Fifteen killed by US drone strikes in Northern Waziristan

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Fifteen killed by US drone strikes in Northern Waziristan
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Monday, January 3, 2011

Pakistani officials have stated that three US drone strikes have killed fifteen people in the country Saturday. The attacks occurred to the north of Miranshah town in the North Waziristan region.

Security officials in the town informed AFP that in the first strike, US drones fired four missiles on a car, killing seven suspected militants. A nearby “militant compound” was also destroyed by the missiles. “Three militants were killed in the car while four were killed in the house,” the official said. The second attack occurred within minutes of the first, and four militants, who were carrying on rescue work were killed by the two missiles that had been fired.

Intelligence officials believe that the militants were associated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur. “We are trying to establish identity of the militants but most of them are believed to be fighters of Hafiz Gul Bahadur,” an official told the media. However, the death toll and the identity of those killed was not officially confirmed. A local official stated that they had heard reports stating “that four foreigners were also killed in these fresh attacks”. However, he added that their identity is “still not known” and mentioned that they “are collecting more information.”

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Uncategorized November 22nd 2021

Delicious Easy Punch Recipes To Help Create The Yum Factor

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By Elizabeth Chastain

Make scrum-diddly umptious easy punch recipes that will satisfy not only the taste buds, but also the eye. They will serve as both a focal point for your party table and flavorful companion for your cake.

Be sure you have enough punch to keep all your thirsty guests happy. As a general rule, one gallon of punch will provide about 13 5-ounce servings. However, depending upon the literal “size” of your guests, you will want to allow anywhere from two to four servings per person.

KEEPING YOUR PUNCH COLD

An ice ring mold is the perfect cold add-on. For best results, fill a gelatin ring mold with a punch juice that you will be using in your recipe rather than using water, as it would ultimate water down your end result. Freeze for several hours. Remove the ice ring and place it into your punch bowl. Fill the bowl with your punch recipe and serve. If you want to add a little color to your ice ring, just toss some colorful fruit into your punch ring before freezing. Strawberries, oranges, raspberries, and chunks of pineapple work great.

Another option is to make punch ice cubes. All you have to do is freeze punch into your ice cube trays and when they have hardened, empty them into a freezer Ziploc bag. When it comes time to serve up the punch, you can either drop them into your punch bowl or put them into individual cups for serving.

Here’s a few yummy and easy punch recipes that are sure to please your crowd:

RASPBERRY LEMONADE PUNCH

18-oz. Lemonade concentrate

10-oz. Frozen strawberries, thawed

1 qt. Ginger ale

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqVY_3US9II[/youtube]

1 pt. Raspberry sherbet

Fresh, whole strawberries

Pour lemonade, thawed strawberries, and ginger ale into a large punch bowl and stir. Add sherbet and ice. Place a fresh strawberry in each cup and serve immediately.

CITRUS PUNCH

2 Cups Cold water

6-oz. Orange juice concentrate

6-oz Grapefruit juice concentrate

1-liter Sparkling water

Orange slices

Fresh mint leaves

Mix the chilled water, orange juice and grapefruit juice concentrates into a punch bowl. Right before serving, add the sparkling water and garnish with orange slices and fresh mint leaves. Serve over ice.

FRUITY PUNCH

20-oz Frozen raspberries

12-oz Lemonade concentrate

46-oz. Pineapple juice

64-oz Chilled Sprite

Blend raspberries and lemonade concentrate in a blender until smooth. When you are ready to serve, pour mixture into a punch bowl, stir in pineapple juice, and add Sprite.

PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING

Now that you’ve got your punch recipe figured out, be sure to factor in presentation. To add color to your party table, sprinkle rose petals, place a flower garland around the punch bowl, a floral or leaf-flower combo wreath around the bowl, drape silky fabric or create a tulle tutu to accent the punch bowl.

ALTERNATIVE PUNCH BOWL IDEAS

If you don’t have a punch bowl or are looking for something a little unique, you might consider using a new galvanized bucket. This would work great with parties that have a theme of picnics, barnyard, western, etc.

For a rubber ducky party or a baby shower, a new plastic baby bath would make for a perfect punch bowl. Be sure to add a few plastic rubber duckies to float on top.

Hollow out and fill a watermelon with your punch. You could even carve out the watermelon to have a handle like a basket. This of course would be great for a picnic or ladybug theme party.

About the Author: Find more yummy

Punch Recipes

by visiting

birthday-party-ideas-101.com

, a party planning website written and edited by Professional Organizer, Elizabeth Chastain. Copyright: You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links, and this copyright notice remain intact.

