Proton rocket fails during launch of JCSAT-11 satellite

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:20 pm, August 2, 2021.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

A Proton rocket which was intended to launch the JCSAT-11 satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit lifted off and successfully completed its first stage burn, but the second stage failed leading to loss of the rocket and satellite.

The launch vehicle was a Proton M booster with a Breeze M upper stage. More than 300 Proton rockets have been launched, all from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Following the launch failure, Kazakhstan suspended the launch of Proton rockets from Baikonur, Interfax news agency reported.

JSAT Corporation immediately placed an order with Lockheed Martin, the satellite manufacturer, for an identical replacement satellite based on the A2100AX design.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Proton_rocket_fails_during_launch_of_JCSAT-11_satellite&oldid=2507370”

Energy companies to raise consumer rates

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:14 pm, .

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

Reliant Energy and CenterPoint Energy–two local utilities in Houston, Texas–plan to increase consumer rates in response to increased demand and recent disasters.

Reliant Energy is expected to raise rates to effect a 14% increase on a 1,000 kilowatt-hour bill. A typical customer could see an increase up to $20 per month. Reliant has reached an agreement with the Texas Public Utilities Commission to raise rates in two steps, once at the end of October, and again on 1 January 2006.

CenterPoint Energy must increase charges for services such as meter-reading and customer service. The Texas Public Utilities Commission prohibits natural gas companies from buying wholesale product, raising rates, and reselling. Wholesale prices of natural gas also continue to rise due to increased demand and declining domestic supply. Natural gas cannot be easily shipped to other regions like oil.

Consumer energy prices are expected to rise across the state, in some cases as much as 20%.

The Texas Public Utilities Commission must approve rate increases before they go into effect, but approval is expected.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Energy_companies_to_raise_consumer_rates&oldid=704090”

Hello From Ottawa Confederation Park Celebrates Winterlude

Filed under: Financial Planning — Admin @ 3:44 pm, August 1, 2021.

By Susanne Pacher

Confederation Park is one of the main centres of Ottawa’s Winterlude Festival, and what was excellent for us was that we were staying right across the street at the Lord Elgin Hotel. So all we had to do was literally cross the street and we were right in the heart of the action.

Winterlude is Ottawa’s winter festival, organized by the National Capital Commission. It brings together exciting events and activities for the whole family and most of the activities are free of charge. Naturally, Winterlude is a big draw for tourists: last year the festival attractived approximately 650,000 visitors.

You would think that Ottawa is a city of bureaucrats, who maintain a stiff upper lip at all times. Far from it, as we had already seen during our Friday night outing to Fat Tuesdays in the ByWard Market, Ottawans know how to party and Winterlude is a 2 week long excuse for everyone to get out and celebrate winter.

Winterlude is hosted throughout the entire city, so here is a summary of some of the main Winterlude Locations:

Confederation Park is hosting the Casino du Lac-Leamy Crystal Garden, an outdoor entertainment venue that includes the Crystal Lounge, a variety of food vendors and outdoor sculptures.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUanyUstJ3o[/youtube]

When we headed out on Saturday morning, we walked right into the ice carving competition where 7 or 8 ice carvers were working on frozen blocks of ice, using a variety of electric and hand tools to give shape to the creatures of their imagination.

Chain saws were being used, electrical grinding tools and hand chisels slowly but surely created recognizeable objects. Teddy bears, choo-choo trains and cartoon characters were coming to life right in front of our very eyes.

Confederation Park also hosts the Fire and Ice Culinary Demonstrations, and renowned chefs and media personalities compete for the Winterlude Ice Chef titles.

Another Winterlude location just minutes away is the American Express Snowbowl, a stage located right in front of the Government Conference Centre. This year’s lineup includes Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, Mes Aeux, Jully Black, Doba Caracol, Daniel Lanois and many more.

On our way back from Darcy McGee’s on Saturday evening we walked down to Confederation Park and on to the American Express Snowbowl and caught a bit of a live concert. The stage was set against the National Conference Centre and was beautifully illuminated in orange, pink and purple shades and the crowd was enjoying the live music.

The Rideau Canal Skateway is another official Winterlude location. This past weekend I had a chance to experience the Canal myself, and on a beautiful crisp winter day, it was an exhiliariting experience to glide almost weightlessly across the frozen expanse of the 7.8 km long Rideau Canal, indeed the world’s largest natural ice skating surface, according to the Guiness Book of World Records.

