<div class=Kenya government fires health worker strikers over failure to ‘report back to work’
" />

Kenya government fires health worker strikers over failure to ‘report back to work’

Saturday, March 10, 2012

The Kenyan government has dismissed 25,000 striking health workers, mostly nurses, citing failure to heed government orders to recommence work and concern for the welfare of hospital patients. Speaking on behalf of the government, Alfred Mutua stated the workers were dismissed “illegally striking” and “[defying] the directive … to report back to work”, which he called “unethical”. The government asks that “[a]ll qualified health professionals, who are unemployed and/or retired have been advised to report to their nearest health facility for interviews and deployment”, Mutua stated.

The workers, who had been on strike for four days, were wishing to have improvements made to their wages, working conditions, and allowances. The strikes have caused a significant number of Kenyan hospitals to cease operations. According to Kenya Health Professionals Society spokesperson Alex Orina, the average monthly wage plus allowances for health workers in Kenya is KSh25,000 (£193, US$302 or €230) approximately. With an increasing number of reports of patients neglected in hospitals emerging, two trade unions met with the Kenyan government yesterday and negotitated a return to work, although a significant proportion of demonstrators defied the agreement, The Guardian reported.

Orina told Reuters the dismissals were “cat-and-mouse games, you cannot sack an entire workforce. It is a ploy to get us to rush back to work, but our strike continues until our demands are met”. Frederick Omiah, a member of the same society, believed the government’s actions would “make an already delicate and volatile situation worse”, expressing concern that demonstrations may continue in the capital Nairobi, amongst other locations. Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union chairperson Dr. Victor Ng’ani described government actions as “reckless”.

Mutua said the health workers were “no longer employees of the government” and had been eliminated from the payroll. While Ng’ani told the BBC of difficulties with finding other workers as skilled and experienced, Mutua reportedly stated that this would not be an issue. “We have over 100,000 to 200,000 health professionals looking for work today,” Mutua commented. “There will be a lag of a day or two … but it is better than letting people die on the floor, at the gate, or suffer in pain”.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Kenya_government_fires_health_worker_strikers_over_failure_to_%27report_back_to_work%27&oldid=1566347”
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Report reveals Top 10 most-confusing tech buzzwords
" />

Report reveals Top 10 most-confusing tech buzzwords

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Danville, California — The California-based Engligh language tracker, Global Language Monitor, released its 2005 list of most confusing – yet frequently cited – high tech buzzwords to be “HTTP,” “Voice Over IP” (VoIP), and “Megapixel.” Closely following were “Plasma,” “Robust,” “WORM” and “Emoticon.”

In early March, the group used a predictive index computer algorithm to track specific words and phrases in the media and on the Internet. They were tracked in relation to frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets.

The Global Language Monitor claims to analyze and catalogue trends in word usage and word choices, focusing on the linguistic impact on various cultures. The GLM says it relies upon a global network of volunteer linguists, professional wordsmiths and other bibliophiles to monitor the trends in the evolution and demise of world languages.

GLM’s list, in order of frequency of use, of the most-confusing technology terms with the group’s explanation as to why they are faulty follows:

