Tuesday, October 26, 2010
At least 113 people are now dead and hundreds more are missing after a 10 foot (3 m) tsunami destroyed several villages in a series of remote islands in western Indonesia. The tsunami was caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake which struck on Monday at 9:42 p.m. local time (14:42 UTC). The epicenter of the earthquake was 78 kilometers (48 mi) west of South Pagai, one of the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra.
“We are predicting that people will need food supplies and shelter. The rain is coming down very hard, the wind is very strong,” a local police officer said, addind that emergency posts had been set up and patrols were being made to try and locate the missing. An official said that they had purchased 200 body bags “just in case.”
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We have people reporting to the security post here that they could not hold on to their children, that they were swept away. A lot of people are crying. |
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A local official said that most of the buildings in the coastal village of Betu Monga had been destroyed when the tsunami struck. “Of the 200 people living in that village, only 40 have been found. 160 are still missing, mostly women and children,” he said. “We have people reporting to the security post here that they could not hold on to their children, that they were swept away. A lot of people are crying.” Food supplies, he added, were running low.
Wisnu Wijaya, the preparedness director with the National Disaster Management Agency, said that the government is getting aid to the islands. “We already sent a rapid response team to this area, coordinated by the provincial government. We have local disaster management at Padang, because right now the condition of the wave is quite high,” he said. Wijaya added that high waves and stormy weather have made it difficult to reach the affected areas, and communication was a problem. Emergency shelters have been set up and the first team from Sumatra was arriving Tuesday evening to begin a rapid assessment of the aid that was needed. “Up to now, I think we still can manage this problem. Maybe also we’ll send staff to go there and make a better coordination. If they need national resources to deploy there, we’ll be ready to support local government,” Wijaya said.
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We threw whatever we could that floated—surfboards, fenders—then we jumped into the water. |
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The head of the regional government in the affected area told local television that some of the people recorded as missing may have moved to higher ground to take refuge from the waves. Rick Hallet, who was aboard his boat when the earthquake struck, told Australian television: “We threw whatever we could that floated—surfboards, fenders—then we jumped into the water. Fortunately, most of us had something to hold on to … and we just washed in the wetlands, and scrambled up the highest trees that we could possibly find and sat up there for an hour and a half.” The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement saying that radio contact had been lost with a tourist boat in the area which could have been nine Australians and a Japanese national. A humanitarian organisation said that there were “genuine fears” for those aboard.
A spokesperson for a surfing resort on the coast of North Pagai said that they had “experienced a level of devastation that has rendered the resort inoperable”. Witnesses suggested that villas at the resort had been “wiped out” by the tsunami. One report suggested that a 10 feet (3 m) wave had hit the resort, causing boats to burst into flames. “There was a lot of debris floating in the water, including bar stools and other pieces of furniture from Macaronis Resort,” a member of staff said. Reports suggested that water had reached rooftops in North Pagai.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area prone to seismic shifts that spark earthquakes and volcanic activity. A massive earthquake in 2004 caused a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people across the Indian Ocean. After that disaster Indonesia worked to establish early warning systems and disaster management programs to help deal with future quakes.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
An unresponsive United States reconnaissance satellite is in an uncontrolled, decaying orbit and will re-enter Earth‘s atmosphere in late February or early March.
According to Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, “Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation.”
The satellite is out-of-control, and therefore there is no possibility to guide it to re-entry over an ocean or unpopulated area. On the one hand, since most of the earth’s surface is water or unpopulated, death or property loss due to any falling fragments, which may result from the satellite entering the atmosphere, is statistically unlikely. On the other hand, it cannot be ruled out entirely. According to General Gene Renuart, of the United States Air Force, there is a chance that the satellite may re-enter over North America. After entering the atmosphere, some debris could possibly fall on land.
“Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause,” said Johndroe.
