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Unions battle in Ohio over hospital workers

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Logo of the Service Employees International Union

The Service Employees International Union, a trade union in the United States and Canada, was trying to unionize 8,300 workers in nine different Ohio hospitals through elections that were scheduled for this Wednesday and Friday. But then organizers from a second union, the California Nurses Association, visited the hospitals to encourage the workers to vote not to join the S.E.I.U. These actions led to the service employees union on Tuesday asking to postpone the vote by workers at the nine hospitals, all which are a part of the Catholic Healthcare Partners system.

Andy Stern, the service president is quoted as saying, “nothing more than a flimsy cover for out-and-out union busting that we normally see from employers, not organizations that claim to care about workers.”

The California Nurses Association, said it dispatched organizers to Ohio because in its view the unionization efforts were part of a “sweetheart deal”.

Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the nurses association, condemned this agreement. She called it “a rigged scam” in which the service union would bargain without care if they won the vote.

“This was a top-down deal between an employer and a hand-picked union,” Ms. DeMoro said. “There was a gag order on everyone, and as a result this was a banana republic election.”

“As for the future,” DeMoro said, “no election is planned.” She said that delaying the election was “a significant victory for employee rights.”

Dave Regan, president of a service employees’ local representing 35,000 health care workers in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, called the nurses union’s conduct as, “Their conduct is indistinguishable from that of the most vicious anti-union employers,” Mr. Regan said. “It violates every principle of unionism. Real people are worse off today as a result of their behavior.”

Orest Holubec, spokesman for Catholic Healthcare, said the system’s hospital in Lima had obtained a restraining order to bar the California nurses from entering restricted patient-care areas and aggressive leafletting outside hospitals. “They were doing exactly the kind of things we were trying to avoid,” Mr. Holubec said. “They poisoned the well to the degree that we didn’t have the conditions that we tried to establish for a pressure-free environment.”

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Official death toll from Nigerian refugee camp airstrike passes 100

Thursday, January 26, 2017

On Monday Nigerian authorities raised the official death toll from January 17’s airstrike upon a refugee camp to 236, though the BBC on Tuesday reported an official told them this was an error and the actual figure was 115. The military said at the time a jet mistook refugees for rebels.

There are no words to describe the chaos […] I saw the bodies of children that had been cut in two.

The new toll updates previous estimates, which at the time of the incident were of at least 50 dead. The BBC on Tuesday reported an official told them the figure of 236 was erroneously reached by combining the numbers of dead and wounded. The camp in Rann, Borno State is home to thousands and lies near the northeastern border with Cameroon.

Home to those displaced by Boko Haram insurgents, the camp is in an area suffering famine. Farmers are unable to work owing to bombs on their land. The Red Cross was there to distribute food when the attack happened. Twenty Nigerian Red Cross workers were injured or killed. Médecins Sans Frontières are treating the majority of the wounded in makeshift tents in Rann, which lacks hospital facilities. A small number have been evacuated to Maiduguri.

Military officials said at the time the Air Force had been dispatched to Rann after reports of “remnants” of Boko Haram in the area. The military claims it is in a “final push” against the rebel group. A promised investigation has materialised in the form of a panel of Air Force officials, with orders to complete the probe by the end of next week.

File photo of a refugee camp in Maiduguri, Nigeria.Image: Voice of America.

Human Rights Watch have called for compensation for victims. They say the military is not absolved of liability and suggest the camp’s tents were obvious. Eyewitnesses say the aircraft circled twice, dropping multiple bombs, which appears corroborated by satellite imagery. President Muhammadu Buhari called it a “regrettable operational mistake” and has since departed for a holiday in London.

Journalists are barred from the military-controlled camp. Officials claim all the dead in Rann have been buried, and two more died in hospital in Maiduguri. Most of those killed were women and children. Soldiers were also amongst those killed. Eyewitnesses claim two days after the disaster in excess of 100 Boko Haram militants attacked the camp, fighting with soldiers for hours.

MSF field co-ordinator Alfred Davies said, “There are no words to describe the chaos[…] I saw the bodies of children that had been cut in two.” MSF have called for “a transparent account” with the organisation’s general director complaining refugees “were bombed by those who were meant to safeguard them”. Some humanitarian groups have suggested the incident constitutes a war crime even as an accident, and Human Rights Watch is urging an independent probe. They say 35 structures were destroyed at two separate locations within the camp.

