WASHINGTON: Senior White House officials met with a group of Hollywood stars and entertainers on Monday to talk about how to use pop culture to persuade young Americans to sign up for new medical insurance coverage this fall.
For President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare reform law to succeed, the White House needs to attract 2.7 million younger consumers between the ages of 18 to 35, mostly male and non-white, to participate in new online health insurance exchanges.
Obama dropped by the meeting, which included comedian Amy Poehler, actor Jennifer Hudson, representatives for Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys and websites Funny or Die and YouTube.
"The reach of these national stars spreads beyond the Beltway to fans of their television shows, movies, and music - and the power of these artists to speak through social media is especially critical," a White House official said.
Obamacare needs young, healthy people to register for the new health insurance plans to counterbalance older, sicker enrollees and hold down costs.
But first the government needs to overcome skepticism that the new plans are worthwhile.
The artists are interested in helping explain the health care law and the sign-up period, which begins on October 1, the White House said, and met with Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and other officials involved in rolling out the program.
Several stars have already begun to publicize the program.
Funny or Die, a comedy video website with more than 19 million unique users per month and 6.4 million Twitter followers, is already working on several videos featuring celebrities, the White House said.
Earlier this year, the administration sought help from major US sports organizations including the National Football League on advertising campaigns. But Republicans publicly warned the leagues to steer clear of the efforts, and the NFL backed off.
Republicans argue the law is too expensive and confusing, and the Republican-led House of Representatives has voted dozens of times to try to repeal it.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Buy Cheap Earrings Online Are Very Convenient
Earrings Online shopping is not only a convenient way for busy women, but a very easy and simple one too. Women don't need to worry if they don't have good computer skills and if they find it difficult to shop from the e-stores. Almost every web store is designed on straight forward lines and are really simple to navigate. Interactive websites assist you to go at the right page, give you information on the choices made by you and guides you through the process of transaction too.
Before you buy earrings online, you should know that most women need no more than two pairs of earrings. One will be your every day earrings - most women buy diamond earrings or buy pearl earrings online in a stud design for this purpose. These are small earrings that go well with any outfit - formal, casual or ethnic and remove the need for you to change your earrings every day.
You can choose diamonds set in white gold, white pearls set in yellow gold, or just buy gold earrings with a versatile design for everyday use as well. The second pair will be a statement making pair of earrings. You can buy gold earrings in a dangling ethnic design, though today you have the choice to also buy a simple pair of danglers that look equally good with cocktail dresses as well as special occasion sarees.
Sales of online jewellery are growing. Concerns that shoppers in the past may have had about not being able to see products "in the flesh" have largely been diminished. Today, close up inspections of earrings can be done thanks to better magnified images on jewellery websites.
Before you buy earrings online, you should know that most women need no more than two pairs of earrings. One will be your every day earrings - most women buy diamond earrings or buy pearl earrings online in a stud design for this purpose. These are small earrings that go well with any outfit - formal, casual or ethnic and remove the need for you to change your earrings every day.
You can choose diamonds set in white gold, white pearls set in yellow gold, or just buy gold earrings with a versatile design for everyday use as well. The second pair will be a statement making pair of earrings. You can buy gold earrings in a dangling ethnic design, though today you have the choice to also buy a simple pair of danglers that look equally good with cocktail dresses as well as special occasion sarees.
Sales of online jewellery are growing. Concerns that shoppers in the past may have had about not being able to see products "in the flesh" have largely been diminished. Today, close up inspections of earrings can be done thanks to better magnified images on jewellery websites.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tampa woman swallows diamond at charity luncheon
TAMPA — They say diamonds are a girl's best friend. But a guest at a recent fashion show fundraiser might give that distinction to her gastroenterologist.
Miriam Tucker was one of hundreds of women sipping champagne at Fashionollia on April 20, staged for the 65th year by the Tampa Woman's Club.
It cost $20 for a glass of the bubbly — and a chance to win a 1.03-carat diamond. Continental Wholesale Diamond plunked a single stone, a round brilliant cut beauty appraised at $5,000, into one champagne flute. All the rest got cubic zirconias.
