U.S. aircraft crash, 4 killed ... [ 871 [

ISAF: 4 killed in U.S. aircraft crash in Afghanistan

By the CNN Wire Staff

April 9, 2010 2:55 a.m. EDT

The CV-22 Osprey -- the aircraft that crashed -- is used to for long-range infiltration and resupply operations for the U.S. military.

(CNN) -- A U.S. aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing three U.S. service members and one civilian employee, a statement from NATO-led forces said Friday.

The cause of the crash of the Air Force CV-22 Osprey was not known, said the International Security Assistance Force statement. Several other service members were injured in the crash late Thursday night.

The CV-22, which conducts long-range infiltration and resupply operations for the U.S. military, went down seven miles west of the city of Qalat, the capital of Zabul province.

Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban in the region, said Taliban fighters shot down the aircraft. Another spokesman, Qari Yoseph, also claimed responsibility and said that 30 Americans had been killed.

Solar water heater ...[ 870 ]

EU to spread awareness on solar houses

Fri, 9 April 2010 Solar energy - Solar water heater system installed on the top of the building, India...... KURUKSHETRA: After establishing a greenhouse gas emission trading scheme for the cost-effective reduction of such emissions in community, the European Union (EU) is all set to make people aware of the solar houses. It is planning to expand its horizon in various parts of the Himalayas to save the melting glaciers. The EU climate action commissioner, Connie Hedegaard along with the ambassador and head of the delegation paid a visit to the EU projects in villages adjoining Kurukshetra on Thursday. Ellen Pedersen, a European Union delegate said that the glaciers downstream the Western Himalayas were disappearing at an alarming rate and in future it could affect their sustainability. "In the past few years, we have been constructing green houses in that particular area and in future we will building over 1,000 solar passive houses," Pedersen added. The delegate further added that a research carried by the EU showed that the glaciers in parts of Lahaul Spiti, Leh Ladakh and Kargil were melting very fast. Speaking about the projects in this region, EU climate action commissioner said that a project on risk reduction due to Regional Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) has been initiated in the Himalayas. "The objective of the project is to strength GLOF risk reduction efforts by promoting non-structural and community-based interventions," Hedegaard said. The EU delegates said that a project on adaption to changing water resources availability in Northern Indian, with Himalayan glacier retreat and changing monsoon pattern, was also initiated in 2009. "The project will assess the impact of Himalayan glacier retreat and recommend the appropriate response strategies," said Robert Donkers, minister counsellor environment. The delegation visited village Seonthi, Gaganpur, Rampur Gainda and Malikpur Bangar, where the EU projects have been running.

Smoking and submarines don't mix....[ 869 ]

Navy nixes smoking on submarines

By Matt Cherry, CNN Radio

April 9, 2010 2:57 a.m. EDT

An estimated 35 to 40 percent of active duty submarine sailors smoke, a 2009 U.S. Navy study found.

(CNN) -- Smoking and submarines don't mix.

That's the message the U.S. Navy is sending after announcing that smoking will no longer be permitted below decks on its submarines effective December 31.

"This policy was initiated for the health of the sailors who choose not to smoke," said Lt. Commander Mark Jones, spokesman for the Commander Naval Submarine Forces in Norfolk, Virginia. "It is unfair for them to be exposed to the unhealthy side effects of secondhand smoke."

Jones said the submarine force conducted a study in 2009 on nine different submarines covering the four different classes of subs. In that testing, it found nonsmokers were being exposed to the effects of secondhand smoke.

There are currently 57 submarines serving in the U.S. Navy, and about 13,000 sailors on submarine active duty, according to Jones. Of those sailors, recent polling indicates 35 to 40 percent are smokers, he said.

Jones conceded there will likely be complaints. However, he said the Navy has very aggressive smoking cessation programs. There will also be nicotine replacement therapy widely available on the submarines, such as Nicorette gum and nicotine patches.

"We're going to work as hard as we can to make this an easy transition," said Jones.

In the past, smoking had been confined to certain areas on the submarine. Individual submarine commanders will still be allowed to decide if crew members are permitted to smoke on deck.