“We saw dozens of patients with multiple traumatic injuries, including open fractures and wounds to the abdomen and chest,” said MSF doctor Mohammed Musoke. He described wounded children, including a crying baby with shrapnel in its neck and “a 10-year-old boy with a large, deep flesh wound to his thigh. The flesh was hanging loose on one side and you could see through to the bone.”

Survivor Baba, 37, a refugee, said military aircraft were not an uncommon sight but the attacking jet behaved abnormally. “The plane flew back and forth, and we knew something was wrong before the bombing happened.” His remarks were released by MSF.

Prior to the attacks camp residents had been starving, some dying from malnutrition. War and substandard infrastructure left Rann isolated, and the attack came as the Red Cross were about to distribute food they had just arrived with. The Red Cross say they have five weeks’ worth of food.

The International NGO Safety Organisation claims 2016 saw in excess of 90 aid workers killed worldwide, with 154 injured.

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Shin Corporation defamation suit fails

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Shin Corporation, the multi-billion baht telecom and IT giant, has lost its defamation suit against Supinya Klangnarong for her comments in an interview with the Thai Post in July 2003.

In her interview Supinya, secretary general of the Campaign for Popular Media, had stated that Shin corporation gained revenue following the election of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the company’s founder. As a result the corporation sued her and five of the Thai Post’s executives for defamation.

The court’s finding that Supinya has a right to express her opinion, and that it did not defame Shin Corp. followed a number of attempts by the company to settle out of court or otherwise avoid a judgement.

This judgement comes at an inopportune moment for the Prime Minister: his family’s recent tax-free sale of their stake in Shin has acted as a catalyst for the protests calling for Thaksin to resign.

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Pregnant Women: How To Deal With Anxiety And Insomnia

By James S. Pendergraft

The wait is often a source of anxiety… how not to have peaks of anxiety when we must wait for 9 months!

So even during a normal pregnancy as it is, pregnant women will certainly have at one time or another, anxiety, fear will suddenly invade.

Fears that may be linked to his own health but is more often the case with that of the unborn child… “will it be normal”?, “Pregnancy going up to term” … the questions are multiple and the reactions of individual women vary widely depending on personal experience, sensitivity, but also the ability to not generalize a sad event occurred to Madame X and recounted in detail the day by the so-called best friend …

Weakened during this period of pregnancy, the mother is often very influenced by what she reads, what it means, and any symptoms or any difference compared to “normal” reference announced by the gynecologist can be source of anxiety.

The anxieties and fears that disrupt the sleep of the pregnant woman to be the real source of recurrent insomnia.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjhFqa667lU[/youtube]

Why insomnia is often the lot of the last trimester of pregnancy: the birth approaching, questions and fears come and wake up the mother in the middle of the night with great difficulty to find sleep.

Insomnia that are aggravated by a comfortable position increasingly difficult to find in late pregnancy and various other minor ailments such as cramps, back pain …

What to do about insomnia?

In most cases, no treatment is necessary.

If you have any anxieties, fears, the best remedies is to know your gynecologist or midwife who can give answers to your questions and calm about your health and your future baby. Take advantage of your meetings to prepare for childbirth and share your concerns to the midwife.

Finally, if you know someone has a bad way to tell you all the misfortunes that she (or he?) Heard in this world about childbirth, pregnancy … try to take your distance and do not destabilize. Each case is individual and unless the person in question is a health professional, better not listen!

If you can not find sleep in the middle of the night, get up a drink of water or milk. Walk a little and go back to bed. Do not stay too long to turn and return to bed, you may do more mounting anxiety.

A healthy lifestyle can also reduce sleep by following some tips:

Take a light meal but not enough to be awakened by hunger avoid taking stimulants such as coffee, tea. Opt instead for a glass of warm milk sleep in a room calm and avoid overheated places you relax while listening to music, or immerse yourself in reading take a bubble bath, not too hot, before going to bed

If despite your best efforts, the difficulties and anxieties persist, talk to your doctor. Alternative drugs may actually be adopted.

Attention, you must not practice self: ask your gynecologist who will prescribe any treatment to help you find the sleep and peace.

About the Author:

Florida Abortions Clinic.

Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women’s Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including

Medical Abortions

, physical examinations, family planning, counseling, laboratory services. Orlando Women’s Center.