The luncheon concluded without any ecstatic shriek from one of the 280 women in the ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel International Plaza. Event organizers and jewelers Andy Meyer and Joy Pierson were puzzled.
"We knew the winner had to be at one of two tables," Pierson said. She was hovering in that vicinity when Tucker, 80, spoke up.
"I thought I'd drink a bit of champagne so I didn't have to stick my finger so far into the glass," said Tucker, a retired real estate broker. "We were laughing and talking when I realized I swallowed it. What a dumb thing."
Meanwhile, roving jewelers, armed with probes and a loupe, examined each stone. Tucker, assuming event organizers would announce a winner at any minute, chose not to draw attention to herself.
Until the room was near empty. Then she confessed.
"She said she swallowed what was in her glass," Pierson said, "but as luck would have it, she was scheduled for a colonoscopy in two days."
That wasn't good enough for Fashionollia chairwoman Gina Roth who insisted Tucker, who lives in South Tampa, follow her to St, Joseph's Hospital for an X-ray.
The diamond didn't show up on the X-ray, so Tucker prepped for her colonoscopy as planned. But as far as she could tell, the diamond remained stuck in her body.
Early the next morning, she alerted Dr. Bruce Edgerton "to be on lookout," briefing him on the case of the missing diamond.
During Tucker's examination, the doctor struck, well, a diamond. With the stone in a biohazard bag, Tucker's daughter drove straight to the jewelry store.
The jewelers confirmed Tucker's bling was the real thing. She took her prize home, cleaned, polished, sparkling.
As my son says, "All's well that ends well," Tucker said.
Champions for Children was the luncheon beneficiary.
Their motto: Protect Our Precious Gems.
Miriam Tucker was one of hundreds of women sipping champagne at Fashionollia on April 20, staged for the 65th year by the Tampa Woman's Club.
It cost $20 for a glass of the bubbly — and a chance to win a 1.03-carat diamond. Continental Wholesale Diamond plunked a single stone, a round brilliant cut beauty appraised at $5,000, into one champagne flute. All the rest got cubic zirconias.
The luncheon concluded without any ecstatic shriek from one of the 280 women in the ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel International Plaza. Event organizers and jewelers Andy Meyer and Joy Pierson were puzzled.
"We knew the winner had to be at one of two tables," Pierson said. She was hovering in that vicinity when Tucker, 80, spoke up.
"I thought I'd drink a bit of champagne so I didn't have to stick my finger so far into the glass," said Tucker, a retired real estate broker. "We were laughing and talking when I realized I swallowed it. What a dumb thing."
Meanwhile, roving jewelers, armed with probes and a loupe, examined each stone. Tucker, assuming event organizers would announce a winner at any minute, chose not to draw attention to herself.
Until the room was near empty. Then she confessed.
"She said she swallowed what was in her glass," Pierson said, "but as luck would have it, she was scheduled for a colonoscopy in two days."
That wasn't good enough for Fashionollia chairwoman Gina Roth who insisted Tucker, who lives in South Tampa, follow her to St, Joseph's Hospital for an X-ray.
The diamond didn't show up on the X-ray, so Tucker prepped for her colonoscopy as planned. But as far as she could tell, the diamond remained stuck in her body.
Early the next morning, she alerted Dr. Bruce Edgerton "to be on lookout," briefing him on the case of the missing diamond.
During Tucker's examination, the doctor struck, well, a diamond. With the stone in a biohazard bag, Tucker's daughter drove straight to the jewelry store.
The jewelers confirmed Tucker's bling was the real thing. She took her prize home, cleaned, polished, sparkling.
As my son says, "All's well that ends well," Tucker said.
Champions for Children was the luncheon beneficiary.
Their motto: Protect Our Precious Gems.
