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02/01/2008 GMT 1

January 1 Happy New Year 2008 with Google and TCP/IP

latestnews @ 06:15
WHY THE NEW GOOGLE LOGO?

Well Happy New Year 2008!
Did you know? TCP/IP is the basis of almost all Internet communication, and it was adopted by ARPANET on January 1!!!!!! thats why google has the cool logo with internet wire TCP/IP!
Without all this you guys wouldnt have your high-speed internets, like Comcast, or Yahoo Dsl, or w/e.It was all taken on by Arpanet January 1st, right after new year's(we're almost at 2008 :).It was put into action January 1st 1983

january 1 tcp/ip switchover

 

A two-network TCP/IP communications test was performed between Stanford and University College London (UCL), In 1975. In November, 1977, a three-network TCP/IP test was conducted between the U.S., UK, and Norway. Between 1978 and 1983, several other TCP/IP prototypes were developed at multiple computers research centres.

The full switchover to TCP/IP was performed on January 1, 1983, without too many problems, although a few recalcitrant sites were down as long as three months while they retrofitted their systems.

The TCP/IP protocol was deployed to the ARPANET network with some persuasion, as noted in the emails at the top of the page. Not all sites were preparing to convert over their protocols, so Cerf, Jon Postel, and the TCP/IP team turned off the NCP network channel numbers on the ARPANET IMP’s for a full day in mid 1982, so that only sites using TCP/IP could still operate. To emphasize the point, they disabled NCP again for two days later that fall.

In 1984, the US Department of Defense made TCP/IP the standard for all military computer networking, which gave it a high profile and stable funding.

[livinginternet.com, wikipedia.org]

what is january 1 tcp/ip? and why it is celebrated ?

On January 1st 1983, it was first came into existence and today again it reached 25 years milestone of SILVER JUBLEE ! So in the same manner this "january 1 tcp/ip" date should be remember by us forever.

Might be you wouldn't have seen this post if any kind of tcp/ip had not been invented on 1983.....so cheer up guys and again thanks to Google who always keep us updated about each and every techie movements and events.

Short for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, the suite of communications protocols used to connect hosts on the Internet. TCP/IP uses several protocols, the two main ones being TCP and IP. TCP/IP is built into the UNIX operating system and is used by the Internet, making it the de facto standard for transmitting data over networks. Even network operating systems that have their own protocols, such as Netware, also support TCP/IP.
Need to Know about subnet mask

There are three levels of TCP/IP knowledge. Those who administer a regional or national network must design a system of long distance phone lines, dedicated routing devices, and very large configuration files. They must know the IP numbers and physical locations of thousands of subscriber networks. They must also have a formal network monitor strategy to detect problems and respond quickly.

Each large company or university that subscribes to the Internet must have an intermediate level of network organization and expertise. A half dozen routers might be configured to connect several dozen departmental LANs in several buildings. All traffic outside the organization would typically be routed to a single connection to a regional network provider.

However, the end user can install TCP/IP on a personal computer without any knowledge of either the corporate or regional network. Three pieces of information are required:

The IP address assigned to this personal computer
The part of the IP address (the subnet mask) that distinguishes other machines on the same LAN (messages can be sent to them directly) from machines in other departments or elsewhere in the world (which are sent to a router machine)
The IP address of the router machine that connects this LAN to the rest of the world.

In the case of the PCLT server, the IP address is 130.132.59.234. Since the first three bytes designate this department, a "subnet mask" is defined as 255.255.255.0 (255 is the largest byte value and represents the number with all bits turned on). It is a Yale convention (which we recommend to everyone) that the router for each department have station number 1 within the department network. Thus the PCLT router is 130.132.59.1. Thus the PCLT server is configured with the values:

My IP address: 130.132.59.234
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default router: 130.132.59.1
The subnet mask tells the server that any other machine with an IP address beginning 130.132.59.* is on the same department LAN, so messages are sent to it directly. Any IP address beginning with a different value is accessed indirectly by sending the message through the router at 130.132.59.1 (which is on the departmental LAN).

