Kevin Vickers says he is retiring as envoy to Ireland will return
FREDERICTON — Former House of Commons sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers says he is retiring next month as Canada’s ambassador to Ireland, potentially setting himself up for a bid to become New Brunswick Liberal leader.Breaking: Former House of Commons sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers says he is retiring next month as Canada’s ambassador to Ireland #cdnpoli— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) February 1, 2019Vickers, hailed as a hero for helping to end the 2014 attack on Parliament Hill, says in a Facebook post today he’ll retire from the position effective March 2 and return to his home in Trout Brook, Miramichi, N.B.Vickers has been touted as a possible candidate for the leadership of the New Brunswick Liberal party to replace Brian Gallant.READ MORE: Kevin Vickers says he’s considering the New Brunswick Liberal leadershipIn December, Vickers indicated an interest in the job, but at the time said he was a long ways from making a decision.The New Brunswick Liberals will choose a new leader on June 22 in Saint John.Vickers, who has held the ambassador post since January 2015, says Ireland is the home of his ancestors and serving Canada as ambassador has been a special privilege.
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Jorge Barrera APTN National NewsThe Assembly of First Nations chiefs executive is “concerned” about the national chief’s decision to hire his ‘girlfriend’ as a senior adviser.AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde hired his partner Valerie Galley to act as his senior adviser. Galley acted as an adviser to Bellegarde while he was chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians and regional AFN chief for the province.Dene Nation Chief Bill Erasmus, who is regional chief of the Northwest Territories, said the issue came up during a recent executive meeting and that matter is still under discussion.“It is an unwritten policy you don’t hire your family, or especially your partner or spouse. That is a given across the country,” said Erasmus. “I think, at first, many of us were shocked.”The AFN chiefs executive acts as a board of directors for the organization.Concerns over Bellegarde’s decision to hire Galley became public Wednesday after the Turtle Island News, the newspaper for Six Nations, reported on correspondence between Six Nations Chief Ava Hill and Bellegarde over the issue.In her letter to Bellegarde, Hill said she was concerned the national chief hired his “girlfriend” and requested he “immediately take steps to rectify this conflict of interest.”Bellegarde responded to Hill via letter admitting he was in a conflict with the hire and that he sought to mitigate the matter by having Galley report to AFN CEO Peter Dinsdale.APTN obtained both letters. Erasmus said shifting who Galley reports to did not solve the issue.“It is not adequate. Our understanding is that she advises the national chief. She doesn’t advise Peter Dinsdale. That is a direct relationship. That is a conflict,” said Erasmus.Ontario regional Chief Isadore Day, who represents Hill at the AFN executive table, said he initially chose not to weigh-in publicly out of prudence. Day said the matter is a concern.“There are questions on the human resource issues and the fundamental flaw in process of directed supervision from the political office to the secretariat,” said Day, in Twitter message to APTN.Erasmus also confirmed Bellegarde initially suggested to him that Hill’s concern stemmed from her daughter’s decision to quit the AFN after she was transferred to a new job in the organization. Eramsus said that matter was not connected to Hill’s letter.“I think it is a defensive position he took and maybe he doesn’t realize the seriousness of the situation,” said Erasmus. “But in the letter he drafted to her, he admitted there was a conflict. If there is a conflict, it needs to be dealt with and this discussion is not finished.”The AFN did not respond to requests for comment.Erasmus said he couldn’t recall another AFN national chief hiring a spouse to act as a senior adviser to his office.The Turtle Island News reported former national chief Phil Fontaine appointed lawyer Kathleen Mahoney as AFN negotiator and adviser during Indian residential school settlement talks while the two were sharing a home.jbarrera@aptn.ca@JorgeBarrera
Sometimes stories come along that are truly too good to be true. While we read the coverage on one Kentucky man’s bourbon-powered car, we were excited at the possibility of using the liquor as an alternative means of fuel, but we were also skeptical. Though sites like Dvice, Slashdot, AutoWeek, and Inhabitat had the story we wished so much to be true, we did some further research and found a post hidden on the story’s original source, The Daily Load, calling out the Bourbon Powered Car post as a hoax. Cue the sad trombone music.So what was the story? We were going regale you with its tale and tell you what tipped us off as to the possibility of the story being untrue, but instead here is a short summary (the whole thing is kind of complex): Mickey Nilsson of Bardstown, KY was said to have built a car made of junk that ran on booze. He was inspired by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and some other things. He then said that Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz from the TV show American Pickers tried to steal the car. It goes on from there…So, what tipped us off? First, the article sounded like something that would be in the Onion, which it should have been. Second, Nilsson is quoted as calling Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz “knuckleheads” who were tying to steal from him. He