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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৯ নভেম্বর, ২০১২

French court overturns Concorde crash conviction

FILE - In this July 25, 2000, file photo, Air France Concorde flight 4590 takes off with fire trailing from its engine on the left wing from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. A French appeals court is expected to decide on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, whether to uphold a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the crash over a decade ago of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people. Continental Airlines, Inc. and one of its mechanics were convicted in 2010. (AP Photo/Toshihiko Sato, File) MANDATORY CREDIT; JAPAN OUT

FILE - In this July 25, 2000, file photo, rescue workers stand on the crash site of an Air France Concorde plane that crashed in Gonesse, outside Paris, shortly after take off. A French appeals court is expected to decide on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, whether to uphold a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the crash over a decade ago of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people. Continental Airlines, Inc. and one of its mechanics were convicted in 2010. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

FILE - In this July 25, 2000, file photo, a firefighter sprays water on the debris of an Air France Concorde plane after it crashed into a hotel shortly after takeoff in Gonesse, France, outside of Paris. A French appeals court is expected to decide on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, whether to uphold a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the crash over a decade ago of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people. Continental Airlines, Inc. and one of its mechanics were convicted in 2010.(AP Photo/Ministry of Interior/Civil Security, Joachim Bertrand, Pool, File)

VERSAILLES, France (AP) ? A French appeals court overturned manslaughter convictions against Continental Airlines and a mechanic for the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people, ruling Thursday that their mistakes did not make them legally responsible for the deaths.

The crash hastened the end for the already-faltering supersonic Concorde, synonymous with high-tech luxury but a commercial failure. The program, jointly operated by Air France and British Airways, was taken out of service in 2003.

In the accident, which occurred on July 25, 2000, the jet crashed into a hotel near Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport soon after taking off, killing all 109 people aboard and four on the ground. Most of the victims were Germans heading to a cruise in the Caribbean.

A mistake made weeks earlier and thousands of miles away by a Continental mechanic in Houston played a crucial role in the crash, the court found.

According to the original ruling, the mechanic fitted the wrong metal strip on a Continental DC-10. The piece ultimately fell off on the runway in Paris, puncturing the Concorde's tire. The burst tire sent bits of rubber into the fuel tanks, which started the fire that brought down the plane.

But the Concorde's design left it vulnerable to shock, according to judicial investigators who said officials had known about the problem for more than 20 years. The lower court ruled that though French officials had missed opportunities to improve the Concorde over the years, they could "be accused of no serious misconduct."

Stephane Gicquel, head of a group of victims' families, said Thursday's ruling left them with "a sense of powerlessness."

"The court says the plane shouldn't have flown. It did fly, but no conclusion is drawn," he said.

A French court initially convicted Continental Airlines Inc. and the mechanic in 2010 for the crash, and imposed about ?2 million ($2.7 million) in damages and fines on the carrier.

Parties including Air France and Continental compensated the families of most victims years ago, so financial claims were not the trial's focus ? the main goal was to assign responsibility. In France, unlike in many other countries, plane crashes routinely lead to trials to assign criminal responsibility ? cases that often drag on for years.

"This was a tragic accident and we support the court's decision that Continental did not bear fault," Megan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based United Continental Holdings Inc., said in a written statement. Continental merged with United in 2010.

At the time it was launched, the Concorde supersonic jet was the height of luxury, flying between New York and the European capitals of London and Paris in less than four hours, instead of a standard flight of over seven hours. Flying west, British Airways boasted, the flight's well-heeled travelers could effectively arrive at their destinations before they left.

In the years it took French judicial investigators to work their way to trial, amassing 80,000 pages of court documents, the Concordes were revamped, retired and finally sent to museums.

