Airplane Mechanic Sucked Into Jet Engine at El Paso Airport

 Continental Airlines Flight 1515 was preparing to take off for Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston when "a maintenance-related engine run-up of the right-hand engine" was carried out, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's southwest region in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

 

In a written statement, Continental Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner said the person killed was a mechanic who worked for one of the airline's suppliers.

"My fellow coworkers and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of the mechanic involved in this tragic event," Kellner said.

 

Thomson Airways flight emergency lands at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport

Thomson Airways flight emergency lands at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport


Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) was brought to full emergency this morning after a Thomson airways flight en-route to UK from Male requested for an emergency landing within minutes of takeoff. The plane landed at 11:45 this morning after a technical fault was discovered

Private airport operator GMR official stated that the plane landed safely without any incident and that Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Fire and Rescue services and medical teams were on standby.

“200 people were on-board the plane and the plane landed safely” the official said.

Chinese Woman Adopts 1,500 Stray Dogs

Ha Wenjin of Tangquan County, Nanjing, China, is a Good Samaritan beyond any definition of the word. She has relinquished her job, her home, her jewelry and her car to adopt more than 1,500 stray dogs.

She used the funds she got from the sale of her worldly goods to establish an unofficial dog rescue center.
“At first I did this in my spare time, but as I gathered more and more abandoned pets, I had to work full time for them,” said Ms. Wenjin.

In her efforts to run the center effectively, she hired 10 people to help her look after the dogs and two others to tend to the needs of some 200 cats at a nearby shelter she also set up with her own funds.

Her efforts were almost all for naught when local government officials who were indifferent to her humanitarian work reclaimed the land for redevelopment.

“I had to find a new place which was deserted and not close to any human habitat, as 1,500 dogs are not quiet. And the place had to be very cheap to rent, as most of our income comes from donations,” Ms. Wenjin told the press.

Ms. Wenjin eventually found a new location for the shelter, in Houyu village, Pukou County, but she is desperate for financial aid in setting up the new rescue center. She partly relies on the many animal loving volunteers who visit during the day and bring hundreds of “pork buns” to feed the dogs.

She moved the dogs to the new place on December 4th.

Kudos to you, Ms. Wenjin, for caring for these unwanted animals and giving them a new chance at what may turn out to be a dog’s life worth living after all.

No Wives For 24 Million Chinese Men

As many as 24 million eligible bachelors in China may never be able to marry because of a lack of women in the country.

New stats from the State-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences show there has been no let up in China’s 20-year-old gender imbalance.

Authorities say the normal male-female ratio is between 103-107 males for every 100 females. But the latest figures show that in 2005, there were 119 boys for every 100 girls in China. The study said that in some areas the ratio was as high as 130-100.

The study pointed to sex-specific abortions as a major factor in the skewed population of 1.3 billion, where a cultural preference for male children persists.

While noting that there were complex factors involved, the study said that “sex-specific abortions remained extremely commonplace, especially in rural areas”.

The study said a key factor leading to the imbalance was the nation’s family-planning policy, which restricts the number of children citizens may have. They also cited an insufficient social security system which led parents to prefer male offspring because of their greater earning potential.

Researchers said the figures suggested there would be problems for men with lower incomes in finding spouses , as well as a burgeoning age gap between partners.

Wang Yuesheng, one of the researchers involved, said men in poorer parts of the country would either be forced to remain single forever or to accept marriage late in li

“The chance of getting marrid will be rare if a man is more than 40 years old in the countryside. They will be more dependent on social security as they age and have fewer household resources to rely on,” Wang said.

Abductions and trafficking of women are said to be “rampant” in areas with excess numbers of men, while illegal marriages and forced prostitution were also major problems in those areas.

The study urged the Chinese government to relax the so-called “one-child” policy and study the possibility of encouraging “cross-country marriages”.

China first implemented its population control policy in 1979, generally limiting families to one child, with some exceptions for rural farmers, ethnic minorities and other groups.

It has said the policy has averted 400 million births.

Researchers said the gender imbalance problem first cropped up in the late 1980s when the use of ultrasound technology became more prevalent, allowing women to easily determine the sex of their foetuses.