also said he sold “the chubby one with the beard” an old oil can for $40 before they “ticked” him off.Third, the story said the Obama administration “recognized Nilsson’s achievement,” and said that with great minds like Nilsson’s, we could “soon purge our dependence on the middle east for oil.” We started fishing around for proof of a hoax after this part, but the next part of the story was even less believable.The Daily Load said Nissan had made a deal with Nilsson to produce a consumer version of the concept car which would be released to the public in 2014. It is currently referred to as the Nissan Nilsson, as well as the Nissan Alky, the Lush, or the Inebriator.The last big clue obvious fact was that The Daily Load is a satire news site, much like the Onion, and it actually has the words “because the real news sucks” right in its header. If there was any doubt that people don’t pay attention to headers, this is proof.It’s surprising that so many sites didn’t catch the sarcasm in this story. The original writer of The Daily Load post, Chicago-based comedy writer and former stand-up comedian Dan Carlson, said he thought anyone who read the story would “get a good laugh or two,” but he never thought that people would actually want to buy it. Carlson admitted that Nilsson is not even a real person. He said the closest this gets to the truth is that he has a friend who lives in Louisville named Mike Nilsson who likes bourbon.We’ll just have to save all that bourbon we bought to fuel our future purchase for the Kentucky Derby, which is just 12 days away. Mint Juleps, here we come. Remember, don’t drink and drive.Check out the original post, and the second post revealing the hoax. via Dvice
Ireland’s healthcare system: What exactly are we doing wrong? Where is Ireland’s healthcare system going wrong, and what can we do to turn it around? Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Sunday 19 Feb 2017, 9:30 PM 70 Comments Short URL Share308 Tweet Email28 https://jrnl.ie/3242479 Source: Shutterstock/ChaikomThe Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Medical Organisation say that most accessibility problems come down to staffing issues – that there are simply not enough staff in proportion to patients.That’s difficult to compare to other countries, but a recent FactCheck from the end of last year showed that there has only been a slight decrease in the numbers of whole time equivalent staff working in the healthcare system.Patient rights and informationUnder this heading, Ireland doesn’t have access to no-fault malpractice insurance, a right to second opinion, online booking of appointments or e-prescriptions.In countries such as Norway (which topped the list on patients the information and rights) they offer insurance that covers a patient who suffers because of treatment – even though there might be no one at fault. Apart from that, just stand in the main entrance of the hospital with a cane to keep amateurs out and let the professionals do their jobs.“And by amateurs, I mean politicians.”Read: How Ireland’s hospitals are massaging the numbers of people on trolleysFactCheck: Nursing union leader Liam Doran’s claims about the Irish health service No-fault malpractice insuranceRight to second opinionOnline booking of appointmentse-prescriptions2. Accessibility (6)Direct access to specialistMajor elective surgery <90 daysCT scan <7 daysA&E waiting times3. Outcomes (9)AbortionCOPD mortality4. Range and Reach of Services (8)Equity of healthcare systemsCataract operations per 100,000 age 65+5. Prevention (7)AlcoholPhysical activityWe were given all ‘intermediate’ or ‘good’ marks under the sixth category; Pharmaceuticals.Based on this score sheet, we grouped some of those subheadings together, had a look at what we’re doing wrong, and possible ways of fixing it.Accessibility is the main issue for the Irish healthcare system (we scored badly on 4/6 criteria); patient rights were an issue too.We also had a quick look at what we scored badly on that don’t have anything to do with the healthcare system: COPD mortality attitudes to alcohol and exercise.Lastly, there’s a general look at what needs to be done to improve the Irish healthcare system, and Simon Harris’ attitude towards it.Accessibility Source: Shutterstock/GunnerLIreland ranked the worst in a survey of European countries for long waiting list times: both in terms of the number of people waiting and the length of time.This isn’t a problem that can be solved by money or funding (there’s no obvious link between access to healthcare and healthcare funding), but rather it’s an issue of system or management reform.One major difference between the four countries with the worst waiting times and those with the best is that the latter never had systems where hospitals/clinics were financed beforehand to provide healthcare for citizens.Dr Arne Björnberg used to be European Manager for healthcare solutions for IBM back in the 1990s and is now Chairman of the Health Consumer Powerhouse. He explains: By Gráinne Ní Aodha On the contrary, their hospitals and primary care doctors were always remunerated for services provided, so that in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Austria waiting lists are short or non-existent.So basically, if people are on waiting lists for prolonged periods of time, it means hospitals aren’t getting money. They have to see and treat patients to get paid by the state.To show how much of a difference this approach to healthcare makes, Germany’s waiting times to see your primary care doctor were measured in minutes, not weeks.Again; this isn’t a funding issue as Macedonia, which isn’t a particularly wealthy country has one of the best rates of accessible healthcare, while Sweden has one of the worst. The Nordic countries are good examples for patient malpractice insurance, where the issue of ’who might have made an error’ is separated from the issue ‘has the patient suffered because of preventive causes?’