NEWSMAKERS: ========= Philippine typhoon death toll could - TopicsExpress



          

NEWSMAKERS: ========= Philippine typhoon death toll could reach 10,000: TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) — The death toll from one of the strongest storms on record that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said Sunday after the extent of massive devastation became apparent and horrified survivors spoke of storm surges as high as trees and winds sounding like the roar of a jumbo jet. Regional police chief Elmer Soria said he was briefed by Leyte provincial Gov. Dominic Petilla late Saturday and told there were about 10,000 deaths in the province, mostly by drowning and from collapsed buildings. The governors figure was based on reports from village officials in areas where Typhoon Haiyan slammed Friday. >>>>>> World’s Largest Backyard Telescope: Ask any backyard stargazer—bigger is better when it comes to telescopes. One Utah amateur has turned just such a towering dream into reality. Truck driver by day and passionate skywatcher by night, Mike Clements has built what appears to be the world’s largest modern-day amateur telescope. The behemoth telescope has a primary mirror measuring 70 inches (1.8 meters) across. It is housed in a black metal cage that stands some 35 feet (10.7 meters) tall—the size of a school bus. For comparison, the most popular sizes for backyard telescopes typically range anywhere from 3 to 12 inches (7.6 to 30.5 centimeters). At the heart of Clements’ reflecting telescope is the 900-pound (408 kilograms) mirror, one made originally for a U.S. spy satellite program. However due to some minor damage during manufacturing, the mirror was mothballed, and eventually put up for auction, which is how Clements acquired it in 2005, according to press reports . >>>>>> A Chinese Child’s Lung Cancer Is Linked to Pollution: An expert tells what is known about the impact of air quality on health. An eight-year-old girl, living near a major road in the Jiangsu Province of Eastern China, has become the youngest person in China, and possibly in the world, to be diagnosed with lung cancer caused by pollution—the cause of her disease according to Chinese officials. And last month, the World Health Organization classified air pollution as a major human carcinogen. Levels of PM2.5—microscopic particles filling the air as a result of pollution—have been shown in some industrialized areas of China to reach levels up to 40 times higher than the exposure level considered safe by the World Health Organization. >>>>>> Couple Breaks World Record With Whopping 126 Bridesmaids in Sri Lankan Wedding: Southern brides in the U.S. are usually thought to take the cake for having the most bridesmaids included in their pearl-wearing, sorority-sister-filled, monogrammed-to-the-nines wedding ceremonies. But one bride in Sri Lanka, Nisansala, has officially dominated the bridesmaids department, breaking the Guinness World Record with her husband, Nalin, for having the most bridesmaids in their Nov. 8 wedding ceremony in Negombo. The whopping 126 bridesmaids, adorned in long purple dresses with white flowers in their perfectly pulled-back hair, beats the previous record from a wedding in Bangkok, Thailand, that had a mere 96 bridesmaids. The over-the-top number of bridesmaids was the brainchild of the brides sister, famous Sri Lankan bridal gown designer, Champi Siriwardana, who helped plan the wedding and had her eyes set on the Guinness World Records prize. The lavender ladies had good company during the nuptials, though. The groom also had a strong representation with 25 best men and 20 page boys. And with a wedding so lavish, it only seems appropriate that the aisle be riddled with flower petals for the bride to make her grand entrance. In order to so, Nisanala had 23 flower girls.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 14:33:37 +0000

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