Thursday, June 30, 2005
Seoul —
The OhmyNews International Citizen Reporters’ Forum (see previous report) concluded on Saturday with several speeches and a visit to sponsoring companies in South Korea’s technology sector. Some invited “citizen reporters” from around the world extended their stay by several days to tour the country. Since the conclusion of the conference, presentations and transcripts have been published on the OhmyNews web site. [1]
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
In Buffalo New York, a suspicious package was received by National Action Financial Services, a subsidiary of Sitel, Inc.. According to FBI spokesperson Earl Gould Buffalo, the initial call was placed at 10:30AM EST Yesterday. The mail department found the package, evacuated the building, and contacted the local police department. The package has been described as containing some type of white powder.
The police department then contacted the Department of Homeland Security, who finished at the scene by 3:00PM EST.
After interviews with several employees were refused, one agreed – after being only identified as KR. He said management was being very “hush hush” about the incident, but when he came in he jokingly said that it was a “regular day at work now”.
National Action Financial media contacts were not available for comment, and the Amherst Police Department referred Wikinews to the local FBI office.
Special Agent Earl Gould stated as of 4:30PM no hospitalizations were required, but could not comment further as it is an ongoing investigation. He also stated the first responders to the scene did “everything right, and contained it immediately.”
Submitted by: Nathan Wei
An interesting topic that very few people- even doctors- dont know about , is a condition called plant thorn synovitis.
This problem occurs when a thorn from a plant enters a joint by puncturing it. This can happen during the course of gardening, trimming plants, or even while walking through dense brush where one uses their hands to push away branches.
Once the thorn punctures the joint- usually a joint in the hand- it leaves some plant matter inside the joint. This sets up an acute localized inflammatory response within the synovium- the lining of the joint.
Symptoms include joint swelling, redness, heat, and pain, accompanied by stiffness and reduced range of motion. The inflammatory reaction inside the joint is called synovitis.
Thorny plants that are most often associated with this problem are rose bushes. However, there are other thorny plants that can do this. These include: palm trees, black-thorn shrubs, cacti, bougainvillea, yucca, pyracantha, plum trees, and mesquite trees (Medicinenet.com).
While small hand and finger joints are most often affected, other joints can also be involved.
Symptoms of plant thorn synovitis may not develop for several days or even weeks after the puncture. The patient may not even recall having a puncture because the actual puncture may not have been that painful.
Plant thorn arthritis may be suspected if a patient comes in with a single joint that is inflamed. A careful history may produce the fact that they had been punctured by a plant thorn. Even if the plant thorn was removed by the patient, microscopic amounts of plant matter are left inside the joint and this is what causes the inflammatory response to develop.
The initial procedure is to insert a needle into the joint and draw out fluid to make sure that some other type of infection or other type of inflammatory process such as gout is not responsible for the problem.
Once this is done, then a patient can be sent for x-rays or MRI scanning to better delineate the process. Diagnostic ultrasound can also be of value.
Unfortunately, though, even these sophisticated imaging procedures may not detect the minute plant particles and the patient may need to undergo surgery.
The surgeon will open the joint and remove the entire area of inflamed synovium (joint lining).
Examination of the synovial tissue by a pathologist will show the microscopic pieces of thorny material. In addition, the pathologist will be able to identify what is called a granulomatous reaction. This is a typical biologic response that occurs in body tissue when exposed to a chronic irritant such as plant matter.
Another danger that can occur as a result of a thorny puncture is a septic or infected joint. This is a medical/surgical emergency since untreated infection will cause joint destruction but can also lead to systemic sepsis. Antibiotics and surgical debridement are generally required.
The long term prognosis for plant thorn synovitis is a good one if the diagnosis is suspected and early intervention is instituted.
Prevention is difficult but if plant enthusiasts at least are aware of this potential problem, it makes the diagnosis easier should it occur.