. Nordic healthcare institutions are carrying insurance for the latter circumstance, meaning that it is very rare for patients having to enlist expensive lawyers to push malpractice cases.In Norway, you’re also entitled to a second opinion if your request for a referral has been rejected. You can speak with any doctor for a second opinion including an emergency doctor, private doctor, or online doctor.Macedonia and Serbia have implemented a system which displays where healthcare specialists around the country are, with their availability displayed to view. GPs can book a patient for a referral if needed, so that the patient leaves the office with a date and time.Macedonia also have an e-prescriptions facility, meaning patients who have repeat prescriptions can apply for them from their home, meaning patients don’t have to book GP appointments just to get prescriptions.“These are important,” says Björnberg. “If you agree that patients are grown-ups who should be supported at taking their own decisions on their health.”It’s not all the healthcare system’s fault though and some things made it to the list that aren’t under the Department of Health’s remit.COPD mortalityChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease deaths, although recorded included in the report, doesn’t make up the ‘final score’ for countries assessed as part of the Euro Health Index. This is because the data is so poor; very heavy smokers Bulgaria, for example, report very low rates of COPD death, which is simply not possible.What makes it worth mentioning here, though, is that Ireland and Britain have had the highest COPD death rates in Europe for years – and we’re unsure as to why.You do have a lot of rain, damp and draughty houses,” says Dr Björnberg. “But the connection of that to COPD is not proven.COPD is a disease that makes it hard to empty air out of your lungs. This is because the airways get smaller leading to airflow obstruction, which can result in shortness of breath as you try to push the air through a smaller gap.Most people with COPD are smokers or have smoked in the past. Sometimes COPD is caused by working or living for many years in an environment where there is exposure to smoke, dust or other fumes.So cold and damp weather is worth being wary of.Alcohol and exercise Source: Shutterstock/milias1987Ireland also scored badly in terms of alcohol consumption and physical activity, which are preventative healthcare measures.In Ireland, it’s not the alcohol intake in itself that’s the problem, but rather the massive drinking sessions in one go, compared to the Mediterranean’s moderate intake that’s spread out over time.“A steady moderate alcohol intake seems to be beneficial against Cardiovascular Disease, and thus having a positive effect on public health,” says Björnberg.Alcohol intake is the cause of around 900 incidences of cancer in Ireland each year, and 500 of these patients will die of their disease.Ireland has also a rising rate of obesity: with the Royal College of Physicians warning that Ireland could become the fattest country in Europe by 2030 if urgent action isn’t taken.Efforts have been made to curb this rate by promoting exercise among young people, and imposing more regulations on sugary and fatty foods.Health Minister’s missionBjörnberg’s major assertion on how to fix healthcare systems revolves around two key concepts: demanding better management results, something he says all healthcare systems are looking at, and taking politics out of the healthcare system.If that sounds familiar, it’s because it echoes previous promises made by health minister Simon Harris: who upon his appointment, promised to fix the healthcare system by taking the political element out of it, and more recently, asked for improvements from hospital managers.Harris clarified that this didn’t mean firing managers, but asking them to improve their way of operating, and looking at other hospitals’ examples of how to improve conditions, like any other business would.“It’s not difficult,” according to Björnberg. ”You just need to manage in a way that motivates staff, maximises production, keeps costs down, and monitors the output of healthcare.” Feb 19th 2017, 9:30 PM WHAT IS WRONG with Ireland’s healthcare system?Long waiting lists, healthcare professionals under pressure, and emergency services at breaking point are some of the most common complaints that we hear about, but what can we do to change it?And before you say ‘money’, the short response to that is it’s not the main problem – a recent report seriously questioned whether increasing the money going into the healthcare system would make things better by the same proportion.Using some of the metrics that Ireland scored the lowest on as part of the EuroHealth Consumer Index 2016, we’ve taken a look at what are the worst aspects of our healthcare system, and what we could do to change it (with a quick reminder that it’s not just the healthcare system at fault, either).What did we score worst on?In the EuroHealth report, a ‘matrix’ shows how each of the 35 countries surveyed scored under six main headings, marking them with a green, yellow or red mark to represent ‘good’, ‘intermediary’ or ‘not-so-good’ respectively. Source: EuroHealth Consumer Index 2016To view this image in Full click here.The matrix is broken down into six headings and the number of subheadings, and out of those six headings, Ireland scored ‘not-so-good’ on the following:1. Patient Rights and Information (12) 53,712 Views 
