<div class=California employees owe state US$13.3 million in unpaid loans
" />

California employees owe state US$13.3 million in unpaid loans

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The California Controller’s office reports that eleven state agencies have given US$13.3 million in pay and travel advances that have not been collected.

Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order to recover uncollected loans by the agencies. A press release from the governor’s office states, “The Governor’s Executive Order seeks to recover taxpayer dollars by directing state agencies and departments to clear salary and travel advances within 30 days through an expense claim.” Any outstanding balance will be deducted from employees’ paychecks under the governor’s order after the 30 days.

Under California state law, state employees are permitted to receive advances for hardship, travel, and other circumstances. These advances cannot be collected by agencies after three years without the employee’s consent.

State Controller John Chiang said in a statement, “The state’s poor debt collection and accounting practices are fleecing public coffers at a time when vital public programs are being decimated by unprecedented budget cuts.” Chiang’s office expects there will be more money unaccounted for, including some from the California Highway Patrol (CHP). California state law mandates that anyone convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol is required to pay for the investigation. The CHP has not collected this money.

The California Department of Transportation, also called Caltrans, has the largest debt of the eleven agencies: $3.2 million. Cal Fire, or the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, “had an outstanding balance of $1.44 million as of June 30, 2008. An overwhelming portion of that balance was related to employee salary and travel advances,” according to a controller’s office audit.

Chiang’s office had informed former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger there were outstanding debts, but Schwarzenegger’s administration did not take action.

All eleven agencies have agreed to hand over any delinquent accounts to the controller’s office, who will collect these debts.

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Wikinews Shorts: August 8, 2009
" />

Wikinews Shorts: August 8, 2009

A compilation of brief news reports for Saturday, August 8, 2009.

Contents

  • 1 Leader of Pakistan Taliban may have been killed in drone attack
  • 2 Hillary Clinton arrives in South Africa
  • 3 Anniversary of Georgian War marked by mutual accusations
  • 4 Police in the United Kingdom ordered to review policing of demonstrations
  • 5 Son of missing Japanese actress Noriko Sakai found safe
  • 6 Seven coalition troops killed within 24 hour period in Afghanistan
  • 7 Hong Kong government to begin school drug testing trials in December
  • 8 Nine killed in Belgium care home fire
  • 9 India and China resume border talks
  • 10 President Kennedy’s sister Eunice Kennedy in critical condition at hospital
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=15 killed, 30 injured attempting to steal fuel from train in India
" />

15 killed, 30 injured attempting to steal fuel from train in India

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Fifteen people are dead, and thirty more have become ill after attempting to steal fuel from a freight train travelling through Karbi Anglong, Assam, India. It is thought they broke into a tank containing toxic chemicals.

According to a railway official, the train was in the remote region with 48 wagons of petrol and diesel when raiders intercepted it. The train was in a forested area at the time and was surrounded by armed men, a common occurrence in an area where trains transporting products to and from refineries are regularly targeted.

Witnesses described liquid pumping out of a tank at high pressure. There are no reports as in to what the tank contained, but the fumes were toxic; when police arrived they found that fifteen had succumbed to the gas, and thirty more were sickened by it. A number of empty oil drums, presumably intended for fuel from the train, were also discovered.

[edit]

Posted in Uncategorized
Safe And Effective Holistic Treatment For Cts In Austin Tx

Safe And Effective Holistic Treatment For Cts In Austin Tx

byAlma Abell

In general terms, chiropractic medicine is thought to be a health care plan reserved for people with chronic back and neck pain. Chiropractic medicine is indeed meant to ameliorate mechanical impairment of any part of the musculoskeletal system. CTS in Austin TX is an area of chiropractic care that focuses on the large nerve that conjoins with the wrist and hand. The carpal tunnel nerve starts in the upper part of the forearm and extends down to the wrist. This median nerve supplies the palm of the hand with feeling and the ability to move. Many who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome are subjected to repetitive stress of the hands and wrist. The hands may be in constant use that puts stress on the median nerve.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1TcJKFB0sY[/youtube]

There are a number of ways to treat CTS in Austin TX. Since most cases are a result of repetitive stress syndrome from an occupation, a treatment plan that allows patients to resume their activities is preferred. People experiencing this should know that best results are achieved when it’s treated as early as possible. Carpal tunnel syndrome is diagnosed with x-rays and a physical exam. Manual manipulation of the wrist, hand and elbow calms the nerve and improves maneuverability. When symptoms are at its worst, a cold compress and wrist splints provide immediate relief. Pain from a misaligned spine can actually vent all the way down the arm and aggravate the carpal tunnel nerve too. Some machinery designed to allay chiropractic conditions can be used if needed.