Buy Fashion Crystal Necklaces Let You More Noble And Elegent
Crystal is an ancient gem variety, also known as "water spirit", "water jade" and "Buddha stone". It is colorless and transparent quartz mineral. Natural crystal has been impressing people by its wonderful, colorful appearance and its benefit to human health and psychological effects which even diamond and gold could not compete. Crystal is admired to be a valuable material for making jewelry, especially crystal necklaces. These are reasons why crystal necklaces are quite popular and even become an essential. Crystal necklaces are beautiful and beautiful jewelry for us to enhance our outfit and attractiveness. They are shining like stars.
The playful, charming design of the crystal butterfly necklace is perfect for wearing in the summer or spring. It makes a wonderful Mother's Day or birthday gift. The fluttering butterfly family and the cheerfully colored crystal accents are sure to get plenty of compliments. She will love opening this gift and it will make her smile putting it on every morning. No one will be able to resist wearing this darling crystal butterfly pendant.
All of our jewelry is made from high quality materials and is offered to you for low prices. You can save up to 25% off retail prices by buying with Get Sparkling. We offer low priced shipping with costs starting at $6, and we are able to ship all over the world. You will receive your wonderful gift in about 20 business days. If your necklace is for a gift or special occasion we have optional seven to ten business days shipping available with DHL, UPS, or FedEx.
The playful, charming design of the crystal butterfly necklace is perfect for wearing in the summer or spring. It makes a wonderful Mother's Day or birthday gift. The fluttering butterfly family and the cheerfully colored crystal accents are sure to get plenty of compliments. She will love opening this gift and it will make her smile putting it on every morning. No one will be able to resist wearing this darling crystal butterfly pendant.
All of our jewelry is made from high quality materials and is offered to you for low prices. You can save up to 25% off retail prices by buying with Get Sparkling. We offer low priced shipping with costs starting at $6, and we are able to ship all over the world. You will receive your wonderful gift in about 20 business days. If your necklace is for a gift or special occasion we have optional seven to ten business days shipping available with DHL, UPS, or FedEx.
Monday, July 22, 2013
16 human body facts – Heart Lungs Blood vessels and Senses
A known phrase amongst medical students claims that the more you know – the more you understand how little you know. And so, hundreds of years in researching managed to discover amazing human body facts. We managed to discovered about the mystery that floats over the non stop working machine. from birth to death, here are 60 human body facts.
Heart, Lungs and Blood vessels:
1. Squirting high: The human heart is pumping with enormous pressure, capable of squirting blood up to 9 meters high. No wonder you can feel your heartbeats. It never stops and sends blood against gravity up to the head, and at the same time down to the rest of your body parts.
2. 100,000km: The length of your blood vessels is about 100,000km. To understand this distance – the circumference of earth is about 40,000km. The distance between the earth the moon is about 300,000km. So if we take the blood vessels of 3 people, and connect them edge to edge – we could easily step where Neil Armstrong did.
3. Women’s heart beat faster than men’s: The main reason for this is that women’s hearts tends to be a bit small than men’s, but needs to pump the same amount of blood to the body parts, in the same amount of time.
4. The left lung is smaller than the right: This is to make room for the heart. most people has a heart that tends to lean to the left, which pushes the left lung.
5. You can live without a significant amount of inner organs: The human body may seem fragile, but it can definitely live without the stomach, the spline, 75% of the liver, 80% of the intestines, one kidney, one lung and any productive organ. It wouldn’t feel so great, and you’ll have to be under medication – but it won’t kill you.
6. Saliva at 160kph: During a sneeze the spit particles can reach up to 160kph. the sneeze is very dangerous while driving – there is no way of sneezing with your eyes open, which caused a few road accidents already.
7. Who snores more?: 60% of men and 40% of women up to the age of 60 snore. In most cases a snore can reach 60 decibels. but some people can even reach 80 decibels – same as a concrete drill.
Senses:
1. Who will blink first?: Women blink twice as much as men. The average person blinks around 13 times a minute. Blinking is very important to the eye’s health: It helps cover the eye with liquid that has enzymes and Lubricating fluid, that protects it.
2. The strongest: The outer muscles that moves the eye ball are the strongest muscles in the body, relative to the amount of strength they require: They are stronger 100 times than needed.