By Sean Murray Image: Shutterstock/Eakachai Leesin Share Tweet Email1 Apr 20th 2017, 4:02 PM Thursday 20 Apr 2017, 4:02 PM 9,311 Views Children abscond from Tusla care centre 42 times in five months No further admissions will be made to the Tusla centre until these issues are fixed. A REPORT BY the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) on a Tusla-run children’s residential centre has identified serious risks in how the care of young people at this facility is handled.The centre, located in the south of the country, had last been inspected in August 2016, and this follow-up took place in December 2016.Hiqa found that, in this period, Tusla had not taken appropriate measures to improve its care of young people and children absconded from the centre on 42 occasions.Slow progressIn the August 2016 inspection, Hiqa identified “significant failings” in relation to the “care of young people, safeguarding, premises and safety, and management and staffing”.Inspectors recommended improvements across seven categories. Across six of these categories, further improvements were recommended following this latest inspection.While there had been improvements made in the reporting of significant events and child protection concerns by the time the December inspection took place, “progress in other tasks has been slow” according to Hiqa.“Improvements were not evident in how staff responded to children’s risk taking behaviours,” the report said.Overall, inspectors were not confident that Tusla had made sufficient progress to ensure that deficits identified… were being addressed as a matter of urgency.The report highlighted that no further admissions would be made to the centre until these issues were adequately addressed.Children in crisisIn the August inspection, Hiqa said there were “significant deficits found with how the centre responded to children in crisis”.Hiqa recommended improvements in how children with risk behaviours were managed, the quality and oversight of children’s individual crisis management plans, and incorporating recommendations from social workers into their plans.While Tusla had said it would implement a series of measures to try to address these issues, Hiqa said that “progress was slow and inspectors were concerned at the lack of urgency to implement the actions outlined by Tusla”.Management at the centre told inspectors that their action plan to improve their care of the children was “paced in order to ensure real and meaningful change”.In the absence of new or different approaches, Hiqa said that strategies at preventing children from risky behaviour was not generally effective.Between the August and December inspections, there had been 152 “significant events” involving children at the centre.Children had absconded from the centre on 42 occasions and engaged in risk behaviours whilst outside of the centre on some of these occasions.In addition, management failings including the “absence of good quality and consistent supervision, regular team meetings and adequate oversight” meant that inspectors were not convinced that sufficient progress had been made to improve practices of care.ReactionIn a statement to TheJournal.ie, Jim Gibson, Chief Operations Officer, Tusla said that the agency was committed to improving its standards at the care centre and was taking a number of steps to ensure this.He said: “In conjunction with HIQA, we have created and begun to implement an action plan to address the deficits identified and I have established an oversight group which has met monthly since January to coordinate its implementation and ensure progress is made.”Read: Foster service in south central Dublin had ‘significant risks’ for childrenRead: Two cases of patient records left on car roofs among 212 HSE data breaches Short URL http://jrnl.ie/3349762 Image: Shutterstock/Eakachai Leesin 10 Comments Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
EXCLUSIVE: Global professional accountancy body the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has launched an online financial education programme for its 900 UK employees.The financial education programme, provided by Nudge, was introduced in November 2017 to help improve the financial wellbeing of the ACCA’s London and Glasgow-based employees.Delivering a series of personalised email or text ‘nudges’ to employees, the online programme provides financial education messages that are based around employees’ specific interests and lifestyle choices, as well as if there are any legislative changes that may affect them. The nudges are automatically personalised based on an employee’s demographic, salary and benefits choices.The financial education programme will also include access to an online platform that employees can log on to using a single sign-on process via their benefits platform. From here, employees will be able to access financial planning tools around budgeting, debt, borrowing and saving, as well as read articles on over 800 personal finance topics. The online platform also provides staff with the opportunity to configure their nudges according to their interests, add extra information about themselves, for example their partner’s income or if they have adult dependents, and to set their financial dreams and goals.Employees were introduced to the financial education programme through a series of roadshows and webinars.Steven Doyle, benefits specialist at the ACCA, said: “We’re proud of our commitment to offering a comprehensive reward package that’s designed to boost the financial wellbeing of our people, and earlier this year [we] were awarded the living wage employer mark. We have a learning culture, so wanted to ensure that everyone receives the financial education that’s relevant to them, so they can develop their money management knowledge and skills, and take full advantage of the benefits we provide.”
