COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University killed Carolyn Adams' daughter, Miranda. A decade later, Adams said she's grateful her daughter and the 11 other Aggies killed haven't been forgotten.
"The Aggie family said they would never ever forget," she said. "That's been true. They haven't. They continue to honor their memory."
A&M commemorated the 10th anniversary of the bonfire collapse Tuesday and Wednesday.
About 10,000 Aggies and others were expected to fill the university's basketball arena Tuesday evening for a ceremony remembering the accident, in which the 59-foot tower of logs collapsed as it was being built early Nov. 18, 1999. Along with the dozen killed, 27 others were injured.
Bonfires on the eve of A&M's game with archrival University of Texas had been a long-standing tradition at the university.
Thousands of people are expected to gather for a candlelight vigil at the collapse site at 2:42 a.m. Wednesday, the exact time of the accident. A circular memorial now marks the spot.
Adams, a retired teacher from Santa Fe, Texas, said she and her family will attend the ceremony and candlelight vigil to remember 19-year-old Miranda.
"Miranda had a beautiful smile. Her smile reflected what was on the inside of her: her love of God, her love of family and friends and her love of A&M," said Adams, 57. "It makes me sad I don't have her here. But I know I will see her again."
The annual bonfire, started in 1909, was the ultimate tradition for many at A&M, where tradition is fervently respected. As many as 70,000 people would gather to watch it burn on the 5,200-acre campus 100 miles northwest of Houston.
No bonfires have been held at the university since the collapse. Many Aggies, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, would like the tradition to resume. But others question whether such traditions, rooted in the school's military and rural roots, has a place at A&M, which has been working to develop a national reputation as a university that values diversity, research and academic achievement.
An off-campus bonfire not affiliated with A&M has been held each year since 2002.
A commission that investigated the collapse found students had been cutting corners in construction for years and school officials had failed to adequately supervise them. No one person or group was blamed for the accident.
Richard Frampton, 61, of Turlock, Calif., lost his 22-year-old son, Jeremy, in the collapse. He and his family plan on being at A&M for the remembrance.
"It will be a difficult time, but it will be a healing time," Frampton said.
November 2009
The heart is a muscular organ in all vertebrates responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in annelids, mollusks, and arthropods. The term cardiac (as in cardiology) means "related to the heart" and comes from the Greek καÏδιά, kardia, for "heart."
In the human body, the heart is usually situated in the middle of the thorax with the largest part of the heart slightly offset to the left (although sometimes it is on the right, see dextrocardia), underneath the sternum. The heart is usually felt to be on the left side because the left heart (left ventricle) is stronger (it pumps to all body parts). The left lung is smaller than the right lung because the heart occupies more of the left hemithorax. The heart is fed by the coronary circulation and enclosed by a sac known as the pericardium and is surrounded by the lungs. The pericardium comprises two parts: the fibrous pericardium, made of dense fibrous connective tissue; and a double membrane structure (parietal and visceral pericardium) containing a serous fluid to reduce friction during heart contractions. The heart is located in the mediastinum, the central sub-division of the thoracic cavity. The mediastinum also contains other structures, such as the esophagus and trachea, and is flanked on either side by the right and left pulmonary cavities, which house the lungs.
NAIROBI (AFP) –
Climate change is the leading cause of new challenges for the humanitarian community, a survey of G20 governments commissioned by the Red Cross revealed Tuesday.
As the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement gathered in Nairobi for their first ever global meeting in Africa, the "Believe in Humanity" survey warned that the humanitarian landscape was changing fast.
"World powers expect humanitarian actors to face continuing or increasing humanitarian needs driven by climate change-related natural disasters," said the survey, released days ahead of key climate talks in Copenhagen.
The survey, conducted by research institutes, consulted the governments of the world's 20 leading economies as well as that of host country Kenya.
"Global powers... have identified climate change as an important element that affects humanitarian work," said Ibrahim Osman, deputy chairman of what is the world's largest humanitarian network, which claims to have tens of millions of volunteers.
The report also highlighted that the world's new economic powerhouses -- such as China, India and Brazil -- would play a growing role in international humanitarian action and bring with them a slightly different approach.
"Traditional powers see a growing political and financial role for emerging powers in the international humanitarian architecture. Some of the governments suggest that emerging powers have new and different roles to play in responding to international humanitarian crises," the survey said.
Hundreds of delegates from the Red Cross/Red Crescent's 186 national societies are gathered in Nairobi for a one-week meeting, which comes on the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and the 150th anniversary of the battle of Solferino, the movement's founding moment.
The 1859 Austro-Sardinian war that left tens of thousands of soldiers dead prompted travelling Swiss businessman Henry Dunant to devote the rest of his life to advocating voluntary relief organisations and eventually led to the creation of the Red Cross.
LONDON (Reuters Life!) –
A London-based translation firm is offering parents-to-be the chance to check the meaning of prospective baby names in other languages to avoid inadvertently causing their offspring future embarrassment.