27/12/2007 GMT 1

Woman, Boyfriend Arrested in Murder of 6

latestnews @ 06:46
AP
Posted: 2007-12-26 23:02:11
Filed Under: Crime News, Nation News
CARNATION, Wash. (Dec. 26) - Six people, likely three generations of a family, were found dead Wednesday at a rural property east of Seattle, and a law enforcement official said police arrested the property owner's daughter and her boyfriend.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the names, said the pair were Michele Anderson, 29, and her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe.

Photo Gallery: Mysterious Killings

Elaine Thompson, AP

Police cordon off a property near Seattle where six bodies, including those of two children, were discovered Wednesday. The property owner's daughter and her boyfriend were arrested in connection with the crime.

1 of 4
Both were booked into the King County Jail late Wednesday for investigation of six counts of homicide. They came to the crime scene after investigators arrived there this morning, were questioned by police, then arrested around 4 p.m.

Urquhart said investigators had not determined a motive in the slayings.

The victims included a boy about age 3, a girl about age 6, a man and woman in their 30s, and a man and woman in their 50s. Their names were not released, but they were "likely three generations" of one family, Urquhart said.

Autopsies have not been performed on the bodies, but the cause of death was apparently gunshots, Urquhart said. They were likely killed late afternoon or early evening on Christmas Eve, he said.

Sheriff's Detective Bob Conner said earlier Wednesday that authorities were searching the area for other possible victims, but insisted there was no danger to anyone else living nearby.

Asked to explain, he said, "You have to take my word for it."

Urquhart said the bodies were found by a co-worker of one of the victims who had come to the house because one of the victims, who works for the Postal Service, did not report to work.

The bodies were found on a rural property that includes a house and a mobile home at the end of a long dirt road. The structures are part of a cluster of other rural properties near this town about 21 miles east of Seattle.

Urquhart declined to say where the victims were found on the property, other than to say they were "not found in the same room." As investigators searched the property, they removed a black pickup truck.

The property is owned by Wayne Anderson, 60, and Judy Anderson, 61, according to public records.

The couple has three children, including the daughter who was arrested, Michelle, who lives on the property in a mobile home, said Mark Bennett, who identified himself as a family friend. He said another daughter, Mary, and a son live in the area.

Bennett, who was not the person who found the bodies, said Wayne Anderson is a Boeing Co. engineer and Judy Anderson works for the Post Office in Carnation.

He said he spoke with the couple on Christmas Eve and tried to call them Christmas Day but could not reach them. He told reporters he came to the property Wednesday morning after seeing the home on television news.

"I didn't want to believe what I heard and saw," he said, "so I drove over."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-12-26 18:39:25

11/12/2007 GMT 1

God’s Justice

latestnews @ 15:54

What are your thoughts about this article?


This is Jacqueline Saburido on September 19, 1999.


This is she and her father, 1998.


This is she on vacation in Venezuela.


Birthday party as a child.

At a party with friends.


The car in which Jacqueline traveled. She was hit by another car that was driven by a 17-year old male student
on his way home after drinking a couple of hard packs with his friends. This was in December 1999.


After the accident Jacqueline has needed over 40 operations.


Jacqueline was caught in the burning car and
her body was heavily burnt during around 45 seconds.


With her Father, 2000.


Getting treatment.


Three months after accident.


Without a left eyelid Jacquie needs eye drops to keep her vision.


Now 20 year old, he cannot forgive himself for driving drunk on that night three years ago.
He's aware of devastating Jacqueline Saburido's life.


Not everyone who gets hit with a car dies. This picture was taken 4 years after the accident and the doctors are still working on Jacqueline, whose body was covered with 60% severe burnings.


PLEASE PASS THIS PAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW

Please Leave Your Comment

06/11/2007 GMT 1

Accident man to be tried in shooting death

latestnews @ 14:17
OAKLAND, Md. (AP) - An Accident man will be tried on first-degree murder charges in connection with the shooting death in December of a Pennsylvania man.