3. Blue, but temporary: Many babies are born with blue eyes, but they wont stay that way for long. The reason for that is the pigment called “Melanin” that sometimes sinks in the eyes cornea after birth. This process require exposure to ultraviolet light, which in the end reveals the child’s real eye color.
4. Remember 50,000 scents: Our nose can remember 50,000 different smells, many of them are burnt into our memory for many years. but that’s nothing compared to men’s best friend – the dog’s nose is sensitive 1,000,000 times more than ours.
5. The last to go: The last sense that disconnects while dying is the sense of hearing. The first one being eye vision, followed by taste, smell and touch.
6. See for a distance: The longest distance that you can gaze into without any help is about 2.4 million light years – 225 trillion kilometers. This is the distance to the Andromeda galaxy, which you can see in bright sky.
7. Noise sensitive: The smallest noise can make our pupils dilate - this is one of the reasons why surgeons are bothered by noise - dilation of the pupil might cause to be blinded with light , that can cause a disaster.
8. From birth to old age: Our eyes stay the same size from the moment we are born until we are old age, but the ears and nose does not stop growing. That is why if someone did a nose surgery when he was young – you can see his nose changing over the years.
9. The strongest organ in our body is the tongue: You may not able to lift weights with it, but relative to it’s size, this is the strongest muscle in body that works almost nonstop by talking, eating and swallowing.
Heart, Lungs and Blood vessels:
1. Squirting high: The human heart is pumping with enormous pressure, capable of squirting blood up to 9 meters high. No wonder you can feel your heartbeats. It never stops and sends blood against gravity up to the head, and at the same time down to the rest of your body parts.
2. 100,000km: The length of your blood vessels is about 100,000km. To understand this distance – the circumference of earth is about 40,000km. The distance between the earth the moon is about 300,000km. So if we take the blood vessels of 3 people, and connect them edge to edge – we could easily step where Neil Armstrong did.
3. Women’s heart beat faster than men’s: The main reason for this is that women’s hearts tends to be a bit small than men’s, but needs to pump the same amount of blood to the body parts, in the same amount of time.
4. The left lung is smaller than the right: This is to make room for the heart. most people has a heart that tends to lean to the left, which pushes the left lung.
5. You can live without a significant amount of inner organs: The human body may seem fragile, but it can definitely live without the stomach, the spline, 75% of the liver, 80% of the intestines, one kidney, one lung and any productive organ. It wouldn’t feel so great, and you’ll have to be under medication – but it won’t kill you.
6. Saliva at 160kph: During a sneeze the spit particles can reach up to 160kph. the sneeze is very dangerous while driving – there is no way of sneezing with your eyes open, which caused a few road accidents already.
7. Who snores more?: 60% of men and 40% of women up to the age of 60 snore. In most cases a snore can reach 60 decibels. but some people can even reach 80 decibels – same as a concrete drill.
Senses:
1. Who will blink first?: Women blink twice as much as men. The average person blinks around 13 times a minute. Blinking is very important to the eye’s health: It helps cover the eye with liquid that has enzymes and Lubricating fluid, that protects it.
2. The strongest: The outer muscles that moves the eye ball are the strongest muscles in the body, relative to the amount of strength they require: They are stronger 100 times than needed.
3. Blue, but temporary: Many babies are born with blue eyes, but they wont stay that way for long. The reason for that is the pigment called “Melanin” that sometimes sinks in the eyes cornea after birth. This process require exposure to ultraviolet light, which in the end reveals the child’s real eye color.
4. Remember 50,000 scents: Our nose can remember 50,000 different smells, many of them are burnt into our memory for many years. but that’s nothing compared to men’s best friend – the dog’s nose is sensitive 1,000,000 times more than ours.
5. The last to go: The last sense that disconnects while dying is the sense of hearing. The first one being eye vision, followed by taste, smell and touch.
6. See for a distance: The longest distance that you can gaze into without any help is about 2.4 million light years – 225 trillion kilometers. This is the distance to the Andromeda galaxy, which you can see in bright sky.