Celebrity couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes might have thought twice about naming their daughter Suri if they'd known that it means "pickpocket" in Japanese, "turned sour" in French, and "horse mackerels" in Italian, suggest Today Translations.
For 1,000 pounds ($1,678), the company's linguists will carry out a "basic name translation audit" of names, checking their meaning in 100 languages, or more for an additional cost.
While open to everyone, the firm said it expects the service is likely to attract celebrity clients, who are known for giving their babies unusual names.
Other celebrity baby names it has checked include Kai Rooney, the newborn son of English soccer player Wayne Rooney, whose name means "probably" in Finnish, "pier" in Estonian, and "stop it" in the west African language of Yoruba.
And while musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale may have known Zuma meant "peace" in Arabic when choosing their son's name, they may not have been aware it also translates as "Lord frowns in anger" in the Aztec language of Nahuatl.
Some unusual celebrity baby name choices are beyond easy translation however, the company admits, such as Jermajesty -- the son of Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Steve Addison)
When insurer AIA moved back into its gray stone colonial headquarters on Shanghai's waterfront Bund in 1998, it marked the return of foreign insurance companies to China after their ejection nearly five decades earlier. Since then the floodgates have opened as Cigna (NYSE:CI - News), AXA (NYSE:AXA - News), Allianz (Toronto:AZ.TO - News), and dozens more have set up shop on the mainland, aiming to tap a market of 1.3 billion people with few options for life insurance.
As it turns out, their optimism may have been overblown. While there's vast potential -- life insurance premiums represent just 2.2% of China's gross domestic product, vs. 13.6% in Taiwan and 9.9% in Hong Kong -- cracking the market has been tough. In June foreign companies took in only 4.7% of premiums paid in China. Their revenues have been on the rise, but that's a big step backwards in share: In 2007 foreigners had 8% of premiums, according to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission.
The newcomers underestimated the strength of China's incumbents. China Life (NYSE:LFC - News), Ping An, and other domestic insurers enjoy tremendous name recognition. And they can have nationwide licenses, while foreigners need separate permission for every new city or province where they want to do business. "There is clearly an uneven playing field," says Gary Bennett, China chief for New York Life, which has a joint venture with Qingdao-based appliance maker Haier Group. "It's a fact that there is some level of protectionism." While Beijing doesn't explicitly acknowledge that, some mainlanders say domestic insurers need a leg up to survive. "There is a general sense that this industry is in its infant stage and needs to be protected," says Jin Feng, a former government official who now runs CNinsure (NasdaqGS:CISG - News), a Guangzhou insurance brokerage listed on Nasdaq.
Odd Pairings
Then there's the problem of joint ventures. Virtually all foreign insurers in China must work with local partners, and these often lack any experience in the industry. Canada's Manulife (MFC) Financial, for instance, is teamed up with state oil company Sinochem, while the U.K.'s Aviva is partnered with food conglomerate Cofco. Relations in joint ventures can be strained under any circumstances, and in insurance -- where it may take a decade or more before profits start flowing -- it's doubly difficult. "There are frictions between the partners when more cash is required for expansion," says UBS (UBS) analyst Kenneth Lo.
A further concern for the new entrants is the underdeveloped state of China's capital markets. The bond market is small and illiquid, and it often takes good connections to get in on primary issues. So the foreigners have a harder time than their domestic rivals in buying assets to assure the predictable income streams needed to meet payments on policies years from now. "It's an ongoing problem," says Simon Machell, Aviva's Asia chief, "of taking on liabilities of up to 25 years when the availability of long-dated assets in China is quite limited."
A diaper (in North America) or nappy (in the United Kingdom, many Commonwealth countries and Ireland) is an absorbent garment worn by individuals who are incapable of controlling their bladder or bowel movements, or are unable or unwilling to use a toilet.
Over the next few decades, the disposable diaper industry boomed and the competition between Procter & Gamble's Pampers and Kimberly Clark's Huggies resulted in lower prices and drastic changes to diaper design. Several improvements were made, such as the introduction of refastenable tapes, the "hourglass shape" so as to reduce bulk at the crotch area, and the invention of super-absorbent material from polymers known as sodium polyacrylate.
JERUSALEM – The Israeli army has punished a group of soldiers for protesting the forcible evacuation of settler homes in the West Bank.
The army says the troops refused to follow orders during the military's evacuation of settlers on Monday at an unauthorized outpost and hoisted a sign opposing settlement evacuations.
The protest followed a similar one by soldiers in the same unit last month. Such protests have increased tensions in the army, which tries to distance itself from Israel's political debates.
A military statement Tuesday said the political protest by uniformed troops was "fundamentally wrong."
It says four soldiers were sent to a military prison for up to a month, while two others were ordered confined to their base for a month.