The city of Goodyear, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix located close by Luke Air Force Base, is trying to recruit a mix of civilian and defense companies to take over a 500,000-square-foot aerospace campus no longer used by Lockheed Martin.Goodyear had enjoyed an extended run as an aerospace hub since World War II, when it began to build military aircraft, before shifting to dirigibles and surveillance systems. That activity started to wind down in 2009, and when sequestration hit in 2013 Lockheed cut its workforce from 600 to 50, reported National Defense.“We would like to recruit more aviation, aerospace and cyber security companies,” said Harry Paxton, Goodyear’s economic development project manager. Paxton also is going after firms that need the secure facilities, known as sensitive compartmented information facilities, found in some of the Lockheed buildings.At the same time, the city wants to take advantage of its proximity to Luke, the Air Force’s new training center for F-35 pilots. The installation already has 23 F-35s, and by 2024 it is slated to have 144 of the fifth generation fighter aircraft in six squadrons.“The question becomes, how do we maximize the potential industry connections to the F-35 that benefits both the Air Force and the companies that would come to Goodyear and be located just a few miles from Luke?” said Steven Hyjek, a Washington attorney who represents 14 communities that surround Luke.For example, firms that support the aircraft’s systems likely would be interested in locating near Luke, Hyjek said.As more F-35s arrive at Luke, “we expect more aerospace companies will be interested in doing business” in Goodyear, Hyjek told the magazine. Dan Cohen AUTHOR
In this image from a Northern Dynasty Minerals press release, Pebble is shown as one of the largest copper, and copper and gold deposits, in the world.(Graphic: NDM)Northern Dynasty Minerals issued a response Friday (Feb. 17) to a New York hedge fund’s claims that the Pebble project is over-hyped and overvalued. That report drove Northern’s share prices tumbling quickly, but the Vancouver-based mineral exploration company said they are the target of an aggressive activist short selling attempt based on “unsupported speculation.”Listen nowIn a lengthy press release, Northern Dynasty Minerals refuted the twenty page Kerrisdale report point-by-point, mainly referring to the hedge fund derisively as “Short Seller.”That Kerrisdale Capital specializes in “activist short” selling is something it openly acknowledges, saying in an interview last week that they seek out companies they believe are publicly trading too high, loudly call attention to them, and profit when the stock value drops.That’s the main point NDM calls attention to, but the company also takes issue with Kerrisdale’s reliance on “anonymous co-authors whose mining credentials, if any,” were not disclosed. Northern went on to say Kerrisdale never requested or had access to the company’s technical and analytical reports, experts or executives, and questions what if anything Kerrisdale knows about the mining industry.Kerrisdale claimed that the Pebble deposit contains “low grade” ore that will not prove profitable to extract; Northern said Pebble’s mineralized concentration ranks in the top fourth of major producing and non-producing deposits. The rebuttal press release went on to lay out the merits and value of Pebble, saying it is one of the largest gold and copper resources on the planet, and will not be as technically challenging to engineer as Kerrisdale suggested.Northern Dynasty Minerals said it is preparing a “comprehensive strategy”, including possible “changes in project design”, to advance the Pebble project with “public consensus” into permitting.NDM included opinions offered by several other outside investment analysts, and added a threat of legal action if needed to protect its stakeholders.“Permitting and developing Pebble will be a multi-year process with multi-decade or multi-generational payoff,” NDM said in a statement. “We are entirely committed to advancing the political and public consensus necessary to support a positive permitting outcome … The Company believes that its Pebble Project has a high likelihood of success.”