7. Noise sensitive: The smallest noise can make our pupils dilate - this is one of the reasons why surgeons are bothered by noise - dilation of the pupil might cause to be blinded with light , that can cause a disaster.
8. From birth to old age: Our eyes stay the same size from the moment we are born until we are old age, but the ears and nose does not stop growing. That is why if someone did a nose surgery when he was young – you can see his nose changing over the years.
9. The strongest organ in our body is the tongue: You may not able to lift weights with it, but relative to it’s size, this is the strongest muscle in body that works almost nonstop by talking, eating and swallowing.
Beautiful Flower Brooch To Decorate You Fashionable
One design is flower brooches. These are perfect for flower lovers. They are available in various colors and some of the designs available are floral wreaths and bouquets. They are also extremely fashionable regardless of the season. Flower brooches are perfect for different events, especially weddings. They are also very cute and appropriate for church.
Everyone likes to accessorize. One of the best ways to do that is to go with brooches as your jewelry or an added fashion piece. They never go out of style and there are so many flower brooches to choose from that there will always be a fresh piece for every occasion. If someone is in the mood for something whimsical and cute, there are various flower brooches to select from.
The jewelry comes in a variety of styles. For example, a woman that loves collecting butterflies would enjoy receiving a piece of jewelry in the shape of a butterfly. A flower brooch is good for someone who wants to spice up a boring outfit or top. A pearl brooch is a good choice when wanting to go simple and not over the top. The pearl style is a good choice for someone who likes classic jewelry and sophistication. Our website have all kinds of flower brooches to waiting you to chooes,welcme to join us quickly!
Everyone likes to accessorize. One of the best ways to do that is to go with brooches as your jewelry or an added fashion piece. They never go out of style and there are so many flower brooches to choose from that there will always be a fresh piece for every occasion. If someone is in the mood for something whimsical and cute, there are various flower brooches to select from.
The jewelry comes in a variety of styles. For example, a woman that loves collecting butterflies would enjoy receiving a piece of jewelry in the shape of a butterfly. A flower brooch is good for someone who wants to spice up a boring outfit or top. A pearl brooch is a good choice when wanting to go simple and not over the top. The pearl style is a good choice for someone who likes classic jewelry and sophistication. Our website have all kinds of flower brooches to waiting you to chooes,welcme to join us quickly!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Crew tried to abort landing before San Francisco air crash
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that crashed at San Francisco's airport on Saturday was flying "significantly below" its intended speed and its crew tried to abort the landing less than two seconds before it hit a seawall in front of the runway, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday.
Asiana Airlines said the pilot in charge of landing the Boeing 777 on Saturday, Lee Kang-kook, was training for the long-range plane and it was his first flight to that airport with the jet. Asiana Airlines said he had previously flown to San Francisco on different planes and was being assisted by another pilot more experienced with the Boeing 777.
Information collected from the plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder indicated that there were no signs of trouble until seven seconds before impact, when the crew tried to accelerate, NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said at a news conference at the airport.
A stall warning in which the cockpit controls begin to shake activated four seconds before impact, and the crew tried to abort the landing and initiate what is known as a "go around" maneuver 1.5 seconds before crashing, Hersman said.
"Air speed was significantly below the target air speed" of 137 knots, she said. The throttle was set at idle as the plane approached the airport and the "engines appear to respond normally" when the crew tried to gain speed in the seconds before the crash, Hersman said.
Two Chinese teenagers died in the incident and more than 180 people were injured, local officials said. In a tragic new twist, the San Francisco Fire Department said that one of the teenagers may have been run over by an emergency vehicle as first responders scrambled to the scene.
"One of the deceased did have injuries consistent with those of having been run over by a vehicle," fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. "Many agencies were on the field yesterday."
Autopsies to determine the cause of death will be conducted by the San Mateo County coroner's office, officials said.
More than 30 people remained hospitalized late on Sunday. Eight were listed in critical condition, including two with paralysis from spinal injuries, according to hospital officials.