Concerns have also been raised that some materials used in the satellite’s construction could be hazardous if they reach the ground. The satellite contains quantities of toxic hydrazine fuel, which is used for maneuvering, although this is likely to burn up on re-entry. Some of the optics aboard the satellite may contain beryllium, which is also toxic.
As the satellite was part of a classified U.S. military program, no other details, including its name, have been made public. The satellite is publicly identified by the codenames USA-193 and NRO L-21. It was launched in December 2006, by a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Ground controllers lost contact with the satellite shortly after it reached orbit. Amateur observers had been tracking USA-193 for some time, and believed that its orbit was decaying.
By Aaron Adams
Knowing how to deal with emotionally unavailable men is very important for a dating woman. Dating problems often result from clueless deals with such men, and most women make the mistake of thinking they have what it takes to change that man into her dream lover. Unfortunately, that rarely happens.
For starters, emotionally unavailable men are not the same as those who are simply unavailable. The unavailable man is simply not interested in getting into a relationship, so he rarely shows up on the playing field. On the other hand, the emotionally unavailable man plays in the pitch, but is not really into any team. The emotionally unavailable man is easy to spot since they easily fall in and out of love, and at times they keep vague relationships with two or more women at the same time.
Emotionally unavailable men are like kids when it comes to making decisions about their lives – they really don’t know what they want. That includes women, so they usually end up taking the ladies for granted in a relationship. It’s not advisable to pursue a relationship with such men, since whatever they do with the women they’ve played with before, they can also do the same to you. It is best to stay clear of such men.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeNyVbpA1j4[/youtube]
One of the common mistakes women make is to try to change an emotionally unavailable man. He is usually insensitive and shortsighted, and the more you baby him, the more he thinks that everything is all right. There will come a day when everything just doesn’t seem to work out at all. If you are strongly attached to an emotionally unavailable man, it almost always equates to disappointment and pain ultimately.
The best thing to do is to try and put distance between the two of you. Try to take your mind off him and put that attention into another aspect in your life. Try the gym, or Yoga, or that art class you’ve been dying to try. Do things that would make you realize that trying to get him is not worth the time. And here’s the irony – this distance just might knock some sense into him. A puppy, when it’s hungry, cold or sick, will go home. The same goes for emotionally unavailable men – when he feels something is missing, he’ll go looking for it. But don’t expect too much though – after all, it’s still his call.
It’s necessary to learn to pick up the signals given off by these men. If he is dating other women, it only means he’s not happy with having only one companion in life. And don’t try and make the big mistake of trying to change him – as I’ve mentioned time and again, it doesn’t work that way. Your presence in his life would only root him to the spot, comfortably between two or more women in his life, with no serious romantic commitment to any.
For men like these, it will be your absence, not your presence, that is likely to affect him the most.
About the Author: Aaron Adams specialises in relationship matters for women. Visit
datingquestionsforwomen.com
to learn how to
communication with emotionally unavailable men
.
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Sunday, June 20, 2010
A 6-year-old boy and his father were shot and killed Saturday afternoon while eating inside a busy Del Taco fast food restaurant in San Bernadino, California, before the shooter turned a gun on himself.
According to the San Bernadino Police Department, 56-year-old Jimmy Schlager arrived at the Del Taco at 1:15pm PST (2015 UTC) on a bicycle, and, armed with two semi-automatic guns, entered the restaurant and opened fire on a family of four who were dining together. The employees and other customers all ran out of the restaurant and escaped without injury.
The father of the family, identified as 33-year-old Alex Trujillo, was declared dead at the scene, said the San Bernadino Fire Department. His wife and two sons were taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center in critical condition. His 6-year-old son, Adrian, died shortly after. The victims each suffered two bullet wounds, except the mother, who police say received up to ten gunshots. The names of the 29-year-old woman and her 5-year-old son have not been released. Both remained in critical condition on Saturday night.
After shooting the family, Schlager, later identified as the woman’s step-father, shot himself in the head. He was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he later died from the self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Police said Schlager had previously been arrested a number of times, on charges that included theft and assault with a deadly weapon.
