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County Donegal, Ireland crash kills one, injures two

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

A two-vehicle road traffic accident in County Donegal in Ireland has left one person dead and injured two others. The accident occurred when a camper van collided with an oncoming car on the N15 road between the towns of Ballybofey and Donegal at approximately 1540 BST (1440 UTC) on Monday.

The fatality was reportedly a man in his 70s from the town of Lifford; he has not yet been publicly identified. He was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The female passenger he was travelling in the car with, thought to be the wife of the man, was taken to the same hospital after suffering serious injuries.

The man and woman in the camper van were transported to Sligo Regional Hospital. The condition of the two occupants is not clear, although the woman in the vehicle reportedly injured her leg in the accident.

The road where the crash occurred was closed to allow the Garda to investigate the incident.

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Water main bursts in west Edinburgh; traffic, utilities disrupted

Saturday, May 28, 2011

In Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, part of an underground water piping system has exploded, forcing local residents to be evacuated. The pipe broke around 03:30 BST (0230 UTC) today, within Allan Park Road, causing flooding in the Slateford area of the city.

A spokesperson for Scottish sewerage and water corporation Scottish Water explained: “Early this morning reports were received of flooding in Allan Park Road and Scottish Water operatives attended the scene. A large diameter water main had burst. The water was shut off and re-routed via other pipes to keep supplies flowing to households in the area. Repairs are under way and the customers affected by the flooding are being offered assistance.”

Stating that repairs to resolve this problem had commenced and would take a few hours to conclude, Lothian and Borders Police have advised that the floods may disrupt the supplies of water and other utilities, as well as transportation on roads and railways in the west of Edinburgh. Hospitals and rest homes in the region have been notified of the incident and bottled water is now anticipated to be supplied at these buildings.

According to local residents, Slateford Road (A70), a major throughway, was closed for several hours this morning. Telephony and broadband in the area is disrupted, with local residents and businesses having to rely on cellphones. Further work, such as digging up the road and using temporary traffic lights, will be required to restore these services in the area.

As of 13:15 BST (1215 UTC), Scottish Water has excavated around the burst main, but has not yet begun work on replacing the damaged section of pipe.

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Home of Stonehenge builders found

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Scientists have uncovered the largest Neolithic settlement in the United Kingdom at the Durrington Walls and believe that the village was inhabited by the people who built the Stonehenge monument.

Scientists say that the village was built around 2,600 B.C., roughly when Stonehenge was believed to have been constructed, and housed over 100 people.

Inside the areas which would have been the interior of houses at the time, scientists also found outlines of what they think were beds and cupboards or dressers. Pieces of pottery and “filthy” rubbish around the site. Animal bones, arrowheads, stone tools and other relics were also discovered.

“We’ve never seen such quantities of pottery and animal bone and flint. In what were houses, we have excavated the outlines on the floors of box beds and wooden dressers or cupboards,” said Sheffield University archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson.

So far, the dig has revealed at least 8 houses roughly 14-16 feet square, but scientists say that they think there may have been at least 25 altogether.

The site was likely to have been occupied only seasonally rather than year-round and evidence suggests that a lot of “partying” went on at the location.

“The animal bones are being thrown away half-eaten. It’s what we call a feasting assemblage. This is where they went to party – you could say it was the first free festival. The rubbish isn’t your average domestic debris. There’s a lack of craft-working equipment for cleaning animal hides and no evidence for crop-processing,” added Pearson.

The Durrington Walls are approximately 2 miles from the Stonehenge site.

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Obama announces plan to build roads, railroads and runways

Monday, September 6, 2010

In a speech in Wisconsin, US President Barack Obama announced a USD50 billion plan to restore 150,000 miles of roads, lay 4,000 miles of railroad tracks and rebuild 150 miles of airport runways within six years. The speech was given at an annual Labor Day festival in Milwaukee to union workers on Monday afternoon.

“All of this will not only create jobs immediately, it’s also going to make our economy hum over the long haul,” Obama said during the speech. The president also said that “we are going to rebuild 150,000 miles of our roads — that’s enough to circle the world six times… We’re going to lay and maintain 4,000 miles of our railways — enough to stretch coast-to-coast” and that he was “going to keep fighting, every single day, every single hour, every single minute to turn this economy around”.