  1. HTTP – HyperText Transfer Protocol is the standard protocol used for transmitting web pages (which are written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language)), not text written while hyper on too much Starbucks coffee. There are more than 1 billion references to HTTP on the web alone.
  2. Voice over IP – Voice over Internet Protocol, (pronounced voyp, similar to Detroit) is a way of transmitting voice data over the Internet. VoIP is becoming more popular as services such as Skype offer people free voice communication with anyone with a broad-band connection.
  3. Megapixel – Approximately one million pixels, not a single, big pixel (“mega” is the metric system prefix for million). “Pixel” itself is a technical term which means “picture element”. Digital pictures consist of a grid of millions of pixels, which are square or rectangular dots, each having a single colour.
  4. Plasma – A plasma display (commonly used in televisions) is a flat, lightweight surface with a grid of millions of tiny glass bubbles containing plasma. A digitally controlled electric current flows through the bubbles causing the plasma inside to glow various colours. Plasma displays have nothing to do with blood plasma.
  5. Robust – Robustness generally means “it won’t break easily.” It supposedly describes computer programs or hardware that have been well-tested and demonstrated to not crash or fail often, but since it is a vague term by nature (how robust is robust?) it is frequently used by marketing types regardless.
  6. WORM – While a worm is a type of computer virus, WORM stands for ’Write Once, Read Many’. It describes a file system primarily used for optical disks, such as CDs and DVDs. For example, CD-Rs can only be written (or “burned”) once but afterwards can be read many times (otherwise you could only listen to your music CD once). This excludes re-writable CDs which can be written many times.
  7. Emoticon – Emoticon stands for emotional icon. An emoticon is a sequence of characters that look visually like a face and are used in text chat to convey emotion. The most common emoticon is the smiley face – 🙂 – which looks like two eyes and a mouth turned 90 degrees.
  8. Best of Breed – Not to be confused with the Westminster Dog Show, a best-of-breed product is a personalized solution made of components from various manufacturers; in other words, it’s a sort of high tech ‘mix-and-match’.
  9. Viral Marketing – A recent marketing trend which relies on word-of-mouth to spread, rather than traditional advertising strategies. It is called “viral” because as people talk about it, the marketing message “spreads” to new people, who in turn inform others, and so on, which is how viruses spread. The Burger King “Subservient Chicken” campaign is considered an example of viral marketing. Computer viruses used by spammers to turn desktop computers into “zombie” spam relays are something completely different.
  10. Data Migration – Data migration is an idealistic (though usually impossible) concept where data can be used by different versions of the program in which it was created (newer or older). The migration (migration means “to move”) refers to the fact that the data is moved from one version (or program) to another without difficulty or loss of information. It is a subset of backward and forward compatibility.

Other terms being tracked included “client/server,” “solution,” “paradigm,” “backward compatible,” and the “STUN protocol.”

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Report_reveals_Top_10_most-confusing_tech_buzzwords&oldid=1149678”
Posted in Uncategorized
7 For 7: Seven Creative Activities To Occupy Your Children

7 For 7: Seven Creative Activities To Occupy Your Children

7 for 7: Seven Creative Activities to occupy your children

by

lizziemilan

Kids are busy little people, working hard to discover their new world and learn everything they can. They move from one test to another in a matter of minutes and need a great deal of chasing, engaging, cleaning up after, and redirection.

These ten creative activities by

Teacher Training Mumbai

will keep kids engaged for at least ten minutes at a time, and they are great for encouraging both an increase in their attention span and budding motor skills.

1.Sorting Machine. Most kids love to sort things. For a kid who enjoys organizing, give a few handfuls of multi-colored, O-shaped cereal and a muffin pan. With a little direction, she ll arrange the cereal by color into the muffin pan cups and enjoy a healthy snack. For a non-edible activity, use blocks or decorated manipulative.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMu4cvY_5T4[/youtube]

2.Future Picasso. A bowl of spongy, chopped fruit with a little cream cheese and graham crackers is great for an enjoyable, edible art project. First, spread the cream cheese on the graham cracker. Then have the kid press fruit chunks into the cream cheese to create a nutritious work of art. You may just motivate the world s next Picasso.

3.Toy Rotation. A bin filled with toys can be hideaway for months in a closet or cupboard. When the forgotten toys are reintroduced, kids feel they have rediscovered them.

4.Shake It Up. Place toys or treats inside clear containers with the lids attached. Kids love to shake and clatter things, and when a kid realizes a treat is inside, the activity will be even more interesting.

5.Water Colors. Add a drop of blue food coloring to a low wading pool or sand and water table. Throw in some sea creature toys. For a change of theme, use green food coloring and jungle creature toys. It makes a great open-air activity on warm days. Keep in mind to closely manage any water play.

6.Paper Play. Consider allowing kids to enfold themselves in toilet paper and imagine they are snowmen, or to beautify the room with toilet paper streamers. You may want to use the game as a potty training introduction or celebration of a potty success.

7.Roughin It. Turn over a bench or gather chairs into a circle in the middle of the room, then wrap blankets over them to construct tents. Flashlights and a non-sticky snack can create a fun atmosphere while you read a story or

sing songs.

Lizzie Milan holds Master s in Psychology Degree. She was working as supervisor in

teachers training institute

.Currently, she is working as course co-ordinator for

diploma in early childhood education (ecce)

&

nursery teacher training (ntt) courses

since last 20 years

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

<div class=Australia: Mat Morgan, Greens candidate in South Gippsland, talks climate, tourism, and local issues with Wikinews
" />

Australia: Mat Morgan, Greens candidate in South Gippsland, talks climate, tourism, and local issues with Wikinews

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Since June 2019, the people of South Gippsland Shire, located at the southernmost tip of Australia, have been without a local council, after a state government inquiry found “high levels of tension” within the council. Administrators were appointed by the Victorian state government in July 2019, who have governed the shire since then. However, South Gippsland’s council is scheduled to be restored with an election to be held via post from October 5-22, 2021.