The charred hulk of the aircraft remained on the airport tarmac as flight operations gradually returned to normal. Three of the four runways were operating by Sunday afternoon.
Hersman said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the crash. The data recorders corroborated witness accounts and an amateur video, shown by CNN, that indicated the plane came in too low, lifted its nose in an attempt to gain altitude, and then bounced violently along the tarmac after the rear of the aircraft clipped a seawall at the approach to the runway.
Asked whether the information reviewed by the NTSB showed pilot error in the crash, Hersman did not answer directly.
"What I will tell you is that the NTSB conducts very thorough investigations. We will not reach a determination of probable cause in the first few days that we're on an accident scene," she told reporters.
Asiana said mechanical failure did not appear to be a factor in the crash. Hersman confirmed that a part of the airport's instrument-landing system was offline on Saturday as part of a scheduled runway construction project, but cautioned against drawing conclusions from that.
"You do not need instruments to get into the airport," she said, noting that the weather was good at the time of the crash and that the plane had been cleared for a visual approach.
The Asiana flight originated in Shanghai and was flying to San Francisco from Seoul with 291 passengers and 16 crew members on board. Several large groups of Chinese students were among the passengers.
SERIOUS INTERIOR DAMAGE
People on the flight said nothing seemed amiss until moments before the plane hit the ground. Pictures taken by survivors showed passengers hurrying out of the wrecked plane, some on evacuation slides. Thick smoke billowed from the fuselage and TV footage showed the aircraft gutted and blackened by fire. Much of its roof was gone.
Interior damage to the plane also was extreme, Hersman said on CNN earlier on Sunday.
"You can see the devastation from the outside of the aircraft, the burn-through, the damage to the external fuselage," she said. "But what you can't see is the damage internally. That is really striking."
The NTSB released photos showing the wrecked interior cabin oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling.
The dead were identified as Ye Meng Yuan and Wang Lin Jia, both 16-year-old girls and described as Chinese nationals who are students, Asiana Airlines said. They had been seated at the rear of the aircraft, according to government officials in Seoul and Asiana, and were found outside the airplane.
Hersman said the first crew of emergency workers to arrive at the scene included 23 people in nine vehicles. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said a total of 225 first responders were involved.
"As chaotic as the site was yesterday, I think a number of miracles occurred to save many more lives," Lee said at the airport news conference. Appearing later at San Francisco General Hospital, he declined to address whether one of the Chinese teenagers may have been run over.
The crash was the first fatal accident involving the Boeing 777, a popular long-range jet that has been in service since 1995. It was the first fatal commercial airline accident in the United States since a regional plane operated by Colgan Air crashed in New York in 2009.
"For now, we acknowledge that there were no problems caused by the 777-200 plane or (its) engines," Yoon Young-doo, the president and CEO of the airline, told reporters on Sunday at the company headquarters on the outskirts of Seoul.
Asiana said passengers included 141 Chinese, 77 South Koreans, 64 Americans, three Indians, three Canadians, one French, one Vietnamese and one Japanese citizen.
Asiana, South Korea's junior carrier, has had two other fatal crashes in its 25-year history.
(Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Alistain Barr, Sarah McBride, Ronnie Cohen, Poornima Gupta, Laila Kearney, Dan Levine, Jonathan Weber, Peter Henderson, Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Jonathan Allen and Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Will Dunham)c
Asiana Airlines said the pilot in charge of landing the Boeing 777 on Saturday, Lee Kang-kook, was training for the long-range plane and it was his first flight to that airport with the jet. Asiana Airlines said he had previously flown to San Francisco on different planes and was being assisted by another pilot more experienced with the Boeing 777.
Information collected from the plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder indicated that there were no signs of trouble until seven seconds before impact, when the crew tried to accelerate, NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said at a news conference at the airport.
A stall warning in which the cockpit controls begin to shake activated four seconds before impact, and the crew tried to abort the landing and initiate what is known as a "go around" maneuver 1.5 seconds before crashing, Hersman said.