The Rideau Canal Skateway itself hosts a variety of activities: you can get a taste of Aboriginal culture, traditions and cuisine at the Pig Island Aboriginal Village. The Canadian Tire JumpStart Activity Centre at Fifth Avenue allows children to test their hockey skills and they can also try out the Jumpai trampoline system. Union Station at Rideau Street provides a 1920s ambience: the history of the railway yards on the banks of the Rideau River is recounted on displays and interpretive panels.

This past Saturday, the 26th Annual Bed Race on Dow’s Lake combined athleticism, ingenous engineering and fundraising for a great day of charity and hilarity.

Another opportunity for fundraising is coming up on February 19, 2006, when Canadian Tire invities you to participate in the Great Skate from 11 am to 3 pm on the Rideau Canal Skateway on Fifth Avenue. Proceeds will go to Canadian Tire JumpStart, a charitable program created by the Canadian Tire Foundation for Families that helps kids in financial need participate in organized sports and recreation.

On the other side of the Ottawa River in Hull, Quebec, is Jacques-Cartier Park, official location of Snowflake Kingdom and another official Winterlude site. It offers the Ice Hogs Winter Sports Adventure, individual slides of different slopes which will provide fun to the whole family.

Northern Place is a snow shelter and presents the enchanting world of Aboriginal cultures with aboriginal shows and traditional demonstrations. The Ice Hog Amphitheatre is home to the Ice Hog’s Walkabout, and in case you didn’t know, the Ice Hogs are Winterlude’s official mascots. Children can get a hug from one of their favourite mascots – Mama, Papa, Noumi and Nouma. The Snowflake Kingdom also presents “Exprience Maneige”, an opportunity for 5 to 8 year old children to go downhill skiing.

And a restaurant festival preceeds Winterlude. This year Taste of Winterlude was held from January 20 to February 2, 2006, where many popular restaurants in Ottawa-Gatineau served up their specialties in affordable prix-fix menu format. We missed the restaurant festival, but good food was not lacking during our past 2 days in Ottawa. Our enjoyable dinners at Fat Tuesdays and Darcy McGee’s gave us a sample of some of the culinary treats on offer in Ottawa.

Winterlude offers a wide variety of activities, and fortunately this past weekend we had a chance to participate in just a few. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and hope to come back to Ottawa for another festival, maybe even the famous Tulip Festival this coming May…….

About the Author: Susanne Pacher is the publisher of

travelandtransitions.com

, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new

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UK PM’s speechwriter awaits sentence

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:38 pm, .

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

An English lawyer has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. He faked a legal judgment and sent it to a father who was pleading in Taunton family court to be able to remain involved in his child’s upbringing. The lawyer, London barrister Bruce Hyman, now awaits his sentence. The judge indicated that he could receive a prison sentence. Bruce Hyman is well-known in media circles, having produced The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio. He also produced a series with Clive Anderson, at Above the Title Productions, called Unreliable Evidence.

The father, a former City financier, had attended a series of court hearings in order to make suitable arrangements to see his child following an acrimonious divorce. Shortly before one of these hearings he received an email, ostensibly from a self-help group to which he belonged, which had attached a Court of Appeal case that appeared favourable to an application he had made for the judge to stand down from the case. The father, who was representing himself, duly showed the case to the judge. At this point, Bruce Hyman, the lawyer representing the former wife, claimed to the judge that the case was a forgery, which indeed it turned out to be.

After confirming that the self-help group had not sent him the email, the father then embarked on some detective work his own. The fraudulent email was traced via its header to a dial-up internet connection and a phone number belonging to a shop in London. The shop was able to recover CCTV footage which showed a man sending the email from an Apple laptop. The man turned out to be Bruce Hyman.

Sentencing of Hyman is due in Bristol Crown Court on the 19th of September.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=UK_PM%27s_speechwriter_awaits_sentence&oldid=1699556”

Cindy Sheehan arrested inside Rayburn Building in Washington DC

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:25 pm, .

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Cindy Sheehan, an Iraq War protester, was arrested inside the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C. in United States along with 45 to 50 other protesters for disorderly conduct on Monday.

“The Democrats will not hold this administration accountable, so we have to hold the Democrats accountable. And I for one am going to step up to the plate and run against Nancy Pelosi,” said Sheehan during her protest inside the capitol.

Sheehan and the other protesters were at the offices of Rep. John Conyers Jr. who is the House Judiciary Committee chairman, demanding that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney be impeached. Conyers would be the politician who would start impeachment hearings.

