small-business owner raised his sign up high. It read: "End Economic Terrorism."

Throughout the day on Thursday, the western Washington father made his stand in front of Bank of America in downtown Seattle and joined scores of others to protest what they call corporate corruption and economic injustice to Americans. Postema serves as Occupy Seattle’s police liaison; his job is to make sure cops and protesters get along at Westlake Park. Even with cash taped to his mouth, Postema refused to remain silent.

Why are you here?
"Because of the collective economic noose around our necks and that our system is corrupt and we don't have a voice anymore."

What's your specific grievance?
"We are not headed in the right direction and we are losing our voice. I have more money than a lot of people in this country and I don't have a say in what happens, but corporations do. Corporations have a voice. We have lost our rights as well."

Do you think this movement could grow?
"Dang, yeah. We see it every day and it is growing exponentially. A lot of people don't even know that it's happening, and they are not even here yet."

What would make you think “mission accomplished”?
"Constitutional courts. ... I don't trust politicians anymore. Since our country is based on separation of church and state, it also should be based on separation of money and state. We also need to have a voice in the system again. There is a lot of money working against us."

Jim Seida / msnbc.com

"I'll come down here every day if I have to," says Steve Smith, left, with his friend Candra Kolodziej, both of Seattle. Smith and Kolodziej were supporting the anti-Wall Street 'Occupy Seattle' rally in Westlake Park in downtown Seattle, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011.

Candra Kolodziej, 29, and Steve Smith, 34, of Seattle
Kolodziej scanned the crowd Thursday. She said numbers were down compared to Wednesday’s gathering, when 25 people were arrested for refusing police orders to take their tents down. But she said the busts and uncertainty that night only added to her resolve to demonstrate against what she believed was a yawning gap between haves and have-nots. A bookseller with The Elliot Bay Book Company, she said her future was filled with debt and a growing despair about economic security.

Her boyfriend, Smith, wore sunglasses, a hoodie and a “Reboot America” button. A wiry, bearded and reflective man, he sat on a sleeping bag with a half-eaten cheese bagel. He said he was reluctant to share personal ideals, but he expressed sadness in the increasing numbers of Americans forced out their homes and jobs, while banks and financial institutions receive bailouts. The coffee shop staffer said he wanted to be part of something different and meaningful and jumped at the chance to join Kolodziej on the protest line.

What keeps you here?
Kolodziej: "Ever since Saturday, I haven't felt that anything else I've been doing has been as important as this. This is absolutely it. This is a small gathering now in Seattle, but I think it is going to be a global movement that's of the utmost importance to my future and everyone else's."

Smith: "Other people."

How long will you stay here?
Kolodziej: "I will stay here until I have to return to work, which is 3 p.m. on Saturday. After that, I will be heading back down here to do my part."

Smith: "Every day, if I have to. I work down here, so I will come and hang out as long as necessary."

What would be mission accomplished?
Kolodziej: "Tax reform, corporate reform and government reform. Ultimately, it would be closing the widening gap between the wealthiest and those who are impoverished."

Smith: "Communication. ... People looking at each other, connecting and communicating that you exist, I exist and we share all of this."

What do you think this movement could become?
Kolodziej: "This will become a revolution."

Smith: "I have no idea, because not everyone is going to be happy. … I want people to speak up and say 'this is ours.'"

Jim Seida / msnbc.com

Gabriel Plummer of Seattle plans to stay indefinitely at Westlake Park in Seattle to support Occupy Seattle.

Gabriel Plummer, 20, of Seattle, a journalism student
Born and raised in western Washington, Plummer joined the protests Thursday morning. As he rolled a cigarette for himself, a friend unrolled a sleeping bag for him nearby. It was Plummer's first night out on pavement, but he planned to stay indefinitely.

Why are you here?
"I wanted to witness history and be part of something that is bigger than myself. I wanted to watch a community come together and be part of a reawakening."

What's your grievance?
"My grievance is that I'm tired of corporations being treated like gods, we being treated like slaves and our ignorance being perpetuated by the media."

Do you think the movement could grow?
"It has steadily grown for decades. The frustration has reached a pivotal point and it will keep growing."

What would make you think mission accomplished?
"The beautiful thing is for a community to come together and figure out it together."

Jim Seida / msnbc.com

Toriy Fair of Seattle makes a sign in support of the Occupy Seattle rally.

Toriy Fair, 21, of Seattle, college student studying culinary arts. This chatty, energetic woman with green eyes and a ready smile described hardships of her childhood, her years in and out of shelters, and days and nights out on the streets looking for food and place to stay. She said she wanted to stand up on behalf of people who were unable to, and made a temporary home at the park.

What keeps you here?
"The system."

How long will you stay here?
"I will be here as long as I can, until my classes start. When my classes are over, I will be back right here."

What would be mission accomplished?
"It will be the day when I see my friend and people whose lives are so messed up and their minds so screwed up be able to get the proper help they need so they can get off the streets."

What do you say to critics about this movement?
"First of all, if you are criticizing us and wondering what we are doing here, then you have not been plugged into what has been happening to our country. I believe my generation is going to pay the biggest price for all of this mess.

