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Friday, December 19, 2008
Camera company Polaroid has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. The firm, famed for the introduction of instant photography, says alleged fraud by the founder of their parent group is to blame.
Owned since 2005 by Petters Group Worldwide, Polaroid says that the group’s founder Tom Petters is “under investigation for alleged acts of fraud that have compromised the financial condition of Polaroid.” Authorities believe Petter, currently in police custody, was running fraud worth £3 billion, something he denies.
Petters Group, itself, filed for bankruptcy in October. Both firms now face restructuring, which Polaroid is confident won’t affect daily operations — in fact, the company is “planning for new product launches in 2009,” and claims to have “entered bankruptcy with ample cash reserves sufficient to finance the company’s reorganization under Chapter 11.”
Polaroid has further said that employees will be paid without interruption, and that while members of Petters Group are under investigation for fraud, Polaroid’s management is not. The company, based in Minnesota, also has subsidiaries which will enter bankruptcy with it.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
British media has reported that Prince William and his recently wedded wife, Kate, are to move their London residence into Kensington Palace, close to Hyde Park.
Two units in the Palace, labeled Apartments 8 and 9, were previously occupied by Prince Charles and Diana, William’s parents, when they married in 1981. Prince William and his brother Prince Harry went to nursery and school nearby. Diana also lived in Kensington Palace after her separation and divorce from Prince Charles.
However, the newlyweds will not live in Apartments 8 and 9, as they are currently being used as office space. They will instead live in a small apartment that was previously occupied by staff. The palace has undergone some renovations, including asbestos removal.
The couple is also set to choose one “housekeeper-dresser”, who will provide valet service for the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate will continue to buy her own clothes, and the new servant is not to be seen as a “stylist”. The position has been advertised internally within Buckingham Palace.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to move within a few weeks, before they leave on a trip to Canada and the United States. The London residence is expected to be used only as a starter home for about a year. The couple will keep their permanent residence without personal staff in Anglesey, Wales, where William serves on the Royal Air Force as a search-and-rescue pilot. They will continue to run their Household Office at St James’s Palace.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) riders on the subway portions of the Red and Blue lines may see relief of the slow zone in the coming months. So-called “slow zones” are locations where trains travel at restricted speeds because of track work or deteriorating conditions.
The CTA is putting nearly US$15 millions towards renovation of the O’Hare to Clark/Lake portion of the Blue Line and Chicago to Belmont portions of the Red Line. Work will happen during off peak and overnight hours. The CTA says that one track operations and delays may occur.
“We have heard our customers’ frustration with slow zones and today we are acting to address their concerns,” said Chicago Transit Board chairperson Carole Brown. “I am pleased that we are able to leverage existing contracts to begin this work and I look forward to working with state lawmakers to increase transit investment to bring our entire system to a state of good repair.”
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Metropolitan Police Service has confirmed that a police officer and a police community support officer were stabbed in the west of London, England. The officers were stabbed at a bus stop in the Ealing Broadway region of the city about 1505 UTC while examining bus tickets. The man stabbed the two in an attempt to evade arrest.
| Shocked by the stabbing of a police officer & a PCSO in Ealing. No place for this on the streets of London | ||
The pair were subsequently transported to hospital by ambulance. The police community support officer was seriously injured, having been stabbed in the arms. However, he was not thought to have suffered life-threatening injuries. The police officer was stabbed in the neck. His injuries were considered life-threatening.
The alleged attacker, a 30-year-old male, was arrested at the scene of the attack. According to reports, he was wanted by the police for recall to prison. When it became clear that he was going to be arrested, he drew a knife and stabbed the two.
Koon Midam, a witness to this incident, commented: “The man was asked to show a valid ticket and went into a violent rage. Very quickly the problem escalated as he drew his knife and made a few quick slashes. It was more of a shock for the first few moments and then there were the cries, the Pc dropping to the floor and the man lashing out again.”
Another male witness described the events. “I could see two policemen sprinting to the back of a police car to retrieve a green first aid kit,” he said. “They rushed back to assist a policeman who had blood on him. I then noticed another policeman who was walking slowly and then collapsed on the pavement. His arm fell to his side. As I drove away I also noticed a number of policemen pinning a man to the ground. He was shouting. What disturbed me most of all was the amount of blood on the pavement, it was clear that someone was very seriously injured.”