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
New Delhi authorities hope a fierce looking primate will solve the problem of mischievous monkeys infilitratring the city’s subway system. The Hindustan Times reports that langurs will be used to scare away their smaller cousins. A langur-wallah (or handler) is being paid 6,900 rupees (US$ 167) a month as a retainer and “will be called in whenever there is a monkey problem” says Anuj Dayal of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. “There are too many monkeys” said Mr. Dayal.
In June, a monkey reportedly crawled through some pipes and into a subway car jumping around and making faces at passengers who were evacuated to another car while staff chased the creature.
Delhi is known to suffer from trouble brought on by monkeys. The animals are reported to invade homes, schools and government offices in the city. Scores of animals have moved in as the city expands into surrounding forests. In an effort to control the problem, the Delhi administration captured about 500 monkeys and took them to the outskirts of the city last year.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Yesterday February 17, 2006, the World Health Organisation officially declared presence of the H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus in Egypt.
“There is avian flu now in Egypt,” Hassan el Bushra, regional adviser for emerging diseases at the eastern Mediterranean regional office of the WHO said. His response was to the reported presence of H5N1 virus in dead birds in three areas in Egypt – namely Cairo, Giza, and Al-Minya.
Today February 18, 2006, a responsible source from Egyptian ministry of health announced reporting of another 25 cases of infected birds in Al-Minya with aftermath of 35 confirmed cases between birds, yet there are no human cases reported.
Egypt has banned the import of live birds and has tightened quarantine controls at airports to keep out bird flu. It has also canceled the annual bird hunting season to minimize contacts between people and migrant birds.In Cairo phone numbers 3912136, 3907147, and the hotline 152 have been assigned for reporting any suspected cases. A newly formed unit formed of veterinarians and preventive medicine specialists in Giza actively studying more than 70 reports of dead birds for exclusion of H5N1.
Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Naxif has advised people who breed poultry at their homes to dispose of their birds to prevent the virus from spreading.
“The time has come to get rid of the idea of breeding chickens on the roofs of houses, especially under current circumstances,” he said.
Many Egyptian citizens breed chickens and pigeons on the roof of their residences for their own consumption and as a source of extra income.
Despite avian flu mainly being a disease of poultry, it has also infected 171 people, killing 93 of them, and is steadily mutating. If it acquires the ability to pass easily from person to person it could cause a pandemic that might kill millions.
Submitted by: Anish Bhatt
You could buy a watch and wear it for fashion or function or both. Finding one is easy but picking that one from the thousands available could demand a little more than how it looks on your wrist or how many diamond studs it has. Read on to find out a smart way to choose one.
Why do you buy a watch?
Well, the obvious answer that pops in your mind is ‘to keep time’. People buy a watch for themselves or to gift it to their special someone or to others. At times they also buy a watch for its looks or for its features and so on. Watches are worn greatly for fashion today, and hence, the market is flooded by hundreds of watch brands. You can go for a flashy timepiece with gold and diamond studs and wear it as jewelry or a sober one that provides a specific function that serves you perfectly. There are also pieces that have both function and beauty.
Fashion houses and jewelry designers also make fashionable and luxurious timepieces. You can find them at their respective outlets, for instance, popular fashion brands such as Gucci, Diesel, Police, Chanel, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Hugo Boss, Guess, Reebok etc., make watches. However, apart from the looks of the watch, if it is the function and real timekeeping that you look for in a watch, then you go for the original watchmakers. Some popular brands you find are Citizen, Casio, Seiko, Timex etc.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky4RgRvVDoA[/youtube]
You can buy a watch in various other ways, one is by the watch type. Some prefer a pocket watch over a wrist watch while another would go for a digital one. Watches are also categorized by their movements such as automatic and mechanical (wind up). Some still go for the material, choosing from plastic, silver, gold, titanium or ceramic watches. These are just ways of buying a watch based on personal choice.