THOMSON, Ill. – Some folks in this dying Mississippi River town would rather take their chances with suspected terrorists in their backyard than watch their neighbors continue to move away in despair over the lack of jobs.
News that the federal government may buy the nearly empty Thomson Correctional Center and use the maximum-security state prison to house Guantanamo Bay detainees has given people in Thomson hope that things might be about to turn around in this woeful town of 450.
"This town is slowly but surely dying off, and I mean that literally because the people that are retired are dying off and there's no young people coming back in to take their place. There's nothing here to draw them," said Richard Groharing, a 68-year-old retired Florida corrections officer who was born in Thomson, a farming community about 150 miles west of Chicago.
The prison was built in 2001 with the promise of thousands of jobs. But because of state budget problems, it has been largely vacant since its completion. It has 1,600 cells, but only about 200 minimum-security inmates are held there, and there are only 82 staff members, according to the state.
The Obama administration wants to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and transfer some terrorism suspects to the U.S. for trial. On Monday, federal officials were at the Thomson prison to inspect it and meet with state and local authorities.
While Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin, both Democrats, welcomed the possibility of locking up Guantanamo detainees at Thomson, several other Illinois lawmakers objected, warning that it would make the Chicago area a terrorist target.
But some folks who live in the shadow of the prison don't buy that.
If Chicago is a target, they say, it's because it is a big city, not because detainees are held elsewhere in Illinois.
"They're always in jeopardy anyway for attacks," said Denny Percy, a retiree hanging out with his buddies at a bait shop down the road from the prison.
Bait shop owner Todd Baker said a federal takeover of the prison would be good for the town and surrounding Carroll County, where unemployment is 10.5 percent.
Baker said it could spur new housing, gas stations and other businesses that would create jobs and customers for his shop, which is stocked with fishing supplies and serves as a local hangout.
The Obama administration has also considered sending Guantanamo detainees to other locations in the U.S., including the maximum-security prison in Standish, Mich., where many residents also have welcomed the idea in the hope that it would spur jobs. Officials wouldn't say Monday when a selection will be made.
If Thomson is chosen, Bureau of Prisons director Harley Lappin said Monday the federal agency would hire 800 to 900 people including about 250 to 300 people from other facilities to get the system up and running quickly.
Quinn and others estimate a federal takeover would create as many as 3,000 jobs in all, counting the new businesses created.
"I got a feeling that it will wind up being a boon for this town," Groharing said.
However, no hiring preference will be given to locals, and new hires must be under 37 and will be required to be or become federal law enforcement officers. Lappin said the agency would want Illinois Department of Corrections workers on staff but they would have to compete for those jobs.
"We need this to help our community, our communities around us and us are hurting big," said Thomson Village President Jerry Hebeler after a private meeting with federal officials and community members.
But some in Thomson worry that locals who already work at the prison could lose their jobs.
Durbin accused lawmakers critical of the proposal of fearmongering and political posturing. He said that fewer than 100 of the inmates would be from Guantanamo Bay, and that the government would build an extra perimeter fence around the prison.
"This would be the most secure prison in the United States of America," the senator said.
And if any of the detainees or other inmates at the prison were to escape, some Thomson residents know how to protect themselves.
"I've got plenty of weapons and ammunition at my house," said Dave Lawton, a 62-year-old retiree.
___
Associated Press writers Sophia Tareen in Chicago and John Flesher in Traverse City, Mich., contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES – A Southern California man who aimed a laser beam at two airliners as they approached an airport has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for disrupting the flights.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles says Dana Christian Welch of Orange, who was sentenced Monday, was the first person in the nation to be convicted at trial of interfering with pilots by aiming lasers at their planes.
Authorities say the 37-year-old aimed a handheld laser at two Boeing jets as the passenger planes were about to land at John Wayne Airport on the night of May 21, 2008.
The laser beam struck one pilot in the eye, causing "flash blindness," and interfered with pilots' ability to land the other plane.
LONDON (Reuters) –
Children in British primary schools as young as nine are to receive advice via internet sites such as YouTube on their future career paths under a new scheme, the government said on Monday.
Under the program designed to help children of all socio-economic backgrounds realize their goals, students will be given mentors, have the chance to visit universities, and be given counseling on what subjects to study via social networking sites like Facebook.
A recent study showed that 75 percent of 11-year-olds wanted to attend university, the government said.
"Parents tell us they want to see an end to the old boys network that means only children from privileged backgrounds get their foot in the door," Ed Balls, schools secretary, said in a statement.
"It is often too late for children to start thinking about this at 14 when they are influenced from when they are seven, eight and nine," he said.
The program, which will be trialed in 38 schools is designed to encourage pupils to think about their work aspirations at a young age, the government said.
The pilot schools will be located in Bristol, Coventry, Gateshead, Manchester, Plymouth, Reading and York.
(Reporting by Catherine Bosley; Editing by Stefano Ambrogi and Paul Casciato)
