Afghan president: 31 Americans killed in crash (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? A military helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops and seven Afghan commandos, the country's president said Saturday. An American official said it was apparently shot down, in the deadliest single incident for American forces in the decade-long war.

The Taliban claimed they downed the helicopter with rocket fire while it was taking part in a raid on a house where insurgents were gathered in the province of Wardak late Friday. It said wreckage of the craft was strewn at the scene.

NATO confirmed the overnight crash took place and that there "was enemy activity in the area." But it said it was still investigating the cause and conducting a recovery operation at the site. It did not release details or casualty figures.

"We are in the process of accessing the facts," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Justin Brockhoff, a NATO spokesman.

But a senior U.S. administration official in Washington said it was apparently shot down by insurgents. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the crash is still being investigated.

The toll would surpass the worst single day loss of life for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001 ? the June 28, 2005 downing of a military helicopter in eastern Kunar province. In that incident, 16 Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed when their craft was shot down while on a mission to rescue four SEALs under attack by the Taliban. Three of the SEALs being rescued were also killed and the fourth wounded. It was the highest one-day death toll for the Navy Special Warfare personnel since World War II.

With its steep mountain ranges, providing shelter for militants armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, eastern Afghanistan is hazardous terrain for military aircraft. Large, slow-moving air transport carriers like the CH-47 Chinook are particularly vulnerable, often forced to ease their way through sheer valleys where insurgents can achieve more level lines of fire from mountainsides.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday gave the first public word of the new crash, saying in a statement that "a NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province" and that 31 American special operations troops were killed. He expressed his condolences to President Barack Obama.

The helicopter was a twin-rotor Chinook, said an official at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was receiving his information from an Afghan officer in Kabul.

The crash took place in the Sayd Abad district of Wardak province, said a provincial government spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid. The volatile region borders the province of Kabul where the Afghan capital is located and is known for its strong Taliban presence.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that Taliban fighters downed the helicopter during a "heavy raid" in Sayd Abad. He said NATO attacked a house in Sayd Abad where insurgent fighters were gathering Friday night. During the battle, the fighters shot down the helicopter, killing 31 Americans and seven Afghans, he said, adding that eight insurgents were killed in the fight.

There have been at least 17 coalition and Afghan aircraft crashes in Afghanistan this year.

Most of the crashes were attributed to pilot errors, weather conditions or mechanical failures. However, the coalition has confirmed that at least one CH-47F Chinook helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade on July 25. Two coalition crew members were injured in that attack.

Meanwhile, in the southern Helmand province, an Afghan government official said Saturday that NATO troops attacked a house and inadvertently killed eight members of a family, including women and children.

NATO said that Taliban fighters fired rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire at coalition troops during a patrol Friday in the Nad Ali district.

"Coalition forces responded with small arms fire and as the incident continued, an air strike was employed against the insurgent position," said Brockhoff. He added that NATO sent a delegation to meet with local leaders and investigate the incident.

Nad Ali district police chief Shadi Khan said civilians died in the bombardment but that it was unknown how many insurgents were killed.

Helmand, a Taliban stronghold, is the deadliest province in Afghanistan for international troops.

NATO has come under harsh criticism in the past for accidentally killing civilians during operations against suspected insurgents. However, civilian death tallies by the United Nations show the insurgency is responsible for most war casualties involving noncombatants.

In south Afghanistan, NATO said two coalition service member were killed, one on Friday and another on Saturday. The international alliance did not release further details.

With the casualties from the helicopter crash, the deaths bring to 365 the number of coalition troops killed this year in Afghanistan and 42 this month.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110806/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

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Coheed And Cambria Part Ways With Bassist

Annoucement comes nearly a month after Michael Todd was arrested for allegedly robbing a pharmacy.
By James Montgomery


Michael Todd
Photo: Getty Images

Nearly a month after Michael Todd was arrested following a bizarre robbery at a Massachusetts pharmacy, Coheed and Cambria have parted ways with the bassist.

The band made the announcement Thursday on their Tumblr page in a post titled "The Future," writing:

"After a lot of thought, introspection and discussion, Coheed and Cambria will be continuing our journey without bassist Michael Todd. We have spoken to him and this is a mutual decision between both parties," their statement reads. "Michael was a great contributor; our hearts go out to his family and to all those who appreciate his talents. We wish him nothing but the very best."

A spokesperson for the band could not be reached for comment by press time.

Todd was arrested on July 10, just hours before Coheed were set to play a show at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, after he allegedly walked into a Walgreens pharmacy and told an employee he had a bomb. According to police, Todd demanded to be given the painkiller Oxycontin, and fled the scene in a cab, with six bottles of the drug. He was charged with armed robbery and possession of a class B controlled substance. Coheed played that night's show — and subsequent dates — with multi-instrumentalist Wes Styles replacing Todd on bass.