Second, And Late Term Abortions Clinic.

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Food with cancer-causing dye recalled in Britain

Saturday, April 30, 2005

The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced a recall of foods containing banned dyes which increase the risk of cancer. The food products were sold at the Tesco, Waitrose, and Somerfield supermarkets.

A Bristol company called “Barts Spices” found the illegal Para Red substance in their Barts Ground Paprika, which was sold in 48g and 46g jars with a “Co-op” label. The batch codes on the affected products are 5032 and 5089 (expiration Dec 2007), and 5075 (expiration February 2007).

Tesco also found that their 130g package of BBQ rice cakes (expiration November and December 2005) contained both Para Red and Sudan I.

“It would be very prudent to assume that it could be a genotoxic carcinogen,” FSA scientific advisers told reporters.

“As a company committed to supplying only the very finest quality food ingredients, we took the immediate decision to withdraw our ground paprika spice from all outlets selling the product and advertised a product recall in the national press,” a Barts Spices spokesman said in a statement.

Sudan I is only authorized for industrial use to colorize petroleum products, such as shoe polish. Para Red and Sudan I are banned under the British Colours in Food Regulations of 1995.

Britain last went through a major food recall in February, when Worcester Sauce was found to contain chili powder dyed with Sudan 1.

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Singer Britney Spears faces hit and run charges

Saturday, September 22, 2007

File:Britney-Spears082.jpg
Britney Spears performing in Los Angeles, CA in 2004. Image: BUDSMR.

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office said yesterday that pop music super-star Britney Spears was facing charges for a hit and run offence and driving without a valid drivers’ license.

Charges were filed following an accident in which police allege Spears smashed her car into another vehicle in a parking area in August of 2007.

She could face a maximum of six months in jail and US$2,000 in fines if convicted.

A group of paparazzi recorded a video Britney steering her car into another vehicle on August 6 as she tried to pull into a parking spot in a Studio City lot.

Kim Robard-Rifkin was the owner of the other car and she filed a police report three days after the accident. The 59-year-old nurse found out that it was Spears who ran into her car after watching a video on a celebrity website.

Robard-Rifkin said, “I simply want my car fixed, the same as I would fix somebody’s car if I had done that.”

Spears will be arraigned on October 10.

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Saturn moon Enceladus may have salty ocean

Thursday, June 23, 2011

This mosaic was created from two high-resolution images that were captured by the narrow-angle camera when NASA’s Cassini spacecraft flew past Enceladus and through the jets on Nov. 21, 2009. Image: NASA/JPL/SSI.

NASA’s Cassini–Huygens spacecraft has discovered evidence for a large-scale saltwater reservoir beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The data came from the spacecraft’s direct analysis of salt-rich ice grains close to the jets ejected from the moon. The study has been published in this week’s edition of the journal Nature.

Data from Cassini’s cosmic dust analyzer show the grains expelled from fissures, known as tiger stripes, are relatively small and usually low in salt far away from the moon. Closer to the moon’s surface, Cassini found that relatively large grains rich with sodium and potassium dominate the plumes. The salt-rich particles have an “ocean-like” composition and indicate that most, if not all, of the expelled ice and water vapor comes from the evaporation of liquid salt-water. When water freezes, the salt is squeezed out, leaving pure water ice behind.

Cassini’s ultraviolet imaging spectrograph also recently obtained complementary results that support the presence of a subsurface ocean. A team of Cassini researchers led by Candice Hansen of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, measured gas shooting out of distinct jets originating in the moon’s south polar region at five to eight times the speed of sound, several times faster than previously measured. These observations of distinct jets, from a 2010 flyby, are consistent with results showing a difference in composition of ice grains close to the moon’s surface and those that made it out to the E ring, the outermost ring that gets its material primarily from Enceladean jets. If the plumes emanated from ice, they should have very little salt in them.

“There currently is no plausible way to produce a steady outflow of salt-rich grains from solid ice across all the tiger stripes other than salt water under Enceladus’s icy surface,” said Frank Postberg, a Cassini team scientist at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

The data suggests a layer of water between the moon’s rocky core and its icy mantle, possibly as deep as about 50 miles (80 kilometers) beneath the surface. As this water washes against the rocks, it dissolves salt compounds and rises through fractures in the overlying ice to form reserves nearer the surface. If the outermost layer cracks open, the decrease in pressure from these reserves to space causes a plume to shoot out. Roughly 400 pounds (200 kilograms) of water vapor is lost every second in the plumes, with smaller amounts being lost as ice grains. The team calculates the water reserves must have large evaporating surfaces, or they would freeze easily and stop the plumes.