Wikinews interviewed one of the candidates standing in this election, Mat Morgan. He is running as a candidate in the Coastal-Promontory Ward, and is endorsed by the Australian Greens. The Coastal-Promontory ward covers towns such as Venus Bay, Waratah Bay, Yanakie, Foster, Port Welshpool, and Toora, and elects three councillors to the South Gippsland Shire Council.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Australia:_Mat_Morgan,_Greens_candidate_in_South_Gippsland,_talks_climate,_tourism,_and_local_issues_with_Wikinews&oldid=4645599”
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Authorities search for victims of Peruvian air crash
" />

Authorities search for victims of Peruvian air crash

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Rescuers are searching for the victims of the Tans Peru airliner crash which occurred earlier this month. Emergency services rescued 5 survivors on Thursday morning.

TANS say that 41 people were killed and a further 57 injured in this, the fifth airliner crash worldwide this month. The Boeing 737-200 airliner crash-landed in heavy jungle near the city of Pucallpa, 840 kilometers (522 miles) northeast of Lima, the capital city.

Peruvian authorities have ordered an investigation and have shipped the aircraft’s two flight data recorders, or “black boxes” to the United States for data retrieval.

Jorge Belevan said “We’ve also found five more survivors and that takes the number (of survivors) to 57. Two people are still missing and there are 41 dead,” Local authorities also said that the death toll is likely to rise due to inaccessible location of the crash site. This is the second TANS Peru plane crash in three years, following the January 2003 crash of flight 222 in the Peruvian rainforest. In that plane crash there were no survivors.

Peruvian government lawyer Marco Ochoa said that rescuers are opening the skin of the aircraft to determine whether there are more bodies trapped inside.

Survivors said that the plane was caught in a fierce storm about 10 minutes before the crash. The plane then caught fire and landed in swampland.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Authorities_search_for_victims_of_Peruvian_air_crash&oldid=3130816”
Posted in Uncategorized
What Happened To California Hmo Health Insurance Plans?

What Happened To California Hmo Health Insurance Plans?

By Dennis Jarvis

What a difference a decade can make. We remember getting the phone calls and going through various California health plans with people. We would eventually get to the question of HMO or PPO. We might be discussing a PPO plan when the person on the phone would ask, “But aren’t PPO plans more expensive?”. They use to be but not anymore. Let’s go into the slow but steady disappearance of HMO plan on the California individual health insurance market.

So what happen? Where did all the HMO plan go? The short answer is that they went real expensive and any plan that goes real expensive in today’s California health market quickly fades into oblivion. Let’s take a quick look at the history of HMO’s, their progression, and most importantly…how they stack up today as an option for health coverage on the individual market. Keep in mind that group health insurance in California is quite different which we’ll get into later. First, how did the HMO’s come about.

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

We’ve had a series of inflation periods in California health coverage. HMO’s and PPO’s were developed to try and counter one of these spells of inflation and they worked…for a while any way. This was the era of “managed care” which although the source of some derision, did what it was supposed to do and curtailed the onslaught of rapidly increasing health insurance rates. This period occurred from 80’s on and kept rates down until around the early 2000’s. HMO’s were a key part of this managed care initiative which flipped the responsibility of health care cost management on it’s head so that doctors were now given a capitated amount per person per month to treat patients. This was quite different from the indemnity style plans which basically payed as you used the coverage regardless with very little management from the California health insurance carrier. As a result of this management (through financial incentive to the doctor), HMO’s became attractive cost options especially to the group health market. Like we said, what a difference a decade makes.

Various changes occurred that impacted HMO’s ability to keep cost down. By definition, HMO’s are more managed in terms of the care. This is great for keeping costs down but doesn’t generate great PR and there was push back from the insured and eventually, the State government. Restrictions increased and HMO’s became more flexible as a result. Unfortunately, more flexible in a manage care means higher costs. The other issue is that HMO’s generally had richer benefits and in a world of ever increasing health care cost, absorbing more cost even under greater management doesn’t bode well. You can manage medication costs (say mandate a generic over a brand) but you can’t really manage an open heart bypass. With obesity skyrocketing, there are going to some real-world health care costs that can’t really be “managed” away. So where are we now?