___

Josh Freed in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-29-France-Concorde%20Crash/id-7181aee1445644efb9edc2005b8827ae

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Bing Translator gets updated for Windows Phone 8, available now in the Store

The Bing Translator app has been helping Windows Phone users avoid cross-cultural mishaps since April of last year, adding augmented reality and offline capability along the way. Naturally, Microsoft has updated this utility for Windows Phone 8. The latest version of Translator supports six languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and features a new "lens" for translating text via a smartphone's camera. The app is available as a free download in the Store. Head past the break to see it in action.

Continue reading Bing Translator gets updated for Windows Phone 8, available now in the Store

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Portland poet B.T. Shaw wins $25,000 NEA creative writing ...

Portland poet B.T. Shaw, about to move to Vietnam with her husband, received a surprise parting gift from the National Endowment for the Arts -- a $25,000 creative writing fellowship. Shaw was a leader in the local poetry scene for the last decade and was a longtime contributor to The Oregonian. Her previous book is "This Dirty Little Heart."

Numerous other arts organizations in Portland and around the state received grants from the NEA, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival ($100,000 for the world premiere of a play) to the Portland Playhouse ($10,000 for a new adaptation of "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin).

-- Jeff Baker, on Twitter

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2012/11/portland_poet_bt_shaw_wins_250.html

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Mississippi's only abortion clinic fights to stay open

By NBC News and Reuters

Mississippi's only abortion clinic will have to close unless a federal judge halts a new state law requiring its physicians to obtain admitting privileges to local hospitals, according to a court motion filed on Wednesday.

In the motion, the Jackson Women?s Health Organization renewed its request for a federal judge to prevent state officials from enforcing a law which went into effect on July 1.

Under the new law, the clinic must hire a doctor who is a board-certified OB-GYN and who also has admitting privileges to a local hospital where patients may be referred if further treatment is needed.

The clinic's providers are board-certified OB-GYNs, but the only one with admitting privileges when the law passed provides limited service at the clinic. Currently on the clinic?s website is a statement seeking a doctor who could perform abortion care for patients up to 16 weeks in the pregnancy.

Mississippi, which had as many as 14 abortion providers in the early 1980s, has some of the country's strictest abortion laws and one of the lowest abortion rates. It also has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the United States - more than 60 percent above the national average in 2010.

In 2010, the latest year for which figures are available, 2,297 abortions were performed in Mississippi with no deaths and one complication, according to the health department.

Any facility in Mississippi that performs 10 or more abortions a month or 100 or more in a year needs a license from the state. The Jackson Women?s Health Organization in Jackson has been the sole licensed abortion clinic in the state since 2002.

Supporters of the law have made it no secret they would like to end all abortions in Mississippi, although they have also said it was designed to protect women?s health.

"It is now clear that plaintiffs have no hope of being able to comply with the Admitting Privileges Requirement," said the filing by the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents the clinic in court.

The state Department of Health, tasked with enforcing the law, gave the clinic until January to comply.

But clinic owner Diane Derzis told Reuters she sent applications on behalf of all the physicians to every hospital within a 30-mile radius. All of the hospitals ultimately rejected the requests or refused to even consider them, she said.

Jackson Women's Health Organization, based in the city of Jackson, has operated in the state for 17 years and has been Mississippi's only clinic since 2002. Its closure would mean an end to elective abortion in the state and would force women to travel elsewhere for the procedure.?

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/28/15520726-mississippis-only-abortion-clinic-petitions-court-to-stay-open?lite

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Realtor Spotlight: T.J. Barnhart - Real Estate News - REALTOR.com

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Source: http://www.realtor.com/blogs/2012/11/27/realtor-spotlight-t-j-barnhart/

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বুধবার, ২৮ নভেম্বর, ২০১২

Saudi-backed religious center opens in Austria

VIENNA (AP) ? U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged Israel and Hamas to respect their cease-fire but said only mutual recognition of Israel's right to exist and an independent Palestine could ensure permanent peace in the region.

Ban commented during ceremonies launching a Saudi-sponsored and funded center in Vienna meant to promote dialogue between the world's main religions. Ban's pointed remarks were in contrast with other speakers who spoke in general terms about the need for religious understanding.