“We imagine that between the ice and the ice core there is an ocean of depth and this is somehow connected to the surface reservoir,” added Postberg.

The Cassini mission discovered Enceladus’ water-vapor and ice jets in 2005. In 2009, scientists working with the cosmic dust analyzer examined some sodium salts found in ice grains of Saturn’s E ring but the link to subsurface salt water was not definitive. The new paper analyzes three Enceladus flybys in 2008 and 2009 with the same instrument, focusing on the composition of freshly ejected plume grains. In 2008, Cassini discovered a high “density of volatile gases, water vapor, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as well as organic materials, some 20 times denser than expected” in geysers erupting from the moon. The icy particles hit the detector target at speeds between 15,000 and 39,000 MPH (23,000 and 63,000 KPH), vaporizing instantly. Electrical fields inside the cosmic dust analyzer separated the various constituents of the impact cloud.

“Enceladus has got warmth, water and organic chemicals, some of the essential building blocks needed for life,” said Dennis Matson in 2008, Cassini project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

“This finding is a crucial new piece of evidence showing that environmental conditions favorable to the emergence of life can be sustained on icy bodies orbiting gas giant planets,” said Nicolas Altobelli, the European Space Agency’s project scientist for Cassini.

“If there is water in such an unexpected place, it leaves possibility for the rest of the universe,” said Postberg.

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Never Mind The ‘Key To The Door’ Here’s Our Key To A Successful 21st Birthday

By John Smith

Though turning 21 holds little significance in terms of legal rights these days; it is an age that has long been respected as the transition from ‘youth’ to adulthood. In several parts of the world, this milestone age is celebrated with the gift of a key and in a more innocent time, this would have been the age when young men and women were given their own key to the front door as a symbol of respect and responsibility.

Of course these days it might be bordering on abuse to leave your twenty year old locked out and sitting on the doorstep but you get the idea. These days, we like to think of it is the last significant birthday before the big ’30’, and if that means having to wait another nine years, then it makes sense that the 21st should be a birthday to remember!

The Venue

Choosing the right venue for a 21st birthday may well be the most difficult part to organise, unless of course you’re Prince William and you can get a family discount on Windsor Castle. The venue of a great party will always include room to eat, room to dance and plenty of room to stack up all those wonderful 21st birthday gifts you can expect to receive. It doesn’t matter if it’s your own house or your own private Island, getting the right look with a few decorations is vital. If you want to impress with someone’s 21st birthday gifts then why not make the party boy or girl the focus of the decorations too with a ‘Lichenstein Style Pop Art Print’?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5623N8kTj4[/youtube]

The Guests

Unless there are a few major celebrities at the party then it’s unlikely that the glossy magazines will be making any offers to take the photographs. However, that’s not to say that you can’t invite the likes of George Clooney or Keira Knightley anyway; it’s perfectly believable that they simply couldn’t attend because they’re busy shooting their latest moviethough they send their best wishes of course! Why not indulge in some 21st birthday gifts that really embrace the glamour of Hollywood with a ‘Personalised Film Star Calendar’ or even a ‘Personalised Hollywood Walk of Fame Star’?

The Outfit

Parties are always a great excuse to buy a new sparkly outfit and make yourself look gorgeous so why not treat your host with some 21st birthday gifts that will really see them start their adult life looking their absolute best? You could always treat them to a day at a health spa before the party starts, or perhaps even give them a gift pack that entitles them to a makeover with a professional stylist. These 21st birthday gifts will make anyone look like the real belle of the ball. For those fully fledged men, a pair of dazzling cufflinks not only makes for long-lasting 21st birthday gifts; they’ll certainly put the pizzazz into any birthday party outfit.

The Entertainment

It isn’t a real party if there isn’t a bit of music for the guests to sing and dance to; though what type of music is played is really a matter of personal taste. We all know that music changes throughout the decades but it is those songs from our childhood that tend to hold the fondest memories. For some truly unique 21st birthday gifts you can turn their favourite music or a record with special significance into a work of art. ‘Your Special Record, any UK Number 1’, is a mounted plaque that honours any record of your choice; whether it is the song that was at number one on someone’s birthday, or whether it’s just an old time favourite, these 21st birthday gifts will really get the party started.