Sheehan then said she would run against Nancy Pelosi, who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the next election for her seat in the House representing the state of California.

“If Nancy Pelosi doesn’t do her constitutionally mandated job by midnight tonight, tomorrow I will announce that I’m going to run against her. Not only am I going to run against her, but I will beat her. Impeachment is not a fringe movement, it is mandated in our Constitution. Nancy Pelosi had no authority to take it off the table,” added Sheehan.

Pelosi’s Press Secretary Brenden Daly says Pelosi is working hard to make sure that the right steps are taken in Iraq.

“The speaker is focused on changing course in Iraq by bringing our troops home safely and soon and refocusing our effort on protecting Americans from terrorism, holding the Bush administration accountable and setting a ‘New Direction for America,'” said Daly.

Sheehan became an anti-war protester after her son, Casey Sheehan, was killed while fighting in the Iraq War on April 4, 2004 at the age of 24. Earlier this year, on Memorial Day, she announced her resignation as “the ‘face’ of the American anti-war movement” on a personal web journal page published by the Daily Kos.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Cindy_Sheehan_arrested_inside_Rayburn_Building_in_Washington_DC&oldid=4525611”

Scottish prosecutors keeping quiet about Lanarkshire surgical deaths

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:31 pm, July 31, 2021.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Crown Office are staying quiet about possible prosecutions after an inquiry found medical failures caused three deaths at NHS Lanarkshire.

In response to a specific question as to the possibility of prosecutions, a Crown Office spokesperson told Wikinews today that “The three deaths were fully investigated by the Procurator Fiscal and reported to Crown Counsel [laywers] to consider. Crown Counsel concluded that, given the facts and circumstances of the deaths, a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) was the appropriate forum to consider the circumstances of the deaths.” It was further noted that “[a] FAI cannot make any findings of fault/blame against individuals.”

However, Crown Office did not specifically rule out prosecutions for offences such as cuplable homicide despite the spokesperson noting this was a direct response to such a question. They also declined to comment on National Health Service care as “it would not be appropriate to comment on the provision of NHS services” and entirely ignored questions about Crown Office satisfaction in the inquiry’s outcome and the length of time it took to reach a conclusion. The inquiry wrapped up last week but the deaths were in 2006.

Agnes Nicol, George Johnstone, and Andrew Ritchie died within a three-month period following keyhole surgery to remove their gall bladders.

Later expanded to look at all three deaths, the inquiry initially established to look into the case of Nicol, 50, who received surgery in late 2005. A surgeon at Wishaw General Hospital mistakenly cut her bile duct and her right hepatic artery. Whilst suturing her portal vein, her liver was left with 20% of its normal blood supply; the errors were not discovered until her transfer to liver specialists at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary.

By then, her liver was seriously damaged. She developed septicaemia, dying from multiple organ failure in March 2006.

Johnstone, 54, underwent the same procedure at Monklands District General Hospital on May 9, 2006. A consultant surgeon accidentally damaged, possibly severing, his bile duct. He died two days later in intensive care from the combined effects of multiple organ failure and a heart ailment.

Ritchie, 62, died in intensive care a week after an operation in June 2006. He died from intra abdominal haemorrhage caused by errors during the surgery.

Different surgeons were involved each time and the inquiry, under Sheriff Robert Dickson, found no evidence of poor training or inadequate experience. Dickson noted that in each case there was lack of action on a “growing body of evidence that there was something fundamentally wrong with the patient” and surgeons failed to contemplate their own actions as potentially responsible. He agreed with two professors that it may have been possible to save their lives “had the post-operative care been to the standard which they expected, and had there been a proper management plan which staff could have worked to” and noted that all the patients suffered from a lack of adequate medical notes being available after their surgery. He described the care as having “clear faults”.