About the Author: Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a board-certified rheumatologist and nationally known arthritis authority and expert. For more info:
Arthritis Treatment
and
Arthritis Treatment Center
Source:
isnare.com
Permanent Link:
isnare.com/?aid=706913&ca=Medicines+and+Remedies}
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Viktor Schreckengost, the father of industrial design and creator of the Jazz Bowl, an iconic piece of Jazz Age art designed for Eleanor Roosevelt during his association with Cowan Pottery died yesterday. He was 101.
Schreckengost was born on June 26, 1906 in Sebring, Ohio, United States.
Schreckengost’s peers included the far more famous designers Raymond Loewy and Norman Bel Geddes.
In 2000, the Cleveland Museum of Art curated the first ever retrospective of Schreckengost’s work. Stunning in scope, the exhibition included sculpture, pottery, dinnerware, drawings, and paintings.
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The European Commission currently has proposals on the table to extend performers’ copyright terms. Described by Professor Martin Kretschmer as the “Beatles Extension Act”, the proposed measure would extend copyright from 50 to 95 years after recording. A vast number of classical tracks are at stake; the copyright on recordings from the fifties and early sixties is nearing its expiration date, after which it would normally enter the public domain or become ‘public property’. E.U. Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Charlie McCreevy is proposing this extension, and if the other relevant Directorate Generales (Information Society, Consumers, Culture, Trade, Competition, etc.) agree with the proposal, it will be sent to the European Parliament.
Wikinews contacted Erik Josefsson, European Affairs Coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (E.F.F.), who invited us to Brussels, the heart of E.U. policy making, to discuss this new proposal and its implications. Expecting an office interview, we arrived to discover that the event was a party and meetup conveniently coinciding with FOSDEM 2008 (the Free and Open source Software Developers’ European Meeting). The meetup was in a sprawling city centre apartment festooned with E.F.F. flags and looked to be a party that would go on into the early hours of the morning with copious food and drink on tap. As more people showed up for the event it turned out that it was a truly international crowd, with guests from all over Europe.
Eddan Katz, the new International Affairs Director of the E.F.F., had come over from the U.S. to connect to the European E.F.F. network, and he gladly took part in our interview. Eddan Katz explained that the Electronic Frontier Foundation is “A non-profit organisation working to protect civil liberties and freedoms online. The E.F.F. has fought for information privacy rights online, in relation to both the government and companies who, with insufficient transparency, collect, aggregate and make abuse of information about individuals.” Another major focus of their advocacy is intellectual property, said Eddan: “The E.F.F. represents what would be the public interest, those parts of society that don’t have a concentration of power, that the private interests do have in terms of lobbying.”
Becky Hogge, Executive Director of the U.K.’s Open Rights Group (O.R.G.), joined our discussion as well. “The goals of the Open Rights Group are very simple: we speak up whenever we see civil, consumer or human rights being affected by the poor implementation or the poor regulation of new technologies,” Becky summarised. “In that sense, people call us -I mean the E.F.F. has been around, in internet years, since the beginning of time- but the Open Rights Group is often called the British E.F.F.“
Tuesday, August 9, 2005
The UN-appointed panel investigating the oil for food scandal has released its third report.
The report says that Benon Sevan took nearly US$150,000 in cash bribes. Chef de Cabinet for Kofi Annan, Mark Malloch Brown, said that the UN would lift Sevan’s immunity should an approach come from a law enforcement authority and that the UN had been in ‘active collaboration’ with the Southern District of New York.
At the press conference responding to the report, Malloch Brown also said that there was will “a real need for serious, deep-rooted management reform of our organization, and that does not seem to be yet fully accepted by all member states.”
Benon Sevan, who worked for the UN for nearly 40 years before resigning on Sunday, has denied the accusation. In his resignation letter to Kofi Annan, he wrote: “The charges are false and you, who have known me all these years, should know they are false… I fully understand the pressure you are under…, but sacrificing me for political expediency will never appease our critics or help you or the organisation.”