Thai protesters stormed a TV station... [ 868 ]

Thai protesters break into satellite station

Pracha Hariraksapitak

LADLUMKAEW, Thailand

(Reuters) Fri Apr 9, 2010 6:33am EDT

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LADLUMKAEW, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai protesters stormed a satellite station on Friday, breaching an army cordon and demanding officials lift censorship of their TV channel in the first major confrontation in a three-day state of emergency.

Police and soldiers fired water cannon and tear gas in a failed attempt to disperse thousands of protesters who climbed over rolls of barbed wire and forced open the gate of the compound, defying an emergency decree and upping the ante in their broader push for fresh elections.

Most of the soldiers pulled back from the Thaicom Pcl satellite station about 60 km (35 miles) north of Bangkok, leaving the grounds largely in control of the "red shirt" protesters, supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

The protesters had not entered the main building, which houses a satellite uplink facility broadcasting the red shirts' People Channel. On Thursday, authorities entered the station and seized equipment that took the channel off air, saying it was inciting violence. Other channels were not affected.

"We want our TV back. You cannot shut our eyes and ears," Jatuporn Prompan, a red shirt leader, said from the back of a truck after leading the protesters into the compound.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the channel cannot go back on air. "They are still distorting information and we cannot allow that," he told Reuters.

The protesters, who briefly besieged parliament on Wednesday, seized guns, batons, shields, bullets and tear-gas cannon from police and soldiers and displayed them at the station. A Reuters photographer earlier saw a policeman hitting a protester with the end of a rifle in the commotion.

Many investors doubt even a violent impasse will derail a rebound in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy and one of the world's fastest-rebounding emerging markets. Thai stocks are up 76 percent over the past 12 months, Asia's third-best performer.

"We are not so concerned about the political situation in Thailand," high-profile emerging market investor Mark Mobius, executive chairman of Templeton Asset Management Ltd in San Mateo, California, told Reuters.

Frequent protests, violent riots, airport blockades and three changes in government in the past 19 months have dented consumer spending, economists say, but the prospect of prolonged strife is already priced into Thailand's relatively cheap stock prices.

"Ouzo",More than a Greek drink..[ 867 ]

Ooh, Ouzo!,,More than a Greek drink, it's a Greek philosophy

By deTraci Regula, About.com Guide

A simple glass of ouzo at an ouzeria in Greece.

Photo copyright by deTraci Regula, licensed to About.com

Ah, ouzo - clear, cool, fragrant, powerful.

My first experience with ouzo or oyzo was not in Greece. A friend of mine had a taste for it and proudly introduced me to ouzo over ice, demonstrating its ability to turn cloudy with the cold.

I was the next thing to turn cloudy, but not with cold. It filled my veins with white fire. Ouzo is a potent beverage, with an anise or licorice-like flavor. To call it a Greek "white lightning" is too simple - ouzo is a complex drink.

Ouzo is often consumed with savory snacks, especially small salty fish. In less-touristy places, small plates of these will arrive at no extra charge along with your ouzo.

While total agreement is not possible, many people prefer the ouzo produced on Lesbos, and one of the better-known brands is Epom. Lesvos resident Matt Barrett is one who agrees that Lesbos ouzo is best, and recounts some of his experiences of Lesbian ouzo.

Women have always played a part in the production of ouzo. In 1910, an enterprising widow named Heleni Giokarini brought out a brand called "Widow's Ouzo", which, renamed, is one of four varieties still being produced today by the Giokarini company on Samos.

Though usually enjoyed alone, ouzo can be part of a mixed drink. Here's a recipe for Mussaka -NOT to be confused with moussaka. How about a Zorbatini? Or the aptly-named Greek Lightning, a blend of ouzo, vodka, and creme de Cassis.

Ouzo can also be used in cooking, especially as a marinade for appetizers but it can also impart its flavor to entrees.

As a clear, potent alcohol, ouzo is sometimes confused with tsipouro or tsikoudia, but those are generally made by private householders and will vary from batch to batch.