Die

A helicopter carrying 15 men crashed and burned today on the deck of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, killing all but one of those aboard. The Coast Guard picked up one survivor and flew him 100 miles to the burn unit of West Jefferson Hospital in suburban New Orleans. Thirteen workers aboard the craft were employees of Penrod Drilling, according to Edward L. Billarreal, division manager of Forest Oil Corp., which operated the rig.

I'm 33; my father is 69. The only problem I have with this is he has not been alive for some time. Don't misunderstand me; technically he is alive--his heart beats and his lungs take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. My father had Alzheimer's disease and the disease has brought to my attention a serious problem. In order for you to understand my problem, you need to know a little about my father. In my opinion, and I admit I may be prejudiced, my dad was probably the most successful man I ever met; not by society's standards--he's not famous, he did not make a lot of money, he was just one of the millions of us who got up in the morning and went to work, worked hard all day, and came home at night.

Researchers believe the massive die-offs of New Mexico's state tree, the pinyon, during the drought of 2002 and 2003 could be a harbinger of life in a warming world. High-elevation pinyon forests that had survived previous droughts endured as much as 90% mortality during that drought, Arizona researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Four people were killed and eight were injured Tuesday by explosions and a fire at a chemical plant in Skopje, southern Yugoslavia, the official news agency Tanjug reported. It said the fire, at the Ading chemical factory, was preceded by two explosions that badly damaged the building.

At least 19 people died when a gold mine in Burkina Fasso caved in last week, Ouagadougou radio said Wednesday. Officials are unsure now how many miners were inside the Hora mine, and the death toll could be higher than the 19 known dead.

Two men were killed and two others wounded Saturday during a shooting at an Inglewood bar, but no arrests were made and the motive remained unknown, police said. Enrique Alvarado, 36, of Lawndale died at the Acapulco Lounge in the 3100 block of West Imperial Highway. A second unidentified man also was killed.

A logging truck and a freight train collided at a crossing, derailing the train, sending an engine into an ice-covered pond and killing two men, officials said Wednesday. Four other men were injured in the Tuesday incident.

A bus plunged into a ravine in the central state of Guanajuato on Monday, killing 13 people and injuring 38, the official news agency Notimex said. According to Notimex, police said the bus ran off the road when its brakes failed on a highway in the mountains near the town of Silao.

When the world champion Lakers are in desperate need of fan support in earlier playoff games, what do they get? Here's what: A half-empty building (though 17,505 tickets are sold as corporate tax writeoffs), a bunch of Laker girls who reside dangerously close to the sidelines, a band that has been playing the same four songs for three years and an egotistical dancing jerk running up and down the aisles for the so-called fans to enjoy. Then they are subjected to a P.A. announcer who is more of a cheerleader than informer.

Most of the 608 passengers aboard the Cebu City were sleeping when a freighter slammed into the ferry Friday in Manila Bay. Half an hour later the ferry sank--a three-foot hole in its lower deck. At least 34 people drowned. More than 100 were still missing. Ships in the area plucked 451 people from the sea, many coated with the diesel oil disgorged as the ferry sank.