Most of the new railways that Obama talked about will be high-speed rail lines, and the president also said that his administration would “restore 150 miles of runways and advance a next-generation air traffic control system to reduce travel time and delays for American travelers — something I think folks across the political spectrum could agree on.” In the Obama Administration’s plan, a new infrastructure bank will be created.

Obama stressed that the new bill will not add to the federal budget deficit, with Obama saying that “this is a plan that will be fully paid for. It will not add to the deficit over time — we’re going to work with Congress to see to that.” An Obama administration official also said that the plan will be funded by closing tax loopholes for oil and gas corporations.

Though Obama said that “these are projects and efforts that have bipartisan support that we know could possibly get support in the Congress and the Senate”, Republicans expressed reservations about the new plan, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calling it “a last-minute, cobbled-together stimulus bill”.

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Grandmother of Barack Obama dies at 86

Monday, November 3, 2008

Madelyn Dunham, the maternal grandmother of United States 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama, has died of cancer at 86, just one day before the election.

Dunham, who was born in Peru, Kansas in 1922, helped to raise Obama from the age of 10. She lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for most of her life, where she died peacefully in her apartment shortly before midnight local time.

She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility,” said Obama and his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng in a joint statement to the press.

During his acceptance speech for Democratic presidential nominee he noted her with the words, “She’s the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life… She poured everything she had into me.”

Obama took time out from his presidential campaign in October to visit her at her bedside a week before she died.

Obama’s opponent John McCain also issued a statement saying his “thoughts and prayers go out” to Obama and his family.

“We offer our deepest condolences to Barack Obama and his family as they grieve the loss of their beloved grandmother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them as they remember and celebrate the life of someone who had such a profound impact in their lives,” said McCain in a statement to the press.

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Boston College defeats NC State in double overtime

Sunday, February 26, 2006

The Boston College men’s basketball team defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack at home in a 74-72 double-overtime thriller on Feb. 25. The BC Eagles, ranked #11 going in to the contest, left with a 22-6, 9-5 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the NC State Wolfpack dropped to #19 after the game with a 21-7, 10-5 record.

Boston College star Sean Marshall finished with 22 points, including three 3-point shots, while Craig Smith had 18 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Eagles.

Ilian Evtimov led the Wolfpack with 16 points.

BC outscored the Wolfpack by two in the first half, which was reversed in the second half. Only Miller’s second overtime 4-pointer put BC decisively in the lead and allowed them a victory.

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Haitian earthquake: in pictures

Friday, January 15, 2010

Haiti was hit by a heavy earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 on Tuesday, killing an unknown number of people, and destroying up to ten percent of buildings in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

No official death toll has been released as of yet, although the United Nations says that up to fifty thousand people may potentially have been killed. An estimated 300,000 more were left without homes.

In a special photo report, Wikinews looks at the extensive damage caused by the disaster.


To find more information about a certain image or to enlarge it, click it. For an in-depth textual report on the same subject, please see Haiti relief efforts: in depth.

Jewellery

Investing In Gold Jewelry: Advantages And Disadvantages}

Investing in Gold Jewelry: Advantages and Disadvantages

by

Thomas Webster

In these times of economic uncertainty, many people turn to precious metals as an investment. Gold jewelry is a good option, since it serves both as an investment and as an attractive fashion accessory. But, there are also pitfalls to investing in gold jewelry.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ34Isf0mDo[/youtube]

First, let’s look at the advantages to investing in gold jewelry. StabilityThe best reason to treat gold jewelry as an investment is that its value tends to stay stable over time, and will increase during times of economic stress. In general, when the stock market is going down, commodities like gold and silver are increasing in value. This provides a “hedge” to balance your overall investment portfolio.ConvenienceIf you are looking to invest a small amount, say $5,000 or less, a few pieces of gold jewelry will do about right. Since the price of gold per ounce is many times higher than silver, you can fit this amount in a safe-deposit box (or a shoe box in your basement, if you’re so inclined) rather than a full-sized safe.Workmanship ValueSince every piece of jewelry is a work of art, the value of a piece of gold jewelry not only included the value of the metal inside, but also the artistic value of the piece. Like a painting or sculpture, a rare piece of gold jewelry can increase in value many times faster than the components it is made from.Now, let’s look at the disadvantages:Risk of TheftA gold-based mutual fund or a stack of bullion in a safe-deposit box are as secure as the institutions entrusted with their care. A heavy gold necklace worn around your neck must be guarded carefully at all times. Considering the events in the financial world in 2008 and 2009, however, it just might be safer to wear your investment around your neck then to trust it with a large investment firm!BulkThis would be the flip side to the convenience listed above. If you need to invest a large amount of money, say $50,000 or more, keeping gold in your jewelry box might not be the best option. This much gold jewelry would require a fair bit of maintenance and care.Slightly Less LiquiditySince the value of a piece of jewelry comes in part from the artistic workmanship, you may have a little more trouble getting your money out of a piece of gold jewelry than a bar of pure gold. The value of the metal content is never negotiable, but the artistic value often is. However, as noted above, the artistic value is usually a positive asset.