Ruhail Amin, Sunaina RoshanTwitterIn the latest development of Sunaina Roshan’s troubled life, a close friend of the Roshan family has claimed that Sunaina’s boyfriend Ruhail Amin is already married and has children.”This chap whom Sunaina is seeing is apparently married and has children. That’s why Guddu and Pinky (Rakesh Roshan and his wife) are going nuts. Sunaina has already made monstrous marital mistakes. Her parents don’t want her to end up making one more wrong choice of partner,” the friend was quoted as saying by Bollywood Hungama.Sunaina had earlier revealed that her father Rakesh Roshan is against her relationship just because Ruhail is a Muslim. She said that even her brother Hrithik Roshan has also refused to help her.Ruhail had also expressed his displeasure with the Roshan family for simply terming him a terrorist because of his religion. “Labelling someone extremist just because he/she belongs to a certain religion is simply outrageous and needs to be condemned in strongest words. Religions and geographies should not become the cornerstones of defining extremism; we need to move beyond that mindset,” Ruhail had told News18 in an interview. Hrithik Roshan with sister Sunaina Roshan, mother Pinky Roshan and father Rakesh RoshanInstagramRangoli Chandel too had tweeted about how Sunaina had been calling Kangana Ranaut multiple times asking to help her in this particular situation. “I fear her dangerous family might harm her, we want to make this public because Sunaina calling Kangana and crying all the time, Kangana doesn’t know how to help her…so now she has blocked her number but we fear for her safety, everyone has a right to love whoever they want, hopefully this will scare Roshans and they back off,” Rangoli had tweeted just a day after Sunaina tweeted in support of Kangana saying that she was living in hell.I support Kangana all through— Sunaina Roshan (@sunainaRoshan22) June 18, 2019And living in hell continues ….gosh I’m tired— Sunaina Roshan (@sunainaRoshan22) June 18, 2019Sussanne Khan too had spoken in support of her ex-husband Hrithik Roshan and had said that she knows Sunaina to be an extremely loving warm, caring person, who is in an unfortunate situation. She further requested people to respect Roshan’s family tough period showing her concerns about Rakesh Roshan’s major health crisis and Pinky Roshan’s current condition.Sunaina, who had earlier posted a few pictures with her brother, father and mother, has now deleted all of them from her Instagram.
Relatives of disappeared persons at the National Press Club on Tuesday. Photo: Saiful IslamChildren have made an urgent demand to get back their fathers, victims of enforced disappearance, ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.Please return my father. I want to celebrate Eid with my father, cried out Riddi, daughter of Pervez Hossain who disappeared three years ago.Riddi made the demand at a discussion on the occasion of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances at the National Press Club on Tuesday. The day will be observed on 30 August. Family members of 29 enforced disappeared persons organised the discussion to press home their demand for tracing their relatives. Convener of Nagorik Okya Mahmudur Rahman Manna presided over the discussion.The families also demanded an independent commission to trace disappeared persons and to punish the perpetrators.They also threatened to launch a greater movement from December if quick action was not taken.Hazera Khatun, mother of disappeared Sajedul Islam, said, Return my son.AKM Shamim Akhtar disappeared in 2011. His wife Jharna Khanum alleged the state had not done its duties. I could not get back my husband.Director of Odhikar ASM Nasiruddin said there are no such word as enforced disappearance. The law enforcing agencies are abducting members of political parties, he alledged.Does the government oppose it? he asked.Professor at Dhaka University Asif Nazrul said it is to be taken for granted that the cries of victims families will not reach the prime minister untill disappeared persons return.Member of Nari Pakkha Shirin Haque said, I along with others have been helpless. We have nowhere to go.Former director of Ain o Salish Kendra Noor Khan Liton asked, Are they visually impaired or dumb? Cant they see anything?
Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston in August 2017, forcing tens of thousands of people out of their homes and stranding others on roofs and porches. Millions watched the disaster unfold on their television screens, but one group sprang into action. The “Cajun Navy” — boat owners from Louisiana, many of whom had endured the ravages of Hurricane Katrina — hitched all manner of watercraft (bass boats, air boats) to their vehicles, drove to Texas and set about rescuing thousands of residents. The informal group, which coordinates using social media, has also traveled to North Carolina and Florida to help flood victims. Why do some people feel compassion, and act, when they hear about mass human suffering, while others put the distress out of their minds and go back to their daily business? The question has long drawn the attention of psychologists and philosophers, not to mention activists looking for ways to get people off their sofas (or to open their wallets) when tragedy strikes — or when governments commit unethical acts. …
But as a method for increasing compassion, empathy-through-adversity is a highly unsatisfying solution, since it means that the way to warm people’s hearts is to make them suffer first. Fortunately, shared pain, by itself, isn’t what makes the difference, according to new research from my lab led by Daniel Lim. More specifically, people who have undergone adversity have a greater sense of efficacy when it comes to helping others. Through their own harsh experiences, they’ve come to believe that even small acts of kindness have an impact on those in need. “The best way you can thank somebody for helping you is to go help somebody else,” an engineer and Cajun Navy member named Ben Theriot told the New York Times during Harvey. Read the whole story: The Washington Post
Hawaiian Airlines to add daily Long Beach-Honolulu serviceHawaiian Airlines to add daily Long Beach-Honolulu serviceHawaiian Airlines today announced it will begin daily non-stop flights between Long Beach (LGB) and Honolulu (HNL) in the summer, offering Southern California travelers another convenient option for direct service to Hawaii. The new route, being inaugurated May 31 out of Honolulu on Hawaiian’s new Airbus A321neo aircraft, complements the carrier’s popular daily flights at nearby Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).“Long Beach is a perfect gateway for travelers in Los Angeles and Orange County to ease into their Hawaiian vacation,” said Peter Ingram, Hawaiian’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “We look forward to welcoming our guests onboard, where they will enjoy our award-winning Hawaiian hospitality in the comfort of our newest aircraft.”Starting June 1, Hawaiian’s Flight 69 will depart Long Beach at 8:30 a.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 11:40 a.m., giving travelers the afternoon to explore O‘ahu or connect to a neighbor island. The return flight, HA 70, departs Honolulu at 12:30 p.m. and arrives in Long Beach at 9 p.m.Hawaiian, Hawai‘i’s largest and longest-serving carrier, is deploying a new fleet of narrow-body A321neo aircraft to provide U.S. West Coast guests non-stop flights to more islands. The airline today is celebrating its first scheduled A321neo flight, between Kahului (OGG) on Maui and Oakland (OAK), as it prepares for service between Portland (PDX) and OGG on Jan. 18, followed by flights between OAK and Līhu‘e (LIH) on Kaua‘i on April 11, and Los Angeles (LAX)-Kona (KOA) on the Island of Hawai‘i in the summer.The highly efficient, mid-range A321neo aircraft complement Hawaiian’s fleet of wide-body aircraft currently used for service between Hawai‘i and 11 U.S. gateway cities, along with 10 international destinations. Hawaiian’s 189- passenger A321neo includes 16 luxurious leather recliners in First Class, 44 Extra Comfort premium economy seats, and 129 Economy seats. In addition to Hawaiian’s warm hospitality, including complimentary meals, guests will enjoy wireless streaming in-flight entertainment, access to USB outlets, and additional overhead stowage space.Source = Hawaiian Airlines
in Data, Government, Origination, Secondary Market, Servicing In Texas, “”Wingspan Portfolio Advisors””:http://www.wingspanportfolioadvisors.com/ hired Aaron Luburich to take the newly created position of SVP for business development.[IMAGE]Having worked in the mortgage industry for more than 14 years, Luburich has extensive experience in both lending and servicing. He comes to Wingspan from Accenture, [COLUMN_BREAK]where he was VP for mortgage business process outsourcing and served as the North American lead for default services. Before that, he was national production manager for consumer direct lending at MetLife Bank and a senior manager at Saxon Mortgage in servicing and default management.””Aaron has great depth in the key areas of the mortgage industry, and is superbly talented in identifying and fulfilling client needs as well as in executive leadership,”” said Susan Pettem, EVP for business development at Wingspan. “”He is a performance-driven professional who gets proven results for his clients, and that is our main priority at Wingspan.””””Our clients have a great deal at stake in this regulatory environment and having highly experienced professionals like Aaron Luburich to help them understand their solution options represents a true benefit of dealing with Wingspan,”” added Steven Horne, president and CEO. “”It is great to have Aaron on the Wingspan team.”” New,Wingspan Names SVP for Business Development Agents & Brokers Attorneys & Title Companies Investors Lenders & Servicers Movers & Shakers Processing Service Providers Wingspan 2013-12-19 Tory Barringer