Todd was arraigned on July 11, and his bond was set at $25,000 cash. He posted bail on July 25, and is due back in court on August 9.

Coheed wrote in their statement that they were "currently writing and recording songs for a new album," and concluded by telling fans "a new chapter awaits."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668547/coheed-cambria-bassist-michael-todd-split.jhtml

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TMZ may seek legal action in hoax that said Etta James was dead ...

Etta James is not dead, her son says.

The celebrity website TMZ confirmed Thursday that its legal team is investigating a fake article claiming the death of blues and R&B singer Etta James.

Rumors flew over the Internet and Twitter that the 73-year-old singer had died, originating from an article posted on the hoax site Wednesday evening. The imitation looks almost exactly like the actual TMZ site, bearing the same logo, format and phone number for news tips.

"We are aware someone has faked a TMZ site and our legal department is all over it," said Casey Carver, spokesperson for TMZ.

James' son confirmed Thursday morning that his mother was not dead.

"She's fine. I just saw her last night and she was fine," said Donto James.

James remains seriously ill and is being cared for at her suburban Riverside home. She has been diagnosed with dementia and is undergoing treatment for leukemia, and has spent time in and out of the hospital over the past two years.

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-- Andrew Blankstein and Kate Mather

Photo: Etta James at the Playboy Jazz Festival in 1990. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/08/tmz-etta-james.html

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5 Benefits Of A Wall Mount Electrical Fireplace | AutoRoll - Home ...

The wall mount electric fireplace makes for an extraordinary and fulfilling accent to your living room. For room-aware people, a wall mount electric fireplace is an best alternative to other sorts of wall art and is perfect for including a fireplace in your home without having loosing any ground space. These possibilities mix the ambiance of a fire and a peaceful, prompt warmth supply with eye-catching styles that will complement a assortment of decor arrangements. All you will need to do is mount it, plug it in to any 120-volt electrical outlet, and sit again and take pleasure in the warmth and practical flame effect of your new fireplace.

For the a lot more modern-minded personal, numerous wall mount electric fireplace designs supply quite smooth and stylish wall units that arrive with black or stainless steel panels and consist of 4500 Btu heaters that use silent convection heat output for quiet evenings at residence. Other built-in styles enable for in-wall installation among studs that produce a everlasting fixture. Each choices create reasonable flames and optional warmth with the flip of a change. For an even a lot more modern impact, there are packages that have glowing LED backlights with changeable color patterns, as effectively as fuel beds that allow you to adjust from translucent rocks, shells or something you wish.

one. Place them everywhere in your house. This type of furnishings can simply be mounted everywhere in the residence, and even now have area obtainable for other points. There won?t be any particular places for setting up these eye-catching pieces considering that they could be positioned wherever you wish. You can now take into account getting a fireplace in offices, hotel rooms, homes, eating spots as properly as in a selection of other locations.

2. Low-cost buy. Wall mounted electric types are affordable as they are generally smaller sized than floor-based mostly units. It is even possible to get a wall mount unit that is as modest as a medium-sized picture body.

three. Ease and price of set up. A wall mount unit is much less high-priced to install than most other fireplaces simply because they do not demand venting. It simply requires to be mounted and plugged in. The supplemental warmth that the unit offers off is controlled much easier than the gasoline option, which needs high-priced venting, gas line installation and specialized labor.

four. Eco-pleasant and energy successful. An important attribute about electric fireplaces is that they are not dangerous to the environment. You can employ them without having worrying about emitting any harmful pollutants. Each and every unit is inexpensive by costing approximately 3 cents per hour with the flame-only selection on and twelve cents per hour with making use of heat.

five. Comfort on need. Every single wall mount unit enables for the independent manage of the flame and warmth. Appreciate the ambiance of a fire with no the warmth throughout any period. Utilize the heat function just when you want supplemental heat.

Wall mount electric fireplaces are inclined to be worthy of getting due to the a number of constructive elements that pertain to this type of unit. It is very essential, nevertheless, that you choose on the most suitable fireplace for your home. Supplying a warm setting where you can loosen up, unwind and extensively enjoy your home?s ambiance and enhancing your total expertise.

The expert crew of Cleveland Electrical and Electrical provides estimates and every house electrical service you need, from fixing different electrical issues, motor outages, to putting in ducts in your household for your convenience.

Source: http://homeimprovement.therefinedgeek.com.au/index.php/2011/08/5-benefits-of-a-wall-mount-electrical-fireplace/

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Man regrets telling RI neighbor with cancer to die (AP)

CRANSTON, R.I. ? A Rhode Island man who put a sign on his garage urging a neighbor with cancer to die says he regrets it but wanted to make the man angry after the two quarreled over shrubs.