The professional tick?
There’s yet another way of buying a watch, and one of the most sensible ways too. It is to buy it based on your profession. What better way to keep time than to wear a time machine that is designed to work as per your profession? This is not a new idea, watches by profession such as pilot watches, mariner watches etc., have been around for a long time, but a lot of folks tend to oversee the value it provides.
Moreover, there are other types of watches by profession, there are engineering watches, security watches and communications watches with further more specific sub categories. Some include boiler and electrical, intercom, and auxiliary watches for engineering; special piracy-related watches and roving patrol watches for security; radio and signal bridge watches for communications and so on. You can also find sports watches, nurses fob watches, tactical action officer watches and more.
Advantages of wearing a watch by profession
Wearing a watch that is specific to your profession has various advantages. For instance, some watch brands with aviation heritage including Breitling, Longines, Blancpain, Breuget and others have unique dials, movements, or cases that are designed specially for aviation. Contemporary aviation watches also typically have hi-tech features incorporated. One such feature is the flight computer that can calculate time, speed, distance and also fuel consumption, nautical mile conversions, metric to English conversions and more that directly helps the pilot do his job.
Similarly, diver watches have a large dial, luminous markers and hands, water resistant case and so on, that will allow the diver to keep time while underwater. Sports watches are made to serve sportsmen while in competition or training. You can also wear them during outdoor activities. There is no lack of hi-tech features in watches today. Based on your purpose, you can choose from watches with GPS enabled, chronograph incorporated, altitude alarm, speed measurement, distance measurement, auto pause or split and many more features.
So, the next time you buy a watch, you could pause and ponder a little, and make your next watch do more than just tell the time. A brief online research will inform you about the type of watch you want or should get. For an assured precision of timekeeping you could get a Swiss luxury watch. A genuine Swiss technology watch will give you both beauty and function for as long as you wear it.
About the Author: The writer is associated with Timepieces USA, an online store where you can buy watches of luxury and quality at affordable prices.Website:
timepiecesusa.com/
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Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The following is the third edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2016 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month’s biggest stories.
In this month’s edition on the campaign trail: two individuals previously interviewed by Wikinews announce their candidacies for the Reform Party presidential nomination; a former Republican Congressman comments on the Republican National Convention; and Wikinews interviews an historic Democratic National Convention speaker.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The closure of a mathematics summer camp in ?irince, ?zmir, Turkey by Turkish authorities has drawn scorn from scientists around the world.
Professor Alexandre Borovik, who organized some of the opposition, said “We are shocked to learn that the Summer School of Mathematics initiated by Professor Ali Nesin was shut down by local authorities. We found it surprising that such an esteemed mathematician such as Professor Nesin needs a specific permit each time he wants to teach math, as we saw that one of the reasons for shutting the camp down was the lack of such a permit, especially considering how this contradicts the fact that the summer schools organized every year by Professor Nesin are sponsored by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜB?TAK), Turkish Mathematics Association and many respected Turkish universities.”
The school was reopened on August 10, 2007; however, Ali Nesin still faces charges under Turkish criminal code article TCK 263, which reads “Persons who open or run illegal educational institutions can be jailed from 3 months to 1 year.”
Ali Nesin is the son of the famous Turkish humorist Aziz Nesin.
Monday, June 23, 2008
2008 COMPUTEX Taipei, the largest trade fair since its inception in 1982, featured several seminars and forums, expansions on show spaces to TWTC Nangang, great transformations for theme pavilions, and WiMAX Taipei Expo, mainly promoted by Taipei Computer Association (TCA). Besides of ICT industry, “design” progressively became the critical factor for the future of the other industries. To promote innovative “Made In Taiwan” products, pavilions from “Best Choice of COMPUTEX”, “Taiwan Excellence Awards”, and newly-set “Design and Innovation (d & i) Award of COMPUTEX”, demonstrated the power of Taiwan’s designs in 2008 COMPUTEX Taipei.