"I am determined to ensure that the cease-fire is sustained," he said about last week's agreement between Israel and Hamas committing both sides to stop hostilities and easing concerns of an Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Ban said that while both sides must adhere to the cease-fire, the ultimate goal in the region had to be a "two-state solution ending the (Israeli) occupation and the conflict," adding: "This is critical to regional stability."

The U.N. chief also said he is concerned about the destruction of religious artifacts by extremists in Mali, citing it as an example of the need to "promote long-term mutual understanding that transcends religious, national, cultural and ethnic boundaries."

Other dignitaries at the ceremonial launch at Vienna's ornate Hofburg palace included Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his Austrian and Spanish counterparts, Michael Spindelegger and Jose Manual Garcia-Margallo y Marfil.

Their presence reflected their countries' backing for the center, even though the Saudis are playing the most prominent role in organizing it and meeting its expenses for the first three years.

The three spoke in over-all terms about the need to overcome religious differences and expressed hope that the center would achieve that goal.

But Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, in charge of interfaith dialogue for the Vatican departed from the script, indirectly criticizing Saudi Arabia for not allowing any religion other than Islam.

"Everyone is expecting ... honesty, vision and credibility" from the center, he said, adding it must work for "religious freedom in all its aspects for everybody," including "in countries where such freedoms are not guaranteed."

The center's board consists of three Christians, three Muslims, a Jew, a Buddhist and a Hindu. Backers hope it will promote increased tolerance not only in Europe but also in Saudi Arabia, where the ruling royal family must move cautiously in implementing reforms because of resistance from the powerful clergy.

But detractors, including Austria's Green party and moderate Muslim groups, say Saudi Arabia ? home to the conservative brand of Wahhabi Islam ? is the last country that should be hosting initiatives on religious coexistence. They say the center could be used to spread Islamic fundamentalism in Europe.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-backed-religious-center-opens-austria-223249927.html

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Backpacking And Hiking the Cheatham Hill Loop | Airline Travel ...

The Cheatham Hill Loop offers you a piece of history during the Civil War. A thousand yards from the trailhead is the battle scene. Off the Dallas Highway, the Cheatham Hill Connector is at the west side. Continue to the north of the Dead Angle towards the parking area where you will see a set of cannons near the Texas monument. It shows the Confederates and Union casualties during the attack. The Confederate commander ordered a cease fire from his men to allow his opponents to get their wounded as they were burning to their death.

From the parking lot found at the end of Cheatham Hill Drive, find the trailhead by walking to the south end of the parking lot. Although the trail can be taken whichever way you prefer, start the hike by pacing throughout the trail counter-clockwise. Passing the fence, walk towards Mebane?s Tennessee Battery at the right. It offers you a visual of the set of cannons that were used against advancing Yankees during the battle. Move past this and continue to pass through Confederate entrenchments on the left.

Then turn right at the base and circle around the path as you turn around to view the monument up close and personal. To the left of this magnificent monument, you will find a small tunnel that the Union troops built. However, they were trapped by the Confederate fire from the entrenchments above the hill as they try to create a tunnel under the Rebel position to quash it.

Now continue to climb back to Cheatham Hill Loop. Take the right trail as it leads forward left following the curve of the The Angle?s trenches.

This is the site where William Tecumseh Sherman lost his partner Union Army officer Dan McCook, who was one of the patriarchs of the ?Fighting McCooks?. McCook was also known as one of the two Ohio brothers along with their 13 sons who fought during the Civil War.

At this point, expect a moderate descent emerging out to a tom of an unknown Union soldier which was discovered by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938. Reaching an intersection, turn left from it leading you back to Cheatham Hill Loop which abruptly joins Kolb?s Farm Loop. Continue straight ahead taking the Cheatham Hill Loop turning left after leaving the intersection. The trail then leads to an ascent towards the top of the hill and ends at the parking area.

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