Chronic back pain can be among the most debilitating conditions to have. Spinal decompression is a non-surgical procedure that corrects issues with the discs in the back. Patients with herniated discs, degenerative disc maladies and facet syndrome find this treatment very effective. Individuals with back pain who would like to be less dependent on medication should try spinal decompression therapy. Drugs for pain relief temporarily mask the symptoms and spinal decompression targets it at the source. This type of therapy releases the spine from a compressed state. The stretch of the spine is not proportionately spaced and this procedure gradually pulls the vertebrae back into even spacing. Pressure is released from the nerve root and disc. The strain on the nerve root is the source of pain. When weight is lifted off that nerve, pain will cease. Visit Kapsner.com or their Facebook page for more information about chiropractic medicine.

<div class=At least 65 dead after train derailment in West Bengal, India
" />

At least 65 dead after train derailment in West Bengal, India

Friday, May 28, 2010

At least 65 people were killed and over 200 injured when a train derailed in West Bengal, India. Suspected Maoist rebels triggered the attack which occurred in the Howrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express. The train, which runs from Kolkata to Mumbai, had thirteen coaches derailed, five of which were subsequently struck by a freight train coming in the opposite direction.

The train derailed near the city of Sardiha, about 90 miles (150 km) southwest of the state capital of Kolkata. The region is a Maoist stronghold where multiple attacks have occurred in the recent past. The exact cause of the disaster was unclear, with some officials claiming an explosion had led to the attack, while some unaffected passengers stating they heard no blast.

Police officials, including Bhupinder Singh, the head of police of the state, said the metallic parts which held parts of the rail track together were missing and labeled this as an act of sabotage. Singh blamed the Maoists for the attack stating policemen had found Maoist leaflets at the scene.

However, the driver said he had heard an explosion in the attack which derailed as many as ten passenger coaches. The country’s railways minister Mamata Bannerjee said the combined effect of sabotage to the tracks and a bomb blast led to the incident. According to her, there was “definitely sabotage” and the bomb blast had led to the derailment. “From whatever I have been told the apprehension is the Maoists were involved,” she added. Police officials mentioned they were investigating whether the removal of the “fish plates” was the primary cause of the attack.

“The driver heard a loud noise which indicates there could be a blast. A detail investigation will reveal more, but definitely there was lot of tinkering done to the tracks,” a senior railway official, Vivek Sahay, said.

The incident occurred at around 1:30 a.m. local time, and police forces and local medics took an hour to rech the site. Lack of roads and the fear of an ambush by Maoists slowed rescue operations. Passengers complained of the slow operations; some of them claimed luggage and valuables were stolen in the confusion.

E. Mitra, a doctor at the nearby Kharagpur Railway Hospital, noted 30 bodies had been taken to the hospital. But “a lot of dead bodies are strewn under the derailed carriages,” he added. Home Secretary of the state, Samar Ghosh, said 65 bodies had been found till then.

Air Force helicopters came to the scene at dawn as local television footage showed onlookers standing on the top of the affected carriages, as soldiers cut holes in the roofs with a gas-powered circular saw.

“People are crying. Rescuers are struggling to save the survivors and get the bodies out,” Naresh Jana, a witness, said. “I can see body parts hanging out of the compartments and under the wheels. I can hear people, women, crying for help from inside the affected coaches.”

“There was a massive jerk, and we thought the Maoists had stopped the train to hijack it,” another unidentified witness told local media. “But thank God it was an accident … at least many people are saved. This area is very dangerous, very dangerous.”

The railways minister of India announced a compensation of $11,000 and a job in her ministry for the families of the dead and $2,200 for those wounded.

The Maoists guerillas who are known as “Naxalites” in India are powerful force in Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, which are the relatively poorer states of India. In the past few years, poor or landless peasants and tribesman have rendered their support towards the insurgents, due to the wealth gap and as a result of the former losing their land to government-aided mining companies.

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Canadian annual seal hunt begins amid controversy
" />

Canadian annual seal hunt begins amid controversy

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, opened the Canadian seal hunt amid protests by animal rights groups, at a time when bans on seal product imports are becoming more prevalent internationally.

Seal hunters along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence are allowed to catch a maximum of 270,000 Harp Seal pups from a total estimated population of 5.5 million. 8,200 is the allowable catch of Hooded seals from an estimated population of 600,000, and seal hunters may catch 50,000 grey seals from an approximate population of 300,000.

The Harp seal pups may be killed as soon as they have molted their white pelts, which occurs 10 to 21 days after birth.