Thomas Webster is a researcher and copywriter who writes for several jewelry blogs, including

Buying 14 Karat Gold

and

Buying Platinum Jewelry

.

Article Source:

Investing in Gold Jewelry: Advantages and Disadvantages}

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Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Tad Brudzinski, Newmarket-Aurora

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Tad Brudzinski is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Newmarket-Aurora riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

He did not answer the question “Of the decisions made by Ontario’s 38th Legislative Assembly, which was the most beneficial to your electoral district? To the province as a whole? Which was least beneficial, or even harmful, to your riding? To the province as a whole?”

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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Gene therapy trial for skin cancer cures two terminal patients

Friday, September 1, 2006

Results of gene therapy trials at the US National Cancer Institute, Bethesda to fight cancer published online yesterday by the scientific journal Science show some levels of success. However experts have warned that despite the promise more work is needed for this to become a viable cure.

Dr Stephen Rosenberg, who lead the research team, said “It’s important to emphasize this is a highly experimental treatment that’s still in the course of development.”

The team treated 17 terminal skin cancer patients with modified cells from their immune systems. The technique uses genetically modified white blood cells (more specifically T cells) to attack and kill the cancer cells. Of the 17 subjects only 2 were cured of the disease (an aggressive form of skin cancer called a melanoma which is usually fatal in advanced stages). Before the treatment, which lasted 18 months, the patients were only expected to live for up to 6 months. The remaining 15 patients were not affected by the treatment.

One of the successful patients was Mark Origer (53) from Wisconsin. He has been fighting cancer since first being diagnosed in 1999. After finding out about the new trial on the internet he applied and, after interviews, was accepted along with 16 other candidates. The treatment removed Origer’s melanoma and also shrunk another tumor in his liver – to the extent it could be removed surgically. Doctors confirmed he was free of the disease last week, nearly 2 years after treatment began. A second man (39) was cleared of his cancer which had spread to the lungs, liver and lymph nodes. Cancer that progresses to the lymph nodes is usually untreatable and fatal.

T cells can attack and destroy bacteria and other harmful cells like cancer cells. However cancer cells sometimes reduce the signals on their outer surface by which they are recognised, so the immune system cannot affect them. Gene therapy involves modifying some of a patients T cells to contain a new receptor. (Receptors are what enable the immune cell to identify harmful cells, like those corrupted by viruses. The new receptor is inserted with the use of a viral vector, i.e. a virus made safe to insert the receptor in the cell.

In the trial, T Cells were removed from each patient and modified in the laboratory. Patients underwent chemotherapy to kill most of their current immune system, which was replaced by the mutated cells. The modified cells successfully survived after injection into the body – making up 10% of the subject’s T cell count during the first 2 months. The team is now looking for ways to enable the cells to survive longer and in greater numbers.

Experts have called this a significant technical advance but warn that more patients need testing and the technique refining before any conclusive results can be drawn. Dr Edel O’Toole, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesman, said: “I think that the success of this approach in two patients shows promise, however 15 patients did not respond to the treatment suggesting that further work is needed to optimise this approach for all patients, which could take many years.”

Rosenberg now hopes to run a new trial with possibly stronger gene therapy treatments, he is currently awaiting FDA approval.

Gene therapy was much hyped after it’s first successful application in so called “bubble boys” (patients with severe combined immunodeficiency). After follow-up, these trials were stopped when it was discovered that three of eleven patients in one trial had developed leukemia.