For every 100 policies we issue, maybe…MAYBE 1 is an HMO and that’s probably an outlier. This is the individual market. The reason is simple. First, many of the HMO’s have deductibles built in now (not as rich) and they can be double to triple what PPO plans are. When you look at the annual premium difference, it’s hard to justify getting an HMO plan. It’s almost impossible. Okay, it’s impossible. We can’t think of a situation where a California individual HMO plan makes sense. Group insurance is difference where the cost comparison is still more favorable towards HMO’s but with the underlying trends in the market, it’s probably only a matter of time before they follow suit. Unfortunately, there are two ways to reduce health care cost. One is to restrict benefits or manage care the way HMO’s attempted or the other is to offer incentives (financial) for people to take better care of themselves. Eventually, we’ll get to the latter once we realize that we have no stomach for the former. You can quote PPO and HMO health plans side by side at our site www.calhealth.net

About the Author: Dennis Jarvis is a licensed California health insurance broker with extensive knowledge of the Individual and Small Group health market in California. Individual California health insurance

Source: isnare.com

Permanent Link: isnare.com/?aid=1326125&ca=Finances

<div class=Wikinews Shorts: December 25, 2008
" />

Wikinews Shorts: December 25, 2008

A compilation of brief news reports for Thursday, December 25, 2008.

The Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota has reported a sharp decrease in the number of global vehicle sales in November. The firm sold 618 000 cars in that month, a decrease of almost 22% from the same time last year.

This comes several days after Toyota’ prediction that it would have its first annual loss in 71 years.

Sources

  • “Toyota sales plunge in November” — BBC News Online, December 24, 2008
  • “Toyota’s global sales mark worst drop in 8 years” — Miami Herald, December 24, 2008

Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, the fund manager of an investment fund that lost US$1.4 billion to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, was found dead on Tuesday, having committed suicide.

De la Villehuchet was found by a security guard in his Madison Avenue office in New York City on December 23. A bottle of sleeping pills and a box cutter were discovered on the floor near his person, and his wrists were slashed.

Sources

  • “Suicide Madoff investor was ‘honorable man'” — MSNBC, December 24, 2008
  • Ignatius Reilly. “Madoff Suicide: Rene-Thierry Magon De La Villehuchet” — rightpundits.com, December 24, 2008

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_Shorts:_December_25,_2008&oldid=4460799”
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Wikinews Shorts: November 26, 2008
" />

Wikinews Shorts: November 26, 2008

A compilation of brief news reports for Wednesday, November 26, 2008.

 Contribute to Wikinews by expanding these briefs or add a new one.

Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, a British political party, has expressed his concern over the lack of men in childcare. In a speech to the Daycare Trust, Clegg commented on the issue. “There is still a huge stigma attached to men wanting to work in childcare,” he said. “Even just for men who want to take a more hands-on role in providing care for their own children.”

“The Daycare Trust’s own research shows that one in four men would consider working in childcare,” he continued. “Sadly some worry that their motives would be viewed with suspicion.”

Sources

  • “Concern on lack of men in childcare” — The Press Association, November 25, 2008
  • Press Release: “Clegg: Lack of men in childcare denies young children role models” — Liberal Democrats, November 25, 2008

A Pakistani hacker group named the Pakistan Cyber Army has reportedly attacked the official website of an Indian public sector petroleum company called Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. The attack was in response to the attacking of the official website of Pakistan state corporation Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority by Indian hackers named HMG, who attacked the OGRA’s website on November 17, and left a message on front page of the website that they would hack any Pakistani website with poor security controls. However, OGRA’s spokesman said he has no information on the incident.

Sources

  • “Pakistani hackers hack Indian website” — The News International, November 25, 2008
  • Muhammad Ali Raza. “A Message from PCA (Pakistan Cyber Army)” — propakistani.com, November 24, 2008

Apple Inc. has been told by the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to stop showing its advertisement, which describes the internet connection on the iPhone 3G as “really fast,” while pictures on the screen showed pages loading in less than a second.

ASA stated that the ad is likely to “lead viewers to believe that the device actually operated at or near to the speeds shown in the ad,” which, according to the organisation, it does not. As a result, the ASA ruled that the ad “must not appear again in its current form.”