Norris Wayne Rush, 51, was charged with first-degree-murder and using a handgun in a crime of violence in the shooting death of David Wayne Lancaster, 29, of Saltzburg, Pa.

State's attorney Lisa Thayer Welch said visiting Judge Paul Stakem found probable cause to move the case to Circuit Court.

Police first called the shooting on Dec. 3 self-defense. According to police reports, Rush, Lancaster and Billie Jo Zimmerman, Lancaster's former girlfriend, were in Rush's home and were very drunk when Lancaster allegedly stuck a butcher knife into Rush's hand.

Rush then reportedly fired a .22-caliber handgun three times at close range, striking Lancaster in the stomach and chest, killing him.

Rush was arrested on Oct. 4.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
11/02/07 00:46 EDT

Deposed Pakistan judge urges protests

latestnews @ 14:16

By ROBIN McDOWELL, Associated Press Writer 54 minutes ago

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's deposed chief justice called on lawyers nationwide Tuesday to defy baton-wielding police and protest President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule.

"Go to every corner of Pakistan and give the message that this is the time to sacrifice," Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who is under virtual house arrest in Islamabad, told lawyers by mobile phone. "Don't be afra

id. God will help us and the day will come when you'll see the constitution supreme and no dictatorship for a long time."

Later, in the central city of Multan, hundreds of police blocked about 1,000 attorneys from leaving a district court complex to stage a street rally in defiance of a ban. Both sides pelted each other with stones and officers swung batons to disperse the crowd.

An Associated Press reporter saw at least three lawyers were wounded, two bleeding from the head, and three police also were hurt by bricks flung by lawyers.

The clashes marked the second day of unrest since Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, declared the emergency. He suspended the constitution, ousted independent-minded judges, put a stranglehold on the media and granted sweeping powers to authorities to crush dissent. Thousands of people have been rounded up and thrown in jail.

Many say Musharraf was making a last-ditch effort to cling to power, though he says his primary aim was to help fight rising Islamic extremism. The moves came ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on whether his recent re-election as president was legal. The top judge, Chaudhry, was removed and other independent-minded justices replaced.

There does not appear to be a groundswell of popular resistance in the nation of 160 million, which has been under military rule for much of its 60-year history. Cynicism and apathy over the political system is widespread. Demonstrations so far have been limited largely to opposition activists, rights workers and lawyers, angered by the attacks on the judiciary.

The authoritarian measures have drawn widespread international criticism, although so far only the Netherlands has punished Pakistan, fre

ezing most of its development aid.

The United States, Pakistan's chief foreign donor, says it is reviewing aid to Pakistan but appeared unlikely to cut assistance to a close ally in its war on terror. President Bush urged Musharraf to resign as army chief and hold parliamentary elections in January as originally planned.

U.S. aid to Pakistan has totaled more than $10 billion since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in America. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that military assistance may not be affected so as not to disru

pt efforts to fight al-Qaida and other militants.

Chaudhry, the deposed chief justice, addressed about two dozen lawyers gathered inside the Islamabad Bar Association headquarters by telephone. About 200 lawyers protested outside, shouting "Musharraf is a criminal — we will not accept uniforms or bullets!"

Almost immediately after Chaudhry spoke, some mobile phone services in the city were cut. They were back up hours later; it was not clear if the events were related.

Musharraf has promised to restore democracy, but there did not appear to be a unified position among senior Pakistan government officials on when elections would be held.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was chairing a Cabinet meeting Tue

sday to try to hammer out the date.

"But it will take some time," said Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, a Cabinet member who is close to Musharraf. He said the president wanted to go ahead with the polls as planned, but "some elements want them to be delayed for a year."

Lawyers were the driving force behind protests earlier this year when Musharraf tried unsuccessfully to fire Chaudhry.

Under the emergency, Musharraf purged the Supreme Court of independent-minded judges. So far, eight judges have taken a new oath. Previously there were 17 judges in the court.