NHS Lanarkshire apologised and said improvements had been made regarding “these types of cases” as well as with document management. Wikinews got in touch seeking details of the changes made but the health trust failed to respond.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Scottish_prosecutors_keeping_quiet_about_Lanarkshire_surgical_deaths&oldid=4627121”

Creating The Kitchen Of Your Dreams With Custom Cabinetry

Filed under: Granny Flat Builder — Admin @ 3:09 pm, .

byAlma Abell

If you are building your new kitchen from the ground up, adding customized cabinets to your space might be the preferred option. Custom cabinets can be constructed to suit any space and layout, so they are especially helpful in oddly shaped spaces regardless of size. It is also a good idea to consider custom built cabinets if your current cabinets are too damaged for re-facing. Cabinets can take a beating over time, and some structural damage can take more than a coat of paint to fix. The benefits of adding custom cabinets to your new kitchen are immense, and when you enlist the help of professionals to assist you in their design you can guarantee the end result is going to be something you love.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DcqAfRUri4[/youtube]

Custom Cabinets are an Exceptional Choice if:

  • You are Building a Brand New Kitchen
  • Changing the Layout of Your Current Kitchen
  • Expanding your Kitchen and Need Additional Cabinets
  • Your Current Cabinets Cannot be Refaced

With Custom Cabinets Your Options are Limitless

While custom cabinets are certainly the most expensive option, the results last a lifetime. This means that while the initial cost can be a bit steep their lifetime value is well worth the price. Custom cabinets are built exactly to your taste, from design to dimension specifications everything you could possibly want is taken into consideration. This include any creative additions you would like to incorporate, like vertical pull outs that are perfect for storing spices, or drawer organizers that help you keep those odds and ends in check. The options are limited only by your creativity and imagination.

Build Your Custom Cabinets with the Pros

Working with professionals who specialize in cabinetry and design affords you the opportunity to eliminate common issues later. They are veterans when it comes to what works in a kitchen, and what doesn’t. If you are looking to begin your kitchen remodel in Fayetteville area, companies like Cabinet Transformations have a wide range of options, offer free estimates, and can advise you on the pros and cons of the material or style you choose.

Three rural councils in New South Wales, Australia enter 7-day lockdown

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:26 pm, July 30, 2021.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

A week-long lockdown began at midnight yesterday in the City of Orange, Blayney Shire, and Cabonne Shire local government areas in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, after a local resident was infected with COVID-19 by a truck driver at the Nestlé Purina PetCare food factory in Blayney, which the driver had visited daily from July 13 to 16.

The decision to go into lockdown follows what ABC News described as a “crisis cabinet meeting” of the New South Wales government. Under the new regulations, residents of the three areas will only be permitted to leave their homes for “essential” reasons. Shops, schools, and construction are remaining open. Five sites in Orange have been listed as exposure venues, and people who visited one or more are advised by NSW Health to get tested for the coronavirus and to self-isolate for two weeks.

A lockdown in the Greater Sydney area, including the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour, and Central Coast, has been ongoing since June 26 due to an outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19. New South Wales yesterday recorded 78 new cases of COVID-19. The Western NSW Local Health District has put hospitals on red alert, limiting visits.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Three_rural_councils_in_New_South_Wales,_Australia_enter_7-day_lockdown&oldid=4631665”

International participants showcase different industry cultures at 2008 Taipei Game Show

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:44 pm, July 29, 2021.

Friday, January 25, 2008

B2B Trade Area of Taipei Game Show, criticized by trade buyers last year, but accompanied with 2008 Taiwan Digital Content Forum, moved to the second floor at Taipei World Trade Center for world-wide participants with a better exchange atmosphere this year.

Not only local OBMs (Softstar Entertainment, Soft-World International Corp., International Games System Corp., …, etc.) but also companies from New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea showcased different specialists with multiple styles. Especially on South Korea, participated members from G? Trade Show (Game Show & Trade, All-Round, aka Gstar) showcased gaming industry of South Korea and the G? upcoming at this November with brochures.

In the 2-days Digital Content Forum, world-class experts not only shared industry experiences, members from Taiwan Gaming Industry Association also discussed and forecasted marketing models for gaming industry. With participations from governmental, industrial, and academical executives world-wide, this forum helps them gained precious experiences of digital content industry from several countries.

According to the Taipei Computer Association, the show and forum organizer, the digital content industry in Taiwan was apparently grown up recent years as Minister of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China Steve Ruey-long Chen said at Opening Ceremony yesterday. Without R&Ds from cyber-gaming, and basic conceptions from policies and copyright issues, this (digital content) industry will be fallen down in Taiwan. If this industry wanted to be grown up in sustainability, gaming OBMs in Taiwan should independently produce different and unique games and change market style to market brands and games to the world.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=International_participants_showcase_different_industry_cultures_at_2008_Taipei_Game_Show&oldid=621950”

NASA celebrates 30th anniversary of first shuttle launch; announces new homes for retired shuttles

Filed under: Uncategorized — Admin @ 3:39 pm, .