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has uploaded a message to the social networking website Twitter regarding this incident. In the tweet, Johnson states: “Shocked by the stabbing of a police officer & a PCSO in Ealing. No place for this on the streets of London”.
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Are Solar Panels Right For Your Home?
by
Sis Media
In recent years, energy costs have skyrocketed. They have gotten so high that they have become prohibitive for many people. This is especially true during the winter months when homeowners are forced to turn up the heat in order to keep warm. Solar panels are a good alternative for some individuals. Instead of paying out lots of money, they can reduce their cots by using solar panels. These help to heat homes and provide energy without using traditional energy sources. Individuals can go off of the grid or reduce their dependence on it, simply by using solar power panels.
Solar panels for homes come in a variety of styles. Homeowners can completely cover their roofs or opt to only partially cover them. Both can be beneficial. The former would result in them using more solar energy. A partially covered roof allows homeowners to use both solar energy and traditional (electrical) energy. There are benefits to using both.
A fully solar-powered home can save individuals a great deal of money. However, the homeowner would be very dependent on the weather. Individuals that live in areas where there is a lot sun or when the sunshine is only seasonal may not want to opt for a fully-solar paneled home. A better option may be to have a partial, solar-power roof. The latter would allow an individul to benefit from the cost savings and environmental friendliness that solar panels provide.
Solar power for homes can be very beneficial for everyone, even those who do not have them installed on their home. Solar panels help to decrease a household s dependency on the electrical grid. It also is better for the environment. It is this way that a person can benefit even if they don t, themselves, have solar panels installed on their own. When one person makes an effort to improve the state of the environment and actually follows through, this helps everyone
If a person is thinking about having solar power panels installed on their home, they need to make sure that they carefully interview any company they are considering hiring. They will want to take the steps necessary to determine whether or not that company is reputable and experienced. If a company is neither, a person shouldn t waste their time. They will likely end up throwing good money after bad, paying someone to fix the mistakes of a company that offers shoddy work. To avoid this, always make sure to ask plenty of questions and also request references. A failure to do these basic things can end up costing individuals a lot of money.
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Article Source:
ArticleRich.com
Saturday, November 4, 2006
On November 13, Toronto residents will be heading to the polls to vote for their ward’s councillor and for mayor. Among Toronto’s ridings is Toronto Centre (Ward 28). One candidate responded to Wikinews’ requests for an interview. This ward’s candidates include Edward Chin, Paula Fletcher (incumbent), Patrick Kraemer, Suzanne McCormick, Daniel Nicastro, and Michael Zubiak.
For more information on the election, read Toronto municipal election, 2006.
Friday, September 8, 2006
From September 3 to 8, experts gathered at the 10th International Congress on Obesity in Sydney, Australia, to discuss what they call the worldwide “obesity epidemic”. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 billion people in the world today are overweight, and 300 million of those are obese. “Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer“, a WHO fact sheet states. According to AP, experts at the conference “have warned that obesity is a bigger threat than AIDS or bird flu, and will easily overwhelm the world’s health care systems if urgent action is not taken”.
Of particular concern is the large number of overweight children. Dr. Stephan Rossner from Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital, a leading obesity expert who was present at the conference, has warned that as a result of the increasing number of overweight children, “we will have, within a decade or two, a number of young people who are on kidney dialysis. There will not be organs for everybody”. UK-based International Obesity Task Force has said that junk food manufacturers target children, for example, through Internet advertising, chat rooms, text messages, and “advergames” on websites. Politicians are not doing enough to address the problem of obesity, including childhood obesity, the experts said.
According to Wikipedia, examples of junk food include, but are not limited to: hamburgers, pizza, candy, soda, and salty foods like potato chips and french fries. A well-known piece of junk food is the Big Mac. The US version of just one Big Mac burger contains 48% of calories from fat, 47% US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of fat, 52% RDA of saturated fat, 26% RDA of cholesterol, 42% RDA of sodium, and little nutritional value. It also has 18% of calories from protein. According to WHO, most people need only about 5% calories from protein. Staples such as rice, corn, baked potatoes, pinto beans, as well as fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, oranges, and strawberries, provide more than this required amount of protein without the unhealthy amounts of fats or sodium, without cholesterol, and with plenty of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Both WHO and the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight in adults as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or above, and obese as a BMI of 30 or above. To combat overweight and obesity, WHO recommends that, among other things, people should be taking the following steps
- eating more fruit and vegetables, as well as nuts and whole grains;
- engaging in daily moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes;
- cutting the amount of fatty, sugary foods in the diet;
- moving from saturated animal-based fats to unsaturated vegetable-oil based fats.