In their first ruling, the eight "set aside" a ruling of seven other re

bellious judges, including Chaudhry, who had rejected the emergency as unconstitutional, court spokesman Arshad Muneer said.

The court is expected to resume hearings on Musharraf's eligibility for another presidential term and issue a quick ruling in his favor.

Musharraf also has moved to control the media. Police raided and

briefly sealed a printing press belonging to Pakistan's largest media group

. Broadcasts by independent news networks remained blocked, and domestic transmissions of BBC and CNN were cut.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, meanwhile, was expected to travel from Karachi to Islamabad later Tuesday and meet with other opposition parties on Wednesday.

Bhutto, who has held inconclusive talks on forging an alliance with Musharraf to fight Islamic extremism, narrowly escaped a massive suicide bombing in Karachi on Oct. 18 that killed 145.

Opposition groups say about 3,500 people have been arrested since Musharraf declared emergency rule Saturday, while government officials put the number at around 2,500. Most detainees are lawyers, although opposition party supporters and rights activists have also been arrested.

___

Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad in Islamabad, Ashraf Khan in Karachi, Khalid Tanveer in Multan and Zia Khan in Lahore contributed to this report.

29/10/2007 GMT 1

Country Star Porter Wagoner Dies at 80

latestnews @ 15:09

 Country Star Porter Wagoner Dies at 80

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 29) - Porter Wagoner was known for a string of country hits in the '60s, perennial appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in his trademark rhinestone suits, and for launching the career of Dolly Parton .

Like many older performers, his star had faded in recent years. But his death from lung cancer Sunday, at 80, came only after a remarkable late-career revival that won him a new generation of fans.

The Missouri-born Wagoner signed with RCA Records in 1955 and joined the Opry in 1957, "the greatest place in the world to have a career in country music," he said in 1997. His showmanship, suits and pompadoured hair made him famous.

He had his own syndicated TV show, "The Porter Wagoner Show," for 21 years, beginning in 1960. It was one of the first syndicated shows to come out of Nashville and set a pattern for many others.

"Some shows are mechanical, but ours was not polished and slick," he said in 1982.

Among his hits, many of which he wrote or co-wrote, were "Carroll County Accident," "A Satisfied Mind," "Company's Comin'," "Skid Row Joe," "Misery Loves Company" and "Green Green Grass of Home."

The songs often told stories of tragedy or despair. In "Carroll County Accident," a married man having an affair is killed in a car crash; "Skid Row Joe" deals with a once-famous singer who's lost everything.

In 2002, he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In May, after years without a recording contract, he signed with ANTI- records, an eclectic Los Angeles label best known for alt-rock acts like Tom Waits, Nick Cave  and Neko Case.

Wagoner's final album, "Wagonmaster," was released in June and earned him some of the best reviews of his career. Over the summer, he was the opening act for the influential rock duo White Stripes at a sold-out show at New York's Madison Square Garden.

"The young people I met backstage, some of them were 20 years old. They wanted to get my autograph and tell me they really liked me," Porter said with tears in his eyes the day after the New York show. "If only they knew how that made me feel - like a new breath of fresh air."

To many music fans, Wagoner was best known as the man who boosted Parton's career. He had hired the 21-year-old singer as his duet partner in 1967, when she was just beginning to gain notice through songs such as "Dumb Blonde."

They were the Country Music Association's duo of the year in 1970 and 1971, recording hit duets including "The Last Thing on My Mind."

Parton's solo country records, such as her autobiographical "Coat of Many Colors," also began climbing the charts in the early 1970s. She wrote the pop standard "I Will Always Love You" in 1973 after Wagoner suggested she shift from story songs to focus on love songs.

The two quit singing duets in 1974 and she went on to wide stardom with pop hits and movies such as "9 to 5," whose theme song was also a hit for her.

Wagoner sued her for $3 million in assets, but they settled out of court in 1980. He said later they were always friendly, "but it's a fact that when you're involved with attorneys and companies that have them on retainer, it makes a different story."