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

NASA celebrated the launch of the first space shuttle Tuesday at an event at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. On April 12, 1981, Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on STS-1, the first space shuttle mission.

NASA held a ceremony commemorating the date outside the hangar, known as Orbiter Processing Facility-1, for Space Shuttle Atlantis, which is being prepped for its final mission which will be STS-135, which will be the last Space Shuttle mission.

At the ceremony, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the locations that would be given the three remaining Space Shuttle orbiters following the end of the Space Shuttle program. The prototype orbiter, Space Shuttle Enterprise would be relocated from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City.

Space Shuttle Discovery will take the place of Enterprise at the Udvar-Hazy Center. Discovery has already been retired following the completion of STS-133 last month, its 39th mission. Discovery is undergoing decommissioning and currently being prepped for display by removing toxic materials from the orbiter.

Space Shuttle Endeavour, which will launch on STS-134 at the end of the month on April 29, will be sent to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California following its retirement. Finally, Atlantis will go on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex following the orbiter’s last flight which launches June 28.

Columbia was lost tragically back on February 1, 2003 when it disintegrated during re-entry killing all seven astronauts aboard. Space Shuttle Challenger was lost when it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff back on January 28, 1986 killing all six aboard.

“We want to thank all of the locations that expressed an interest in one of these national treasures,” said Bolden to the gathered crowd which contained many KSC employees. “This was a very difficult decision, but one that was made with the American public in mind. In the end, these choices provide the greatest number of people with the best opportunity to share in the history and accomplishments of NASA’s remarkable Space Shuttle Program. These facilities we’ve chosen have a noteworthy legacy of preserving space artifacts and providing outstanding access to U.S. and international visitors.”

Over twenty locations looked to obtain one of the orbiters because of potential tourism booms from them.

This was a very difficult decision, but one that was made with the American public in mind. In the end, these choices provide the greatest number of people with the best opportunity to share in the history and accomplishments of NASA’s remarkable Space Shuttle Program.

Not all were pleased with the final choice of locations. U.S. Senator John Cornyn, Republican from Texas, issued a statement regarding the rejection of Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas as a location. “Like many Texans, I am disappointed with NASA’s decision to slight the Johnson Space Center as a permanent home for one of the Space Shuttle Orbiters. Houston has played a critical role throughout the life of the space shuttle, but it is clear political favors trumped common sense and fairness in the selection of the final locations for the orbiter fleet.”

Cornyn’s statement added, “There is no question Houston should have been selected as a final home for one of the orbiters—even Administrator Bolden stated as much. Today’s announcement is an affront to the thousands of dedicated men and women at Johnson Space Center, the greater Houston community and the State of Texas, and I’m deeply disappointed with the Administration’s misguided decision.” However, the JSC will recieve pilot and commander seats from the flight deck.

The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington was also proposed as another location for a shuttle, going so far as to build a new building to house an orbiter. In a statement, Governor of Washington Chris Gregoire said, “The Museum of Flight put a tremendous amount of effort into landing a retired shuttle in the Pacific Northwest. As the home of modern day air travel and the 747, which has gracefully transported shuttles for the last 30 years, Seattle would have been a perfect fit. While the Museum of Flight was in the top running, I’m disappointed that NASA did not choose them.

“However, the full fuselage trainer, that every astronaut including [former Museum of Flight CEO] Bonnie Dunbar has been trained on, will soon call the Museum of Flight home. The largest of the trainers, this addition will allow visitors to actually climb aboard the trainer and experience the hands-on training that astronauts get. Visitors will not be allowed in the other shuttles and this trainer is a true win for our dynamic museum. It will help inspire young people to the adventure of space and to the excitement of a career in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Today’s announcement is an affront to the thousands of dedicated men and women at Johnson Space Center, the greater Houston community and the State of Texas, and I’m deeply disappointed with the Administration’s misguided decision.

Other items include various shuttle simulators which will be given to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum of McMinnville, Oregon, and Texas A&M’s Aerospace Engineering Department. The nose cap assembly and crew compartment trainer for the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and orbital maneuvering system engines for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.

NASA is also offering shuttle heat shield tiles to schools and universities that want to share technology and a piece of space history with their students.

The 30th anniversary of the first shuttle mission coincided with the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight when Yuri Gagarin lifted off aboard Vostok 1 into space.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=NASA_celebrates_30th_anniversary_of_first_shuttle_launch;_announces_new_homes_for_retired_shuttles&oldid=4564626”
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