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isnare.com

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Cooking Appliance November 22nd 2021

US Exchange rate a concern for Europeans

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US Exchange rate a concern for Europeans
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Sunday, November 21, 2004

European finance ministers at the G-20 meeting which opened Saturday, November 20th, are expected to discuss the current exchange rate of the euro vs. the dollar. The euro is currently trading high against the dollar, so that it takes around $1.34 (as of December 4, 2004) to buy one euro. This has the effect of making exports from Europe to the USA more expensive, increasing the likelihood that US consumers will buy from a non-EU country. The exchange rate is set by the currency markets, although it is heavily influenced by the current account status (ie. the balance of trade between countries).

Some European leaders want the United States to take action to increase the value of its exchange rate. The US though is seen as not wanting to do this, for two reasons:

  1. A low dollar relative the euro means that all exports from the US to Europe are cheaper for Europeans to buy, increasing the likelihood that Europeans will buy US items and thus helping the US economy
  2. Many actions which governments have done in the past to bolster unnaturally their currency have been fought by the market, and the market won. The most famous example is George Soros’ “breaking of the Bank of England”

One side-issue that this discussion might evoke is that of the exchange rate between the dollar and the Chinese yuan, which is fixed by China. Studies of this exchange rate using the concept of purchasing power parity (ensuring that a dollar traded to Chinese yuan will still buy roughly the same amount in China) show that the Chinese yuan has been around 50% undervalued for the past two years. This makes things from China on average 50% cheaper for a US consumer than they should be. US officials have throughout 2004 repeatedly called for China to end this practice. Normally it would end itself, i.e. even with a fixed exchange rate this process could only go on for so long before the entire Chinese market becomes valued differently. But since the Chinese central bank has been constantly lending money to the United States government (via the purchasing of US treasury bonds), that effect is mitigated.

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Uncategorized November 22nd 2021

Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Kristen Monster, Willowdale

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Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Kristen Monster, Willowdale
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Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Kristen Monster is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Willowdale riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed her regarding her values, her experience, and her campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

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Uncategorized November 21st 2021

Drowning In Medical Bills? Contact A Bankruptcy Attorney In Washington Indiana For Help

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byadmin

Medical bills and job loss are two of the main reasons that people are forced to file for bankruptcy. Hardworking people, who have always paid their bills promptly often feel humiliated when they can no longer do this. They wait too long to contact a Bankruptcy attorney in Washington Indiana for help. By that time, creditors may be calling daily and threatening to garnish their wages. Once the debtor’s attorney files the bankruptcy application, creditors must stop contacting the debtor. This will help reduce the debtor’s stress level and help them focus on their financial recovery.

If the court determines that the debtor must use Chapter 13, the Bankruptcy attorney in Washington Indiana will scrutinize the budget that the bankruptcy trustee designs. The debtor must successfully complete every month of the repayment plan or the remaining debt won’t be forgiven. The budget must provide a reasonable amount of money for housing, food, transportation and other typical expenditures. The debtor is not allowed to use credit cards during this period, so they have to have sufficient cash for items such as car repairs. Feavel Law is one of the law firms in the area that help debtors determine which method of filing for bankruptcy is in their best interest.

Financial Planning November 21st 2021

Nine dead after biker gang feud in Texas

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Nine dead after biker gang feud in Texas
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Monday, May 18, 2015

Nine people are dead and eighteen injured after a shootout among alleged rival biker gangs broke out inside a sports bar in Texas yesterday.

The violence erupted at Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill inside a shopping mall in Waco. The fight which included up to five biker gangs quickly escalated, resulting in a gunfire battle across two car parks. Waco Sergeant Patrick Swanton said an argument about a parking spot may have sparked the fight.

Restaurant customers said they waited out the fight with staff locked in a freezer room. Swanton said all but one of the deaths occurred at the scene, with the ninth in hospital.

Swanton said, “This is probably one of the most gruesome crime scenes I’ve ever seen in my 34 years of law enforcement”, and, “I was amazed that we didn’t have innocent civilians killed or injured.”

Police officers were present and quick to intervene when the shooting broke out as they knew beforehand of a planned meeting.

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Uncategorized November 19th 2021

Nebraska senators may not support stimulus plan

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Nebraska senators may not support stimulus plan
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Friday, January 30, 2009

The two federal senators of Nebraska are not sure if they will be backing President Barack Obama’s $819 billion dollar stimulus plan, in spite of approval of the bill given by the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The bill will support Nebraska with around $378 million to help the state budget for the next two years, and will also give the state an extra $230 million to be spent on infrastructure construction and repair.