Chickens Wear Sunglasses: One Shady Peace

We’ve all heard about weird accessories for both humans and animals, but chickens wearing sunglasses? Isn’t that a bit over the top? Apparently, the concept, which is not at all new by the way, is not as far-fetched as one might ordinarily think. Farmers in China have fond that aggressive cocks behave in a less aggressive manner when sporting these cool shades like the ones depicted below.

These glasses were designed to help avoid fights breaking out between rival roosters at the free-range farm in Chengdu, southwestern China.

“Our cocks are very aggressive by nature… They always fight with each other and cause bleeding and injuries. So we decided to make them all wear glasses. …This means they can’t see each other so clearly so they are much quieter and much more peaceful” said breeder, Jiang Hau.

Other local farmers are considering this unusual option as well but the concept of sunglasses for roosters dates back to 1939. Called antipix, these glasses fit on the chicken’s beak with a cotter pin through the bird’s nostrils. These red lenses prevented chickens from seeing the red blood and calmed their behavior. These have not been manufactured for many years and are highly collectable

“Heart-Kun” The Cutest Dog in Japan

"heart-kun" the cutest dog in japan
A Chihuahua puppy has been born in Japan with a large, clear, heart-shaped pattern on his coat.

Shop owner Emiko Sakurada said that she had been breeding dogs for several years now and had never come across such strange markings.

She says that she has no plans to sell the puppy. She has named the small dog: “Heart-kun”.

computerized pillow stops snoring

Reuters reports that a German scientist named Daryoush Bazargani has invented a computerized pillow that automatically adjusts the position of your head to minimize snoring.

"The pillow is attached to a computer, which is the size of a book, rests on a bedside table, and analyses snoring noises", says Bazargani. "The computer then reduces or enlarges air compartments within the pillow to facilitate nasal airflow to minimize snoring as the user shifts during sleep."

He has apparently talked several U.S. firms about manufacturing the pillow.

George W Bush quotes, Bush Blunders, Bush Gaffes

Yes, believe it or not, these are all genuine quotes from the man the people elected as the 43rd US President:

Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.

I admit it, I am not one of the great linguists.

For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it.

I am a person who recognizes the fallacy of humans.

I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them.

I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.

I know how hard it is to put food on your family.

I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe - I believe what I believe is right.

I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here.

I recently met with the finance minister of the Palestinian Authority, was very impressed by his grasp of finances.

I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating.

I think war is a dangerous place.

I understand small business growth. I was one.

I wish I wasn't the war president. Who in the heck wants to be a war president? I don't.

I'm not a very good novelist. But it'd make a pretty interesting novel.

If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow.

If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier - so long as I'm the dictator.

I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things.

I'm the master of low expectations.

I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being President.

It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber.

Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people and neither do we.

The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur.

There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably Tennessee, that says 'Fool me once [pause], shame on…shame on you. [Long pause] Fool me. [Pause] You can't get fooled again.'

They have miscalculated me as a leader.

They misunderestimated me.

This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating.

We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.

We need an energy bill that encourages consumption.

We ought to make the pie higher.

We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House - make no mistake about it.

Will the highways on the Internet become more few?

Do you have blacks, too? (To Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso)

When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible.

You're free. And freedom is beautiful. And, you know, it'll take time to restore chaos and order - order out of chaos. But we will.

This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mential losses.

I think there is a Trojan horse lurking in the weeds trying to pull a fast one on the American people.

This is a world that is much more uncertain than the past. In the past we were certain, we were certain it was us versus the Russians in the past. We were certain, and therefore we had huge nuclear arsenals aimed at each other to keep the peace. That's what we were certain of…You see, even though it's an uncertain world, we're certain of some things.

It is clear our nation is reliant upon big foreign oil. More and more of our imports come from overseas.

I think we agree, the past is over.

And there's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail.

The important question is, how many hands have I shaked.

General…I can't name the general.(When asked to name President of Pakistan)

We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.

The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself.

When I was a kid I remember that they used to put out there in the Old West a wanted poster. It said, Wanted: Dead or Alive.

My answer is to bring them on. (On Iraqi militants attacking US forces)

Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. -- May 1, 2003