At a charity roast for Wagoner in 1995, she explained the breakup this way: "We split over creative differences. I was creative, and Porter was different."

He said in a 1982 Associated Press interview that his show "was a training ground for her; she learned a great deal and I exposed her to very important people and the country music fans."

She was present at the ceremony in May 2007 honoring Wagoner on his silver anniversary with the Opry. At the time, he called Parton "one of my best friends today." She also visited him in the hospital as he battled cancer.

Wagoner, who had survived an abdominal aneurysm in 2006, was hospitalized again this month and his publicist disclosed he had lung cancer. He died at 8:25 p.m. CDT Sunday in a Nashville hospice, said Darlene Bieber, a spokeswoman for the Opry.

Country singer and Opry member Dierks Bentley visited Wagoner in the hospice over the weekend and said Wagoner led them in prayer, thanking God for his friends, his family and the Grand Ole Opry.

"The loss of Porter is a great loss for the Grand Ole Opry and for country music, and personally it is a great loss of a friend I was really just getting to know," Bentley said. "I feel blessed for the time I had with him."

Pete Fisher, vice president and general manager of the Opry, said the Opry family of musicians and performers was deeply saddened by the news. "His passion for the Opry and all of country music was truly immeasurable," Fisher said.

Wagoner was born in West Plains, Mo., and became known as "The Thin Man From West Plains" because of his lanky frame. He recalled that he spent hours as a child pretending to be an Opry performer, using a tree stump as a stage.

He started in radio, then became a regular on the "Ozark Jubilee," one of the first televised national country music shows. On the Opry since 1957, he joined Roy Acuff and other onetime idols.

At one point his wardrobe included more than 60 handmade rhinestone suits.

"Rhinestone suits are just beautiful under the lights," he said. "They've become a big part of my career. I get more compliments on my outfits than any other entertainer - except for Liberace."

While he continued with the Opry, and even had a small part in the 1982 movie "Honky Tonk Man" starring Clint Eastwood , his recording career dried up in the 1980s - until his return this year.

"I stopped making records because I didn't like the way they were wanting me to record," he said. "When RCA dropped me from the label, I didn't really care about making records for another label because I didn't have any say in what they would release and how they would make the records and so forth."

By JOHN GEROME,
AP
Posted: 2007-10-29 08:04:43

Argentine First Lady Wins Presidency

latestnews @ 15:04

Argentine First Lady Wins Presidency

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Oct. 29) - President Nestor Kirchner and first lady Cristina Fernandez are poised to switch jobs in December, with partial results indicating Argentines elected a female president for the first time and launched their country's most powerful political dynasty since Juan and Evita Peron.


Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
Argentina's Presidency/AP

First lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, here in a campaign rally last week, ran on her husband's popular record and will take over from him in an unusual transfer of power between elected spouses.

Fernandez is a lawyer and senator who followed her husband as he rose from an obscure governorship to the presidency, drawing comparisons to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton . She would bring a feistier and more glamorous style to the Pink House, Argentina's presidential palace, in which she has already spent the last four years.

But it is unclear how much change she will bring. Analysts say a strong win gives Fernandez an opportunity to right the problems of her husband's administration, including high inflation, an energy crisis and a shrinking budget surplus. Some warned her not to see it as an endorsement of all of Kirchner's policies.

In her victory speech Sunday night, Fernandez, 54, pledged not to let that happen.

"We have won amply," she said. "But this, far from putting us in a position of privilege, puts us instead in a position of greater responsibilities and obligations."

With 86 percent of polling places reporting, Fernandez had about 44 percent of the vote, compared with 23 percent for former lawmaker Elisa Carrio and 17 percent for former Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna. Eleven others split the rest.

According to Argentine electoral rules, Fernandez avoids a runoff with at least 40 percent and a margin of 10 percent over the runner-up.