"Air speed was significantly below the target air speed" of 137 knots, she said. The throttle was set at idle as the plane approached the airport and the "engines appear to respond normally" when the crew tried to gain speed in the seconds before the crash, Hersman said.
Two Chinese teenagers died in the incident and more than 180 people were injured, local officials said. In a tragic new twist, the San Francisco Fire Department said that one of the teenagers may have been run over by an emergency vehicle as first responders scrambled to the scene.
"One of the deceased did have injuries consistent with those of having been run over by a vehicle," fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. "Many agencies were on the field yesterday."
Autopsies to determine the cause of death will be conducted by the San Mateo County coroner's office, officials said.
More than 30 people remained hospitalized late on Sunday. Eight were listed in critical condition, including two with paralysis from spinal injuries, according to hospital officials.
The charred hulk of the aircraft remained on the airport tarmac as flight operations gradually returned to normal. Three of the four runways were operating by Sunday afternoon.
Hersman said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the crash. The data recorders corroborated witness accounts and an amateur video, shown by CNN, that indicated the plane came in too low, lifted its nose in an attempt to gain altitude, and then bounced violently along the tarmac after the rear of the aircraft clipped a seawall at the approach to the runway.
Asked whether the information reviewed by the NTSB showed pilot error in the crash, Hersman did not answer directly.
"What I will tell you is that the NTSB conducts very thorough investigations. We will not reach a determination of probable cause in the first few days that we're on an accident scene," she told reporters.
Asiana said mechanical failure did not appear to be a factor in the crash. Hersman confirmed that a part of the airport's instrument-landing system was offline on Saturday as part of a scheduled runway construction project, but cautioned against drawing conclusions from that.
"You do not need instruments to get into the airport," she said, noting that the weather was good at the time of the crash and that the plane had been cleared for a visual approach.
The Asiana flight originated in Shanghai and was flying to San Francisco from Seoul with 291 passengers and 16 crew members on board. Several large groups of Chinese students were among the passengers.
SERIOUS INTERIOR DAMAGE
People on the flight said nothing seemed amiss until moments before the plane hit the ground. Pictures taken by survivors showed passengers hurrying out of the wrecked plane, some on evacuation slides. Thick smoke billowed from the fuselage and TV footage showed the aircraft gutted and blackened by fire. Much of its roof was gone.
Interior damage to the plane also was extreme, Hersman said on CNN earlier on Sunday.
"You can see the devastation from the outside of the aircraft, the burn-through, the damage to the external fuselage," she said. "But what you can't see is the damage internally. That is really striking."
The NTSB released photos showing the wrecked interior cabin oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling.
The dead were identified as Ye Meng Yuan and Wang Lin Jia, both 16-year-old girls and described as Chinese nationals who are students, Asiana Airlines said. They had been seated at the rear of the aircraft, according to government officials in Seoul and Asiana, and were found outside the airplane.
Hersman said the first crew of emergency workers to arrive at the scene included 23 people in nine vehicles. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said a total of 225 first responders were involved.
"As chaotic as the site was yesterday, I think a number of miracles occurred to save many more lives," Lee said at the airport news conference. Appearing later at San Francisco General Hospital, he declined to address whether one of the Chinese teenagers may have been run over.
The crash was the first fatal accident involving the Boeing 777, a popular long-range jet that has been in service since 1995. It was the first fatal commercial airline accident in the United States since a regional plane operated by Colgan Air crashed in New York in 2009.
"For now, we acknowledge that there were no problems caused by the 777-200 plane or (its) engines," Yoon Young-doo, the president and CEO of the airline, told reporters on Sunday at the company headquarters on the outskirts of Seoul.
Asiana said passengers included 141 Chinese, 77 South Koreans, 64 Americans, three Indians, three Canadians, one French, one Vietnamese and one Japanese citizen.
Asiana, South Korea's junior carrier, has had two other fatal crashes in its 25-year history.
(Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Alistain Barr, Sarah McBride, Ronnie Cohen, Poornima Gupta, Laila Kearney, Dan Levine, Jonathan Weber, Peter Henderson, Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Jonathan Allen and Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Will Dunham)c
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