The sign read, "Glad you have canser so die stupid."

WPRO reports ( http://bit.ly/pOoDv4) that Edward Jimmis calls the sign a "stupid thing to do." His Cranston neighbor Bob Gold is in remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Jimmis says he and Gold stopped talking after fighting over Gold's shrubs. Jimmis says Gold would taunt him. He says he put the sign up after Gold stuck his tongue out at Jimmis one day.

Gold called police, but they say Jimmis wasn't breaking any law. Neighbors have called for Jimmis to leave the neighborhood. He says he won't.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110804/ap_on_re_us/us_neighborhood_dispute_cancer

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Glasses of red wine for wine tastings

Wine tasting is a practice for almost as long as wine glasses and white wine are a way of non-tasters can assure the essential characteristics of the appearance of the wine 's. Recognizing the use of dark glasses allow the host to taste wine tasters to the texture and taste of alcohol flavor concentrate instead on the reputation of the wine, "as I know.

Tasting beverage has a long tradition that has a formal practice in 1300 toEurope. Contemporary wine tasting maintains his professional status, with samples used by buyers and sellers. These experts assess the characteristics of the wines and the relationship of these features with the help of a formal terminology to the nature and characteristics to describe the wines. The practice of determining the alcohol in this way enables buyers and sellers in the wine industry for wine used to define personal and commercial use and gives them the opportunity to maintain a common Understanding of the wines. Impartial reviews of the wines is important in the process of professional tasting. For this reason, blind tasting is a common practice and one that allows tasters judge without prejudice. It is usually the distance from the original drink from his bottle, so that the judge did not determine the location, type of wine or producer of shape, size or labeling of the bottle. It also includes the use of black> Wine glasses to hide the color and general appearance of the drink. This allows the taster to judge impartially, the champagne on their own, without regard for the reputation, the price or other details of its production.

Many enthusiasts also enjoy the different wine tasting practice of drinking wine to drink. Wine tasting parties are common in many environments. These personal parties often include the same practices as used in a formal tasting. The eliminationPersonal capacity 'to determine the details of the first wine tasting, wine tasting at your party as authentic as possible. The power of suggestion is a huge factor in the development of human opinions. Many people who are involved in the wine industry or the personal appreciation of wine can be influenced by the reputation of the wines on the market. The opinions of others may play in individual beliefs about the value of coming to drink wine. Bywith methods of blind tasting, wine glasses in black is to ensure that the wines are judged solely on their own merits.

Source: http://drink-wine-spirits.chailit.com/glasses-of-red-wine-for-wine-tastings.html

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Container Gardening Tips For Beginners | Home and Family | Pets ...

Posted on | July 31, 2011 | No Comments

Accentuate the welcoming look of a deck or patio with potted flowers in bright colors and annuals. Fill your window boxes with flowering plants or fragrant climbing roses of different colors. Container gardens is a natural sanctuary in the street next to the city, along the roofs and terraces. Pots can be placed close to each other than plants in a sort of an agreement on the bed, so beautiful gardens can flourish even in Itsy Bitsy-spots.

Search for variety and to harmonize the colors, different sizes and quality. The most commonly be included in the plants you choose, the more combinations you can do during the renovation of its outdoor space. Select a range of selection with different flowering cycles for the growing season to abound.

There are many creative ways to store and to search for container gardening. Even if you can not use recycled paper in porcelain bowls, but the simple concept of plants in pots or urns in addition to other things, offers a new perspective on gardening container.

With containers, you can watch your favorite shade almost anywhere. Sets of stairs in the front doors could also be used to welcome visitors. The correct use of pots and imaginative can really help to evoke the warmth and organized. Just read on the right combination and placement of pots to maximize your efforts with your container gardening Feat.

If you have a huge house for a nice entrance and a lot of space, flower pots, which are placed randomly in one part of the front door, usually looks better than putting two pots that are the same model and size on both sides. Compared with perennials, pots adds aesthetic value, when an odd number instead of the same. One-pot is often the perfect place to look good. But one of the pot next to the plate, the same size or not, and will damage the installation. Add one third of the pot, and creates its beauty again. Three vessels with the same or in pots, which are not the same design has a mystical beauty to them. It is a mystery, with the odd numbers are pleasing to the eye available. This is something so wonderful.

It takes just a few creative minds who are determined to make the best use of pots, plants and an easy place to get the best container garden. Some love and looking to add a pleasant scenario, inevitable enough to attract friends and some familiar faces.

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Source: http://ahomeinfo.net/container-gardening-tips-for-beginners/

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