What do you think this movement could become?
"A lighthouse of hope for all those who feel lost."

Jim Seida / msnbc.com

Brian Fnord of Everett, Wash. brought his 9-month-old son, Jackson, to the rally at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle.

Brian Fnord, 29, of Everett, Wash., a janitor
Fnord came across the protest by chance on Saturday and decided to spend the night. Ever since, he has made his way down to Seattle to participate. On Thursday, he bundled up the biggest reason for his political trek south: his 9-month-old son, Jackson.

Why are you here?
“I'm here mostly for my son and how we're shoving all of this debt onto the next generation and onto my son. What we are seeing is the effects of a depression and the lack of capital."

What's your specific grievance?
"The Federal (Reserve) chairman kind of screwed up with the bailouts. I think he should resign. He was the one who was cutting the checks when this was happening."

Do you think this movement could grow?
Anytime you have people who are willing to spend an evening outside in the cold is a good sign that yes, it could grow. This is a movement that is not backed by a CEO pet project."

What would make you think mission accomplished?
"That is a difficult question, because in everything you have goals and you can't ever really be done with something. Even in Egypt where (Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak stepped down, you were left with issues with the army and such. ... I believe it is time for the people to start the process for democracy and we need to start moving forward."

Jim Seida / msnbc.com

Carol Spane, 70, of Hood River, Ore. (left) and Patricia Barclay, 86, of Seattle show their support for Occupy Seattle and for ending the war in Afghanistan.

Carol Spane, 70, of Hood River, Ore., a caregiver and foster parent
Spane and Patricia Barclay, 86, of West Seattle, made their way through the crowd of nearly 150 people before they decided to take a brief break from demonstrating. Spane, who is Barclay's caregiver, lovingly linked her arm around the older woman's arm and guided her to a picnic table. Spane talked about her efforts to raise awareness about the financial hardships faced by millions of families nationwide.

Why are you here?
"I'm tired of watching people work so hard to get ahead and not being able to. It's hard nowadays for families and it's a struggle."

Do you think this movement could grow?
"Protests are important and people need to stand up for what they believe in — even if they are as old as we are."

What would make this mission accomplished?
"To give our president a chance to act on the stuff he wants to do."

Meet the occupiers in New York City's Zucotti Park

From Wall Street to Nashville, 'occupiers' share protest images

Ahmad Al-rubaye / AFP - Getty Images

Libyan National Transitional Council fighters take cover during a street battle in Sirte on Oct. 7. Sirte was rocked by deadly street fighting in what troops from the new regime said was the final assault on Moamer Kadhafi's besieged hometown, with orders that they take it "today."

Aris Messinis / AFP - Getty Images

A wounded Libyan National Transitional Council fighter is wheeled into the first field hospital near the frontline of Sirte on Oct. 7 as the city was rocked by deadly street fighting in what troops from the new regime said was the final assault on Moamer Kadhafi's besieged hometown.

It is surprising to see that there are still people fighting in support of former Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi. The National Transitional Council has been widely recognized as the interim government by most of Libya, in addition to the rest of the world. Heavy fighting continued in Sirte, Libya today when the revolutionary fighters launched an attack in the heart of the city. Sirte is Gadhafi's hometown and the final stronghold still loyal to the dictator.

For more information: Libyan fighters assault main Gadhafi base in Sirte. 

Mohamed Messara / EPA

Libyan rebel fighters use binoculars to check for any sign of Gaddafi forces, in Sirte, Libya, on Oct. 7. According to media reports, Libyan fighters loyal to the country's transitional rulers were pursuing a major ground assault in Sirte, the hometown of the fugitive leader Muammar Gaddafi and one of his last remaining strongholds. The offensive, targeting several fronts of diehard Gaddafi loyalists holed up in Sirte, appeared to be the final push to seize the port city, after the country's interim leaders announced that a new government would not be formed until all of Libya is 'liberated'.

Aris Messinis / AFP - Getty Images

A Libyan National Transitional Council fighter reacts outside the first field hospital near the frontline of Sirte on Oct. 7 as the city was rocked by deadly street fighting in what troops from the new regime said was the final assault on Moamer Kadhafi's besieged hometown.

Keystone via Getty Images, file

1928: An inspection party near the proposed site of the Hoover Dam (previously known as the Boulder Dam) in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River.

Alfred Eisenstaedt / Time & Life Pictures via Getty I

1938: Sightseers enjoy the magnificent power of Boulder Dam, later renamed the Hoover Dam.

Alan Band / Keystone via Getty Images file

1972: The Hoover Dam near Las Vegas, Nevada on the Colorado River lit up at night.

I wonder if the men in the first image could have possibly imagined what the dam would look like, how many people it would take to build it and how many would lose their lives while it was under construction.

According to USA Today:

The 726.4-high concrete expanse on the Colorado River was dedicated on Sept. 30, 1935, by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Formerly named for Republican president Herbert Hoover, it was christened as less political Boulder Dam by Democrat Roosevelt, then later reverted to its original name. More than 100 workers were killed during the dam's construction.

More about the Hoover dam on wikipedia.

Events around the anniversary from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.