Nebraskan Sen. Ben Nelson (Democrat) said allotting $1.1 billion for medical research was troublesome. Nelson wants to see more jobs created for Nebraskans, and believes the bill is not truly stimulus, but rather constitutes additional spending. Republican Sen. Mike Johanns agreed mostly with Nelson, but also pointed out the stimulus money for the National Endowment for the Arts as a form of job creation.

Nelson stated that Nebraska will receive around $250 million dollars for highway construction from the stimulus plan, with no need for the state to match the funding. Around 27 billion dollars in highway funds are found in stimulus appropriations, which Nelson said he supported as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The package is also said to set aside money to help build hospitals in rural areas, as well as community health centers. Money for the construction and repair of veterans medical facilities, and funding to help drinking and wastewater infrastructure are also included.

Sen. Johanns commented that he thinks none of it will be paid for, but instead will be funded by floating debt.

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Uncategorized November 19th 2021

Wikinews discusses the H1N1 pandemic with the CDC

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Wikinews discusses the H1N1 pandemic with the CDC
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Friday, November 6, 2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a US government agency. In an interview with Wikinews, Jeff Dimond, a member of the Division of Media Relations for the CDC, answered a few question regarding the current situation of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.

The CDC reported that during week 42 (October 18–24) of this year, the swine flu activity increased in the United States with 19 confirmed deaths by swine flu, while week 43 (Oct. 25–31) faced 15 confirmed deaths.


((Wikinews)) How does the CDC feel the media has handled the H1N1 flu pandemic?

((Jeff Dimond)) Media coverage has been quite good.

((WN)) What measures are the CDC taking to combat the swine flu?

((JD)) Public health information is being distributed nationwide, scientists worked hard to identify the H1N1 virus and produce a vaccine in record time.

((WN)) What areas around the world are affected most by the swine flu?

((JD)) This is a question for the WHO (World Health Organization).

((WN)) Are the current anti-flu vaccines effective and how sufficient is the current supply?

((JD)) All current anti-flu vaccines are effective. Manufacturers are producing doses as fast as possible. Spot shortages may occur, but there is not an overall shortage of vaccine. For the most severe cases, a drug called Peramivir has been authorized for emergency use by the FDA.

((WN)) How can one avoid infection and how deadly is this disease?

((JD)) Proper hand sanitation and avoidance of individuals who have flu-like symptoms is the best way to avoid becoming ill. To date more than 1000 Americans have died from LABORATORY CONFIRMED cases of H1N1 and of those 129 are under the age of 18. The most at-risk populations are pregnant women, younger people in the 18–49 age group and those with other complicating conditions such as asthma, COPD, diabetes and morbid obesity.

((WN)) What efforts have the CDC made to insure vaccines are available for those with no or poor health-care?

((JD)) Distribution of vaccine is up to the state health departments. CDC is not a regulatory agency.

((WN)) If someone suspects they have swine flu what would the best course of action be?

((JD)) They should seek medical attention.

((WN)) When will the swine flu die down and cease being a pandemic?

((JD)) No idea.

((WN)) Besides the CDC, what other entities, governmental and private, are involved in stopping this disease and how?

((JD)) All public health and medical agencies with a stake in H1N1 are cooperating to control the spread of H1N1.

((WN)) Is there a significant risk of H1N1 mutating and becoming more deadly?

((JD)) Flu viruses are unpredictable so there is no way of answering this question. The CDC is constantly monitoring these viruses.

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Uncategorized November 19th 2021

Water Quality Of Glaciers Do We Want It?

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By Anna Hart

Water quality is an important topic, since we all drink quantities of water over our lifetimes. Even if we drink only minimally, we still want top water quality.

So what about the water quality of glaciers do we want it? Is the water quality of glaciers really pristine, as we are led to believe?

Glaciers Store About 75% of the World’s Freshwater

Freshwater contains very minimal amounts of dissolved salts, especially sodium chloride. It is found only in lakes, streams, and rivers never in oceans or seas. Glaciers have, therefore, potentially good water quality. Is that water quality pristine, though?

Glacier Bottled Water

Several water bottlers have chosen a glacier as a symbol of purity. Some use the words glacier and virgin in labeling or advertising. But water quality does not always match the symbol. According to government and industry estimates, 25 to 40 percent of all bottled water is actually bottled tap water despite pictures of glaciers!