A former UN procurement officer Alexander Yakovlev has pleaded guilty to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from UN contractors.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Well-known Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell was found unconscious on Tuesday at her Los Angeles home, and immediately taken to hospital, according to reports. An update on her condition appeared yesterday on her website.File:1974 Joni Mitchell.jpg
The update yesterday on her website said, “Joni remains under observation in the hospital and is resting comfortably. We are encouraged by her progress and she continues to improve and get stronger each day.” Webpage ‘We love you Joni’ was also created for fans on Facebook and Twitter to send Mitchell messages to get well soon.
A previous statement left on Mitchell’s website on Tuesday said, “Joni was found unconscious in her home this afternoon. She regained consciousness on the ambulance ride to an L.A. area hospital. She is currently in intensive care undergoing tests and is awake and in good spirits.” They added, “More updates to come when we hear them. Light a candle and sing a song, let’s all send good wishes her way.”
According to an early report by TMZ, the seventy-one year old musician’s condition was serious, and a 911 phone call was made from her home around 2:30 p.m. local time.
Rolling Stone, also claims that a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson explained to them that, though they could not reveal who was taken to the hospital at the time, paramedics were sent to Mitchell’s house.
On her twitter account, CBC news producer Leslie Stojsic gave a conflicting statement to other reports on Mitchell’s condition, saying, “Source tells me she’s in hospital recovering after ‘minor medical emergency,’ was *not* found unconscious.” She also added, “I’m told now she’s resting in hospital and is among friends. A good sign.”
It did not take long for her condition in hospital to spread through the social media. Many tweeted prayers and well wishes; one of them being rocker Billy Idol. He tweeted, “Sorry to hear todays news about Joni Mitchell. I sang on her ‘Dancing Clown’ single many moons ago, all the best 4 her recovery.”
Mitchell also reportedly suffers from Morgellons disease; a skin condition where people claim they have fibres coming out of their skin, along with tingling sensations. In her memoir, ‘Joni Mitchell: In her own words,’ released last year, the folk artist describes her experiences with the disease saying, “All the time it felt like I was being eaten alive by parasites living under my skin. I couldn’t leave my house for several years.”
Saturday, August 25, 2007
The leading supplier of school uniforms in the United Kingdom, Lancashire-based manufacturer Trutex, has announced it is “seriously considering” including GPS tracking devices in future ranges of its uniform products after conducting an online survey of both parents and children.
“As a direct result of the survey, we are now seriously considering incorporating a [tracking] device into future ranges” said Trutex marketing director Clare Rix.
The survey questioned 809 parents and 444 children aged nine to 16. It showed that 44% of parents were worried about the safety of pre-teen children, and 59% wanted tracking devices installed in school apparel. 39% of children aged nine to 12 were prepared to wear clothing with tracking devices in them, while teenagers were notably less enthusiastic and more wary of what Trutex has admitted they see as a “big brother” concept.
However, Trutex has claimed the tracking devices would bring about worthwhile benefits, including being a valuable resource for parents who wanted to keep a close eye on where their children were at all times.
“As well as being a safety net for parents, there could be real benefits for schools who could keep a closer track on the whereabouts of their pupils, potentially reducing truancy levels” says Rix.
Each year, Trutex supplies 1 million blouses, 1.1 million shirts, 250,000 pairs of trousers, 20,000 blazers, 60,000 skirts and 110,000 pieces of knitwear to the UK.
It is not the first company to manufacture school uniforms with a central focus on child safety; last week Essex firm BladeRunner revealed it was selling stab-proof school blazers to parents concerned about violence against their children. The blazers were outfitted with Kevlar, a synthetic fibre used in body armour. It has already received orders internationally, including Australia.
If the Trutex tracking devices go ahead, it is unclear where in the uniform they will be located.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
There were 5 games played in the National Hockey League on February 15, 2008.