Sources

  • “Apple made to drop iPhone advert” — BBC News Online, November 26, 2008
  • Press Release: “ASA Adjudications” — Advertising Standards Authority, November 26, 2008

This story has new developments.

Updated information can be found here.

1903 UTC According to local reports, 10 people were left dead and others injured in the Indian city of Mumbai after gunmen opened fire there.

The police say that it appears to be a terrorist attack.

Gunmen started shooting at seven locations, including a crowded restaurant and a train station. There were also reports of shooting at a hospital and two hotels, as well as two explosions, which are believed to be grenade attacks.

Sources

  • “Mumbai rocked by deadly shootings” — BBC News Online, November 26, 2008
  • “Terror attacks in Mumbai; 10 dead, several injured” — The Times of India, November 26, 2008

Nigeria’s food and drug agency has said that 25 children, aged from 3 months to 4 years, have died after consuming a contaminated teething syrup. Ten others are reported to have been hospitalised.

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control said that the syrup, which goes under the name of “My Pikin”, had been tainted with diethylene glycol, a substance that is usually used in antifreeze and engine coolant.

The agency added that it has shut down Barewa Pharmaceuticals, the Lagos-based manufacturer of the syrup.

Sources

  • “‘Bad syrup’ kills Nigerian babies” — BBC News Online, November 26, 2008
  • “Nigeria bans teething drug after 25 children die” — guardian.co.uk, November 26, 2008

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_Shorts:_November_26,_2008&oldid=1468021#Pakistani_hackers_attack_Indian_website”
Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi assaulted
" />

Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi assaulted

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is in San Raffaele Hospital overnight in Milan following an assault during an autograph session at the end of a rally.

The 73 year-old media mogul received a punch in the face from an assailant who police named as 42 year-old Massimo Tartaglia, a local man who has been undergoing mental health treatment for ten years. Tartaglia was holding a replica of Milan’s famous Domo Cathedral as he struck the premier; the composition of the replica is unknown, but eyewitnesses suggest it may have been made from marble, iron or another heavy material.

The assailant is currently in custody at a police station somewhere in Milan; police have confirmed he has no prior criminal record.

The attack on Berlusconi left him requiring treatment for damage to his mouth, a broken nose, cuts to his face and, according to reports from BBC News, at least two broken teeth. He has undergone a precautionary CT Scan. This is not the only attack Berlusconi has received; several years ago a man hit him with a tripod, leaving him with a cut to his forehead.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Prime_Minister_of_Italy_Silvio_Berlusconi_assaulted&oldid=3708958”
Posted in Uncategorized
Animation College   A Place Of Learning To Create Illusions

Animation College A Place Of Learning To Create Illusions

Animation College A Place of Learning to Create Illusions

by

Alfred Oliver

With the advent of computers came a whole world of fun and entertainment, and computer animation college can quickly teach anyone to get into this excitement. The decision to earn a degree in animation could be a better career option. The growth of the internet, entertainment and application areas of the high-tech industry demands for professionals with Animation education. Our Animation schools and colleges offer the education that one needs in order to succeed in the area of computer animation, multimedia animation, 3D animation and much more.

The animation industry is an exciting field that requires highly honed skills in designing and drawing along with the necessary technology to survive in this highly competitive market. This field, thus, requires an aspirant to hone his innate skills clubbing it with the latest animation software and technology to bring innovation and uniqueness.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pLi1J9YrkM[/youtube]

There are several levels of computer animation education available with an Animation College. Depending on the college, one can choose and obtain an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Science degree, with specializations such as video game design, graphic design, digital design, website design and others. A College of Animation offers many fascinating choices that one can follow to better his career prospects.

A typical animation course will offer lots of practical, hands on experience with animation software and hardware. In addition to practicing traditional drawing techniques, one will also learn the latest digital design techniques to create realistic animations through texturing, effective lighting, and creating background effects. One can learn how to develop interesting storylines and a multitude of unique characters in the college of animation.

A college of animation prepares graduates for entry level positions to work in game art and design and other team projects of web and graphic design in the fascinating world of digital design and animation. Such a college of animation will provide studies that cover such topics as body motion, life drawing, rendering techniques, physics, psychology and applying audio to animation projects.

Animation students will also find courses in project management and general education as part of the curriculum. Many colleges offer career placement services that help students to find a job after graduation.

Alfred Oliver write content about Art School, Art Colleges,

Animation college

and Painting schools . For more information visit at :

montserrat.edu/

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com