It is reported that Russia has shut down the seal hunt on its shores. The United States, Netherlands, and Belgium ban the import of seal products. The European Parliament committee has endorsed a ban on seal product imports by the 27 European Union (EU) member states, in the form of a proposed bill that would still allow the Canadian Inuit to trade in seal products for first nation cultural purposes. All members of the EU must approve the bill for it to become law.

“While we are extremely disappointed that the European Parliament has called for a ban of the trade of seal products, our position remains that any ban on a humanely conducted hunt, such as Canada’s, is completely without merit. We will continue to explore all legal and diplomatic options and we will exercise our rights to their fullest extent under international trade laws if and when it becomes necessary and appropriate.”

“Sealing is a significant source of income in many small, isolated coastal communities throughout Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the North, and creates critical employment opportunities for processing plants, as well as fuel, food and equipment suppliers in coastal communities,” said Minister Shea.

“Our government will continue to defend the rights of Canadian sealers to provide a livelihood for their families through our humane, responsible and sustainable hunt,” she said. “It represents as much as 35 per cent of a sealer’s annual income and is important for thousands of families at a time of year when other fishing options are limited at best.”

The first area to open up to the seal hunt was the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where 30 percent of the catch is allowed.

Sixteen observer permits have been issued. “The majority of the observers are people who protest against the seal hunt, but there are journalists and other observers as well. We try to make sure there’s an even proportion of sealing activity and observer activity,” Mr. Jenkins, Department of Fisheries and Oceans spokesman said. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is going to observe and record the commercial seal hunt.

“It’s devastating to be here, to know the commercial seal hunt has started again. It’s clear that a change is on the horizon with the European Parliament voting on a proposal to ban seal-product trade in the EU and many people in the Canadian sealing industry believe that could spell the beginning of the end of the commercial seal hunt,” commented Rebecca Aldworth, director of the Canadian chapter of Humane Society International.

Posted in Uncategorized
What To Do When You Need To Fix Water Damage

What To Do When You Need To Fix Water Damage

byAlma Abell

If water damage has occurred in your home, it is necessary to clean it up right away so as to protect the structural integrity of your home. This is because standing water can result in further damage which will be very costly in the long run. This will be detrimental to your home and will result in excessive costs over time. To get started, you will need to understand what to do when water damage has occurred so that you can remedy the situation right away.

Working with professionals

A professional can fix water damage even in hard to reach places. Using the latest methods and equipment, they will ensure the best possible results for your property. At the first sign of water damage, it is important to contact a professional restoration company immediately so that you have the help you need to get your house protected. They will dispatch a technician immediately who will arrive onsite with all the tools needed to fix water damage of even the worst kind.

Moving quickly for best results

When it comes to water damage, moving quickly is advised for the best possible results. It can be scary to try to fix water damage on your own since you may move pieces that can cause the structure to weaken and collapse. Instead of trying to go it alone, employ the services of a professional water damage restoration company that can fix water damage anywhere in your property and have it looking as good as new again in no time at all.

Restoring your home like new

Once you call a professional to fix water damage that has occurred in your home, all that will be needed is for you to wait and see what they will be able to do. If you have chosen the right company, they should be able to restore your home to a like new condition for the best possible results. There should be no watermarks evident anywhere and no signs of mold or other bacteria caused by water. When they fix water damage, they do it right the first time around.

Although you will have to spend to provide your home with the best solutions, it is essential to treat this as an investment in your house. If the structure suffers due to water damage, it will be harder to fix in the long run. Calling someone that is a professional to fix water damage in your home is the best .com

<div class=United States begins testing equipment for demolition of a major VX nerve gas stockpile
" />

United States begins testing equipment for demolition of a major VX nerve gas stockpile

Saturday, May 7, 2005

Testing began on a chemical reactor at the Newport Chemical Depot near Terre Haute, Indiana on Friday morning. If successful, the reactor will be put to use destroying the large VX nerve gas stockpiles stored at the facility over the course of the next two years. After the disposal project experienced several delays, the facility announced it would begin pumping VX into a completed disposal unit for testing. The unit consists of a chemical reactor in which the VX will be mixed with water and sodium hydroxide, heated to 194°F while mixed with paddles. The resulting chemical, called hydrolysate, is chemically similar to commercial drain cleaners and has similar properties. If the test is successfully completed , the unit will continue processing the VX until the entire stockpile has been neutralized, a process projected to take two years. Administrators expect to complete testing on May 10, 2005.

According to the controversial plan, the finished waste product would be shipped to New Jersey for final reprocessing. The inert chemical would then be emptied into the Delaware River where natural attenuation would occur.

Residents near the proposed river disposal site in New Jersey oppose this idea. The contractor for the final component of this disposal would be the DuPont Corporation.