December 19, 2013 443 Views Share
By Annette Chrysostomou Cyprus is worryingly behind when it comes to digital skills and understanding of technology, which is why a robotics competition to be held next month is more important than you might think.But the first Robotex challenge in Cyprus also promises to be fun.The competition offers challenges for all age groups, from first grade of primary school to adults, but the aim is fundamentally the same: developing and displaying an understanding of robotics technology and recognising the importance of coding skills.The youngest age group get to build a computer which should have the ability – any ability – to make a person’s life easier, and as head of the Cyprus Computer Society Panicos Masouras says there are many ideas out there.Older children get to tackle ‘city passing’, where a robot has to navigate its way through a ‘city’ complete with a roundabout and a traffic light to arrive at a designated parking place or ‘Sumo’, two robots ‘wrestling’ in a ring until one of them is pushed out of the ring. Then there is ‘maze solving’. The winner is the one who can get to the centre of a labyrinth from a corner. Robots have to be able to backtrack if they end up in a cul-de-sac and renavigate.There are different levels of ‘line following’ but the basic aim is that robotic cars drive through a track marked with a twisting and turning black line as fast as possible. Two robots compete alongside each other on parallel mirrored tracks.From last year’s competition in EstoniaThat sounds like pretty basic stuff, if you compare it to what’s on the robotic horizon.“By the middle of the 21st century, a team of fully autonomous humanoid robot soccer players shall win a soccer game, complying with the official rules of Fifa, against the winner of the most recent World Cup,” according to international robotics competition RoboCup.But Cyprus is just starting out when he comes to robotics competitions, and in any case what looks rather basic is on second sight not that simple. For each challenge, there are strict rules which were developed in Estonia and which the Cyprus organisers have adopted.Take the ‘Sumo’ challenge for example. The list of rules and regulation is 11 pages long!The match ring area has different dimensions and is made from different materials depending on various classes. Requirements for robots vary, and classes range from a weight of 0.1 kilos to four kilos, with a variation of length, width and height.The movements of the robot must be designed to detect the movements of the opponent and respond/attack accordingly.Some people at least may in the past have tried original methods to win, at least now the use of liquids, powders, gas and inflammable materials as weapons is forbidden.There is even a referee who has the right to start and stop movements by remote control.Matches last three rounds and last up to three minutes, with strict rules on how points are scored. Between rounds, contestants have maximum 30 seconds to maintain their robot.And this is just some of what the participants have to have in mind during the preparation for the event.Each team has to buy and bring their own robot, chosen from four different platforms, local Engino, Lego, Arduino and Edison.This is the only cost, as participation in the event is free, and not too daunting.If the teams are using some of the ready-made robots such as Eddison then their work is purely coding.If however they use any of the robotic platforms (Arduino, Engino, Lego, etc.) before the coding, the teams have to decide the robot configuration, whether it has three or four wheels for example.The ‘brain’ of the robot is the microcontroller, which is capable of executing a programme and decides on the speed and direction it goes, by powering the motors accordingly.The robots are also fitted with sensors so they can ‘see’ and programmed for a specific task coordinating all the parts using a programming language.“In its simplest form, it’s not complicated,” trainer Nearchos Paspallis said.However, he added, other programmes could be much more sophisticated. For instance the maze challenge would require the robot to ‘remember’ where it has been in order to quickly find the maze’s exit.Participants are aided by a coach, who has been trained by the computer society about the platforms and who must already know about robotics.“I see my job to provide the environment for them to work on their own; I don’t plan to help with the coding,” said Paspallis.The coach is only there for the preparation but is not at the actual challenge. This is something that the team has to do without help.The event is modelled on the yearly ‘Robotex’ challenge organised in Estonia, the biggest in Europe.Already, more than 70 teams have registered and more are welcome.Participants can register free of charge for Robotex17 until May 25 and the public is invited to visit Robotex17 at the Costas Papaellinas Athletic Centre in Strovolos, Nicosia on June25.For more information visit www.robotex.org.cyYou May LikeClassmates.comLook For Any High School Yearbook, It’s FreeClassmates.comUndoFigLeaf Beta AppHow to Become Fully Anonymous Online in Less Than 3 Minutes? Better safe than sorryFigLeaf Beta AppUndoTruthFinder People Search SubscriptionOne Thing All Liars Have in Common, Brace YourselfTruthFinder People Search SubscriptionUndo Concern over falling tourism numbersUndoAuthorities release five of 12 Israeli rape suspects, seven due in court FridayUndoPensioner dies after crash on Paphos-Polis roadUndoby Taboolaby Taboola