The Catering

You can always expect there to be a few bottles of champagne at any great party, and they can make for some favourite 21st birthday gifts. If you want your 21st birthday gifts to stand out amongst the rest, then opt for a personalised bottle of champagne where the label is tailored to display the name of the recipient. You could also invest in a 21 year old bottle of Armagnac that can be opened straight away or kept aside for that next big party.

The Hangover

Don’t let the hangover interfere with what should be a party to remember forever. Though there are a number of hangover cures you could try, nothing ever beats a good cup of tea, and the most thoughtful of guests could incorporate this into their 21st birthday gifts. How about the ‘Bespoke Blends Personalised Tea’ which is professionally blended to represent the birthday boy or girl? Present it to them in their own personalised mug and they’ll think it’s still their birthday.

About the Author: To explore our range of

21st Birthday Gifts

further, please visit our website at http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk.

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Iranian International Master Dorsa Derakhshani discusses her chess career with Wikinews

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Dorsa Derakhshani in Baku, 2017 (Image: Gibraltar Chess Festival)

In February 2017, the Iranian Chess Federation announced two teenage chess players, Dorsa Derakhshani and her younger brother Borna Derakhshani, were banned from representing the national team. The federation announced their decision although Dorsa Derakhshani had previously decided and informed the chess federation she did not wish to play for Iran.

Dorsa Derakhshani is currently 21 years old and holds the International Master (IM) as well as Woman Grand Master (WGM) titles. Her brother, Borna, plays for the English Federation and holds the FIDE Master title.

Dorsa Derakhshani was banned since she did not wear a hijab, an Islamic headscarf, while competing at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in January 2017. Under the laws of Islamic Republic of Iran, hijab is a mandatory dress code. Her brother Borna Deraskhsani was banned for playing against Israeli Grand Master (GM) Alexander Huzman at the same tournament. Iran does not recognise the existence of Israel, and previously, Irani athletes have avoided playing against Israeli athletes.

Mehrdad Pahlavanzadeh, the president of the country’s chess federation, explained the decision to ban the players saying, “As a first step, these two will be denied entry to all tournaments taking place in Iran and in the name of Iran, they will no longer be allowed the opportunity to be present on the national team.” ((fa))Farsi language: ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ????. He further stated, “Unfortunately, something that should not have happened has happened and our national interest is paramount and we have reported this position to the Ministry of Sports.” ((fa))Farsi language: ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ?????? ??? ? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????.

IM Dorsa Derakhshani, who currently studies at Saint Louis University in the United States and plays for the United States Chess Federation, discussed her chess career, time in Iran and the 2017 controversy, and her life in Saint Louis with a Wikinews correspondent.

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Witnesses saw truck “rev up and race” before recent Texas oil refinery blast

Friday, April 1, 2005File:Map of USA highlighting Texas.png

Investigators plan to look for the truck engine.(Image missing from Commons: image; log)

Witnesses say a truck was idling near the scene of an explosion at a Texas refinery which killed 15 and injured over 100 others on March 23, according to U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Manager Bill Hoyle.

“Witnesses saw vapor in the area of the truck and observed the engine begin to rev up and race,” Hoyle’s statement said. “This behavior by a diesel engine indicates the presence of a flammable atmosphere entering the air intake. A driver reported trying to shut off the engine but was unable to do so.” Hoyle’s statement continued, “There are multiple possible sources of ignition in an operating refinery unit and we have made no determination about the ignition source at this time.”

The investigation has been delayed by BP and Occupational Safety & Health Administration officials, who are trying to preserve evidence at the site for their investigation. They are also concerned about further injuries from hazards left over from the explosion, such as falling debris and unstable structures. The Environmental Protection Agency also detected benzene in the atmosphere over the plant, which was treated with a layer of foam.

BP has retained control of the plant since the March 23 accident. Police arrived quickly the day of the explosion, but left after the initial emergency was over.

“Our officers could respond over there, but they don’t have a clue,” Texas City police Sgt. Curtis Pope told the Houston Chronicle. “The fact is they have chemical and equipment hazards. We don’t know the chemicals.”

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