Before recent FDA intervention, the label on one brand of bottled water read: “Alaska Premium Glacier Drinking Water: Pure Glacier Water From the Last Unpolluted Frontier, Bacteria Free”. Why was that bad if water quality in those bottles was so high? The water apparently flowed into the bottles from Public Water System #111241 in Juneau, Alaska, not from glaciers.

Some bottlers imply top water quality by referring to their waters origins as streams flowing from glaciers, or glacier-fed lakes, but in Alaska, such wording is forbidden.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmMPMPG3hxI[/youtube]

If it says glacier water, it’s got to be right from the glacier without the influence of any other surface sources, says Mike Gentry, program coordinator for the Alaska State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Food Safety and Sanitation Program. He added that if it’s a blend, direct glacier water could have been mixed with other water from a stream or a lake fed by glacier.

If the label will read pure glacier water, the bottler must use water taken right from the glacier. He may not add or remove minerals, but even glacier water quality can be changed by filtering and treatments.

The label on another brand of Alaskan bottled water (unchanged at the time of writing) boasted of high water quality:

Mother Nature recycles all water. Get it from a river, get it from a spring, get it from a well, seven years ago that water was used by someone (or something) else, unless… Unless your water was stored in the Eklutna Glacier, for 23,000 years.

The implication here is that glacier water quality is unsurpassed since it has been stored away for so many years. One can almost imagine a glacier with an airtight, liquid-tight seal for ultimate protection!

The True Water Quality of Glaciers

Because of their frozen state, glaciers may have lower levels of contaminants and bacteria, but how low?

One FDA investigator noted that, aside from marketability, glaciers are a rather imperfect water source, since animals traipse across them all the time, contributing contaminants and lowering water quality.

I am not an expert on glaciers, but I do know that when Eklutna Glacier formed, however many years ago, its ice was not pure. Yes, its original snow was free of much contamination such as we know, but its snow was never chemically pure.

1. Each flake of glacial snow began as a small droplet of water or ice crystal that formed around a nucleus. The water needed a tiny particle around which it could condense. It might have used a microscopic salt crystal released into the air by an ocean wave. It might have used a particle of ash from a forest fire. It might have condensed around ash from a volcanic eruption, but each snowflake had to have that microscopic bit of material. Glacial water quality is affected by billions of old salt and ash particles.

2. Each flake of glacial snow helped scrub acids from the atmosphere. Acid rain is not new only industrial acid rain. The atmosphere contains about 350 ppm CO2, and ancient volcanic eruptions filled the atmosphere rapidly with more CO2. When our glacial snowflakes fell, they dissolved some of that CO2, and made carbonic acid snow. Glacial water quality is affected by acid rain.

3. Each flake of ancient glacial snow was further contaminated by animals. You have undoubtedly heard of wooly mammoths. You have heard, too, of migratory humans who likely hunted wooly mammoths. Can we believe that neither the ancient animals nor the hunters that stalked them ever walked on the glacier from which we are now urged to drink? As your parents may have told you, Never eat yellow snow. Glacial water quality is affected by yellow snow.

Glacial Water Quality in a High School Lab

As a former high school teacher and principal, I would have to say that any high school science lab with a distillation apparatus could supply better water quality than that found in a glacier. So do I want the water quality of glaciers? I think Ill pass.

About the Author: 2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about healthy drinking water at

healthydrinkingwaterblog.com

. Anna continues to post additional valuable information on that site about understanding clean waters importance and making sure you have the best drinking water. If you are eager to learn about

what is in your bottled water, glacier pictures or not

, you wont want to miss Annas articles on the subject.

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Timber November 19th 2021

Nine firefighters killed in South Carolina blaze

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Nine firefighters killed in South Carolina blaze
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Nine firefighters were killed on Monday while battling a massive fire at a furniture warehouse in Charleston, South Carolina.

Firefighters were called to the scene of a massive blaze at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C. at around 6:30 p.m. EST. At around 7 p.m., nine firefighters were sent inside the inferno to rescue people who were trapped inside the building. They rescued two before the ceiling collapsed on top of them. All nine firefighters who were inside the warehouse died. They are:

  • Capt. William Hutchinson, 48
  • Capt. Mike Benke, 49
  • Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34
  • FF Mark Kelsey, 40
  • FF Bradford Baity, 37
  • FF Michael French, 27
  • FF James “Earl” Drayton, 56
  • FF Brandon Thompson, 27
  • FF Melven Champaign, 46

The disaster recalls Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire that killed six firefighters on Dec. 3, 1999, in Worcester, Massachusetts. The chief of the Worcester Fire Department flew down to South Carolina for the memorial service.

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Uncategorized November 17th 2021