Carrio spokesman Matias Mendez said seven parties had filed a complaint alleging missing or stolen ballots. One representative of the ruling party was arrested on suspicion of trying to vote twice, and a judge extended voting by an hour in the capital because many polling stations opened late.

Argentina's 27.1 million registered voters also filled dozens of House and Senate  seats and nine governorships. Vice President Daniel Scioli won the race for governor of Buenos Aires province, the country's second most powerful post.

Kirchner oversaw a dramatic recovery from a crippling 2001 economic crisis, repaying Argentina's entire $9.5 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund, although critics say Argentina would be riper for sustainable development if he had better managed the income from soaring commodity prices.

But while his accomplishments helped Fernandez win the presidency, they won't help her succeed in office.

"I think her husband had the advantage of everyone saying, 'He got us out of the crisis,'" said Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. "Well, they can't say that about her, because they already got out of the crisis."

Riordan Roett, director of Western Hemisphere studies at Johns Hopkins University, predicted a troubled term because of rising inflation, frozen energy prices and defaulted debt to rich nations.

"This is a dynasty-in-waiting, but it will collapse as they all do if she can't get a team together to differentiate herself from Nestor Kirchner," he said.

Fernandez ran an unorthodox campaign, refusing to debate and spending much of the time abroad in photo-ops with world leaders. Her chic European dresses and designer bags drew comparisons with Evita Peron, another fashion-conscious and politically influential Argentine first lady.

She would be Argentina's second female president; Isabel Peron — who married Juan Peron after Evita's death — was his vice president when he died in 1974, and served for 20 chaotic months before a military coup ousted her.

As for Kirchner, he has said he'll be happy as "first gentleman" after he hands his wife the presidential sash and scepter on Dec. 10. But few expect him to fade too far into the background — and some even suspect the couple is plotting to reverse roles again in 2011.

"That's the million-dollar question: What will Kirchner do after handing over power?" said political scientist Gustavo Martinez Pandiani. "No one believes he's going to be in his pajamas and slippers, waiting for his wife to come home so he can say, 'Hi. How was your day?'"

By NIKO PRICE,
AP
Posted: 2007-10-29 06:51:14
Filed Under: World News

Beach House Fire Kills Seven Students

latestnews @ 14:59

Beach House Fire Kills Seven Students

COLUMBIA, S. C. (Oct. 29) - A weekend of fun vanished in a storm of fire and smoke that killed seven college friends and left behind a gutted beach house and an emotionally devastated campus.
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Photo Gallery: 'A Very Sad Day'


Brian Brough, Wilmington Star-News / AP

An early-morning fire ravaged a beach home in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., Sunday and killed seven college students who were vacationing there. "There were three kids sitting on the ground screaming," said one witness.


    1 of 7

Six of the seven killed in the fire Sunday morning in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., attended the University of South Carolina; the other attended Clemson University. Six other South Carolina students in the house survived.

"My heart goes out to everyone involved," South Carolina student Lindsey Riddick, 19, said Sunday evening. "I just can't fathom that at all."

Dennis Pruitt, the school's dean of students, said many of the students were friends from the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. The father of one survivor said several had gone to high school together in Greenville.

Officials said the students were staying at a house owned by the parents of one of the students.

The fire struck sometime before 7 a.m. and burned completely through the first and second floors, leaving only part of the frame standing. The waterfront home — named "Changing Channels" — was built on stilts, forcing firefighters to climb a ladder onto the house's deck to reach the first living floor.

One witness described seeing three students sitting on the ground screaming as the home burned, and another jumping from a window into a waterway. The six survivors were hospitalized and released, Mayor Debbie Smith said.

The fire's cause was being investigated.

As news of the fire spread around the South Carolina campus on Sunday, so did rumors of the victims. Officials said identifications might not be made publicly until Wednesday, but that grief counselors would be available for the 27,000 students here when classes resume Monday.

"These are young people in the prime of their life," school President Andrew Sorensen said at a news conference. "They had so much to look forward to, and it's just profoundly tragic."