NCD is a bulk chemical storage and destruction facility in west central Indiana, thirty miles north of Terre Haute. Originally founded during World War II to produce RDX, a conventional explosive, it later became a site for chemical weapons manufacturing during the Cold War. It is now used to securely store and gradually neutralize part of the US stockpile of VX.

VX was manufactured by the U.S. in the 1950s and 60’s as a deterrent to possible Soviet Union use. It was never deployed, and the manufacture was halted in 1969 after an order signed by then-president Richard Nixon.

In 1999, the Army announced it awarded a disposal contract to Parsons Infrastructure & Technology, Inc., a business unit of Parsons Corporation. Some 220 civilian Parsons employees work at the facility, which is supervised by an Army officer reporting to the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, and a board of civilian government overseers called the Indiana Citizens’ Advisory Commission, some of whose members are appointed by the state governor.

Security at the facility is controversial. A private security service, supplemented by a complement of Indiana National Guard soldiers, guarded the facility until April 14, 2005, when the soldiers were withdrawn. An Indianapolis television station has questioned security measures in some of its special reports.

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Theresa May’s Conservative Party wins UK election but loses majority, leaving Brexit plan in question
" />

Theresa May’s Conservative Party wins UK election but loses majority, leaving Brexit plan in question

Sunday, June 11, 2017

While Theresa May remains Prime Minister of Britain, her party, the Conservative Party, won Thursday’s general election but lost its majority in Parliament.

The next scheduled general election was not until 2020. May requested this general election, called a snap election, in April, when polls indicated it would strengthen the then-slight majority the Conservatives held in Parliament. Talks to establish the specifics of Britain’s departure from the European Union are set to begin June 19. Last year, British voters decided to leave the EU, but many of the specifics of the United Kingdom’s new relationship with the rest of Europe have yet to be established. May and the other Conservatives favor a “hard Brexit”, in which Britain would lose its current level of access to Europe’s single market and have to deal with higher tariffs and more complicated customs processes but it would regain full control of its borders with respect to trade and immigration. An increase in the number of Conservative Parliamentary seats would have supported this plan.

“Officially Theresa May is still the partner in Brexit negotiations,” said senior German MP Stephan Meyer, “but the political reality is different after this disastrous defeat. I can’t imagine that May will be able to remain prime minister.”

Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission said, “As far as the Commission is concerned we can open negotiations tomorrow morning at half past nine […] First we have to agree on the divorce and exit modalities, and then we have to envisage the architecture of our future relations. I do hope that the result of the elections will have no major impact on the negotiations we are desperately waiting for.”

A Parliamentary majority requires 326 of the organisation’s 650 seats. The Conservative Party holds 318 outright, including May’s own seat in Maidenhead, and the Labour Party holds 262, having gained about 30 in this election. In Britain, the leader of whichever political party has the most seats becomes Prime Minister, though they are also formally appointed by the monarch. Theresa May became leader of the Conservative Party on July 11 of last year and was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II two days later. Cases in which no political party wins outright are called a hung Parliament, and then two or more parties rule together in coalition. Britain had a coalition government from 2010 to 2015. Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party has pledged an unofficial alliance with the Conservatives, which would bring them up to 328.

This would make May the second Prime Minister in a row to call an election with unexpected results. David Cameron called for a referendum on Britain’s EU membership, not expecting the voters would reject it.

May’s current ministry said most of her senior officials, including Treasurer Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and Home Secretary Amber Rudd, will remain in the Cabinet.

May met with Queen Elizabeth II yesterday to request her permission to form a government in her name, a traditional formality.

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=ANZACs remembered ninety years after assault on Gallipoli
" />

ANZACs remembered ninety years after assault on Gallipoli

Monday, April 25, 2005

Australians and New Zealanders throughout the world stood still for their national war memorial days in remembrance of the failed Australian and New Zealand Army Corps — ANZAC — attack on Gallipoli, Turkey that began on 25 April 1915. The fateful attack was designed to end the First World War more quickly by creating a supply line to Russia. A hundred-thousand died in the battle, remembered every year as ANZAC Day by both nations.

The British-directed battle of Gallipoli is often seen as the defining moment in the ‘birth’ of Australia and New Zealand. With New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark saying “For New Zealand as for Australia it was at Gallipoli that our young nations came of age.” [1]. This being the 90th anniversary of the attack, Clark, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Britain’s Prince Charles are all at Gallipoli to remember that fateful campaign.

Some controversy has been created about Australian Prime Minister John Howard not attending the New Zealand ceremony at Chunuk Bair on the Gallipoli Peninsula. This has upset many people as it is a break in a tradition that the Prime Ministers attend the ceremonies of both countries.

Posted in Uncategorized