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byChantel Ledbetter
Everyone knows what a temp agency or staffing agency is. It is a business establishment that provides employees to local businesses. It is a type of business that is beneficial to both employers and employees. The employers do not have to do any work in terms of finding employees. They just tell the staffing agency what kind of employees they need and the agency takes care of the work. Staffing agencies also make it easier for people to get jobs. You just fill out an application and the agency will assess your skills. Then, they will place you with jobs they think are a good fit for you personally.
Now that you know what a regular staffing agency is what exactly is a Legal staffing agency in Winston-Salem? A Legal staffing agency in Winston-Salem is just an agency that focuses on helping law firms find staff.
Finding new staff for a law firm is not a very easy task to accomplish this is because most of the time a law firm is very busy. They do not necessarily have time to sit down, read applications, and interview potential staff members. A legal staffing agency specializes in finding staff for law firms so they are going to know exactly what to look for. They will take all of the work out of finding the perfect staff members.
They will handle the interviews, the background checks, the drug checks, and the skill assessments. The legal staffing agency is going to handpick the cream of the crop for your law firm. All you have to do is give them a list of what kind of employees you need.
Whether you need entry level lawyers or just some receptionists to answer the phone, legal staffing agencies can make sure you get employees that are going to fit your needs. The best part is that most employees that come through staffing agencies start out as temporary employees. This gives you an opportunity to decide whether or not you like them. You can decide if they fit well into your law firm and if you want to hire them as a permanent employee.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
In the official result of Friday’s Irish referendum over the legality of abortion, referendum officer Barry Ryan announced yesterday 66.4% of voters favoured overturning the eighth amendment of the constitution. Introduced in 1983, the eighth amendment made abortion constitutionally illegal. Irish Taoiseach — Prime Minister — Leo Varadkar said supporting legislation, to be framed following the result of this referendum, is to be “enacted before the end of this year”.
More than 2.1 million people voted on the referendum on Friday. With a 64.1% turnout, 1,429,981 voted in favour of eliminating the abortion ban while 723,632 voted to keep it. The results were announced at Dublin Castle. About 6000 voters spoiled their votes. Calling it “an historic day”, Prime Minister Varadkar said it was “a great act of democracy.” Ministers said they would form laws allowing medical termination of pregnancy in the first trimester, twelve weeks, of pregnancy, and under special cases until the 24th week. The legislation is to be formed after discussion with medical experts.
Since the amendment, Article 40.3.3 of the Irish constitution, in 1983, which gave an unborn child equal rights to life as the mother, hundreds of thousands of women traveled to different countries for the medical termination of pregnancy, while some used medical drugs illegal in Ireland to terminate the pregnancy.
“Savita Matters, Women Matter” was one of the slogans used by the supporters who wanted to repeal the amendment. In October 2012, a 31-year-old dentist of Indian origin, Savita Halappanavar, died from sepsis at a Galway hospital after she was denied abortion for a protracted miscarriage. She was told by a midwife that termination of pregnancy would not be possible since Ireland was a “Catholic country”. Halappanavar’s photo was used for posters by supporters who wanted the 35-year-old amendment repealed. In 2016, the current Roman Catholic Pope, Pope Francis, described abortion as a “very grave sin” and a “horrendous crime”.
Halappanavar’s father Andanappa Yalagi told Hindustan Times, “We’ve got justice for Savita. What happened to her will not happen to any other family. I have no words to express my gratitude to the people of Ireland at this historic moment.” 39 of 40 Irish constituencies voted in favour of repealing the law, while voters in only one constituency, Donegal, voted against — 51.87% opting to keep the anti-abortion laws. After the result was announced, the crowd were chanting Savita’s name in front of Dublin Castle.
Cora Sherlock, an anti-abortion activist, said, “what we voted on today is the ending of human life.” “I will accept the will of the Irish people, at the same time I will make it very clear what I feel of the campaign that has taken place. We will now regroup and find out what our next move is”, she added. Another activist, David Quinn, said, “The result today is basically a reversal of the 1983 result. On that occasion the defeated side did not simply slip away.”
“The people have said that we want a modern constitution for a modern country”, Prime Minister Varadkar said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later congratulated Varadkar on Twitter, saying: “What a moment for democracy and women’s rights.”