"When any one member of our family is lost, we are all diminished," he said, adding his thoughts also went out to the Clemson community.

South Carolina freshman J.P. Shorter said he and was talking with friends about the fire and that there were all kinds of rumors about what happened. "Some people I know are in Delta Delta Delta," said Shorter, 18, of Charleston. "I feel bad."

Several houses near the one that burned were filled with college students. Neighbor Jeff Newsome said the students were going back and forth between the houses all weekend long.

"We didn't have any big complaints," Newsome said. "The lights were on all night. They were having a good time."

Some of the people in the house had been friends since high school, said Rick Wylie of Greenville, who said his son Tripp jumped from the burning home.

"He's in shock," Wylie said. "It's just an incomprehensible thing for these parents."

The victims' bodies were to be taken to the state medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill, N.C. Authorities from the State Bureau of Investigation and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were leading the investigation, said Randy Thompson, Brunswick County's emergency services director.

Ocean Isle Beach is at the southern end of North Carolina's Atlantic Coast, about 30 miles north of Myrtle Beach. Only about 500 people live there year-round, but the town is home to several thousand rental and vacation homes and condos.

Associated Press writers Estes Thompson in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., Mike Baker in Raleigh and Daniel Yee in Atlanta contributed to this report. 

By PAGE IVEY,
AP
Posted: 2007-10-29 06:36:46
Filed Under: Nation News

22/10/2007 GMT 1

Deadly California Fires Destroy Homes

latestnews @ 11:59

Deadly California Fires Destroy Homes

By NOAKI SCHWARTZ,
AP
Posted: 2007-10-22 06:20:23
MALIBU, Calif. (Oct. 22) - From the high desert to the Pacific Ocean, out-of-control wildfires engulfed swaths of drought-parched Southern California, claiming one life, destroying several homes and a church in Malibu, and forcing an entire community to evacuate.

Thousands more homes remained at risk as hot, dry Santa Ana desert winds continued to churn into the region early Monday.


Photo Gallery: Up in Flames



Reed Saxon, AP

Fire burns the famous Castle Kashan, a landmark fortress-like home in Malibu, Calif., Sunday. Wildfires sparked by powerful winds broke out late Saturday night and charred thousands of acres across Southern California.

Firefighters started the weekend on high alert as forecasters warned of strong winds. But by Sunday night, they had to admit they were overwhelmed.

"You do not expect something to stretch our resources to this magnitude," Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Sam Padilla said. "To try and staff something this big, you cannot predict it."

The Malibu fire was among about a dozen blazes that burned more than 35,000 acres from north of Santa Barbara to San Diego. Late Sunday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven Southern California counties.

One person died in the fire near San Diego, which burned more than 14,000 acres — or about 22 square miles — about 70 miles southeast of San Diego, just north of the Mexican border town of Tecate, California Department of Forestry spokesman Matt Streck said. Details were not immediately available.

Four firefighters and at least 10 other people were hospitalized, Streck said. Some of the injured were hikers, and others may be illegal immigrants.



Susan Nuttall sat in her black Mercedes in a cul-de-sac just off the Pacific Coast Highway, saying she had fled her condo just below Pepperdine.

"We're all scared to death, and we have nowhere to go," said Nuttall, 51, still wearing a bathrobe and holding her Chihuahua.

Another blaze devoured more than 5,000 acres in northern San Diego County and forced the evacuation of the community of Ramona, which has a population of about 36,000.

Several structures were burned on the edge of town and sheriff's deputies called residents to alert them the fire was approaching the city, said San Diego sheriff's Lt. Phil Brust.

In Malibu, about 700 firefighters worked to protect hundreds of homes in several upscale communities nestled in the hills. About 1,500 people were evacuated and the blaze destroyed a church and several homes, one of them the landmark Castle Kashan, a stately fortress-like home with turrets and arched windows. Chunks of brick fell from the exterior of the burning building overlooking the coast.

No residents or firefighters were injured, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said.

The castle belonged to Lilly Lawrence, the daughter of a former Iranian oil minister. She said she was able to gather a few things before the fire engulfed her home, including some jewelry and memorabilia that included Elvis Presley's Army fatigues.getTrackingURL('news-news_gallery_wildfires'); var mm_iframe_1 = top.exd_space.refresher.add_impression('http://cdn.channel.aol.com/_media/channels/ke_blank.html'); top.exd_space.refresher.add_url(mm_iframe_1, (trackingURL.length != "") ? trackingURL + "&ke=1" : ''); swfPub_flace('news-news_gallery_wildfires', '476', '580');

In all, five homes and two commercial buildings had been confirmed lost throughout the Malibu area, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said. Nine more homes were damaged, he said.

The fire is expected to burn for another two to three days, he said. Until the blaze is extinguished, "there will literally be thousands of homes that will be threatened at one time or another," he said.

The fire may have been started by downed power lines, Capt. Mike Brown said.

"This is a conflagration we knew was going to come at some point," Los Angeles County Zen Yaroslavsky said at a Malibu press conference Sunday, noting Southern California's ongoing dry spell. "We were cruising for a bruising. We are very, very lucky as we stand here tonight that the damage has been as limited as it has been."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-10-21 11:07:25

16/10/2007 GMT 1

Truly Gigantic' Dinosaur Skeleton Found

latestnews @ 13:43

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Oct. 15) - The skeleton of what is believed to be a new dinosaur species - a 105-foot plant-eater that is among the largest dinosaurs ever found - has been uncovered in Argentina, scientists said Monday.

Scientists from Argentina and Brazil said the Patagonian dinosaur appears to represent a previously unknown species of Titanosaur because of the unique structure of its neck. They named it Futalognkosaurus dukei after the Mapuche Indian words for "giant" and "chief," and for Duke Energy Argentina, which helped fund the skeleton's excavation.

"This is one of the biggest in the world and one of the most complete of these giants that exist," said Jorge Calvo, director of paleontology center of National University of Comahue, Argentina, lead author of a study on the dinosaur published in the peer-reviewed Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.

Scientists said the giant herbivore walked the Earth some 88 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period.

Since the first bones were found on the banks of Lake Barreales in the Argentine province of Neuquen in 2000, paleontologists have dug up the dinosaur's neck, back region, hips and the first vertebra of its tail.

"I'm pretty certain it's a new species," agreed Peter Mackovicky, associate curator for dinosaurs at Chicago's Field Museum, who was not involved with the discovery. "I've seen some of the remains of Futalognkosaurus and it is truly gigantic."

Calvo said the neck alone must have been 56 feet long, and by studying the vertebrae, they figured the tail probably measured 49 feet. The dinosaur reached over 43 feet tall, and the excavated spinal column alone weighed about 9 tons when excavated.

Patagonia also was home to the other two largest dinosaur skeletons found to date - Argentinosaurus, at around 115 feet long, and Puertasaurus reuili, 115 feet to 131 feet long.

Comparison between the three herbivores, however, is difficult because scientists have only found few vertebrae of Puertasaurus and while the skeleton of Futalognkosaurus (FOO-ta-long-koh-SOHR-us) is fairly complete, scientists have not uncovered any bones from its limbs.

Scientists in Utah this month announced the discovery of Gryposaurus monumentensis, a huge new species that was called the "Arnold Schwarzenegger of duckbilled dinosaurs" by one paleontologist.

North America's dinosaurs don't even compare, Mackovicky added in a phone interview. "Dinosaurs do get big here, but nothing near the proportions we see in South America."

The site where Futalognkosaurus was found has been a bonanza for paleontologists, yielding more than 1,000 specimens, including 240 fossil plants, 300 teeth and the remains of several other dinosaurs.

"As far as I know, there is no other place in the world where there is such a large and diverse quantity of fossils in such small area. That is truly unique," said Alexander Kellner, a researcher with the Brazilian National Museum and co-author of the dinosaur's scientific description.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

 

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